I just got back from having a great time in Knoxville this past weekend! I just love that town for some reason... it's hard for me to explain... but I think a lot of it has to do with the PEOPLE in that city. It was definitely bittersweet leaving, knowing that I will not be back for a while. I have very mixed emotions about transferring to a different school this year, but that's another blog in itself.
I got there Friday evening, later than I expected because of an unforeseen event... I had to get a new battery in my car! Anywhooo, I got there and had Mexican with a group of girls. So much fun! We enjoyed the rest of our night then crasheddd. I got up the next morning, got breakfast at Panera, then went to skit practice. Skit = hilar. I can't decide if the writing and script is really funny, or if it's really funny because of knowing the girls and the girls personalities in the skit. Either way, I'm sure they'll be getting a bangin' new flock of cutie hooties! It was so great and refreshing to see a bunch of girls' faces at skit practice and in the suite for a quick run-through of slides.
The rest of our day was great... I just love hanging out with friends in that college town. But a large reason I had gone up this past weekend was for a dear friend's sisters' wedding! Mom, Dad, and Brother came up later Saturday afternoon for the wedding. I love being up in Knox with them (M and D) because they can relate to me in loving being up there--they enjoyed 4 great years there themself!
(I'd like to preface by saying I LOVE WEDDINGS!) I went to the wedding with friends and met up with the fam after. The wedding was simple, yet elegant, and very personable and sweet. I always cry at weddings. It is inevitable! I think I got the most teary-eyed as Abby was going down the aisle. She looked BEAUTIFUL. It made me excited to think (hopefully) one day soon, I'll be seeing her walking down that aisle wearing white :)
After attending three weddings this summer, I find myself thinking about my own wedding. I like to think about the true meaning of marriage--how God designed it. For a while now I've been reading Karen Kingsbury's Redemption series. (Great if you're looking for a good read!) I want to share one thing that I specifically remember from one of the books about marriage--something that I believe I want said during my own wedding ceremony.
It really is just a simple (yet powerful) set of verses that kinda make a formula that I personally think is very applicable to marriage. The first verse comes from 1 Corinthians 13:13--"and now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." It is easy to think that the answer to a happy marriage is love, but God designed it to be much deeper than that. The second verse is from Ecclesiastes 4:12--"A cord of three strands cannot easily be broken." This means that with God, a marriage would not (easily) fall apart. But what does that mean exactly... pray? Go to church? Serve? Yes, you need those things, but those are not necessarily the best and only ways to have God always be apart of your marriage. The last verse is from 1 John 4:16--"God is love." So if you put all three of these verses together... this is what becomes evident: The only way to have God in your marriage is to have love. And the only way to have love in your marriage is to have God. (What is it... The transitive property?? haha.) They cannot be separated because GOD is LOVE! Everytime you show/give/recieve... etc. you are letting God be apart of your marriage. How simple, yet dynamic!?! Just a little insight for the day... haha.
It was so great to see so many people at the wedding, including meeting some of my mom and dad's college friends. Here is a pic of my mom with 3 of her college roommates. How neat is it that one of the ladies was in mom's wedding and mom was in her wedding. Now we just went to her oldest daughter's wedding, and her youngest daughter is one of my best college friends?! It all comes full circle!
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Us 4 :) at the reception. Beautifulllllll reception and beautiful ladies.
These girls are the reason I will miss Knoxville so very much. Love.
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In the shades of evening,
There will be no grieving,
Even though you're leaving
Even though you're leaving
Chi O far behind you.
There'll be many memories,
There'll be many letters,
There'll be lonley hours
There'll be lonley hours
'til me meet again, then
We'll have our reunion,
There'll be toasts and singing,
and you'll hear us bringing
praises to you 'til then,
Chi O now departing,
Come bid sweet adieu,
Chi O ever after,
We'll remember you.
