Sugar and Spice and Everything that's Nice

So today was a blast! My mom and I headed up to Birmingham to spend the day wedding dress shopping. My best friend Julia and her mom joined us once we were there, as well as my surrogate grandmother Dink. What a blessed day to be surrounded by some of the people I care about and cherish the most as we searched for the "perfect" gown! Just for fun my mom and I had made two appointments at some very nice bridal shops...a warning to all...once you go there is no turning back! There is a reason designers are good at what they do...i did not put one ugly dress on today! They were all beautiful...and so were the prices =). However, it is very hard to look at other gowns in the same light when you have put such wonderful gowns on your body! I'm glad there are some people out there who have that kind of money to spend because I sure don't! I can't even imagine spending thousands of dollars on a dress that I will wear for ONE DAY(maybe two for my portrait). I think just to justify spending that much money I would put it on and wear it once a month after the wedding! However, trying on so many beautiful dresses made the choice that much harder...I have to say I haven't a clue...well a small one but I can't tell ya'll because it would ruin the surprise. I just don't know how a girl makes such a huge decision...Bryan can attest that I am the most indecisive person...so how on earth can I pick just ONE dress!!! Thankfully I have the Lord...because Bryan also knows well that if I don't love my outfit I will be in a terrible mood and obviously we can't have that on the wedding day!!! So now I just have to find the one that I love and feel the most beautiful in! Going to the fancy boutiques was so much fun...I felt very rich...like I really did have the money to spend on one of their dresses(if they only knew how SMALL my budget was!!) It was such a wonderful day! I am so blessed! I can't wait to see which one I end up with!

Overflow

This week the Lord has totally blown me away with blessings. It's been such a good reminder though of His love for me as my Abba, and just as my parents desire to give me the things that I want so does the Lord. It's also been wonderful to be able to give all the glory to Him for each thing. The Lord continuallly blows me away by the fact that He knows my desires far better than even I know them! There's no way I can take credit for all the things He's blessed me with.

1. A wonderful finace' who speaks truth over me, is supportive and helps me make the best decision, and enjoys doing all the wedding stuff with me

2. A beautiful wedding dress that I feel radiant in, has certain things that I wanted, and also has certain things that I never imagined I would want...but fit me perfectly
("Karen, that dress looks like you just hanging on the hanger"-my best friend Layne)

3. An amazing mother who answers my 12 million phone calls a day(she's the only person I can talk to b/c our minutes are free and I went over my minutes for the month already)...who calls the caterer, photographer, etc. for me...who picks up at the last minute to drive to Auburn when I think I found my wedding dress and take me to dinner.

4. A kitchen table exactly as we wanted it...on sale

5. Pillows that i wanted and couldn't find anywhere!!

6. A couch for free!!!

7. A caterer with amazing prices who gives 50% of his profit to missions!! So half the money we spend on the delicious food you will all eat at the reception will got to missions! What better way to spend your money??!!!

8. A wonderful dinner last night that made me remember my summers in Nepal and the people there.

9. An incredibly sweet time with Jesus and the girls on the prayer team last night before Encounter

10. Our friends and family who are loving on us and supporting us during this time! I can't even begin to tell you how much each one of you has blessed our hearts with excitement and congratualtions...the Lord has used ya'll to bless us and remind us how much we are loved and how much people care about us!

I can't even begin to tell ya'll how faithful the Lord has been to us during this time! I am not stressed out... the Lord has made everything fall into place far beyond what I could have hoped or imagined! My mom has been amazing helping get things done! Thank ya'll so much for being there for us and making this time so wonderful and sweet! I wish we were going to be engaged longer...wait what am I saying...no I don't...5 months is plently long enough!!!

The Secret is OUT!!!

Finally! The secret is out! Bryan and I are engaged! He proposed last friday night. I had gone to Montgomery for the day and he came over to see his family that afternoon. The original plan was for us to ride back to Auburn together and he had planned to propose in Auburn...but I decided I was going to stay in Montgomery and ride to Auburn Saturday with my parents. Bryan knew that if he tried to convince me to come back to Auburn I would know something was up...so he came up with a plan B. We went to the Shakespeare Festival to have a picnic dinner at sunset. It was normal for us to do something together on Friday night because we don't spend a lot of time together during the week. So we were eating our dinner and he said he needed his phone because someone from work was supposed to call him. He came back though with his guitar. At first I thought oh we're going to sing some worship songs...but then he said he had a surprise for me and he wanted to play me a song. So he played a song that he had written for me two years ago(I had never heard it). The last line of the song is "Lord you know how honored I would be if she would marry me"...I was already crying because the song is amazing but at that point I kind of starting freaking out because I knew what was coming. He put the guitar back in the case and said he had another surprise for me and then pulled out the ring box. I freaked out and closed my eyes and buried my face in my hands. I didn't even know that he got down on one or knee or what he said to me. As soon as he was done talking I just jumped in his arms and gave him a big hug. He said I told him yes over a minute later. Then he asked if he could put the ring on my finger and of course I said yes...but I closed my eyes again...and when I opened them I freaked out again...because its beatiful. He could not have picked a better ring. I love it so much!! We are getting married March 11, 2006 at Marengo Plantation; its an old plantation home outside Montgomery. It's so beautiful! We are so excited!!!