Saturday, April 30, 2011

Sweet Baby James

I am blessed to still be friends with so many people that I was friends with in my childhood.  I met Staci when I was in kindergarten.  We’ve been friends ever since.  Her birthday party when we were in kindergarten was the first sleepover I ever went to.  Here are some pictures from that sleepover :)  Can you tell which one is me? Staci is the one with the Snow White shirt. :)

PScannedImage028_028Staci is the one is the pink in the picture below.  From left to right: Brittany, me, Staci, Heather, and Haley.   PScannedImage026_026 I’m still super close with Staci, Heather, and Haley.  I love that we have been friends for so long! 

Staci is married and all grown up now and lives in Illinois (really close to where Jeremy is from actually).  She and her husband Mark just had their first baby 6 weeks ago.  Me, Heather, and Haley were so excited to get to go and see sweet baby James last night for the first time!

Me holding him- he kept smiling and we were trying to get a picture of it :)

100_1189 100_1181Heather with James, she and her husband Miles are expecting a son in September!   100_1182Staci with a couple of cute things Haley brought her. 

Haley is holding James in the picture below. 100_1183Here is Haley with baby J!  100_1184I’m holding him in this one, but I don’t have a good shot of the two of us.  I’ll have to add more photos when Haley sends me some of hers.   100_1187

We love you Staci and baby James- it was so sweet to finally meet you!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Chalkboard Menu Board

Remember way back in January when I posted this about making a chalkboard menu?  I had bought this old painting at a local antique shop for about $10 if I remember correctly. 

Today I finally got around to transforming it into this…

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I’m going to be using it to write our menu on for the wedding reception.  Which is going to be a delicious southern buffet in case you’re wondering :) 

Here’s how I spent the afternoon

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I got an old painting drop cloth out and spread it out outside.  Isn’t is such a beautiful day outside?  (At least here in NC) and took apart the frame and painting. 

I then spray painted the frame an ivory color and the painting with chalkboard spray paint- both from Krylon. 

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I had to do about 5-6 coats to get the painting covered. 

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I let it dry for a couple of hours and then reassembled the frame and board.  And ta-da, a nice new chalkboard for our menu! 

Like I had said before, we are going to use this in our house after the wedding.  I love menu planning for the week- it makes my life so much easier when I’m shopping and then it helps to keep me from going out and eating because I already have something planned to fix for the day.  I’ll use the menu board to hopefully display our weekly menu when Jeremy and I get married :) 

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It’s not perfect.  I ran out of ivory spray paint before I got done with my second coat and the chalkboard paint ended up not being completely even (you can see that in the picture above a little), but I’m going with the Nester’s mantra on this one, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful”.

 

One more project down, about 20 more to go!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

We’re Back!

We got back from our little vacation today.  We had such a great time at the beach, we got tons accomplished for the wedding, and found a few sharks teeth.  Like I’ve told you before, we are obsessed with hunting for sharks teeth.  Here are our finds this week- pretty good for only being there 3 days.  I was only able to really go out twice and look because of everything with the wedding, so Daddy found most of these. 

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The largest one above is about 2-3 inches long. 

While we were at the beach, I got my bridal portraits taken.  My photographer sent me six preview pictures today and I love them!  Sorry, I can’t show them to you yet though- you’ll have to wait until after the wedding, I don’t want Jeremy getting a peak at the dress!  Be looking for me to post some the week after the wedding while Jeremy and I are on our honeymoon.  I’ll set up some to post automatically that week :) 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Our Wedding Shoes

Since I know you’ve been dying to know, here are the shoes Jeremy and I will be wearing on our wedding day. :) 

We’ll both be going barefoot for the ceremony on the beach but these will serve us well for the rest of the day.  Beachy, casual, yet still a little elegant.

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My shoes are Simply Vera by Vera Wang from Khols.  They were on sale for $15 and I had a $10 off coupon, so I got them for only $5!

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Jeremy’s shoes are  Perry Ellis and we got them at Belk on sale for $29.  He loves them, they are very Ocean’s Eleven, don’t you think? 

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Isn’t it crazy the details you care about as a bride?  Yes, I care enough about our shoes to devote a post to them :)

Beach Bound!

This morning we are rolling out to the beach!!  Can’t wait to relax, wedding plan, find sharks teeth, and get bridal portraits taken!  I’ll be here in just a few short hours..

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I got all moved home to NC on Saturday and had a wonderful Easter at Elevation Church in Charlotte and then spent some time with my family for Easter dinner.  How great it is to celebrate our risen Savior! 

Yesterday I also had to unpack everything from VA so that I could repack for the beach today.  We have a little sitting area upstairs beside my room (which has inadvertantly become a storage area throughout the years) and I decided yesterday to use it as my “wedding workroom” for the next month and a half.  It feels great to have a space to put all the wedding project supplies and spread out my stuff a little bit. 

It may just look like a mess to you, but to me it is the perfect space to get everything I need for the wedding done!

 

I’ve got the small wooden table set up for paperwork and if I need it to put my sewing machine.  The printer is up and ready for me to print out programs and such, I’ve got a desk with a huge bulletin board to post inspiration pictures and to-do lists. 

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Well, gotta go- we’re leaving in less than an hour!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Life Happens

I’ve been trying to get caught up with the “A Walk Through Holy Week” series, but sometimes life just happens.  The past few days have been a roller coaster for me.  I woke up Thursday morning to a kidney stone attack- my fourth kidney stone in two years.  I had my last day of work that afternoon (although I was so groggy from my meds that I don’t think it would have made a difference if I was there or not).  Yesterday I finished packing up everything I’ll need for the next month, cleaned out my car, and hung out with Jeremy because today I move back to North Carolina until the wedding.  Jeremy and I are driving down separately to Eden, NC this afternoon to meet up with our friends Laura and TJ for premarital counseling (TJ is officiating our wedding).  Then I’ll head on back to good ole’ Rutherford County and Jeremy will make his way back up to Lynchburg.

Tomorrow my family and I are going to the Easter service at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.  I know that it is going to be spectacular, and I can’t wait!! 

Then Monday we head out to the beach to tie up all the loose ends for the wedding and to have my bridal portraits taken- fun fun!! 

Needless to say, I’ve been slammed this week and haven’t gotten around to the series.  Hopefully today I’ll get a chance to post again before we leave. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Busy Busy Busy

I have been falling behind with the series, I have been super busy with work this week!  We got in a huge shipment from Kleinfeld of new wedding dresses and I have been sorting and pricing and tagging and putting them on the racks.  I’ll get caught up as soon as I can- but tonight I’ve just got to hit the sack :)  In the mean time, check out this awesome bridal gown by Melissa Sweet that we got in this shipment- originally $8,800 and we are selling the sample for $400!  Isn’t it so unique?  I’ve been having fun playing with beautiful gowns like these this week :)

www.churchstreetbridal.com

Monday, April 18, 2011

A Walk Through Holy Week- Palm Sunday

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Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday- the Sunday before Jesus arose from the dead.  This is the day that He entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey and the people cried Hosanna.

Before entering into the city of Jerusalem, Jesus had been staying in the small village of Bethany, which was located about 2 miles from Jerusalem, on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives.  (The Mount of Olives directly faces the city of Jerusalem.  Below is an aeriel view of the modern day Mount of Olives and Jerusalem.  The temple mount, where the Dome of the Rock is located today, can be seen directly north of the Mt of Olives in the picture. 

Jesus often stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus while He was visiting Bethany. (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; 12:1-3).  We know from Scripture that Mary anointed Jesus after He had arrived in Bethany on Friday or Saturday before His triumphal entry (John 12:2-8).  It is very plausible that Jesus and His disciples stayed with the family during this time. 

According to John 12:12, large crowds had come to Israel for the Passover feast.  According to the Old Testament law, all males in Israel were required to travel to Jerusalem 3 times a year for feast- the feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.  (Deut. 16:16).  Therefore, there would have been a very large crowd in Jerusalem at the time of the events of Holy week. Men and families from all over the land were traveling to celebrate the Passover Feast in the Holy city.

Jesus traveled out of Bethany into the neighboring town of Bethphage, about one miles from the city of Jerusalem.  It is here that He instructs two disciples to go into the village and there they would find a donkey and a colt tied up.  The colt was to have never been ridden before.  They were to bring them to Jesus, telling anyone who asked that the Lord needed them.  The disciples did as they were instructed and Jesus mounted the colt and began to ride into the city. 

It may seem strange that Jesus would request a donkey to enter the city on and why the crowds would react in such a triumphant fashion.  It is interesting to note that although the donkey was a domesticated animal during the time used for work purposes,  in the days of the Old Testament, the donkey was also considered a royal beast. It is interesting to note that according to rabbinic law, the king’s donkey should never been ridden by anyone else.   

In 1 Kings 1:32-40, David has Solomon ride on David’s own mule to announce and anoint Solomon as the new king of Israel.  In ancient Near Eastern text, we find similar examples of donkeys being used in ceremonial entries and as an act of kingship.  As Jesus enters into the city on the back of a donkey, He is announcing Himself as the Messiah, the Son of David, the eternal King.  Zechariah 9:9, is quoted in Matthew and John as having been fulfilled by Jesus’ entry into the city on a donkey.  The prophecy states, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is triumphal because of the implication it has.  He was announcing that He was the King- and the people, who had heard of His many miracles, were receiving Him as such by waving palm branches and laying their cloaks on the ground before Him.  The waving of palm branches was symbolic of victory over one’s enemies.  The laying down of their cloaks represented their submission to Him as King.  (2 Kings 9:13).  They shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David”.  Hosanna is a Hebrew word meaning “O Save or Save us”.  By using the term “Son of David”, they were recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah who is called by the same name.  The crowds understood that Jesus was announcing Himself as king, but He wouldn’t be the king they were expecting or wanting.  The people wanted a warrior king, a Messiah who would save them from the Roman influence on the country, who would protect their nation.  Little did they know or understand that Jesus was the King of kings and the Savior of all mankind.  In just a few short days, these same people would no longer be crying out to their Messiah, but crying to crucify Him. 

Below are some photos of the Palm Sunday road, the one on which Jesus rode into the city on the back of a donkey. 

IMG_5047 IMG_5052 IMG_5043 In the picture below (not my picture), the wall that runs diagonally across is the Palm Sunday road.  This photo shows the road going down from the Mount of Olives into the Kidron Valley, and the road would then go up into the city of Jerusalem (where the photo is taken from). 

Click on photo above for source

Luke 19:41 tells us that as Jesus drew near to the city, He wept over it.  He knew that there would come a day when the city would be destroyed.  Below is a picture of the city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, where Jesus would have seen the city from. 

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What love His tears show for this city and for His people. 

After entering into the city, Jesus went into the temple and looked around at everything (Mark 11:11)  We do not know exactly what He did, but it was already getting late and He and His disciples went back to Bethany for the night. 

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Tomorrow I will share about what Jesus did the following Monday and Tuesday after His triumphal entry.  I hope the description and pictures today helped you to more fully understand and appreciate the significance of Palm Sunday.  It is my prayer that you will continue to prepare your heart for Easter as we celebrate together the death, burial and resurrection of our Eternal King.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

A Walk Through Holy Week

image Today begins Holy Week, the week proceeding the celebration of Easter.  Holy Week is a special time for the Christian faith, it is a time to reflect and remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins.  We have spent the last 40 days in the season of lent, and this week culminates the journey to the cross. 

This week I will be posting a series titled, “A Walk Through Holy Week”.  3 years ago, my mom and I visited Israel and my view on the happenings of Scripture were forever changed.  I walked where Jesus walked, I saw the city over which He cried, I stood in the tomb where He may have lay.  This week, I’d like for you to walk with me through the Holy Land and see first hand where Jesus went and what He did the week before He died.  Perhaps you will understand in real time, maybe for the first time, what the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry looked like. 

I’ll be sharing pictures and background information as we travel along, following what Jesus did the last few days before He sacrificed it all on the cross.  I’ll start the series tomorrow with Palm Sunday and Holy Monday.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Proposal

One year ago today, Jeremy asked me to be his wife.  That was such a wonderful night! Jeremy proposed in downtown Lynchburg on Percival Island.  Percival Island is on the James River and there is a river walk going to the island.  People go down to run, walk, ride bikes, and fish.

I thought I’d share the pictures we took the day we got engaged and tell the story of how it all happened.  Here’s our proposal story:

This picture was taken the day he proposed on the riverwalk.  You can see the end of Percival Island in this picture- where those little trees are in the middle of the water.    

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That day, I had suggested that Jeremy and I go and do something outside because it was such a pretty day.  We decided to go to Percival Island and walk around.  We had been a couple of times before and it is always a nice place to go that is fun to explore.  As we were walking to the island, Jeremy suggested that we carve our names into a tree.  I had been telling him I wanted to carve our names in a tree for as long as we had been dating, so of course I was excited! 

We walked around the island trying to find the perfect tree.  Here is Jeremy standing by the water a few minutes before we found “our tree”. 

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100_0154Carving our initials into a tree was harder than we originally thought.  We tried a couple of trees before finding one that was easy enough to carve.  First we were going to carve out a heart (you can see that above our initials) and then we realized it was better just to do an outline of a heart.  We carved each others initials and then I insisted on taking tons of pictures because I was so excited.  Meanwhile Jeremy is trying to get me to stop so he can propose :) 

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When I finally stopped taking pictures, Jeremy starting saying all of these sweet things and then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I have never been happier and of course said yes!  We had decided way back that we were not going to kiss until we got engaged, so after he proposed we shared our first kiss.  It was such a sweet and special time for us that I will always cherish. 

The picture below is right after he asked me to marry him.  The sun had started to go down and I didn’t think about using the flash in the excitement, so its a little dark.

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The picture below is the one I took of my ring on my phone to send to everyone that night while we sat on the riverwalk and called everybody to share the big news.

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It was such a wonderful day, and I’m so glad I had the camera with me to capture it all!

 

Someday I’m going to buy a necklace like one of these.  Wouldn’t they be perfect for our story? (Click on the picture to see the source)

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Last night we went back to Percival Island to celebrate one year of being engaged.  Our tree looks a little different now- it is in the water!  Here are some pictures from last night….

100_1135Jeremy had to go out on a log to inspect our initials- they are still there, but much harder to see, and much harder to get to :)

I tried to zoon in to get a picture of the initials, you can kind of see them in the picture below.  100_1132 Now he’s just playing around…100_1133 100_1134

I wanted to take a picture of the two of us.  Jeremy was in a playful mood, but not a picture taking mood… Here’s what I got for pictures.  His sense of humor- just one of the many reasons I love him :)

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Seriously, we’re gonna be here all night if I don’t get a good picture…

This one will have to do.

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