Labels: Friday Quote

Psalm 105:1-6 from the Message Bible:

Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name!
Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
Sing him songs, belt out hymns,
translate his wonders into music!
Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs,
you who seek God. Live a happy life!
Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works;
be alert for signs of his presence.
Remember the world of wonders he has made,
his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered—
O seed of Abraham, his servant,
O child of Jacob, his chosen.

Labels: Thankful Thursday

Prince Chris and the Flower Girl Grace. I call her Princess Cupcake.
Doesn't she look like a little cupcake??

The Princess Bride and her Ring Bearer Ethan.

More than sisters, they are friends...Lydia with Hannah, her Matron of Honor

Mother of the bride....that's me! With the Princess Bride, Lydia.

What a wonderful relationship Lydia has with her dad. Very precious.

The guys are waiting for pictures to be taken. Who knows what they are doing!
Something to do with making noise!

Praying for Lydia before the service. And yes we used alot of Kleenex!

Pretzels are a good "pre-wedding" snack.

The girls are on the lawn of the church, as God held back the rain for pictures.
Lydia and Chris didn't want to see each other before the ceremony,
so separate pictures were taken before hand.

Chris with his dad, Mike and his mom, Pam

Chris and his Best Man, best friend Caleb...waiting in anticipation.

Chris wiping the tears as Lydia gets closer.

Lydia getting closer to Chris. Both Lydia and her dad had lots of tears.


The vows

Right after the service, little Grace was so excited that she could call Chris her uncle now so she ran to find him to tell him the news!

This is our family. We are blessed! The darling girl on the right is Kassia who is married to our son Jacob directly behind her. Kassia is pregnant with their first baby. Very exciting for sure! On the left is our oldest daughter Hannah. She's the mom of Grace and Sam who is behind her in the arms of her hubby, Jeff.

Our sons Caleb and Jacob just being goofy with the flowers.

Lydia and Chris on the way to the reception.

Some of the flowers from the tables.

Cutting the cake. They had different flavors...white, chocolate and raspberry swirl.
It was the best cake this side of the Mississippi!! Yum!!

Caleb the Best Man and Hannah the Matron of Honor giving their speeches

Ethan the Ring Bearer was twirling Grace the Flower Girl around and around.
Grace even knew when to pick up her foot. Quite a show stopper!
They were the Dancing Stars!

The head table. Everything was so beautiful.

And the Prince and the Princess danced the night away.
They wore their wedding clothes to the hotel and made quite an impact!

We all had so much fun, we wished we could have done it all over again the following weekend! No kidding!

Check out the story below.

Labels: wedding

Once upon a time, there was a little princess with blonde curly pigtails named Lydia, who lived with her family in a small town. Princess Lydia had a dream….she wanted to grow up and marry a Prince that was her best friend and have a dream wedding. It was more than a dream, it was a desire of the heart that was heard in the heavenlies by her Father God who loved her more than she could even comprehend.

On April 26, 2008, that dream became a reality. Princess Lydia was joined together with her best friend, Prince Christopher. The 2:00 p.m.ceremony was performed by Pastor Mitch, a long time friend of both families. Family and friends gathered to witness what God has done in bringing Lydia and Chris together.

Family and friends were serenaded by a string quartet that ushered in the grandparents and the parents as the candles were lit. The mothers of the couple lit the tapers of the Unity candle, and Pastor Mitch took his place at the altar. Chris, along with his best friend Caleb, as the Best Man, stood in the front waiting with great anticipation for the rest of the bridal party to walk down the aisle.

The bridesmaids were breathtaking in long strapless clover green dresses and carrying a mixed bouquet of white and green flowers. The groomsmen were handsome in their black tuxes accented with silver ties. Jennifer was escorted by her husband Joshua. Sarah walked down the aisle with Joe from Hong Kong. Kristin was escorted by Jeff. And Kassia walked with her husband Jacob. Then Hannah, Lydia’s sister as the Matron of Honor, began her walk down the aisle. She joined up with the Best Man and they took their place. The flower girl, Grace and the ring bearer, Ethan, walked perfectly down the aisle and brought smiles to the wedding party and the guests.

The music changed from “Canon in D” to “Trumpet Voluntary”. The Prince groom’s eyes looked toward the back of the church and got a glimpse of his beautiful Princess bride standing next to her father. Chris’s lips began to quiver. His eyes began to fill with tears as everyone stood to bring honor to this beautiful bride, Lydia, that God had prepared just for Chris since the beginning of time. As Lydia and her dad were walking toward the love of her life, they both had tears, knowing that truly God has done a great thing in the lives of this couple. Lydia and her dad stopped in the aisle for that precious daddy/daughter moment where the father gives his little girl to the young man that has captured her heart. Chris was wiping his tears as he received Lydia as his own and they stepped together onto the altar to make this life commitment before God and family and friends.

The ceremony continued with worship led by Hannah, Jeff and Shiloh. The presence of God was evident as His Name was lifted up and worshipped. Pastor Mitch brought a message of commitment and laced with humor just for Lydia and Chris and they recited vows that were written by the father of the bride. The couple exchanged rings, lit the unity candle and shared communion. Chris and Lydia were pronounced man and wife and then Chris kissed his bride with a kiss that brought great resounding joy among the guests and popping firecrackers from the groomsmen.

The reception was held at the City Auditorium that was transformed into a place that took your breath away. Guests walked through an entrance of pillars into a soft white tent of romantic lights and fairy tale dreams. The bouquets of gladiolas with corkscrew willow branches made a grand appearance on the appetizer and food tables. Round guest tables were decorated with bouquets of fresh fruit and moss in tall trumpet vases and mixed bouquets of flowers and candlelight. The guests were welcomed by the bride’s parents and all glory was given to God for His faithfulness in Chris and Lydia’s life. Appetizers and dinner was served accompanied with music from the live orchestra that young and old alike enjoyed. After dinner, the Best Man shared fun times of growing up and his heart of love for his sister and his best friend in his toast to the happy couple. And the Matron of Honor followed suit in sharing special memories of growing up and blessings and honor to Lydia and Chris.

The Bride and Groom danced to the video pictures of their lives. The fabulous cake was cut. And an evening of dancing began with the orchestra that played Big Band music that was a great joy to all the generations. The ring bearer and flower girl stole the show for a moment as Ethan twirled Grace around and around on the dance floor to everyone’s amazement. The goal of the months of planning this special day was accomplished when Lydia hugged her parents before she and Chris left and said “This was my dream wedding”. But more than that, was the desire that God would be glorified in Chris and Lydia’s special day and throughout their journey in this life. For it is God that had a plan for them from the beginning. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for good and not evil, for a future and a hope.”

The support of family and friends made the day extra special and fun for all. The Bride’s parents were heard saying “We wish we could do it all over again next weekend because we had so much fun!”.

We stand on tiptoes to see the plans unfold in the lives of this young couple in the Kingdom of God. All glory to God for the great things that He has done.

In the weeks following the wedding, we have heard wonderful comments about the wedding. We would reply saying “as long as God was glorified, that’s what we wanted.” To which the people would reply “yes He was glorified and honored.”

I am very thankful that we were able to bring glory and honor to God. But I want to take it a step further. I asked God that I would hear of peoples’ lives that were changed because they were in the presence of God. During the ceremony, a friend of ours was worshipping in the back of the church. He said that many people entered into worship. Some just swayed with the music. But he said it was like God came down with keys in His hand and was unlocking hearts during worship. I want to hear about those hearts that were “unlocked” by God Himself. I actually spoke with one gal that said she’d never experienced a service like Lydia’s and Chris’s. She said she was crying at one point and then she had goosebumps and then she was crying again. I told her it was the presence of God. I know that God is tugging on her heart and calling her to come closer to Him.

So again I say, all glory and honor to Jesus who wrote this whole story of the Princess and the Prince. And they will live happily ever after as they follow the plan the God has for them.

Pictures coming soon.

Blessings to all!

Labels: Lydia and Chris, wedding

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Psalm 95:2

I'm so very thankful that our daughter's wedding is on Sat. All things are ready. We have great peace. We know that this is God's great plan for Lydia and Chris. And the excitement is building greatly!!

I was checking with the printer of the programs today. We're using a pearlized paper which I thought we could run through my computer. But the ink smeared. I took it to the printer...they could get the same paper even cheaper than what I found on the internet. Tony, the awesome printer man, printed up a sample for me. He was so thrilled with the paper and how it printed, he was like a little kid! They are going to be so beautiful. I got in the car to leave and had to hold back the tears at the goodness of God. He cares about every little detail of this wedding.

Labels: Thankful Thursday

Labels: Friday Quote

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Philippians 4:6

I'm thankful for today....that it's a new day....it's a precious gift from the Father!

I'm thankful that God hears my prayers and answers me with a peace that passes all understanding. God does not want us to be anxious. It steals our peace.

My daughter's wedding plans are basically finished, but we're tying up those loose ends, the little things, checking and double checking with people involved. The celebration is on the 26th of this month....just a few days away.

I'm so very thankful that our attitude is not only that God will be glorified in the joining of these two young people who love God with all their heart, but to also have FUN! This is a precious time in the lives of all those involved, and we want to have FUN FUN FUN! Every time I email or talk to my daughter, I ask her, "Are you having a fun day?" It seems to lighten the load of all the planning. And yes, we are having fun!

I'm thankful that I've had an impact on the bridal shop. I was waiting for my dress yesterday, and I mentioned that I thought it would be alot of fun to work in a bridal shop because it's an exciting time in peoples' lives. The gal looked at me and said "it's fun with people like you." She said they get some gals who are "Bridezillas". Sad.

I'm so thankful that some of you have said that you miss me in bloggyland. Thank you ~ that's precious to me. It's been pretty wild around here the past few months!

Thank you for your prayers through the next few days. I will post pictures the week after the wedding.

For more thankful hearts, visit Iris.

Blessings on your day!!

Labels: Thankful Thursday