The Summer of Weddings

Labor Day indicates the end of the Summer of Weddings, at the beginning of which, I counted ten couples I knew who were getting married.  So here's a post to congratulation them and wish them God's blessings!

Rohn and Bekah

Bekah and I met in sixth grade at VBS, and Rohn and I got to know each other on a CEF missions trip to Boston after a year of having lots of mutual friends.  It's a pleasure to call them CBC neighbors, visit their apartment in Philly Hall, and offer small tips on fighting roaches.  If I do say so myself, my sister Bethany did an excellent job as bridesmaid/train-bearer!  It was a pleasure to play the piano for two such good friends.

Andrew and Renae

Renae and I work together - she taught me everything I know about recruiting students.  It's fun to see Andrew drop into the admissions department a bit more regularly than he used to - and it has nothing to do with registering for classes!  Their marriage ceremony was Christ-centered, highlighting the relationship between Christ and His Church.  My job was to keep the food table full stocked with crackers, cheese, and hummus.

Brent and Elizabeth

Elizabeth and I met at a piano recital in elementary school, and we've been friends since!  It was a pleasure to work with her as her wedding coordinator. The wedding was a lot of fun, from decorating tables for five hundred guests to laughing with the ushers at the back of the auditorium about unity candles.  God's work in Brent and Elizabeth's relationship was a joy to watch.  And, again, my sweet sister was an excellent bridesmaid/mirror-holder.

Alex and Kara

Alex and I attended college together in South Dakota, and after he transferred to Calvary, word came back that he had a girlfriend and she was wonderful.  Reports about Kara were not exaggerated!  Getting to know her through dorm life and church activities has been delightful.  Alex and Kara are very intentional about reaching out and caring for the people God has placed around them.  And since wedding pictures are still coming, here's the happy couple before they were married.

Graham and Jenna

 Graham and Jenna are both great friends from college in South Dakota.  Celebrating their marriage was a mixture of many happy bits, including great music at the ceremony, iced coffee at the reception in the park, a sermon-toast from Mr. G, and, certainly not least, a couple rejoicing in God's sovereign work in their lives.  The ceremony was happily documented by our great friend Clara.  The reception and subsequent after-party were so full of reunions of old friends that we didn't tear ourselves away until 2 in the morning!  FYI, being guest book attendant is one of the greatest jobs in a wedding!

"So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." - Matthew 19:6

Birthday Explorations

Celeste had a birthday, and the peeps surprised her - twice, actually:)

The girls decorated creatively on Friday evening, and we enjoyed cake and played Ninja very energetically in the lounge. On Sunday afternoon, Bekah pulled me out of Greek homework; and she, Alisha, Beth, Valerie, and I spent two hours roaming the plaza. We did NOT buy anything, but we enjoyed feeling sophisticated in skirts and high heels, looking at an art gallery, smelling perfumes, and taking the following pictures. Please enjoy your tour.

This nameless gentlemen looked like he needed a good laugh. He is one of my many cousins.

The pictures above and below are taken on the same bridge. It looked out over a river that was still and beautiful (but smelly, I'm sure). I particularly noticed the landscaping on either side of the river: it was well weeded.

After wondering around in heels, we finished up the afternoon with a Skyscraper shake. It looked very large when the waitress brought it out, but the five of us polished it off nicely.

And this is a random shot of Bekah and I last Sunday evening. College does not serve supper on Sunday evening, so we vetoed our traditional peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwitch-on-store-bought-hamburger-buns in favor of a hot dog and a large tea at Sonic. (She had the hot dog, and I the tea, btw.) Thank you Bekah, for coming and doing the whole College thing with me! Thanks everybody for a great birthday!

Christmas Break Pilgrimage

Spending Christmas Break in Hot Springs definitely had its perks! Lots of hours at work, lots of hours sleeping, and lots of hours on the road visiting my friends Clara and Levi and Aryn. Bekah and I headed out early Wednesday morning and arrived at Clara and Levi's by early afternoon. It was wonderful to see their "nest" and enjoy their hospitality. Clara is a great hostess! Highlights of the visit included taking Bekah's senior pictures (which turned out great!), shopping for the first time in six months, and watching North and South. And, of course, good talks about the Lord and our lives.

Friday morning Bekah and I drove on to Grace University and spent time with Aryn, exploring Grace's campus, hearing about classes, and painting our nails. Roja's provided a delicious, fresh-tasting Mexican for supper. Saturday morning we rambled around the Joscelin Museum of Art feeling cultured! Here is the a picture of the reproduction that I purchased. It is Renoir's "Two Girls at the Piano."

After feeling cultured, we ate dinner at Panara. Take a bit of advice and don't order off the kids menu. It's cheap, but it was a cheese sandwich on enriched, white, store-bought bread; could have manufactured it in an a non-cook's kitchen. Eat real Panara food when you go there.

The trip home was long, but safe. Bethany and I ran into snow about 25 miles from school, and it takes a long time to drive 25 miles at 35 mph, but we did eventually get there. Special thanks to my great traveling companion, Bekah, without whom this pilgrimage would not have been possible.

Experience our trip with us through pictures!

Posing with our map and Google directions -

- Dishing out hard peppermint ice cream at
Clara and Levi's home

Finishing off the
Sparkling Grape Juice -

- Lunch at Penara's

Enjoying a Runza (bierock)at the Hajda's bakery -