God is Good

I don't know why I doubt... I don't know why I worry. So far, God has provided more than enough in my life. But, I still find myself worrying about everything. I truly need to learn to trust in the power of prayer, and I need to learn to leave everything in God's hands. He's in charge, not me. It's a lesson I am taught again and again. Today I received yet another confirmation that God is good.

Last week, Andrew interviewed for an internship at Delta Companies, Inc. Out of all of the applicants, Delta only chose one intern for mining engineering this summer.

I am proud to say that my fiance was chosen to be Delta's summer intern!! This is quite the accomplishment!! They will give him experience in all the different areas regarding the mining aspect of their company. At the end of the summer, he will be able to choose his favorite area and work in that area for the remainder of the summer.

This summer internship will also open some doors for when he graduates in December. I am so proud of him, and I am excited for this opportunity!

God has given us so much, and He continues to bless us. With the wedding only two months away, this news was welcomed with open arms. And, once again, God has shown me that He is good.

It's a Family Tradition

Throughout my whole life one thing has remained constant: family traditions. Through all of the hard times, I always knew that I could rely on one thing: family traditions. Traditions were what held my family together when everything seemed to be falling apart. Traditions played a vital role in my upbringing, and they now serve as the foundation for my life (apart from my relationship with God, of course). This past year has been a little hard on me, because I know it is the last year that I will be able to participate in "my" traditions. From June 5th on, Andrew and I will begin to create our own traditions. I know that we will each bring important aspects of tradition into our marriage, and I am excited to discover what traditions will define our marriage. I am so thankful that my family instilled such wonderful traditions into my life.

At my bridal shower, I received many wonderful gifts. As you have seen in previous blogs, I have received an awesome gift that is centered around my love for frugality, a blanket sewn out of love, and a scrapbook that is beyond touching. I also received a gorgeous decorative plate, lots of cookware, and other fun and sentimental items. One gift; however, touched me deeper than I ever thought possible. At my shower, Mom and Steve gave me the gift of tradition.

Let me explain...

Here I am reading the card from Mom and Steve. In the card, Mom explains that Grandma Kline instilled a strong sense of tradition in her life... and that she carried the torch when Grandma passed away... and now it is my turn to create my own traditions. Little did I know, I was about to open the most amazing gift.

Opening the box and wondering what could possibly be inside. I was clueless.

As soon as I opened the box, my eyes were drawn to the Christmas package. Christmas has always been the most importany holiday in my life. At this point, I was still unaware of the sentimental value of this gift.

As I opened the Christmas package, I suddenly realized what Mom had put together. This packaged included It's a Wonderful Life, Nativity Story, my baby ornament, my favorite ornaments from Mom's tree (one was handcrafted by my Grandma Kline), baking sheets, How the Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack... and many other items that are important in our celebration of Christmas.

Here, holding the soundtrack, it sinks in. I turned and all I could say was, "MOM!" The tears started flowing, and I could not stop them.

After receiving a tissue from my niece, I eagerly began to dig deeper.

Here I am holding the Halloween package that includes a table cloth, a ceramic pumpkin, and other fun items.

I found the birthday table cloth, banner, and candles... all items that Mom made sure to use for each birthday.

Here I am admiring my childhood Easter basket filled with The Passion, dye for Easter eggs, and other Easter goodies.

Mom even threw in a little piece of Door County, Wisconsin! Door County is a vacation favorite, and it is where Andrew and I will spend our honeymoon. She filled an ice cream money bank with quarters for the jukebox at Wilson's and attached postcard stamps! I guess I'll be writing home on my honeymoon!! : )

Valentine's Day... haha... I must admit, this package DOES contain one of my favorite books... All the Places to Love.

New Years Eve... Sparkling grape juice! Yum!

Along with all of these items, I also received an "Outdoor Fun" package, a "Thanksgiving"package, and a "4th of July" package. These packages included items such as, and ice cream maker, a dutch oven with cherry cobbler ingredients, fireworks, a Thanksgiving platter, and a paper turkey. All of these items hold special meaning to me and my family. Every item that Mom included in this gift were items that played an important role in our celebration of each holiday.

My precious mom, also with tears in her eyes, watches as I open each of the gifts. She outdid herself with this gift. It has left an imprint on my heart, and I will never forget opening this gift. A week later, I still get teary eyed just thinking about it.

Hugging my special momma! She did an excellent job teaching me the importance of God, family, and traditions. I know that she created a solid foundation for me to begin my own family on. I thank God each and every day that He allowed me to have such a great family... even if things were a little rocky at times.

Here I am with Steve- a man who has been such an imporant person in my life. He understands the value of tradition, and he has helped Mom create a lifetime of memories for us kids. He is perfect for my mom, and I am blessed to have him in my life!

And finally...

... here I am with the man I will begin my future with. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him, and I am so excited to see what traditions our family will create. I hope that we do as great of a job with our children as our families did with us. We are both blessed beyond belief with the families God gave us. God has never let us down, and I know that God will continue to guide our future.

With God, our families, and the traditions and beliefs our families instilled us with, I know that we will have a wonderfully blessed marriage!

I love you, Mom and Steve! Thank you for the PERFECT gift, but more importantly, thank you SO much for everything you have done for me. I am so blessed to have you as my parents!

I LOVE YOU!

Scrapped to Perfection

I am a bit delayed in blogging about the shower. I have been a busy bee with homework and finding a home for all of our new shower items! Andrew and I had a busy, busy weekend and there is a lot to show for our efforts! That, however, will be a later blog. Tonight I want to showcase my sister, Miranda.

Miranda is my best friend, my maid of honor, and my younger sister. Obviously, little sister is NOT appropriate! She is a beautiful young lady... inside and out. She's the one I can always count on, and she has such a special place in my heart. We share a bond that is greater than any distance that we face. Though we live apart and are too busy to talk frequently, our love for each other is so deep and strong.

Miranda not only orchestrated an absolutely perfect bridal shower for me, but she put so much time and effort into one of the most meaningful gifts I could ever receive. Miranda created a scrapbook for me. The first half of the scrapbook is filled with memories that she and I have shared together. Our childhood fills up the pages, and I so enjoy looking back at all of the wonderful memories we've created.

However, as I turned one of the pages, this note filled the page:

"Up until now, it's been just you and me. I've been able to put this together with just memories. I had to leave room for the future that you are about to create with the love of your life, Andrew. I've created pages of important events that will happen within your marriage and left room for the pictures. You have to create them. You have to be the one to make the memories. I LOVE YOU."

Following this note are pages left blank for the bridal shower, wedding, our first home, and even our first child. It is such a unique gift, and it is so meaningful because it includes memories with two of my favorite people. I truly love my sister. She is such a neat young lady. I am blessed to have her in my life.

Here I am when I first opened the scrapbook. I was already touched beyond description. For being 15 years-old, she is wise beyond her years.

Telling her how awesome she is! I could not believe that she put this together on her own... she came up with the idea for this scrapbook with NO help from anyone else.

Looking back through all of the memories and good times we've shared was so cool. This is a gift that I will treasure forever.

I have obviously come across the page designated for our first child! I screamed! We're not ready for that yet... We need some time to enjoy our marriage first!! : )

Mom and Miranda were in competition for who would make me cry. I think Miranda was disappointed because I didn't cry; however, I did not look at the page with the note at first. I didn't find that until after the shower. So, they both succeeded in making me cry. Both of their gifts took so much thought and are absolutely amazing!

Check back soon for a blog about Mom's gift!

Sewn with Love

I received so many wonderful gifts at my shower. Everything will be used and used well, but there are a certain few that will stand out in my mind forever. Maw Maw Jan's gift is one of them.

 Jan is Andrew's grandma, and over the past year, she has been working on a magnificent gift for us. In fact, there were many times that Andrew and I paid a surprise visit to her house, and she would have the gift out working on it. She acted funny about it the first time, but the following visits, she didn't even blink an eye. So, I had no idea that she was making this for us. Jan made us a quilt- complete with our names and wedding year. It is so beautiful!

I could not believe it when I opened it! In fact, I looked up to her and exclaimed "I've seen this before!" or something along those lines!

Here is a shot of me looking at our names. How very special! I cannot even begin to imagine the time that went into making this gift! It will be a family heirloom throughout the years.

Another guest captured a different view of the quilt. It is sooo pretty! It's browns, teals, and ivory. It couldn't be more PERFECT, and I cannot believe that anyone can create something so beautiful!

Jan truly outdid herself with this gift. It is so pretty, and it is very special to me. I love gifts that are created out of love, and I enjoy receiving gifts that were made from the heart. This gift more than fulfilled these loves. I feel very blessed to have such a meaningful gift from such a sweet person. Once again, I feel incredibly blessed by the women in my life. I am so happy that I am gaining such a good Maw Maw!

Thank you so much, Maw Maw Jan! We love you, and we love the quilt!

Picture Theft

Disclaimer: The images you are about to view do not belong to the blog owner. She has blatantly stolen the following pictures for her own use.

As you all know, my bridal shower was yesterday. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I feel so blessed to have so much love and support surrounding me and my upcoming marriage. The women (and men!) in my life are truly fantastic, and I am so thankful that God has blessed me so much with wonderful relationships.

Over the next week or so, I will post individual blogs spotlighting various elements and gifts of the shower. I would like to dedicate this blog to my future sister-in-law. She was in charge of decorations for the shower, and I must say, she created a masterpiece. It was gorgeous- and it was everything I have ever imagined or wanted for my shower. I obtained the following pictures from her blog... and I am very thankful that pictures were taken of the decorations! I was afraid that we wouldn't have any!

She created a beautiful monogram for the gift table.

She makes adorable placards for every party she hosts/decorates. There was one for each section of the buffet. Adorable!

Napkins and plates that matched the invitations for the shower. She also glued a ribbon and charm on the cups holding the cutlery. Love it!

And, finally, my favorite! She created these centerpieces herself, and they couldn't be more "me". I loved them! They were so pretty, and they were perfect! I know I have used "perfect" so many times in this blog, but it most closely describes the day.

My future sister-in-law went above and beyond to create a gorgeous shower. I feel so blessed to be gaining her as a sister in just a couple of months! She is such a sweet soul, and I look forward to all of the memories we are yet to create!

Thank you, Staci! I love you!

Far Too Much Excitement!!

I am wwwaaaaayyyyy to wound up right now! My shower is in 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I am literally bouncing off the walls with excitement!

I did not think that the shower would mean this much to me, but I have waited three years for this! I cannot wait to spend the day with the ladies I am the closest too. This is such a neat tradition, and I am feeling so incredibly blessed today.

Check back for a post later on today (or tomorrow!!)...

It's Not Just a Shower Anymore...

... It's a monsoon!

Today, I was the recipient of the coolest shower gift ever! And, yes, I receieved it before my shower. One of my favorite people in this entire world asked if she could come over today to visit. She explained that my gift was "inappropriate" for a shower, but I later found out it's because she wanted to visit with me and hog as much time as possible. I couldn't be more happy about this!

Mrs. Lueken (my former 8th grade teacher and forever role model) showed up this afternoon with her arms loaded... and had to go back for another load. She quickly explained the abundance of gifts.

She said that for as long as she has known me, I have always come to her excited about a current bargain. Sharing my love for getting the most for a buck, Mrs. Lueken and I discovered quickly that we are kindred spirits. Our relationship goes far beyond our frugality, and over the years we have developed a very unique bond. Pictures of the gift will follow below, but what meant the most to me, was the card I received.

In her card she revealed to me that aside from her own children, she has never been more excited for someone who is soon to be married. She also told me that she have developed a deep love for me... and this comes from a lady who speaks exactly how she feels. To know that her love for me is the same love I feel towards her warmed my heart! She is such a wonderful lady, and she is a true example of how Christ loves us. She is quietly good, and she does not seek approval or acknowledgement for her good deeds. She just is who she is. And that is a wonderful thing.

Ok, I'll stop being mushy, and I'll get to the pictures! Remember- she found EVERY item on sale. Each one was a bargain- and I can guarantee it was a GOOD bargain. It was SO fun to open!

First stop... 4th of July!

The bargains she found were: a heavy duty grilling set, two star plates, and a tea jug. So cute! She also found...

... A set of four completely adorable star serving bowls! I love them!

Next stop...

... Fall!!

These items included two sets of four ivory napkins, two sets of bronze leaf napkin holders...

... two fall swags, fall odds and ends for a bowl, and a flower arrangement that I coveted all season at Wal-Mart. I am proud to say that it is now mine... and it was found at a bargain!

Ok... Now on to...

Christmas!!

She included two sets of gold ornaments (20 cents each!), a gold "Believe" ornament, a cold sparkly candle, holly serving bowls, a Christmas cookbook...

... a set of red placemats and napkins, a cookie pan with fun wintery shapes, an ornament tree...

... and a beautiful Christmas wreath and fabulous storage box!

Of course, all of the items came in a storage tub because she knew that I have limited living space. She also found this at a bargain.

Mrs. Lueken spent the same amount that she usually spends for weddings, and she got so much "bang for her buck!" She took the time and effort to put together a gift that is indicative of a love we both share... a love for bargains. What a fun gift idea- and it is something I will talk about for years to come!

The All-Consuming Wedding

I am exhausted. Utterly exhausted. But, it's the good kind of exhaustion. This week, when I've not been visiting with family, I've been working on the wedding hardcore. A lot has been accomplished- and this means my stress load is waaaaay lighter than it was before spring break. Thank goodness for that!! Today saw many items checked off of my "to-do" list! Check it out...

I finally finished the gifts for the girls in the wedding! I know several people from the wedding party check my blog, but a picture of the bags isn't going to hurt! I can't wait to give these presents to the sweet girls who are sharing my big day with me! I love them all!

Next... stamping the envelopes. I finished all but 9 envelopes... including the RSVP cards. The post office ran out of the ones used on the large envelope, so we still have 9 left to do. Overall, I put stamps on 262 envelopes tonight. My wrist hurts.

Just another shot of my workspace. It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. None of this has been. I worried for nothing- go figure!!

... I completed one more item, but I will wait until Sunday to add those pictures to this post!

Along with these tasks, I also scheduled and appointment with a seamstress to get my dress altered! I cannot wait to have it fit correctly! Then it will truly feel like MY wedding dress! I am sooo excited about that, but I'm also nervous. It's hard handing something over that you've paid so much for just so someone can cut it up! But, the seamstress seems to be super sweet... and she comes highly recommended.

Ok, enough wedding news for tonight... and onto more important things.

My Granny Miff is very sick. She was rushed to the hospital two nights ago. She has since been hospitalized, and the doctors are trying to treat her prenumonia. She, of course, is very worried that she is going to miss my shower. I keep telling her that she needs to focus on being well, but she has apparently told her doctors that she will need to be released by Sunday! Oh, how I love my Granny Miff!! She is my buddy, and I am so proud of her. She has fought through so much, and she continues to fight! She is someone to admire and look up to when it comes to battling cancer and anything else thrown her way.

Of course, this illness has also added stress to Mom. Mom is trying to stay out of shower plans as much as possible, but Miranda is only 15 and needs Mom's assistance. So... needless to say, Mom is very stressed. A dear friend, who realized how much Mom is going through, lightened the load Mom is carrying by cooking us a fantastic spaghetti dinner tonight!

What is a spaghetti dinner without the bread?

Yummy spaghetti and greenbean casserole!

Great salad and awesome fruit salad! Yum!!!

Enjoy!

It is soo nice to have good friends. My family is so blessed by Mrs. Lueken and all that she has done for us. She is a wonderful person, and she would do anything for anyone. Along with dinner, she has also offered to help Mom and Miranda do whatever needs to be done for the shower. She is such a kind spirit, and the world is a better place because of her!

Final thoughts for today...

I am so glad that Keith (my future father-in-law) is recovering so well.

I am extremely excited for my future brother and sister-in-law! They will be moving to Kentucky so Scott can complete his residency in anesthesia! I will miss them- but they will not be too far away, and this will be such a great experience!

I am grateful for the Mrs. Lueken's of this world.

I am so excited that wedding plans are coming along so well.

I have the best Mom and Maid-of-Honor ever. I also have great bridesmaids!

I can't wait to see my gato, Theodork. I've been away from the crazy critter for too long.

I miss my fiance... and I am so ready to spend my life with him!

... Signing off now! Goodnight!

Aunt Abby a.k.a Jungle Gym and Free Entertainment

I spent yesterday visiting. I visited Granny Sue and Pop-Paw, and I tried to visit Granny Miff and Grandpa Jack, but they weren't home. I had a great visit with Granny Sue and Pop-Paw. It felt so nice to have one-on-one time with them and not feel rushed. After spending the afternoon with them, it was time to see the Birthday Girl (a week late) and her brother. After retrieving her present from Mom's house, I made my way to Jamie's new house. It was a blast- and, I'm not sure who was more worn out. Me, or them.

As soon as I arrived at their house, I was pulled into the bedroom to play. Please notice that I still have my keys. haha!

After playing for a bit, we made our way into the living room where Rori opened her present from me. I think Sky enjoyed it more than she did. Sky spent the evening putting glitter lipgloss on my chin. I was lovely when all was said and done.

I think the lipgloss watch was adult-proof. Here I am trying to figure it out- with no luck. Please notice Rori's outfit. iCarly made that specifically for her... Rori told me so. ; )

While there, I enjoyed a fantastic tea party. Rori is quite the host. Sky is quite the charmer.

Enjoying Sky's tales. He's cute!

Story of the night- Sky trying to feed me.

I so enjoyed this game- it produced the best belly laugh from my nephew! It made me smile!

What a ham. Really. She was cracking me up.

Sweet girl : ) When did she get this big?!

Sky convincing me that the fake lake water is tasty.

And, of course I had to try it!

Explaining to Sky that the bottom of the tasty lake is yucky mud.

Story of the night... An armful of kids... Rori making Sky do something... and Sky drinking from something. Hilarious kids, I tell you!

This is also accurate... Sky forcing me to drink something... Rori sticking her tongue out. And, again, an armful of crazy kids!

My visit was highly successful and enjoyable! I hope that Jamie doesn't mind that I crashed her house for the night. I enjoyed a rare gift of time with two of my precious nieces and nephews.

Now, if only I could spend time with the others...

I miss you Lexi, Rori, Sky, Brendyn, and Eli (from oldest to youngest)!! Aunt Abby loves you guys sooo much!