Tornado Bridezilla.

It's taken me four days shy of four years, but I decided to finally share a more detailed, rather comical version of our wedding story to revive my blog. When I say, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I mean it. I really do, but every word you're about to read is true. 

Fair warning--this is the lengthiest blog post I've ever written. Prepare for a few belly laughs along the way.

Mid-April 2013. I sat in an early childhood conference with one of my dear friends when I got an email from Carnival informing me the cruise I had booked for our honeymoon would no longer be embarking. With about 6 weeks until the big day, I panicked. I called Ryan, who instructed me to check other cities and purchase plane tickets. So, to New Orleans we would go. I should've known then. 

Two weeks before the day, I had almost managed to kindly kick Ryan's BFFs out of the house so I could move all of our stuff in. For this night, though, I cooked dinner and we sat altogether for one of the last times to watch TV. We couldn't find a thing to watch on Friday night. Kelly was running the remote and landed on a show called "Bridezilla." On this particular episode of a show none of us had ever watched, a woman in Oklahoma was preparing for her wedding day and she was every bit of a Bridezilla. (Note: for the record, I wouldn't consider myself such a thing. I was super chill before, during, and after, even considering the circumstances). The poor woman had a tornado ruin her May wedding. We joked and laughed about how terrible that would be. I should've known then. 

May 20, 2013 was a heartbreaking day for my home state. A terrible tornado hit Moore, OK, and reminded every citizen of the dangers that are possible with those wicked twisters. It put everyone in their place. When the newscasters were talking about MY wedding day a week out, everybody was on the edge of their seats. I was already in denial. I should've known then. 

May 31, 2013--THE BIG DAY! I woke up to many Facebook notifications and text messages wishing me "the best day ever" along with alerts from every weather app known to man about what was expected that evening. "Meh. Another May Day," I told myself. Then the messages of, "I'm so sorry, Madison, we're not going to make it to your wedding because of the weather" began at 10am. Nine hours before! Come on, Okies! You've got to be kidding me. They say this EVERY day in May. Plus, we've never really had multiple, horrible, national news type of storms within two weeks of each other. I should've known then. 

My bridesmaids and family tried to keep my mind off of it. I don't think they realized I had my phone which was constantly reminding me of two things: "it's my wedding day" and "you are in a tornado warning all day long." Thanks, technology. 

Two hours out and about 50 people are in the building. We've asked the maintenance crew about where to take shelter in case such storm arrives. They call the first floor a "basement" (basement implies underground--this was NOT underground) and show us two of the safer places to be. I should've known then. 

Pictures were taken. First look was complete. Guests began to arrive. Some of those guests were from the west and started to share about what the building storms looked like. In my bridal room, right in front of me--the one who has successfully been in denial for months until now. I escaped to the bathroom texting both my dad and Ryan to meet me there. 

Ryan was super chill and left quickly. My dad came in and asked if it would be okay if we just started later than expected, because the timeline showed the storm arriving in our area at the same time I should be walking the aisle. "We'll just let it blow over," he said. I confidently agreed and returned to my room. 

All too quickly he returned to escort me and my bridesmaids down to the first floor. I saw the many people who had braved their way to the venue on my way down, offering them smiles of thanks while meeting their fearful eyes. Sheesh. Why today?!

They took Ryan and I to the bathroom and offered us two metal chairs. I hadn't realized just how many people were in attendance or already come and gone to seek safety. 125 people signed my guest book that night. Nothing compared to the 550 people who RSVP'd, but I guarantee it was 125 more than my parents and I wished to be responsible for that evening. 

I looked around at the familiar faces sharing my space. I heard someone outside the bathroom say something about the children and elderly. I immediately demanded the chairs be removed from the bathroom to make more room for those people as I got down in the bathroom floor in my wedding gown I'd dreamed of wearing my entire life. No one listened to me, but the chairs were quickly taken by others. (I found out later the children and elderly were allowed into the "safest part of the building.") My sister and best friend from college sat holding my hands while Ryan left to comfort all his out of state friends who had never experienced a spring night in Oklahoma. 

At the beginning of our shelter seeking time, everyone was pretty calm--quietly sharing their disbelief in what was happening and walking by the bathroom to wave at me, the bride, who was casually sitting in a bathroom floor. Only one person struck a chord with me during the high stress time. They asked me to reschedule the wedding or just sign the license where I was sitting. Don't worry--I held my tongue, pretended they were joking, and let out a nervous laugh. The possible Bridezilla stayed in her place.

Then--all phones that were playing Gary England and other meteorologists started to drown out the chatter. 

"It's over a mile wide."
"It has produced multiple vortices."
"It's headed straight for downtown." 

People began to sing, pray, and cry, understandably. 

"THREE MINUTES UNTIL IMPACT!" some Rent-A-Cop who liked to pretend he was in charge yelled. "TAKE COVER!" 

Silence. Other than the ONE phone still picking up the live stream of Gary. I could hear it right outside the bathroom door. It seemed like forever. I'm not joking. Three minutes lasted forever in such conditions. Heavy breathing and crying could be heard, with some very quiet, very real prayers for protection. I opened my eyes to see Taylor staring back, I said probably the worst thing I could at the time, "Wow. I never expected to meet Jesus wearing my wedding dress." She gave me this shocked look and squeezed her eyes shut. I think she was strongly praying against that because she was worried about her panty line. 

"The tornado has turned south. It's now headed for the airport."

Sighs of relief. Thanks, Gary! I would remember the airport part later on after the wedding. We sat for a few minutes to digest what we had heard and unwind from our experience (and because the Rent-A-Cop realized all his power was soon to be forgotten. He couldn't have that). 

Then the race upstairs began. On the way back up, I was informed the building was running on a generator and that I was limited to 15 minutes. A 45 minute ceremony forced into a third of the time? Sure. I can do that. NOT. 

Wait a minute. Where's my bouquet? What bride walks an aisle without her bouquet? Bless, Joe Terrell. He bravely faced the flooding, winds, and hail to retrieve the bouquet his wife Jeannie had fashioned for me from my Grampy's vintage car. We'd taken pictures in the car that afternoon, when the day was still fairly normal. All normal was now lost. 

My bridal party RAN down the aisle to random songs on my playlist playing completely out of order. My sweet ring bearer, who nailed his part in the rehearsal, held back tears as he walked the aisle alone. It was my turn. The usher, who was a college friend of Ryan's, opened the door. "NOPE. I'M NOT GOING. NOT UNTIL MY SONG PLAYS."

I don't remember what Jacob said, but that was the split second my bridezilla popped out. (Sorry, Jacob!) My dad cracked the door so I could listen to the random music as the DJ was trying to find THE ONE. One thing was going to go right tonight. Mandi Mapes WOULD be played as I sprinted up the aisle. 

"No.. Nope... That's not it... Nuh-uh... OH! That's it! Okay! We can go!" 

I wasted so much time to have MY song play that my dad was rushed to give me away. He hugged Ryan, said the sweetest thing ever, and turned away, leaving my arms wide open for a hug. Oh well. The show must go on. Steve, my youth pastor growing up, shouted a quickened message because there was no mic, my mom ran to retrieve the unity sand we forgot in the mess, and the Rent-A-Cop asked us to scrap the Family Prayer. Uh. Sir, after the last 2 hours, we need all the prayer we can get. Go sit down. I've got 5 solid minutes left. 

Finally, it's vow time. Oh. Fireworks in the rain?! No! That's just a transformer blowing up right outside the window and catching fire. Tornado sirens, again?! Bonnie almost jumped off the stage. I glanced down to see my mom telling her it was to the south and east of us while she looked down at her PHONE that was still streaming Gary on low volume. Yes, that's totally normal for the mother of the bride, right?

I vowed my ever love to my groom. He vowed his love to me. We ran back down the aisle.

"HURRY! Cut the cake! We all need to leave!"

The few reception pictures were taken in 30 seconds to make our wedding look somewhat normal. I noticed the floor was wet and the bottom of my gown was gross from traipsing through it! Ew! Mom encouraged me to change back into the clothes I'd gotten ready in since land was no where to be seen outside already. Sure. (Men, you can skip the rest of this paragraph. No, really.) I couldn't find my bra. I had to BORROW one that was THREE cup sizes too big. Yup. What a let down that would be!

All guests had been thrown out into the rain at this point, minus our families. I looked out the door to see a car already flooded out in the street. How are we supposed to get out of here?! Thankfully, we were staying downtown for the evening to catch a morning flight to New Orleans. We didn't have far to go. That couldn't be said about the other 125 guests that were forcefully evacuated moments before. 

Todd offered to lead us to the hotel. We hopped in the little Jetta. The screen flashed--0 miles to empty. Well, the first argument of the marriage ensued. People had used my car to run errands all day. I didn't know it was on empty, but "not the time to be empty in this emergency" I was told. Ryan called his dad, who was leading us around even more flooded cars to higher ground. "Find us a gas station first, please." We made it to the pump. Todd waved and there we were alone in the car. 

Ryan got out, but the pumps were off thanks to all the electrical problems. He ran into the station in the pouring down rain, while still wearing his suit. The pumps were reset and he returned...with a scary looking man following him. He got to my car and started pumping the gas. Then, the scary man started yelling incoherent things at him. And then began chasing him around my car. (Oh my cow. Yes, that happened). Ryan quickly opened my door at one point and threw his wallet in and yelled at me to lock the door. Oh. So, leave my husband outside hurdling the gas hose every few seconds with a scary man screaming crazy things at him? Don't have to tell me twice! So much for better or for worse! I locked him out in seconds, scared out of my mind. Ryan told the scary man he didn't have money on him--which was the truth. It was locked inside with me now. The scary man stopped chasing him, grunted, and waved goodbye. SERIOUSLY. (I told you at the beginning you wouldn't believe me).

Ryan got back in the car and we took off to the Colcord. The valet was working in the horrible conditions, so we grabbed our bags for him that way he could go ahead and take the car. The drenched rats entered the super nice hotel. Thankfully, Ryan had already checked in. I still needed to check on that airport. I leaned over the counter with the most serious face I could and asked the hostess if the airport was clear. I had heard Gary say it was headed to the airport. "Oh, yes, ma'am, it's perfectly okay," she said as she stared at the tornado coverage on national news already. "Well, if that changes, would you please let us know? We have a flight out in the morning." "Of course!" she said. SHE SAID. 

Before we could make it to the elevator, our valet ran up asking for the keys to the car. I'd finally hit the point of overwhelmed where you just are there, completely glazed over and I barely heard Ryan respond, "they're in the cup holder."

We got up to the room and someone knocked on the door. It was the hostess asking where the keys were. The valet still couldn't find them. Ryan lost his cool momentarily and informed her that the keys ARE, in fact, in the car. He looked at me, who sat in the floor staring at the nice carpet, and mumbled disgust of the valet not finding the keys. Before he could get too worked up, the phone rang. It was a different hostess telling Ryan there's a problem and they REALLY can't find the keys. He started to yell, which quickly shook me out of the funk and I looked at my purse. Oh. Shoot. I had the keys. I frantically grabbed them so he'd chill out and he apologized to the hostess, and ran out the door. He said the valet was SOAKED, with EVERY door wide open on the Jetta in the POURING rain. "I'm sorry, my wife...," he started, but the valet didn't care. 

I'd gotten in the shower. I just wanted to go to bed to sleep off this nightmare. And I did. No tears, I'd like to point out. Not yet. Those came weeks later. (See, totally not a Bridezilla!)

I woke to Ryan's voice hollering, "Lacey!!" in the hallway. I groggily reached for my phone to see it was 1am and wondered why on earth my sister-in-law was in my hotel room on my wedding night. She wasn't. She was on the phone, but falling asleep repeatedly on Ryan who had been awakened by his phone 30 minutes prior. 

Ryan had thought for the first 2 hours of his phone buzzing that it was his friends messing with him on his wedding night. And part of it was. Another person was trying to get a hold of Ryan...our pastor. Why?! On our wedding night?! He had kindly checked our flight status once he finally got home to Weatherford in the wee hours of the morning. Our flight was cancelled out of OKC. Thanks, hostess, who DIDN'T call. Ryan was trying to get a hold of his dad to figure out what to do. We had 11 hours to make a 12 hour drive to catch the boat. He woke me up so sweetly and informed me to get ready. We had to leave NOW. 

About 3 hours after checking in, we were checking out. The initial valet's shift was over; we didn't have to face him. While Ryan was helping the new one load our car at 2:00am, I remembered the tip. (Oops. The first one that definitely deserved one didn't get a tip. I had been in a daze). I checked my purse. No cash. (That was another lesson my new husband would teach me in time). Two well-dressed men exited the hotel. Did I mention it was STILL raining? They lit their cigarettes next to me and asked where we were getting in from. I tell them we were actually leaving and gave them the extremely shortened version of our last 7 hours. They apologized profusely for what I'd had to endure and paid the valet $40 for us. I lovingly refer to these two strangers as my "smoking angels." 

We hopped back in the fully gassed car and took off to find every route to the interstate closed. At the last attempt, Ryan asked if he could take my car AROUND the road closed sign. (Poor Jetta--I should've liked her more just for what she put up with on this one drive). I allowed him to since it was our ONLY shot. By God's grace, we didn't float away or hit anything. We were the only ones on the road for a LONG time. And it was STILL raining. 

At Purcell, we pulled off to get energy drinks because I was in and out of that daze and Ryan had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the last 2 days. Just south of Pauls Valley, the rain quit. At the SAME exact time, a bird pooped on our windshield. It was the biggest pile of bird poo that I'd seen in my entire life. The wipers were still on. Ryan turned those off as fast as he could. However, the damage was done. Jetta was out of windshield wiper fluid, too. (No, you can't make this stuff up). He had to peer out of a thin line at the bottom of the windshield for the remainder of the drive. 

Simultaneously, Ryan was calling Carnival, who didn't care about our problems, and Dallas Love to make sure we could catch our connecting flight there instead of driving the entire way to Louisiana. I love Love. They said yes. We parked our dirty, bird poo car in the garage and made our way into the airport. Maybe this nightmare was over. Maybe. 

We walked up to the ticket counter and explained our predicament. A Southwest employee named Benjamin helped us, and made SURE we would board first so we could sit together. In his words, "After all that, you two don't need to be separated." Thank you, Benjamin!

We grabbed a bite for breakfast at 5:30am and sat down at our gate to catch our breath. We sat for a long while intercepting messages and calls from our family, filling them in on all the changes to our itinerary. At last, normalcy had been reached. 

"Would Ryan Russ please report to the desk?" 

NOW WHAT?!

I watched my husband's facial expressions to try to get a clue. Are we not going to be able to get on the flight?! How far is New Orleans from Dallas?! We're going to miss our honeymoon! What a mess!

He looked pensive, but still serene. He was carrying something, but I couldn't see what because of the height of the airport chairs. He rounded the corner with two large bottles of champagne. Ryan and I don't drink, so I blurted--"how'd we get those?!?!" Will Rogers had sent them to us for all our troubles. How kind and thoughtful! Now--what to do with two bottles of alcohol in an airport? I had a backpack stuffed to the zippers because Ryan refused to take his own carry-on. It was almost time to board. Ryan shoved our gifts into the side pockets of my backpack. Classy! I begged him to carry it, but he wouldn't. Thanks, babe!

I hid the backpack underneath my seat and slept the whole flight. The Carnival transport met us at baggage claim and (ARE YOU THE RUSSES?!) knew who we were!!! They cared more than they let on! We got on the bus and made our journey to the boat. 

Did you know you have to check in alcohol to get on a cruise ship? I didn't because this was my first cruise; I also didn't realize how popular alcoholic beverages were until I entered into that line to check in my two comparatively small bottles, hoping to go unnoticed. After all, there were packs of beer with numbers I didn't know existed. Nevertheless, the man who handled my measly bottles chose me to make a scene. He picked up my bottles off the belt and turned to his friends, and shouted, "Here's where the party's at tonight, boys!" I kid you not. Every person in the vicinity stared at me. I turned shades of red I didn't know existed. 

We got to our room, threw the bottles in the closet (our host kept pulling them out and icing them ALL week long!), and fell back asleep. Trauma like the last 24 hours I'd survived deserved sleep. Ryan didn't want to go to the safety meeting and got it cleared by the blessed soul at one of the check-in sites that took pity on us. I strongly disagreed. Our luck, a hurricane was sure to hit. Or an iceberg in the middle of the Caribbean. I easily won that argument. We went to the safety meeting. 

At dinner that night, we met two guests. Naturally, the first question was where we were from. 

(Eye roll) "Oklahoma." 

"OH NO! Were you affected by the tornado?! Did you know that was the widest tornado on record?" 

"Uh. It was?! Wow. Yes, but...well, here's a quick version..."

After the very first time to share the never ending nightmare of a wedding day, the man looked at me straight in the eye and said, "If a storm pops up out here, we're throwing you overboard." Joy. I knew who to steer clear from all week. Just in case!

The rest of the week went well. We won the Love and Marriage show as they newlywed couple and basically were famous everywhere we went. We won ANOTHER bottle of champagne. We swam with dolphins, ate crazy food, and enjoyed an overall NORMAL honeymoon. 

No icebergs, no hurricanes, no more tornados.

It's a story that will be shared for years to come by all who were involved. I've been told our day is memorable--that the guests will never forget it. (Probably in part due to the hail damage to their vehicles! They could get a new car, but those insurance rates will never be the same!) I won't be able to forget it, even though sometimes I try. After all, tornadoes that ruin weddings actually don't happen EVERY day in Oklahoma--only on my wedding day and a random episode of Bridezilla. 

Trinity.

Dearest Trinity,

I walked into the doors of your gathering place for the first time nearly five years ago on August 8, 2010. I came to you as a little, typical church girl, only missing church a handful of times throughout my life. With that type of background comes a certain number of usual experiences. I had seen the worst kinds of hurt within the walls of a church building affect those near and dear to my heart, and I had lived the lifestyle that comes with a ritualistic routine of attending church every Wednesday and twice on Sundays, being whoever I wanted to be the rest of the time. 

Before jumping to any sort of conclusions, I was still a “good kid.” Looking back, I know there is so much more to the daily walk of a Christian than how I lived from age 6 to 17.  At age 17, God shook my idea of church and a Christian life up by moving us to another church about 20 miles away from home. Bless my parents’ hearts; I fought them to a nasty end. I realize now that I was only fighting the discomfort of the needed growth that I knew should take place. Really, God was using that country church to prepare me for my five years with you. He shook up my life, just a little bit, to break me out of the same ol’, same ol’ and desire more.

Then, I met y’all. Instantly, Trinity became the place I would call home for the rest of my adult life. You became my family. The church was real, open, loving, and most of all, gospel-centered. You created an environment that this little church girl was unfamiliar with—whether that was at the worship gathering, prayer meeting, Sunday lunch, Christmas parties, or in the middle of Downtown Diner. For the first time, I was truly experiencing the church being the people, not the building where they meet.

Words are not adequate in explaining how God has used you to shape me into who I am today and who I will be until He calls me home. Trinity has definitely had an eternal impact on my soul. You have shown me the lasting importance of the gospel and preaching it to myself each and every minute of each and every day. You have cultivated a love for the Word that I had not enjoyed before. You created a place for me to use my gifts by teaching Sunday School for three and a half years. You fueled my passions of caring for the orphans around the world. You walked with me through the worst and best times of life, maybe not even knowing. Your love and grace allowed me to be open and honest. You always pointed me to Jesus.

Having had the amazing opportunity of worshipping, living in community, and being apart of the faith family for the last five years, I know Trinity is familiar with transitions. People come, and people go. As Ryan and I prepare to go in a couple of weeks, I felt led to try to put into words my abundant thanks for all you have been to me. God has used Trinity in mighty, glorious ways, and He will continue doing so, even with little church girls, like me.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:3-6.

Love always,

Madison Russ

The Golden Year.

In light of today being my last day as a 22 year old (and the fact that we throwback on Thursdays), I decided to share a post from my last day as a 20 year old, the reflections on my "Golden Year." 

I absolutely love the idea of a “Golden Year.” I can’t remember who even introduced me to the idea of it, but whoever you are, thank you so much! For those of you who don't know, a "Golden Year" is the year that you turn the age of the date your birthday is on. Mine just happened to be 20 on the 20th! I don’t think the year could’ve happened at a greater time. I got to say goodbye to the dreaded teenage years and experience what was most definitely the best year of my entire life up to this point. Praise the Lord! So, I thought I should cover the major points of this fantastic year by the month!

February.

The day before, I planned for the goodbye of my life as a 19 year-old and thanked the Lord for showing me His loving faithfulness through the last teenage year. I celebrated with my wonderful parents, Grandma, Grandpa, and my three best friends (Mack, Taylor, Murray) on the farm.

The first day of this Golden Year, started off with a lunch with sweet Jonna Myers, Murray, and Taylor. The Cup’s sandwiches were a tasty birthday meal, which turned into one of Taylor’s and my “usuals” and was followed by a killer birthday nap. Hey, it’s hard turning 20!

March.

Ryan’s birthday was the highlight of March. Before March, I was hardly accepting or encouraging of his never-ending pursuit of me. (Boy, how things change!) However, with a little encouragement from my Nabors girls, I bought him a Fossil watch for his birthday AND took him to Cheddar’s. He fell in love…with Cheddar’s, of course! He’d fallen for me wayyy before then. 

April.

April probably wins the “scariest” month award for the year. Mack’s senior prom was in the middle of the month and being her number one fan, I HAD to be there for her very last promenade. Well, Oklahoma’s weather thought it would stop me. Ryan and I literally hopped tornadoes to get to Maysville. I missed her walking by two minutes. BUT I still got to take a fantastic picture with my favorite flamingo. She grew up entirely too fast!

Then, at the very end of the month, on Mack’s 18th birthday, I had the biggest scare of my life. I picked Ryan up on Sunday morning from the Memorial Run in the City. On the way to church, it started to rain. Obviously, we aren’t real used to that this year, and at that time, we hadn’t seen it in quite a while. I’m convinced the roads were wayyyy slicker than normal. When I exited off the interstate, I had two sharp curves. I made the first one, fish-tailed the second, when my tire blew out. Then, at 40 mph, we hit an embankment head-on. You know when people say their “life flashed before their eyes”, yeah, mine didn’t…but it was that type of moment, for sure.

Anyways, I ended up in the emergency room with a neck brace; Ryan handled it way better than me. Thankfully, nothing was really wrong. We just ached for days and couldn’t talk or walk well.  Taylor Boyd became my nurse for the week.

By God’s sweet grace, we were fine, but my car, Pretty, was not. She was totaled and I was car-less about a month.

May.

May was full of excitement!

I moved into my new apartment the first week of May after I could get around by myself once more. Finals were taking place and Taylor and I had lots and lots of free time. So, one day, the same week I almost broke my neck, we went to the lake and picnicked and canoed. Man! What a horrible time for a work out.

Ryan Todd Russ became a graduate of Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Yayyyy! I was such a proud girlfriend!

And my baby Mack graduated from Maysville High as an honor student! She is basically a legend now, no big deal.

Just a few days before I left on the most amazing trip of my life, I bought a car. Her name is Jetta, because she’s a Jetta. I like her; it’s not a “love” thing…yet.

The night before I left for Zambia, I told the man I’m going to marry that I loved him for the first time. It probably would’ve been a little longer, but I figured he should know just in case a rhinoceros got me while I was gone.

And off I went to the other side of the world with Lance, Staci, and Mack.

We had a few crash hours in London. It’s a beautiful city. We were surprised there with a ride on the London Eye and got to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, in real life! It was fabulous! (even if I was sleep-deprived.)

Zambia was incredible. For those of you who don’t know, we spent about 2 weeks helping at New Day Orphanage. To say the time was life-changing does not even do it justice. We got to be a part of the Lord’s work there for a short time and it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The Lord is good and He is working! You can check out more about the orphanage and its ministry at their webpage!

June.

June was full of the little things in life that make it so fun. Ryan surprised me a few times and we had a lot of fun dates! Mack and I manned the house down in Maysville, while my sweet parents grew accustomed to a new life in Bowie, Texas.

July.

July was…..intense.

Mom and Mack’s last week at the Creek occurred during the 4th of July. I got to spend it with Ryan, as well, and we almost ran out of gas coming down the mountain. Pretty great memory. 

Mack-dawg had her last cow show. It was a real emotional ordeal for me. She has grown up doing that and she loves it. I’m still not sure how you can be good at showing a cow, but she is. She has whatever “it” is. I absolutely loved watching her throughout the years and I’m literally counting down the days until she comes out of retirement… 

Mack’s last show was in West Monroe, Louisiana, so we just called it a family vacation, as well. West Monroe is a fun place! Not to mention, Duck Commander is there. Though I had no idea who they were when I was there, knowing it now makes it THAT much better. #DuckDynasty

Ryan Todd went to Swaziland at the end of the month. I got to be on the “other side” like he was in May. I loved hearing his stories of how the Lord was working there, as well. It’s absolutely amazing to realize how big this world really is, and how much bigger our God is than that.

He returned super sick and I finally got a chance to repay him a little for all his kindness he showed to me in the first months of our relationship. Poor boy! It took forever for him to get back to normal, but he did! Thank the Lord!

August.

August brought in the “new” normal. I headed back to Weatherford to begin the second-half of my college education! It really is flying by.

I also had the awesome privilege to get a job on-campus in the Admissions and Recruitment office. I get to work with my very best friends and show off the best college, ever, every single day. Be jealous.

Mack became my roommate and started her freshman year here with me, too.

AND after an entire summer, I was reunited with my precious Sunday school children at Trinity. I thought they were growing exceptionally fast when I left. Goodness! I left them for a few months and came back to find they’re all grown-up!

September.

In September, Ryan’s grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We got to celebrate that with them and a number of family and friends. It’s extraordinary to know them and to celebrate such a beautiful marriage, especially in the time we live in now. At their party, though, I saw Grandma Sue’s wedding dress. I loved it. Her grandmother made it for her and it was just extremely lovely. After their party, Lauren Paige and I decided to see if I could fit in it. Lo and behold, it fit like a glove. What an enjoyable day! 

Also in September, Ryan surprised me with tickets to an OU game. So I did some of my own surprising and stole him away one Saturday for the Oklahoma State Fair. He’d been there, but not in a very long time. Me, I feel like I grew up there. It was the first year in a veryy long time that Mack wasn’t showing in it, either. It turned out to be a super hot Oklahoma day. However, we still managed to enjoy some delicious fair food, like a turkey leg and fried cheese on a stick. YUMMMM! Then off to the OU game we went! It was a really fun time and I got to sit next to a little girl that came with her dad for the first time. She hated all the noise, so I tried to keep her mind off of it. Plus, we played horribly that night and lost, so she was keeping me from having to watch the horror, also.

October.

Thank the LORD for October. October just happens to be one of my favorite months of the year. The weather is changing, football is in full swing, boots are being worn. It’s just beautiful here in Oklahoma.

Well, now October will forever hold one of the most amazing memories of my life…The Proposal!

You can see all the pictures and the story, and PLEASE enjoy the video!

November.

The first weekend in November, I said “YES to the dress!” (By the way, I can’t wait until it’s in…) Obviously I can’t show a picture of this one, but just know it’s amazing.

We got to spend our first Thanksgiving as a couple and enjoyed running all over the state to enjoy our families. The holiday season is always a joy!

December.

During December, I got to experience 12.12.12. Pretty big day since I won’t see the next 01.01.01. That’s sort of depressing, so, let’s move on…

Christmas time always seems to come faster and go by even more quickly every year. I love the time of celebrating our Savior’s birth with family and friends that you only get to see during that time. We had several great get-togethers over the break!

One HUGE thing happened on Christmas Eve that made this Christmas one I’ll never forget: my parents bought a house in Texas. It was such a bittersweet feeling, but I enjoyed having the last Christmas in the house I grew up in with the dear family I have been blessed with.

On Christmas day, the snow (by snow, I mean “ice”) came down and we had the first White Christmas in quite a long time. We had both sets of grandparents over, my aunt Paula and uncle Stewart, and my uncle Lee. It was quite literally one of the best Christmases I have ever had. I’m thankful to the Lord for giving us the pleasure of being together in that house one last time.

I also shot a gun for the first time in December. Yes, that is epic enough to make this novel. ;) After the third shot, I was a pro!

Then came New Year’s Eve! I gave Ryan tickets to the Thunder game that night for Christmas! It was my first game and we were super excited about it! We left Weatherford (late, I might add) and still made it to tip-off! I think he had a blast; I know I did, for sure! After the game, we had some breakfast food at IHOP, and then we walked around downtown until it was time to bring in the New Year!

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…

January.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yes, so I got to ring in my first New Year with the guy I will ring in many more with! It was SUCH a fun night! We got back home at two in the morning, and then I woke up early and went to have my black-eyed-peas for lunch at the Gillham residence!

On January 3, my cousins had a darling baby boy. His name is Bowen Mack Gillham! Brock and Katrina are his proud parents and I got to see him the night after he was born! He’s a cutie and growing like a weed! I’m still ecstatic for Brock and Katrina and tell Bowen every time I hold him that we’re going to be the best of friends, like his dad and I are!

Ryan and I also attended our first marriage conference in January, put on by Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond. Paul Tripp came to speak and it was such a challenging weekend! I’m so glad we went prior to being married. It also was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with our precious church family a little more! We also began marriage counseling with my “other” dad and mom (Steve and Amanda) in Mayberry that same weekend! I’m so blessed to have them in my life and for the examples they are to me as individuals and as a couple for Ryan and me.

AND on the VERY last day of January, Ryan and I bought a house! Yes! It was another amazing example of how God is sovereign and He provides in His perfect timing. We started working on it the night we bought it and it has been another once in a lifetime experience that just happened to end up in the Golden Year! 

February

February is obviously my favorite month! Some days snow falls, some days feel like spring, but love is certainly in the air. Though I have a precious man in my life that makes every single day feel like Valentine’s Day, it’s still a fun holiday! AND occurs right before the end of this year, so it must be shared. Ryan and I exchanged gifts and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Downtown Diner to celebrate, too! It was our first “real” Valentine’s date, because the year before I was quite sick. This one was lovely! Every day with him is lovely.

The End.

And now we’re back, back to where this Golden Year began. Tonight (February 19), I’m finishing up this note and the last day of the Golden Year. I celebrated over a dinner date with some of my very favorite people and then enjoyed some homework and time with my twin.

As I look back over this year, I am brought to tears, joyous tears. Every year of life the Lord blesses me with is truly golden, I know that, but I enjoyed making this one “special” by giving it a name. I must thank the Lord ultimately, though, for salvation, for life, and for the blessings He pours out on His children. I have been singing one of my favorite hymns since I woke up this morning. I’m sure it’s been annoying to the people around me that have heard it all day, but I feel like this song completely wraps up the entire year…and every day after.

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not; as Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun moon, and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow; blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see! All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided—great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!”