MISS ELAINI OUS

Part one and two. 🙂

Last day of wedding pics! I’m sure this isn’t enough for the girls and too much for any guys reading and since 3 is one of my favorite numbers it seems like a good place to stop.  For all of you sweet readers who have asked about seeing me in my dress…if I can’t use the professional photos from the wedding photographer then I will just take a pic myself.  That is after my dress comes back from the cleaners.  So thanks for your patience and I will try to get something asap.  🙂

More wedding pics! You can see part one here. 🙂

Getting to spend such an amazing day with my dear friend was truly a delight.  Christa is quite talented at putting on parties and this celebration was no exception!  Everything had been thought out to the last detail and most of it was DIY.  Yeah she’s quite a catch! And isn’t her bouquet amazing?!  She made it with one of the other bridesmaids.  🙂

You ready for wedding pics?!  I was super snap happy on my phone and took lots of pre ceremony pictures.  I have nothing after the point that we went to line up to walk down the isle except for boat loads of mental pictures.  I wanted to soak it all in as much as possible.  For those of you who don’t know….Christa and I have been childhood chums.  We met when I was 10 and people told us all the time that we were joined at the hip.  It’s true.  We spent hours playing together and having endless conversations.  I love her so.  Her wedding was one of the best days ever in my life as I got to celebrate with her.  It will probably take a couple of posts to show you the pictures I took.  Like an idiot though I totally forgot to take a picture of myself in the dress I told you about here.  It IS rather awkward though to take pictures of oneself… Guess you’ll just have to wait till the professional pictures come.

O.K.  I got reprimanded by my dear friend this weekend for being a bad blogger.  Sorry. 🙁  I like you all and I feel bad that I’ve dropped the ball.  Sometimes I just don’t feel like I have anything to offer.  Sooo…all that to say this week I’m going to try and blog more. 🙂  Wedding pics anyone?  Yeah coming up.

But today I just want to offer you a glimpse into my life.  Haha, please don’t run! 😉  Yesterday after church my dad said one of my favorite lines of his, “Head out on that highway…” and that’s where I chime in and sing, “lookin’ for adventure”.  This means we are going for a drive with an unknown destination and most likely a treat will be involved.  Um, yes please!  You should know that even though I’m 24 I still get giddy and excited like a 3 year old about the smallest things.  Off we went and we did end up getting something to eat that we each wanted.  I went for the pint of vanilla ice cream and root beer so that I could make a root beer float.  Never mind the fact that I didn’t have a cup.  Improvise right?  So yeah I just ate some of the ice cream and poured the pop in as I went.  We got some yummines and headed out for a spot to eat them.  Driving along in the country was stunning.  Massive, fluffy, gray and white clouds layered over each other painting a majestic castle of delight.  The green trees stretched on before us and the road twisted and turned.  Eventually we reminded dad that the ice cream was melting and could we find a spot to stop.  We did.  Where?  Oh, ya know we just pulled over on a deserted road…next to a Christmas tree farm and rolled down the windows.  Yep, we’re weird.  But we were having a blast and laughing our heads off.  Going on these funny adventures brings out the best in all of us and we were teasing and being goofs.  It was delightful.  I never want to forget how dad and I were going back and forth being silly and how he threw his head back and laughed with that deep laugh of his.  I never want to forget how I laughed so hard I cried and then I made my adorable mom hop out of the car and stand in the road to let dad take a picture.  Oh yes, we’re a bit odd but you know what?  We don’t care because we get each other and we are having a good time.  Moments like that make me feel alive just being.  Letting the stillness be broken by hearty joy and sweet friendship.  I’m so blessed.  “Heading out on that highway…looking for adventure.”  That’s us.

Since the weekend was busy with wedding happiness for my dear friend I didn’t get a chance to write a father’s day post.  So that’s what today’s post is. 😀  You see I have an incredible father.  He is such an example to me and I greatly respect him.  He is wise and discerning.  I appreciate his counsel and his care for me, our family, and for others.  His love for the Lord is sincere and he challenges me to know Jesus more.  My dad is such a hard worker and has been very faithful to provide for our family.  He leads by example and for that I couldn’t be more grateful.

Daddy thank you for not just being an amazing father but a true friend to me.  I love you more than I know how to express.  And you really are the best daddy ever! 🙂

(A picture of me and my daddy on a date.)

This is a story of a dress… No, not a little black dress!  A different dress.  A pink dress.  A bridesmaid dress.  For my dear friend Christa’s wedding she graciously allowed us to pick out our own knee length pink dresses.  Unfortunately I had seen one that was extremely expensive.  Not exactly in my price range.  In fact it wasn’t even close.  Since doing this project I have a hard time spending money on myself since I know that $5 could feed a child for a month…anyways I wanted this dress quite badly and was looking for something similar.  Of course I couldn’t find anything that was working for me.  I kept going back to the website and looking at the dress I liked.  Finally I realized that looking at it wasn’t going to help anything and since God already knew what was on my heart I might as well tell him.  So yes…I prayed a silly little prayer.  Except no prayers that are sincere are silly.  I talked to Jesus and just told him that I didn’t have the money for the dress and even if I did I couldn’t justify spending the money but that I would be very happy if He wanted to bring it along.  I left it at that and forgot about that prayer.  Fast forward a week when I have just finished dinner and my mom asks me to go wash my hands.  My first response was, “Huh?”.  Since she hadn’t said anything like that since I was 4 it was awkward and I immediately wondered what was going on.  So I did as she had asked and then my dad started recording on his phone and then I was really feeling concerned with what was happening.  My mom brought out a beautifully wrapped box.  Yet when she found out that my dad had missed that part she grabbed it from me, walked out, and then walked back in so that he could get it recorded.  By this time I was laughing so hard.  Opening up the beautiful box I pulled back the crisp tissue paper only to discover…the dress I had prayed about! Yep, that’s right.  But get this, it was given to me by an anonymous person.  And the note said that they just wanted me to know that God loved me and hears my payers.  WOW.  Not only did I receive a stunning dress but this wonderful, amazing, extremely generous, and very kind individual had overnight shipped it AND had it gift wrapped!  I was beside myself.  I have since tried to figure out who sent it but can’t seem to.  It wasn’t anyone in my family that much I know.  So if you are reading this and you sent me that lovely gift then THANK YOU!  It has reminded me of God’s love and faithfulness time and time again.  Oh how He loves me!  So that’s the pink dress story and I’ve hardly been able to wait to wear that dress this Saturday.  After the wedding if you come to my house you may just find me dancing around my house with hair a mess but one little pink dress being worn quite happily like a three year old. 😉

As soon as I saw that picture tears sprang into my eyes and made everything all blurry happiness.  That was one of the sweetest gifts I could have received on my birthday.  Seeing my amazing friends with that sign and sweet children waving at me was pure joy.  I think I’m hopelessly in love and and will never recover.  I also think it’s best that way.  How I pray that these beautiful children will know Jesus fully and delight in him.  How blessed I am.  The lines truly have fallen for me in pleasant places.  I could have never dreamed that I would have over a hundred spiritual children.  I’m thankful for their precious lives.

What are you thankful for today?  I’d love to hear what has made you happy so feel free to leave a comment below.  🙂

(Hopefully I will get the bridesmaid dress story up here this week before the wedding.)

Hello! I’m back.  Last week was full of birthday celebrations as it was also my beautiful mom’s birthday on the 7th.  Not to mention that I knew at LEAST one person having a birthday ever day of the week except the 8th.  All that to say that it was a busy but pleasant week.

In other news (quite exciting in fact!) my dear childhood friend whom I love so much is getting married this Saturday!  I’m thrilled to be a bridesmaid. 🙂  Some other time I’ll have to tell you all about how God sent me my dress because it’s totally amazing.  Anyways a few weeks ago in preparation of this joyous event my mom and I threw an all white shower for Christa.  White decorations, mostly white food, white party favors, and even had the guests come in white at Christa’s request!  We had so much fun getting to shower her with love…and presents. 😉  My beautiful Christa:  I love you!

Sorry about the quality of the pics…I was running around and didn’t have time to capture any good ones…not to mention I’m not a photographer and some I just snapped on my phone!  I hope you like them anyways. 🙂

Update! $58,539.54  😀  Love getting these.  Makes me so happy.

So today I officially enter my mid twenties…  Sounds so old when I say that.  24.  I know that it actually isn’t but for some reason I never imagined myself at this age so it feels odd.  And not that I look my age.  Some how I seem to always look 16…  This last year has been a roller coaster ride and I have no idea how this coming year is going to top the last one but I’m excited to see what God will do in me and through me.  I’d like to say that I have beautiful, contemplative thoughts on this day but in reality I don’t.  I’m just happy to be alive.  Happy that I get to spend my life with and for Jesus.  Thankful for so many gifts that Jesus has given me.

For my birthday I have a request…would you be willing to give 24 dollars to my kids in India?  That would be the best present I could ever ask for.  Asking for things isn’t something I do (or enjoy) but when it comes to my kids I have no hesitations.  I love them and I would like nothing better than to see them doing well and being provided for.  Thanks!

Update!!!! $58,491.54 😀   How close can we get to the goal today?!

Just the other night I put this song on and as I listened to it over and over I was brought to my knees.  My soul was undone before the Lord.  These words pierced my heart and it welled all liquid love down my cheeks.  As I danced and became dehydrated through my tear ducts my soul was watered with truth.  This song is the cry of my heart.  Jesus asked me to go deeper.  To surrender more.  Leave what I desire and want for the greatest desire of my heart.  To know Jesus more.  His love ravished my soul and while He has asked me to surrender some good things that are hard to give up I have peace knowing that He is holding me.  He’s the perfect script writer.  I have one idea but His will is so much better.  I’m in the shadow of His wing.  There isn’t any place that I’d rather be.  I may not be able to see where I’m headed but He sees it all and I’m soaring with him.

I love it when there is an update! $58,241.54 😀  Anyways I usually feel funny about asking for stuff but my birthday is in less than a week so do you think you could help me get to the goal by then?  It would be the most amazing birthday present ever to help my kiddos! 😀