Winter has past, and the springtime has come!

I have been so happy and nearly giddy this week whenever I thought about how we were nearly down to double digits on our wedding countdown!  And today we are!  99 days left!  :)

I am so happy and looking forward to being Mrs. Robert Jessup.  And now that we're really cranking things out for the wedding, it's fun and exciting.

Tonight, we had an evening off from the theater and Robert and I went on a double date with Shannon and Heather to see Hop (a cute little movie about the Easter Bunny with James Marsden and, I'm sorry to say, David Hasselhoff.  Although I am glad he was in it - it was something else for me to laugh at).  About half-way through the movie, I was sitting next to Robert and he was holding my hand and I had such a deep feeling of how utterly right it is that he's in my life and how right we are together. It is a marvelous thing that God is doing in uniting us in Him, and I am in awe of it.  I don't know exactly what it's going to look like, but I trust the One who created us and know that it's gonna blow my mind.  The Wright children were watching a video about Gladys Aylward, the missionary woman who took over 100 Chinese children on foot for many days to safety when the Japanese were attacking. There was a quote from the movie that brought tears to my eyes.  They were standing on the bank of the Yellow River after having walked for days to escape the danger and had to cross the river to get to a town of safety.  The river was too deep and strong for the children to cross, and Gladys did not know what to do.  Then a 13 year-old girl reminded her of the story she had told them about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.  Gladys replied in despair, "But I am not Moses."  To which the girl replied, "No, you are not.  But God is still God."  And they prayed for a way through the waters and of course God showed up and showed off at that moment as some Chinese soldiers appeared with boats to ferry them across in safety.
I was reminded that no matter how inadequate I feel or how unable I am to see a way, God is still God and is continuing to do wonders in my life, and if I will just trust Him and rest in Him, my heart will find the peace and joy it longs for in Him.  

 My beautiful Valentine's Orchid from Robert

The Weeping Cherry Tree in our front yard.  Spring is so lovely!  

Girl time!

What would I do without my girlfriends???  

Anneke text me today asking if I had any free evening this week, and being the last week before Tech rehearsals start for The Sound of Music, I have naturally have rehearsals every night.  But, I figured out a way to get free this evening, and she came over and we had a great time visiting and working together and talking about our men.  :)  

First thing, she helped me finish the eclairs I had baked early in the afternoon, and mmmmm, they were yummy!

Next, she helped me stamp all 210 invitation cover pages for the wedding.  That's a true friend.

 We made fajitas after we finished, and sat around talking some more.  

I am so grateful and blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life who can speak truth to me and encourage me in my walk with the Lord.  Friendship really is one of the greatest gifts. 

Yea Wedding!

Things are moving along with wedding planning.  We have made decisions and started ordering stuff and the boxes are arriving!  Here's a sampling:

Confetti to toss on us as we leave the reception (the kind that dissolves without residue with water) from www.save-on-crafts.com, and rose petals for the flower girls from the Dollar Tree.

Personalized cocktail napkins(blue and silver!) and lolly pop wedding favors from www.orientailtrading.com.  The stickers the lolly is laying on are personalized and will go on the pops.  A project for a rainy day.  :)

Some beautiful ribbons I found on clearance at wal-mart the other day.

Also, I recently bought a camera (first real camera I've had in a long time...the last one used film and didn't enjoy the sand in South Africa) so I can now post pictures on my blog!

On memories and making new ones

Lots of exciting things and milestones occurred these past few days.

Firstly I'll start with Saturday.  On Saturday Robert and I celebrated the 2nd anniversary of our first date in our tradition of Phad Thai Chicken and Mango ice cream from Peppermint Patties.  He gave me a gorgeous bouquet of mixed flowers and a sweet card.  It was so nice to just spend time together without anything specific to do - and after the business of last week, we really needed some down time together.  Well, that and a solid 48 hours of sleeping.  :)  I recently looked through pictures of us from the past 2 years, and was moved when I thought about where God has brought us from and where He is taking us to as individuals and as a couple.  We are so much better together than we are apart.  I am also glad that we are past the months of uncertainty, "Does he really like me?  Will he call me again?  What do I think about him?  Do I love him?  Does he love me?  Should we get married? etc, etc, etc."  There is such a comfort and security when you know that you are committed to one another no matter what, even though the vows have not yet been spoken.   And can I just say once again what a great Godly man he is and how very honored and proud I am that he wants me to be with him forever?  I really am far, far more excited about being Mrs. Robert Jessup than I am about the actual wedding, although that is where it all begins and is a very important part of the process.  :)

Sunday was just a busy day, but we went to our pre-marital counseling with Pastor John Makinson and that was good as always.

Today, was terrific because I got to spend the entire day with my mother in Asheville.  We did some shopping, had lunch at Cheddar's and then went and purchased the fabric, notions and pattern to make my wedding dress!  I am super siked about that!  Which I am glad about because up to this point I had really felt nothing but either anxiety over what I would wear or be completely blase' about the whole idea.  So today shopping with mama I was so glad to be excited to talk about possibilities and choose how my dress would actually be, and now that I know, I am thrilled and can't wait to wear the thing!  And don't ask for details, because I will not tell.  :)
After we went shopping we ended up at the mall and I got her to go and take photo booth pictures with me.  It was the first time for either of us but I wanted some fun way to commemorator the specialness of the day.  So now I can look back at those pictures and remember the fun day we had together when we picked out my wedding dress fabrics.

That's for the birds...give me the bees!

I love how totally refreshing and rejuvenating it is to take a shower after a long day when you feel hot and tired and gross.  I feel like a new person, hooray!

Just the past 3 days I have started using Burt's Bees Radiant Body Lotion again, and I'm amazed (although I shouldn't be) at how soft my skin is!  I had been using B&BW Lavender Vanilla lotion because I love the scent, but it is really pretty crummy as far as moisturizers go.  I have used Burt's Bees lotions before and know how great they are, but I have been rubbing my arm all day loving how smooth and soft it feels.  (And sometimes I use their body butter, which is even better!)  Plus...I shimmer in the sun, which, hooray, I got to sit in the sun today at lunch.  I love the sun.  I love being warm and summertime!

We had our first 2 performances of Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss today and they went very well.  It's a great fun show with lots of singing and dancing and bright colors and outrageous costumes.  This morning we had 1500 school kids come and watch.  I love it when we get to perform before a school audience.  The kids are so excited and enthusiastic and full of wonder at everything they see.  And we get to do it 2 more times for packed houses of school children.  What fun!  They scream when the house lights go out, they scream when the stage lights go on, they scream when you shoot confetti at them, when the fish glow in the dark, and when the stars come on and countless other times.  The energy is so high in that room.  :)
(By the way, if you would like to come see the show, we have one evening performance left on Thursday at 7:30.  It's a 70 minute show and great for people of all ages.  You can get tickets here.)