Kentucky is My Land

Matt and I left late Wednesday to start our trek to Lexington for an extended weekend. On the drive there I enjoyed the mountain views and signs of fall. I loved seeing all of the leaves turn colors (they haven't yet in South Carolina).
Kentucky is just so beautiful to me.

 

 

We are staying with my aunt and uncle at their "farm" in Nicholasville along with my best friend Haley and her husband. We will have the chance to hang out together and catch up. Matt and I plan to visit some of my (our) favorite spots. On Friday, we are getting together with the boys I used to nanny during college. The oldest is definitely now taller than me! Haley and I will sneak in some time at 'Feather your Nest' antiques and also see the precious children of our dear friend Brooke (after a 6am coffee date at Starbucks)!!! :)

On Saturday, we are having another reunion of sorts as we gather together to celebrate our dear friend Jessica & her husband-to-be Connor's wedding on Saturday in Louisville. I met Jessica towards the end of our freshman year (2003) of college in Bible study, but we really became friends during our sophomore year of college. I can't tell you how much of a blessing she is to me and how the Lord has used her as an example of being genuine and compassionate. Plus, she is one of the funniest people I know (that "everything" just happens to! ex: I mean who gets robbed 3 different times while working at the same bank?!)!!! 

LOVE this girl so much!

Wedding post to come.....

TWO

Two years ago, on August 7th, I married the man of my dreams :)

We have welcomed many joys and endured many hardships.
I have learned patience, compassion, and grace in a deeper way.
I am so incredibly blessed by my husband and am
amazed at how much I love him more and more each day.

Happy 2nd Anniversary dear! I am so grateful for you!

One Year!!!

We celebrate our first wedding anniversary today!!

I cannot imagine my life any other way. Through the last several
 years of dating and this first year of marriage, I know without a doubt
 that the Lord  so graciously provided this wonderful man for me. He has
done a lot of things in bringing us together and showing us what love
truly means. It's been the best year and I am so grateful for all
He has done in our lives.

Happy Anniversary dear!!

I love you!!!!

Our Engagement Story {by Matt}

Girls turn out to be more expensive than first thought.......

Grooms Log: Dated March 14, 2010. 8 AM

-I know that I want to marry this woman, I have for a while, but where do I even begin searching for a ring. What are the 4 C's, what do they mean (could they possibly mean Cake, Cheesecake, Cookies, Cola, and Carbs?) and how will I know what Jamie wants? I need to answer these questions before I begin searching for a ring, but my goal in all of this is complete and utter surprise. She can't even suspect this will happen. (*i hate surprises)

Grooms Log: Dated March 15th, 2010. 4 PM

- So now I have called Jamie's best friend, Haley, and gotten an idea of what she wants. Now is the time for a daily search for the perfect ring. Let the "bling" searching begin.

Grooms Log: Dated March 22, 2010. 9 PM

-I have been looking for over a week...is it really this expensive to buy a tiny piece of stupid rock that's been sitting thousands of feet down in the earth's crust just to harden and become somewhat clear(Refer to 4 C's)? Apparently so. Daily conference calls with Haley still a priority because of the difficulty of this task.

Grooms Log: Dated March 26, 2010. 3 PM

-I have found it! The perfect stone, the perfect ring, and the perfect price. Now to wait until it is ready so I can propose THIS WEEKEND.

Grooms Log: Dated April 3, 2010. 12 PM


Jamie's best friend Haley is here in Columbia helping me set up the back yard of my parents house, while Jamie is at the church painting faces at the Easter Egg Hunt being held there. I have set up a brick pathway leading to a bench set up around the corner of the house, out of sight. Pictures are lined along the pathway in chronological order from the time we started dating to the most recent picture of us in East Asia on a Vision trip. The last picture, however, is blank, with a question mark in the center of it. Everything is in place.

Grooms Log: Dated April 3rd, 2010. 2 PM

- We are now engaged! I was waiting on the bench at the end of the path with the ring in my pocket. Jamie came home with my sister-in-law Lauren and my Mom. As they were heading up the stairs they directed Jamie to heed the sign with her name on it and an arrow pointing in the direction of the brick pathway. She walked down the pathway, looking at the pictures, hands on her face, wearing a look of complete surprise. I asked her if she would spend the rest of her life with me, and she said "yes". To top it all off, she had no idea her best friend was there, and as we were walking to tell everyone the news, she was standing there ready to take a picture of us, the newly engaged couple. Jamie was completely surprised, yet again, and we spent the rest of the day calling family and friends and relaying the good news!

April 3, 2010

Captains Log: Dated May 3, 2010. 2:06 PM

-Who knew wedding planning took so much time?

Our engagement pictures taken in Franklin, TN

* Read Haley's story of our engagement!!!! 

Our Story {the Short Version}

With our 1 year anniversary coming up, I thought I would share our story (taken from our wedding website and written by Matt) :)

How we survived for over 3 years!

The Rundown 
No, I didn't actually run her down...but I would have! Actually, since we met in Columbia, South Carolina, it is more accurate to say that we met one mildy warm day in December of 2006. It was the Christmas season, a time filled with family, friends, gifts, and in this case the meeting of Matthew and Jamie.

We met at a Christmas party over break. Games were played, cider was served, carols were sung, and we met each other for the first time, unconscious to the fact that we would be spending the rest of our lives together. We exchanged phone numbers, with promises of an activity after christmas where everyone could get back together again to hang out.

We called each other increasingly over break, hung out a few times, and then, abruptly, Christmas break was over. Back to reality. We both went our separate ways, one to Paris, France to study business for a semester, and the other to Lexington, Kentucky to finish their Senior Year.

The night we became "official" {2007}

We kept in touch more often than we thought we would, with phone bills reaching into the hundreds, mail being sent back and forth, and e-mails arriving weekly. Just keeping in touch. That's all. As May rolled around and both of us came back to South Carolina, we met up a few times, and continued "talking" until a hot sticky weekend in October...the weekend of the University of South Carolina vs. University of Kentucky football game. Who would have ever guessed that the Gamecocks beating the Wildcats would have resulted in us becoming an "official" couple?

Matt cheering on my Kentucky Wildcats!! 

My first Pepin family vacation {2008}

Cheering on Matt's South Carolina Gamecocks 

We dated long distance from October 2007 until February 2010 and in April we became engaged.... 

 (see Engagement story for juicy details)!!

SixTEEN candles

My precious little sister turned 

SWEET SIXTEEN!!! 

(on April 21st- I'm a bit late in the post)

AND- that makes me feel so o-l-d..... It's still hard to believe she is in high school!!! When she was born, we called her our Blessing from heaven :) We are 10 years apart and every year that she gets older, the closer we become..... I love that fact!!

Bridesmaid Luncheon

My Maid of Honor

Please tell me who letters in Varsity XC as a 7th and 8th grader?!

2008

Matt and I were able to be in South Carolina the day before her birthday, so I could spend the day with my family (Matt had a previous engagement with work). K had a soccer game right after school against a local high school. After her game, I went home with my mom to start dinner while K stayed for the other game.

K is #3

We had a lovely dinner and afterwards we had ice cream cake and opened all her gifts! She got the typical girly things: clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc  :)

My dear sister is 

beautiful

loves Jesus

sweet

caring

has a heart for the elderly

athletic

smart

loves kids

a good listener

fun to be with

my friend

loves others

sarcastic

smiley

creative

fun

and so much more!

Happy Mother's Day

I am so thankful to have such 

wonderful mothers, grandmothers, & aunts in my life.

Ya'll are a constant source of love, encouragement, wisdom, and

joy to me! I couldn't ask for more-

I am so blessed!

I love you VERY much!

My beautiful Mom

My wonderful Momma-in-Law

My Aunt Janis 

My Auntie Lisa 

Matt's (Our) Grandma H 

My Grandma "B"

My Grandma M

I couldn't ask for better!

"Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." Proverbs 31: 28-29

......and a Happy Mother's Day 

To you who have aching arms and hearts just waiting to be blessed with little scampering feet......To you who have said goodbye way too soon to tiny angels and grieve this day......To you who have mothers in heaven but none on Earth....To you who have given your child to another to raise because of your deep love......

God sees every tear and hears every desperate cry. God loves you and wraps his arm around you even when it hurts so bad that all you can feel is the pain and the suffering. You are never alone and never forgotten.....today I honor and pray for you.

[taken from this sweet blog- Poppie Lane]