The Weekend

Friday night really kicked off the weekend for me, with a Valentine's Day dance at church. Our Young Adults team was volunteering with photography and childcare that night, because we're fundraising for our Catalyst trip in April. I helped out photography, along with Viviyan; it was a lot of fun, while our other friends took care of the kids. I took the tickets and would run the camera disk over to the photographer's office (so she could start printing photos), and Viviyan told them where to stand. A little later on when the main photographer had to run to her office, Viviyan took over with the pictures, and I directed them on where to stand. It was great getting to see everyone dressed up, like it was Prom again for the adults. There was a live band playing older songs and some Country, which was really cool. Towards the end, they started singing some sappy love songs, which made all of us "single ladies" just a little depressed.  Everyone was just laughing and having a good time; I'm so glad I got to spend it with my friends! 

After our shifts were over, I went to dinner with my parents at Chuy's, and told them all about the crazy day and we came home. 

Saturday:

I had a pretty normal Saturday morning, just hanging around the house, and getting ready for the day to start. When my dad got home, we had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and my parents dropped me off at a friend's house. She's a photographer and does a lot of pictures for weddings, so I was her assistant for the day. It was at the Art Museum, which has a really beautiful garden area, and that's where the wedding took place later that afternoon. It had been cloudy all morning and looked like it could rain at any moment, but just in time for the wedding, it cleared up right in the area that we were in. It was pretty incredible! The sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day for them.

It was such a great experience for me getting to see what Makenzie does for a living, and to see the process of how wedding photographers (and weddings in general) work, especially since I've only been to a few in my lifetime. She had the itinerary all lined up and ready to go for when we got there. First, we took pictures of the the rings, the shoes, and all the other little details while everyone was still getting there and finishing up on getting ready. Next, we moved onto the guys, then the gals, and pretty soon it was time for the wedding to start. I felt like I was in a sequel to something like "27 Dresses," which is really great for me since I'm a hopeless romantic. Believe it or not, I totally cried during the ceremony, and I didn't even know the couple who was getting married. It's such a special moment to see two people who have found each other vow in front of their family and friends to spend the rest of their lives together; there's nothing more beautiful than that. It had me excited and hopeful about finding my best friend and partner in crime someday! I'm also the girl who does pay more attention to the look on the groom's face, more than the bride walking down the aisle.
The ceremony lasted only a few minutes, then it was time for more pictures. This time it was with all of the family members, wedding party, and of course, just the bride and groom. It was so adorable to see the way they interacted with each other...their marriage is going to be an exciting one that's for sure :)
We went into the reception hall after pictures were done and that's when the party got started! There was a DJ playing some great music, family and friends were flooding in, and everyone was waiting for the grand entrance of the bride and groom. We talked to the people at our table for a few minutes, and after the wedding party and newlywed couple came in, we lined up for dinner. The catering was amazing; Makenzie said it was probably the best food she's had at a wedding!
The dance between the couple, father/daughter, and mother/son was what I was looking forward to most, besides the wedding itself. The groom and his mom chose "The Way You Look Tonight", the couple danced to "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban and the Father/Daughter dance was to "It Won't Be Like This For Long" by Darius Rucker. All incredible choices. After the tossing of the bouquet and the groom taking off the garter, the dance party broke out. It was a really fun night, and I'd love to do it again sometime whenever Makenzie needs the help! :) I had a blast! It has me really excited about my own wedding someday, as well.

After the wedding, Makenzie and I headed over to our friend, Febe's house for a Valentine's Day girls night in celebration. Febe cooked dinner and each of us brought something to feast on! We had great conversations about Zac Efron, real guys, church, movies, and everything in between. There were a lot of crazy and random stories about injuries and LOTS and LOTS of laughter, let me tell you. I love all of them so much! So what if we don't have "Valentines" this year? One of these days we'll find them and until then we're having a lot of great times!

My mom went to a concert over the weekend and Canaan Smith was there! She got me an autograph :)

Sunday:

Yesterday morning was another early one, because I was on the worship team at church. I grabbed Starbucks, as always, and headed to church. They had said to be there at 7, but I don't think anyone else really got the memo. Anyway, we ran through all the songs, and it just felt like an off morning. I think everyone was tired, trying to wake up, and parts weren't coming very easily because they were songs we hadn't done in awhile. In the end, it all turned out just fine and it was a lot of fun being up there again. The most important thing to remember is to not concentrate on getting the right notes, and focus on worshiping because that's what it's all about.  The "backstage" conversations in between the first and second service are always the most fun, because there are a lot of musicians with great stories to tell about where they've played or just about music in general. I always learn so much just by talking and listening to them. 

We also started a series at our church about family, and I think we could all use that now more than ever. 

After the last service, my parents and I met up with some family friends for lunch. My dad hadn't seen their son since he's been back in town visiting, so it was fun getting to hang out with them! The rest of the afternoon, I took a short a nap and started watching coverage on The Grammy's.

Last night was our first Bible study "home group". We're no longer doing the Monday nights at church, which is kind of a bummer...but this is going to be really exciting too! And it'll be fun to see the journey that we all embark on together by hanging out with the same people week after week.  It was such a great chapter that we looked at, because we all related to it in some way or another. I love being able to really open up and be honest with these girls, and know that no matter what I'm not going to be condemned or judged for what I say, but that they'll pray for me and give me their opinions in love. 

When I got home from the group, my mom and I watched The Gramm'ys. And that my friends, is how I know my priorities are taking a major shift. There was a time in my life where there was no way I could record an award show or American Idol and lately, I've been missing a few! It actually feels good lol.

The group!

Psalms 13

This was such an amazing weekend! Why can't they all be that good? ;) Haha.

That's all for now,
Shelby
xoxox :)