Let it snow, let it snow....let is SNOW!

Many of you are well aware that Southern Minnesota has been nailed with lots of precipitation in the form of water crystals (snow). As I type this blog entry, it is snowing, and before this front passes, Rochester could end up with another 6-8 inches of accumulation.
Here's a random picture of the car I didn't have parked in my garage after the last storm (Rochester received ~19 inches of snowfall).

The wind blew off the top of my car.

Nothing like sitting on a swing in the sunshine.

My neighbor was shoveling the walkway, since they're weren't enough shovels for all of us to participate.

DJ
As for wedding planning, Thomas and I recently decided upon a DJ. We are using Dance Tracks DJ Service, which was recommended to us by a friend who recently used their company for her wedding. So now, we don't have to walk in this white stuff; rather, Thomas and I can go Dancing in a Winter Wonderland (I know the wedding is in July, but it could snow. After all, Michigan weather isn't the least bit predictable).

CHRISTMAS!
Here's some Christmas trivia for you. As for how the celebration came to be December 25, check out John MacArthur's commentary. As for what the oldest Christmas song is, there is much debate. Most agree that the Magnificat, which is sung in the Catholic Church, is the oldest, with an unknown date of origin. Other rivals are O Come, O Come, Emmanuel originally sang in Latin, written in the 12th century.

Have a blessed Advent and Merry Christmas everyone!

Giving Thanks to Whom...

Today is Thanksgiving, and many Americans forget to be thankful. Instead, it is a day of football and rest in preparation for a big shopping day (or couple of days). For those who remember to be thankful, to whom do they express their thanks? Some express thanks to friends, some express thanks to family, and some express thanks to anyone who is listening. But really, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God, the God of Abraham...the God of David...the God of George Washington...the God of Abraham Lincoln...the God of the PILGRIMS.

This was my pet turkey, Peeper. I hatched him, and raised him. My family never ate him for Thanksgiving, and he recently died at the ripe age of 10.

Here is a brief (relatively true) story :

The first winter the pilgrims spent in America was very cold. Some days, all they had was enough for each person to have only five kernels of corn.
When spring came, the pilgrims planted their corn and it grew so they had a lot of food the next year. From then on at Thanksgiving, the pilgrims each kept five kernels of corn at their plates to remind them of God's provision.

Peeper can count his kernels. You can watch Peeper eat by clicking here.

1. The first kernel reminds us that God loves us.
2. The second kernel reminds us that God provides for all our needs.
3. The third kernel reminds us of the friends God has given us.
4. The fourth kernel reminds us of all the people God has given us who love us.
5. And the fifth kernel reminds us that God hears our prayers and answers us.

Let's pray. God, thank you for providing for all our needs and for loving us. We love you. Amen.

Here is a longer story about Thanksgiving.

I love my Tom!

Now, here is a sermon regarding giving thanks as a Christian. But first, read this:

 One afternoon a shopper at the local mall felt the need
 for a coffee break.  She bought herself a little bag of
 cookies and put them in her shopping bag.  She then got in
 line for coffee, found a place to sit at one of the
 crowded tables, and then taking the lid off her coffee and
 taking out a magazine she began to sip her coffee and
 read.  Across the table from her a man sat reading a
 newspaper.
 After a minute or two she reached out and took a cookie. 
 As she did, the man seated across the table reached out
 and took one too.  This put her off, but she did not say
 anything.
 A few moments later she took another cookie.  Once again
 the man did so too.  Now she was getting a bit upset, but
 still she did not say anything.
 After having a couple of sips of coffee she once again
 took another cookie.  So did the man.  She was really
 upset by this - especially since now only one cookie was
 left.  Apparently the man also realized that only one
 cookie was left.  Before she could say anything he took
 it, broke it in half, offered half to her, and proceeded
 to eat the other half himself.  Then he smiled at her and,
 putting the paper under his arm, rose and walked off.
 She steamed.  Her coffee break ruined, already
 thinking ahead of how she would tell this offense to her
 family, she folded her magazine, opened her shopping bag,
 and there discovered her own unopened bag of cookies. 

This year, I give thanks to God for my Faith, Family, Friends, Food, Fun...

...and especially for my FIANCE. 

I love you Thomas! 

I miss you, Peeper! Thanksgiving will never be the same. After all, you were my Tom Turkey. :-)

Dresses for successes!

Eight months today and counting....DOWN, of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you probably know that my parents and younger brother came out to Iowa via Minnesota because they wanted to see their grandchild/niece. Well, my dad and younger brother returned to Michigan with the car, and my mother stayed with my older brother and sister-in-law to help them get into the swing of things (more like holding the baby so that Amber could sleep and Mark could work) for about a week. That left my mom getting back to Michigan by meeting my older brother and sister-in-law half-way between Rochester and Orange City to pick up my mom. Then, I drove my mother to the Amtrak train station in Winona the next morning.

A= Orange City, IA; B= Rochester, MN; C= Winona, MN. Then, my mom took the train to Chicago, and then transferred to another train (in an ideal world) to go up to Grand Rapids. Fun times using Amtrak!
Click here to go to the website.

So, when my mother stayed at my apartment for the evening, and one of the things we did together before she left town was go to where else but David's Bridal. While there, I successfully picked the dress and color (tea-length and horizon, aka- blue). Everything is in the computer system at their stores now. I don't mean to ruin the surprise, but the dress for the bridesmaids is shown below. Thanks for the help, Mom!

Click here to go to the website.

Once in a blue moon...

Today, there is a full moon, so what better to talk about than the honeymoon (No it's not a blue moon; the next blue moon will be in 2012, and the last one was Dec 31, 2009).

From www.dictionary.com:
honeymoon

1546, hony moone, but probably much older, from honey in reference to the new marriage's sweetness, and moon in reference to how long it would probably last, or from the changing aspect of the moon: no sooner full than it begins to wane. Fr. has cognate lune de miel, but Ger. version is flitterwochen (pl.), from flitter "tinsel."

Honeymoon
This is all Thomas. So, if you want details, talk to the man. I don't have the slightest clue where we're going or what we're doing. If you manage to weasel the information out of Thomas, don't spoil the surprise for me. If you come up empty-handed, then you’ll just have to wait until we get back to find out where we went and what we did.

October showers bring November flowers!!!!

Flowergirl
Yay!!! My older brother called yesterday to inform me that Thomas and I are going to have a flowergirl in our wedding. Her name is Abigail Amelia Bradley, and she was born Tuesday (11/9/10) at 6:46 PM CST. She was a healthy 7 lbs 11 oz and 20.5".


Here are some pictures of the newborn with the happy parents (Can I just say that if I was them, I would be utterly exhausted after 24 hrs of labor resulting in a C-section...).

Treat or Trick?!?!?!

4 years, 5 months, 6 days, 7 hours, 8 minutes, 9 seconds, 10....

So, Thomas and I have officially been together for a little over 53 months (see above). While he is counting down the weeks until we're officially together by God's union (aka - marriage), I am counting up the months we've been officially dating, including this engagement period. My belief is that it is a treat to be with Thomas, and the trick is to stay focused on Christ whom provides the guidance for our daily lives and our relationship.

Speaking of our engagement period:

Notice the wall...

...notice the wall again (and what two things are missing)...

...notice that my hand is back and so are the dots. The PI I was flying with couldn't figure out what was on the wall and after a few seconds it hit me - my beautiful engagement ring was making a sweet reflection pattern. I must say that it was a nifty discovery. As time progresses, I am discovering more and more tricks and gadgets related to this wonderful ring given to me by my Mr. Incredible. Thanks Thomas!

For those of you who are avid Halloween-ers - Happy Halloween!
I'm not sure what that means since Halloween is not exactly a happy holiday. Secondly, why is the term "holiday" used to describe it if there isn't anything holy about the day (it used to be, but now it's rather corrupt). Lastly, why is it socially acceptable to say "Happy Halloween" but not "Merry Christmas" when one is a pagan day and the other is religious day? If we are worried about offending the non-Christians on a Christian holiday, shouldn't we also be worried about offending the Christians on a non-Christian holiday? After all, Halloween came to be as a pagan rebellion against All Saints Day celebrated in the Catholic Church. My understanding is that it originated as a combination of a harvest festival and All Hallow's Eve (omit the "all," say it fast, and you get the word "halloween"), which makes sense since it is on the eve of All Saints Day (All Hallow's Day) and then All Soul's Day (Day of the Dead) follows. But, it was corrupted by neopagans and others not affiliated with the church.
Hmm...

A Petite Penta-Pile of Portraits of our Prayerful Promise

Engagement Pictures
Surprise! These photos came in earlier than I anticipated so as promised, here is a small taste of the fabulous engagement pictures (taken by Terri Gillis). If you want to see more photos, check out the album on Facebook.* Regardless of whether you have an account, you should be able to view them on Facebook. Please let me (us) know which photo you think is the best/your favorite. Thomas and I really enjoyed having these photos taken, so we can only hope you receive as much enjoyment by looking at them.

*The Facebook link will become active by the evening of 10.19.10. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can't comment on Facebook; however, you can comment here by clicking on "Comments" at the bottom of this post, type your comment in the box, and then use OpenID (type in your name where it says "OpenID URL"). Otherwise, email always works.

The photos were taken...

 Date = Sunday, September 19, 2010
 Time = 6-7 pm EDT
 Location = Warren Townsend Park, MI

Since this particular file is large, it doesn't show up as clear as the other photos.

What do you think?


(Also, we owe thanks to my sister-in-law and younger brother for helping Thomas and I coordinate our outfits.)

Manifesto for Monday

Can I just point out that yesterday was 10/10/10. Anyone who was not aware of the date might think I was being redundant if they asked me what the date was. Thankfully, it was a Sunday, meaning that the usual happenings of the week did not occur. Hence, I never encountered the situation I just described. I wonder, however, if any of you sat and pondered the date as you wrote a check or completed your homework assignment. So, did you?

Since this blog is in preparation for a wedding, I would like to give a shout out for two wedding anniversaries. These are people from my hometown church, East Nelson UMC in Cedar Springs, MI. Rick and Jody and Mike and Betty are/were celebrating within the last week. So, to them:
"Happy Wedding Anniversary!!! God bless you in the years to come!"

Circular Objects = Wedding bands
Thomas and I stopped in at a Jared in Detroit back in July. That particular day, we were on our way to a Tigers game (imagine us in Detroit Tigers hats). The decision was made to ferment on the ideas we had for the other's ring. Then, last weekend (10/3/10), Thomas and I stopped back in at a different Jared in the Twin Cities. This time, we were on our way back from hunter's safety (imagine us in orange hoodies). Needless to say, we decided upon the ring we wanted to give the other as a token of our love and to symbolize our marriage vows. I bought Thomas' band that day. Friday, Thomas went to Jared (LOL!!!) and picked up my band. So, this is yet another object(s) to check off of the list.


...oh...and today is Columbus Day, so don't go to the Post Office expecting it to be open (speaking from experience).

Friday of Fellowship...

Location for Rumination = Reception Hall
After talking to people in the West Michigan area, getting advice from Holland/Grand Rapids newlyweds, perusing the internet, sending emails, making phone calls, and finally visiting the two locations I had it narrowed down to, Thomas and I agreed that we would hold our wedding reception at the Cannonsburg Ski Area. The paperwork is all complete, so we are on their calendar!

Following the wedding, pictures will be taken, and eventually we will make our way to this hall for food and fellowship. The menu has not been finalized, but I'm certain we will have delicious delectables.

Threads for Thursday...

Habiliment = Wedding dress
Last week Friday, I went in to David's Bridal to finalize the color of my wedding habiliment (clothes as worn in a particular profession, way of life, etc.) and all of the threads (Sunday best, apparel, attire, dress, etc.). After talking to a consultant and looking at various colors and styles, I made up my mind. You'll have to wait until the Big Day to see the product I decided upon. Of course if I see you before then, I can try to clue you in (except you, Thomas).
There was an another benefit of going into the Rochester David's Bridal besides to finalize colors, and this benefit was purely accidental. I discovered that in Minnesota, there isn't tax on clothing. HUGE, right?!?!? So, instead of ordering my dress through the Grand Rapids David's Bridal and having to find time to be in MI try it on, etc., I ordered it through the Rochester David's Bridal. The item immediately became tax FREE, I live one mile from the store, and they will ship it to MI for FREE after I try it on! SWEET!!!

Since I recently made this purchase, I will be sending out information on how to obtain the proper apparel for the rest of the wedding party. I believe you all should qualify for a discount of sorts.

October Five - Busy as a Beehive

So...my last post was nearly two weeks ago (12 days to be exact). Like I foreshadowed in the posts prior, much was accomplished while Thomas and I were with the entire family in Michigan.

Hmm...where to start....oh yes...ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!!!
We received our reprints (or whatever) back from Terri Gillis, and we are sifting through loads of fantastic pictures online (I might be a little biased, so I'll eventually post some on here. I imagine it will be close to November.). After deciding which ones are the best, we'll receive a CD of all of the photos plus the fancified pictures. That is when a few will land on this site for you to stare at (and react however you please).

In the upcoming posts, there will be information about habiliments, circular objects, and the location for rumination. Eventually, I'll put up some posts pertaining to hoi polloi involved.

Singin' in the Rain...just singin' in the rain...

...what a wonderful feeling, I'm biking in the rain!

Check out the local newpaper and Fox News stories.
Also, here are some pics from the Postbulletin and my camera.

Now I understand the meaning behind calling off a game for rain. When they say the fields are flooded, the fields are flooded.

So, the high school students got let out of school to save the town.

The water levels kept rising and rising. Thankfully, I live on the south side where we didn't get quite as much rain (probably 1/2" less)

...and through it all...I was biking... :-) 

I spent most of my day drying off from my wet commute.

In 12...11...10 MONTHS!!!

Ten months from today, Thomas and I will be saying our vows, and all of this wedding planning will be complete (if it isn't, it will have to be) and we'll be on our way to forming a marriage that will take conscious efforts from both of us to preserve our union each and every day.

With that said, fall is now upon us, and there are other areas that I (or Thomas) have made progress in. 

Accessories: Many of you know me personally, meaning that you likely have seen the extent to which I accessorize. (I'm thinking, Remember the Titans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlxDCyVFgew. All you have to know is that I went by "Sheryl" when I was a little girl.) So, between now and Christmas, I will be discussing my options with those whom are more knowledgeable in this arena than myself.

Decorations: The ideas for the centerpieces have been completed, and most of the necessary items have been collected for their construction. I am still in limbo about the (floral) arrangements for pews and windows at the church, but I have not forgotten about it as a possible necessity. Through this whole process, however, I'm learning that ribbon works wonders.

DJ: This category will be completed as soon as Thomas and I settle on the reception hall. Anyone have any connections? If not, I have a few leads...

The Last Day of Summer 2010

...so the autumnal equinox is tonight: September 22, 11:09 P.M. EDT.
What a day for it to rain...and have the power go out. That's the first time I've lost power since moving to Rochester, MN.


With the last day of summer, there is much for me to do in the next three seasons - autumn, winter, and spring. The good news is that most of bigger pieces have been put in place meaning that it is a matter of fitting all of the small pieces into the puzzle.



Counseling and Church
On other fronts, Thomas and I have worked through the official premarital counseling with our pastor prior to each of us finding our respective homes in MN. This August, we decided to finish a book we started a previous summer, "Love and Respect" by Eggerichs. Every Sunday when Thomas is in Rochester, we set aside time before or after church to read and discuss a chapter of the book. Upon completing L&R, "Christian Living in the Home" was suggested to us by my older brother and his wife. So, we will read that book too. Depending on how fast we progress through those publications, we might embark on the Fireproof series. Amidst our readings, we are also searching for a church that will foster spiritual growth for us as a couple and as individuals. Please pray for us as we establish a solid foundation through Jesus Christ on which to build our marriage.

Happy Birthdays!!!

Both of my brothers, Mark and Paul, were born 25 and 17 years ago respectively.

Happy Birthday boys!!!

Feel free to post comments and questions on this site...

Please consult the website before bombarding me/us with questions because most of the information you need and/or want to know will be posted there. Also, we are open to suggestions for our wedding and more importantly for our marriage, but please remember that Thomas and I will ultimately decide which route to pursue.
Thanks. I hope you're all having a blast!

To leave comment without using your gmail account, click on "comments," then choose "OpenID." Type your name (ex. Shirley B.) and proceed to type your comment/question.

Details, details: the plans thus far.

So, here are the items that are currently planned:

• Cake: Thomas' Aunt Dianne
• Church: Pillar Church (57 East 10th St., Holland, MI  49423, http://www.pillarchurch.com/)
• Colors: horizon & mermaid (blue and seafoam-ish green, like Ariel's tail)
• Date: 7/23/2011 (a prime date for a wedding, lol)
• Dresses: David's Bridal
• Flowers: blue hydrangeas
• Invitations: Shirley's mom, Linda Bradley (and friends?)
• Music: Friends
• Pastor: Pastor Herb VanderBilt, ENUMC
• Photos: Terri Gillis (http://terrigillisphotography.com/)
• Tuxedos: Men's Wearhouse
• Time: morning wedding, pictures after the ceremony, afternoon/evening reception (yes, there will be dancing)
• Wedding Party: 5 groomsmen + 5 bridesmaids (including Best man and Maid of Honor) + Ushers, flower-girl, ring bearer, and other helpers.

Through this whole process, you'll probably notice an inconsistent use of pronouns. It's a formality that isn't official until the day of, but switching from "me," "my," and "I" to "us," "our," and "we" is proving to be quite the hurdle.




Engagement pictures: Thomas and I got our engagement pictures taken while we were in Michigan this past weekend. We won't see the proofs for another week or so, but it is safe to say that at least a few of them will end up on this site.

Reception Hall: Thomas and I looked at two reception halls this weekend. We will likely be booking it this week or next. Regardless of which place we choose, we should end up on the north end of Grand Rapids, just north of the Grand River.

Wedding dress: While in Michigan this past weekend, I lost Thomas and met up with friends (some whom did not go with me on previous trips) and we went to David's Bridal. I will be ordering my dress this week. As far as which dress I'm wearing to the wedding, you'll have to ask me in person because it will not be publicized. Sorry Thomas. :-)

...almost halfway through our engagement

So, Thomas and I got engaged on January 16, 2010. Now that September is over half over, there are nearly 10 months left before Thomas and I open up a new chapter of our lives. After receiving the idea to blog about the "works of the wonderful wedding and beyond" from my newly-wed sister-in-law and since a lot of people have expressed interest in the process, I decided to create this blog.

I will post information here throughout the next 10 months about the wedding planning. Admittedly, some information will remain secret until the day of, but the big picture stuff will all be posted here (in an ideal world of course).