Wedding Part 1

September 25, 2011 was the day that I married the love of my life, my high school sweetheart and my better half. In no way was I prepared for how this promise, this covenant would change my life. You know when you are about to embark on something great and you have that feeling that everything you know is about to change? Welcome to married life. Everything does change.


The morning of our wedding I woke up with a feeling of relief. It was finally here. After seven years, the wait was over and boy was it worth it.


All of my bridesmaids came over and we spent the morning eating, drinking coffee, opening presents, reading letters and watching Bridesmaids. Wonderful start to a wonderful day.

Here's a few pictures of the morning and some of their little goodies that were waiting on them!

Before shot. I couldn't pick my favorite if I had to.

Here are some of their goodies! Just a small thank you for being such an important person in my life! The night before I gave them each a small scrapbook that I made for them! Everyone got an awesome coffee mug with their initials on it! Also, I handmade paper bags with little love stamps on them, filled with goodies like handmade bookmarks and letter to each of them trying to explain how much they are loved. Try writing that in a letter.... no easy feat. 

Here are the mugs and bags!

Close up!

Hannah finally getting to look through her scrapbook!

Mom and I toasting to my new last name!

Dona: The miracle worker of all updos

Right before we left, my sweet friends prayed for me. Such a sweet time for me.

My sweet gran.

In conversation about weddings, people always said to me, "Make sure you take some time to enjoy every part of the day. It will be gone before you know it." So that's what I did. I was determined to soak in every laugh, every hug, every tear and every thought on our wedding day. Ya know, it's true what they say... it is gone before you know it. Push every care or worry out of your mind and take the day as it comes. Savor its moments. Create the silence you need to remember it. (you'll kick yourself in the fanny if you don't.)

Taylor and I decided to see each other before the actual ceremony. I'm a bit of a romantic so people were surprised when I told them. I am so thankful we did this for a few reasons... 

1. The moment I finally got to see Taylor was one of the sweetest moments to me. We were alone (except the photographers and videographers that were creepily lurking in the bushes... you know who you are :) Since we were alone, we got to share exactly what we were thinking. The smiles and smooches that I got from him in those moments eased every nerve that tried to distract me. 

2. Since we saw each other, we could get tons of pictures done so that we could catch the best lighting of the day and also spend more time with our lovely guest after the ceremony! 

3. Taylor had his back turned while I walked up behind him. Seeing him standing there waiting for me was a beautiful memory that I will never forget. I could focus on him... not on the 175 other people that were starring at me :)


Here are some pictures!

I'll blog more tomorrow about the rest of our day! In the meantime, go to our photographer's website and check out some more of her incredible work!

Whirlwind.

Wheeeeewwwww... believe it or not that was actually the first time I've exhaled since we got married! Not really, can you imagine if that were true? Honestly, that's what it feels like. The past two months have  been jam packed full of change, u-hauls, coffee table discussion, laughing, sweets, burnt dinners, smooches, gallstones, bird decor, deer watching, breath taking sunsets and blessings upon blessings. 

If I could sum up the past two months of my life in a few words they would be.............. ok never mind I couldn't do it... it's too much to put into a few words. All I know is that God has been good to me and has blessed me more than I'll ever understand by allowing me to marry Taylor.

More to come on all of the fun exciting stuff!!

one week.

Hello blog world! I know, I know, I've been completely absent. I wanted to stop in for a brief visit and write one last time as Lacey Jenkins. I get to marry my high school sweetheart in 7 days. I am going to Mexico in 8 days. I am moving to Tyler, TX in 17 days. WHOA. It's almost funny because I am not one to  love change and here the Lord is about to change everything in my life, down to my last name. 

I am a person who looooves stability and control and right now I don't get either. 

I'm in a good spot right now because I am on the edge of an incredible adventure with the love of my life. And by the way, in case you don't know Taylor he is everything that I am not... he is so calm and even keeled, he has no stress, ever. He has no resilience towards change. He will charge full steam ahead straight into it and that's why he will be my leader. haha We are about to step off a gigantic ledge, hand in hand and trust that the Lords plans are good and that He is faithful, and we know that He IS faithful just by our relationship a lone. I am trusting that God is the stability I need and the control is always His.

These next 7 days will be hard for me to wrap my mind around but I simply cannot wait to walk down the isle to see my groom standing before me, waiting. It's such a beautiful symbolism of where I am with the Lord right now. He keeps reminding me that He is waiting for me. I Can't wait for this veil to be lifted so that I might know the Lord more deeply through marriage. 

 Signing off for the last time as Lacey Jenkins. See ya on the other side! .... of the wedding :)

Meet Ricky.

I just ran across this picture of one of my dogs. I desperately wanted to share it with the world. So, enjoy. This is Ricky. Yes his name is Ricky. The meanest Chihuahua this side of the Mississippi.

ahh, young love.

 Our incredible photographer Kristyn Hogan took our engagement pictures and these aren't even all of them! They were so much fun to be around. #1 important thing to remember when choosing a photographer... you need to mesh well. if you wouldn't call them your friend, then they aren't for you. You want to have that connection with them so they can catch each moment that is special to you. Annnd... Kristyn could be the greatest. ever. I'm just sayin. Can't wait for her to do our wedding!!

Normalcy.

So nostalgic. haha

I adore this one of Taylor. So handsome.

Nerds at heart.

 

Needless to say, we had a blast! Can't wait to marry this guy. I mean look at him. He's a bundle of fun!

We going CrAzY!

Well, as some of you know, I am working for half of the summer at a Christian camp called Pine Cove. It's alllll the way down in Flint Texas. Yea, there is a good possibility that you've never heard of it and if I asked you to find it on a map, you might need a magnifying glass.

This camp is a new experience for me. There are cheers for every word, number, and activity in the land. This is place where "more Jesus = more sweat" and "salvation = perspiration". Yes those are real cheers. Pine Cove is a place where we jump and we jump and when we are done jumping, we jump some more because of the joy of our salvation.

I should let you know that I am no longer Lacey Jenkins. My camp name is now Hiphopopotomus. Try saying that 6 times fast. Wish I could have heard that. My fiance is not Taylor Jervis, he is Fishface.

one face of fishface

So we're thinking at the reception they could introduce us as "Mr. and Mrs. Fishface Jervis." Just a thought.

 Anyway, this will be Taylor's fourth summer so he is a seasoned veteran. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and after the first two weeks of campers, I still don't. I've never experienced an organization like Pine Cove. An organization truly Gospel focused and solely dependent on the Lord's grace, Pine Cove is a place the Lord is using to refine and chisel me. Due to the jumping, needless to say, the Lord is hard core chiseling my calves.

This past two weeks, I've been blessed to have a cabin of 6th graders and a cabin of 7th graders. Yes, that's 11 and 12 year olds. I have to admit, coming into the summer I was a bit nervous (and by a bit nervous, I mean wet the bed terrified) about middle schoolers. Have no fear mom, no accidents thus far, but I make no promises for the weeks to come. Just to give you a glimpse into the mind of a 7th grade girl, this week I found my cabin having a butter eating contest.... yea. I also walked into a "ok, let's have a singing competition" as they proceeded to sing every Justin Bieber song that they could think of. I just sat and smiled.

Another story to make you laugh... last week I had 6th graders. They asked me, "Hiphop, why people put their hands in the air, or why people get on their knees during worship"? This is a great question. So I asked them how they would worship if they were standing before Christ himself. Would they dance? Would they clap? Would they cry? Or, would they stand there with their hands in the their pockets while yawning? So we got to have a great conversation about personal worship. It's a very intimate thing to come before the Lord and worship.

Well, one of my campers gets on her knees in the middle of worship. It was the last night, so here I am exhausted and watching my prayers be answered as this 11 year old hits her knees before the King. She got down and tears rolled down my face. I thanked the Lord and realized, wow, she's still down there. Okay, this is a 6 minute prayer... I must have really done a great job counseling this week. Man, way to go Hiphop! As this sweet angel stands up she comes up to me and says... "Hiphop, I fell asleep. I drooled and everything. Oops!" Words can't explain how hard I laughed.

It's been the biggest blessing serving along side the staff here. Watching college aged kids give every bit of energy and dying to themselves daily all for His name's sake has challenged and humbled me beyond words. I am more than ready to be changed and transformed to be more like Jesus and less like Hiphop. :) Bring on the fire. 

I'm not mad....

Meet my family!!

The pretty lady on the top is my mom and the sassy lady in the red is my Gran! So, HOPEFULLY this what I will look like in 25 years and also in 42 years. I'm not mad about that at all!