reasonsmysoniscrying:

It’s morning.

Yeah, I get it.

(via standingonshoulders)

She is who I want to be. Giraffes are my favorite. ever.

(via standingonshoulders)

Next up, Maid of Honor: Riley (my sister)

This is my sister. And me. We are very different, but also have grown up together. She has always been a bit more girly than me, and being 7 years younger we have not always been super close… but she is a very important part of my life. She is family, and family is forever. 

It has been cool to be with Matt as she has been growing up. I think he attained brother status a while before we got engaged. Riley is sweet to Matt and me, and cares about both of us a lot. And she thinks I am funny, which really helps to boost my self esteem… because I do not find myself to be very funny at all. I am excited to continue to be a part of her life and grow closer to her as she continues to grow up.

I have decided I am going to write a bit about each of my bridesmaids. I like to think about what they have meant to me, and as a way of avoiding the spring break paper writing I had planned, I am going to write on here.

So, frist off: Matron of Honor, Kristina Rawlings (to-be-Patterson)

This is us. Kristina (who I still call Kristy a lot of the time), is getting married two weeks before me this summer. She and I have known each other for a long while, going on 6 years now, and have many intimate moments of friendship along the way. This past year when we both started college, something happened. God brought us really close together and gave us each an urge to keep up with each other better than we had been. We talked throughout the year (more than had been normal), and then this summer we committed to meeting up once each week. It was glorious. As we found out more about each other, we found a deeper and deeper connection. We had so much that we could relate to each other with, and God really gave us hearts for each other so that we could know and love each other deeply. We praise the Lord who gave us both exactly what we needed - friendship like ours - exactly when we needed it. 

Now we are both getting married, both each other’s honorary bridesmaids, and both walking the path of like, marriage, and all that comes with it - together.

I am beyond grateful for her. I am so glad that I have someone that knows me the way she does and relates with me that way too. Every time I come out of a conversation with her I feel refreshed and renewed, or convicted, or both. Kristina is a woman of wisdom and genuineness, and I need her in my life.

 Help me find someone who wants to sell me theirs. Either color. I don’t care… desperately desire this blanket wrap aztec sweater!

(via standingonshoulders)

This is an unusual post for me, but help and prayers are needed. My cousins, Joe and Christen Byker, live in the Dominican Republic and serve at a Christian school there as administrators and teachers. Christen gave birth last Thursday to their first child Hannah. Unfortunately, Hannah has some medical issues related to her liver or pancreas and may require surgery in the US. They are working through the hassle of getting a 6 day old baby the proper documentation to fly to the states, but are now facing a serious financial challenge. Their current positions at the school in the DR do not provide them with health insurance in the United States. The cost of Medical Evacuation from the DR and a possible surgery could be quite expensive. Please give your prayers. Also, a friend of theirs set up a fundraising site this afternoon to help raise funds for Hannah’s care. If you feel led to help financially, you can go here: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/5Rscc Any amount would help and I know that they would appreciate it. Thank you very much.

(via anthropologie)