Wedding pictures and New York

Aaron and I finally got our wedding pictures back last week.  I have yet to post them on here because we ended up going to New York to a cousin's wedding.  We've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks.  Aaron started up preseason and it's the first year he hasn't had to do all the running and stuff.  He's having fun with that and is really excited about how the team is coming together.  I'm excited about seeing some games! They have 12 home games which is AWESOME!  But anyways let me put some pictures up here cuz I know that's what you're waiting for!!

This past weekend Aaron and I went to New York where he was born.  He showed me around some places and one place was Harris Hills.  It was so cool!!  Here are some pictures from that.

It was such a great view and it was soooo cool up there.  It felt so good!  We went to the wedding on Saturday and to check out pictures from this please go to my photography blog to check them out.  I will also have pictures from a photo session that I had this afternoon with 4 girls.

Til next time!

long time...no write...

Hello again!! it's been over a month since I've written....probably longer....

But since I've last written Aaron and I have graduated from college!!  Now it's time for the real world....we both have jobs which is great and I just got a second part time job at Staples for some extra money this summer.  God is really providing for us right now.

The other news is we've also gotten married but I'm sure you all knew that!  As of today we've been married for a MONTH!! crazy!!  The wedding was so great! It all went by so fast though and it was hard to soak it all in.  Everything builds up towards that one moment and then it's all gone.  We had a great time hanging out with friends and family that weekend and seeing people we hadn't seen in a while!  it was so much fun!

I wasn't stressed out at all and I know Aaron wasn't either.  I didn't get nervous until about 30 minutes before I had to walk down the aisle and my heart started beating faster and I started shaking.  I believe it's because at that point I was getting into my dress and was completely ready to go.  I had to sneak around the Manor house to get to where I needed to be in order to get to the courtyard but without Aaron seeing me so it was a lot of ducking and running through the house!  That was funny.  My maid of honor Lyndsey helped get me to where I needed to be and gave me a big hug before she left to go walk down the aisle.  So i was standing in the kitchen by myself for a few minutes waiting for my dad to come and get me and let me tell you....i was about to lose it...I was excited, nervous, anxious, and more all at the same time.  My dad got ahold of me and said he had never seen me shaking so much!  I got to a point behind the crowd where most of the people couldn't see me but I could see them and I was just shaking so bad so I was just trying to get nervous energy out of me....wish I had a video of what i was doing!!  My dad was just laughing at me!

Finally I walked down the aisle and married Aaron!! Such a sweet moment! Then we got to enjoy the party!!  I enjoyed the day so much but wish it could have lasted a little longer...we are still waiting for the professional pictures so when we get those I'll post some on here.

We went to the Bahamas for our honeymoon which was stinking awesome!!  We went snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins, took a tour of downtown, and hung out at the resort.  It was all inclusive which was awesome because all of our meals were included so we didn't have to spend a buttload of money on food and we could do whatever activities we wanted to in the Bahamas!  It was also during the World Cup so of course there were lots of soccer games to be watched but it was good because the games were typically in the morning and our activities in the afternoon so we watched most of them.  Here are some pictures from the honeymoon!!

Once we got back from the honeymoon we had to dive into the real world....ehhh!  But like I said we both had jobs so we started the Monday we got back and have been going ever since.  Aaron's working in the cafe at Montreat and I'm working at a 4-H camp down the street.  I also just got a part-time job at Staples for some extra money.  Like I said God is being good to use right now.

Aaron also has an opportunity for a sweet job that we're waiting to hear about.  I don't want to give too many details right now about it because we're not sure how that's going to pan out quite yet.  If he ends up getting it I'll share more later!!  But for now keep praying for us!!

4th of July weekend was last weekend and my parents came up to be with us and visit for the weekend!! That was so great because the wedding weekend was hectic so this gave us all time to just hang out and catch up a little!!  We went to the fireworks in Black Mountain and met up with some friends to enjoy the show with!  I love Black Mountain!! Such a cute little town where you can always find someone you  know!! Here are some pictures from that!!

Until next time!! hopefully it won't be as long before I write again!!

ok so....

I'm apparently really bad at keeping up with this...but i have a good excuse!! It's called last semester of college....I've had so much work to do this semester and I'm one day away from being done with college forever! Unless I go to graduate school....we'll see about that! But anyways I'm trying to see what needs to be updated and I guess I can just say that we are now 25 days away from being married which is crazy! Aaron has a job for when we get back from our honeymoon but I however haven't had much luck with jobs. I'm not gonna get into that because then I'll become upset again and there's no need for that. I've been applying and trying to get applications out there so please keep praying that I'll find a job!!

OH well I guess I can talk about some things that have happened since last time such as my silent retreat and my bachelorette-ish party! I had a silent retreat to go on for class and it's self-explanatory. I basically went somewhere for the weekend and couldn't talk. It sucked cuz it was a goregous place with great people and no conversation allowed. However, I did get to rest some and spend time in my Bible which was refreshing. Here are some pic

tures from the retreat...

This is the house that the girls stayed in...it was gorgeous!

Here are some of the awesome people I got to hang out with for the weekend....

It was an ok weekend...i mean I didn't look forward to it and I didn't look forward to coming back from the weekend to the pile of work I had to get done....I have gotten it done somehow...

I also had my bachelorette-ish party the weekend after the retreat! That was so much fun! The reason I keep saying bachelorette-ish party is becasue it wasn't your typical party where there is drinking, partying, strippers, etc. This was a party just for me and totally my style!! My maid of honor set up with a couple of the other bridesmaids a weekend away in Boone at a cabin. It was a pretty little cabin and so homey! I wish we could have stayed longer. We played games all night and just hung out. My new favorite game is Quelf! It's a game where you have to be willing to make a fool of yourself and it's so much fun. It was fun being there with my best friend, future sister and cousin in law!! I love them all sooo much!! I can't wait to be together with them again at the wedding with everyone else cuz that's gonna be a PAR-TAY!

I first have to get done with this final project and then I'm done and I can graduate on Saturday!! I get to see a lot of my family this weekend and I'm looking forward to it! I don't get to see them as much as I used to since I'm up here in the mountains but it'll be fun because both sides of the family will be here and they'll get to meet some of Aaron's family before the wedding!

Until next time!!

it's been a while...

Since I updated....so get ready for a full blog post!!

Since my first shower (by the way pictures are on my facebook) I've been mighty busy between school and wedding stuff...over Easter break I got to go shopping with my mom and have a girls day out to just do what we wanted to do. We decided to go and look for some sundresses for me so I could have some things to wear to the showers I have coming up as well as the many weddings I've been invited to this year. That was lots of fun however, it was a loooong day! We went to so many different places to look for dresses and finally at the very last place we went to I found 2 that I liked!! Also because of the ridiculous sales going on that weekend for Easter I was able to get two dresses for the price of one!! Go me!!

We also went a store for bathing suits to get me for the honeymoon so that was an interesting experience...but we got me a bathing suit!!

Aaron and I have also figured out where we're going for our honeymoon because we can get a good deal there! It was going to be Hawaii but that fell through so now we're going to....the BAHAMAS!!!

I'm so excited!! A week of sunshine and fun!!! Things finally came together for the honeymoon and now we don't have to be so stressed out about it because it's all booked and everything!!

I also had my bridal portraits done this past weekend which was sooo much fun!! I had a blast getting them done! I wish I could post some pictures on here but I can't cuz Aaron would see them and that'd be no good!! So after the wedding I'll post them either on here or facebook! So you'll just have to wait two months!!! Not a big deal at all!!

I have a busy couple of months ahead of me with finishing up school, showers, graduating, getting married....

Oh and invitations are going out next week!!! yay!! I'm so excited!

Keep checking back for more updates in the future...I'll try to do it more regularly...PROMISE!!! Soon there will be pictures posted of various things....so get ready!!

Spring means....

Spring Break....showers (the bridal kind not raining cats and dogs kind)....last semester at Montreat....and much much more!!

Well I know it's been a while but I am officially moved off campus and into the apartment!! I haven't been there much cuz I moved in right before Spring Break and then went home for most of it. However, within a week or so it's become really homey and I'm so excited!! I can't wait to start taking pics and posting it on here!!

At the beginning of spring break I had a wedding to go to at Montreat and that was fun!! It was a dear friend of mine who was like my big brother when he was here! It was great getting to see old friends and catching up!

Then when I got home I had my final dress fitting!! WAHOO!! I'm so excited about my dress! I can't wait to put it back on for my bridal portraits in April! Unfortunately I won't be able to post any on here until after the wedding because Aaron can't see me in my dress before June 12th!!! But I'll be sure to post some afterwards!!

Since it was spring break Aaron and I had our first shower! That was exciting!! It was mainly for him because it was all of his friends from back home but I was invited too which was great! We played some games...hung out...and of course opened presents! We got some great things for our place and some things that we needed right away so it helped to have the shower today! I need to upload the pictures so I can post some from today! It was so much fun!!

Now that spring break is over it's time for the rest of the semester and to finish up strong and graduate! Then get hitched of course!!

Look for another post with pictures from today soon!!

A place to live!!!

So...Aaron and I have found a place to live after we get married. It's a 2 bedroom 1 bath duplex in Black Mountain! We are so excited! We signed the lease yesterday and I will be moving in next week. When we start decorating the place I'll start putting pictures up on here however, it might be a while because I don't think we are going to have much in there to start with. But having a place to live is HUGE!

And on another note....today is 100 days until the wedding! We still have a lot to do and we are going to my house this weekend and doing a lot of wedding stuff to help out. I'm excited! We are starting to get into the time of having showers as well! At the end of Spring Break Aaron has a tool party and then a couple of his friends are throwing us a shower the next day! This means presents and fun!!! And of course thank you notes....not quite so excited about those...haha!

Everything seems to be coming together now! It's exciting!! But keep praying for us to get a job after the summer and continue to make money to pay rent and be able to live off of ourselves.

Can you say....

108 days til the wedding! WHAT?!?!? Where has the time gone? I feel like it was just a month ago we got engaged and here we are at almost 3 1/2 months til the wedding...We have gotten so much done though and it's amazing! We still have some things to do such as buy the wedding bands, finish up the music selections, and some little things here and there. It's crazy though how quickly time has gone.

The last few days have been spent trying to figure out where we wanted to be after the wedding. At first we thought we'd be in Bristol, TN/VA because we both had opportunities there....but then I got called a couple of days before my interview at a camp and was told not to come because they had hired someone....and Aaro

n was going to coach at a local college but then they decided to hire a head coach instead of an assistant coach. So that was soon out of the picture. Then Aaron heard of a graduate assistant coaching job in Kentucky where he would be able to get his masters for free as well as a couple of years of experience coaching. Most places prefer you to have a masters to coach. But then we never heard back from that coach and by that time we had decided we wanted to stay around Montreat longer. So now it looks like we'll be here for at least the summer and hopefully longer! We are very excited about this because it means we will be around people that we know and we have a support system here. We are also going to be closer to our parents living here. Now the only thing is finding a place to live!

Things are moving along now and it's exciting!! Whoo hoo!!

Snow Day!

Well....Montreat has finally cancelled classes but it's on a day that isn't even snowing right now....they've cancelled because of a possible storm but can't cancel it when we actually have a few inches of snow and ice on the ground.....

But it's a chance for me to practice takin

g pictures!!! Yay! So I'm hoping to get some portraits done today for practice and I'm starting with my wonderful fiance!!! Then hopefully some more people later on today but we'll see.....and then I'll post some pictures on here for ya'll to see!!

photography

Hey Everyone!! Follow me on my photography blog!!! I'm trying to get back into photography and hopefully sell some pictures....so follow me Here for new pictures and any offers that I might have.

Feel free to give me ideas of pictures to take...I'm up for new challenges and opportunities to take pictures. I would love to be able to start taking portraits but I'm not sure how good I'd be at it....although if anyone would like to volunteer and get free portraits and help me improve my skills that'd be awesome!!!!

Here are a sample of my pictures...more can be found on my other blog as well as all of the pictures on facebook.

howard...

Howard Fisher passed away last night....

He was a great person and I'm a better person for knowing him as well. He was a wonderful friend and always joked around. He was an amazing guy! He loved playing soccer and was an outstanding goalie who towered everyone at 6 foot 7 and yet he was such a gentle guy as well. As you guys know he was disgnosed with Aplastic Anemia which means his bone marrow wasn't producing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets for his body. The school was working on getting him back over here to the states to get treatment and hopefully get better. When we were so closed to getting him back here we ran into more obstacles. At the time it was hard to see why it was happening. However, now I know. It was God's way of letting us know that Howard was where he needed to be right now....with his family in his homeland surrounded by loved ones.

I found out this morning from a friend of mine and didn't want to believe it was true and I broke down. However, I now know it is true and it tears my heart apart that this happened to Howard because he was such a great person. He was everyone's friend. Now he's an angel in heaven who is watching all of us everyday now. As much as I wish he were still here on earth I'm happy that he is now free of pain and suffering. He's sitting next to God up there. The best thing of all is... He was a CHRISTIAN! I know he's up in heaven and I can't wait to see him again one day!

You will be greatly missed Fisher! My prayers are with your family and friends!!

The BEST update yet!

Once again from Chaplain Steve....

Below is an email I received minutes ago from Steven. In addition to this, I am excited to let you all know that a Dr. has been found and Howard should be on US soil in a couple days. While there are many more miles to go before we all rest, we indeed worship a Father who never sleeps or slumbers. I have never been more proud to call Montreat my community.

Steve,

(this email was meant to go out yesterday but there were connection problems, so read this as though i sent it yesterday)

I am not able to find the words to explain to you what today (saturday) has been like! I awoke this morning to a text from howard that his stomach pain was gone and that he ate all his breakfast! All I can say is that last night when he was immense pain, I prayed so hard, saw his mother praying hard, and fully believed that the Lord was going to send his angels to attend to him through the night. I had a feeling that as I drove away from the hospital last night that the angels were descending to minister to him. Hearing the news this morning was so awesome! I could not wait to go see him. As I got to the hospital I was filled with so much joy! Howard was sitting up in the chair and was smiling and laughing, the first time I have seen him do so. His grandmother was with him, this woman is a real woman of faith!!! We sat around and chatted about how the Lord is healing is Howard and how we know that the Lord has him in his hands. She did not stop glorifying His name this morning and it was truly amazing!! He is eating a lot, moving around a lot more, and is full of energy. The Lord touched Howard last night, I know that! Thank you for all your prayers and emails and everything.

Read Psalm 40 and 41.
Something else that happened that revealed the Lords hand in everything is that after I spoke with Linda this morning she told me to make sure that Howard drinks lot of water before the flight. Minutes after I hung up Howards father came and with him he had a huge jug of water! Glory to God.

Im telling you steve, howard is right beside me and is a testimony to the Lords faithfulness and healing touch. His revival today has blown me away. the only thing i can think of doing is giving thanks and praise to God.

love you bro

see you soon.

jackson

Latest Updates!!! Looking up for Howard!

Here is the latest email from Chaplain Steve along with an email from Stephen Jackson who is with Howard in Jamaica right now....these prayers are helping so much and it looks like everything is going to work out for Howard!

Duke has accepted Howard!

In addition, Wings of Eagles is ready to fly him back to the states as soon as they receive details from Duke. The most recent estimate is as early as Monday or Tuesday.

The remaining prayer request is for a medical person to attend Howard on the flight home. Linda Thompson has indicated that an MD or an EMT could work. Wings of Eagles has agreed to stop at the Asheville Airport, or other nearby airport, to pick up whoever is qualified, available, and trained.

Linda has also lined up a helicopter to pick up Howard and Steven at the Raleigh-Durham airport and take them to the Duke Medical Center once they arrive.

Many of you have asked if donating your own platelets can be helpful. While it certainly would be a great way to serve the people of Asheville, your platelets will not be directly impacting Howard.

On a final note, I'll share a portion of an email I received from Steven Jackson late last night:

Steve,

Brother, the Lord is good. He is shattering my world every second of every day. Never have I experienced being led by the Spirit, relying on the Spirit, and seeing the Lord work so evidently and all so quickly before. I am here in the room with Howard. I spend all morning and afternoon and much of the evening with him. It is a humbling thing to be in a hospital in a third world country where everything is so bare, care is minimal, and hot because there is no air conditioning...I took a walk for lunch and was refreshed and reminded to trust in the Lord and cast my anxieties on him...I have been able to witness some amazing things...I was able to pray with Howard, his mom and sister last night. moving and a special moment...the Lord is working and I am so thankful that you and the school has allowed me to be a part of His story with Howard. I am doing fine and being taken care of well...your prayers and everyone's are being felt.

In Christ,

Jackson

latest updates

Another email from Chaplain Steve.....hopefully we'll hear more updates within the next few days!! Keep on praying!

This morning I had a fruitful conversation with a local Christian ministry called Hearts with Hands. They have contacted Mission Hospital’s head of transportation and they are currently working on gathering the necessary info to secure a medical flight to the states for Howard. Currently we are also waiting to hear if Duke hospital will take Howard once he arrives. Howard’s health remains stable following a much needed delivery of platelets. I am currently on standby with Mission Hospital and Hearts with Hands to be notified as soon as something is available. While it is no guarantee that Mission can, or will accept Howard’s case, the final word to me was they are highly optimistic. I will spread the word as soon as I know something more.

As we head into a weekend and potentially another night of agonizing uncertainty I leave you with two of my favorite quotes on prayer from two of my favorite theologians:

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” – Saint Augustine

“Pray, and let God worry” – Martin Luther

Prayers are being ANSWERED!!!!

Hey everyone! Prayers are being answered....however keep them coming because everything isn't completed yet!

Here's an email from Chaplain Steve at Montreat....

Thanks for you patience for information...keep praying, God is at work!

Stephen Jackson was at Howard's side today and was able to donate his own platelets to Howard. Additional doses of platelets have been delivered to the hospital which buys significant time for Howard's journey to the states. We have a representative at Duke who is highly interested in Howard's case. Pray that the Doctors at Duke agree to take Howard in as a patient. Once they agree to do so the remaining needs are a plane and funds. A number of you have given me suggestions for both. Keep those coming, and remember that I need the information in a useful manner which means complete contact information. If at all possible please contact people directly yourself before passing their name on so that no one is spending time on potential dead ends. Time is of the essence.

I do want to say that after more than a few years here, I am convinced that this community is at its best when one of its own is in need. It is a beautiful thing to watch the body of Christ function as God always intended...each part playing its role.

Another request: Currently I am receiving a great number of phone calls and emails asking for updates on Howard. Please know that when I have new information I will get it to everyone in a single email as fast as I can.

Isn't God AMAZING?!?!?

Please continue to pray for Howard and pass this information onto others and ask for them to pray as well.

PRAYERS NEEDED!!

For those of you who went to Montreat or have been to a Montreat Soccer game know Howard Fisher. Right now he is still in Jamaica and is really sick with Aplastic Anemia. He's been sick since Christmas Eve or so and is continuing to become weaker and weaker. I'm not going to post a lot of details on here because not a lot of people know exactly what is going on and I'd rather not give out the wrong information. However, prayer is a powerful thing! So if you're friends with Howard, know Howard, or don't even know him offer some prayers his way.

Right now we need to get him back to the States in order to get the treatment that he needs. Pray that he will be strong enough to make the flight and get the treatment that he needs. Pray that God will keep His hands on Howard, his family, and his friends. This is a tough time for everyone because it's hard getting information from Jamaica and knowing exactly what is going on.

The school has sent Stephen Jackson over to Jamaica to get some information and relay it back to the school as well as be there for Howard and comfort him. Montreat had a prayer time for him today for about an hour and let me tell you....prayers are very POWERFUL! I can't tell you exactly what happened but just believe me when I sa

y that.

Please just take a minute and pray for Howard. He's a wonderful guy who has a great personality and a great smile! He's friends with everyone at Montreat and is on the Montreat Soccer team. He's the kind of guy that wants to make people laugh and help people out so take the time now and help him out by praying for him. Even if you have no idea who I'm talking about....God will know! So pray and pass this along to your friends as well and ask them to pray...send this information to your prayer chain or church and ask them to pray as well. When I get details from the school with updates I'll let you all know but for now we can just pray.

Successful Saturday!!

Well....I just added a wedding countdown on my blog so everyone can see....4 months and 27 days....dang!!! it's approaching quick!!

Anyways today I had a mother/daughter day and we spent it doing various things. First I went and had my dress taken to the alterations place so I got to put my dress on again! I can't wait to wear it again! It's so dang comfty and pretty!! Now....if I can just get my mind set to working out so I can look as good as possible in that dress.....hm

mm....any motivation is welcome! But yea so I'll get my dress back during Spring Break and then have pictures done sometime in March or April. I'm excited about my Bridal Portraits!! If any of you have already had them done then share your experience with me!!!

After that was done mom and I got some more scrapbooking things at AC Moore so that wraps up the scrapbooking and coloring book stuff for the wedding. Things are slowly but surely getting done and it's exciting. I've also heard from some people that they have marked the wedding on their calendar so it's becoming more and more real for me now!!

Let's see....what else....oh our engagement announcement will run in my home newspaper a week from tomorrow! Aaron will have one in his hometown as well but not sure when yet. I've also started putting stuff onto a wedding website on

Theknot.com so check that out as well! That will give you more information on us and the wedding. Hopefully I'll get it completely done when I'm back at school with Aaron.

Now I'm just relaxing until I go back to school o

n Tuesday for my last semester!! The one last big hurdle I have to get through before the wedding!! Exciting stuff!!

Oh and I just read a quote from a friend of mine and I think it is totally true!!

"We were given: Two hands to hold. Two legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find." -Unknown

Until next time!!

wedding plans

Well.....it's been a while but I have lots of wedding updates which is exciting!! First off though....Aaron and I are 1/2 way done with our senior year which is insane!!! The first semester flew by and now we have about 2 more weeks until school starts up again. We had a wonderful holiday and it was nice because we were able to spend time with both families. I got several presents for Christmas that we will be able to use when we get married and I'm excited about that!

One special present that I got was a communion set from my grandpa. I asked him if he would be willing to make one since he does ceramics and I got it for Christmas. It's so pretty! I can't wait to use that!

Aaron came to my house for New Years and stayed about a week. We go so much done which was amazing! We got all the addresses we needed for save the dates and invitations which is great because now we don't have to worry about that anymore. The save the dates are going out in the mail soon which is exciting and makes everything seem real now! wow!

While Aaron was here we ended up going to the mall and we walked right by a Men's Warehouse and decided to go ahead and get the tuxs taken care of so Aaron and my dad have both been fitted for a tux and now the rest of the guys can just go to one in their town and get fitted and it gets picked up in Aville right before the wedding! I'm so glad that part is EASY!

I got some decorations done for the wedding and might I say they are CUTE! I'm excited to have all of that set up and I can't wait! I'm ready to see what everything is going to look like! Although it does seem like time needs to slow down a bit because it is flying fast and we are now just over 5 months away from being married....eek!

Aaron and I also got our program covers, fans, and invitation styles all picked out too and now it just needs to be printed and put together! whoo hoo! We also went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and registered for some stuff there and now we're registered there and at Target. Hopefully Aaron will register at Lowes at some point if we can register there.

Some things still have to get done before I go back to school though and one of them is going and getting my dress altered! I get to put it on again and I can't wait! I believe that is it! I'm also hoping my best friend from college will be able to make it this weekend and hang out some! We're gonna get some more stuff done before we go back to school.

Oh and the other thing....bridal showers will start up soon which is gonna be fun! I'm not sure how many we have right now because the numbers keep changing but I'm looking forward to those parties as well and seeing what all we get.

156 days....

Sorry I don't have any pictures to go on here......maybe next time!