Holiday Season

My family is coming in today for the holidays and I am so excited! This year, we have two new additions to our family, my nephew Camden, and my fiance Thomas! There is so much to be thankful for this Christmas.

My dad is so excited to have everyone home. He went out and bought a fire pit today just so we could have a bonfire and make s'mores. Mom and I have been to the grocery store 5 times this week trying to get all of the food ready.

Christmas break has been so fun and busy. Mom and I have been wedding planning like you would not believe. I have found my wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, and booked the church! We are still looking at reception venues but I have started the guest list. I am trying to get as much done as possible before school starts back in mid-January. Well, Merry Christmas to everyone and I wish everyone a Happy New Year as well!

Going to the Chapel...

Today we booked the wedding date! July 23, 2011 is the magical day. I cannot believe this is actually happening. Booking the church really brought the idea home for me. I am ecstatic about the upcoming months of planning. Next steps include reception venues, bridesmaids, and wedding dress shopping. The wedding ceremony will be at my parent's church. The church is absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of the church in the Sound of Music that Maria gets married at. I love it!

Also today, I went to the fabulous world of Walmart. But a trip here is not your typical trip when it is in Sylacauga. Before I walk in the doors of that forsaken place, I bet on how many people I will see while trying to get everything on my list. Today I bet 2 people. I actually saw 3. But I bolted when I saw them. Isn't it funny how sometimes when you see people you know you hide from them for some reason? I don't know about you, but I do it because I get tired of typical conversations. "OMG, hey!! How are you? What's your major? How old are you again? You have just grown up so much!" "How's the fam? Did you notice we got a new Burger King? Ain't that somethin?" You know I love it, but sometimes I just want to get in and get out asap. So that's what I did. As soon as I saw someone I hid in the opposite aisle, pretending to look at windshield wiper blades (yeahhh real convincing) until they were out of site.

After wonder world, I came home and did absolutely nothing. It was such a great feeling. All I did was look at reception venues and bridesmaids dresses! I am starting to realize how difficult planning a wedding is. Especially when it comes to people's feelings. I do not want to hurt any of my friends. But what I have found in this process so far is there is seriously only so much you can do to try and please everybody. Sometimes details work out one way and there is nothing you can do about it, even if you hate it. I want to be a "go with the flow" bride. Stressing over details is pointless. The bottom line is who your marrying.

Have a great week!

Birthday Blessings

My week of difficult tests and comprehensive exams is almost over! I have one test at 3:30 today and I will have nothing to worry about for the next month! Well, except planning the wedding. But I don't really call that a complaint. I cannot wait to get started on that right away! Well guys, today is also my 21st birthday. I was up late last night studying when I drifted off for a little bit (okay like 2 hours). In those 2 hours, I got to thinking about all of the amazing people the Lord has blessed me with in my life. Not only do I have an amazing family, but I have a future new family that I will be adopting as my own in the coming months. I could not ask for better in-laws. Also, I have two unbelievable counsels/friends. They are my pastor in Tuscaloosa and my RUF campus minister. These two people have helped me theologically and also in life. They have answered some of my most deepest theological questions and have helped me through hard times that are just a part of a Christian's life.

I have also been blessed with my wonderful sorority sisters. To have 250 other girls stand behind you and be excited for you on your birthday, engagement, or just getting a good test grade makes a girl feel on top of the world. I will never forget the friendships I have formed through Alpha Chi Omega and those relationships will remain strong forever. It is always amazing to me how so many girls, from different backgrounds, upbringings, beliefs, and personalities can mesh to form one awesome sorority. My sorority has impacted the University of Alabama in so many positive ways. We really are powerful women that can achieve anything. I will never forget the excitement of my sorority sisters when I had my candlelight, revealing to them that I was engaged! Everyone was so genuinely excited. I felt truly honored and blessed to have them be apart of this momentous occasion in my life.

Well, tonight is going to be full of fun birthday festivities and a little partying. Then tomorrow Thomas and I are going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra and going to Muscle Shoals to visit his familiy. Can't wait!

Driving Slow on Sunday Morning

Hello all! I am sitting in the study room of my sorority trying to cram useless info into my brains for exam week. Obviously, it's not going so well. I'm writing this post after spending 30 min on facebook, 15 minutes on my phone, and 30 more minutes looking at pictures of Jessica Simpson's hair. She has the best hair, I mean seriously. But anyways, its finals week eve, and I am so ready for school to be over. At church today, the sermon was about resting on the Sabbath. I don't do that...ever. Sundays are "lets do all of my homework and catch up on everything for the upcoming week" for me. I can probably count on my hand the number of times I have actually just took a nap, or relaxed on a Sunday afternoon. Sundays should be the best day of the week, instead they are my least favorite. I think that is so terribly wrong. God rested after he created the heavens and the earth and demands we do as well. That is one hard task for me to accomplish. I have forgotten the true meaning of Sundays.

I had a great weekend, went to a MBA cocktail party friday night, and had lunch with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. We ate at Brio's in Birmingham, SO GOOD. I got to love on my little Camden. He is the cutest baby I have ever seen! I know I am biased just a tad, but he really is cute you have to admit.

Involving the wedding/fiance subject, Thomas and I are currently exploring apartments that we can live in next year! It is very exciting but I didn't realize how much work it is! It's like shopping for a pair of shoes. You have to browse the whole market for a good overview of what they have, then you have to factor price, style, and comfort into your decision. It can get pretty complicated. We haven't found any place yet but we are getting closer! The other picture is Thomas and I right after he proposed! We were in the middle of calling all of our family and friends. It is one of my favorite pictures with the leaves and everything.

Have a great week everyone! Much love to ya =)

My Cup Overflows

This post is a very special one. It is so special because I just got ENGAGED!!! Guys, I have been on cloud 9 for the past 3 days! I can not be more excited to marry the love of my life. My fiance (weird!) asked me to marry him 2 days ago after church.

This week has been all about God and how he fulfills His plan when he sees fit. I am overwhelmed with blessings and my "cup overflows.."Psalm 23:5. When Thomas and I first realized we wanted to get married, it seemed like a lifetime until this moment. And now it is actually here! I have learned a lot over the past year about patience and waiting for God's timing. I have learned that His timing is not always your own, and His timing can change my plans at any moment. I had a plan mapped out for my life that I was determined to fulfill. Engagement at 20 years old was not part of my plan. My plan consisted of college, find a job in a big city, marriage at 28, kids by 30. Now looking at this agenda makes me laugh because my life has turned out absolutely nothing like the one I planned! And thank goodness it didn't, because if I had it my way, I would have simply missed this wonderful man in my life. I love how God's plans turn out much better than our own.

My life is about to change forever, and I am so scared but excited. I am terrified of what lies ahead and whats going to happen with us in the future, but I know God has everything worked out. What God has may not be pretty to the world, but it is beautiful in His sight. That's all that matters. Thank you Lord for the many blessings you have given me, even the ones that were hard to deal with. The good and bad in life are all blessings from You and they all work together to glorify You.

Now if I can just get through finals week then I can start planning a wedding! I absolutely cannot wait. Don't worry, I will keep you posted the whole way!!

Watercolor of Memories

Hello all, once again. Just so everyone knows, I am on "blog crack" right now as I like to call it. An actual posting the very next day after my opening post? This is serious business for me. Normally I go through these artsy phases and they fade away. However, I am really going to try, especially this next year, to keep this one up.

This blog is not so much about me and my life, but about one person who's life has been an incredible journey, and I only know a small detail. So here it goes:

Today, my mother informed me that for my grandfather's 80th birthday, the three of his children will be writing a book/memoir of his life. They are getting the book published and he will be receiving it on his 80th birthday this December. The book, as you probably know from the title of this post, is "Watercolor of Memories".

My mother explained the title to me in the perfect way. Her and her two siblings spent a lot of their childhood around the waters of Camp Helen, in Florida. She doesn't even have to tell me about the meaning of the other half of the word, color. I already know.

My granddad lost his lovely wife to cancer in the 1950s. From what I hear, she was a beautiful woman. The kind of woman that everyone saw as elegance. I wish I could have had the opportunity to know her. He remarried shortly after. His whole demeanor changed at that very moment. He was not the man he once was with his true wife.

My grandfather seemed scary when I was younger. I have developed a new perspective on him, however. He is a man that struggled with alcoholism, and quit drinking cold turkey. Just one day decided to stop. He has remarried and has made it known that he will remain faithful to that woman forever. My grandfather is a man of mistakes, sorrows, and regret. But he is also a man of commitment, honesty, and integrity.

Sometimes I think about all the things he has seen in his lifetime-- The Great Depression, WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, alcoholism, losing his beloved-- and I can't help but wonder if he has been captivated by God. I find myself getting lost in his eyes just wanting to know what he is thinking, where his mind is. Is it back in the 1930s as a child wondering when the next meal would be? Or watching the news when FDR informed the world of the Japanese invading Pearl Harbor? Maybe his mind is just focusing on the here and now, because thats all he is promised.

But, isn't that all anyone is ever promised?

"Be still, and know that I am GOD; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." -Psalm 4:10

My grandfather, Larry Edmunds, with his great-grandson, Camden.

Captivated in Humility

Welcome to the first posting of "Captivated"! I have one other blog that I write in occasionally. Unfortunately, I do not let anyone see that blog because it is extremely private. Yeah I know, then what is the point of even having a blog right? Well, it just is a cool way to keep a journal for yourself!

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I chose to start this blog for many different reason. Reason #1: I'm bored #2: I'm trying to get in touch with my artsy side and #3: I need another hobby in my life besides studying nutritionally biochemistry reaction equations. So there you have it.

When I was thinking about the name of this blog, the title just jumped out of my head and into the text box. Captivated is one word that has so much depth to it. According to good ole dictionary.com, captivated means: "to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant." Okay, is that not just the coolest word ever? It may not be to whoever is reading this, but for me, hells yeah it is. =)

Captivated is an adjective that I can only strive to be. I can never achieve it. I want to be captivated by the King. I wish to be so enthralled with Him, so attracted to Him that it is an enchantment. Captivated to the point that He is all I want. He is all I long for. He is all I exist for. I want to be captivated by His beauty, His excellence, His sovereignty. So captivated that every breath I breathe is worthless unless its given to His glory.

Tall order I know, some dream I have right? This one will keep me busy until..well...my funeral. I will fail. I have failed. I am failing even as I write this posting. But the very beauty that I am forgiven for all of my faults just keeps me captivated all the more. So it is almost like the more I sin and fall flat on my face, the more I see how amazing God's grace is and am CAPTIVATED by it. Does this mean I should just sin for the heck of it? Nope, absolutely not. There are consequences to sin, and believe me I'm dealing with consequences. But I am seeing the Gospel more and more everyday through my weakness. And isn't that true with what the Bible says? "For my strength is made perfect through your weakness..." 2 Corinthians 12: 9.