Only the beginning...

Wow, What a year! As the wedding date approaches I think of all the changes in my life since January. Kevin and I will be married in only eight days. In some ways I look at December 18th as an end...an end to a long and winding search for the person God intended for me, to all the planning and preparation for the big day, an end to being called Ms. Miller by my students, and so on. Really though, this is only the beginning. I'm excited about the wedding and know it will be beautiful, but more than anything I'm excited about marrying my one and only true love. I'm more excited about the marriage than about the wedding. Kevin and I, both, realize there will be difficult times ahead, but there will also be countless days of smiles, laughter, happiness, friendship, and comfort mixed in. Kevin is my very best friend. Just being near him elicits a contentedness I never experienced before. I am overjoyed at the mere thought of being a family with him. We pray daily that God will bless us with a beautiful family to raise in a Christian home. Kevin reminds me all the time that God has so many plans in store for us. Please pray for us as we begin the next chapter in our lives together. Pray that we will actively seek God's will for our lives and our family, that we will listen. Pray that we will be an example and blessing to those we encounter in our daily lives, even when we don't realize it.

This picture reminds me of a book I read in 5th grade called The Little Princess. 

Katelyn and I pose for the camera before the luncheon begins. 

What a little lady! 

Katelyn continues to spread the love at the luncheon. 

Joannie proudly showing off her five-week-old angel, Josie 

Is Katelyn excited about being so close to Carolyn or Baby Josie? We're not real sure. 

Katelyn giving Aunt Manda some love at the bridesmaids' luncheon 

Bridesmaid Luncheon

I hosted a luncheon for my bridesmaids and my precious little flower girl on Saturday at Old Alabama Gift Company. Marchelle's catered it. What a busy place! They also had their Christmas open house, so there was a lot of activity. Mom, Katelyn, Amanda, Carolyn, and Joannie (with baby Josie in tote) were there. Robin couldn't make it because her Orange and Blue were in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. She went to cheer them on. We all had a good time eating and passing Josie around. She was such a good baby, no a whimper the whole two hours she was there. One thing's for sure...her momma knows how to keep her happy. I can't wait to have one of my own. Katelyn's favorite part was drinking her grape juice out of a champagne glass. Our favorite part was drinking the champagne! There are only 13 days left until the wedding. Kevin's family arrives in 11 days. I thought this month would never get here, and now it's going so quickly. The Egans are busy with special plans for the rehearsal dinner. It's gonna be a real treat. We have to pay for poinsettias and the other half of the reception. I'm doing that on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday afternoon I have to pick up Kevin's ring from being sized and the napkins we ordered for the reception. I think that leaves paying for the cakes, decorating the church, and getting married...of course, Kevin still has a few items on his "to do" list, but I'm sure he'll check them off as soon as he's back in town on Friday night. Today I've had a cold, but nothing that Alkaseltzer Cold and Sinus could improve. I cleaned house and laid on the couch admiring the Christmas lights on the mantle and tree and the fire in the fireplace. It was so nice to take a little time for the holiday season. So far, we've only had time to purchase 3 gifts, and they came off of the internet. We're gonna get the rest next weekend before we go see A Christmas Carol at the Shakespeare Festival. We'll also be putting our lights up next weekend too. We haven't been home long enough to get them out of the boxes yet. I'm off to write thank you notes.

Count down continues!

We are only about two weeks away from the big day! Kevin and I are so excited. We have a million and one things to do. My good friend Carolyn called this morning to check on me. She just got married in October. We have ordered the napkins, gotten our marriage license, established how much alcohol we need for the reception, and done several other things which slip my mind right now. I'll be glad to have some free time in New Orleans with my new hubby. We had dinner with our musicians last night. That was a lot of fun. Cedric and Sarah are so sweet. I'm getting ready for the bridesmaid luncheon on Saturday. I hope everyone has a good time. We are still getting RSVPs for the reception. I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed right now, but I'm determined to keep a positive attitude about it. I have developed a pain in my neck which I think is caused by stress. I have fallen behind on thank you notes, but I think one good quiet evening will catch me up. I just haven't had one yet. I will have one on Sunday though, and that is only three days away. So, if you haven't received a thank you from me yet, it's not because I'm rude. It's because I'm swamped. I love you dearly, and Kevin and I are so excited about all the sweet and thoughtful gifts we've received for our new life together. On a different note I enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving in Tupelo, MS and Memphis, TN with my husband-to-be and his wonderful family. The dinner was fantastic! Chef Tim is quite a cook. I learned how to make Kevin's favorite, spinach casserole, from his mother. So, he's thrilled about that. I had dressing with pork in it for the first time in my life. It was yummy! My favorite was the desserts! Tim really went all out for everyone. Tim and Bonnie were so nice to set a place for Kevin's father, the late Jack Riley. We thought that was especially nice and plan to follow suit at the rehearsal dinner. In addition to planning the wedding and taking my class back over from a month-long intern, I've been trying to get the house decorated for mine and Kevin's first Christmas together. What a job! We both have so many Christmas decorations. Finding them and getting them organized has been quite a task. We have so many things to be thankful for. I can't wait to be married to Kevin. It'll just be nice to finally have a break after the wedding.