Sunshiny Days

Preface: This is an excessively long post comprised of about 4 months of memories. This is my journal of the summer...an incredibly long and drawn out journal. There are a about a thousand and one words and a thousand and one pictures...which are each worth a thousand words. SO, bless you if you take the time to read this. Ha!

Well, I suppose it’s time to start processing and reflecting on summer and begin the slow and painful transition back into the real world. I don’t want to do it. Ha! It seemed like it took me an especially long time to fully embrace summer mode this year. I’m not sure if that as due to the emending wedding or moving home but I certainly struggled to fully embrace the joys of sweet summertime. But all of that is to say…I have managed to successfully transition now and don’t necessarily feel the need to transition out of summertime bliss. Oh I love summer. I love sleeping in, family time, traveling, lunch with friends, beautiful sunshine, watermelon, ice cold sweet tea, lazy pool days, and late evening sunsets. I just love summer. I love the freedom from the demands of school and the ability to sit back and relax. This summer has been crazy…which always seems to be the norm. It has gone by in a whirlwind and I am struggling to process the fact that I start school in less than a week. Bummer. SO, in an effort to relive as much of these sweet summer days as I can, I thought I would hit some highlights.

Rachel Graduated…

My sweet sis graduated from the University of Kentucky in May with summa cum laude. No big deal. Ha! Rachel worked so hard all four years of college and her work certainly paid off. We were so proud of Rachel and were excited to celebrate her great accomplishment AND celebrate the end of one chapter as we prepared for the next. Speaking of which…

Rachel and Jeremy’s Wedding…

Obviously this was a major highlight. I devoted an entire blog post to this momentous occasion but definitely thought it was worth mentioning again. The wedding was so beautiful and so special. I still kind of struggle to fully believe that my sister is a married woman. Ha! Rachel and Jeremy are blissfully in love and are totally enjoying their days as a married couple. And I am so happy for them!

Weddings on Weddings on Weddings…
I am officially the age where couples get engaged nearly on a weekly basis and wedding invitations flood the mailbox. That might be a bit dramatic but seriously, I feel like I have gone to so many weddings this summer…probably doesn’t help that my sweet love is a preacher boy. But I love it! I LOVE weddings. I always have. I love the colors, the bridesmaid dresses, the wedding dresses, and tuxes, the flowers, the tears of joy, the music, the unique details, and the overwhelming sense of joy and love. I almost always tear up when the church doors are swung open and a collective gasp is heard as the bride is revealed. So amazing. I just love weddings. So I certainly am not complaining that I have had the joy of celebrating several happy couples this summer. Congratulations to all of the precious couples who have said “I Do” this summer! 

I’m Going to Disney World…

Oh how I LOVE Disney. Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of being a Disney Princess. I love the timeless magic of Disney and the prestine perfection and unique charm that each park has. At the end of May and beginning of June, mom, dad, Darin and I flew to Orlando, Florida and enjoyed an amazingly fun week in Disney World. Gosh, it was such a blast. We got the Park Hopper passes so we stayed busy going from park to park throughout each day and truly maximized our days…to the point that we would fall into bed each night thankful to finally stop. Ha! I don’t know how kids do it…must be the magic of Disney…or exhausted and stressed out parents. I think it’s the latter ;) We did and saw everything there was to do and see, including riding the rides, meeting the characters, walking around the parks, shopping, and my personal favorite, having lunch at Cinderella’s Castle with all the Disney princesses. Seriously, it was pretty much constant chaos but so completely fun. I just loved having that family time (especially after such craziness with the wedding) and loved experiencing something so memorable and magical with the people I love so dearly.

Magic Kingdom...
Oh Magic Kingdom really is the most magical place on earth. Sounds silly and in some ways it is, BUT regardless of your age, you want to (and sometimes do) believe in the magic of Disney. Magic Kingdom has always been my favorite park...perhaps because I have always not so secretly dreamed of being a Disney Princess. While at the Magic Kingdom, we walked around and saw all there was to see...including each character, Cinderella's Castle, lunch in Cinderella's Castle with the Princesses (definite highlight/favorite), the parades, and the firework/laser show at the end of the night. I'm not going to lie, I got teary eyed as I watched the fireworks go off behind the castle as my Prince Charming hugged me. Talk about a dream come true for a little girl...and a big girl too. Ha! It was just really special to have that time away from the rest of the world and create those precious memories with Darin and my parents. I love the magic of Disney...and always will.

Animal Kingdom...
We LOVED Animal Kingdom this time around. We were so impressed by the animals we got to see and the whole vibe of the park. We were also probably most impressed with the amazing shows at this park including our favorite, Lion King Broadway show. Seriously, it was so spectacular, we watched it twice. Ha! We also loved the safari we got to go on and the roller coaster, Expedition Everest. Animal Kingdom is totally where it's at. Ha!

Downtown Disney...
I loved Downtown Disney this year! In the past, it has kind of been a place to eat and go on a rainy day and that's about it, but this year we discovered Pleasure Island and really enjoyed walking around and exploring the different shops and restaurants. Darin and I had a "date night" in Downtown Disney on our last night in Disney and loved spending time away from the total chaos of the parks and so enjoyed walking around and people watching. We also got our first Christmas Ornament in Downtown Disney, which was pretty hilarious and awesome. Being the picture taker that I am, I asked the girl behind the counter (Courtney) to please take our picture with the ornament. After I received a strange look from her, I asked her if this was uncommon. Ha! She said it was and said we held the ornament like a newborn baby. Needless to say, it was awkwardly awesome and quite hilarious.

Hollywood Studios...
We spent the least amount of time at Hollywood Studious but really enjoyed our time there and loved seeing the shows (street shows, Stunt Show (amazing), and Beauty and Beast) throughout the park. We also loved the rides at the park...especially Tower of Terror and Rock'n Roller Coaster. My favorite part of the whole park though was watching the Beauty and the Beast performance...every time I have been to Disney we have watched this show, so it brought back some sweet memories.

Epcot...
Epcot was less than stellar in our eyes. We enjoyed riding a few of the rides but found that Epcot was the most outdated of the parks. We were still happy to walk around the park, we just didn't feel the Disney Magic there like we did at the other parks.

Cocoa Beach or Cocoa Bust...
The second part of our trip, we adventured to Jacksonville to visit with our friends the Weatherheads. Yeah, that was super awesome! We have known them...well, forever I think, so it was so fun to go down memory lane with them and laugh to the point of tears. We love our friendship with them and are always so happy to visit with them. After a night with them, we drove over to Cocoa Beach...where it rained most the day. Ha! Hence the Cocoa Bust. After realizing that there wasn't much to do in the town surrounding Cocoa Beach and the hope of the weather clearing were slim to none, we found a local mall and saw Fast and Furious 5. Well wouldn't you know it, by the time the movie was over, the rain had cleared and it was a beautiful sunshiny evening. We got to go down to the beach after all and had one of our favorite meals of the week at a restaurant that sat right on the beach. Our mini beach trip worked out after all.

Darin and I are both list makers so on the flight back home, we made a list of our Top 10 Disney Moments and then compared them...nerd alert I know. These lists only focus on our favorite park moments and not necessarily our favorite memory moments.

Mine:
1. Cinderella's Royal Castle Luncheon
2. Magic Kingdom Firework and Laser Show
3. Animal Kingdom Safari
4. Beauty and the Beast Show at Hollywood Studious
5. Lion King Show at Animal Kingdom
6. Seeing/Meeting the Disney Characters
7. Expedition Everest Roller Coaster at Animal Kingdom
8. Philhar Magic 3-D Show at Magic Kingdom
9. Stunt Show at Hollywood Studios
10. Small World at Magic Kingdom

His:
1. Cinderella Lunch (you saw this correctly)
2. Lion King Show
3. Beauty and the Beast Show
4. Stunt Show
5. Animal Kingdom Safari
6. Expedition Everest
7. Philhar Magic Show
8. Tower of Terror
9. Rock'n Roller Coaster
10. SOARIN

Union Campus Pastor…

Well, I am excited and proud to announce that my sweet love has taken the position to be the Union Campus Pastor at our First Church location. This is a total job change for Darin and is an exciting and new challenge for him as he and his team seek to reach people in the Union/Walton areas. We were both really excited about this opportunity and prayed heavily over the decision and both felt led to this ministry and all of the opportunities that will come with it. We have been there for several weeks now and are loving the people, loving the mission of the church, and are loving getting more and more connected to the community. God has great things in store for this campus and we are really excited to be a part of it.

Cedar Point…

Like the past several years in the past, I went with the 1829 group to Cedar Point. Umm…yeah, I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Some of my very favorite people came on the trip which resulted in complete ridiculousness, laughter, hilarious car games, stories, staying up late, and of course a whole lot of yelling/giggling on all of the roller coasters. We roller coastered and then roller coastered some more…to the point that I was so done by the end of the day. Turns out your body isn’t really made to be jerked and yanked around for hours on end. Who knew? Ha! It was a super fun day with sweet friends and crazy coasters.

Family Road-Trip and Reunion…

In June, Darin and I embarked on quite the adventure to Pennsylvania with his sister, brother in law, and their two sweet babies. Oh goodness, it was such a fun and crazy adventure. Kevin and I had never been to Pennsylvania so we were both pretty psyched to explore a new city and state. The drive alone lasted about 10 hours (with the frequent stops required with two little ones) so that was a hilarious adventure in and of itself. On the way, we even got to stop in Cleveland for a quick break, which added to the fun. So many conversations, stories, tears (from the babies only), and many bathroom stops. Ha! I loved that time with Darin, Page, and Kevin and loved getting to watch Zoe and Selah from the backseat. I just love them…so much cuteness going on. Once we arrived in Pennsylvania, we added even more adventure to our weekend by staying at a less than fancy motel. We laughed SO hard about our experience at the Just Sleep Motel. As the name infers, all we wanted to do at the hotel was just sleep. Ha! So funny but so fun to make hilarious memories with family. After getting settled in, we headed over to Nana Belle’s Farm (Linda’s mom) and began the Page Family Reunion. So many new faces to match with familiar names, so many funny moments, and so much family time. It was awesome!

A couple of my highlights from the weekend were:

Laughing late into the night with Linda and Darin.

Loving on those sweet babies.

Climbing the infamous tree at Nana Belle’s Farm and swinging on the rope swing.

Meeting all 70+ family members.

Roasting my first hotdog over the campfire.

Feeding ducks and fish with loaves of bread…that was a new one.

Watching the family interact.

The car ride in general.

The Page Family Carnival Linda did for the kids.

Playing Minute to Win It.

Getting a tour of Linda’s hometown.

Successfully avoiding using the Porta-Potty.

And of course…spending time with family.

My first reunion with the Page/Mirante family was a success!

Sweet Madelina and Fourth of July Celebrations

Oh I love my sweet friend, Madelina. This girl is one of my most faithful prayer warriors and friends and is a friend who speaks truth and Godly wisdom into my life regularly. After meeting at UK our freshmen year, we have kept in close contact and have walked through and prayed through life together ever since. I love her and I loooove when she comes and visits me! At the end of June, sweet Madelina came to the NKY and spent the weekend with me. It was so awesome. During her trip, Madelina was exposed to some hilarious and abnormal NKY adventures…including visiting an alpaca farm, being a part of our Union Celebrates America parade, and seeing a llama being walked on the side of the street. Yup, real life everybody. It was so amazing to have that time with Madelina as we got caught up on what God was doing in our hearts and how He was shaping us.

Happy Birthday, America...
In the same week, we celebrated the Fourth of July with Rachel and Jeremy and enjoyed our very expensive and quality (ha!) sparkers. Okay, so maybe we didn’t have the best presentation but we definitely had a good time! It seems that every year I have a great sense of patriotism and pride for our country and greater appreciation for the men and women who serve to protect and preserve our country. As I get older, I also grieve the sin, hatred, and brokenness of our country. So on July 4^th and every other day, I pray boldly for God to bless the USA and guide our leaders to make moral and wise decisions for the sake of our country and for the sake of blessing countries around the world. I pray that as Christians, we would take a stand and love boldly. I pray that we would have a greater sense of urgency than ever before to proclaim the truth. I pray for opportunities for American Christians to have a radical faith. To boldly and passionately love and serve others for the sake of furthering the Kingdom. I pray for our country. I pray for the world. I pray for opportunities to love and serve both in the name of Jesus.

The Life of a Nanny…

This summer, I had the opportunity to nanny for a sweet family 2-3 times a week. I had two little ones entrusted in my care, Warner (5) and Maren (3). These two kiddos kept me busy and taught me so much. I’m not going to lie, after the first day of watching them, I came home and told Darin that I was clearly not fit to be a mother. Ha! Once the newness and intimidation wore off, I so enjoyed getting to spend my days with Warner and Maren. They have such funny and spunky personalities and kept me on my toes. After a summer with them, I definitely feel more qualified and fit to be a mom (someday of course). Throughout the summer, I learned to juggle watching kids and keeping up with the responsibilities of cleaning/cooking/etc. I learned how to successfully do a little girl’s ponytail. I learned discipline techniques. I learned to be creative as I played with the kids. I learned to be more patient. I learned to show more grace. I learned to lead little ones. I learned to have greater empathy for moms whose kids are unruly in public. I learned how to finagle car seats. I learned how to keep kids quiet and under control while out in public (Ha!). I learned to appreciate stay at home moms and moms in general who faithfully and sacrificially love and serve their kids. I had such hilarious moments with the kiddos this summer…from crafting successes and failures, pool days, library afternoons, park adventures, zoo shenanigans, a daily dose of Garfield, fashion faux pas, lunch adventures, etc. I loved my silly and fun adventures with my little kiddos and am thankful for all that they taught me. I am so excited to be a mom someday but am definitely thankful for this stage of life where I can love and leave other people’s kids. Ha!

Oh Canada…

At the end of July, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Canada with a group from First Church. Canada was my first official mission trip, along with about half of the rest of the team (including Rachel and mom). The trip was a lot different than I had expected but it was so worthwhile and amazing. We were the first team from First Church to go, so it was really neat to meet and see the faces of the people we have been supporting and praying over for years. The week was definitely exhausting, as we helped facilitate day camp each day (glorified babysitting). But, despite the exhaustion, it was so worthwhile and we learned so much about Canada and how desperately in need of Jesus they are. While we were there, we learned that Canada is the most diverse city in all of North America, including NYC and LA. Craziness. As we looked around our classrooms though, it was pretty evident that this was true. We had kids that were every shade of brown…seriously. They were so beautiful. We also learned that Canada, contrary to popular beliefs, is a third world country in regards to Christianity. The country that we share a border with is a Third. World. Country. Spiritually. If that doesn’t give us a sense of urgency, I don’t know what will. While in Canada, we were exposed to some of the vast cultures and had the opportunity to visit a Hindu Temple and a Buddhist Temple and got to try Pilipino and Vietnamese food. The trip was such a culturally enhancing experience. The Lord moved powerfully through our hearts as we worked with His precious children and blessed us immeasurably as we came back to the states was invaluable insight on how desperately Canada needs Jesus.

While we were there, we also got to do some of the fun touristy things of Canada. We got to go up the CN Tower in downtown Toronto and explore the sights and sounds of the city. It was super fascinating and exciting. We also got to visit Niagara Falls. Wow…that was amazing. We rode the Maid of the Mist, which is a small ferryboat that basically takes you as close to the falls as possible. Yup, we got so soaked but had so much fun. Canada certainly left a mark on my heart and I continue to pray for our brothers and sisters there as they seek to spread the name of Jesus Christ to a desperate nation. It was a great trip, eh?

A couple lessons learned from the trip:

Canada is only about 9 hours away.

Road trips are always a fun adventure.

Do not mess with border patrol officers…or should I say, “customs and immigration.”

It is not picture taking time at customs and immigration stations.

Sleeping on an air mattress for a week isn’t the most amazing thing.

Kids are kids regardless of where you go.

Egyptian, Trinidadian, and European mixed kids are gorgeously beautiful.

The CN Tower is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Niagara Falls is spectacular.

Vietnamese Food is…interesting.

Mission trips are exhausting.

My sweet love is an amazing preacher, regardless of what country he’s in.

Canadians say eh? and right? a lot.

Everyone can achieve Buddhahood.

Buddhist are born like cabbage patch kids when they reach enlightenment.

When in Rome, do as the Mexican’s do.

Canadian paper towel dispensers show your true level of patience.

Brown Squirrel can be sung and danced to in an inspiring way.

Milk comes in a bag in Canada.

Canada has amazing summer weather.
Ponchos are smoking hot...literally and figuratively. 

Everything is expensive in Canada with 13% tax.

If you’re a (dumb) American, converting prices and speed limits into the metric system is a serious challenge.
You can't climb on top of the CN Tower...shocking.

In Canada, ice is a commodity.

In Canada, Smarties are chocolate and Smarties are called Rockets.

Everyone, everywhere needs Jesus.

First 1^st Anniversary…

Well, I already wrote a full blog post about this special occasion, but it was certainly one of my favorite days of the summer. I loved getting to celebrate with my sweet love. What a happy day!

Southern Charm and Sweet Sunshine…

How I love the South. I love the sweet southern draw, the sweet tea, fried chicken, sunshine, hospitality, and the way y’all rolls right off the tongue. I just love it. I also love lazy days on a beautiful lake with precious friends. We got to go down to Lake Pickwick with our sweet friends, the Kay’s for a couple days and my goodness, they were great days of relaxing, laughing, sun-soaking, water skiing, water boarding, tubing, jet skiing, pontooning, swimming, and eating. Oh my goodness, it was amazing. We LOVE spending time with the Kay’s and are always sad that our time with them is so short. What precious friends they are! It was so amazing to escape the demands of life and just laugh, play, and relax and enjoy the simplicity of life on a lake. Darin in particular loved tubing, so it was super fun and hilarious to watch him transform into a little boy as he played on the lake. So precious. So hilarious. AND especially fun when I got to throw him off the tube ;) Yeah, that was a good time. Ha! We had the best time with them and are already counting down the days when we can return to the simplicity and euphoria of Lake Pickwick. 

This describes us well...him tubing, me relaxing 

and enjoying watching him have a blast.

Hey Batter Batter…

Well, just like last summer, I joined the church co-ed softball team in an effort to spend quality time with Dad and Darin. And just like last year, we have continued our streak of the losingest team in the history of ever. Seriously, we have lost every single game for the last two summers. Pathetic, right? Thankfully our team wasn't super competitive so we still found a way to have a great time in the midst of being less than professional. Ha!

Sweet Friends…

I have some really precious and amazing friends. This summer, as I transitioned out of Lexington and back into Northern Kentucky, I had a few meltdowns as I worried that I was friendless and would be forever lonely. Yup…I was just a wee bit emotional and over dramatic. I’m a girl, that’s in job description, right? Well, as I prayed over friendships and really placed my dependency in the Lord’s provision, I was reminded of some really precious friendships I already had. For some reason, I had convinced myself that I needed to have a million friends to always be talking to and hanging out with…clearly that was my high school extroversion speaking and not my current introverted self speaking. Ha! I was and continue to be so convicted and thankful for the sweet friendships I already have. I have “less” friends than I ever have but my goodness, I have the most fruitful and intentional friendships than I ever have…I’d say the latter is a much healthier and better place to be in. I got to have some really amazing times with my sweet friends this summer and am so thankful for their Godly wisdom and love, laughter, sweet spirits, and amazing friendship. Thank you, Lord for showing me that quality is so much greater than quantity.

Sweet One…

I love being in love with my sweet one. We had so many sweet adventures together this summer and made so many memories. I loved having so much time to grow with him and become more in more in sync as we shared more time and memories together. Love is an amazing thing. I love reflecting on our journey together and seeing how much our love has changed and matured as time has passed. I get more and more giddy to see him and just love spending time with him. Period.  I love learning how to better love and serve him and how we can better love and serve God and people together. I love love. And I love Darin Mirante. Betchya didn’t know that already, did you? ;)

I am so thankful to have had an amazing summer full of a lot of family time, travelling, relaxing, adventuring, and spending time with sweet friends. This was a summer like none other, full of a lot of lessons and times of growth. I am definitely sad to see my sweet summertime come to a close but am expectantly excited for what God has in store for me in the near future.

Our First 1st

I am feeling quite beautifully blessed today as I celebrate one year of loving the man of my dreams. One year ago today, Darin and I went on our first date…and my first ever date. Talk about nerves. Ha! Seriously, I was SO nervous. Apparently I had a fear of commitment I was unaware of and a fear of being alone with a boy. My goodness. What a perfect date it turned out to be though...a date full of great conversations, pretty places, and amazing company. I had never felt so special in all my life.

August 1, 2012 & August 1, 2013

On August 1, 2012 Darin and I committed to love, pursue, and treasure each other. We chose to enter into a relationship we believed was God ordained and orchestrated and chose to fully embrace a love neither of us fully understood. From August 1, 2012 on, I have been falling more and more in love with the amazing man God has made Darin to be. As I reflect on this day one year ago, I tear up imagining the journey it took to get to that point. The heartache, the frustration, the misunderstanding, and the countless (seriously countless) prayers prayed, all paid off as we started our journey together. And what a journey it has been. My goodness, as I think back on this past year, it is honestly pretty difficult to believe all that happened in just 365 days. Darin and I have been blessed beyond belief with amazingly sweet moments, valuable lessons, and a love bigger and better than I ever imagined possible. We have endured the struggles of a long distance relationship, maximized every moment we had together, and have grown in tremendous ways as the Lord led us every step of the way. It has been absolutely amazing to see how God has used Darin so uniquely and so boldly in my life. He has revealed areas of my heart I never knew existed, has brought out a passionate desire to love, serve, and further the Kingdom, and has shown me what it feels like to be pursued and loved unconditionally. Darin has embodied sacrifice, patience, gentleness, and love in a way I had never seen or experienced. It is absolutely humbling to have the opportunity to love and be loved by Darin Mirante.

I could say so many more words. Words talking about the lessons I’ve learned, about the joys I have experienced, about the places we have gone, the people we have met, the memories we have shared…but instead, I will simply say this: This year has been one of the most unexpected, amazing, difficult, joyful, and beautiful years yet. I get to love and be loved by an incredible and Godly man and that brings me to tears. I love love.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary, sweet love of mine!

Here is a quick glimpse at the adventures we have shared this year…

August 1, 2012

 September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

Oh what a joyous evening we had celebrating our first 1st Anniversary as we called it. He loves me so well and I am so thankful. After a ridiculously busy last few weeks...or months, it was SO nice to be able to spend quality time with just him. Ahh, I enjoyed every minute. In sticking with tradition, my sweet boy came to the front door and I was greeted with THE most handsome man and THE most gorgeous flower arrangement. Seriously, I have never seen such beautiful flowers. And to add to the sweetness, he had decorated the vase with love and anniversary stickers. I mean, seriously? Totally blushed and was shaking when I saw him because I was so excited to see him. Ha! 

Throughout the year, Darin and I have declared certain places we have visited as "our spots." These are our go-to happy/pretty/relaxing places. One of these spots is Eden Park, which just so happens to be where our first date was. Sticking with our love of adventure AND our spots, Darin found a super fun and delicious restaurant in Eden Park called VIEW Cucina. Umm...yum! It was super tasty and the atmosphere was perfect. We got to the restaurant right before sunset and were able to enjoy a beautiful meal outside with a view of the Ohio River. Oh it was just lovely. After we ate our meals, we were (somewhat) coaxed into trying one of their desserts. Best decision of the night! Ha! We got a homemade-literally everything was homemade- s'more dessert. Oh my word, it was so yummy. After having super happy and full stomaches and super happy and full hearts, we walked around Eden Park and just totally soaked up our time together. It was perfect.

 Dijon Crusted Lemon Sole (his) & Goat Cheese Ravioli (hers) 

Oh I just loved having that special time with my sweet love. It was so perfect because it was with him. I'm pretty sure I would have been just as happy eating a PB&J in an empty room as long as he was with me. Darin shows me and tells me about love in a way I have never experienced. I am humbled every single day by the opportunity to love and be loved by him. I treasure our love and thank God for leading us together and also pray for continued guidance, wisdom, and opportunities to learn how to better love and serve together in the years to come. 

I love you, babe! You make me better every day and lead me to Jesus. I love your love and treasure the amazing gift that it is. I love you today, tomorrow, forever, and for always. Happy First 1st!

Sophomore Year: The Struggle and The Splendor

Goodness gracious. I have sat down to write this blog for several months (seriously…like 3+ months) now but haven’t had the words or the emotional energy to begin processing this past school year. By far, sophomore year was the most emotionally taxing and difficult year I have experienced. I suppose I have waited so long to truly sit and process because I wanted the good memories to flood my mind rather than the exhaustion and emotion that seemed to be far too common this year. I started this year different than I had left. I started the year with a changed heart and a shifting contentedness at UK. As the year went on, my heart was split in two as I balanced a serious relationship back home with the demands and pressure of school, friends, and CSF, in Lexington. It was a tough balance to maintain and one that became extremely emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically exhausting. My word this year was weary.

The year was full of change. Seriously. And if you know me, you know that I struggle with change. Especially when it’s not self-inflicted. Ha! Honestly, I was an emotional wreck this school year. It seemed that from October on, I cried most days. I struggled with loneliness, feeling detached, feeling torn, and feeling like I was incapable of making and keeping friends because my heart was being pulled in so many directions. I struggled to feel like I was fulfilling a purpose. I struggled with insecurity and questioned my value. I just flat out struggled. I had never experienced spiritual battle the way I did this past year. There were days I would wake up crying and with a racing heart, completely plagued with anxiety for no real reason. I would cry myself to sleep many nights praying that God would somehow reveal to me what He was doing in my life and in my heart. I longed for the Emilee that was so full of joy and so quick to laugh. I beat myself up wondering why I couldn't just choose joy and feel better. I didn't know what I was doing wrong and was desperate to find the problem and fix it. It honestly became comical how much I cried…in a pathetic kind of way.  I became so frustrated with my emotions and sadness that I cried about crying. Ha! Seriously, I was a mess. A very hot mess. My heart was just so restless and desperate for peace.  Oh it pains me to think back to some of those days as I prayed on my knees for God to reveal His will.

But you know what? God was there. Every single step of the way, He was there. While I truly believe that I gave Satan too many opportunities to wreck my heart and mess with my emotions, God was victorious every single time in restoring and holding my aching heart. God used this time to absolutely prove His faithfulness and sovereignty. God used my mess for His majesty and walked with me. He led me to a place of complete dependency on Him and a heart that was desperate for Him. My struggle gave me heightened sensitivity to other people's trials and struggles. It gave me a greater appreciation for my family and my friends {side note: Seriously. God placed some really amazing people in my life during this time, who were active prayer warriors and constant encouragers in my life}. And it made me even more thankful for laughter and sweet moments. It taught me that it’s okay to need people. To ask for prayer. To be held by family and friends as I cry. I learned that I didn’t always have to have it all together. I learned to take one moment and one day at a time. To treasure the people in my life. To pray for and serve other’s more passionately. I learned to be a better leader. I learned to have more compassion. God moved boldly in my heart throughout the year and while it was difficult, it was so worthwhile. Through these trials, I have seen God’s peace, love, and grace in a real way. While I failed miserably at times, I saw glimpse of what it means to consider it pure joy when we face trials BECAUSE of the way God is glorified and how we are grown in those times.

Okay, okay…that was the difficult and emotional side of the year. BUT, I refuse to let those struggles define my sophomore year of college. In the midst of the tears and frustration, there was a whole lot of goodness. The Lord encouraged me with a lot of joy and countless sweet moments this year as well.

Shift Group

I had the honor of co-leading a group of freshmen this year. What a great learning experience and joy that was! Each week, about 15 of us gathered together and reflected on life while reading through Crazy Love (first semester) and Radical (second semester). It was really amazing to watch our students and friends grow and mature. I loved their willingness to be led by two imperfect college kids. I loved hearing their hearts and watching how eagerly they pursued the Lord. I truly loved getting to know each student and was blessed by their friendship and their wisdom!

Core Group

My Core Group was such a blessing this year! My group was made up of 12 or so precious girls who were also student leaders at CSF. Oh what sweet girls they are! This school year, we studied through the book of Acts and learned what the church was intended to look like. We were challenged each week and had the opportunity to speak into and encourage one another each week. It was awesome! I treasured the time I got to spend with those sweet girls and valued their friendship and willingness to pray for me and hold me accountable.

CSF

CSF is amazing. Period. I loved being a part of a campus ministry that actively works to bring glory to the Lord and further the Kingdom. CSF is always finding new ways to reach the lost and pour into and enable students to be lights on a dark campus. I love CSF.

Woodhill

Oh Woodhill…how it makes me smile to think about this dear community. Every Monday, I had the opportunity and honor to go into a low-income neighborhood in Lexington and just love people. That’s it. No objective and no strings attached. Our only mission was to love the people like Jesus. I absolutely loved getting to love on the precious people that live in Woodhill. God showed up big time in Woodhill and radically changed the hearts and lives of our families. It’s a slow process and continues to be an uphill climb, but God is moving powerfully in Woodhill and I’m excited to see how He continues to show up and meet those people right where they are.

Wednesday Nights

How I loved Wednesday nights. Wednesday nights were set-aside for time with my best friend, Jen. Each Wednesday we adventured around Lexington…often finding ourselves at Target, Joseph Beth, or Chick Fil A. Ha! The location never mattered to us. All that mattered was that Jen and I were able to stop and breathe midweek and reflect on life. Most nights consisted of a whole lot of talking, sometimes some crying, and a ridiculous amount of laughter...and if we were at Target, a quick look at the adorable baby clothes. Just because. Throughout the year, we would laugh at how similar our situations were and how God ordained our friendship was/is. God used Jen powerfully to speak words of truth and love into my life AND to make me laugh. A bunch. Jen has shown me a kind of friendship I have prayed for, for a long time. Her joy and laughter are contagious and her honesty is so refreshing. I can’t fully explain how much of a Godsend Jen was this year. My words don’t do justice. So instead I’ll just say, Thank you, Lord!

Home Sweet Home

My little home away from home was so sweet! Our little house was absolutely adorable and was filled with a lot laughter and sweet memories. I can’t even say how much I loved living with Lydia and Katelynn. What precious and irreplaceable friends they are. They saw me at my worst times and loved me through it. They prayed for me, held me when I cried, and made me laugh. Gosh, I loved living with them. I loved the countless conversations we shared. The silliness we always found ourselves in. The constant singing and noise making. The hours of watching Friends (we may or may not have watched every season this year…guilty pleasure and excellent distraction). The nighttime conversations with us all piled on my “cloud” of a bed. The hugs. The inside jokes made. The ridiculous games played. The spontaneous adventures. The honesty and vulnerability. The learning, growing, and changing together. . The household naptimes. The walks. The interpretive dancing. The meals shared. The procrastination caused by having too much fun. Our little 105 year old house was well loved and made these precious memories possible. Such sweet, sweet times. Peace out, Girl Scout, love you, {insert roar}.

Dating

Phew, dating long distance is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard. And anyone who tells you it isn’t either hasn’t done it or shouldn’t be in that relationship. Ha! I never imagined how much I would miss getting to do life with Darin while I was away. I longed to just be able to hug him, feel him, and see him smile.You know, talking on the phone with someone is really hard when all you want to do is see them. It's almost like a tease. I longed to be able to serve alongside of him and do life with him. I would look forward to the weekends while trying to be in the moment while I was away...which proved to be difficult. I always savored our time on the weekends, but they inevitably flew by and I was left to say another goodbye. Every time I drove back to Lexington, my heart broke a little. Goodness, driving away was so tough. BUT, despite the many tears cried over missing him and longing for him, we learned so much and have such a greater appreciation for both quantity and quality time together. We learned how to communicate, encourage, and love from afar and how to make the most out of any and all time we have together. We learned to be more intentional while we were both together and apart and learned to truly savor every single moment we got to share. Darin was so amazing this school year! Seriously. As I cried and cried and cried some more, he lifted me up in prayer, encouraged me, and loved me in such a sacrificial and gentle way. He was my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on, and my constant supporter and encourager. In the midst of his own crazy life, he always so willingly and sacrificially served me and loved me. He was (and still is) so thoughtful and creative in the way he loved me and pursued me. I tear up thinking about it because I am so thankful and humbled by the way he loved me through that time. Despite the unfortunate reality of having a long-distance relationship, we had some really awesome dates and fun times and made the most out of the amazing love we had been blessed with! Darin's compassion, gentleness, kindness, patience, love, grace, silliness, creativity, adaptability, and ultimately His love for the Lord, made me fall completely in love with the amazing man that Darin Mirante is. He showed me what unconditional love looks like in a way I had never experienced before and has pursued me in such a sacrificial and beautiful way. We have learned to better love, serve, treasure, pursue, and communicate because of our long distance relationship. I'm not saying I want to go back to the days of long distance, BUT there was absolute value in that time. I am in love. And I love being in love.

NKU

Well…if you have stuck with this post all this time. Bless you! After a year of great struggle and great joy, the Lord brought me to a solution for my distracted and torn heart. There are a lot of details I’m leaving out, simply because I have written so much and am officially exhausted, BUT, drumroll please...I have decided to transfer to Northern Kentucky University. After countless prayers (and of course tears), a lot of conversations from wise family and friends, a whole lot of research, evident affirmation from the Lord, and a trip to NKU, I have decided to take a leap of faith and go where my heart can be whole again. With the education program being two years at both schools, this was the make or break time. After such a difficult year, I am letting go of the reigns and entering into uncharted and scary territory. I am leaving all that I know of college life for this new adventure. I am choosing to embrace and invest in my future rather than postponing it. I’m excited and nervous for what the future holds, but I know who holds my future. And THAT gives me great peace. I’ll always be a Wildcat at heart but will learn to share a piece of my heart to embrace my inner Norse. Onto new adventures…

I Now Pronounce You...Husband & Wife

Oh how do I begin a post that I have prayed about and dreamed of for my sister for so many years? How do you accurately put into words the vast array of emotions I feel as the realization sinks in that my Rachel is married? I have neglected writing this post because, well, I have just had too many emotions, too many thoughts, and too little time to sit and process the reality. On May 18, Rachel and Jeremy became Mr. and Mrs. Eaton. The day could not have been more perfect! It was an absolute honor to be Rachel’s maid of honor and so much fun to enjoy the fun activities and preparations leading up to the big day. I really can’t put into words how it felt to see my sister in her wedding dress (because she looked absolutely stunning!). To walk down the aisle (straight down to Darin…ironic, huh?) at my sister’s wedding. To watch her walk down the aisle with her arm wrapped around my Dad’s as she attempted to process the unbelievable reality that was hers. To see her giddily and tearfully commit her love and her life to the man of her dreams. And to look around and see hundreds of friends and family who had traveled from near and far to celebrate Rachel and Jeremy and bless them with their support, their encouragement, and their excitement. Just a couple of my favorite moments were…seeing Rachel for the first time in her dress (yup, there were serious water works involved), praying with her just the two of us before the wedding, having pictures before the wedding with the wedding party, getting ready, watching Darin officiate the wedding, worshipping during the service, doing Rachel's makeup (no pressure, huh?) walking down the aisle and seeing so many people who loved Rachel and Jeremy, seeing Rachel and Dad walk down the aisle, hearing for the first time “Mr. and Mrs. Eaton,” Rachel and Dad’s father-daughter dance, delivering the maid of honor speech, dancing like a fool at the reception…okay, basically I loved the entire day. Ha!  It was so special and so surreal!

As the maid of honor, I had the responsibility and honor of giving a speech/toast at the reception. Umm, yeah…while this has been a norm that I have seen play out at countless weddings, I never understood the weight of that moment until I stood before our friends, family, and the new Mr. and Mrs. Eaton and attempted to speak without my voice shaking or my hands trembling. Ha! I struggled and prayed over the speech for so long, wanting it to be perfect, wanting to say all the right words in all the right way, and more than anything, wanting to honor my sister and remind her how much I loved her. No pressure, huh? After putting it off until the week before the wedding, I finally started writing. And if you know me at all, once I got going, I didn’t stop. There were so many memories that flooded my mind from childhood and so many things that I admire and love about Rachel. Needless to say, I had a whole lot of things I wanted to say about my sweet sis and her new husband. Because my speech was quite long (probably a little too long. Ha!) I thought instead of attempting to rewrite what I love about Rachel, I would share what I said at her reception…

Wow, what a surreal moment this is. My sister is a married woman. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Emilee, Rachel’s little sister. I want to preface this by apologizing for this speech being so long. Once I got writing, I had a really tough time stopping because my heart is overflowing with joy.

First of all, I just want to say thank you on behalf of my family. Thank you for joining us in celebrating Jeremy and Rachel and for being such valuable, influential, and special family, friends, role models, leaders, and prayer warriors in their lives. It is absolutely humbling to look around and see so many people who are eager to celebrate the amazing love that God has blessed Jeremy and Rachel with.

Rachel, you are an absolutely stunning bride. You’re always beautiful, but tonight…wow. You look gorgeous. There are so many things I love about Rachel, which has made writing this speech pretty difficult. Rach, I love your heart. You have such a beautiful, generous, and humble heart that seeks after the Lord in all that you do. I love how willing you are to give of yourself for the good of others and how generous you are with your time and your unique gifts and abilities. I love your love for family. I love how sacrificially you love and serve us and how beautiful of a role model you have always been to me. You are the most amazing big sister. You have always sacrificially loved and taken care of me. You have always had my best interest in mind and have shared your wisdom, time, love, support, and friends with me. You have always been my best audience member, sis. I love how much you laugh at and with me. It doesn’t take much to make you giggle, which I love. I love how lighthearted you are. Your “hancackle” has and always will be contagious. I love how unafraid you are to be silly and to laugh, sing, and dance, whenever your heart desires. You have busted many a dance moves over the years…and have provided quite the entertainment. I love how adventurous and fearless you are. I love your love for travelling and experiencing new things. I love your gentleness. I love how maternal you have always been. I love how hard you work. I love how innocent you are. I love how unassuming you are. I love how quick you are to forgive. I love how compassionate you are. I love how genuine you are. I love so many things about you, sis. You are so special and I am so thankful for you.

Rachel, we have some of the sweetest memories together, don’t we? Dancing, singing, rollerblading, travelling, spending countless hours creating extravagant chalk roads, jumping on the trampoline, eating watermelon, going on safari’s with Nanny and Pappy, playing school for hours on end, creeking, nightly sleepovers, and laughing a lot define our childhood. As we have gotten older, not much as changed. Ha! We have continued to create sweet and silly memories together. Rach, you are my best friend. I am so honored and thankful that you double as my sister.

I have prayed for years that this day would someday be a reality for you, Rach. For years we have talked about and dreamed for this day. I have prayed over the man that would someday be your husband and prayed that you would be blessed with a love that can only come from God. It brings me SUCH joy to see these dreams and prayers become a reality. For years, I have prayed that God would be shaping and preparing a man for you that would love the unique and beautiful woman you are and who would lead you to Jesus each day. I prayed daily that this man would be shaped into God’s likeness and would be a man after His heart. I prayed that this man would love to laugh and be silly and would be someone who you could laugh through life with. I didn’t know your name, Jeremy, but I have been praying for you for a long time.

I remember the first time I heard about Jeremy. You see, Rachel never talked about boys, so when she said his name with a smile, I knew he was something special. For about a year after the first mention of his name, I heard about this infamous Jeremy. How great of a friend he was, what a great leader he was, and how much Rachel loved serving alongside of him. The only problem was, Jeremy was perfectly content to remain in the friend zone. I remember having countless conversations with Rachel and with a lot of you in this room, as we tried to help decipher what was going on in “this boys” head. There may have been a time or two that I tried to convince Rachel to move on. Good thing she didn’t listen, huh? Rachel knew that God had allowed her to see Jeremy in a way she had never seen anyone before and faithfully prayed over Jeremy and their friendship until the Lord allowed Jeremy to see Rachel with new eyes. Your prayers have paid off, sweet sis. It is an absolute honor to stand before you and see that your dream has come true. I am so excited to see how the Lord blesses the two of you as you learn to love and serve each other as husband and wife. You have both patiently and prayerfully waited for this day and have finally made it!

Jeremy, I am so thankful that the Lord has brought you into our lives. I am so thankful that you love Rachel in such a sacrificial and beautiful way. I love that you love how quirky and silly she is. I love that you join her in her silliness and make her laugh. I love that you support, encourage, and take care of Rachel. I love that you treasure and value her. I love that you point her to Jesus and that you lead her, provide for her, and guard and protect her heart. I love your love for the Lord and your commitment to being led by Him in all things. I love how sacrificially you live and love and how you seek to serve and glorify Him in all that you say and do. I love that your relationship is built on prayer and your shared love for the Lord. Jeremy, your wife is one of the most amazing women I know and she loves you so much. As our families become one, I’m trusting you to take care of her. To continue to guard and protect her. To hold her. To laugh with her. To encourage and support her. To sacrifice for her. To provide for her. To respect, value, and treasure her. And to ultimately lead her to Jesus every day. I know that the Lord has brought you two together and am so excited to watch you two continue to fall in love each day, as you begin this new chapter.

While I have officially talked your all’s ears off (sorry), I would love to end this with a prayer for Jeremy and Rachel. Please join me by bowing your heads…

Lord, thank you for bringing us to this beautiful day of celebration. Thank you for the amount of love, support, and joy that is so evident in this room. Father, thank you for leading Jeremy and Rachel to each other and for blessing them with such a beautiful love. Thank you for their commitment to each other and ultimately their commitment to loving and serving you. Please use their marriage for your glory. Lead them into opportunities to love, serve, and bless others together. Let their marriage be defined by grace, forgiveness, and love. Lead Jeremy and Rachel into opportunities to practice the fruits of the spirit. Lord, let their marriage be defined by Matthew 6:33- “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Teach Jeremy to be a husband who, like Ephesians 5:25 says, “loves his wife, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.” Teach Rachel to be a Proverbs 31 wife, who sacrificially loves and blesses her family and who fears and knows you personally. God refine Jeremy and Rachel each day into your likeness and let them seek after you in all that they do. Bless their marriage with joy, laughter, and sweet moments. Arm them with your truth and faithfully lead them through trials. Lord, thank you for being the creator, provider and sustainer of love. Thank you for being the ultimate example of sacrificial love. Thank you for bringing Jeremy and Rachel together. Thank you for their love for one another and their love for you. Thank you for each person in this room tonight. Lord, let them know you personally and intimately and serve you humbly. We love you, we serve you, and we thank you for the abundant blessings you shower over us. Father, it’s in your son’s perfect and holy name I pray. Amen.

Here’s to Jeremy and Rachel Eaton. Congratulations!!

Okay, so the written version was a bit more eloquent then the reality of the speech. Ha! SO, for the full effect, here is the video version of the speech...