Engagement pics, but not really.

Aaron and I were scheduled to have our engagement pictures made a few weeks ago out at a beautiful ranch by my sweet friend, Emma. However, the rain has delayed those plans for now, so Aaron's mom made a few pictures of us this past weekend in the beautiful sunshine.

Life has been incredibly crazy busy these past couple of months with wedding festivities and planning. We had our 7th and final wedding shower this afternoon - what a blessing all these showers have been! It's overwhelming, really!

Hopefully after January 9th, I'll be fully back in the blogging world again...but until then, please keep us in your prayers as we finish up all the final details for the big day and as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with our sweet families as "single" people for the last time! :)

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me!

Wow...what a week! We all know that some weeks are simply just better than others and this past week was definitely an "other" in my world. I'm not saying the whole week was a flop...please hear me say that I have SO very much to be thankful for and no room at all to complain...there were just a few moments that weren't my favorite...that's all! :) Needless to say, I was begging for the weekend to get here and am thankful for the start of a brand new week tomorrow.

This weekend has been exactly what I needed to refocus and get my thoughts geared in the right direction once again after that crazy week I just encountered. Aaron and I visited with his Mom and Dad Friday night and all day yesterday. His Dad officially became a Senior Citizen on Friday so we definitely helped him celebrate! :) (i don't think he reads my blog...so hopefully I'm safe in letting the secret out!)

I had such a good time with Aaron this weekend. He's been such a hero in my life over the past few days. The poor thing called me one night this past week - hadn't talked to him really all day that day, and the first thing he hears from me are not words but instead a horrible sobbing sound that probably made him instantly wish he had of forgotten my phone number that day. But instead, he patiently listened to my cry over a personal issue I had going on, assured me things would all work out and be fine, and then lead me to the Lord in prayer. Such a perfect example of living out the Word and "bearing one another's burdens". Work was a little on the crazy side too this week and I simply just felt worn down and bone tired by Friday. Been there? So, Friday night, I made it to Aaron's parents close to 8, then he and I headed out to meet a good friend of his that is going to play the piano in our wedding. BTW, boy can tear up that piano! SO excited! Afterwards on the way back to Aaron's parents, we stopped by good old McDonald's for an ice cream cone. I have to say, there is nothing more relaxing than eating an ice cream cone in the car, late at night, with the Braves on the radio in the background, sitting beside your best friend. Again, God is good and knew exactly what I needed in that moment. Then yesterday morning, after waking up pretty early (at least for a Saturday), I walked in to Aaron's parents living room only to see my sweet fella out on the back deck, his puppies playing at his feet, and the Word of God opened in his lap. Now I know that Aaron is not perfect...none of us are. But I have to tell you that I have never seen a sweeter sight and never felt more safe than in that moment. To see the man that the Lord has chosen to join me with, seeking direction and allowing himself to be comforted by words that will never return void. After taking a "mental photo", I joined Aaron and we just sat...in the stillness of the cool, quiet morning. I'm not sure what Aaron's thoughts were, but mine where something along the lines of "thank you, Lord. You are so faithful." Again, God is good and knew exactly what I needed in that moment. We spent a big part of our day yesterday hanging out with Aaron's mom and then we had a fun cookout for Mr. King's birthday last night. After we finished eating and were just sitting around the table with full bellies, Aaron's dad teased us that we weren't allowed to know what his birthday wish was, but he did want us to know something that he was very thankful for...that each of us sitting around that table has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and had found our salvation in Him. What a treasure that I get to become a part of this family.

I had to attend the funeral of a sweet friend today. Tori was a precious girl that I went to college with and to church with for a short period of time during our college days. Tori was killed this past week in an auto accident - such an awful, sad thing to receive this news this past week. However, as sad as it all is, Tori had such an incredible heart for the Lord and I have no doubt that there is no other place she'd rather be than where she is right this very minute...worshipping Him like never before. Throughout this entire week and this weekend, from the tears I've cried, to the thankfulness in my heart over the Lord's faithfulness, to the farewell of this sweet friend, I have once again been reminded that absolutely nothing else in this life matters more than finding a personal relationship with Him and sharing that with anyone I possibly can. Because we might just be the tool the Lord uses in someones life so that one day, someone we might not even know, can successfully sit around his dinner table with people he loves the most in this world and say, without a doubt, that his family knows the Lord and have the assurance in his heart that no matter what path life takes them down, they are safe because of their Savior.

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me!

encouragment from my fella this morning

I'm in a bit of a hurry this morning, but just wanted to share the encouragement with you all that the Lord gave me through my fella this morning from his blog. I am so blessed to have him in my life!

this week with God and Aaron...

i wanted to type this out, i guess just to get it out of my head...

GOD gave me a new perspective on a few things this week, things i honestly already knew but had somewhat lost sight of recently. working at the church has been awesome, i love it, but just like any job, it has its days. days where the unpreparedness of others come shining through and fall dead into my lap. i try to do my best with it, but lately i've missed the importance and the blessing of my work. i've gotten wrapped up in my list of thing to do, instead of just doing them for GOD.

i had a great meeting this week with Winfrey Shields, the media director from northstar church in kennesaw, which is HUGE by the way. great guy, a wealth of knowledge and years of experience for me to pull from, he's worked all over the country with franklin graham and all the biggest Christian bands. so we were talking about the philosophy of media in ministry, and he reminded me that my job is not about the website, projector screens, worship guides, cool posters, lights and sound. it's simply to focus on setting the tone for people to come to the throne and worship the LORD.

WOW! that hit me hard.

winfrey gave me a newfound sense of importance and encouraged me to a higher understanding of why i'm here in griffin. for me to think that i'm just as much of a critical part of the service as the soloist and the preacher, what a humbling thought! also, to know that i'm in a position where i can use the creative gifts GOD has given me to directly impact HIS kingdom. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FEELING AND GIANT RESPONSIBILITY!

so i realized, what more can i ask for? knowing everything GOD has done for me and now seeing that i'm in a place to be able to constantly give HIM all the glory for my work, how could i ask for anything more of HIM?

...and still, HE GIVES ME EVEN MORE! HE PROVES HIS LOVE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

all this came to a head yesterday, when i got a great surprise from Meredith. i won't go into what it was, that is something i'll keep between us, but it cut me down again, in a really great way. as if GOD himself was saying, "see there, I did that too. I did that for you."

so i would just challenge you, take a second to see what GOD has done for you and/or where HE has put you. don't look right over it, don't get too busy to notice it. HE is here, HE is constantly working for the good of those who love HIM.

the least we can do is thank HIM for it.

Life Update

Luke on the way to Nana's for his first Sleepover ever!! :)

Sorry it's been so long! Life is nothing short of crazy these days...but I'm lovin' it! Just wanted to give you all an update on what's been going on in my world. First off, to follow up on my last post, being engaged is wonderful! Lots of wedding planning is taking place and thankfully a lot has already been accomplished and I feel good about that. I guess after being the bridesmaid 14 times, you just kinda know what direction to go in. Not that it's all been easy, but all that past wedding experience has absolutely been beneficial. :) It's certainly weird being the bride and not the bridesmaid this time around! Aaron and I have set our wedding date at Jan. 9th...SO excited about a winter wedding. I can't wait for that blessed day! Aaron and I are still learning so much about each other during this season of our engagement and the more I learn, the more I love him. The Lord truly is Sovereign and good and His timing is so perfect. A scripture that I can remember clinging so tightly to before Aaron came along was Song of Songs 2:7 "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." There were so many days that I simply just had to trust that the Lord would some day make Himself known in this passage to me because I most certainly was tempted to "arouse and awaken love" in my OWN timing. Being single is such a hard area to be patient in, but I now know the importance of this verse. The Lord graciously protected my heart in so many ways to make it ready for my sweet Aaron and vice versa. What a big God we serve. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for our wedding day - a day that we pray will honor and bring glory to the One who is giving us to each other.

Work is still going well..the past week has felt like springtime again...SO busy! Not complaing though. I am SO going to miss this sweet bunch of people when I have to leave them at the beginning of the year. I just don't even want to talk about that! :)

My little man, Luke, is a spit fire! He is ALL TWO!! :) He came over for his very first spend-the-night this past weekend and did awesome! He is definitely to the point now of carrying on full conversations with whomever he is speaking with and I love it. He's one of my most favorite people to talk to these days. I've only had one breakdown so far about moving a little farther away from him after the wedding. I have been incredibly blessed with the convenience of only being 10 minutes or so away from him and being able to see him whenever I want since he was born. While this will be hard at first, I am only going to be an hour and a half away and I just know that the Lord will bless our relationship just as He always has. :)

My weight loss journey has not ended...for those of you who have been wondering since I haven't posted a GFJ post in quite some time! It has definitely slowed some, but I'm still hanging in and am at least not gaining! I'm very close to 90 pounds down and hope to lose at least 10 more pounds before the big wedding day. We'll see!

So much has happened in the past month...family trip to the beach, Luke's 2nd birthday, Aaron's 28th birthday, Braves game, baby showers, SO MUCH LIFE!! The Lord is all around and I am constantly in awe of who He is and with what and who He has blessed me with!

Engagement Story!!

I have officially been engaged for a week and a day now and for those of you wondering...yes, I'm still on cloud nine!! :) I wouldn't mind staying here for the rest of my life. What a sweet story I have for you. (get your blankets and hot chocolate and let's gather 'round) I must have told this story at least a hundred times in just one week and I've yet to grow tired of telling it. I drove to Griffin this past weekend to see my sweetie. There was an event at his church that night that we had to attend and later that evening I was to spend the night with our friends Todd and Jennifer. Well, I arrived to Aaron's apartment a little after 10 AM on Saturday morning. He had called to check on me a couple of times to see how close I was - now we know why! When I reached Aaron's door and knocked, he opened the door, peaked his head out, took my things from me and as I walked in, the first sight that I see is rose petals and lit candles on his living room floor. Talk about a sister's heart doing the biggest somersault EVER!! I immediately knew then what was about to happen and the first words out of my mouth were - "Aaron King, what are you doing??". As if I didn't know!!!!! So Aaron took my hands, kissed me, told me that he loved me and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, got down on his knee, and ASKED ME TO BE HIS WIFE!! I said yes faster than lightening, kissed him, then commanded him to show me that bling of a ring and put it on me! :) I was pretty calm at first, but as started thinking about what was really going on, I got REALLY excited and I'm pretty sure that FREAK OUT got a new name that day! My sweet fiance LOVES video, computer stuff, etc. So, wouldn't you know that he hid a video camera to capture this incredibly special moment on film. As much as I hate seeing myself on video, I am in love with the fact that we have this sweet moment forever. I'm trying to get up the nerve to allow him to post the video for you all to watch. Maybe in another week?? :) I LOVE that man and I cannot wait to be his wife. The Lord has lavished His goodness over me by giving Aaron to me and I hope to honor that always. I'm a blessed girl. Enjoy some pics and be on the lookout for that video...which I believe should be titled "Girl Freaks Out".

What will I leave behind?

I had to attend a funeral today of a dear, sweet older lady that I attended church with from birth to about the age of 22. Yes, she was one of those ladies that could tell you stories of changing my diaper in the church nursery when I was a baby or all the times my parents would have to take me out in the middle of service to spank me. Yes, I know you all think I've always been the angel that I am now...sorry to disappoint. :) The older I get and the more I come to learn what an impact (good or bad) we have on others lives, the more careful and intentional I want to become about leaving behind a life of good, not a life of mess. Listening to all the things said today about this sweet lady and the legacy that she is leaving behind has caused me to think a lot today on what kind of legacy I want to leave behind. Needless to say, I have a lot to improve on and a lot to strive for. I hope that what I want to leave behind one day, will be what I will leave behind one day. Some thoughts from today on what I want kind of legacy I want to leave...

• That I strive to live a full, abundant life here on this earth...knowing that this is one of the many reasons Jesus came..so that I could have and experience that with the promise that the best is yet to come! (John 10:10)
• That I have a genuine love for the people in my life and that my actions and words toward them would show them this love.
• That I'm a hard worker.
  
• That I can "laugh at the days to come" because I know my God is Sovereign and that everything is under His control and command. (Proverbs 31)
• That I strive to do everything "without complaining or arguing".
• That I don't worry.
  
• That I'm easy going and fun to be around.
  
• That I'm a good listener.
  
• That I like to learn and that I'm willing to accept when I've done something wrong and am not too proud to correct it.
  
• That I love the Lord above all else and this is evident in my devotion to Him and in my heart towards others.
  
• That I'm a caring, loving wife (hopefully one day!) who treats my husband with honor and respect...knowing that he is a treasure.
  
• That I'm a mother (hopefully one day) who will strive to train my children up in such a way that causes them to seek after their Savior and want to please Him in all that they do. And pour out more love on them than they can stand...even when they disappoint me.
  
• That I have a servant heart and strive to place others before myself.
  
• That I'm graceful and act like a lady.
  
• That I find contentment in small things - that I'm simple.
  
• That I think before I speak.
  
• That there just aren't many things in life worth letting yourself get "rawled" up and upset about.
• That it's important to keep the commitments you make and stick with the job until it's completed.
• That I dream big and don't limit what God can and wants to do with my life.
  
• That I am smart with money but that I don't hold onto it tightly.
  
• That I smile at everyone I meet.
  
• That I'm adventurous and want to see and experience things.
  
• That I love to encourage.
  

Just a few things that have crossed my mind today. Definitely have lots of work to do but it's always good to reflect on things we want/should be striving for. What will you leave behind one day? Just think about it. Have a great week! :)

Aaron's Sweet Surprise Was...

The FABULOUS Fox Theatre!! Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious! I just have to say it right now (incase you haven't already figured it out) that I have the BEST fella in the world. Truly. And not at all because of the things he does for me (although as you can see he does some pretty incredible things), but simply because of who he is. Aaron has been keeping this night a surprise for at least a couple months now and as much as I tried to play cool about not knowing what was going on, it has secretly been driving me NUTS! I had no clue! None at all...and am SO thankful that I didn't. I even asked Aaron to let me know when we neared wherever we were going today so that I could close my eyes and make the suspense last as long as possible. It was absolutely worth it! "Jersey Boys...The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons" was playing and it was SOOO good. They are known for songs like "Sherry, Stay, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Working My Way Back to You, Rag Doll..." The story line was great and very entertaining. Aaron nor myself go to things like this very often so it was definitely a treat for both of us. Thank you, sweet Aaron, for such a fun day, for your thoughtfulness in planning this and surprising me with it and for treating me the way that you do...everyday...not just today! I am hands down the most blessed girl in the world. :) Enjoy a few pics of our day together! There's just something about seeing this sign and knowing that you are about to have a good time. And a good time is exactly what we had!

Thank you again, Aaron! Loved EVERYTHING about my day! You're wonderful.