tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52697092645709714072024-02-07T01:44:30.246-08:00My Life as a Wi-Fee...and my pursuit of becoming a woman of faith after God's own heartLauren Feehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12121042890304487456noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269709264570971407.post-89433698594853548202012-08-01T20:07:00.001-07:002012-08-01T20:08:04.108-07:00Entry-way Table<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ryan and I have been blessed beyond measure during our first year of marriage. One of the many ways that we were so richly blessed early on was to be given nearly all of the furniture that we have in our house. Seriously. The only thing we purchased was a couch and a TV. One of the pieces that we inherited from Ryan's grandmother was an entry way table. I had been dying to get my hands on this baby and doll up a bit ever since it first made an appearance in the Fee home and I finally had the opportunity to do so a few weeks ago! Here she was before.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I waited so long to do something with this piece because I did not want to sand it...can you blame me? Look at those legs. No thank-you. So, this was a perfect piece to try out my new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint that requires no sanding. Yes, you read that right. No sanding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A little light and dark wax and some distressing later and here she is! I feel like I should name her or something...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ah...perfectly imperfect.</span></div>Lauren Feehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12121042890304487456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269709264570971407.post-74162275990869856522012-07-28T22:43:00.003-07:002012-07-28T22:44:35.221-07:00Welcome Wreath<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So...I am back. Two months is better than four right. I smell improvement. Time is flying this summer. I feel like there should be another name for this season of the year other than summer for folks working the 9 to 5 in the "real world". I have been waiting for "summer" all summer-long and now fall is around the corner. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have just completed my second rotation of my fourth year. Seven more to go and I will FINALLY be a pharmacist. Insert Hallelujah chorus. I don't want to say it was "easy", but heck...it was pretty easy. I got to leave early most days, which was wonderful. I mean, <strike>if you are working for free</strike> paying to work for 12 months, it's nice when they let you go a little early..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, I should have taken advantage of this "easier" rotation and prepared for some of my "harder" ones that are to come BUT....I spent most of the month crafting. The hubs and I are scrimping and saving every penny we can (will explain in more detail in a later post), so my budget for all this diy-goodness was well...virtually non-existent. I decided to challenge myself to make do with what we have here at the house, so we will see how this thing turns out! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, here's how my first project went. Our front door was pretty barren. It's not the quaintest door you've ever seen in the first place (Still waiting on black barred doors to come in style), and was in desperate need of some decor. A leftover wreath from a baby shower I threw back in the early spring (along with two other loves) for one of my oldest and dearest friends was begging for some TLC. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here is what she looked like for the shower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...LOVED the way it turned out for the shower, but not the most durable thing ever with paper pennants and all</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">..so, i got to work one day while watching "Who the Bleep did I Marry?" on Netflix (no judgement please) and was surprised by how well it turned out. Gobs of hot glue, a painted letter F I had been saving, and some scrap fabric later, and here she is in all her glory!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...love me some sweet rosettes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...know I am a little late to the wreath fad <strike>as with most everything</strike>, but happy with the way things turned out</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwjgbRwvcd9fUrKn5EHbBv-ejQTyl1nDuORLjpsUkdCrdSQbUY3DQ__T6uTpuS5znHt_UTumVTEoOJXSp2gYfhQiirYRDZJDxLaIWzeII4xJ61xThnG5nxAZaFpYg1zOSkgCWMB8IKx9N/s1600/Lake%253B+Anniverssary%253B+RE-do%2527s+109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwjgbRwvcd9fUrKn5EHbBv-ejQTyl1nDuORLjpsUkdCrdSQbUY3DQ__T6uTpuS5znHt_UTumVTEoOJXSp2gYfhQiirYRDZJDxLaIWzeII4xJ61xThnG5nxAZaFpYg1zOSkgCWMB8IKx9N/s400/Lake%253B+Anniverssary%253B+RE-do%2527s+109.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...and this post would not be complete without a picture of our ferocious beast of a guard dog:-)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl-bGsU3FBPzQpZ9Sj8dRqi-t1RiymdgF0O5qVKnagQDJbfAOo28tq6m6Hxdi3Ufv7jRABZgDR95z0dnI35QDopubjhHfMXa3kvZULQdrt7tcYLHsoBXdtnvzxIj_yViMAzjYzh1iyoHk/s1600/Lake%253B+Anniverssary%253B+RE-do%2527s+110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl-bGsU3FBPzQpZ9Sj8dRqi-t1RiymdgF0O5qVKnagQDJbfAOo28tq6m6Hxdi3Ufv7jRABZgDR95z0dnI35QDopubjhHfMXa3kvZULQdrt7tcYLHsoBXdtnvzxIj_yViMAzjYzh1iyoHk/s400/Lake%253B+Anniverssary%253B+RE-do%2527s+110.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A much warmer welcome to our home I think...and the best part of all, it was fuh-ree!</span></div>
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</div>Lauren Feehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12121042890304487456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269709264570971407.post-83178365312297965622012-05-24T13:08:00.000-07:002012-05-24T13:08:01.898-07:0010 Reflections of God's Mercy...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I realize that I have not written for…err….months. I had every intention of being a faithful blogger, but I definitely have not been as with many other aspects of my life. I praise the Lord that I am not justified before Him because of my adherence to the law nor from the frequency of my blog postings because in both, I have, do, and would surely fail</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So although my posts may be few and far in between, I pray that they will point to my Savior, serve as some sort of encouragement to a reader at some point in time, and that more importantly, they will serve as an outlet for me to reflect on what the Lord is and has been doing in my life whenever I am able to take a breath. I also look forward to having a living document that records the happenings of the few days in which the Lord has filled my lungs with breath and allowed me to live on His earth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I mentioned earlier that I will write whenever I have time to catch my breath and that is very much the case right now. I am catching my breath…...in the Abacos islands in the Bahamas. Yeah, not too shabby of a place to catch one’s breath, right? The Lord has poured out His richest blessings on me in allowing Ryan and I to go on this trip with Ryan’s parents. We have been able to behold and enjoy glorious creation all around us that points us to worship our even more glorious Creator. I by no means deserve this trip, but I am so thankful for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because I have not written since January and all I have recorded thus far of “My life as a Wi-Fee” is….err…my wedding day, I definitely have some catching up to do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is no way I can possibly remember all of the details of this year, but I going to attempt to share the highlights and emphasize what the Lord has taught me through it all. Get comfy as I try to get comfy with you and give me grace for the long-windedness. Disclaimer: Some reflections will be longer than others, so skim when ya wanna.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Honeymoon came to an end…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t mean this in the way that most people mean when they comment that a couple’s “honeymoon stage is over” when they witness the couple fighting etc. — I mean that literally, the honeymoon ended. I remember so vividly this time last year. I had finally made it through my last final of the semester and could at last focus on checking things off my forever-long to-do list for the wedding. To say I went into wedding planning mode was an understatement. Ryan and I attended showers, engagement parties, I met with vendors, copied ideas off of wedding blogs, made lists, added things to the list, made schedules, moved out of my apartment (and in with my dear friend and mentor since my sophomore year in college), started organizing the apartment that Ryan and I would soon live in together, wrapped up marriage counseling sessions, etc.…this time of our life was hectic, yet so exciting. It came with times of stress, but the fact that the end result of all these struggles was to finally be Ryan’s wife brought overwhelming joy to each situation. Then it happened, our wedding day was finally here. And then it was gone just as fast as it came. That was ok though because at last, Ryan and I were able to go on a vacation by ourselves to SAINT LUCIA. I remember driving away in our “get-away” car and exhaling a huge sigh of relief. We were finally husband and wife and our gift was to go on an amazing honeymoon…one for the books. I also remember when our honeymoon ended, when it was time to pack up and start our life together in Alabama. We were sad to leave, but in up-beat spirits because the week we had known of married life was pretty sweet. It had been filled with beautiful island people serving us mangoes, kayaking, and being able to order any food or beverage off the menu at no additional cost—that is what real life looks like right? Then, when I came home to our wrecked apartment filled to the ceilings with rotting flowers, leftover wedding decorations, unopened gifts, etc. I had a moment. I remember I slept terrible that night in Ryan’s bed, not mine. I woke up that morning with the huge realization that the honeymoon was indeed over and nothing seemed familiar or planned for anymore. All my planning and pining had come to an end. Here I was in a strange place, in a strange bed (that I once longed to be in, but found was not as comfortable as mine) and though I wanted to be the trophy wife that hopped out of bed to go start a Saturday morning tradition of pancakes and bacon, I found I even more wanted to go back home to what was familiar and just dream of what marriage might look like. I wanted to wake up at my old apartment, drink coffee and chat with my amazing old roomie, and then go get ready for an amazing date that Ryan would plan. Ryan did not wake up to a trophy wife fixing breakfast that morning, I assure you. He woke up to a little girl crying her eyes out, afraid of the unfamiliar, who did not actually want to be married to him but wanted to pretend and daydream about what being married to him might be like, and who was not ready for the adjustment that was going to have to take place. When I say I married a true man of faith, I am not lying or exaggerating. He wrapped me in his arms, told me it was ok to cry and to be afraid of the unfamiliar, but that just as God was with us in those moments of planned joy; He is with us now in the unfamiliar. He then sat down and prayed with me and for us as we learn to embrace our new roles as husband and wife. We got up from that prayer, threw out the rotting flowers, starting de-cluttering our new home, had a blast opening gifts, started re-defining what new dates would look like as married folk, and started embracing our new roles as husband and wife. I am proud to say, I have not looked back or had another meltdown about being a wife since…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We became true Duffbags…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I encountered Allison Lewis back in December when I tried to change my wedding photographer to her after she came so highly recommended from people I both loved and respected. Unfortunately, $1500 non-refundable deposit will lock you in every time. Although Allison was not my main wedding photographer, she served me in so many countless ways in the days leading up to Ryan and I’s wedding, from shooting bridal portraits, to capturing the most amazing photo-booth shots ever, to in the end creating my wedding album. I could never re-pay Allison for how much and how well she served me during this time of my life through her amazing talent of photography. (My advice to anybody else is to not fall into $1500 deposit traps like me and book Allison for all of your wedding photography needs at allisonlewisphotography.com from the get-go!) Besides enjoying the most amazing bridal photography session ever, I also found out that Allison and her husband, (along with another couple who happened to be the brother and sister-in-law of the wonderful folks who performed our marriage counseling and then married us) were starting a small group. We got the invite to “try it out” and fell in love with these people from the first time we met them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked for hours the first time we were all together… I think we stayed at the Lewis’s house until at least 12am that first night. We were a decade behind them in years (1988 & 1990 baby</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">), but the Lord weaved our hearts together. We were obsessed with our new friends. Ryan and I wanted godly marriages and families’ like these people had. It was such a blessing to have living examples in front of us to follow that were willing to open up their marriages and family dynamics to us so that we could learn from their mistakes and imitate things that worked for them. They were and are refreshing fountains of wisdom. I believe at the very next small group meeting, a wonderful family called the Duffy’s joined the clan, and we soon developed our small group name that we lovingly refer to as “The Duffbags”. We are all so different and come from so many different backgrounds and yet are united and knit together in Christ. We have a mechanic, an accountant/mom to 3 babies, a photographer/mom to 5, a part-time nurse/mom to 2, two guys that work for the same company and yet I still have no idea what they do</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, and then Ryan and myself. We have 4 adopted kids in the mix and have been able to walk beside 2 ½ of those adoptions. We have been able to experience the pregnancy and birth of twins through the Duffy’s, and baby #5 through the Lewis’. We have learned so much about being parents and have had the opportunity for them to lovingly pour into our marriage. We are so blessed and are so thankful to have and to have had this support group to walk beside us during our first year of marriage. They have played such a huge role in both of our lives this year…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was changed by a lady name Debi Pearl…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yep, you read that right. Debi Pearl is her name and calling out women and challenging them to be godly wives embracing their God-ordained role as a submissive helper is her game. Comfortable? No. Life-changing. Yes. My dear friend and fellow Duffbagger let me borrow the book <u>Created to be His Help-Meet</u> by Debi Pearl. To say it rocked my world is an understatement. I learned so much about my role as my husband’s help-mate, so much about my husband, and so much about my sinful self. I literally can’t say enough good things about this lady and her book. Submission was transformed from something that I cringed at the very thought of to something that I find the upmost joy in. There are a few things we will probably never agree on (like waist long hair will never look good on me), but if you can look over these few preferences, her authority in preaching these hard truths comes directly from Scripture, and she give boo-coos of honest advice that you, as a wife, will do well to heed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Created-Be-His-Help-Meet/dp/1892112604/ref=sr_1_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1337888757&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.com/Created-Be-His-Help-Meet/dp/1892112604/ref=sr_1_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1337888757&sr=8-1</a></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">God re-opened the door for East Lake…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I say re-opened because we strongly feel that the Lord shut this door earlier in our dating relationship. For those of you who are utterly confused, let me attempt to clear things up. East Lake is one of the most impoverished and “least reached” areas of Birmingham. Back in the 1950’s it was thriving and “the place to be”. Howard College (now Samford) was located there and a 1950’s newspaper even referred to this area as one of the most educated areas of Alabama. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who have any clue of what this area is currently like, would scoff and find this so hard to believe. All it took was Samford leaving in the late 50’s and Birmingham’s decade struggle with racism to totally destroy this once thriving area. Now, what remains is the remnants of what was once “happening” in the 1950’s, a ton of poverty, a ton of crime, people with no hope, and people without Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ryan and I found ourselves in this area back when we were dating after having volunteered at an organization located in the area. We drove around afterwards asking ourselves “Where is the Church? Why are they not here? Why have we just now learned about this area of Birmingham after attending a Christian college in the area not more than 5 miles down the road?” The next day at church, our pastor challenged the body to go and make disciples of this area and that the best way to do this was to go live among the people and plant a church there. We immediately wanted to jump on board and join this church planting movement. I wanted to live in a house with single girls and Ryan wanted to live in a house with single guys and we wanted to serve together in this area. Our parents were NOT supportive. At the time we did not understand both sets of parents’ decisions, but we honored their wishes in not moving down to this area. Ryan still volunteered at the local middle school as the assistant football coach and I maintained a relationship with a family I met through a vacation bible school sponsored by the church. We now see the Lord’s sovereignty in all of this. We put the thoughts of moving to East Lake on the backburner, but at the end of August of 2011, Ryan and I volunteered at a local football camp and ran into Mrs. MC. I knew MC’s face as one of the families from Brook Hills who were planning on moving to East Lake back when it was first introduced, but did not know much more than that. After a brief conversation with MC over lunch, she was convinced that we were the couple whom she and her family had been praying for that would move into the house across the street from them in East Lake that they had purchased on faith in the hopes that it would be a house devoted to ministry. Ryan and I talked about this new proposal the whole way home. We left our apartment that morning content to be exactly where we were, and came back home with a re-kindled desire to live and serve in East Lake full time. The house had not been totally renovated yet, so we began helping most Saturday afternoons and we also joined the local house church that had been planted from BH to reach the people of East Lake. What we have learned while being a part of this house church is a blog post in itself, but let’s just leave it at the fact that the Lord has used this local body to grow and stretch us beyond belief, has lit a fire in our hearts for church planting, and has given us the most cross-cultural view of the church that we can imagine while living in the United States that we hope will prepare us for future cross-cultural work overseas.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We adopted man’s best friend…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am currently writing this post while being away from my furry four legged friend, and I miss him like I think I will one day miss my own flesh and blood. Sure, he sheds on EVERYTHING, loves some good dumpster diving, always jumps on our bed even after repeated scolding, and is a huge food moocher/beggar whenever you are trying to enjoy a nice meal, but I LOVE HIM. This little bundle of joy came into our life on October 23<sup>rd</sup> after a weekend get-away trip to the North Georgia Mountains. Ryan surprised me on our way back to reality by making a pit-stop in Carrollton, Georgia, to go see a dog named “Oro” from a foster mom’s home. We were a little hesitant at making such a big decision on so spur of the moment, but as with many things in our life, plunged in headfirst anyway. What a great decision that was. If I ever need to smile or have my day brightened, all I need to do is say Boaz (no, we did not re-name him after a city in Alabama) and start running to my bedroom and jump on our bed. He will race right up there beside me in a heartbeat and will be in my lap for some good ol’ cuddle time. Also, every morning whenever I wake up, I always slap the side of the bed two times, and that is his cue to jump up there for a morning snuggle before we pull ourselves out of bed to face the world (or for Boaz to go back to sleep after Ryan and I go out to face the world). Obviously, I love to snuggle. He has the easiest life ever. He eats, sleeps, poops, cuddles, plays with his toys (a destroyed rubber chicken and a teal hippopotamus), and just looks cute all day every day. He brings Ryan and me so much joy and so much entertainment. Everyone who meets him loves him. If someone ever tries to steal him, I have some prime suspects in my friend group. He has the face of the lab, body of a beagle, has the color of a golden, and the softest ears ever! Ok…enough of bragging on my child…I think I do have some of my mom in me after all</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seeing a dear friend come to faith…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I started to disciple two girls at the beginning of my fall semester (still think it terms of semesters…don’t know when that will ever stop). We spent the entire semester breaking down the gospel. I felt like a huge failure in January….the details aren’t necessary, but I was really praying through whether I should even serve in this capacity anymore. The Lord kept me there though and I am so thankful. He is so sovereign and my view of Him and His work is so small. Little did I know that the Holy Spirit was working mightily in my dear friend’s heart in calling her to surrender her life totally to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She realized that she had been deceived by religion and though she had incredible knowledge of the gospel, “Christian-ese”, and of the Bible in general, she had never really submitted her life to Christ (Our stories of Christ’s work in our lives are so similar). It was 100% of the Spirit’s doing and He just chose to use me as His vessel in small ways. I got a front row seat to watch the transformation process that went on in this girl’s life and let me say, redemption in action is a beautiful thing. I may try to have her recount her story on here one day…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Lord was faithful to humble the proud…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This painful pruning process started when a dear friend who has discipled me ever since I came to faith my sophomore year of college asked me “What sin am I currently struggling with?” I shudder to admit this, but my sinful self-struggled to find an answer. Can you believe it? This lack of awareness of the overt sin in my life came from a proud heart, let me tell you. And, God was faithful to humble this proud heart by revealing the depths of my sin in a way this girl will never forget. The details of the situation are personal, so I will respectfully withhold those, but in a nutshell, I said a lot of mean-spirited and hurtful things to women that I greatly respect. These comments came from a proud heart. My sin being exposed to women that I greatly respected was embarrassing, shameful, and it….hurt. At the time, I would have given anything to go back in time and erase what I said so that my sin would not have had to be exposed and I could have tried harder to keep it under wraps, but now I see the beauty in not being able to. God does not want me to try harder to squelch my sin, but wants to instead completely rid me of it and transform me more into the image of His Son. This experience was traumatic for me. It hurt. It burned. It left scars. But I am so thankful for the scars because the scars are what serve as a reminder for me that I never want to go back to this point again. I still struggle with not being proud when it comes to this specific area, but I have a really inflamed and ugly red mark that continually humbles me whenever my foot begins to slip. Grace and forgiveness are good. So are scars. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“[Insert Explicative], that’s over where I stay!” –moving guy</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our moving guy uttered those hilarious words whenever he asked us the address of our new home across town. The day had finally come. We were finally able to move into the house that we are currently renting from the C’s. Many a weekends, many a volunteers, and many a prayers went into this day and it was finally here! We moved the week of my last Spring Break ever. My daddy is a saint. He drove over to Birmingham and spent the week with us to aid in this moving process. We were trying to save Ryan’s vacation time for an actual vacation and there would have been no way I could have done everything by myself. Insanely busy weeks of school prior plus a pharmacy conference in New Orleans the weekend before equaled absolutely nothing being packed up in our apartment. Here is a snapshot of the week. That Sunday, our faith family came over to dedicate the house. Monday, my dad and I packed up everything. Tuesday, the movers came. Wednesday, we unpacked everything in the new house. Thursday, mom came in and worked her magic on a few curtains while dad and I decorated. Friday, our new house was a home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ryan and I were able to take the weekend to rest before I started back to school the following Monday. My parents are pretty amazing people. So blessed. It has been such a huge blessing to live in the area that we care for so dearly. We are blessed to live seconds away from folks in our house church, to live a block away from the middle school where Ryan plays football with neighborhood boys every Sunday, to live on a lively street where a conversation is one step out on the porch away, and to be able to build closer relationships with those we are trying to share the gospel with. I have not found my niche yet in the area meaning I have not found something to fill all my time that I can volunteer at and cross of the list (such a recovering legalist), but the Lord is teaching me to rest and just be His child living in the area looking for opportunities to serve and love His children. I feel like the Lord has used me the most by just being Ryan’s wife. Ryan brings a few boys into our home to eat dinner with us and share life in some senses and they come from homes where they do not see biblical womanhood in action. I pray I can be an example of a Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 that will serve as some kind of standard when they are pursuing girlfriends, fiancés, and wives, in the future. Sure, precautions, neighborhood kids testing out our alarm system, and watching a few drug deals go down come with the territory, but WE LOVE OUR NEW HOME! Thankful that the Lord has put us here for such a time as this.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After 5 years, my days of long nights, pots of coffee, and exams are finally over….</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Man, it never stops feeling good to write that. I finally finished the academic portion of my road to becoming a pharmacist about a week ago. Can’t believe it. I remember struggling through my undergraduate chemistry courses thinking I would never make it in to pharmacy school much less finish the academic portion of my pharmacy career. All I have remaining until I become a pharmacist are 9 month long rotations and 1 final research project. I really don’t know what life will look like with me not having to study. I never had the normal college experience. I gave up sororities and spontaneity for pharmacy. Can’t say if I think it was worth it yet, but it at least feels good to hit this milestone that I have been striving after for so long. I have longed for normalcy for 5 years, but I don’t think I will find it now that I am done, nor do I think I want it when I really sit down to think about it. My greatest desire is for the Lord to use me in whatever way he sees fit and from my experience thus far and the experiences I have drawn upon from others, a life laid out as a blank check on the table for Him to use as He sees fit is far from normal. I pray I will have more time to invest in pursuing biblical womanhood and that motherhood will be on the distant, (yet not so distant) horizon. Ready for those experiences as well and I have more than paid my dues to pharmacy.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10)</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Nations…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Number 10 is last, but definitely not least. The Lord has been preparing Ryan and me for long-term missions ever since the summers we spent away in Basque Country, Spain, and Senegal, Africa. Our first year of marriage has been no different in terms of the preparation process. We have thrown around so many different ideas to each other. We are open to a lot and are still waiting on direction. We have considered being mission mobilizers or church planters in the states, working with unreached people groups that the Lord has settled on US soil, and yet we still can’t squelch the desires in each of our hearts to go to the least reached of the world who have no access to the gospel and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ. Though we have a hazed picture in our minds of the future with some parts of the picture being clearer than others, we are continuing to walk forward. We are going to start the application process with mission agencies and a non-profit agency that helps pay off medical student loans while serving overseas early this summer. We can always prolong the process of going overseas, but can never speed it up. A lot of things will determine when and if we can go and we are fully confident that our heavenly father is sovereign over them all. He knows how everything will work out even though we feel totally in the dark about it and we have been promised that it will be for our good and His glory. We ask for your fervent prayers in this process and to be prepared for plans to change and then change again because that has definitely been the road we have been walking on thus far and don’t expect it to change any time soon. So, #10 is really a “to be continued…”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ok, well that’s it. If I had to sum up to the 10 most influential happenings of our first year of marriage thus far, these would be them. What a crazy, sometimes hectic, sometimes re-defining, but insanely blessed year it has been. So thankful that the Lord has blessed me with a great man of faith that I both cherish and respect to walk alongside me during this journey. His very life is a gift. Thanks for reading and for caring and thanks in advance for the prayers that we hope you will lift up to the Father on our behalf! Until next time….(with my track record, you never know how long that might be</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">)</span></div>Lauren Feehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12121042890304487456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269709264570971407.post-64490851032397384962011-12-30T12:26:00.000-08:002011-12-31T20:25:41.611-08:00Reflections of Our Wedding Day<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is anyone else as thrilled by a wedding website, blog, TV Show, etc. as I am? Long before my own wedding day and 6 months after, I still love them all. Sit me in front of a wedding photographer's website (like the amazing Allison Lewis photography at allisonlewisphotography.com) and I will be content for hours. Yes, I am one of the guilty ones who recorded Kate and William's royal wedding and my heart often swoons for any beautiful girl in a big white dress.Weddings sure do appeal to many of my senses, but I have to sound the alarm that, at least in my personal experience, this love can soon be totally marred by sin if you allow it to be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of my struggles when planning Ryan and I's wedding were not the countless to-do lists, coming up with the guest list, planning the ceremony, etc. By far, it was so difficult to NOT become consumed by the what the world tries to sell every young bride concerning their wedding. There are sites and sites dedicated to informing you what your wedding should look like if it is going to be beautiful. When, on the contrary, biblical marriage is already the most beautiful thing ever if you ask me. God designed it, He enables you to be married, and He created it is such a way to bring Himself glory....obviously He is a big fan. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:24-25). Marriage is so wonderful because it provides another opportunity to display God's glory through you and your husband's lives together. Ephesians 5:31-32 says that marriage is patterned after Christ's covenant with His church. Christ is the bridegroom of His church. He paid a high price to redeem His bride. Your husband has the unique opportunity in marriage to love you as Christ loves His church, and you have the unique opportunity to submit to your husband as to Christ. You were created with separate needs that fit perfectly in tune with Christ's design of marriage. Men were created with a need for respect and you were created with a need to be loved. "Marriage is patterned after Christ's covenant relationship to his redeemed people, the church. and therefore, the highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and His church on display. Staying married is not mainly about staying in love then. It is about keeping a covenant. This is why divorce is so horrific in God's eyes, it is not merely that it involves covenant breaking with the spouse, but it involves mis-representing Christ and His covenant. Christ will never leave His wife. Ever. Christ keeps His covenant forever, marriage should be a display of that. Keeping a covenant with our spouse is as important as telling the truth about God's covenant with us through Jesus Christ. Jesus died for sinners. He forged a covenant with us. He made an imperfect bride perfect through his blood and covered her with the garments of righteousness. He said He will never leave us nor forsake us (Matt. 28:10). Marriage is meant by God to put this gospel reality on display to the world. That's why we are married." (John Piper; This Momentary Marriage).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the world who does not embrace this reality and the purpose that Christ brings to marriage, it is no wonder that they clings so tightly to the wedding celebration itself. Why wouldn't you try to have the biggest, the flashiest, spend the most money, impress the most people, etc. if your wedding's only purpose is to celebrate yourself. So, if you are a Christian preparing for your wedding day, this should bring you a lot of hope. The wedding day pressure is off. You are free from what the world tells you to do or to have. Create a celebration that will bring God the most glory and will be a lovely day for you and your husband to look back on and recount the blessing and responsibility of marriage. What is going to go on that day is already going to be God-ordained beautiful-ness. It is already going to have great purpose. This should be the message that you proclaim to your guests. You don't have to prove that you are the best wedding planner ever by filling their tummies with the most scrumptious food, or providing the best atmosphere for them to get down on the dance floor, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have tons of other observations and advice based on the things I did right and did totally wrong, so message me for details or lets grab coffee:-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, the point of this post was to showcase some of my favorite wedding pictures, but as you can see I am making a quick habit of rambling, so here we go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Disclaimer: </b>This day was not as perfect as it may seem through pictures. Heck, my pictures aren't even perfect. I have to daily keep my perfectionist self in check from not picking apart my pictures. You may see beautiful, but my eye always seems to find the dress hanger tag that came out during Ryan and I's first dance, the strand of hair that came out after the ceremony, and the bulging vein on my forehead shining so brightly in most of my pictures outside. You probably would never know that I had major breakdown the morning of my wedding after a sleepless night and a no-show make-up artist. I spent a lot of time creating an outdoor garden game area that was never used, my caterer overbooked and sent the "rookie" staff to cover my wedding, and my photographer forgot she had ever met me prior to the wedding day morning. But ya know what? Nobody probably noticed, cared, or thought twice about it. I am the only one who can ruin the memories that I have by dwelling on the small and insignificant details. Way more went right than went wrong and I often fail to give those things the credit they deserve. We had an absolutely incredible day! The gospel was presented through our ceremony, family and friends gathered to support us as we made a covenant in marriage to one another and to the Lord, we danced the night away (Yes, even some of the Baptists), and I was able to drive out of the church parking lot that night married to the man who surpasses my fallen dreams. He is truly evidence of the Lord's undeserved and unmerited blessing in my life and I am so blessed to be his wi-Fee's. Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we do. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We waited one year to see if we could be married here! It was definitely love at first site when we stumbled across this beauty. Since we were non-members, we had to wait 6 months before we could book with them. I called the church January 9 at 8am and everything ended up working out!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would love to remember what I was thinking here...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YUkNfd2Jfovt00N0Uid7y1_Hqser9UCFuOODugjV5MQgHGwxkesr3qNFlZpg1KKhzS_PMuM5VShuxiuWyGIDjVJccq_sS6YWnn2vDS8PJUFv9GdGJ4ep8DJEtTG9aWOdeBUNVT_IvCXC/s1600/LHRF019+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YUkNfd2Jfovt00N0Uid7y1_Hqser9UCFuOODugjV5MQgHGwxkesr3qNFlZpg1KKhzS_PMuM5VShuxiuWyGIDjVJccq_sS6YWnn2vDS8PJUFv9GdGJ4ep8DJEtTG9aWOdeBUNVT_IvCXC/s640/LHRF019+-+Copy.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This picture turned out so organic...Love!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Grandmother made home-made peach preserves as our wedding favors...such a sweet and meaningful touch.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I understand nothing about architecture, but this is just cool:-)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7KZdUNdw75KGkb7mImGcL86Z8REvBpgLqCPMxgT0ujyY_yN1diOtFCSE3rviREaYl3Rtx2Slv9rmvYojnySoUADnR6dOWGYULTPSJj6hl9VPH5tPPMM1wXbCOd5GDibxEy1XgXvqJgz2/s1600/LHRF040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7KZdUNdw75KGkb7mImGcL86Z8REvBpgLqCPMxgT0ujyY_yN1diOtFCSE3rviREaYl3Rtx2Slv9rmvYojnySoUADnR6dOWGYULTPSJj6hl9VPH5tPPMM1wXbCOd5GDibxEy1XgXvqJgz2/s640/LHRF040.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhlAituHm-yMWS3tu_m5oQgb0ksXasZDIdHzu8vzjnwXjjV5Geft8GmVVIkB70UbPUVi-Tkbb_v8439Wu8U-nnH7w4vlqMgDnAMfEd1lhV3rBlOawsHbXKIduu6idZq1i_LKLZtwnp9K6/s1600/LHRF049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhlAituHm-yMWS3tu_m5oQgb0ksXasZDIdHzu8vzjnwXjjV5Geft8GmVVIkB70UbPUVi-Tkbb_v8439Wu8U-nnH7w4vlqMgDnAMfEd1lhV3rBlOawsHbXKIduu6idZq1i_LKLZtwnp9K6/s640/LHRF049.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I may be a little biased since these are my new precious cousins, but these could be some of the cutest flower girls ever!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWo92dnP5KXIf0XQ5tkMe42rJokgEa5q0N1ZfNKqcKVqUFoKKCJvWZkYsOfMzeVcdE5DbIPQj8JFan0DeiOGGDa8_zM-6mCSn73qDmbxK9FJpMWnzBRYZWlJ7Wn1jHGy90ljFBQoKvyg9f/s1600/LHRF079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWo92dnP5KXIf0XQ5tkMe42rJokgEa5q0N1ZfNKqcKVqUFoKKCJvWZkYsOfMzeVcdE5DbIPQj8JFan0DeiOGGDa8_zM-6mCSn73qDmbxK9FJpMWnzBRYZWlJ7Wn1jHGy90ljFBQoKvyg9f/s640/LHRF079.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those are some handsome fellas'</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk41nNUma9eNPLum1rkFepbh2PzPTuxA4hxi7NLRPOXe20PbgXrLx0-IaZcbJ39zHpNQGVCxTXem9Zj9sEui6EZc8XkseBryqw88wmpQjMJXNtWsAnbiMiaGANU4G_m3QWaKEhkBG5c2hK/s1600/LHRF082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk41nNUma9eNPLum1rkFepbh2PzPTuxA4hxi7NLRPOXe20PbgXrLx0-IaZcbJ39zHpNQGVCxTXem9Zj9sEui6EZc8XkseBryqw88wmpQjMJXNtWsAnbiMiaGANU4G_m3QWaKEhkBG5c2hK/s640/LHRF082.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will is not the cooperative child when it comes to photographs...good thing he has a cute serious face!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwP3c4rPFHB6mIeSri_rXXaUo3eVX_Fkl3927Ahf01ZueW-fIEjRwcmCxYm14LG01ep_pbpodTGZ-j_3Q89n-Fzfc92FZkyztxCwJSv3qaxnuMQ0On5KueSTDf7rvsss0PXQt2M7qDdPen/s1600/LHRF084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwP3c4rPFHB6mIeSri_rXXaUo3eVX_Fkl3927Ahf01ZueW-fIEjRwcmCxYm14LG01ep_pbpodTGZ-j_3Q89n-Fzfc92FZkyztxCwJSv3qaxnuMQ0On5KueSTDf7rvsss0PXQt2M7qDdPen/s640/LHRF084.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My parents blessed me with an amazing wedding day! I could never repay them for all that they did, but thankful that I had the opportunity to give them a little token of my appreciation before I walked down the aisle.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrEKK-U_K0cDdm4RgNzytmEhGNFki_zy0xRZhTlkF7vgW9PzQR1-XFuQMLGibsCt7UlgciibDdfGYdKpTfgw0jCqpt3nCXmkV0z6ImDoWIcI1TbPaKhuT-8b0m76IGa8JHlHetc8ABUGy/s1600/LHRF092+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrEKK-U_K0cDdm4RgNzytmEhGNFki_zy0xRZhTlkF7vgW9PzQR1-XFuQMLGibsCt7UlgciibDdfGYdKpTfgw0jCqpt3nCXmkV0z6ImDoWIcI1TbPaKhuT-8b0m76IGa8JHlHetc8ABUGy/s640/LHRF092+-+Copy.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan opening his gift from me before the wedding. <strike>We decided </strike>Our parents decided that we would not see each other before the wedding, so hearing from each other in these small ways was comforting.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQseh5d-pSv1HVjfMsnkAtH4yQVoQs2tK_UQyx6s7aLi0SbT3F54kjJBYIrqcFz7Oq-ZRXlITvygmEN5xM8hsQSZc-MR5fA_O6r188Oji5jfq6ZU6qNbXDARFIYVbF-o2Kn2hWXMGMeGOJ/s1600/LHRF104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQseh5d-pSv1HVjfMsnkAtH4yQVoQs2tK_UQyx6s7aLi0SbT3F54kjJBYIrqcFz7Oq-ZRXlITvygmEN5xM8hsQSZc-MR5fA_O6r188Oji5jfq6ZU6qNbXDARFIYVbF-o2Kn2hWXMGMeGOJ/s640/LHRF104.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finished product.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOfnkV_JB8NCJpIwU1SWjUiQJjrqo9UcoTioMnMlAAgKILI5rRSAyuKcBS1dud2dZiQed0Ziez4S3QvGOZcNpNW2f60cyM5y3c5m7VF29faDmRw5qtspog-MB5u0dhsQ92Cct3xwTA3eo/s1600/LHRF124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOfnkV_JB8NCJpIwU1SWjUiQJjrqo9UcoTioMnMlAAgKILI5rRSAyuKcBS1dud2dZiQed0Ziez4S3QvGOZcNpNW2f60cyM5y3c5m7VF29faDmRw5qtspog-MB5u0dhsQ92Cct3xwTA3eo/s640/LHRF124.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beautiful.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnWTSscUgjM9P6JlzLBOTJ_pSFIxNLjhEAqSVhvGpzYyAr_acqK08ep-xZE8ymBo0yWcbtv2GQM1DqqsJeyDr3y7p17A4PwYRl8-2q6G5fOT46Zhg5ZeN0IIiY4X-xQ4Akpeqe2Me_u-z/s1600/LHRF134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnWTSscUgjM9P6JlzLBOTJ_pSFIxNLjhEAqSVhvGpzYyAr_acqK08ep-xZE8ymBo0yWcbtv2GQM1DqqsJeyDr3y7p17A4PwYRl8-2q6G5fOT46Zhg5ZeN0IIiY4X-xQ4Akpeqe2Me_u-z/s640/LHRF134.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My grandmother's pie chest + our grandparent's old wedding pictures = a great way to display Ryan and I's legacy</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jD1BVRCBxDiCW7AOfdcLsG9W8rg7QRv3l2ux8EN1514I4biXY1NlrMFp0dYry0LxSXags9WH-q3HNRSdZy1jWHLn9NsXo3LKhKhVqhpF-a8QlzMAnIobrir6ttv71hq7iZ57ns71yNp0/s1600/LHRF143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jD1BVRCBxDiCW7AOfdcLsG9W8rg7QRv3l2ux8EN1514I4biXY1NlrMFp0dYry0LxSXags9WH-q3HNRSdZy1jWHLn9NsXo3LKhKhVqhpF-a8QlzMAnIobrir6ttv71hq7iZ57ns71yNp0/s640/LHRF143.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favorite wedding day elements....turned out better than I envisioned!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-8DFcQYJCWVEV7U_y9na3soQfiAuAVFjrDSoiR5gQMcUb8KAcZwj0FbZf8RDsiSiZH3onkGRyFroSm_ETMQR8bvgxfxI68Oxm5U99fG9k_U2M-iD6oEAaFnQHXT7w9QHDuUoIwQRsDbU/s1600/LHRF160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-8DFcQYJCWVEV7U_y9na3soQfiAuAVFjrDSoiR5gQMcUb8KAcZwj0FbZf8RDsiSiZH3onkGRyFroSm_ETMQR8bvgxfxI68Oxm5U99fG9k_U2M-iD6oEAaFnQHXT7w9QHDuUoIwQRsDbU/s640/LHRF160.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan made a photobooth for the wedding and here were some of our props! Thanks to the amazing photography skills of Allison Lewis; this turned out to be a huge success.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3f7AD7vXCGkRW-PJpLsa48HmYd5zgU6oKtpbl3vJrXasB3THPu-OotCnw2K3rpZTL-dR-k4-o9-DuvF02_v4sdX19wU94H8QbYvOJBnGeRq5tcieEme3SJL4i_tRZw-5ziACi7aoG0ph/s1600/LHRF171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3f7AD7vXCGkRW-PJpLsa48HmYd5zgU6oKtpbl3vJrXasB3THPu-OotCnw2K3rpZTL-dR-k4-o9-DuvF02_v4sdX19wU94H8QbYvOJBnGeRq5tcieEme3SJL4i_tRZw-5ziACi7aoG0ph/s640/LHRF171.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way to meet my groom...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eBhZ8NLuJ-PzSbtxgWA5EUhI988bCfx-CbDSl_mH9fSGqLg4PoBm9ZY-9bXTCCgozMmHmhhPJeo9dELTqHxhvjsgwisrW-h3Dw18RC-bORkqaZRqAoDO5Mnk-Gum8dtYbYErxGoCGrto/s1600/LHRF177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eBhZ8NLuJ-PzSbtxgWA5EUhI988bCfx-CbDSl_mH9fSGqLg4PoBm9ZY-9bXTCCgozMmHmhhPJeo9dELTqHxhvjsgwisrW-h3Dw18RC-bORkqaZRqAoDO5Mnk-Gum8dtYbYErxGoCGrto/s640/LHRF177.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love this. I feel like it depicts how I am walking away from the life I know and into a new chapter of my life...cheesy I know.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp73rAJflhyphenhyphenvJZ6rypXzF7aM0dUKRpVTkUwSqWEZkJxDPJIxAbINU34BfgH8AkccmNpox6iDH9s4_u9__PVI1Zl75KFwZ7PAJJDDBU230x2m12HsnRiJbBUyIWthw8vI7h0xCEH_KPA3M/s1600/LHRF185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp73rAJflhyphenhyphenvJZ6rypXzF7aM0dUKRpVTkUwSqWEZkJxDPJIxAbINU34BfgH8AkccmNpox6iDH9s4_u9__PVI1Zl75KFwZ7PAJJDDBU230x2m12HsnRiJbBUyIWthw8vI7h0xCEH_KPA3M/s640/LHRF185.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These turned out so much better than expected! Lauren Benion from Sorelle Printing did a beautiful job!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ1irrlQLxgtkfVrQ-_W5km_siMZxYykYJUnpW8nytLPPsEO43JZYJ6BMn82kPVWwMVcWjr1Hb2ZUQj8lVaK7p5CPDE0AiOwlLaqoYtAreDLbZp22tA2slZqjE1y4vMxHURAc7pzXqY0R/s1600/LHRF227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ1irrlQLxgtkfVrQ-_W5km_siMZxYykYJUnpW8nytLPPsEO43JZYJ6BMn82kPVWwMVcWjr1Hb2ZUQj8lVaK7p5CPDE0AiOwlLaqoYtAreDLbZp22tA2slZqjE1y4vMxHURAc7pzXqY0R/s640/LHRF227.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPiL6ywBuMnE8dA0jZs2MNqdYCl_dq0-hzg4uYdKpnZwA-pv6L5tO0NL3sv0g_1heJXLrAt3ZvtSLTipnPDhxVJSiZyfvdJct4EDzA_FEmcctFNajsvQuAeModHBkSRoDvMujtth0GSOd/s1600/LHRF228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPiL6ywBuMnE8dA0jZs2MNqdYCl_dq0-hzg4uYdKpnZwA-pv6L5tO0NL3sv0g_1heJXLrAt3ZvtSLTipnPDhxVJSiZyfvdJct4EDzA_FEmcctFNajsvQuAeModHBkSRoDvMujtth0GSOd/s640/LHRF228.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead of unity candles, tying ropes, or pouring sand...I opted for this!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsciX5nnXRNnOdxQ6HF29dKhd6FUX2kwBjHOCRoWfjDM63du7tLMx0o9FBbZXoiGbSGx8rs7cEhlvkxp1uYNKtco8a-QjnaBIEvNLCnNENyf9nT7L51NtpDmUyd7vx93JKIU7n-NflRfnw/s1600/LHRF243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsciX5nnXRNnOdxQ6HF29dKhd6FUX2kwBjHOCRoWfjDM63du7tLMx0o9FBbZXoiGbSGx8rs7cEhlvkxp1uYNKtco8a-QjnaBIEvNLCnNENyf9nT7L51NtpDmUyd7vx93JKIU7n-NflRfnw/s640/LHRF243.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was a requested photograph. Ryan's grandparents have a timeless photograph of them walking down the stairs of the church they were married at in NYC and I had to have my own version.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGkbJqKMH_NrFOlUmPBZAMYnJfq5dCqBbiiYCKcjZxSPsXKtEnFBZCEJExqZvxM8zxYvlSQNZwJxO5oTiAxD_OVTbnsEn8OraT-3prO1R4IyracPBzyEN0f3TAedtEkvCE9ZzIawKKEXO/s1600/LHRF236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGkbJqKMH_NrFOlUmPBZAMYnJfq5dCqBbiiYCKcjZxSPsXKtEnFBZCEJExqZvxM8zxYvlSQNZwJxO5oTiAxD_OVTbnsEn8OraT-3prO1R4IyracPBzyEN0f3TAedtEkvCE9ZzIawKKEXO/s640/LHRF236.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Kiss!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7gaMwWFS1VS2IyNcadFxFd8F0pMuJlNWSPDwJm3Z346s92wDhLtR0yVetE-lT-mpcw9LMj5Lh30ychWhaSiMrXGeBW-tZJ_BhYOM7IU7oDb1w90HgdQKzhwFBy41JDS0X31kZkgnp428/s1600/LHRF249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7gaMwWFS1VS2IyNcadFxFd8F0pMuJlNWSPDwJm3Z346s92wDhLtR0yVetE-lT-mpcw9LMj5Lh30ychWhaSiMrXGeBW-tZJ_BhYOM7IU7oDb1w90HgdQKzhwFBy41JDS0X31kZkgnp428/s640/LHRF249.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly excited about what just took place...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYeZybJRJ9g_cqwalaiiok7zNm1AUO1tZv_YUiop42-Cu1uIvJ0I0Gyxfnnwi6nsE6hlOtoqQTLfBDHs1sv4V5LBOstl_hAvXvbIqEkGB1KugYByUswuem6UemqlGliF91FZE4tPYyjtg/s1600/LHRF271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYeZybJRJ9g_cqwalaiiok7zNm1AUO1tZv_YUiop42-Cu1uIvJ0I0Gyxfnnwi6nsE6hlOtoqQTLfBDHs1sv4V5LBOstl_hAvXvbIqEkGB1KugYByUswuem6UemqlGliF91FZE4tPYyjtg/s640/LHRF271.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So blessed to have all these folks stand beside us in support on our special day!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEVo8AkOPB0GIS0KLxoibBRuWvDmJ27k1Jxt3OW-hce7jyQUknctQJJLIYcfk8JI4xOaC8MdDGz5g-nbHok60dCSeG7K3T55s1bVIl2SQ4eAdUVVfyjqWeg52noKcjoaxJbKuDLDjjfOI/s1600/LHRF290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEVo8AkOPB0GIS0KLxoibBRuWvDmJ27k1Jxt3OW-hce7jyQUknctQJJLIYcfk8JI4xOaC8MdDGz5g-nbHok60dCSeG7K3T55s1bVIl2SQ4eAdUVVfyjqWeg52noKcjoaxJbKuDLDjjfOI/s640/LHRF290.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seems very wedding-y!</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9wZkCVJuB2-RjFGchHDLkXwTtBa7O-JEXt8nwOD5AE9_cv59S7tqvvziShjndWdnFRRZj_lChhv__jlsWNWfIwjbnRuxMzOlfEBuY5YyRBBr2RF3c8U3lXERpwvAjOIayHwd16bYqJDd/s1600/LHRF292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9wZkCVJuB2-RjFGchHDLkXwTtBa7O-JEXt8nwOD5AE9_cv59S7tqvvziShjndWdnFRRZj_lChhv__jlsWNWfIwjbnRuxMzOlfEBuY5YyRBBr2RF3c8U3lXERpwvAjOIayHwd16bYqJDd/s640/LHRF292.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4G22zeI3FdKj8KSLXi6TJH2QhwePdMREj2Xzq0aM94KXWNuW-S8KVPtcBU5e5v-NtW8dn954HD__MHSa1gHn1Dk7HfctnzgZpBsOXt6feZPhBgoMcWZPKkTjwVKM1tynb0IXsZdVjHSoL/s1600/LHRF333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4G22zeI3FdKj8KSLXi6TJH2QhwePdMREj2Xzq0aM94KXWNuW-S8KVPtcBU5e5v-NtW8dn954HD__MHSa1gHn1Dk7HfctnzgZpBsOXt6feZPhBgoMcWZPKkTjwVKM1tynb0IXsZdVjHSoL/s640/LHRF333.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Walking into our reception.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE-q699hdh9UT2tDbkK5bXZFZLmI7u5mjV1NHuggCgeQu3g7Lo3X1zx3lrbhdIosTOWU_V8MmT7L1KaD7yBUO0RLlv21oVUSaJVJuLAS7TvBLsvZsK0XQKLlnAuigzdPk19-SHxkXYdmF/s1600/LHRF347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE-q699hdh9UT2tDbkK5bXZFZLmI7u5mjV1NHuggCgeQu3g7Lo3X1zx3lrbhdIosTOWU_V8MmT7L1KaD7yBUO0RLlv21oVUSaJVJuLAS7TvBLsvZsK0XQKLlnAuigzdPk19-SHxkXYdmF/s640/LHRF347.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First dance to "Unfailing Love" by Jimmy Needham.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeaTf2i-XLNZmELYyMQ_kHGpJxBQDZBzt2hKCP7amC9ZaAXhX2P8gYw4QY8Ax6i0VxXXjdyhd1e6YQNr1ToAczLmPkhZqhxWhOK6sqFZl3LNnMAuij0jV03VbgLOW7GgWnw86LMgIMJur/s1600/LHRF356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeaTf2i-XLNZmELYyMQ_kHGpJxBQDZBzt2hKCP7amC9ZaAXhX2P8gYw4QY8Ax6i0VxXXjdyhd1e6YQNr1ToAczLmPkhZqhxWhOK6sqFZl3LNnMAuij0jV03VbgLOW7GgWnw86LMgIMJur/s640/LHRF356.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are not many pictures circulating in the world of my dad smiling this big, so this one's a definite keeper!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeofWgVURpy6f4mjcAQ7UI0zBV1YvjdYBe_-XKbZMdfRRUSDQ_F9PqdQT3GjVNlLWjmva_D8wUrovgn-6CQz5_x0_vcQ71r761Hwsq9tuCk-McI-n7-RV4m5wncUV6ujdUcOpMGgaPHxg/s1600/LHRF373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeofWgVURpy6f4mjcAQ7UI0zBV1YvjdYBe_-XKbZMdfRRUSDQ_F9PqdQT3GjVNlLWjmva_D8wUrovgn-6CQz5_x0_vcQ71r761Hwsq9tuCk-McI-n7-RV4m5wncUV6ujdUcOpMGgaPHxg/s640/LHRF373.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally married!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6FtOIY_hSBu-zGzUpakQhj70wAvSfbCFFRU09cPPEDX3oFA0jL-9tznbEcQY-KmuV1bklGDzjfaH_gRfLiVwGjt7nXfrLG4f_YlpJvKVXXiS5brhn_HR0WnxrljeBhDsSaUnzwSdRP5S/s1600/LHRF379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6FtOIY_hSBu-zGzUpakQhj70wAvSfbCFFRU09cPPEDX3oFA0jL-9tznbEcQY-KmuV1bklGDzjfaH_gRfLiVwGjt7nXfrLG4f_YlpJvKVXXiS5brhn_HR0WnxrljeBhDsSaUnzwSdRP5S/s640/LHRF379.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can say this now because he is my husband, but he pretty freakin' SEXY and he is all mine!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHuSP5uJifJUR1fclo32-NPNVAgdkrKAC6N1g-RG8CbupvVtOYB0SCPeS3Fa3-QToL-Gx5xZ_7MXDuRmMfBzvgvbFgknAXzXattO-DIULn9QvpgWGuJJd_bWbsffFVhznEasqOlgILcmV/s1600/LHRF384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHuSP5uJifJUR1fclo32-NPNVAgdkrKAC6N1g-RG8CbupvVtOYB0SCPeS3Fa3-QToL-Gx5xZ_7MXDuRmMfBzvgvbFgknAXzXattO-DIULn9QvpgWGuJJd_bWbsffFVhznEasqOlgILcmV/s640/LHRF384.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"How Sweet it is to be Loved by You"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW_xMJdHVH6zaNnqbv94cxbU2AdLddLLg2puyG7crsHOhJ2XEsR-4cVcwF3tptnohCyduFTomz4kzDitiVNBU5FxhixeZw8jRjMAnBol1PXIO9v47XgOZFgqqqzSIzQLg9MQ0CRhonUXm/s1600/LHRF386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW_xMJdHVH6zaNnqbv94cxbU2AdLddLLg2puyG7crsHOhJ2XEsR-4cVcwF3tptnohCyduFTomz4kzDitiVNBU5FxhixeZw8jRjMAnBol1PXIO9v47XgOZFgqqqzSIzQLg9MQ0CRhonUXm/s640/LHRF386.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know my dad was nervous and a little apprehensive about giving his speech, but he did an amazing job. We really appreciated his kind words.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp-oSpvfSsi5NpGMkVB9QsKEvedIqJEY1P5oB3KUK1nBCoUHa6x4iiDyU7NOLr6QvjTzS7Tbxqz6SpBZPWdgCyehY7guvHSJ9rjEAA81VkH4HOmP_epzB4cVFtlRO_B7ijkXsy0GplqNB/s1600/LHRF392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQp-oSpvfSsi5NpGMkVB9QsKEvedIqJEY1P5oB3KUK1nBCoUHa6x4iiDyU7NOLr6QvjTzS7Tbxqz6SpBZPWdgCyehY7guvHSJ9rjEAA81VkH4HOmP_epzB4cVFtlRO_B7ijkXsy0GplqNB/s640/LHRF392.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">World's best-best man speech ever!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoIuEwOyPdp9QMTtJTB4g2cz5luB4kGMLTcbTWsW6T39KFcyvpw6ulS2eKwO3hh8UOFqlkzOMmZpyo11oum21fQyEmj2GZ3VBnZf5jXHRhIS9xLH7fwFLazfYYt8FjNUsWy6bggeJ5LsZ/s1600/LHRF396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoIuEwOyPdp9QMTtJTB4g2cz5luB4kGMLTcbTWsW6T39KFcyvpw6ulS2eKwO3hh8UOFqlkzOMmZpyo11oum21fQyEmj2GZ3VBnZf5jXHRhIS9xLH7fwFLazfYYt8FjNUsWy6bggeJ5LsZ/s640/LHRF396.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pi Kappa Phi's rose song!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFagKtSJtfP1Owc7zr8-s9IRIBOfx5BAVZNCehyphenhyphen5qGehff5qP5pl9p47Q7tC6XPdrfnOh_VUdR-SwbsfvBBG1jvWt7ypbeUe5kSbLxUgjWgYNqEY_SlCY7eDQfoLyKEfPFCZx5q-lafuLG/s1600/LHRF413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFagKtSJtfP1Owc7zr8-s9IRIBOfx5BAVZNCehyphenhyphen5qGehff5qP5pl9p47Q7tC6XPdrfnOh_VUdR-SwbsfvBBG1jvWt7ypbeUe5kSbLxUgjWgYNqEY_SlCY7eDQfoLyKEfPFCZx5q-lafuLG/s640/LHRF413.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you know how much I love to dance, then you know how much I love this picture!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcanqsMAycEle63OWhycItLUq1xYiTAwu8PgGtWL3rLuIMaAumlnBhVvk__TsVjsc6SIpCdpwfeLmtjpbZgXWPeCWQcz_VYGkATqFz-AEk8qvzcIe9H1OeTUptP3qXnixnBK-qOQIXfwU/s1600/LHRF418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcanqsMAycEle63OWhycItLUq1xYiTAwu8PgGtWL3rLuIMaAumlnBhVvk__TsVjsc6SIpCdpwfeLmtjpbZgXWPeCWQcz_VYGkATqFz-AEk8qvzcIe9H1OeTUptP3qXnixnBK-qOQIXfwU/s640/LHRF418.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan's "Nanny Jane" and one of my mother's best friends provided our assortment of pies for our pie bar!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCePzHvaekNszZ_q-to1bNZTjIYPmmn6QpbJ587iYGsvbjsQdrQhvNIowqB9lhOTOGkgVCtI0XC1nkM1jhh7iE9kHWT3DAz49n2YKQAufccJRCj3HbSscJEwhpm2Daak5VqlWzxKZKllns/s1600/LHRF423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCePzHvaekNszZ_q-to1bNZTjIYPmmn6QpbJ587iYGsvbjsQdrQhvNIowqB9lhOTOGkgVCtI0XC1nkM1jhh7iE9kHWT3DAz49n2YKQAufccJRCj3HbSscJEwhpm2Daak5VqlWzxKZKllns/s640/LHRF423.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rain thankfully held off the entire night, but the lightning sure did make for a pretty picture!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79P_XXKkYLcgVKMkeuWhloGMcM5nVralk886pTk0OFGjnQy3ce-8e4FPDRu6g9TF7ObHTrj5t6k17l9XyykHvMuOK0qAdqcSYdvddmUtOh5cjGoexsqpXvu8tPBre3Ia-y4jjSUfXqjK6/s1600/LHRF432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79P_XXKkYLcgVKMkeuWhloGMcM5nVralk886pTk0OFGjnQy3ce-8e4FPDRu6g9TF7ObHTrj5t6k17l9XyykHvMuOK0qAdqcSYdvddmUtOh5cjGoexsqpXvu8tPBre3Ia-y4jjSUfXqjK6/s640/LHRF432.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the single ladies...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxznbnlAo_Bh2UAhYPy1dI9K-EDWTPCZFE_gzBfF6TrJ-oMFcojQI9I10cmOpuwoCd_c_Pv2wnl00FoRRx1n8XHxgU4wVzO_GRpNlBHPvL6X5M3KrIeGvl3DXKfWkRVxBfMvCtpudEkHR/s1600/LHRF437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxznbnlAo_Bh2UAhYPy1dI9K-EDWTPCZFE_gzBfF6TrJ-oMFcojQI9I10cmOpuwoCd_c_Pv2wnl00FoRRx1n8XHxgU4wVzO_GRpNlBHPvL6X5M3KrIeGvl3DXKfWkRVxBfMvCtpudEkHR/s640/LHRF437.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish this picture could have sound attached to it! If it could, you would be hearing R. Kelly's "Bump N Grind"...priceless.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6j8G71aUjSK6_qgxyWH1ZfUSYTQWnF4sjsR8EYcKYO8l6b78Y9Yq-2qNg3orR7hVrPoWTq9g-SzVhs3wK1dE_UU1A7fOzZFiXVMbI3YiFrHowciXwYM5CyEE_GpTqBC1x1rcowf_Bttc/s1600/LHRF445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6j8G71aUjSK6_qgxyWH1ZfUSYTQWnF4sjsR8EYcKYO8l6b78Y9Yq-2qNg3orR7hVrPoWTq9g-SzVhs3wK1dE_UU1A7fOzZFiXVMbI3YiFrHowciXwYM5CyEE_GpTqBC1x1rcowf_Bttc/s640/LHRF445.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pure Joy</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy3zq7rjY_5_-Q9aFVePcr778QmMywHKmOpYnHYbQer-htfOIxSUhIhIyx2oQ3r95lncf7ZYXTq0TCbGnyPjOQqoMy5q3XSEB5oCe6A2hd2xEOFqjncFDvRhhpD2dRKW5FokmSceXy3vY/s1600/LHRF451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy3zq7rjY_5_-Q9aFVePcr778QmMywHKmOpYnHYbQer-htfOIxSUhIhIyx2oQ3r95lncf7ZYXTq0TCbGnyPjOQqoMy5q3XSEB5oCe6A2hd2xEOFqjncFDvRhhpD2dRKW5FokmSceXy3vY/s640/LHRF451.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were able to share one last intimate dance after everyone was ushered out of the reception hall...such a sweet moment. Would recommend this to anybody!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXhnlqTbT1lfD5nI53TwA-GVa-tMQ1a9Mf13schJfJUlO5qHsJgphy_iP5IHeB88YSPlYmi7NPiM6aTwSuHF9544Yq-Kx-Zf7SjTM5hVh05WmHTPPooQqQ9bvEVkM9ROuzEJAOu8XP9AR/s1600/LHRF455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXhnlqTbT1lfD5nI53TwA-GVa-tMQ1a9Mf13schJfJUlO5qHsJgphy_iP5IHeB88YSPlYmi7NPiM6aTwSuHF9544Yq-Kx-Zf7SjTM5hVh05WmHTPPooQqQ9bvEVkM9ROuzEJAOu8XP9AR/s640/LHRF455.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlph-YK9FgUsZ_d1GbHTjjXyKcQhPiJmQ0flW8TSPfWb05VIp_0wc2sK-nX7zg_FMUYUZTvs4135G4refeokpyB0WqPeamagqaIFvsPUxIVUwXrJUblK3gCgauce9Czm07TryiLNnM3OrB/s1600/LHRF456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlph-YK9FgUsZ_d1GbHTjjXyKcQhPiJmQ0flW8TSPfWb05VIp_0wc2sK-nX7zg_FMUYUZTvs4135G4refeokpyB0WqPeamagqaIFvsPUxIVUwXrJUblK3gCgauce9Czm07TryiLNnM3OrB/s640/LHRF456.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to Ryan's wonderful parents...we were able to drive away in this baby!</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Lauren Feehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12121042890304487456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5269709264570971407.post-32517905184195330742011-12-28T10:21:00.000-08:002011-12-28T10:53:08.789-08:00Welcome to Our Journey; May it be for our good and His glory!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Confession. I have been living vicariously through many of you "bloggers" for a long time...too long actually! I came up with my blog title long before I even got married 6 months ago. I had high hopes and aspirations of documenting everyday after Ryan and I said "I Do", but obviously that did not happen. And although this fact puts my blog off to an imperfect start, I am realizing more everyday that this is perfectly ok! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I feel the need to bring to the surface my sinful motives that spring from my wicked flesh before you read on. There is a lot of pride that can creep up in me when thinking about starting this blog. For me, it's not that I NEED a super public outlet to get my creative thoughts out there for others to read.....I want it. I want you guys to read about what is going on in Ryan and I's life and be amazed at the "young godly couple with a super cute dog." I want you to think that we have it all together. I want you to (I dare to say because this really exposes my flesh) even be jealous. For all of those things really satisfy my flesh and make me swell up with pride. And after that happens, I am fully aware of what lengths I will go to and what excuses I will come up with to justify my pride. Trust me, it's ugly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know my wicked heart and I want to stay as far away from these thoughts as possible. That being said, I need my husband, readers, friends, and family, to keep me accountable. If you ever read my blog posts and see my pride bellowing in the wind, please call me out on it, because this has been a fear of mine since I first thought about actually starting a blog. It would be better for me not to have this creative outlet, then to create an opportunity for me to sin. Be patient with me, I am a recovering Pharisee. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, now that my sinful heart has been exposed and you are fully aware of the fallen creature that I am, let's get started on what I really long for this blog to be!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan and I always seem to be in conversations about the future. We kind of feel temporarily stuck where we are. I mean "feeling stuck" in the least negative sense possible. We are super content and blessed to be exactly where we are. The Lord has blessed us with an amazing new church family (of which I plan to blog about in the near future), the most amazing small group on the planet (of which we fondly call "The Duffbags" and also of which I will hopefully blog about in the near future), an amazing dog (who will make a Wi-Fee debut in the future), amazing friends and family, etc. you get the picture. The reason we feel "stuck" quite honestly is that we can't move or do anything drastic until I finish pharmacy school in 1.5 years. Actually, I don't even know if I would call this "stuck," let's call it "transitional." We are in a transition. We are not completely satisfied where we are, in that our hearts are longing and dreaming of something else, but we are thankful for where we are and where we have come. We realize that not only is the Lord sovereign over where our lives are right now, but Scripture says we are not even promised tomorrow. (James 4:13-16)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of that being said, my heart is to document our day to day lives for several reasons. I want to calm my "ancy" heart that always seems to be looking to future things by reflecting and finding joy in things that the Lord is doing in our lives right now. Secondly, I want to create a timeline to look back on later. Ryan and I have laid a "blank check" with our lives (meaning we are trying to hold loosely to the things of this world and ourselves, so that we might freely move, speak, give, go etc. to that which the Lord is leading us) before the Lord for him to use us, our time, our resources, etc. as He sees fit. We know this kind of reckless abandonment with our lives may seem foolish to our family, friends, and to the world in general, but to us as children of our great God, it is wisest way to live our lives. All through Scripture, we see that the end of God is His glory.<b> "The reason being God is righteous. This means that he recognizes, welcomes, loves, and upholds with infinite jealousy and energy what is infinitely valuable, namely, the worth of God. God's righteous passion and delight is to display and uphold his infinitely valuable glory." (John Piper in "Let the Nations Be Glad")</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look at Isaiah 48:9-11:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise, I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it. for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do ya see it? This text and literally thousands others throughout Scripture hammer home the centrality of God in His own heart. God's ultimate goal is to uphold and display the glory of His name. This is quite a different image than the meek and mild Jesus knocking on your heart's door, asking, no begging you to answer. His aim is Himself. For all of my southern gospel friends; When He was on the cross....you probably were NOT on His mind. Bringing glory to the Father and thus Himself is probably the overwhelming majority of what was on His mind, and while on the cross He created an opportunity for us to be righteous. Yes, righteous! We are righteous in that we no longer bear sin because of the perfect life of Christ that did not bear sin, but more than than we get to be righteous in that we bring great glory to the Father through our lives by denying ourselves. For some reason, this sounds nothing like the "Get Out of Hell Free Cards offered at the front of most church's altar calls. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, God is righteous and all would be well if we would acknowledge this fact and become righteous ourselves by repenting of our sin and accepting the life, death, and resurrection of Christ by faith through the work of the Holy Spirit as the means of making us righteous. But.....that is why we are called unrighteous. If God is righteous because He recognizes, welcomes, loves, and upholds, with infinite jealousy and energy what is infinitely valuable, namely, the worth of God. We are unrighteous because we do not recognize, welcome, love, and uphold His name and His worth as the highest of all. Just take one look at our sinful and unrighteous lives and you will see fallen creatures trying to recognize, welcome, love, and uphold our own name as Lord of all. We tried first in the garden and continue to try to be our own God; thus comes our unrighteousness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How silly is it then to try and align your life around anything other than bringing great glory to the one true God. This is why we say we have laid a "blank check" on the table with our lives. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will continue to be righteous, which is bringing glory to Himself. If we are asking him to take full control of our lives, we know that he is going to position them in such a way that brings great glory to Himself. We find so much joy in our lives being counted as righteous, not by anything that we have done, but because we have given them over the righteous God of the universe. What a win-win situation!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here we are, our lives given over to God for Him to use as He sees fit which we know will be for His glory. Now what? Well, I find myself asking that same question all the time. Now what? The decision to give up your life seems so ground-breaking, so earth shattering, surely everyday is full of crazy twists and turns and thick plots. I have really nothing great to report his morning besides that my husband gently woke me up this morning before work as he always does, prayed with me, he left, I sat in bed playing with my dog for a few minutes, mustered up the strength to get out of bed (not a morning person at all), poured some cereal and milk, slumped on the couch, spent some quiet time with the Lord, read a chapter in a book about being a godly wife, and well....began writing this post. Kind of mundane actually. But, I know that the Lord is gathering up all these details and small events in our lives and making them into something beautiful that I can't see right now, but I hope that by writing down details through many many weeks, will have a big and clear picture of where exactly the Lord has brought us and how He is getting great glory through our lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, that was a very long first post to describe to you that I am creating this blog to currently and prospectively remind Ryan and myself that our God is great and greatly to be praised, and if our stubborn hearts need more convincing, we can look back at this blog and see His timeline. Welcome to our journey. We are thankful that you care and ask for your prayers and support as we take our next step, which for me seems to be getting up from this couch, fixing some lunch, and going to tackle some household errands! Sounds death-defying to me:-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know you probably feel like I should have wrapped this thing up several paragraphs ago because I know I do, but just a few more things and of course, I could not end without a picture:-). I don't have a really great plan of how to catch you guys up on our lives and write for myself what the Lord has done in Ryan and I's lives over courtship, dating, engagement, marriage, etc., but I will probably just insert a few old with the new. Not sure. I apologize for the randomness of it all now! Ok here is the promised picture! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start of our Journey together!</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Lauren Feehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12121042890304487456noreply@blogger.com1