The play is over! And it was fantastic. I'm so sad, though. I miss our practices and seeing everyone in it. Definitely a great experience, though it wasn't always the easiest thing in the world, at times.
But in other news... Well today we're going to go buy our bridesmaid dresses for Sydnee's wedding! I was a little anxious, I'll admit, because they're a bit expensive and I have to pay for school shortly. But you know what? It's not about me, but Sydnee. It's her day, and everyone loves the dresses. I'm so excited to see them in person.
What else? Oh, I have decided to start being more healthy. Today I went for a run with my sister Missie (well, walk/run. It was so cold and windy out that it HURT to run. Our throats were killing us by the end from sucking in so much cold air). Since the play, I think I've lost a bit of weight, from all the dancing we had to do, and so I really want to keep that weight off, and maybe even try to lose some more. So, it's healthy eating and more exercise for me!
Oh - Sydnee just called; she's on her way to pick me up so we can go get those dresses. Eeee! So excited!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
In Other Wedding News...
Another engagement was announced recently on Facebook. I'm telling you, it's practically everyday that it's happening! This time, it's a girl I used to dance with. I'm so happy for her. She's pretty young (18, I think?), but seems so happy. I wish her the very best!
And also... apparently Shell went shopping for rings with Frank Austin the other day! Hmm... is another engagement in the air??? ;)
And also... apparently Shell went shopping for rings with Frank Austin the other day! Hmm... is another engagement in the air??? ;)
Sydnee's Bridesmaids!
Well, here they are! Pictures from yesterday when Sydnee, Kiera, and Madeleine went bridesmaid dress shopping. I wasn't there, unfortunately, because my play is on (and it's going fantastically, by the way!) but we're going on Thursday to order them. But here is the dress the girls picked out. It's obviously not going to be in this red-ish colour, but in blue. And we're apparently going to try to change the tops a bit for me and Kiera, so we'll all be different. :) (Sorry that this picture is so small. For some reason it wouldn't go any bigger.)
Here are the pictures with the model, from the site venusbridal.com . Lovely. I went back to read what we were thinking originally, from one of my posts, dated August 5: "Here's a list of what we're thinking: above the knee, flowy if possible, empire-waisted, tiffany blue, and it would be nice if the all had different tops, since we're all different shapes (like, straps, strapless, off the shoulder, whatever)." Yup! Check, check, check, check AND check! You done good, girls! Haha.
Here are the pictures with the model, from the site venusbridal.com . Lovely. I went back to read what we were thinking originally, from one of my posts, dated August 5: "Here's a list of what we're thinking: above the knee, flowy if possible, empire-waisted, tiffany blue, and it would be nice if the all had different tops, since we're all different shapes (like, straps, strapless, off the shoulder, whatever)." Yup! Check, check, check, check AND check! You done good, girls! Haha.
Oh, man. Five months to go! I can't believe it. How did it get here so fast? It seemed like we had FOREVER to plan the whole wedding. And now we're already at five months! Crazy!
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Valentine's Gift.
I have THE BEST NEWS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
Though, it starts off with some horrible, horrible news.
A 15-year-old girl I know was diagnosed with a brain tumour just last week. I found out about it yesterday. The youth group at my church got together and all prayed and fasted for her. She is just the most marvellous of girls. And when I say that, I really mean it. She's one of those people that is just... special. There's something about her, a joyfulness, a spark, a maturity that you don't see everyday. She always has the biggest smile on her face and is so full of love for everyone she meets. She is also a gifted, gifted dancer. Not just talented. But she has a God-given gift of dance. So, it was such a shock to hear that she had this brain tumour. I knew enough of cancer to know it would be a rough, rough journey. And I've known people with brain tumours to know that it's even worse. But this girl had such a positive attitude about it, jokingly calling the tumour Sheldon.
Well, today, she went in for some testing. As I said, the youth group (and a whole bunch of other churches) got together to pray for her. And guess what? SHE'S HEALED. There's no more Sheldon the tumour. It's a miracle. Praise God! I am just so ecstatic for her!!!
I told you, isn't that the best news in the world???
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!
Though, it starts off with some horrible, horrible news.
A 15-year-old girl I know was diagnosed with a brain tumour just last week. I found out about it yesterday. The youth group at my church got together and all prayed and fasted for her. She is just the most marvellous of girls. And when I say that, I really mean it. She's one of those people that is just... special. There's something about her, a joyfulness, a spark, a maturity that you don't see everyday. She always has the biggest smile on her face and is so full of love for everyone she meets. She is also a gifted, gifted dancer. Not just talented. But she has a God-given gift of dance. So, it was such a shock to hear that she had this brain tumour. I knew enough of cancer to know it would be a rough, rough journey. And I've known people with brain tumours to know that it's even worse. But this girl had such a positive attitude about it, jokingly calling the tumour Sheldon.
Well, today, she went in for some testing. As I said, the youth group (and a whole bunch of other churches) got together to pray for her. And guess what? SHE'S HEALED. There's no more Sheldon the tumour. It's a miracle. Praise God! I am just so ecstatic for her!!!
I told you, isn't that the best news in the world???
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
I seriously love Boundless.
The Desire to Marry
by Candice Watters
DEAR BOUNDLESS ANSWERS
I am a 25-year-old Christian. I would like to have a family, and I always thought I would have met my future husband by now. Not surprisingly (as our timing is not always God's), I haven't. The possibility of meeting a man at all is very scarce. My church, which I love and am invested in, is very small. The young-adult scene is dominated by women, and only two of the six or so men are beyond age 20.
At first, I was praying pretty intensely for a husband, keeping a journal for him (at my friend's suggestion), and (separately) writing to God about the characteristics I wanted my future husband to have. I did enjoy keeping the journal; I thought of it as a way to share the parts of my life I’d live before meeting him. I was doing this for several months when it hit me that my future husband may not come for another 10 years, and there are a lot of other things I could be doing and praying for in the meantime. It began to seem silly to me to pray for a husband when I have unsaved friends and family members.
So I guess my question is this: To what extent should we nurture the desire to marry? Since God knows when, where and at what time I will meet my future husband, is it necessary to be praying about it now? I also feel nurturing the desire distracts me from just living in the present. Any new man walks in the church, and I wonder "Is that him?" On the other hand, I feel that putting the desire on the back burner (as I've done) is being untrue to myself and neglecting what I want. I appreciate any thoughts you have.
REPLY
I’m glad you wrote and am encouraged by your willingness to rethink how you’re waiting for a husband. I understand the sentiment of keeping a journal written to your future husband. It can make him seem real even before you’ve met him. But there is a danger in that, one you’re starting to understand. The desire to chronicle your life for him so you’ll have a record to share in the future is a thoughtful idea. Trouble is, it can quickly morph into a fantasy of sorts, one that takes you too much out of the here and now.
Fantasy and hope don’t mix well: We hope for what we don’t yet have; we fantasize in order to feel as though we already have it. Do risk hope. Do look forward to marriage. But don’t spend your days living in the future in your mind. Because, as you’ve noticed, this has the ability to keep you from living in the present.
Still, while filling a journal with letters to him carries risks, it’s never silly to pray for a husband. The two aren’t the same. And I do think you should pray for a husband. I wrote a whole article about that called “How to Pray for a Husband.”
I think the heart of your question is, “Can you want marriage too much?” And the answer is yes and no. I don’t think it’s possible, or likely, to desire marriage too much when it’s understood as the self-sacrificial relationship reflecting Christ and His church. (See Ephesians 5.) I do, however, think it’s possible to be preoccupied with thoughts about the romantic, emotional and physical benefits of being married, especially if your ideal for marriage is drawn from the latest chic flick or hit TV series. God made marriage for companionship and sex, but He made it for a lot more than that. And the giddy, emotional high that’s proof of a new romance isn’t sustainable over the life of a marriage. (I’ve talked about that in “How Important is Physical Attraction?”) That’s why it’s so important to cultivate a desire for marriage as God designed it.
If you’d told me that you were turned off to the idea of becoming a wife and mother, if you were focused exclusively on your career, if you found the Scriptures about marriage offensive, then yes, I’d say you should nurture the desire for marriage. Though some women may need to nurture their desire, it sounds as though your desire for marriage is intact.
Psalm 37:3–5 (ESV) says, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”
As you’re discovering, simply wanting something doesn’t mean you’ll get it or get it when you want it. Even when our desires are placed in the context of delighting in the Lord, often we have to wait. One of the benefits of the waiting — if we spend that time studying God’s Word and praying for God’s will — is that He conforms our desires to His. That’s good news because often our desires are shaped more by conversations with our friends than the God we serve. We get so many of our ideas about what marriage is, and how it’s to be lived out, from popular entertainment that we often don’t realize how far off from the original we are.
The more you do now to understand God’s purposes for this one-flesh union, the more fruitful your marriage can be. Pouring your heart out to God in prayer, asking Him to transform your desires and align your thoughts and will to Him; capturing your thoughts in writing, especially when those thoughts center around your meditations on passages of Scripture, all of these activities have the potential to mature your faith. They also can transform your desire and strip away longings that aren’t from God.
You may be wondering, What will all this prayer and journaling get me if I never marry? It’s a great question. I’m intrigued by the men in Scripture who most supported and encouraged marriage — John the Baptist, Paul and Jesus. All of them were unmarried, but they all honored marriage (Hebrews 13:4) with their words and actions.
Rather than letting your longing for marriage distract you from the present, God can use your hope for it to speak truth to our culture, speak into the lives of your girlfriends, encourage your married friends and more.
And even though you attend a small church with apparently few prospects for marriage, if it’s a biblical church, you have reason to hope that marriage possibilities can grow from relationships with older believers. I’ve talked about this before in “Plenty of Men to Go Around.”
I pray you’ll hear God’s promptings, primarily through study of His Word, and obey Him. As He shapes your desires to conform with His will, you’ll witness His faithfulness in abundance.
Blessings,
Candice
by Candice Watters
DEAR BOUNDLESS ANSWERS
I am a 25-year-old Christian. I would like to have a family, and I always thought I would have met my future husband by now. Not surprisingly (as our timing is not always God's), I haven't. The possibility of meeting a man at all is very scarce. My church, which I love and am invested in, is very small. The young-adult scene is dominated by women, and only two of the six or so men are beyond age 20.
At first, I was praying pretty intensely for a husband, keeping a journal for him (at my friend's suggestion), and (separately) writing to God about the characteristics I wanted my future husband to have. I did enjoy keeping the journal; I thought of it as a way to share the parts of my life I’d live before meeting him. I was doing this for several months when it hit me that my future husband may not come for another 10 years, and there are a lot of other things I could be doing and praying for in the meantime. It began to seem silly to me to pray for a husband when I have unsaved friends and family members.
So I guess my question is this: To what extent should we nurture the desire to marry? Since God knows when, where and at what time I will meet my future husband, is it necessary to be praying about it now? I also feel nurturing the desire distracts me from just living in the present. Any new man walks in the church, and I wonder "Is that him?" On the other hand, I feel that putting the desire on the back burner (as I've done) is being untrue to myself and neglecting what I want. I appreciate any thoughts you have.
REPLY
I’m glad you wrote and am encouraged by your willingness to rethink how you’re waiting for a husband. I understand the sentiment of keeping a journal written to your future husband. It can make him seem real even before you’ve met him. But there is a danger in that, one you’re starting to understand. The desire to chronicle your life for him so you’ll have a record to share in the future is a thoughtful idea. Trouble is, it can quickly morph into a fantasy of sorts, one that takes you too much out of the here and now.
Fantasy and hope don’t mix well: We hope for what we don’t yet have; we fantasize in order to feel as though we already have it. Do risk hope. Do look forward to marriage. But don’t spend your days living in the future in your mind. Because, as you’ve noticed, this has the ability to keep you from living in the present.
Still, while filling a journal with letters to him carries risks, it’s never silly to pray for a husband. The two aren’t the same. And I do think you should pray for a husband. I wrote a whole article about that called “How to Pray for a Husband.”
I think the heart of your question is, “Can you want marriage too much?” And the answer is yes and no. I don’t think it’s possible, or likely, to desire marriage too much when it’s understood as the self-sacrificial relationship reflecting Christ and His church. (See Ephesians 5.) I do, however, think it’s possible to be preoccupied with thoughts about the romantic, emotional and physical benefits of being married, especially if your ideal for marriage is drawn from the latest chic flick or hit TV series. God made marriage for companionship and sex, but He made it for a lot more than that. And the giddy, emotional high that’s proof of a new romance isn’t sustainable over the life of a marriage. (I’ve talked about that in “How Important is Physical Attraction?”) That’s why it’s so important to cultivate a desire for marriage as God designed it.
If you’d told me that you were turned off to the idea of becoming a wife and mother, if you were focused exclusively on your career, if you found the Scriptures about marriage offensive, then yes, I’d say you should nurture the desire for marriage. Though some women may need to nurture their desire, it sounds as though your desire for marriage is intact.
Psalm 37:3–5 (ESV) says, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”
As you’re discovering, simply wanting something doesn’t mean you’ll get it or get it when you want it. Even when our desires are placed in the context of delighting in the Lord, often we have to wait. One of the benefits of the waiting — if we spend that time studying God’s Word and praying for God’s will — is that He conforms our desires to His. That’s good news because often our desires are shaped more by conversations with our friends than the God we serve. We get so many of our ideas about what marriage is, and how it’s to be lived out, from popular entertainment that we often don’t realize how far off from the original we are.
The more you do now to understand God’s purposes for this one-flesh union, the more fruitful your marriage can be. Pouring your heart out to God in prayer, asking Him to transform your desires and align your thoughts and will to Him; capturing your thoughts in writing, especially when those thoughts center around your meditations on passages of Scripture, all of these activities have the potential to mature your faith. They also can transform your desire and strip away longings that aren’t from God.
You may be wondering, What will all this prayer and journaling get me if I never marry? It’s a great question. I’m intrigued by the men in Scripture who most supported and encouraged marriage — John the Baptist, Paul and Jesus. All of them were unmarried, but they all honored marriage (Hebrews 13:4) with their words and actions.
Rather than letting your longing for marriage distract you from the present, God can use your hope for it to speak truth to our culture, speak into the lives of your girlfriends, encourage your married friends and more.
And even though you attend a small church with apparently few prospects for marriage, if it’s a biblical church, you have reason to hope that marriage possibilities can grow from relationships with older believers. I’ve talked about this before in “Plenty of Men to Go Around.”
I pray you’ll hear God’s promptings, primarily through study of His Word, and obey Him. As He shapes your desires to conform with His will, you’ll witness His faithfulness in abundance.
Blessings,
Candice
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Greatest Love - by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin
Another great article from Boundless!
As I thought about how to kick off my series on all things romance and relationships, I considered many of the well-worn topics, such as how to meet people of the opposite sex or identify a potential spouse. I considered talking about how to pursue or prepare yourself to be pursued. But I settled on something a little different ... something the Lord has been working on in my heart.
Today I want to talk about love between a father and a child.
Several years ago, I was on vacation with my family in Oregon when I offered to show my 2-year-old nephew, Ben, some pictures on my computer. Since I lived in another state, I thought the photos might jog his memory as to who I was. I settled him on my lap and began playing a slideshow of our family Christmas that had taken place eight months earlier.
As Ben watched the pictures scroll across the screen, each time a photo of my brother, Matt, would appear, Ben would point and say, "Dada." At first he looked at me each time, as if to say, “Do you know that’s my daddy?” But as the show progressed, he became more enthralled with the images, his tone more intense. Soon he was practically yelling “Dada” at the screen each time he saw his dad.
The moment the slideshow ended, Ben turned to me with an urgent look in his eyes. “Dada!” he said, squirming out of my lap and scanning the area for his father. Ben found my brother in the kitchen. “Hey, Buddy,” Matt said, lifting his son into his arms. Ben looped his arms around my brother’s neck, looked tenderly into his face and breathed a contented sigh.
That experience stuck with me as a picture of my relationship with my heavenly Father. As Ben watched images of his father — and was reminded of the nature of their relationship — he was filled with love to the point where he just had to be with his daddy!
When I was single, the dependence of my relationship with my Savior was extra-sweet. These lyrics from the song "In Christ Alone" capture what I felt:
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.
While I am still utterly dependent on my heavenly Father, my singleness was a special season. As I grappled with not having a partner who desired me, I flew more frequently to those comforting arms. I saw more clearly the ways in which God was lovingly caring for me. In the absence of human affection, I felt His love more deeply.
I believe God has a special place in His heart for the lonely, whether that is the single, the outsider or the disenfranchised. And the love He offers is the kind that satisfies and gives life. Regarding this whole issue of romance, a starting point is resting securely in the love of a Father. It is the greatest love you or I will ever experience.
As I thought about how to kick off my series on all things romance and relationships, I considered many of the well-worn topics, such as how to meet people of the opposite sex or identify a potential spouse. I considered talking about how to pursue or prepare yourself to be pursued. But I settled on something a little different ... something the Lord has been working on in my heart.
Today I want to talk about love between a father and a child.
Several years ago, I was on vacation with my family in Oregon when I offered to show my 2-year-old nephew, Ben, some pictures on my computer. Since I lived in another state, I thought the photos might jog his memory as to who I was. I settled him on my lap and began playing a slideshow of our family Christmas that had taken place eight months earlier.
As Ben watched the pictures scroll across the screen, each time a photo of my brother, Matt, would appear, Ben would point and say, "Dada." At first he looked at me each time, as if to say, “Do you know that’s my daddy?” But as the show progressed, he became more enthralled with the images, his tone more intense. Soon he was practically yelling “Dada” at the screen each time he saw his dad.
The moment the slideshow ended, Ben turned to me with an urgent look in his eyes. “Dada!” he said, squirming out of my lap and scanning the area for his father. Ben found my brother in the kitchen. “Hey, Buddy,” Matt said, lifting his son into his arms. Ben looped his arms around my brother’s neck, looked tenderly into his face and breathed a contented sigh.
That experience stuck with me as a picture of my relationship with my heavenly Father. As Ben watched images of his father — and was reminded of the nature of their relationship — he was filled with love to the point where he just had to be with his daddy!
When I was single, the dependence of my relationship with my Savior was extra-sweet. These lyrics from the song "In Christ Alone" capture what I felt:
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.
While I am still utterly dependent on my heavenly Father, my singleness was a special season. As I grappled with not having a partner who desired me, I flew more frequently to those comforting arms. I saw more clearly the ways in which God was lovingly caring for me. In the absence of human affection, I felt His love more deeply.
I believe God has a special place in His heart for the lonely, whether that is the single, the outsider or the disenfranchised. And the love He offers is the kind that satisfies and gives life. Regarding this whole issue of romance, a starting point is resting securely in the love of a Father. It is the greatest love you or I will ever experience.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Go Jane
I have found a new website that I absolutely love: gojane.com. It's a website from which you can buy different clothes: anything from t-shirts to dresses to bags to purses. It's fantastic! I haven't ordered anything yet, but WOW. Do they have some nice things. And pretty reasonable prices, too! The only thing that would worry me is trying to order the right size without trying anything on. But still. I think it would be worth it to give it a try. Here are three things that I absolutely loved on the site.
Isn't this yellow dress stunning? I think it would make a perfect bridesmaid dress. I love everything about it.
Isn't this yellow dress stunning? I think it would make a perfect bridesmaid dress. I love everything about it.
Love the green colour of this one! As I posted before, emerald, black and white is a colour scheme I'd consider for my wedding. Isn't it beautiful? 
And, oh! This shoe is to die for. They have it in about a million different colours: yellow, purple, pink, black, etc. I love it! Shoes are definitely my weakness! :)
But, yeah, check the site out! I recommend it! :)
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