Engaged!

I'm not sure why I haven't taken the time until now to type all of this out...but, D. & I are engaged!!!

It's crazy still...still sinking in that in a few short months, I will be married to the man I love...wild.

So, engagement story...

We went with some of the FUSED lead team to Myrtle Beach for some meetings & such for just a day. As we were getting ready to head back home, we stopped at the beach to walk around for a few minutes. I had my camera out taking pictures of the gorgeous scenery & soaking it all in, when Brad (the student pastor) pulled the other 2 women aside & acted as though there was a serious matter he needed to talk with them about. He asked me & D to hang out on the beach for a few minutes, so I was cool with that!

I had the fleeting thought that it would be fun to get engaged on the beach, but that thought was very quickly gone as we walked along toward the pier & I skipped from jellyfish to jellyfish taking pictures & poking at them...all the while D is trying to get the ring out of his pocket!

As we walked down the beach, I started telling him about my family & how we used to come to Myrtle Beach to visit my grandparents. My Granny & Gramps used to live at MB in the winter time, & my Granny still does each year. I told him fun memories of my Gramps & how I have a picture in my room of the two of us standing on the beach together. D knew my Granny comes in the winter, but he didn't know how actually sweet a spot MB is to me...I don't think I even realized it until then.

We stopped to look around & I pointed to one of the hotels to show him the one where Granny lives when she's at MB. He hugged me...and from there it's kind of a blur...

D told me he wanted to ask me-I put my sunglasses on top of my head so I could look him in the eyes-and he pulled the ring out of his pocket as he got down on one knee & asked "Will you marry me?"

I was in total shock...I think my first words were 'Is this for real? Are you kidding me?' before I reached for the ring! D put the ring on my finger as I came-to a bit & said Yes! It still took me a few minutes before I could really believe what had just happened!

We got to celebrate & be prayed for by Brad, Tanya & Joanna & then hit the road for 10 hours headed back home! We called our family & shared the news with them on our way back, & I don't think I slept but 30 minutes the entire way!

I still am reeling & soaking in the lavish gift Jesus gave me Monday at 3:30pm...the way He set it all up-such evidence that He knows our hearts even better than we know our own. I couldn't have imagined it happening any better than that. We got to be on the beach-right at the water-in the middle of dreaming big & seeing the next for FUSED, in a place that is special to me & my family & it felt like, even though my Gramps is long gone, he still got to be a part of it. I never would have thought of it happening as sweetly as it did...God is amazing.

Now it's time to start planning this thing! I can't wait to see what Jesus has in store for us in these next few months as we get ready for marriage! Bah!

SO bored

I'm sitting here at work wishing the hours away...

Only 2 hours left, but time seems to be creeping SLOWLY by. I'm ready to get out of this place & head to the hair salon for my first 'beauty' shoot for a new online magazine!

D said something today that made me smile...he said it's like Jesus likes that I like photography...he keeps handing opportunities to me. I definitely don't want to miss him in the middle of it all.

I can't do any of this myself. Taking pictures of people...getting the shot right so that they feel great about themselves...i'm finding that is really hard, especially when they are really down on themselves to begin with.

On another note, Christmas is a mere 23 days away...I need to figure out what I'm going to do for people!

Happy Christmas season!

They're all starting to look the same

Let's start with last weekend...

My Accelerator took my roommate to look at engagement rings. While I was listening to Shannah tell me about the experience & how she was freaking out, I started to realize I wanted that experience, too. This whole time I've been hoping D would take me, but at the same time figuring he wanted to do it all himself. But my heart really wanted the experience of us going & looking at them together...to make things more real.

So, Tuesday night I asked him if we could go look at rings together sometime. He said he'd already been thinking that & wanted to take me on date night.

Which brings us to last night.

We got a late start, but we went to Helzberg & started trying on rings. We were friends with the guy helping us, which was fun at first, but at the same time, it was hard. I didn't want to say what I liked for fear that it would be shot down by one of them...all the rings started looking the same to me & I was dying to get out of there.

We left & went to dinner after I cried & told D how I felt. Then sat in the car after dinner crying some more & being honest about where my heart is...I won't go into detail, but it was good to get to let him know what I was feeling & hear him tell me where he's been. I just get to trust Jesus & trust Dusty with the timing of it all.

New York, New York!

I'm getting more excited about these coming weeks/months! There's so much to look forward to!

-Halloween Party OR Needtobreathe this Friday in NKY

-Boyds Orchard fun w/LG this Saturday

-Halloween Sunday

-Thanksgiving

-Dad's Birthday

-3 year anniversary!

-Christmas!

-New Years

-hopefully an engagement somewhere in the mix

-NEW YORK!

-My bday...

Yesterday I booked my hotel room...this is what it will look like:

I will have my very own KING size bed...in Manhattan. I won't need to worry about waking up super early to find my way through the Big Apple...the conference is in the very same hotel!

I did download an application on my phone that shows me all the subway routes & map of NYC. I will for sure be making my way around to do some shopping & visit my friends!

I'll be doing some research as to where to make some stops while I'm in the city....like, maybe Kleinfelds?

We'll see ;)

Happy Spiritual Bday Dusty!

Oct.25.

I really love him. And I love how much he loves Jesus.

I'll write more in the morning...I just wanted to type it out. :)

A new season

This weekend marks the beginning of a new season for me.

A few weeks ago, I heard Jesus confirm that it was time for me to step out of leading my subgroup. Last night I got to tell the girls, & next weekend I will be officially just in a lifegroup.

I'll be going back into Meredith's group, which feels a little weird to me, but it will be good.

I also get to try out a new producing schedule that will have me off two weeks-on two weeks...SO excited for that! My 2 weeks off starts this weekend!

And last, I will be meeting with B to figure out some next steps in Fused!

All I can say is, I'm looking forward to the next... :)

Changes are coming...

Just around the corner, and I am looking forward to them.

For a little while there, I was letting voices get to me...and they weren't even voices that had actually been spoken. It was the enemy's voice trying to make it's way in. But thank you, Jesus for speaking louder than the enemy.

If anything, I've learned how truly great it is to be authentic & how much my leaders care & love me and cheer me on.

It looks like I get to say 'no' to leading a lifegroup. That puts my heart at rest and actually really excites me for what the next in LG looks like. I know some changes will be coming soon...our group will be split soon...I wonder if I'll actually be moved into a new group? Wherever I am, I'll get to just be...I'll get to lead out by just being me, but I won't have any sort of entrustment of leading anyone. It feels a little weird to think about, but I think it will be good.

I got to have lunch with K.D. this afternoon & share what's been going on in my heart in regards to producing...we're going to be praying about what my spot looks like. It might be that I'm on 2/4 weeks a month, or I might try out a new spot on producing...and if it looks like it's actually just time for me to come off producing, then that's what will happen, & it's really ok.

I'm just looking forward to how all of this frees up my heart & lets God do a bigger work in me. :)