Playing a Serious Game of Catch-Up

Oh hey, March. Didn't see you sneaking up so fast.

Y'all... it's March. I've been a serious slacker when it comes to blogging. In fact, just the other day, my grandma called to make sure I was doing okay, or make sure that she was still signed up to receive blogs by email, because she hadn't seen any recent posts.

When even Grandma is concerned about your blog well-being, you know it's time to jump back in.

I'll be honest. I've have a mild case of the winter blues over the past two months.

Can anyone relate?

The fall was filled with Baylor/Waco weekends every other week, the excitement of Homecoming, Thanksgiving, a family vacation and Christmas. But after ringing in 2012, I found myself feeling a little down-in-the-dumps.

One of my goals this year is to "enjoy running." Living in Austin, one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., I WANT to like running. Thomas and I signed up for a 5K this month, and we've both been running to get in shape. But as I've learned in running, sometimes the hardest part of your run is the last quarter mile, or the last five minute stretch. As many people say, at some point running becomes totally mental, as you push yourself to finish strong.

That metaphor is what I'm using to explain my recent sad mood. With only a few months before Thomas moves to Austin, things suddenly got a lot harder emotionally. We've been engaged since April and my heart is just so ready for us to be in the same place, living life together.

But looking back over all these photos and remembering the memories made since the holidays, I can't help but smile. God is SO GOOD to us and I just know that 2012 is going to be amazing.

The beautiful beach in Cozumel, where we cruised to as a family right before Christmas.

Thomas and I traveled with my mom and dad down to San Antonio to watch our Bears win the Alamo Bowl. It was the highest-scoring bowl game in history (until days later when West Virginia took that title) and our first bowl game win since 1992!

Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at The Melting Pot.

New Year's Eve! We dined with Meredith and Sterling at Kona Grill and then went downtown to watch the fireworks over Auditorium Shores.

In January, we went to see the Watoto Children's Choir perform at Celebration Church in Georgetown. Even though it was two summers ago that I was in Uganda, it feels like just yesterday. The people of Uganda will always have a piece of my heart, and I loved hearing about Watoto's ministry.

At the beginning of February, Mom and I attended the first-ever Immerse Austin, with Mandisa, Lysa TerKeurst and Anita Renfroe. It was an amazing night to worship alongside other Austin women and remember who God calls us to be.

At the beginning of February, Thomas came to Austin so we could go see Wicked. It was my third time to see it, and it was so fun to see Thomas and my parents so excited about my all-time favorite musical. I think it's each of their favorites now, too!

The day before Valentine's Day, Thomas surprised me by having these beautiful flowers delivered to my office!

I love the marketing team I work with, and a few weeks ago we took our lunch break to do some quality team building by taking a cooking class at Whole Foods. It was amazing, and I can't wait to try these recipes out at home.

Just last weekend, we celebrated our friends Allison & Blake's engagement. Allison is one of my roommates from this summer, and she's currently in the grad program with Thomas. Blake is in med school in Houston, and we can't wait for their wedding in September!

Also last weekend, Thomas and I attended Baylor's All-University Sing for the first time as alums. All the acts were incredible, but it was so weird being in the audience and not dancing and singing up on that stage.

Spring is finally here, Thomas moves to Austin in less than three months, and this girl is totally over singing the winter blues. I'm choosing joy, thanking the Lord for His faithfulness to us and looking forward to all that is to come.

OH! One more thing I'm thrilled about - only four days until I get to attend my first SXSW Interactive Conference. I'm so excited, I could squeal.

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Unspeakable Joy

"Joy, unspeakable joy, rises in my soul, never lets me go." -Chris Tomlin's "Joy to the World"

When Thomas and I got engaged in April, a 16-month engagement felt like an eternity. He was transitioning to graduate school and I was starting my career. We would be living in two different cities, learning to grow closer as a couple even in a long-distance relationship.

But as I sit here on the couch in my pajamas, sipping tea and munching on Christmas cookies, I'm reflecting on God's goodness, His peace that sustains, and the many blessings He has given us since that April evening.

Last Sunday, December 18, marked the halfway point in our engagement. Eight months have flown by and we now have less than eight to go until our wedding day. I'm filled with such JOY.

That day will be here before we know it, and so much has happened in the past few weeks:

Baylor beat Texas Tech (my little sister's school) on November 26 for the first time since 1995, ending the Red Raider's season. We got to sit on the Baylor side this year and it was an amazing victory!

On December 2nd, our Bears went on to defeat the University of Texas 48-24, making us undefeated at home with our first nine-win season since 1986. It was also the second time we beat the Longhorns in two years, so it was extra sweet.

Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy! It was truly our proudest moment as members of Baylor Nation. And in less than a week, our team takes on Washington in the Alamo Bowl. It may be our last time to see the Heisman winner wearing green and gold, but none of us will ever forget where we were when we heard the award announced!

On December 11th, Thomas and I took our engagement photos with the incredibly talented Rebecca Cash of Captivating Photography. With the busyness of the holidays, we probably won't see the images until after the new year, but we had an absolute blast and can't wait to see them!

Once Sarah finished her final exams, the four of us took off on a four-night cruise to Cozumel. It was most likely our last family vacation before I'm married, and it was so fun to relax and soak up some sun with my parents and little sister.

With that little update, I'm now signing off for three days of Christmas bliss. Three days without work. Three days of family, food and gifts. Three days of sleeping in, cozying up with a good book and watching movies. But once Tuesday comes and I have to return to the office, I'll still be reflecting on God's graciousness to us. And the greatest joy of this season is celebrating the birth of our Savior and the freedom we have in Christ.

Wishing you the merriest of Christmases!!

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15

Grown-Up Wish List

I once read a wedding blog that explained perfectly the emotions and mindset associated with creating a registry.

"It’s kind of a strange thing, registering. You go through the store and pick out all of these things that you want, and then you go home and remind yourself that none of them are currently actually yours." -Anne over at Delightfully Engaged

And it's very true! We had so much fun creating a wish list for our life together, but at the same time it was weird to go "shopping" and come home empty-handed.

A few weekends ago, Thomas came to Austin to visit, and while he was here we created our registries at Bed Bath & Beyond and Crate & Barrel I now have images of bath towels and bedding floating in my head, and I can just imagine Thomas and myself in the kitchen, cooking up a storm with the gadgets and appliances we added to our list.

We started at Bed Bath & Beyond, where we got our first little dose of reality. The registry consultant led us to the bath section and instructed us to pick out a shower curtain with matching towels. Thomas and I stood there for a few minutes, trying to come to a decision on something we hadn't really discussed. When you're booking the church and researching bakeries and florists, you don't take time to think about interior decor for your future home. I know we'll be in Austin, but haven't the faintest idea about where we'll be living or how many bed/bathrooms we'll have. It took a few minutes for us to come to our senses, relax and not get overwhelmed with the our choices, and we quickly agreed on a shower curtain we both loved. It was the first of many little victories that day!

He had too much fun with that little scanner.

Didn't think we'd find bedding we liked at Bed Bath & Beyond, but we were in luck. What we love about this grey duvet cover is that we can pair it with any color. Maybe yellow? Or navy?

The day was so wonderful, and it worked out perfectly that the next day Crate & Barrel was hosting a private registry party for engaged couples. We went after church on Sunday, before the store opened to the public, and registered for our place settings, flatware and other home accessories.

After registering at Crate & Barrel, Thomas and I met my parents for brunch at Roaring Fork.

Registering with Thomas got me that much more excited about our approaching wedding day. I can't wait to decorate and create a cozy place where we can relax at the end of a long work day, someplace where we feel completely at home!

To Have and to Hold

I'm behind in my blogging (still to come: wedding registries and Baylor Homecoming), but I'm going against my need to be chronological so that I can blog about a really special weekend.

On Friday night, Thomas and I met nine other couples (including our friends Kendra and Christian) in Salado to attend a "Countdown to Marriage" retreat. The weekend was put on by Legacy Family Ministries, an organization that exists to prepare engaged couples for Christ-centered marriages. We heard about it through our church in Waco, and though they offer a six-week class at Highland, we knew that a three-day weekend retreat was best for us since we have a long distance engagement and can't be in the same place every week.

It was absolutely incredible.

We laughed, we cried and we prayed, and along the way we learned even more about each other as future husband and wife. Our group sessions covered God's purpose for marriage, roles and responsibilities for husbands and wives, finances, emotional and spiritual intimacy, and communication. There was also plenty of free time built in for the two of us. Venturing off on the nature trails to talk, sitting in rocking chairs looking at the stars, playing a life-size game of checkers... it was so wonderful to disconnect from the demands of school and the working world and just spend time together.

"God created marriage, so only He can sustain it." I know that because of this weekend, our vows will be even more meaningful. When I walk down the aisle on August 18 to become Mrs. Reed, the covenant Thomas and I make to each other will be stronger because of the Lord's work in our hearts this weekend.

Summer's Mill outside of Salado

Kendra and I were in 304 and the boys were next door

The cute little lodge where we had our sessions.

We had a few hours on Saturday afternoon to go into downtown Salado, and Kendra and I felt like we were in Pinterest heaven.

With Christian and Kendra, whose wedding is in July!

I would recommend Legacy to any engaged couple. The time you spend preparing for your marriage before it even begins will be sweet and irreplaceable, and I can't quite put into words how much this ministry has impacted our lives and relationship.

Thank you, Byron and Carla Weathersbee for your heart for engaged couples and for being a wonderful resource for Thomas and me for years to come!

See Ya, September...

Where did September go? It's hard to believe tomorrow is October 1st. I've started and restarted this blog about seven times, but when you go 18 days without blogging, it's hard to decide where to begin. I'll try my best to sum it up!

Almost three weeks ago, Mom and I went to the Austin Bridal Extravaganza to scope out the last of our wedding vendors. We're feeling great about the progress of wedding plans (I'll save that for another blog post!) and we have many things crossed off our list. Before leaving the event, we snapped a photo in one of the cute vintage cars we're looking at for our getaway. You'll just have to imagine what the rest of it looks like...

During one of my weekend trips to Waco, a bunch of us got together to see The Lion King: 3D. The theater was packed with college kids and 20somethings wanting to relive one of the greatest movies of the 90s. The energy was electric (I'm not kidding), everyone quoted their favorite lines (some followed by sic 'ems), and we sang every word to every song. Who says you have to grow up?

Me and Kelsey - SO excited to see it on opening night!

Ready to go with our snazzy 3D glasses.

Last week I celebrated my 23rd birthday! When I was in high school or college and people asked each year "do you feel any older," I'd usually say no. Sure, there are milestones at 16, 18, and 21, but nothing quite prepared me for what my first birthday post-college would be like. As silly as it sounds, I felt so odd not being at school, surrounded by friends. It was a day like any other in the working world - I had to get up before the sun to shower and drive downtown, and I ended up working until after 6:30. When I got home, Mom and Dad were hosting their weekly Bible study, so after dinner and cake, I spent the rest of the evening in my room, relaxing in front of the TV because I was so exhausted. But I'm thankful that even though we may be in separate cities or too busy to get together because of crazy schedules, my friends and family went out of their way to make my birthday really special.

My sister Sarah had 3 dozen cookies from Tiff's Treats delivered to my office. Everyone in the marketing team was a huge fan of hers that day!

The team took me out for lunch at Home Slice Pizza on South Congress. We were celebrating two birthdays that week, which meant two times the complimentary desserts.

While I had to work late on my actual birthday, I was very fortunate to take that Friday off. I slept in (past 8 a.m., wooo!) and went to the gym with Mom. After getting pedicures, we met up with Dad for lunch at Mighty Fine Burgers, and then went to IKEA to pick up one of my birthday gifts - a reading chair for my bedroom (photos to come). Later that afternoon, I jumped on I35 to go celebrate my birthday in Waco! My birthday weekend entailed a much-needed dinner date with Thomas, quality time with Alex and Brynn & Neil who came to town, and another epic Baylor win.

Roommates under the same roof again, if only for a day.

Tailgating before the game!

We even got to meet Baby Kade! The next day, I got to hang out with Jenni to take newborn photos of this little guy.

This week has been extraordinarily long with a quick business trip to Houston on Tuesday to work an event, quickly followed by two proposal deadlines. I've also been flying solo for the past several days... Mom & Dad are blissfully sailing through the Caribbean, leaving their jealous daughter to fend for herself. They'll be home Sunday, but until then I'm going to enjoy a weekend to myself. Happy Friday!

Saying Yes to the Dress

Next to getting engaged, finding a venue and setting a date, picking the dress is the next most important detail of a wedding. Mom, Sarah and I started looking at dresses over Easter break, the weekend after Thomas proposed, and my search for the perfect wedding dress took me more than three months. After visiting five bridal shops and trying on almost 20 dresses, I finally found the dress I'll be wearing in 370 days!

Last weekend, we made dress shopping a family affair! Sarah flew home after her summer exams for us to return to Serendipity Bridal, where Sarah and I had previously found a dress I loved. I put the dress on, walked out to the couches where Mom, Dad and Sarah were waiting, and everyone loved it! I finally had that moment where I knew it was the one. I could envision myself walking down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams in this dress, and that's how I knew it was time to put an end to my search.

There were no tears, which I wholeheartedly expected on my dad's part, but it was still a joyous, blissful and exciting experience as I finally said YES to the dress!!

A champagne toast to celebrate!

On an unrelated note, the job is still going well. Last week was busy, and I was at the office for 12 hours on Wednesday working on a deadline. It's been enjoyable for the most part and I love the office environment where I work. Here's a picture of my little corner!

Gone Antiquing

After becoming addicted to Pinterest and following DIY blogs like "Young House Love," I have a newfound passion for antiquing, or "junking" as some call it.

Junking is loosely defined as "the art of searching or shopping for bargains, anitques, collectibles, or any concievable kind of dust collector or garbage." They say one man's trash is another man's treasure, and I'm really finding that to be true.

If you're ever in Waco, be sure to check out Junque in the Trunk, an antique boutique only open on the weekends. This is where I found Ruthie's painting that she blogged about wanting, for a mere $25. I also bought an antique suitcase for $6 that I hope to use someday in my photography. Two weeks ago I visited the shop and found two "milk glass" vases for $4 each. I thought they'd be great for the wedding to hold some beautiful hydrangeas! Even if I don't find a place for them in our wedding decor, they'll be great pieces for our future home.

Yesterday, Meredith had the day off of work, so we met for Sonic Happy Hour and spent the afternoon antiquing. We went to Cameron Trading Company on Austin Avenue in downtown Waco, and I can't believe I'd never been there before. It definitely won't be the last time! We spent an hour walking around the first floor, and then realized there was an entire second floor of more fun finds! I could have easily gone antique crazy, but I used some self control and walked out with just a few items.

My first find was three pieces of sheet music from the 1950s, with song titles that include the word "love" ($2 each). I envision putting them in shabby chic frames and using them somewhere at our wedding reception. You'll just have to wait and see if you can spot them on the big day! If nothing else, they're a fun collector's item. The adorable woman who rang up my purchases had a sweet moment of nostalgia when she recognized one of the songs. Melted my heart.

The next piece of "junk" I found was an old wooden window shutter ($7.50). My roommate Allison has one on her bedroom wall that she uses to display her jewelry, so I'm going to do the same! All it needs is a good sanding, a coat of paint, and some little nails in order to hang my necklaces and bracelets. I'm also going to search the sale bins at Anthropologie (or maybe even Lowe's/Home Depot) for an inexpensive crystal drawer knob to replace the little plastic one in the middle. Photos to come once it's complete!

The last thing I purchased was a silver vanity tray with mirror base ($9.95). When I move to Austin, I'm going to have a larger bathroom counter than I have in Waco, but I'm trading that for a lot less cabinet space. For that reason, I saw this tray as a fun, girly way to accommodate my perfume, lotion, and other toiletries.

When I got home, I started sprucing up the vanity tray. The silver was pretty tarnished and dull (don't let the picture above fool you), and after trying to scrub it with a baking soda paste, I decided it may be easier to maintain if I just painted it. [Sidenote: Dad was a little appalled that I'd use spray paint on silver, but hey, I only paid $10 for it.]

I used some blue painter's tape to protect the edges of the mirror, and then taped newspaper to the rest of it. I used some cream colored Rust-Oleum brand spray paint and then went to town!

You'll have to wait until I move home to see the finished product, but I'm pretty excited to see how it looks in my bathroom.

This summer has been a wonderful season of rediscovering my hobbies, and now I can add DIY projects and antiquing to the list!

Going to the Chapel

Exactly 14 months from today, Thomas and I will be counting down the hours until we both say "I do."

14 months until I walk down the aisle on my daddy's arm, looking at Thomas with happy tears in my eyes as he waits for me at the altar.

14 months until our closest family and friends are all in one place to celebrate with us.

14 months until I'm Mrs. Reed and I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.

That's right. WE SET A DATE!!

August 18, 2012

We are so incredibly excited and are counting down the days until our wedding! I've had so many people say "when's the big day?!" but I didn't want to say anything until things were completely set in stone. But the wait is over!

When Thomas asked my parents for their blessing, he told them it was his intention to wait until he was done with grad school to get married. I'd absolutely marry him tomorrow if I could, but I'm so thankful for a long engagement because we'll have more time to plan. We also wanted to wait and figure out a few calendar technicalities - August 18 is the weekend after Thomas graduates and the week before my sister Sarah returns to Tech to start her senior year, so the date works perfectly!

Check out our wedding website, complete with the full proposal story for those of you who still haven't heard it!