Rachel and Craig's Wedding

I had the pleasure of going home for around ten days to celebrate Christmas with my family and take part in my sister Rachel's wedding. These ten days may have been the most eventful of my life! Usually Christmas is the most exciting time over break but this time it was the calm before the storm. This was the last Christmas we would spend together before things change with the weddings and such. I am so blessed to have an awesome family which enjoys quality time with each other!

Wednesday kicked off the wedding madness as most of the wedding party arrived. We all took the train into New York City to show people around and see the tree. Though it was cold and very crowded, we enjoyed our time. My favorite part of the evening was when we ate at a pizza place. The guy in there was a true New Yorker and was trying to get everyone to order and move through the line quickly. I loved seeing the expressions on the faces of those not used to the pace of New York living haha! That night we enjoyed playing games and having good conversation.

New Years Eve was a time of food and fellowship. Normally we only have us five at our house so having 15 or so was a blast! Most of us watched the Hokies crush Tennessee 37-14. The rest of the night was spent playing games and watching the Honeymooners! New Years Day started the wedding festivities as the groomsmen all picked up their tuxedos and the bridesmaids had their nails done. The rehearsal was that night at Hillside Church, a place we called home for many years. Many memories flooded into my head as I walked around the church before the rehearsal. It was great to see Colby again (youth pastor from high school and wedding officiator) along with his wife Stacey and two kids. I also really enjoyed seeing so much of my family come together for this joyous occasion.

The rehearsal was the first time it truly dawned on me that my baby sister was getting married. When I saw dad walk her down the aisle, the tears started flowing! I knew I had a tall task ahead of me the next day, trying to keep myself together before singing a song. Thankfully I was able to get through the ceremony alright. It was when I hugged her in the receiving line that I completely lost it! Rachel was a beautiful bride! I couldn't be happier for her. She has married a wonderful, godly man who will love her and take care of her for as long as they live.

I have never enjoyed myself as much as I did at the reception. Dances have always been a mixed bag for me. Most times not many people want to dance and it ends up being very boring. Thankfully, on this day, everyone was ready to have a good time! I have never seen my mom and dad have so much fun. After a few minutes of encouragement, my dad took the dance floor and never stopped! This is coming from a very reserved individual who rarely shows much emotion. I asked my mom if it reminded her of when they were younger and she literally told me , "No! Dad has never been like this!" You could just see the joy on the faces of my parents. They had spent a year planning for this day, and were finally able to relax and watch it unfold. Another blessing was how well everyone in the wedding party got along. We all had a blast together and all spent most of our time on the dance floor. We danced to classics such as "The Cupid Shuffle," "The Cha Cha Slide," and "Don't Stop Believing." Even all the little kids at the reception were busting a move. It was great having my best friend Kevin there to partner with me in the quest to be the most ridiculous looking people at the party! What a day!

As if the week was not already incredible enough, I had the pleasure to spend a lot of time with a wonderful girl who was a part of my sister's bridal party. Her name is Val and she was my sister's roommate for 2 1/2 years. We had started talking during the month leading up to the wedding, and I developed a strong interest in her. I had prayed a lot about pursuing a relationship with her and had discussed it at length with my sister and my parents. We had a great time together during the wedding week and she accompanied me to drive Rachel and Craig to the hotel after the reception. I invited her to church the next morning and she obliged. At lunch I expressed my interest and she returned it. After some discussion we decided it was time to enter into a relationship. It is my prayer that this relationship will be completely devoted to Christ and be about Him and not us. God has already blessed us through great conversation and I am excited to see what He has in store for us as we continue to seek His will!

I am now back in VA and looking forward to what 2010 brings. One thing I know is that God is good and He has my life in His hands!

Four cousins together in NYC!

The whole group at Grand Central

At the rehearsal dinner

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper!

Me and dad looking sharp

My favorite picture from the week!

Val and I

The three former roommates or as Rachel likes to say "ex" roommates!

My second family

I love this one!

Aunt Patty and Patricia

Grandma and Uncle Ed

Great shot of mother and son!

Mom's cousin Denise and her family

I love you Rachel!

The groomsmen!

The old Hillside crew!

One big happy family!