"I DO" Season

My baby brother Garrett asked his sweet girlfriend Faith to marry him last night and we're all totally relieved she said yes. Mainly because everyone and their mom knew the event was approaching and we were totally terrified of ruining her surprise. That might have just been me, but either way, the city of Eugene is celebrating! They are a sweet, fun and bright match. It'll be so fun to watch them grow together and as a family. They're so cute.

We had a little gathering with friends and family last night and listened to the stories and voted on wedding hashtags. The pressure was real. When Kirk and I married, we used #maythewillmsbewithyou. Possibly the longest on record, and very prone to spelling mistakes, so let me encourage the young couple to pursue brevity.

Anyways, we're all thrilled for them, and I'm looking forward to paying back all of the man hours they both put into our wedding last summer, and Faith took on a ton of work for me at the church while we traveled. She has to be really loving life now that she's officially engaged to the son and brother of her bosses. Nepotism, the gift that keeps on giving!

My dear friend Kaela is kicking off the new year of wedding for us this next weekend as she marries her beau Drew! Kaela and I have been friends forever, and she had just moved into the Little Rustic Ranch with me when she and Drew started to date. It was a blast to watch their relationship unfold, Drew pursued her so well, she gave him a run for his money, and they are a dynamic and LOVED couple.

I was so honored that Kaela asked me to be a bridesmaid, and she also asked for a selfie with the bridesmaid invitation she wrote. I obliged, but only after my friend Christi Harris had given me a new haircut did I return home and took about 28 pictures. It was not going well, so I finally resorted to placing my phone on top of the coffee maker while I squatted in a chair and tried to find the right upwards or downwards angle of my face to me appear perpetually serene and joyful. Which I am. And then I filtered the heck out of the thing and cut out a weird hair strand I had. I think this is the kind of commitment Kaela was looking for.

Along with taking a perfect selfie, my bridesmaid duties have also involved texting her really bad marriage advice, because that's about all I have to offer 7 months in, and throwing a fun shower for her with all her Eugene crowd.

Christi Harris (friend, hairstylist and co bridesmaid) and I teamed up to host the a glitter and gold filled extravaganza. We had a blast planning it, and it was a sweet, laid back time to honor and celebrate Kaela. 

One of my favorite DIY's from this party was the "I DO" that rests on top of the mantle. A couple of months ago I drove by a neighborhood garage sale and saw a number of old, empty metal sign letters. I scooped them up, and had the letter to spell "CUP" and "I DO" or "CUPIDO". I opted to take the "I DO" letters and filled them with some dry floral foam, and spray glued a bunch of moss I bought from the craft store in layers. In hindsight, hot glue probably would have been better, but I was lazy and needed a quick turn around. So now I go around respraying the moss onto them like I'm trying help a big hairdo make it through the day. I've had some requests to borrow them for future showers, so I'll need to re do them soon so they can handle the travel. But the short term effect was pretty fun!

I'm looking forward to celebrating all of these people I love. Weddings are always a great reminder of God's faithfulness in bringing friends into our lives in sweet seasons. And I'm reminded of his faithfulness to bring Kirk into my life at the right time, after what had been growth producing, rich years as a "single lady".