if you're a bird, I'm a bird.

Welp, our first session of premarital counseling has officially come and gone. Last night for three hours and again this morning for three more, Teesh and I spent time with twelve other couples in a two-day marriage workshop. Out of everyone there, we were the only engaged couple to be found, which was actually really incredible because we received so much encouragement from them all. Blessing much? Umm, heck to the yes! The outpouring of love and guidance was overwhelming and I am so thankful that we got to be a part of such a woooooonderful kick-off to the rest of our counseling!

Chris and Laura will be in charge of all the counseling from now until the BIG day, and I honestly could not be more excited about it. They have always been such a huge part of our lives, and there really are no two people better suited to help us prepare for this journey we're embarking on. I think the thing that excites me the most about them doing it with/for us is the fact that they have watched us grow up both individually and together. Not many people can say that. "Only 2% of all high school relationships last beyond college" was Chris' favorite reminder to throw at Teesh and me when we were in high school, and I would always come right back with "Well, somebody's got to be in that 2%, and I betcha it'll be us!" Looks like we were both right, huh? :)

Aside from all of the guidance we received this weekend (which was a WHOLE lot, by the way), something happened today that has never happened before. I've seen Teesh cry maybe ten times in the whole seven years we've been together. Needless to say, he's not much of a crier, unlike myself who cries at the drop of a hat. Today, though, we were riding down the road and he wanted me to hear a song off of a new CD he'd just bought. He warned me that I would cry, but assured me that I "would love it because it's sad." Side note: I'm sorry, but since when do I love sad songs?

Annnnnyways, he gave me the background of why the song was written, and as soon as the dadgum music started playing I felt those tears a comin'. He was right, it was definitely a heart-wrencher. I found out I wasn't the only one who felt that way, because about halfway into the song, I looked over at him and his eyes were filled with tears and he was making funny faces to try not to let them fall down his cheek. I stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds, and before I could even get a word out, he held off being choked up long enough to say, "It makes me think of us. I don't know what I'd ever do if I lost you."

Straight out of a fairy tale? Umm, I'm going to go with a big fat YES. And after he said that, what do you think happened next? Yepp, you guessed it...to say that I burst into tears would be an extreme understatement. I wished he would have pulled the car over at that very instant so I could have squeezed his neck until it nearly popped off. I considered climbing over into his lap to give him a hug, but decided that proooobably wasn't the best idea.

I know Teesh loves me and would do anything to make me smile. I've never doubted that either of those. The only times I've ever seen him emotional about our relationship were both the times we broke up. Today, though, something happened that I know I will never forget as long as I live. I saw the hurt in his eyes when he thought about his life without me in it. I felt him grab my hand and squeeze it tighter than he ever has before. I've always felt his love for me, but today I got to see it. I don't think I've ever seen something more beautiful.

"I know there could never have been another. I knew it then and I know it now." -The Notebook

going through changes.

A lot has changed in the past nine days since the last time I did this whole blogging thing. Remember that time that life is speeding past me and I can't even see it most of the time? These nine days are proof that it's actually happening. Here's the nut-shell version of my life since then.

As you know, I now have a job. YAY! My first day was Monday, October 18, 2010. The good news: I love it...now. The not-so good news: my first day was quite possibly the worst first day of work in the history of worst first days. Through all of it, the Lord has really been opening up my eyes to things that I've never had to deal with. My heart has been broken many times since my first day (and I am certain that it will only continue to break as time goes on), but there is one thing I know for certain: I am exactly where I need to be in this season of my life. My eyes have been opened up to a whole lot of things in four short days, and I can finally say that I am thankful for every bit of it. Some things are still riding heavy on my heart, but that's just one of those things that comes along with growing up I guess.

Did I mention that I have a full-time job where I work 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday? Ummmm, weird. It still boggles my brain to think that I am an adult. I mean, I've always pretended to be an adult my whole life, but to actually be one...now that's pretty serious. Nearly every penny that I make is going into the "I'm getting married!" fund, which is just another thing that reminds me that I'm a big girl now. It's both exciting and scary all wrapped into one, but I keep assuring myself of one thing over and over again: the Lord will provide. He always does, and this transition period of my life is no different than all the others. I am developing an entirely new definition of thankfulness with each passing day, and it continually rocks my world.

There are so many things that I have grown accustomed to and taken for granted for so long, and the Lord has really been cleaning out all of my closets, even ones I honestly didn't know I had. He's preparing me for the rest of my life, which could be ten years down the road or it could just be tomorrow. I know what the obvious preparations are for, but if I've learned anything in these past four days of being a K-4 teacher at City Kids Child Development, it's that life comes at you fast. Things are always changing and they're not always what they seem. As simple of a concept as that is, I find myself forgetting the weight of it.

There are so many things that I'm planning for that are coming in the next months and the next years, but what about the things that will happen later on today? Or tomorrow? I want to grab life as it comes, taking every single moment in for what it's worth. Nothing more, nothing less. Seeing each fleeting second as precious and irreplaceable. Being a light to everyone around me by simply hiding behind the one true light.

"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust." -Psalm 40:4

there is a tide in the affairs of men.

 sweet name for a company, huh?

 hellooooooo RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL!

 heck to the yes.

 all the characters were exactly the same, including this fairy and her sporadic drawings in the sand.

 when I saw something that I couldn't afford, I just took pictures. exhibit a.

 turkey leg, oh, turkey leg. how I love thee.

 beautiful afternoon for a jousting tournament, wouldn't you say?

brother/sister bonding at its finest. deeeeeelish.

 gotta love some jousting.

 can I live here? pretty please?

 I do love a schedule.

 yay for being 21 and getting to chaperone Freeman's school trip to one of my favorite memories from high school.

 I "chaperoned" these fellas. pretty sure I looked like a pimp.

 I wanted EVERY single one of these bird houses. O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D.

once again, I couldn't afford these $25 umbrellas so I snapped a picture to remember how much I loved them.

do you see that, P. Sawyer? This BLEW. MY. MIND. all the more reason for us to go together and dress up! let's get to planning. now!

YAY! for having a little brother who enjoys my company. YAY! for him inviting me to join him and his class on a field trip. YAY! for two-hour bus rides in chartered buses. YAY! for watching Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third to Davidson, NC and back. YAY! for Freeman's friends being so much fun to hang out with. YAY! for me not having to be in high school anymore (when did teenagers become so mean and unfriendly?). YAY! for the Renaissance Era happening and giving us 21st century folks something to celebrate. YAY! for ginormous turkey legs. YAY! for adding hundreds of more memories to my life all in one day. And...(drum roll please)...YAY! for me coming back from such an awesome trip to find out that I have a JOB!

Best day ever? It's a good possibility. Boy, am I blessed. I hope I never ever forget it. :)

yay for the Buddy walk! wait, where'd our buddy go?

What a wonderful Sunday funday this was. Any day I get to spend a whole afternoon with my P. Sawyer is always the best day ever. This particular day was just icing on the cake, because I got to hang out with her family, too! A little over a month ago, she invited me to walk in the 2010 Greenville Buddy Walk with the Pineros gang in honor of her sweet little brother, David, who has down syndrome. They've been participating in this event for years and years, and I was so pumped when she asked me to tag along!

I had never heard of the Buddy Walk until she told me about it. Shame on me, because it was so much fun and it really is a wonderful cause! I hope I get to be a part of this for a loooooong time and maybe even get to be more involved than just the walk. What would I do without great friends like Melanie Joy Pineros (better known as P. Sawyer) to always push to be a better person than I already am? I'd be willing to bet that she probably doesn't even realize how much she influences my life for the better, which is just proof that she's one of the best people on the planet. How blessed am I that one of the best people on the entire planet is my very best friends? Blows. My. Mind.

 sibling love.

 the sweet Pineros family. team DAVID, of course!

 lookin' gooooooooooood.

 look who walked right in front of us! yay for seeing the Owens/Long family!

 oh, oh, it's magic.

 how sweet is this?

 David getting his medal for being AWESOME.

 see what I mean? totally awesome.

 showin' off his bling.

 cutest. puppy. in. the. whole. world.

 these crazy cats were dancin' FOOLS!

 P. Sawyer, you so fierce.

 what pretty friends I have.

 meet my best friend David.

 our balance-the-cup-on-our-heads act. we'll be here all week.

 "let's take a normal one." umm, come again?

 fuh-hiiiiii-nally. Hales & P. Sawyer do LIFE. :)

oh you know, just the usual.

Check it out for yourself.  The Buddy Walk is something that everyone should get involved in, whether you know someone who has been affected with Down Syndrome or not. Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, everyone! :)

there's nothing better than you and me together workin' on forever.

So Kenny Chesney's new album is pretty good. There are a few songs on it that I don't particularly care for yet, but a lot of them have the potential to all be my new favorite songs. There is one song called "Where I Grew Up," and I must make a confession: I burst into tears during the last verse when I listened to it earlier this morning for the first time. Don't worry, they weren't bad tears. They were actually as good as tears get. Here are the lyrics that got me all choked up (uh-uh huh):

See, I gained a little on Father Time

When me and her had our first big fight

I said some things, I made her cry

She packed all her stuff

The boy in me said let her go

But the man in me said pull her close

It was time to find out which one I was

Standing in the doorway holding on to love

Two nights ago when Teesh and I were talking on the phone, he said something I didn't like (I don't even remember what it was, so it must've been uber important), so I hung up on him. He called me back three times over a period of about fifteen minutes before I finally answered his call. I wasn't mad any more at this point, and the main reason that I didn't answer the two calls before was because I knew I had been a big baby and I didn't want to admit it to him. I also thought that he may have been upset with me for hanging out. Much to my surprise, I answered the phone (in my best pouty voice, of course) and Teesh answered back with a chipper "HEY!" Ummm, what? I don't know why Jesus blessed me with someone with such a relentlessly forgiving heart to spend the rest of my life with, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The verse in Kenny's song was exactly what Teesh and I talked about that night on the phone. He could have easily gotten mad at me and not called me back like we both used to do when we were in high school.  He was a boy and I was a girl who were selfish and dramatic, and it's amazing how just a few short years and a whole lot of experiences turned us both into a man and a woman who love each other for who we are and always talk through things, no matter how big or small they are.

It's so exciting to see the Lord working in both of our lives to get us ready for marriage. We've both still got a long way to go, but the best part about it is that we're doing it together. There's no one else in the world that I'd rather go through life hand-in-hand with. Sappy as it may be, no one could ever love me better or more whole-heartedly than my Teesh does. :)

"The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly."

-Peter De Vries

not too much is better than a day filled with sweets.

 a sweet husband-to-be.

 my sweet family.

 lots of sweet treats for Teesh to take home.

our sweet (and stunningly beautiful) wedding cake that is officially designed and ordered.

 sweet tea to help wash down all the greasy goodness at Tanner's.

a sweet late-night snack.

 my personal favorite sweet in the whole world.

 we both had a sweet tooth that needed to be satisfied.

 

this sweet even put Will and his grumpy self into a good mood.


"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." -Laura Ingalls Wilder

I'm with the A-Team.

 yay for both of us being engaged! and double yay for fiances that spoil us rotten!

 what's an engagement without a small group celebration with B. Davis' favorite sweet treat?

 ladies and gentlemen, meet the A-TEAM. these girls seriously complete me. seriously.

 thank you, self-timer, for allowing us to capture all of us being together.

showin' off her BLING! niiiiiiiiiiiiicely done, Jacob! ;)

It never fails. I always leave small group with a renewed spirit and the best encouragement that anyone could ever get. There really is no way that any of these girls could know how much they really mean to me. Heck, I can't even wrap my own mind around how much I need them! All I know is that it's a whole lot.

My heart is overwhelmed with love and thankfulness and it's all because of Jesus blessing me with these things through them.  The way he speaks to me when we're together is almost too much for my mind to process most of the time, but the wisdom I walk away with after we meet is proof that I must be getting something. I could go on and on forever and ever with things we talk about and ways we celebrate with each other and all sorts of other incredible things, but I'll keep it short and simple. These girls have my whole heart, and I can't imagine a life where they're not in it with me.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."  -Albert Schweitzer