December 29, 2012

We had the most perfect wedding day imaginable.  I don't even know where to begin recapping that, but I'll try.

The night before was the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner.  That all went very smoothly...I was surprised, actually.  You know how rehearsals usually are...they never start on time, take forever, & end with everyone in a bad mood.  As far as rehearsals go, it was pretty easy.

The rehearsal dinner was beautiful.  We really loved seeing everyone meet & get along so well.  Not many times in your life do you find all your family & friends from every stage of life in the same room together. 

The next day was perfect.  Everything was just so easy.  We saw each other before the wedding, which made the day so much easier.  We weren't nervous & really got to spend the day together instead of avoiding each other.  It was probably one of the best things we did having all the pictures except a few extended family ones done beforehand.

I still wanted to be able to walk down the aisle to Grayson when he saw me that first time, so that's what we did.  It was just us & the photographers & it was so great to have just those few moments together.

After that, the fun began...taking all of our pictures outside on a day with a high of 40.  It was freezing, but I'd rather be cold for a little while & have the pictures I really wanted.  Well worth it.  We used Paperlily Photography & loved them.  We had 3 photographers & it didn't feel like we were just posing forever.  I love all of our pictures, so I'm going to try to pick some favorites to show, but that's almost impossible.

The actual ceremony was one of our favorite parts of the day.  We'd read the order of service so many times & rearranged & reworded & to finally get to actually say & hear those words was great.  We wanted the wedding to present a clear picture of the Gospel & how marriage was designed as a depiction of Christ's relationship with the church.  Afterwards, people told us exactly that.  We loved hearing that all the planning we'd done for months actually accomplished what we'd wanted.

On to the reception...I knew what I wanted, but my mom, aunts, grandmother, & our caterers did pretty much everything to make it all come together.  It was perfect.  Everything was so beautiful.

And just a few more...

Next up, honeymoon!

Best Question Ever

I don't quite know where to start this post...

I guess I'll begin with Wednesday...we had a prayer meeting at church, & Grayson & I sat with his parents, rather than with our friends like we normally would.  I didn't think anything about it, but now I know this was the beginning of his scheming...

Friday morning my friend Kelly texted me & asked if I could come by the church by 6:30 that night & pick up some leadership stuff that she wanted us to read.  I told her I couldn't come then (I already knew we were going to dinner), but that I would get with her sometime this weekend & get it.  Right after that, Grayson texted me & asked if I got the text from Kelly & said that we could just stop by on our way to dinner.

Friday after work, I was expecting him to be at my house when I got home, but he wasn't.  I knew he'd be picking me up soon because we had to get to the church before Kelly left.  I didn't even know where we were going, so I called to see so I would know what to wear.  He was very cool during all of this...

Once he picked me up & we got to the church, I asked if Kelly was coming out or if we had to go in.  He said we had to go in.  My response: "she can't meet us?  Doesn't she know I'm starrrrvinggg?"  He just laughed.  So we're walking towards the church (it never even occurred to me that we weren't headed toward the building where her office is), & when we got to this grassy area, he said "so...I have a question..."  He got down on one knee & just said the most perfect things I've ever heard & asked me to marry him.

I obviously said yes...

 

And I never told him that I would want pictures...but he knew.  Kelly & Darby were hiding & taking pictures.  I love that he just knew I would want that, & knew who I would want there.

 

I love that he's giggling here...

 

And oh yeah...he gave me this beautiful ring.  It's more perfect than anything I could've imagined.  And he picked it out all by himself :)

 

Here are the scheming girls...love these 2 so much.

 

After some picture-taking & oohing & aahhing & hugging & giggling with them, we left for dinner.  We ate at One Midtown Kitchen in Atlanta.

And then maybe made one stop on the way home...

I'm pretty sure the fact that, when he said something about going somewhere else for dessert, & I reminded him that Krispy Kreme was right down the street, is part of why he's marrying me.  I affirm his love of hot Krispy Kreme donuts.

But joking aside...when he proposed, he talked about how in the Bible, marriage is clearly described as a picture of Christ's relationship with the Church...it is a picture of the Gospel.  This is our goal & is what we want our marriage to look like.  We want to preach the Gospel through our marriage.  I love that he said that...it's not about me & not about him, not about a ring, or a wedding...it's about a marriage that portrays the Gospel, & that is our desire.

So in 124 days, this incredible man becomes my husband, & I couldn't be more thrilled.

372 days later...

On August 19, 2011, I met Grayson Carr.  I had no idea at that time that he was the one that I've been praying for for all these years.

Day 1: May 19, 2012 - this cute boy asked me out.  I wasn't even sure it was a date, but I very quickly understood that it indeed was.  We went to dinner & just had the best conversation...so much of it related back to things we'd been talking about in Sunday school.  I couldn't believe that I was sitting across from the table from this guy that I'd known for almost a year, but had never known him like this.  I'd had very few one-on-one conversations with him, but here we were talking like we'd been best friends for years.

Day 3: May 21, 2012 - we went on a walk at a park close to my house...during this, Grayson shared something with me that just showed me a huge part of his heart.  I knew then that this was the kind of man I wanted to marry.

Day 29: June 17, 2012 - this is the first time that Grayson met my family...& he told me that night that he was going to marry me.  [Having said this, I'm sure my mom will take credit for it all...since it was on the day he met her that he told me this.]

And today...372 days after this amazing guy walked into my life, 98 days after that great first date, Grayson Carr asked me to be his wife.

More details & pictures to come...

377 days later...

I graduated on April 30, 2010.

Started job searching way before that...like maybe in November 2010.

And now...377 days later (yesterday, actually)...

I finalllly got a job!

I say finally...a long  time to me, but just the right time that God's had in mind all along.

via

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam."

Change the names, & this is me.

No, this is not my dream job.  But I sincerely believe that it is good experience & puts me a step closer.

things I'm excited about:

a paycheck

good insurance

working with my friend Kelly (hence, why I have a job)

making new friends

being in a town with people my age

being "neighbors" with Cait

living in a town with the following: Target, Kroger, Sonic, & Moe's...& many others that are just waiting to be discovered.

getting a kitten!

decorating...slowly but surely (& cheaply)

being able to afford an iPhone (already ordered my case!)
& eventually, a blog design

There is also a "con" list...but I'm not ready to discuss that.

the next 10 days look like this:

today: babysitting, errands, Cait's bachelorette party

tomorrow: apartment shopping

Sunday: church, church picnic, cousin's birthday party, church again

Monday-Wednesday: packing & working

Thursday: hourrrs in the car to go to my cousin's graduation & back

Friday: bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner

Saturday: wedding! + maybe my dad & brother moving all my stuff for me.

Sunday: moving?

Monday: start work.

So...pray for me & forgive me if I'm absent from the blogosphere for a little bit.

Another bit of exciting news: sale at the shop!  I do not like to pack & I do not like to move...so the less I have to move, the better.  Use code MOVINGDAY for 15% off your order between now & May 18.

Mr. & Mrs. Shostak!

My weekend centered around the wedding of one of my best friends & it was SO wonderful.  I don't think I've ever been to a service that was less about the bride & groom & more about Jesus.  The bridesmaids & groomsmen came in to Come Thou Fount, Case's favorite, & she came in to Be Thou My Vision (Em's husband, John, played (& later sang) beautifully).  We had communion during the ceremony...the pastors served Case & Ryan, who served the wedding party as their families served the rest of the congregation.  So, so beautiful.  Also, I got to see lots of friends at the reception.  Sadly, I don't have a lot of pictures of all of my Bible Study & Alpha Gam girls at the reception...apparently the camera that I took was not the best to take...it's not super user-friendly to just anyone & lots of the pictures were out of focus.  However, my favorite people were there & it was wonderful.  Case was an amazing bride & we all had so much fun celebrating with them!  Can't wait to see how God works through this brand new phase of life for Case & Ryan.

Graduation!

I feel like graduating from college definitely requires a post...but I don't really have that much to say about it, so I'm just going to make a list.

1. EVERYONE asks you how it feels to be a college graduate.  News flash: it feels exactly the same.  I'm sure around August I'll start feeling it when everyone else goes back to school & I don't.  Or when I get a job.  But right now, nothing is different.  However, I need to come up with a more interesting answer because apparently everyone expects for my life to have been transformed when Dr. Potter put a big piece of paper in my hand.
2. I had all my family & a few friends over to my apartment after the ceremony.  This meant 33 people in my little apartment.  And strangely enough, nothing was spilled or broken...there was a lot of screaming & laughing, but very little crying.  If you'd met all the kids in my family, you'd know that this should be considered a milestone.
3. Favorite part of the night: when I went to find everyone after the ceremony, Shea was the first to run up & talk to me.  And that mischievous little 4-year-old immediately unzipped my gown & stuck her head halfway down it to see if I was wearing anything underneath.  Good thing I was...
4. My grandmother, aunt, & cousin came down early Friday & my mom & I rode up to Dahlonega with them & spent the day walking around the square.  Then Saturday we shopped in Dawsonville & Athens.  My grandmother is my kind of shopper...she can outlast everyone but me (we tie).  :)

And...a few pictures.

 

top: my mom's mom (Grandmama), the Pagetts (close friends of my family...LOVE those kids!)

bottom: my mom's sister (Aunt Debbie), my dad's parents (Mom & Dad...I know, weird...don't even get me started...), my cousin Amy (who graduates next week!)

 

me & my brother :)

 

my family.  I'm the short one, in case you can't tell...

 

friends :)

Last Exam Week. Ever.

Exams are stressful. Studying is not fun. I am a fan of sleep & not much is had during exam week. However...the strangest, most fun memories seem to always come from these times.

Formal. Ok, so technically this was the weekend before finals week actually began, & nothing strange really happened...but it was really fun. :)

AND I got to take a few fun picture of this newly-engaged couple. :)

Casey Darnell tweeted this a few days ago: Jesus is a friend of mine... and @kpstanfill... http://twitpic.com/1h2yq6. At this point, Cait & I were sitting in my bed watching Bones & studying. Because that's what we do these days. Cait: "Jesus has an iPod!" Me: "Um...that's a Bible." That conversation turned into things like "WWJLT" (What Would Jesus Listen To?) & "WWBOJI" (What Would Be on Jesus' iPod?). And this was hilarious. I think it was more about us being delirious from lack of sleep & too much boring studying. Also, not strange at all, but tonight was Night of Worship at Browns Bridge. We walked in to find THIS:

Picture's from my phone so it's not really clear, but the lights looked like stained glass & it was beautiful. All of the songs we sang tonight were hymns & it was so great! Plus I had some of my favorite girls there with me. :)

Then we came home for some lovely brownies & laughs with Brandi & Lauren. And they brought me this a really great video that refuses to upload. Thanks, blogger. Anyway, it was their audition for Glee [or should I say auditionS?] Reminds me so much of exam week my freshman year...some of my favorite memories. :)

And then I met GloZell. You've probably seen this one, but it turns out she has TONS. So funny. We especially enjoyed this really strange one. Seriously weird. But we laughed real hard. And cringed. A lot. And...there's no possible way to tie all of these things together except for the fact that they happened during exam week (I like that this reminds me of "it happened on Mulberry Street" by Dr. Seuss). These are the crazy things & people that make that time of the year not unbearable. :)

Senior Year...Not Exactly like High School Musical

So, tomorrow is my very last first day of school!

Bittersweet.

Sweet: I'm not exactly in love with class.

Bitter: I have no clue what lies next.

Ok, not exactly bitter. The past few years I've kind of been proud of myself for not trying to plan the next phase of my life before God had shown me the way. However, now I feel like I should have at least some idea of where this road is going.

I really kind of picked an English major because a) I didn't know what else to do, b) I'd already tried several options, c) I had to find something that I could stand just long enough to have a diploma in hand. I like it fine, but it's not like I want to read & write for the rest of my life. Ok, so maybe I do...but I don't want to be made to.

Other options...photography. Love it. I don't feel like I know much about it though. Anything I can do is just what I was born with. Not a lot of knowledge. I've thought about taking some classes next year. Still...that's something I enjoy doing, but in the words of my hero, Justin Matisse, "You take something you love...twist it, turn it, try to find a way to make money at it...in the end you can't even remember what you started out loving." I don't want that.

Lately I've been wondering...I've felt a calling to missions since middle school. First I thought I'd live in some faraway place & lead some daring & adventurous life. Then I realized that a call to missions is a daily thing. We're all called to be missionaries in life...whether that's in the remotest village in Africa, or behind a desk at a 9 to 5 job in the U.S. I thought maybe I'm "just" supposed to be a missionary here. Just been pondering that lately...maybe what I'm really called to is a mix of the two?

Our Beth Graduated!

We're so proud of our Beth! Let me tell you...she's come a long way! Freshman (& part of sophomore...) year, her goal was to not skip a single class all of college. She didn't miss many, but we did finally break her of that! Beth is such a blessing in my life & there's no one else I would have rather lived with for my first few years (ok, so basically the whole time) at "NorthGeorgiaCollege&StateUniversity".