Weekend Recap - Friends + Photography

Hi, friends! I hope you had a great weekend! We sure did! 

Early Saturday morning we met up with our good friends and photographer, Kelly & John. You may remember last Fall when I posted the colored powder photos that Kelly did for us. She was sweet enough to meet us for some anniversary pictures in Midtown Memphis. The photo below is our "sneak peak" so I cannot wait to see all of them! Kelly will also be taking our maternity and newborn pictures this Fall and I'm so excited! Seriously, if you are ANYWHERE near the Memphis area, call Kelly! (She travels too!) Her and her hubby, John, are THE BEST. I could go on and on about how great they are! Even if you think you don't have a "reason" for professional photos right now, call her anyway. Though these were for our anniversary, our colored powder photos were just for FUN!

Since it was still pretty early after our pictures with Kelly and John, we decided to go to South Main for breakfast at Arcade. It was our first time eating there and it was delicious! I'm not even a big breakfast person and I even loved it. I got the plain pancakes and Will ordered the sweet potato pancakes and loved them too.

The pictures above are from some point this weekend when I was getting barked at for not sharing my lunch with our bratty Remi! He's so spoiled!

Saturday night we had some friends over for a bonfire and grilling out. We hadn't seen a lot of these friends in a while so it was great to hang out and just laugh!

On Sunday, I wasn't feeling very well so we stayed home from church. I think I literally stayed in bed all day and watched movies. Will hates "lazy days" and would much rather be out doing something, but I can always count on my sweet Ginger to snuggle with me all day! (And most of the time Remi too!)

Sunday night was probably the most eventful part of our weekend. I had my first major bout of pregnancy hormones kick in. Will had never seen A Walk to Remember...so we watched it. And about half way through (ya know, when it gets to the sad parts), I just started bawling. It wasn't quiet tears that usually come with sad movies, it was loud crying. Will was laughing at me, the dogs were staring and I just kept saying, "I don't know why I'm crying! I don't know why I'm crying..." Oh, it was a mess. My face was all red and I had swollen eyes from crying so much. It's funny now when I think about it. I can only imagine what the rest of the pregnancy will be like!

P.S.- the first time my pregnancy hormones got to me was a few weeks ago when I started crying during a Subaru commercial. Subaru!! It definitely wasn't as major as last night, but it was still so weird. (I think it was the faces the little girl makes during the commercial that made me teary!)

Two Pink Lines

We found out we were pregnant on Friday, February 1st. Prior to that day I had taken 5 pregnancy tests that were all false negatives. Crazy, huh!? But somehow I just knew I was preggo and I kept telling Will that too. 

I had called the doctor during the end of January to try and find out what was going on. They told me to wait a few more weeks and if I still didn't get a positive pregnancy test, then to call and make an appointment to figure out what the issue was. So I waited a week and a half...I got up that Friday morning and decided that since I had one test left I would just go ahead and take it before calling the doctor. Will was in the kitchen making some breakfast.

The test was an instant positive.

My heart stopped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I think I stood in the bathroom for a few minutes just in complete shock before going out to tell Will. (Originally, I had planned on telling him he was going to be a dad in some really cute Pinterest fashion, but let's face it, there's no way I was walking out of that bathroom and NOT saying anything!)

I finally came out of the bathroom and walked straight to the kitchen and Will knew what the test read before I even said anything. He could tell from the shocked look on my face I guess! We just started hugging and I cried a little. We were both so excited. I think we sat down on the kitchen floor together just trying to soak in the news that we had just received!

After all of this excitement I had to go to work. It was probably the worst work-day ever! I mean, I had just found out the most exciting news and couldn't tell anyone yet and had to work! My mind was scatterbrained all day. In retrospect, I probably should have waited until Saturday to take that test!

Next we had to figure out how we were going to tell our families!

P.S. If you missed our pregnancy announcement, check it out here!

Celebrating 3 Years of Marriage + an Announcement!

I absolutely cannot believe that three years of marriage has already flown by! Seems like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle and preparing to enjoy our honeymoon in Antigua for a week. (And oh how I wish we were at the beach this week!) This is a photo-heavy post, but I encourage you to keep reading until the end! There's a surprise announcement!

Will and I got married on March 6, 2010 in Memphis, TN. Some of these photos may be the same as the "our wedding" page above, but I couldn't resist. I love reliving our wedding!

Honeymoon at Sandals Antigua

Just arrived!

Dinner at a Japanese hibachi restaurant at the resort

Dinner by the beach

Our last day in Antigua

We've spent the first two anniversaries in Savannah, GA - a city that we love! Unfortunately we weren't able to go this year because of my job. Boo!

First anniversary in Savannah : March 2011

Lighthouse on Tybee Island

Outside of the Mercer House - We had just read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and were excited about this tour!

Second anniversary in Savannah : March 2012

Tybee Island

Bonaventure Cemetery - Another "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" reference

While we won't be able to celebrate our anniversary in Savannah this year, we do have something else to celebrate on our third anniversary....

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!

We are so thrilled to announce our exciting news. Finding out that we're pregnant is something that has been so surreal! (I'll write all about it later.) This has been something I've prayed about even before we were married. I've always dreamed of having children and feel so blessed to be doing so. Ever since we've been married, people would always ask when we were having kids and my response was always, "Well, if it were up to me we would have had one or two by now." Will & I have always strived to follow God's plan for our lives and we know His timing is perfect. We are expecting Baby K in the Fall and are looking forward to this next chapter in our lives together!

"For this child I have prayed and the Lord has answered my prayer."
1 Samuel 1:27

When [worldly] Emotions Take Over

From my worldly view, I had such a bad day yesterday. I let the stresses of life consume me and I couldn't seem to shake it for the longest time. I was thinking about finances, the future, expenses we had coming up, Will graduating from seminary in May and our plans after that...and the list goes on. One thought led to the other and I was just getting upset. I texted Will and he did his best to comfort me and give me words of encouragement during my morning of panic, stress and fear of the unknown.

I'll admit, Will's affirmations did help, but not 100%. It was just then that I realized I was asking for comfort and peace in the wrong place. Sure, Will is my husband and does so great at being my husband and comforting me, but I needed to ask for those things from The Ultimate Comforter.

source: Kelly Ginn Photography

So I took a few deep breaths and just started to pray. I prayed for God to help me to relax and to reassure me that He's got it all under control. Our circumstances are no mistake. God has had them planned out and only He knows what's going to happen. I'm totally ok with that! God has our best interests in mind and is going to take care of us. Anytime I feel myself worrying about the future, these verses always come to mind:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34 ESV

source

God began to bring to my mind all the things that I am blessed with.

- My amazing husband of (almost) 3 years

- My sweet puppies

- Supportive family & friends

- A home

- A job

- A church home

and on and on and on...

I am so thankful for all that God had blessed me and my family with. And I'm thankful for his promise to give us peace and comfort in times of worry. A peace that no one or thing in this world can give.

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 14:27

The next time your worldly fear and emotions start to take over, I hope that you'll be encouraged by the peace that only God can offer.

Have a great weekend!

Better Than Life

First of all, THANK YOU to the amazing Alyssa for sending me this hoop! Have you checked out her shop yet? I have several favorites and wish I could own them all!

Secondly, check out what my hubby has to say about one of our favorite verses:

I love my wife. I love my dogs. I love Taco Bell.

There are a lot of different types of love that we encounter and pursue throughout our lives, but there is one love that is better than life itself.


"Because your steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you."
Psalm 63:3


The beauty and depths of God's love for us cannot be described in a few short words, but what a difference it makes when we take time to reflect in awe on God's love. His love reaches us when we are broken, when we are unrighteous, when we are undeserving. It is an overwhelming experience of grace that we are able to know and find comfort in.
Take time to seek His love today. Be satisfied in Him


"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
    beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
    in your name I will lift up my hands."
Psalm 63:1-4