Weekend Letters

Dear Royal Wedding, I enjoyed watching you on Friday night while doing my nails.  To see a common girl become royalty is pretty fascinating, and I really liked Kate's bouquet.  It did bug me, though, that they kept making references to Charles and Diana's wedding day.  Does anyone remember how that worked out??  Just sayin'.  Dear AMP, you came and found me on Saturday afternoon in the most interesting get-up, including black socks and sandals.  Thanks for going to great lengths to make me laugh.  

Dear Girls' Night Out, you were much welcomed.  I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't more than a little sad about not having girl roomies after September 24.  I mean, it's not like I can wear Adam's necklaces and heels.  I'm thankful there will be plenty of opportunities for Fireside Pies and movie nights, still.  We will have to find a way to swap wardrobes on a regular basis.  Maybe we can build an underground tunnel?  King's Speech, you are the best movie I've seen in a very long time.  I'd watch it again in a heartbeat.  (And that's saying something.)   Sunday, who knew that May 1 would bring weather cold enough to welcome chili and cornbread for dinner?  It was a great ending to the weekend.  AMP, so excited we've booked our honeymoon to Hawaii.  Can't wait for beaches and Jeep adventures on the island!

A Song for Sister

Sister by TroyCartwright

Today my brother posted a new song he'd recorded called "Sister."  After listening, I texted him and asked if it was about any sister in particular.  :-)  He said, "The only one I've got!"  This is seriously the best gift he could've given.

And I'm pretty sure this is pretty true to how he feels ("I don't have my head around it yet"), because when we called to tell him our good news, all he could say was, "Wow.  I can't believe it."

I love how he writes, because it's not how "normal" people think.  My favorite parts are in bold.

So here it is...

I don't have my head around it yet

But I'm doing the best that I can

So hold her up, when she feels like sinking

In all you white, I just can't believe it

Sister, I hope when you shiver

He gives you his coat and hes holding you close

through the pain and sickness

the health and the rich-es

And its all so beautiful

I just don't know what I'm so anxious for

Cause you used to hold my hand

and help me to understand

taught me bout Jesus

and how to believe it

So hold her up, when she feels like sinking

In all you white, I just can't believe it

Sister, I hope when you shiver

He gives you his coat and hes holding you close

through the pain and sickness

the health and the rich-es

Or how deep you're in it

your loves gonna fix it

The thorniest thicket

has spaces within it

and thats where the love is

thats where the love is

And if you ever get to thinkin'

its not enough, believe me it is

Trust your brother on this one

Sister, I hope when you shiver

He gives you his coat and hes holding you close

through the pain and sickness

the health and the rich-es

Decisions, Decisions.

  

Yesterday, had you been a fly on the wall in Dillard's, you might have heard a conversation like this...

Shay:  Do you like this yellow dinner plate?  I can't imagine eating roast off a cream plate.  I think I would get bored, and it wouldn't taste as good.

Adam:  {Laughing}Sure, but I 'm pretty sure roast would taste good either way.

Shay: Ok, how big of a bowl do you think you'll need for cereal?

Adam: Um, I think I'll need about three bowls for all the cereal I eat.  Let's go with the big bowls.

Shay: True.  But can we register for Shay-sized bowls, too?  {There are smaller bowls and bigger bowls. Read: too many decisions.  We registered for both.}

Adam: Who knew that getting married meant we'd have these kinds of conversations?? 

 

In case you haven't noticed, Adam is incredibly patient with me.  {And I'm so grateful.}  I have about a two-hour window before I hit a wall when it comes to making wedding decisions.  This usually means that we either stop what we're doing and eat, or just stop all together.  

This is also the second department store we've registered in.  I couldn't find dishes I liked at Macy's or Bed, Bath & Beyond, so Adam was such a trooper, and we went and registered there instead.  {Again, grateful!}

I realize that there are much bigger and more important decisions to be made than dishes.  Someday, though, we will look back and laugh at that experience.  Yesterday we tried a new church and continued our search for a place to live after we're married.  Indeed, those are much bigger decisions.  I know we'll figure it all out, and we'll have a place to go each Sunday that's more our size, and a roof over our head.  But if dishes are the most challenging of our decisions we're making this weekend, I'm totally ok with that right now.  :-)   

Call it Art.

I love handwriting.  In college, my roomies would often ask me to address envelopes or birthday cards to "make it pretty."  {Mind you, their handwriting was just fine, but they liked mine, so I obliged.} 

I remember fourth grade when we had to start writing in cursive all the time.  I loved it. 

My Nanny taught Mom and Laura to write in calligraphy, and I got to take some of her classes at Northlake Community College as well.  I felt like such a big girl.  In those classes and at Nanny's desk, I developed a love for beautiful handwriting and took it upon myself to make mine as pretty as possible.

Today I came across an article in the New York Times about cursive and how it seems to be going by the wayside.  I thought this was a valid point:

"Might people who write only by printing — in block letters, or perhaps with a sloppy, squiggly signature — be more at risk for forgery? Is the development of a fine motor skill thwarted by an aversion to cursive handwriting? And what happens when young people who are not familiar with cursive have to read historical documents like the Constitution? "

Perhaps so.  People can also miss out on a fine motor skills, it says, and most importantly, they are missing out of the art and the opportunity to "create beauty every day."

So here's to creating beauty every day, whether it's by hand, in music, in molding young minds, or with numbers.  And we'll call it art.

Engagement Photos are up!

Jess posted a few of our engagement photos on her blog today!

On Monday, Adam and I had our engagement photos taken by the fabulously talented Jess Graham.  I went to Baylor with her, and knew her before she even knew that she wanted to go into photography full-time.  Her availability was one of the reasons we chose September 24th for our wedding date!

The weather's been really stormy here, and we'd already rescheduled because it was quite windy the first time.  It ended up clearing up Monday afternoon, and even though the skies were gray, I think it added a dramatic touch...

Jess posted about 10 photos that capture me laughing a LOT.  I only had one fit of giggles, and she happened to post most of them!  I loved seeing these, and I can't wait until next week when we can see the rest of the photos.  She took close to 700!  Crazy.

I love that she captured us so well.  In the last picture on the bottom right, she really got Adam's dimple on camera.  It.  Kills.  Me.  :-)

Today marks 150 days 'til our wedding!  

Easter People

"We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." 

Pope John Paul II

This was a weekend full of fun things, a great way to celebrate being Easter people.  Adam's parents drove in Friday morning and I lucked out with a half-day off from work.  {You may remember how I love half-days.}  First, we visited the Flight Museum at Love Field.  Adam would love to re-do our wedding already and have our reception in the hangar there, ha.

On our way back, we stopped for Sprinkles Cupcakes and each picked one out for dessert: Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Cinnamon Sugar Praline and a Black & White  cupcake.  Adam's parents brought down Iowa chops and we grilled out.  It was de-lic-ious.  I thought it was a fair trade: Iowa Chops versus a little taste of Dallas.  Works for me! 

Saturday, Adam's Mom and I shopped for a mother of the groom dress at Northpark Mall.  It was fun to hang out with just her!  We looked into a rehearsal dinner option, too, and made it to four department stores in just a few hours.  

That night, our parents met for the first time.  {Kind of a big deal.}  We ate at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Galleria and it was a good evening, and everyone got along swimmingly.  :-)

 {Mike, Noreen, Adam, Me, Mom & Dad}

I asked everyone to take a pic at dinner because I felt like this was rather monumental.  Adam's brother refers to me as "the picture girl," because I take so many photos.  There are worse things, I suppose.  :-)  

{The girls: Noreen, SMoo, Mom, Me, Anna, Laura & Jonita}

Sunday morning, Adam & his parents came with us to our church.  I think it's a smidge bigger than what they're used to.  Ha.  They were troopers, for sure.  A lot of our close family friends came up and introduced themselves, so while it was probably a bit overwhelming to meet so many people, at least they know that Adam is well loved here in Texas!

We had lunch at our house with the Flaggs and Papa & Jonita.  Troy and Austin flew in for the weekend, so it was really nice to have the fam together.  SMoo joined us as well, since her fam is in Arkansas, but really she just fit right in.  And I guess it wouldn't be an Easter celebration without her!

It was a great weekend with my Easter people.  

In a Ladder Truck

Today as I was driving, I looked over at a ladder truck, and there was Adam in the back seat. It made me smile really big.  Sometimes life surprises me, and it doesn't turn out how I pictured it.  It's better.  And I am so grateful.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could

ever imagine

or guess

or request

in your wildest dreams!

He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us,

his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Ephesians 3:20-21, (MSG)