Sometimes I walk around and I have thoughts bOuNcInG around in my head. I know this happens to everyone, but tonight I thought I'd let them BoUnCe onto this blog...You see, today I thought of all those things that I wish I'd say. Those things that matter most. And I wonder, why can't I say what's on my mind, or more importantly in my heart? Those who know me best know I'm extremely outgoing and I tend to speak what's on my mind, but then again I really don't. I have learned the hard way the importance of "guarding your heart" and how pain leaves its imprint on it after the damage is done. It's a rough lesson. I think it's something I'm still learning to do. But I truly hate guarding my heart. I wish I were as free and radical as modern day America appears to be (without the promiscuity, disgrace, and disgust). There's always something more I wish I'd say.
"Say"
Take out all your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all your so called problems
Better put them in quotations
Say what you need to say...
Have no fear for givin' in
Have no fear for givin' over
You better know that in the end
It's better to say too much
Than to never say what you need to say again
Even if your hands are shakin'
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open
Say what you need to say...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Matt & Amy's Wedding
Yesterday at 1pm I gathered with the Vernatter and Bolen families to watch my best friend Amy and her fiance Matt 
finally tie the knot and get hitched :-) It was such a joy and blessing to be a part of their wedding! I have known Amy since the
finally tie the knot and get hitched :-) It was such a joy and blessing to be a part of their wedding! I have known Amy since the
tenth grade, when she first moved to Bassett, VA from Shady Spring, WV. And I have followed her pure God centered relationship with Matt from the beginning, when they first wrote to each other, from the Thanksgiving break when he asked her to be his girl, up until the beach trip when he asked for her hand in marriage, and now, the wedding! But let me tell you, weddings don't just happen! They are a lot of work! For months Amy has been planning and working out all the minor details for this big happy day! Let's rewind...
Beginning in the Fall of 2007 Amy and her mother shopped and browsed around to find the essential piece of a wedding, the dress! She found her sweetheart beaded dress at David's Bridal. This also the place where Emily, her maid of honor, Amy's mother, Amy, and I met one afternoon for lunch at TGIFriday's, so that we too would find our matching dresses that would coordinate with the color scheme Amy had chosen. Our dresses which you see here, are a green color called Peridot (pair-a-doe) which you can see above to the right. In March I was finally able to pick up my dress from David's Bridal. Two weeks before the wedding however Amy had decided that she wanted our dresses shortened so I had a wonderful seamstress, Melissa Kerr help me out my cutting and hemming my dress to the length it is in the picture.
Ok enough about dresses and color schemes. What must every bride have before she walks down the aisle? Of course, a bridal shower! The shower was held on March 29 at Bassett Worship Center, Amy's home church in Bassett, VA. The shower was hosted by the wonderful ladies of the church. Here are some pictures from that shower. They include a picture of me and Amy before it started, then of course her unwrapping a lot of the gifts aka necessities that she and Matt will use in their new home! She recieved items from pots, towels, dishware, dishtowels, candles, picture frames, silverware, and so on.
To the left lies a picture of a game Amy invented, "Pin the Kiss on Matt" as you can see her aim was a little off! But she was closer than mine, I landed on his shoulder! LoL. Below is a picture of the Corningware my parents got for the couple, and to the right is the gift I got her! Every girl needs a little bit of lingerie before she gets married right?! Well you gotta give me a little credit, it wasnt' that scandalous! After the bridal shower I actually haven't been home or have seen Amy until the day before her wedding.
I arrived at the Black Knight Country Club around 12:30 Friday, June 6 and helped decorate the rest of the reception area. Two hours later we finally arrived at the church for rehearsal practice, and finally around 5:30 we made it to the rehearsal dinner, excuse me, picnic, that was held at Little Beaver State Park, isn't it beautiful! In the center are Matt's friends, Tess (the photographer), her fiance, Andrew, and all the way on the right, Matt's best man, Mike! Those were some fun kids! Next is Amy and Matt making their way around chit-chatting with everybody that was at the dinner.
The night before the wedding wasn't too scandalous or busy. Amy ran around on errands until 10pm while Emily and I were at Grandma Vernatter's house just chillin, eating, and talking on our cell phones. Once Amy arrived we helped her with some last minute stuff including making t-shirts that she and Matt would wear when they left the building to go on the honeymoon. You'll see those in a little bit, but now I'd like to include some pictures from the wedding and reception!
Here is the lovely bride taking some pictures before the wedding. I think that taking pictures helped calm her nerves before going down the aisle. Isn't she beautiful?! And her dress is gorgeous, too! Absolutley love the beadwork and layering that the dress takes! 
Each one of the bridesmaids were to stand with the bride and take pictures individually, so as you can see here is a picture of Amy and I. Below is a picture of all of the bridesmaids and maid of honor with the bride. It was such a beautiful day!
Each one of the bridesmaids were to stand with the bride and take pictures individually, so as you can see here is a picture of Amy and I. Below is a picture of all of the bridesmaids and maid of honor with the bride. It was such a beautiful day! 
Because I was in the wedding I didn't get the chance to take any pictures of the ceremony. But the ceremony was traditional and unique. Amy's processional was from the Narnia movie (it was wistful and romantic, just like a princess entering the castle), her father gave her away and included a promise ring that symbolized the purity he and his wife had had and the purity Amy and Matt had and how that was passed on to them. The couple took communion, traditional vows and exchange of rings, and recited 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 aloud, the lit the unity candle, and then of course kissed :-). The ceremony lasted a total of 20 minutes. After the couple greeted everyone that came to the church, we took pictures which are below, and then of course we made our way to the reception for dancing, eating, and of course the fairwell to the newleyweds who are currently at Harbor Island, Jamaica! Thanks for sticking along to read this!
The End.
Monday, June 2, 2008
May 27-May 31
This week was very quiet with Kelly gone. She left with a group of other staff/faculty members for JAM -- a Jenzebar conference. Thankfully the week turned out great! I was able to start workstudy in the Registrar's Office. What a treat it is to work up there with those ladies! I loved it! They are so friendly and upbeat--it was so nice to work with them all week! If I didn't have that job I have no idea what I would've done! Luckily, in the evenings Sharde and I were able to spend some time together! On Tuesday she and I watched, well began "The Little Mermaid" which we failed to finish because we were so busy talking--we literally talked over three hours and did not stop until after midnight! It was so great though, we were able to talk about life, what we felt, what our futures may hold, traveling, and other girl stuff. Wednesday I was able to catch up with my favorite Clarke family, whom I had not seen in over a week for they too were in Richmond, but they were visiting the Brackett family! On Wednesday & Thursday Sharde and I started going back to the gym. I'll admit it was a challenge at first, but it felt so good to not worry about time and just have a good workout. Unfortunately, the reason why the workout was more intense was becuase I discovered via my father (Mike) that I did not pass my worrisome Praxis II History test. I made a score of 152 and the state of Virginia requries a passing score of 161. Nine points can defeated me and my good day pretty quick. I was so mad and frustrated, but more importantly I didn't understand. I had studied as much as I could, and prayed before, during, and after the test. I know that God doesn't always give us what we want, but this time it would've been nice. That text costs $140 to take, so that was ultimately money down the drain. I hate that so much, but I know that I'll just have to try harder and trust harder next time. Angela called me on Friday and said, "Girl you've passed all the other tests, so God had to make you struggle and trust Him somewhere." Well if that's the case I surely hope that I pass this next time!
My week finally ended with a small trip back home. I went home on Friday because my mom was supposed to fly out to California, but her trip got cancelled, which ended up being a blessing because I got to spend more time with her and my father, too. It was weird coming home though because the house is a wreck from where my parents are tyring to fix things up so they can eventually sell the house and move closer to Roanoke. Our dog, Simon, was just as happy to see me as I was to see him, as was our cat Chanel who pranced around like a miss-priss all night/day. Sadly though, our oldest cat Sophie, whom I love, but still not too fond of was very different. She seemed to cling around the house more and layed around more so than ran or hunted. But I guess when you get older that's what you do. Just relax. Also I went home for one of my best friend Jessica's bridal shower (I'm actually in her wedding in less than 3 weeks)! The wedding shower was decorated with green and pink all over the place and with tons of gifts that her and Philip will need in their new house! Oh how wonderful God is to my friends. I am so thankful that they have been blessed and I am praying that they have a long and happy marriage which they each deserve!
Sadly I had to leave the shower a little early as I had already committed to spend some quality time with Amy Abs (who is about to leave for China on a month's mission trip), Miranda, and Amy's cousin Jamee (who was in from Florida)! We got all dolled up and went out to Macado's for a late dinner, then headed to Walmart to shop and get ice-cream which is ironic because we ended up not getting any ice-cream, and finally we spent the night at Miranda's and watched "The Wedding Planner" one of my all time favorites, then drifted off to sleep until the wet lick of a dog's tongue kissed my cheek the next morning! Church was amazing! Pastor Scott preached on "Giving" and it was wonderful! I am so blessed to go to a church that I love where I feel free to worship and be with believers that encourage and uplift me, but are also real and genuine and have gone through the same sort of struggles I have. Sunday ended up being lazy and good to get some Art homework done. All in all this was a wonderful weekend and I look forward to this upcoming week!
My week finally ended with a small trip back home. I went home on Friday because my mom was supposed to fly out to California, but her trip got cancelled, which ended up being a blessing because I got to spend more time with her and my father, too. It was weird coming home though because the house is a wreck from where my parents are tyring to fix things up so they can eventually sell the house and move closer to Roanoke. Our dog, Simon, was just as happy to see me as I was to see him, as was our cat Chanel who pranced around like a miss-priss all night/day. Sadly though, our oldest cat Sophie, whom I love, but still not too fond of was very different. She seemed to cling around the house more and layed around more so than ran or hunted. But I guess when you get older that's what you do. Just relax. Also I went home for one of my best friend Jessica's bridal shower (I'm actually in her wedding in less than 3 weeks)! The wedding shower was decorated with green and pink all over the place and with tons of gifts that her and Philip will need in their new house! Oh how wonderful God is to my friends. I am so thankful that they have been blessed and I am praying that they have a long and happy marriage which they each deserve!
Sadly I had to leave the shower a little early as I had already committed to spend some quality time with Amy Abs (who is about to leave for China on a month's mission trip), Miranda, and Amy's cousin Jamee (who was in from Florida)! We got all dolled up and went out to Macado's for a late dinner, then headed to Walmart to shop and get ice-cream which is ironic because we ended up not getting any ice-cream, and finally we spent the night at Miranda's and watched "The Wedding Planner" one of my all time favorites, then drifted off to sleep until the wet lick of a dog's tongue kissed my cheek the next morning! Church was amazing! Pastor Scott preached on "Giving" and it was wonderful! I am so blessed to go to a church that I love where I feel free to worship and be with believers that encourage and uplift me, but are also real and genuine and have gone through the same sort of struggles I have. Sunday ended up being lazy and good to get some Art homework done. All in all this was a wonderful weekend and I look forward to this upcoming week!
Memorial Day Weekend
Thursday finally arrived! Kelly and I left Bluefield at 9:00am (I was very proud that I left on time and was not late)! We had been on the road no more than an hour when one of Kelly's cats, Fluffy--who isn't very fluffy--got the runs! Poor thing! Her stomach couldn't handle the jostling and motion of the car. After making a pit stop at a Food Lion in Christiansburg we were on our way again! Approximately thirty minutes later we arrived in Roanoke, where we had lunch with my mother (Berta) and brother (Nathan) at CiCi's Pizza at Towers Mall. It was so nice to see them! At that point it had been several months since I had seen my brother! Lunch was great, we all chit-chatted about random stuff in our lives, but had a wonderful time! After lunch Kelly and I began the rest of our trek east across this lovely state, and finally a few hours later arrived at her parent's house in Montpelier, VA! Her house was so cozy. It's tucked away in the woods right off the road and cats were everywhere! My favorites were a black pregnant cat that was about to pop, and another gray calico whom the family calls "Cinco." He's named that because he has one too many toes on each foot, but even though he has six, it's just a nickname for him. The rest of my day included Kelly's amazing parents taking me along to celebrate Kelly's brother's (Stephen's 30th) birthday with them Kelly, Stephen, and his wife Angie! I had ham with crab--it was a scrumptuous albeit expensive dinner from a local restaurant called "Tavern on the Rail." It was a great place, and I recommend it to anyone--it's in a crazy small town called Bumpass, VA--good luck with the pronunciation!
Friday morning Kelly & I headed off to Richmond, VA to meet up with our friend Angela Turpin who attends VCU and lives in the heart of the city. Kelly's GPS on her new Blackberry was a bit confusing, but we finally made it to Angela & Dave's (her husband) apartment. It's a clean and modern apartment that suits the two of them and their two cats--Lucy & Texas. After chatting and catching up, we made our way to Primrose School where Angela works and then made our way over to Panera Bread, one of my favorite restaurants! The sandwiches and soups are yummy! After lunch we made our way over to the local mall where we shopped for a little while. I found a lovely white, green, and blue striped with silver lining dress from New York & Co. for $10! I actually wore this dress to Lindsey & Derrick's wedding! After shopping we stopped by the Cheesecake Factory where Kelly bought well of course, a piece of cheesecake. Before leaving the mall we made a pit stop in this store called "Not of this World" it's an amazing Christian store that just opened! The owner of the store even asked us before we left if he could specifically pray with us! It was so amazing! Oh how I pray and hope this store minister's to people that desperately need the Lord! Finally after our busy yet blissful afternoon we went back to Angela's where I indulged the ladies with pedicures! Since Kelly didn't live to far away she went back home, but Angela and I continued to have our girls' night--going out to dinner @ Tarants, watching "P.S. I Love You," eating ice-cream, and finally falling asleep after talking past midnight!
Saturday finally arrived! I got dressed in a hurry and Angela drove me over to JMitch's house to meet up with Kelly, JMitch, and Sarah for the drive down to Lindsey & Derrick's wedding in Chesapeake. The drive flew by and we made it to the wedding with an hour to spare! The wedding itself was in a gorgeous white Baptist church that shined brilliantly due to the wonderful warm sunshine. Inside the sanctuary was a light blue and the front set up for the wedding to take place. At exactly 2pm the bridal party was ushered in and the preacher began the ceremony of vows, exchange of rings, and of course, the kiss! The ceremony itself lasted about 20 minutes, while the reception lasted nearly if not close to 3 hours! What a reception! Two tables were actually taken up with students from Bluefield College. At this point I would love to post some pictures from the wedding, however my computer "crashed" and I lost the pictures I had and I had already deleted them from my camera. But Lindsey was absolutely stunning in a white A-line dress with a teal/turqouise ribbon tied around her waist. The bridesmaids had matching color dresses and the groomsmen had matching teal/turqouise vests and ties. The whole esemble was beautiful! Back to the reception, it included delicious food--chocolate fountains, a beautiful cake decorated with the colors that matched the bridal party and a silver "W" sitting at the top, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of crackers, meats, and so on! Lindsey & Derrick danced together and then with their father and mother. Music that really defines who they are as individuals and as a couple was played and of course the cutting of the cake and tossing of the bride's bouquet was done as well. Unfortunately, a little 8 or 9 year old caught the thing; I'm afraid there's not much hope for the rest of us! ;-)
That evening as the wedding came to a close, we saw Lindsey & Derrick off with a car covered in saran wrap, and writing, along with three cans dragging behind as they made their way to Charlottesville for their honeymoon. After the wedding our car decided to help take back some of the gifts, as well as chip in for the $630 TV the couple had registered for but did not receive! (What a great surprise they would come back to in Bluefield!) As we made our way back to Richmond we ended up spending some time with our friends that were in town--Sara Hubble (who is in from South Africa), Kristen Clarke, Amy Montgomery, Brad Shockley, Amy Abshire, Sara's family, and JMitch. We all went out to Sara's favorite Chinese restaurant and had a relaxing and wonderful time. I can't remember laughing so much in my life! Kristen, Amy M, Brad, and Kelly kept cracking me up! I love good times like those! Oh how I love summer but do miss my friends :-( but I know that they are well and I pray and hope God blesses and takes care of them everyday they are not in my life.
Ok so now the blog is getting sad. But all good things must come to an end. Kelly and I left Mechanicsville and made it back to Montpelier a little after midnight. The next day we took our showers, got dressed, and went to Kelly's parents church. It was so adorable and cute! It's a gorgeous red brick Methodist church that took my breath away. The actual preacher was out on her honeymoon so they had a lay-speaker preach and his sermon was about "Serving the Lord." It was interesting to say the least. But after church we had subs at Subway and then made the long trek back to Bluefield leaving the cats and our friends behind.
On the actual "Memorial Day" Kelly prepared for her trip to Nashville and I relaxed and enjoyed reminiscing about the veterans in this country, as well as tagging along for TLC's "John & Kate plus 8" show. Our day ended with a miniature cookout attended by me, Kelly, Michael Gullion, and Rachel Russo--but having a small group to entertain and feed was splendid. When dinner was finished I found myself meandering around campus and eventually received a phone call from a good friend of mine, Brad, whom I was able to talk to for a while. It was nice to just catch up and sit outside before the sun went down. All in all it was a great weekend, and I'm so thankful I was able to see my friends, and I'm so happy for Lindsey & Derrick. I say bring on the blessings Lord :-)
Friday morning Kelly & I headed off to Richmond, VA to meet up with our friend Angela Turpin who attends VCU and lives in the heart of the city. Kelly's GPS on her new Blackberry was a bit confusing, but we finally made it to Angela & Dave's (her husband) apartment. It's a clean and modern apartment that suits the two of them and their two cats--Lucy & Texas. After chatting and catching up, we made our way to Primrose School where Angela works and then made our way over to Panera Bread, one of my favorite restaurants! The sandwiches and soups are yummy! After lunch we made our way over to the local mall where we shopped for a little while. I found a lovely white, green, and blue striped with silver lining dress from New York & Co. for $10! I actually wore this dress to Lindsey & Derrick's wedding! After shopping we stopped by the Cheesecake Factory where Kelly bought well of course, a piece of cheesecake. Before leaving the mall we made a pit stop in this store called "Not of this World" it's an amazing Christian store that just opened! The owner of the store even asked us before we left if he could specifically pray with us! It was so amazing! Oh how I pray and hope this store minister's to people that desperately need the Lord! Finally after our busy yet blissful afternoon we went back to Angela's where I indulged the ladies with pedicures! Since Kelly didn't live to far away she went back home, but Angela and I continued to have our girls' night--going out to dinner @ Tarants, watching "P.S. I Love You," eating ice-cream, and finally falling asleep after talking past midnight!
Saturday finally arrived! I got dressed in a hurry and Angela drove me over to JMitch's house to meet up with Kelly, JMitch, and Sarah for the drive down to Lindsey & Derrick's wedding in Chesapeake. The drive flew by and we made it to the wedding with an hour to spare! The wedding itself was in a gorgeous white Baptist church that shined brilliantly due to the wonderful warm sunshine. Inside the sanctuary was a light blue and the front set up for the wedding to take place. At exactly 2pm the bridal party was ushered in and the preacher began the ceremony of vows, exchange of rings, and of course, the kiss! The ceremony itself lasted about 20 minutes, while the reception lasted nearly if not close to 3 hours! What a reception! Two tables were actually taken up with students from Bluefield College. At this point I would love to post some pictures from the wedding, however my computer "crashed" and I lost the pictures I had and I had already deleted them from my camera. But Lindsey was absolutely stunning in a white A-line dress with a teal/turqouise ribbon tied around her waist. The bridesmaids had matching color dresses and the groomsmen had matching teal/turqouise vests and ties. The whole esemble was beautiful! Back to the reception, it included delicious food--chocolate fountains, a beautiful cake decorated with the colors that matched the bridal party and a silver "W" sitting at the top, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of crackers, meats, and so on! Lindsey & Derrick danced together and then with their father and mother. Music that really defines who they are as individuals and as a couple was played and of course the cutting of the cake and tossing of the bride's bouquet was done as well. Unfortunately, a little 8 or 9 year old caught the thing; I'm afraid there's not much hope for the rest of us! ;-)
That evening as the wedding came to a close, we saw Lindsey & Derrick off with a car covered in saran wrap, and writing, along with three cans dragging behind as they made their way to Charlottesville for their honeymoon. After the wedding our car decided to help take back some of the gifts, as well as chip in for the $630 TV the couple had registered for but did not receive! (What a great surprise they would come back to in Bluefield!) As we made our way back to Richmond we ended up spending some time with our friends that were in town--Sara Hubble (who is in from South Africa), Kristen Clarke, Amy Montgomery, Brad Shockley, Amy Abshire, Sara's family, and JMitch. We all went out to Sara's favorite Chinese restaurant and had a relaxing and wonderful time. I can't remember laughing so much in my life! Kristen, Amy M, Brad, and Kelly kept cracking me up! I love good times like those! Oh how I love summer but do miss my friends :-( but I know that they are well and I pray and hope God blesses and takes care of them everyday they are not in my life.
Ok so now the blog is getting sad. But all good things must come to an end. Kelly and I left Mechanicsville and made it back to Montpelier a little after midnight. The next day we took our showers, got dressed, and went to Kelly's parents church. It was so adorable and cute! It's a gorgeous red brick Methodist church that took my breath away. The actual preacher was out on her honeymoon so they had a lay-speaker preach and his sermon was about "Serving the Lord." It was interesting to say the least. But after church we had subs at Subway and then made the long trek back to Bluefield leaving the cats and our friends behind.
On the actual "Memorial Day" Kelly prepared for her trip to Nashville and I relaxed and enjoyed reminiscing about the veterans in this country, as well as tagging along for TLC's "John & Kate plus 8" show. Our day ended with a miniature cookout attended by me, Kelly, Michael Gullion, and Rachel Russo--but having a small group to entertain and feed was splendid. When dinner was finished I found myself meandering around campus and eventually received a phone call from a good friend of mine, Brad, whom I was able to talk to for a while. It was nice to just catch up and sit outside before the sun went down. All in all it was a great weekend, and I'm so thankful I was able to see my friends, and I'm so happy for Lindsey & Derrick. I say bring on the blessings Lord :-)
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