Celebrations and Such

Some of you probably read my personal blog, and because of that, I hate to overrun the Mid-Morning blog with pictures that you'll see again over there, but I felt like I wanted to write a quick post today just to honor the Lord for the way He's been writing my love story with Ryan.

This past Saturday, Ryan and I packed four vehicles with a dining room lod of crates, mason jars, pictures, shells, netting, and much, much more, and set up the banquet rooms at Indiana Wesleyan University for our at-home wedding reception. A chance to share our wedding with friends, family, and co-workers. A chance to show them our wedding video and let them have a front-row seat to the beach wedding most of them didn't have the chance to attend.

I have just a few of the {hundreds of} pictures taken by our 3 photographers. But I wanted to share with you...indulge me?

We were married on white sand...this isn't QUITE the same...but so close. :) My bustle broke, so my sweet husband carried my train for me:

I'll write a longer blog post on my own blog about this later...but I spent many dozens of Tuesday lunch hours sitting in the same pew in the little prayer chapel on campus, praying for God to bring my "Mr. Missing" to me. That's why this was such a reward:

Recreating a moment from the wedding: survival on sweet tea!!

Sitting with our wedding party during the showing of the video. Some of the people who have impacted our lives most profoundly:

For the record, it was so hot in there, both Ryan and I were about to die. Shortly after this photo, I sneaked over to the gift table, snagged 2 cards out of the basket and we fanned like crazy people for the rest of the time.

Cutting the cake. BEGGING him to be nice to me. {He was.}

And in the theme of how God writes stories....

...Got about 45 hugs from this sweet thing. I was there when she took her first breaths. I've seen her story from its first outside-the-womb moment. I watched her baptism last fall. And I love this photo SO MUCH.

And I was there for the births of her brothers as well. So excited to give them an uncle...and to have them share with us that day:

And another special moment: introducing Ryan to June...my second grade Sunday School teacher, whose investment in my life that year and in many other times and many other ways greatly shaped the woman I am today. She wrote a chapter in my story.

And the representation of many, many more people whose investment in both our lives made us who we are today:

It was a beautiful day of affirmation from those who love us - and a chance for us to give praise to God for the love story He wrote. Just wanted to share a bit of that with you!! :)