Are they not just the sweetest, most darling lovebirds?
We paused the craziness of working on the house (more on that later) for a weekend of celebration with my dear friend, Katie, in Magdalena. Katie and I became the best of friends when God placed us in each other's lives. I remember when I first arrived at Tucson airport for the first time. The girl with her nose buried in her book in the backseat of the Schick suburban that took me to Mexico seemed so different than me. I doubted we'd hit it off very well. We just didn't seem to have that much in common.
Only Narnia,
and thrifting,
and Jane Austen,
Adventures in Oddessy,
4-H memories,
Phil Wickham, JJ Heller, John Mark McMillan, and a hundred other musicians,
and coffee,
nutella,
and all things vintage,
long walks and talks,
an affinity for sweaters and sandals,
and, above all, Jesus.
He's all you need in common anyway.
If I had to sum up Katie and I's friendship, I'd have to say "iron sharpening iron" at it's finest. To the glory of God, He made us friends to make us better lovers of Him. And we both miss the days when we lived just a few minutes away from each other, spent time together almost daily, shared life together. Now, we have to settle for sweet visits in person--her to California or me to Mexico, skype dates, and text conversations.
When Jonathan came into the picture, Katie dubbed him "the BFF-in-law". A title he takes very seriously. I'm so glad he could take time off to come to the big weekend with me. My moral support as I rather bittersweet-ly stood by my best friend while she gained a new best friend. As it should be, as it should be, I remind myself. *tear*
And we of course brought Eddie along for the ride. He loves Katie a lot too. The first time they met, he was smitten. I seem to remember his totally dazed, relaxed, and completely in-love, look into her eyes as he lay on her lap. And he's been to CVE several times, but each time he's more interactive (and a tad bit more clingy, I have to admit. Partly his age, and partly
so much love from so many people; I don't think he gets it yet.).
Walking the streets of the this town I love so much, with these people and others I love so much.
Speaking of people I love,
this talented, beautiful, special girlie was in there!
We always seem to miss each other when either of us are in Magdalena. I haven't seen her in ages! And it was her first time meeting lil' Eddie! She's blossoming into such a lovely woman!
The above photo was taken at the pre-ception: the big party the night before the wedding. All the guests were there celebrating and enjoying the yummy tacos and soft serve ice cream. I think my favorite moment has to be when the bridesmaids joined in with the background music serenading Katie and Denver with "their" song. And the decor? Just what you'd expect from Katie May. Like that super creative book wall!
And the chalkboard was a big hit!
#katiesdreamteam (minus one, not sure where Karalea was off to)
It was such a joy and honor to get to hang out with these ladies as we loved and supported Katie through the wedding weekend! Katie as a common denominator made us all fast friends, even though we represent different spheres of Katie's life. They are all amazing women, and we had a blast!
The best we could do for a snapshot with the happy couple.
And I have to say, Denver is a sweet guy, and super blessed beyond compare to get to be the one to marry my Katie. There were some sweet and very romantic moments witnessed throughout the weekend, but my personal favorite was being right behind them as they walked out of church after the service. He swung her in a celebratory circle, both of them incandescently happy!
