The next week went by in a haze of waiting and work. I hit the blessed 12 week mark on May 1st, and we announced our pregnancy to the world (on Facebook, of course).
I was pretty proud of the way our announcement came out, since I spent the evening drawing and re-drawing and googling how to make it stand out more.
May 3rd came quickly. I was really excited because I knew two things would happen that day: first, that I would link back to this post, which, in retrospect, probably could have had a better title; and secondly, my good friend Kristin was getting married that evening!
Kristin was one of the first friends I made when I first moved to Dallas. We had joined Hope Fellowship about the same time, and over the last 6 years (I still can't believe it's been that long) we saw each other on a regular basis through church and Bible studies. We loved each other through break-ups, job changes, deployments, and house purchases. So when she told me that her long-time boyfriend had proposed, I was ecstatic for her.
At the actual ceremony, one of the verses they had read really stuck with me. I don't remember which part of the vows it was read at, but I do remember I grabbed my phone to make a note of it (sorry Kristin!):
2 Corinthians 1:9-10
NIV first, because I think that's the version that was read:
"Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves
but on God, who raises the dead.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,
and he will deliver us again. On him we have set
our hope that he will continue to deliver us."
Now the Common English Bible version, because that's what I read most:
"It certainly seemed to us as if we had gotten the death penalty.
This was so that we would have confidence in God,
who raises the dead,
instead of ourselves.
God rescued us from a terrible death,
and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him
that he will rescue us again."
I don't remember in what context this verse came up, but I sure related to it. I loved that Kristin had decided to include such a challenging verse in her wedding ceremony. Most people want to play up the sweet side of marriage, but here Kristin had chosen to also remember that things may get hard, and that their focus and hope should remain on God.
After the ceremony, we headed over to the reception. Kristin works at a large hotel chain as an event planner, so you know her hotel pulled out all the stops to celebrate with her! Alex and I were seated with a few of the couples from mine and Kristin's Bible study, and we had a great time getting to know some of the spouses of the fantastic ladies I have loved for the last two years.
Alex and I before the wedding, he gets more handsome every
time I look at him.
Kristin, Stephanie, Nancy, Jennifer, and me.
I realized as I searched back through the blog for stories for each of these ladies that I have done each of them a severe disservice in not writing about the love that they have shown me (and continue to show me).
I have to take a quick sidebar here and tell a story on Jennifer because it is still a running joke in our house to this day. She is one of the absolute bubbliest people you will ever meet on the planet, and some of her stories will make you fall out of your chair laughing.
In the first few months (and even now), people had no idea what to say to me about Kaitlyn. Most people just offered condolences, and then quickly changed the subject to something else, or they would quietly slip off feeling that there was nothing else they could say or do to help the situation. I was still home and hadn't gone back to work yet, and I got a voicemail from a number I didn't recognize. This had to be in the first week or so after we lost K, because my mom was washing dishes in the sink when I finally listened to the message. (I really, really wish I had a sound clip of this message... Enough that I may just go find my old phone to see if it's still on there.)
"Hi Amy, its Jenn. I was just calling because I've been thinking about you and praying for you and you just cross my mind all the time. And I always think about calling you, but then I think, 'Oh, she's probably watching Ellen and she's busy...'"
Okay, I am still laughing out lout at this because I'm still wondering why in the heck watching Ellen qualifies me as being busy- or why she even thinks/knows I watch Ellen on occasion! It was the funniest message in the time of my grief, and I literally busted out laughing at her when I first listened to it.
Back at the reception: Kristin had set up a photo booth, so I have to share those pictures as well:
Yeah. These are my ladies.
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