my brother
working – playing? – no, definitely working
working – playing? – no, definitely working
working – playing? – no, definitely working
flower girls
an afternoon with my sister
We did errands, 
and found the perfect sweaters for the flowers girls!
I bought the sheet music for a song for the wedding: Great Is Thy Faithfulness. The version John and I chose is by Fernando Ortega. He completely rewrote the music, but kept all the lyrics the same. It is so lovely!
Then we got our makeup done
and did some preliminary price checking on paper goods for the wedding.
There were several other errands in the midst of all that, so we had a long, yet wonderful day together.
invitations
they have all been mailed!
spring is here!
wedding updates
Oh, wedding preparations here are going well.
Very well.
There have been tears along the way, but, my goodness, when you put two (or more) very opinionated women together, tears happen. It’s not as if any of the females in this household lack an opinion, or the conviction that their’s is the correct one! We are learning grace, as well as laughter.
In other news, I have another bridal gown. Why? Because the seamstress altered the other one. More than I realized she was going to. In ways that I can’t fix. Number Two is gorgeous. Gorgeous-er than Number One. It will be stunning. Mom asked me what I thought my Darling John will say about, and I replied, “He won’t be able to say anything.” That gorgeous. Oh, yes!
A friend from church has offered to help make it fit absolutely perfectly (it’s already pretty close).
John and I are getting a bit antsy. He told me, “49 more days until I fly out there.” 49 days. Seems as if those days are dragging by at a snail’s pace, but moving they are.
from the mouth of Ben
“Ya know what a wedding shower party is? It’s a big care package party. Uh huh.”
and another gem from today: “Funny? What do you mean by funny? There’s no such thing as funny in our house.”
beauty for ashes
[Christ has come to] provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
…and everlasting joy will be theirs.
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
Isaiah 61
But you are a chosen people,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness
into his glorious light.
I Peter 2:9
Happy Together
…
I can’t see me lovin’ nobody but you
For all my life
When you’re with me, baby the skies’ll be blue
For all my life
…
Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together
…
– the turtles
So very, very happy together. Why? Because our God is good, gracious, and great. I have no other reason to explain it.
I am grateful though!
(To all of you who may be reading this who are not in frequent contact with me, this is NOT an engagement announcement).