Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Extra Special Wedding Details

 One of my favorite movies is Steel Magnolias.  When Shelby (Julia Roberts) is asked about the details of her wedding, she lights up and goes on and on about her colors of "blush and bashful" and all the sweet little details that made her wedding, hers.  That's what I wanted.  I wanted to light up when people ask me about the details of my own wedding.  

It was also important for me that our wedding had a central theme.  I went with 'southern'.  Being a DIY wedding and a wedding with a theme, it was essential that the doors I walked through to go down the aisle to the napkins folks wiped their mouth with went together. 

I decided to split the details into two post: sentimental details and the more fun details.  With tonight's post I bring you a couple sentimental details.

 
Let's start off super sappy.  There is a picture of my parents I adore.  It's before their senior prom.  Mom is wearing this absolutely stunning powder blue dress, her hair is perfectly feathered to the sides of her flawless skin and this dainty little necklace with a single pearl.  Dad is killing it in his grey suit, black bow tie and rose boutonniere.  It is so sweet and they are so happy.  I can barely handle the cuteness.  When mom and I were talking about jewelry that would go with my wedding dress I was flipping through some old pictures just to mess around and I landed on that favorite picture.  It immediately hit me.  "Mom!  What about this necklace?!"  Mom went on to tell me that my precious dad had bought that for her for eighteenth birthday.  So, long story short.. I had to have it.  Mom got it cleaned and put it loan for me to wear with my wedding dress.  It is one of my favorite details to the wedding.





Colby is a southern boy, through in through.  He has a passion for fishing and hunting.  When we talked about having a "southern" or "country" wedding, the whole time I was scared to death that we were gonna be boarder line redneck.  I thought about doing shotgun shells for Colby and his guys' boutonnieres.  Colby told me that was most certainly boarder line redneck.  So, I found these old shotgun shells of my grandpa's that weren't bulky and bright red.  I think they called them Jap shells?  I loved them and they were perfect for the "southern" and "rustic" theme I was going for.


When we decided to go with an outside wedding, I was concerned about my big reveal.  So my incredibly talented dad built these gorgeous barn doors for me to walk through.  He made it big so it would have a dramatic feel to it and it was also built big so that I could walk behind those doors without many folks seeing me.  It was a sweet reveal and it was so special to me that my dad made them just for me, for my big day. Also, we adorned those doors with my momma's wedding hat/veil and pictures of both our of parent's weddings.
 


Communion is just plain special.  Actually, this is the only part of the ceremony that I got teary-eyed.  Eric lead Colby and I into a private moment with Jesus and it was sweet and emotional.  The pottery communion plate and cup came from my parents.  They ordered those pottery pieces for me off Etsy so I could have them post-wedding.  And I cannot tell you how much I adore them sitting on my dresser, acting as a constant reminder to that moment. 




I'll be sharing more of the fun details soon!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Greatest Role I've Ever Have

 
This could be one my favorite pictures of all times.  This was easily the sweetest moment of my life.  I just knew my heart was going to explode any second.  I am so thankful Joey caught this moment because I really don’t know if any moment in my life is going to be able to trump it.  It was just a moment of “Yes!  It’s official.  He is mine.  All mine.  No one in the world gets to kiss him, hold him, love him like me.  No one.  I am HIS.  I am his bride today and forever.  No one in the world gets to kiss me, hold me, love me like him.  No one!”  But seriously, my heart was seconds away from exploding.


 
Since become Colby’s wife, my life has been filled with precious moments.  The honeymoon, cooking supper together, accepting a freshly brewed cup of coffee from my sleepy-eyed husband, doing housework, going to an elementary playground, you name it.  My life has been rocked by this diamond band on my left hand (pun much?)

I am now living in the greatest role I will ever have.  So it is important for me to start strong and stay strong in my wonderful role of being a wife, Colby’s wife.  A friend of mine sent me a blog post about being a Godly wife and I absolutely loved it.  Therefore, I wanted to share it with you.. but with a personalized touch.





God is first.  Colby is second.
Before I can seek Colby and his heart, I have to first seek the man who created him and who created me and who created us to be together.  Keeping God first is simply getting in the word daily and living out the word daily.  Colby comes second.  Not me.  Not my job or school.  Not my parents.  Not our future kids.  Colby always, always, always comes second.


Understand the covenant.
Marriage is not what society tells us it is.  During our premarital counseling, Colby and I read “The Meaning of Marriage” by Tim Keller.  PHENOMENAL.  I would recommend to anyone in a relationship, married or not.  While reading this book and scripture I understood that marriage is not a promise.  Promises can be broken.   Marriage is not a contract.  Contracts can be breached.  Marriage is a covenant.  It cannot be destroyed.  God created marriage; therefore it is so precious to him.  He created Colby for me.  It is so important for me to recognize that gift.  He created a human being with certain qualities and skills and personality traits and strengths and weakness FOR ME and no one else.  And vice versa.



Submit.
God knew what he was doing when he created marriage.  He did not create me to be the leader of our home.  Colby is the leader of the home, by design.  Colby’s ultimate job in our home is to stand at the doorway and keep the enemy out.  Therefore, my ultimate job is to be inside the home, supporting Colby and praying for him.  1 Peter 3 is a gorgeous reminder of submission.  Verses 1-4 say “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.  Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”  So in other words, I have a power in a quiet and gentle submission TO Colby that God is going to use FOR Colby.



Speak edifying words only.
Never will it be acceptable for me to talk negatively about Colby.  Like never ever.  I am to build Colby up and praise Colby for the things he does, doesn’t do, loves, disapproves of, whatever it may be.  I should never tear Colby down to his face or others.


Live out Proverbs 31.
This is scripture every woman should be familiar with.  It is something to strive towards as women.  Verse 11, “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, no harm all the days of her life.”  Verse 17, “she sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong her tasks.”  It’s such a beautiful goal to have, to be a Proverbs 31 woman.

 
Do it anyway.
This is huge and smacked me right in the face when I read it.  DO IT ANYWAY.  It so easy to do things for Colby when he is being sweet or when he offers to help or when he does something special for me.  But its harder, when he doesn’t do those things.  Nonetheless, I must DO IT ANYWAY.  Colby may not be fulfilling his role but here’s the catch, that’s between him and God.  (Woah!)  It is not my job to discipline him.  I have to do things for Colby because he is my husband.  Not because of the things he is or isn’t doing for me.  I must DO IT ANYWAY because in the whole scheme of things, I am seeking to please the Lord.  Period.

 
Communicate.
I learned so much about this from Eric and Kristin during premarital counseling.  Kristin point blank said. “Courtney, Colby cannot read your mind nor will he ever.”  Therefore, I must tell him.  I have to talk to Colby.  I have to listen to Colby.  I think Kristin would agree that I cannot read Colby’s mind either nor will I ever be able to.


Choose to focus on Colby’s strengths.
There really is no explanation needed for this.  Colby has a million strengths.  Why would I even want to focus on anything else?  He is strong, sensible, creative, hardworking, caring, a self-starter, never ever lazy, a soon to be grill master, friendly, sweet, content, athletic, smart and a million of things.  I’m telling you, I am the luckiest gal in the world.

 
Strive to please Colby.
Being ready to cook spaghetti at the drop of a hat, talking about coyote calls and fishing lures, having sweet tea in the fridge at all times, go kayaking or doing yard work with him, know how he likes his coffee, watching The Office.  Love him.  Be creative.  Exercise.  Eat healthy.  Dress up.  All for Colby.


Cover Colby in prayer.
Prayer is what makes Colby strong.  So I need to be in prayer for Colby all day, every day.  He is the leader of our home.  He is the one fighting the enemy in our home.  So Colby needs my prayers in order for him to be strong enough to fight at the doorway.



I am so new at this wife thing.  Therefore, I am seeking tips and advice from all willing sources.  When I read this woman’sblog post, I loved it.  And those values and promises sounded great so I decided to execute them for myself.  I have found that they speak hard truth but result in sweet reward.  So, I decided to opt out of doing laundry this afternoon and share these truths with you.


Happy Thursday, ya'll.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Future Lucas

 Meet my future brother-in-law, Tyler.  He popped the big question a couple of weeks ago and we are over the moon for him and my sister, Ashley.  Tyler has a heart for music, graphic design and Jesus.  He is hilarious and a hopeless romantic.  Ashley has a heart for mint condition books, abstract art and chocolate covered pineapple.  Ashley is a caretaker and completely selfless.  



We snapped a couple of pictures on the day of their engagement to keep it on a digital record (most of their sweet and funny pictures were with Tyler's polaroid camera!).  I can't wait to do their engagement pictures in the near future!  

 
























Welcome to the family, Tyler.  We are so happy to have you. 

P.S.  Funny side story -- Tyler caught my garter at our wedding!!


 

Monday, August 12, 2013

The Lucky Ones

I am a lucky girl.  For a million different reasons.  The reason that I am going to focus on today is my parents.  When I said “I will” to Colby, I gained a new mother, a new father, two new sisters, a new brother and two nephews.  As soon as those words left my mouth, I was officially adopted into sweet Scott family.  Same with Colby, he gained a new mom, new dad, a new sister and a brother.  He was adopted into the Simmons family on May 25th also.   Both of our parents have been so great about treating us like their own children.  For example, my parents have given Colby his own stocking at Christmas, even before we were engaged.  He was a part of our family so their treated him like their own kid.  Similar with my mother-in-law.  The latest example, she bought her two daughters and me the same part of pajama pants as a little surprise.  It meant so much to be recognized as one of her daughters.  Since Colby and I have started our latest adventure, aka buying a house, our parents have been over at the new house, scrubbing and cleaning and installing and painting, and “de-junking” and all sorts of other verbs during their free time.  They give and give and give.  Colby and I are beyond blessed to have two sets of parents who adore us and sacrifice daily for our own well-being.  It’s rare for anyone to have ONE set of parents that are willing to do that… but we have TWO.  It’s unreal.  Those four are such a blessing.

Our parents are similar in a bunch of ways.  Our parents are also very different in a bunch of ways.  For example, my mom is a researcher.  Our vacations have always, always, always been phenomenal because the woman does her research.  She sorts through all of our options and picks the best ones.  She researches different things, sites, attractions, touristy things, native ventures, etc., to do in those cities or mountains or wherever we travel.  She does all these things so that we get the most out of the area we visit.  And we certainly do.  We get so much out of one trip in a single city, that we feel satisfied knowing we probably won’t visit that place again.  Simmons vacations are the BEST.  I’ll have to blog about vacationing with my parents sometime, because it is such an adventure. 

I would consider my mother-in-law to be the “queen of improvise”.  I am so serious about this, this woman can take any situation, any mishap, hiccup or incident turn completely around and make everyone believe that “that was supposed to happen”.   That TV show, Let’s Make a Deal.  She would win something off it, I promise you.  If Monty Hall picked her and asked her if she had things like a concert ticket, a piece of tin foil, lip stick, an AAA battery and pepper shaker in her pocketbook, she would A) probably have them all or B) convince the host that the ticket stub to Les Mes was indeed a concert, or that a Zip Loc bag with holes in it would suffice as a pepper shaker.

One of the many things that my two mama’s have in common is their willingness to give.  Seriously.  Almost everything Colby and I have to our name has been given to us, not by wedding gifts and birthday gifts but from our mama’s.  From kitchen supplies to the clothes on our backs, our mama’s have been taking good care of their babies.  My mother-in law will bring a crock pot of roast and sit it in the kitchen so we don’t have to fix supper that night.  My mama, will search North Carolina high and low to find the peanut butter and string cheese we like the best.  We are beyond blessed and we realize that fully.

Oh, the men we get to call “dad”, are unbelievable.  They too are different in a bunch of ways.  For example, my daddy is the epitome of a Type B personality.  He does not get amped up about anything.  Actually, growing up one of the biggest rules we had in our house was “Now, the main thing is not to get excited.”  Simply meaning, there is no reason to get worked up, we will figure this out.  I love that my dad is extremely flexible and completely laid back.  I have rarely seen my dad mad or get worked up over my 22 years of life and when he was mad it was probably because I didn’t get a good enough lead to steal second base or because I didn’t shoot enough three’s in the second quarter.

Tim, my father-in-law, is a very smart man.  He likes to analyze everything.  I asked him to build this giant table for the wedding party to sit at during our wedding reception.  I told him a couple of vague details, like “I want a very large, farmhouse table”.  I didn’t give him a lot of details, because I didn’t know them.  He researched tables for weeks.  He asked a hundred questions.  How wide of boards do you want?  How thick of legs do you want?  How many people are eating on it? Do you want these types of boards or these types of boards?  Is it okay if I use a jigsaw?  After answering his hundred questions and a couple of weeks later, Tim had created the most beautiful farmhouse table.  He analyzes things for a reason.  He wanted to do the best work he can do and wanted me to be happy with the results.  And I love that table.

The main way my two boys are the same?  Hardworking.  They work hard at everything they do.  From building tables to installing TVs to rewiring something to building fires to keeping their homes in tiptop shape.  They want to take care of their families and that is seen so well in the both of them.   I adore their hard working personalities and their willingness to help others in their own projects.

So, there is a short summary of why Colby and I are the two luckiest human beings to ever live.  We have four people who are constantly surrounding us with love and support, especially as we take on new adventures as broke, blissful newlyweds.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Best Week of Your Life

The big pitch for Young Life camp is that is going to be “the best week of your life”.  If that pitch doesn’t hit the nail on the head, I am not quite sure what does.  It is a week of constant excitement and adventure.  It’s just a different world there.  The program is always hilarious (I want to be best friends with CoCo and JoJo).  The speaker is always creative in how they approach the truth for high school kids (& leaders!) to understand.  Cabin time is full of the sweetest moments and the toughest realizations.  The games are fun. The food is ridiculous. The view is unreal. 



The entire week is about challenging yourself.  Challenging yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually.  It’s intense and  beautiful is SO many ways and I am so thankful that I got to spend that time with some of the sweetest girls just a couple of weeks ago.



Here are a couple of pictures of our sweet week in Jasper, Georgia.