Typical Thanksgiving Post

Before I head off to my first Holiday spent with the Cardwell family I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on my year. The days ahead will be full of business and fun and of course food and I do not see a whole lot of time being open for blog writing :)

When I think about last Thanksgiving and then all that has happened in between I can't help but be overwhelmed with joy and humility as I have been beyond blessed this year.

Here a a few things I am thankful for...not in order of importance but as I go back through the journey of my year this is what I think of.

1. I GRADUATED!! It has never felt so good to be out of school. I am thankful for what I learned and the experience I had but I am also thankful it is over :)

2. I GOT ENGAGED!! The day after Christmas last year my sweet husband proposed to me. This was the beginning of the road of many things to be thankful for. I can remember the night like it was yesterday and it was perfect. Not to mention my parents threw us an amazing engagement party the day after. It was all planned in less than 24 hours and we had over 20 people show up. Such sweet friends and family we have!

3. SHOWERED WITH LOVE!! I can remember not long after we were engaged we had our first wedding shower. To this day Nic and I will forever be blessed by it as all our family and friends gathered together in celebration for us. We didn't take it for granted and because of that the love we felt that day was beyond the norm.

4. TIME IN WILMINGTON!! One of my biggest regrets of college was not going home more often. But while planning a wedding there I was forced to go home every month and right before the wedding was able to spend 2 weeks there. To a lot of people this may be an ordinary thing but for me it wasn't. The time I was able to spend at home with my friends and my family during this last year will forever be cherished.

5. NIC'S TRANSITION!! In the last year Nic's heart was moved toward coaching. I got to see the man of my dreams fight for his purpose and passion. Though at times it was hard I am so thankful for the way that Nic's fights for what he knows is right. I've never seen him happier and it's so sweet to know he is exactly where he is suppose to be.

6. OUR HOUSE!! We found the most perfect little place to start our marriage. It was affordable, in a great location, accepted pets, and was new and clean :) Finding a place to live in Boone isn't easy! I am thankful for our house!

7. PIPER!! Dogs are the greatest blessing! I have gone a long time without them and Nic and I decided to get one as our wedding gift to each other. She is the gift that keeps on giving! We love her so much :)

8. I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS!! I think about all the fun my friends and I had leading up to the wedding! All the trips to Wilmington, my showers, and my Bachelorette weekend! I have friends from all over and to have them all in one place is the sweetest thing and to see my friends from Boone and Wilmington come together is one of the greatest things for me. Post wedding I have had my Wilmington friends talk about how much they love the Boone girls and vise versa. I love that. And I love them.

9. MY DEVOTED PARENTS!! I will never be able to repay my parents or show them the depth of my appreciation for what they did for Nic and I over the last year. I saw my mom bend over backwards to get things perfect for the wedding and I saw my dad support her and be by her side the whole time. They were so patient and so supportive. I felt nothing but love in this stressful time. And I am so thankful for not only the way they love me but love each other.

10. OUR WEDDING!! Well I would have to say we had the greatest wedding of all time! And yes the reception was a blast and I am so thankful everyone had a great time. But most importantly I am thankful for the ceremony. Thankful for what took place that day and the love of Christ that was shown through it. I prayed that my wedding would be an example of Christ and could be a testimony. Since my wedding I have had some friends tell me that it was at my wedding when they decided to change their lives around...Praise God for answered prayers and altered lives.

11. MY HUSBAND!! I have and forever will be grateful for Nic and who he is too me. But at this point in my year I get to be thankful that he is my HUSBAND! That we get to walk through life together and that I can trust him fully. We have fun every day of our marriage and I am grateful for his love.

12. OUR HONEYMOON!! We loved our honeymoon. I needed nothing more at that point than a week on an island with my hubby. What a blessing.

13. MY JOB!! As soon as I got back from the honeymoon I got a job as a school social worker in Watauga County Schools. This is a big accomplishment for me as I just graduated school. And this is exactly what I wanted to do in my next season.

14. MY CHURCH!! I have learned to not take my church for granted. I am so thankful to be apart of what God is doing and I am so blessed to have a great pastor and church family!

15. KEEPING MY JOB!! I haven't told you this yet in the blog world but (board-pending) I have been offered my job full time. I was only contracted until December but I now get to keep it for the whole year. It really is the best job and I work with the most wonderful families and have the best co-workers! I am so happy!

16. MY NEW FAMILY!! As I am hours away from venturing off to my first Holiday with Nic's family. I am thankful for them. Thankful for how sweet they are to me and to the both of us and that they are such a joy to be around. I have married a great man but I have also been married into a great family.

17. MY GOD!! I can not go without saying how thankful I am for the Lord. I have had a whirlwind of a year but he has been by me the entire time. His patience and understanding has been felt more than ever in this year. And I praise Him for his sovereignty. I am so blessed by him and am so happy he will never let go of me.

I know that is a lot but it still isn't everything. Just a few highlights from a great year! I hope your thanksgiving is great and even if your year has been hard I pray you choose to focus on the good and faithful things in your life.

Be blessed this holiday!

Love,
Kira Cardwell

Do. Not. Lose. Heart.

Do you ever hear someone say something to you, read something, or hear a lyric on the radio and think....WOW, that is exactly what I needed.

Well today I read in 2 Corinthians 4 and the simple words....DO NOT LOSE HEART...almost took the breath right out of me (God's word will do that, you should read it sometime :))It was like I was reading, reading, reading, and then read those words and I knew it was the Lord speaking straight to me.

I am a sensitive person as a lot of you may know and I have a big heart. I struggle with the loss of people. Losing friends, family, people in general, has never come easy for me. And most of all I am a fighter. I will fight for a friend till the death before a call it a lost cause.

Recently in my life I have had so many changes and it was so quick I think some of that grieving has taken place without my knowing of it. I am a trooper so I will push through just about any hardship or challenge without hesitation but sometimes life takes a toll on you and by the time you notice it it can be too late :) Especially when you have a wonderful husband and life and there shouldn't be much to complain about. But sometimes it just happens. Life goes by fast and you take a second to look back and you begin to hurt.

The heart is a funny thing. It is the store house for so much. Every good thing and every bad thing. You ask Jesus into your heart but at the same time negative things can come from your heart. This is why in the bible we have been told to GUARD our HEARTS for it is the wellspring of life! It is our nourishment for life and it is other peoples nourishment for life as we use our heart to love. To lose sight of the importance of your heart, the God with in, the desires with in, and the love with in it would be to "lose heart" and would ultimately be a tragedy.

No matter what has happened in a persons life the heart must be protected. Although it feels like we have been run over beat up and destroyed, the heart can withstand it all. In the same chapter I read this morning is says....

"We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed....Therefore do not lose heart. Though we are outwardly wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

I don't know about you but I believe the word of God is true. So although we may FEEL like we are crushed, in despair, and destroyed. God says we are not! And our heart stands strong because with in it holds the Creator of the earth, our rock, and our salvation...our ALL POWERFUL GOD! Maybe this spoke to me personally and that is why I am so pumped about this word but when I caught this revelation for the place I am currently I was encouraged and ready to jump up and down in excitement.

We are stronger than we think we are.
We are doing better than we think we are.
We are in fact in the hands of the Lord.
There is in fact no better place.

Just wanted to share with you something that touched my heart today. Hope it touches yours too.

Love you all!
Kira Cardwell

Season of the Dreamer

"Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God's glory." - Mark Batterson

For the many of you who are close to me know that I believe I am called to ministry. I believe that my hands and heart are built to serve the needy and the lost. I am doing that in my job right now as a school social worker but I know that I am built to take it one step further...I want to see people restored, mind-sets shifted to the ways of the Lord, and for people to come to know the Lord. It is so sweet to see the journey the Lord has me on and the seasons of preparation he is giving me. Yes I am not in ministry now (although my job is my ministry right) but what I learn everyday about people, the reality of their issues, and the ways to reach out to them is shaping me for when I am released into my place. I believe that is true and to me it is exciting!

Unfortunately, I am not so easy going and without anxiety about everything. Getting close to a year ago the Lord shifted my husbands heart from full time ministry to coaching. I never once questioned that what the Lord was saying was true. But the switch meant a few different things for us. We would be eventually be moving in order for Nic to increase at his profession and calling.

We are so grateful to spend our first year in Boone with our friends and our church family but it is only a matter of time, months, years, who knows, that we will venture off to our next destination.

I am a planner. And in the land of coaching you never quite know when or where you will go. This has had to create a shift in me :)But it is a funny thing because the Lord's daily placing dreams in me that at this time I can not attain.

Day after day I see more of what I want to do and built. It is hard because who knows where this life will take my husband and I and who knows how I will built what's in my heart. But I choose not to worry and choose to see it as a way for God to bless us.

The odds are against us. Moving locations isn't quite the best thing for building organizations. But God's got it :)And I choose not to fight the calling of my husband because it makes my dreams harder (so it seems to the natural eye) The desires of our hearts are the same and together we will see it all come together. To me it is so exciting. There is no telling for what's ahead (and trust me the natural me wants to have a heart-attack over that) but I know it is Good, because God is Good. And I trust Him.

There is nothing sweeter than knowing that Nic and I are called together and that our life will be a testimony to the Lord. Every move will be a piece of destiny and we will together touch what's around us and grow with every opportunity!

Sometimes what seems like the biggest problem or inconvenience is actually where our dreams reside. Choose to take the risk...choose to let God show His glory...

Love you all :)
Kira Cardwell
xoxo

Broken Washer

Well if you are wondering how married life is going....it is WONDERFUL!! Nic and I are having a blast and it has really been an awesome start. We both work all day and I come home around 4 and wait for him to get home around 6:30 or 7. That would seem like a pretty awesome time for me to just relax and unwind get dinner ready and meet my loving husband at the door. Well....it's not quite that way all the time. I wonder where those few hours go as I come home have a snack, blink my eyes, and find myself RUSHING to get dinner finished haha.

I try to pick up the house everyday and keep it clean and organized but I am not sure if it is me or if most people have this problem but this crazy house seems to never stay clean haha. Nic and I are barely here so I have come to the conclusion that I must be a walking tornado. I am meaning to clean but somehow I make more of a mess and then don't have time to clean it up. Everyday I think to myself, I HAVE GOT TO MAKE A BETTER PLAN! There has to be a secret to keeping a house in order but I have yet to figure it out.

Our house is awesome though. It is definitely small but it is perfect. You can see pictures of it in a past blog. It is super cozy and is just big enough for the two of us, all our stuff, and our sweet dog Piper! Who is getting so big by the way, she is now over 50 pounds :) We said we wouldn't let her get on the couch but somehow every night when Nic and I are snuggled up on the couch she magically appears in our laps. We have yet to figure out how she does it ;)

I have once again found myself in a whirlwind as I have been home since 4 and am now trying to get the house picked up before I leave for church. And today I am almost positive that I broke the washing machine. Atleast, I do not think the smell of burnt rubber and it bouncing right out of the closet is a good sign. Oh the humor of wivey duties :) I know when Nic comes home everyday he's got to think to himself, "what has she been doing all day"...but there is nothing I can do but laugh as I have spend the last 2 hours cleaning things, doing dishes, folding laundry, giving my dog a bath, etc. and the house looks just the same or even worse than it did when I came home!

It is actually pretty funny :) And I enjoy the challenge of figuring this all out. I used to not care when my house got out of sorts and Nic could probably care less too. But there is something special about creating a place that feels like home for your man after he has had a full day of work!

One day I will get it under wraps...or maybe I won't haha...but until then I will continue to laugh at myself...

Love you guys! Pray for my washer!

Kira Cardwell

New Name. New Look. New Life.

Well Hello again :)

We have finally settled in and I am back to blogging! So much has happened since I last blogged it is hard to even find where to begin...

Let's start with the wedding <3 It was perfect! Nic and I could not have been more pleased with everything. We can seriously say we had the perfect wedding. When I look back at the pictures and reminisce on the day all I can do is smile. I married my best friend and the day was full of pure happiness. I even look at pictures of myself from the wedding day and I think to myself that I have never looked that happy. Nic is my everything, he is now my husband, and below God he is my number one! The day I married him was truly and will always be the greatest day of my life. Our friends and family had a blast and the memories and stories could last forever. Special shout out to my parents for supporting us both and for giving us the world's greatest wedding :)

Now the HONEYMOON! I have a couple of words to say about this....CAN WE GO BACK YET?! There is nothing comparable than being on an island with your husband and having a week full of the most exciting romantic date nights and not a worry in the world. We loved St. Lucia! We relaxed by the ocean and pool, we went ziplining in the rain forest, we road horses into the ocean, we sailed around the island, went to a volcano, took a mud bath, snorkled, jet skied, and simply have the greatest time. We lost our luggage and we had flight delays on our way back but nothing could steal from the sweetness of the honeymoon!

Now for our jobs! Nic couldn't be happier with his job at Appalachian! He is coaching and it could not make me more excited to see him operating in his gifts. I know there are a lot of Nic Cardwell fans out there but I am surely his greatest fan! My husband makes me so proud and I am so happy for him! As for me...I had an interview the Monday I got back from the honeymoon and I got it! I am a school social worker for watauga county schools. I have 2 k-8 schools that I serve and I share the high school with another social worker. I get to work with some of my best friends and I get to insure the safety of the kids and families in our community everyday. It is a heart wrenching job at times but I am so blessed to be the hand that gets to reach out.

Our house is in order and Piper is growing big! Married life is sweet and we are embracing every moment we can. It is a journey for sure and still feels new after 3 months. And in reality I hope in 50 years it still feels just as new :) I am now Kira Cardwell and it couldn't feel more right!

I am also happy to be back to blogging :) Hope you enjoy!

3 MORE DAYS!

Well, here I am! 3 days till the wedding and pretty much finished with all of my duties and not to mention I am sitting here waiting on my future hubby to walk through the door :)

I am actually very tired for once and this is the night I actually have to stay awake, haha go figure! But who wouldn't want to stay awake to greet their man at the door when you have not seen him in 2 weeks and you get to marry him in 3 days! I am seriously so excited! I have almost reached the point of being speechless about the upcoming days.

Honestly, I feel as if I am living in a dream. Or like I am planning and doing all this work for someone else. It is funny because every time I am in a wedding and I watch the bride put on their pretty wedding dress I can not imagine myself in that place. I have never imagined that it was possible for it to actually be me. It is a picture, a feeling, a reality, I have yet to grasp even in watching other people go before me. But it is true and I really am getting married and it really is going to be awesome. I already feel the sadness of when the day will be over. I know that I will always long to relive it. But I can not be sad about that now because I still have a whole wedding day and 2 days leading up to it to soak in and enjoy!

I am officially ready to sit back and relax, I know I said I was going to start doing that on Monday but that did not end up being the case, although I did lay out for about 2 hours yesterday. But good news, my maid of honor and most wonderful cousin Lenza arrived today and she will be able to kinda take over all that is left in order to allow Nic and I to venture out and relax. Tomorrow night we are going on our last date as a unmarried couple. I can not wait to tell you about it!

But I am going to get a few more things done and continue to wait for Nic. He is only about 30 minutes away :)

I love you all so much! Your excitement and hype for the wedding has blessed me so much and has increased my own excitement for the big day! What a blessing for you all to be excited too!

Good Night!
Kira Vithalani

4 days to Go...

"Marriage is about nakedness, exposure, defenselessness, and the very extremeties of intimacy. It is about simple unadorned truth between two human beings, truth at all levels and at all costs, and it does not care what pain or inconvience must be endured in order for the habit of truth to take root, to be watered, and to grow into maturity. Marriage is a cacrament of openess, of personal knowledge, the supreme means provided by God for people to come to know one another." - Mike Mason, The Mystery of Marriage

I know...this quote is intense. A lot of time what scares people most about marriage is infact shown to be the most beautiful part of it. The knowing that some one else will know you more than anyone ever has, they will see every flaw, and they will see every hidden dream. You become one with someone else and in a marriage it is no longer just you but the two of you, forever. It is a lot to swallow and it is hard to know if giving up your independence, secretcy and privacy is worth spending your life with another person until death do you part. Although it seems scary, I see it as the most beautiful part of marriage. What I look forward to most. Laying myself down and picking up a life that includes not only myself but the man I love the most. To walk together...fearless of what the other might found out about me, beleiving and knowing in faith....he will love me anyways. What a sweet picture of Christ. I know I am not perfect but in the eyes of my future husband none of that matters. I will mess up and so will he. He has secrets and so do I. We have so much to learn about each other and in 4 days we get to truly lay our selves down, pick up togetherness, and enter into this journey called marriage. Call me gushy, call me dramatic, call me whatever you like, but I chose to see marriage as Christ see's it. I choose to base my model not off of any couple I see around me but off of the model of Christ. Sure I will fall short and so will Nic but together we will always be moving forward, closer and closer to the picture Christ has set for us. For a husband should love his wife as Christ loves the Church.

I have been trying to relax today but there is still much to be done. Tomorrow my plan is to finish it all and then tomorrow night the best part of the preparation comes...NIC will arrive :) I have missed him a ton and we have not seen each other in almost 2 weeks. I am still slightly in denial that our wedding is on Friday, only 4 days away. But I believe when he gets here it will change my focus completely. I am almost nervous to see him and as in nervous I mean I DO have BUTTERFLIES. He is not just a great friend but he is my future husband, the love of my life, my leader and my confidant. He is all I always knew I should wait for and so much more (this is how I knew he would be my husband some day).

I have full confidence in our wedding. It is going to be so beautiful! For those of you coming I really hope you are able to experience the love Christ has for you during our ceremony. I believe so strongly that what happens in a marriage ceremony is so much more than the eyes can see. I hope your hearts are forever touched :)

It is 1 am and I need to go to bed. I am sorry I didnt blog yesteday, I fought a headache all day long and simply could not bring myself to look at this computer screen long enough to write a blog. I hope you are having a blessed week. I know I am!

Love you always,
Kira Vithalani

6 days to go!

Well I think it would be a good idea for me to stop writing these right before I go to bed. I am very very tired so unfortunately this will probably be a short post. Maybe tomorrow I will take some time during the day and tell you all the gushy things I feel in my heart toward getting married. Tonight I simply do not have the energy.

But I am tired for good reason. My parents and I worked hard today!! We finished all the centerpieces! I have toiled with the idea of posting a picture of them because they are seriously GORGEOUS but I don't want to ruin the surprise for those of you that are coming to the wedding. I truly think we are going to have a beautiful wedding. Everything is going to look so good together! My mom and I sat on the floor all day and put together flower arrangements, cut stems, taped them all together and stuffed vases.

At the end of the day I was able to start working on the programs and I already have most of the cover pages printed out! We will finish those tomorrow! The seating arrangements are pretty much done and the final rental order was put in today. Before we know it the day will be here and everything is going to pay off! It has been a lot of hard work putting everything together and to be honest most the credit has to go to my parents! They have been awesome getting all of this together. Decorations are not my thing and I rarely have an opinion on it and they have really stepped it up and because of them I know that the wedding will be beyond beautiful. It is hard to even thing how I could ever repay them.

Tomorrow I am headed to church with Kendall and then I am back home to the workshop :) Tomorrow will be my last day of selling myself out to wedding things so I know I have to work hard to get everything done. Starting Monday the sun will be mixed into my days and the relaxing will begin!

Good Night for now! Everyday I get so much more excited! So far I am still sleeping good, pray for that to continue :)

Love you all!

7 days aka A WEEK!!!

Okay guys...we are finally rollin!

#1. I got to take my dress home today :) It is finally fixed. It is not in its original state but it still looks fabulous! I can not wait to debut it!! It fits perfect and we are finally good to go! Now I have to decide how to wear my hair! I want it down but it kinda looks better with the dress if it is UP. My mom and I are going to have a hair night sometime this weekend so we can figure out what we will do with our hair. Such a hard decision.

#2. We went to the venue for our last look around before the big day. We made sure everything was going to be able to go into place and made sure we had written down all the things we need to rent. It went really well and we had already had pretty much everything covered. The place is going to be really pretty, Im excited. Although, for some reason the venue has a skate park during the day and while we were there today there was a skate boarder practicing is tricks the whole time. More than anything I was just scared I was going to witness him brake a bone and I was pretty much going to flip out. But he didn't but he was limping by the time we left.

Other than these two things, a trip to the mall, a lunch with my parents, and a trip to Michaels (I think we have bought out the entire store so far) was all we did. At home we have been organizing things, I have been working on the seating charts and getting things in order. It is coming together slowly but surely! I feel really good about it but like I said I just have to keep truckin through it. Sunday was my goal to have most things done and it is only a couple days away.

PS. I have been living at the beach for 6 days now and have yet to see the ocean. I would say that is dedication to my wedding duties haha but next week I can guarantee I will see it at least once before the wedding :)

On another note I have had some requests to put some pictures of Piper up! She is growing fast and is as feisty as ever! She is still my sweetheart though and as cute as can be! Today we took her for a walk and she did SO good! She did not bark at a single dog and she just trotted along. On our way back to the house she pulled me all the way back to the house and knew exactly where she was going! She is only 11 weeks old but is the smartest lil thing. But here are some pictures of Piper that I took today...she was modeling for ya'll.






Look at the pretty sky on our walk...it was such a beautiful summer night!

This was piper after the walk...POOPED :)

Love you guys!

Kira Vithalani

8 Days :)

Well I have good news...as every day goes by my STRESS decreases :) That is because more is getting done everyday and it gets more and more refreshing!

I actually did not sleep very well last night. I do not remember it being because of wedding stuff I think it was just a bad night of sleep but regardless I decided to sleep in! I slept till about 9:45 then I got up and played with little piper, who is not so little anymore.

After awhile I actually did not do any wedding things until the evening. I spent the entire day filling out a application for Watauga County Schools! Although, I would LOVE to be only focused on the wedding right now, that is not the case. I still am job searching. I would love to have one in place by the time I get married but there is no telling. But two student service opportunities arose in Watauga County since I left Boone. If you have heard me talk about my dreams lately you would know being in a full time student service position in a school is a dream of mine! So I had to stop myself from any wedding things sit on the couch with my laptop and get it done. I emailed the principal at WHS and he said he would put in a good word for me so we will see! On paper I know I am under qualified but I know my heart and capabilities and so does the Lord, so we'll just put it in his hands, what do you think?! :)

Well after my never ending application I chose a layout for the reception and then went back to the SEAMSTRESS!! And once again...I did NOT leave with my dress. But I have good news too...the dress DOES fit! FINALLY!! But there were some problems with the way the lady put the hooks on so she had to do a little more work on it. Remember when I said she should have never touched this part of the dress and it was perfect before?! Just saying :)

But after that we headed to the groomsmen hotel and took care of the rooms and then we sat down for a nice dinner downtown. It all in all was a good day. I still feel the pressure from a few things that I know need to get done immediately but I have not really had time for yet but I know tomorrow is another day of preparation and another day to get things done.

At this point in the game I am focused mainly on one thing....I am marrying my best friend in 8 days...EIGHT DAYS! It gives me butterflies just thinking about it. I am so unbelievably excited. I am spending time through out my days praying for my sweetheart. I know he is worried about me getting stressed out but I also worry about him too. I want him to be stress free and being able to relax in this time. We have such an adventure ahead of us and I know it is going to be so much greater than our understanding. And not to mention in 9 days we will land in the beautiful island of St. Lucia for a week of just the two of us, the blue waters, and the SUN!! Woohoo!

I am still in disbelief that the time is actually here and tomorrow marks a week till the wedding. I am so excited to see all my friends in one place and celebrate a love that is modeled by the love of Christ and I am excited that that love is the love I share with the most amazing man :)

I love you all to death! I can not wait to see you next weekend and I am so excited for all that is ahead tomorrow. My stress has decreased and my excitement is taking over again! Phew, that is a GOOD feeling!

Goodnight!

Kira Vithalani

9 Days to GO

Hey Friends!

Today was much better :) We have officially checked off our todo list of things to buy!! Yayy! I know more things will come up as we continue to organize but it still is so refreshing to know it is all taken care of!

I even took time in my day today to do something for me that was not wedding related! I had lunch with one of my best friends in the world, Jonathan Everette and his sweet girlfriend Keri! Jonny and I have been close since elementary school. I don't think he will read this blog so I will go ahead and say this but if he was a girl he'd totally be a bridesmaid haha.. Not sure if he would enjoy me saying something like that out loud haha...sorry buddy! But anyways lunch was wonderful and it was so great to catch up with the two of them! He was funny because during the lunch he just said..."Dude...you are going to cry so hard." with a worried look on his face.

Jonny and I are close enough for him to know that my tears do not have a lot of trouble flowing :) The thought of crying at my wedding is so funny. For some reason I have this strong believe that I will hold it together...anyone else that has spent more than a day with me would probably beg a differ. I am so scared I will look like a dinosaur face if I cry so much so I am truly determined to keep it under control! Wish me luck! I cry through every wedding I go to, going through my own will be tough!

Yesterday in my blog I mentioned my dress. Well long story short the seamstress took my dress in when it didn't need to be taken in and now it is way to little. I tried it on last Thursday and it definitely needed to be let out. I am not sure what she was thinking or if she just forgot what she was doing or what but regardless I left there with no frustration trusting she would get it right. THEN I came back on Tuesday...still to little. Then I went back today...STILL TOO LITTLE! Then she tried to do a quick fix on the dress and ended up cutting the fabric. Anyways I am going to stop here because I am trying to stay as calm as someone can be in this situation. Tomorrow I go back for the FOURTH time in a weeks period. Hopefully the 4th time is a charm since the 3rd time failed me.

Well...I miss Nic. I feel much less stressed today but I would still love to have him around. It is always good to have that person that helps you and reminds you to relax and that is Nic for me. Little Piper is missing him too. Although she is not the sweet little puppy I brought to Wilmington with me. She is fiesty for sure and completely full of herself haha. She will barely let me hold her at this point. She is too interested in everything around her than to stop for lovin. I miss her cuddles but I guess she has to go through her wild puppy stage. Yesterday she did catch a toad in the yard and it was pretty awesome! I love having her with me but it also make me wish Nic was here more. I like for the 3 of us to be together! We haven't had her long but it already feels like a little family :)

Well I am going to go to sleep now. Tomorrow is another day full of knocking things out. My goal is to mostly get everything done by Sunday and next week....RELAX!!! The sun is calling my name :)

Love you all,

Kira Vithalani

10 Days to Go

Okay everyone here it goes....

I am way too busy to blog but I am going to do it as my release and because I know I will be happy to have these last days written down. I am in Wilmington and I am officially preparing for the wedding. My mind is pretty much overloaded with all the things that are still left to do but my goal is to just keep trucking through it. Today was the day that my mom and I went around town to try to get done as much as we could and pick up all the last little things.

The tasks seem never ending but I know that they will end. Nic and I were on the phone earlier today and he asked me what my stress level was....at this point, I would say a 6. The good thing is that today was day one of finishing the last of the last things to do.

I can not believe I am getting married in ten days. It seems so soon. It excites me and makes me nervous all at the same time. I am beyond belief that it is finally here. They last days before I get to marry the man of my dreams. I get to put on my pretty white dress ( which at the moment does not fit me....a WHOLE nother story) and walk done the aisle truly glorifying the Lord and become one with the most wonderful man alive.

When I said I am nervous, I am not nervous about the gettin married part. I know that this is the man I am suppose to marry and I know that this is the time we are suppose to be married. Nothing in my life has ever felt so right and I can not wait for it all! I am nervous at my list of things to do and the wonder of if it will come together...which I know it will but until more things are complete and checked off the list the weight will still sort of be there.

I am not with Nic right now, he is still in Boone but I miss him like crazy! It would be easier with him by my side but I know that this time a part is going to be really unique for us. The anticipation is growing every day that I do not see him. When I see him again there will only be a few short days away until he will be my husband.Marriage has to be the world's sweetest thing and am so blessed to be on the edge of this great adventure.

The song I have in my spirit is so simple but so sweet for this time...I think most of my readers know it but if you dont you should look it up. Such a simple, sweet, everlasting, and ever played song about being prepared to be a vessel for the Lord.

Lord Prepare me to be a Sanctuary, Pure and Holy, Tried and True, With thanksgiving I'll be a living sanctuary for you.

I feel like I am in my time of preparation. Yes I am putting together centerpieces, searching for our last few things, spending too much time at the seamstress and florist but there is a deeper preparing going on. A preparing for the bride and groom to step into a sanctuary and have the Lord intertwine them. I am being prepared in my heart. Full of purity and holiness...this is how I desire to enter that center aisle. As a pure and holy, tried and true gift to my husband who is preparing the way for me.

I could go on and on but I have 9 more days to tell you my thoughts. That's right. You can follow me all the way up to the wedding on my blog. I promise to write everyday and to keep you updated on all that is ahead.

This is the time of my life thus far. In ten days no day will ever top it and no day will ever mean more to me than the day I get to marry Nic. I am beyond grateful!

If you have a moment say a prayer for us :)

Kira Vithalani
( I might as well sign my name in full while I still have it :) )

June Thus Far

Phew! Can you tell I have been busy?! :) June has been fast paced but awesome so far! They wedding is coming closer and time is flying! Here are some updates on my month :)

High School Graduates

Well my babies are all growing up! At the beginning of the month Nic and I and a lot of the other youth team members got to watch some of our youth walk across the stage and receive their diploma! A lot of them I have known for up to 5 years now. It is such an honor to be a part of their lives and they have truly blessed me in my years here in Boone. I am so proud of them and I can not wait to see what the Lord has in store for all their futures!

Our Last Wedding Shower

My sweet friends and bridesmaids Leslie and Christi threw Nic and I a shower at the beginning of the month! It was so much fun and we had a great time with all our friends and church family :) I can not believe that that was the last one. Engagement goes by so quickly!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Yes it was my birthday this month! I turned 23 :) It was a very relaxed birthday which I appreciated. My parents came up the Saturday before for our shower and then after we all went to dinner to celebrate, Nic's mom and brother and his family came also. It was such a treat to have them there and my family too. My first birthday celebration with some of my new family :) How fun! Life is definitely changing but in the best way! On my ACTUAL birthday Nic took me out to dinner and a movie. Relaxing and wonderful! I had a great day with him! He also got me a gift certificate for a massage, I believe I will be taking advantage of that in the weeks to come. And as I look on my camera it looks like I forgot to take pictures of my birthday celebrations. Haha opps!

Meagan's Bachelorette Weekend!!

Well as you have heard me mention before Nic and I's great friends Frankie and Meagan are getting married 3 weeks before us, which is NEXT weekend! Well I got to spend a weekend at the beach with Meagan and the crew for her bachelorette! What a blast! We seriously had the best time and I catch myself still laughing over the fun times we had through out my days. She is such a blessing to me and I can not wait to stand beside her on her special day. I am so extremely excited for the time to be here! Meagan and Frankie, If you are reading this....I love you both so much!

Our new home

Yep that's right! Nic has officially moved into our new place! It is still a little messy in there and we are getting it together but it is the coolest and most wonderful feeling to know that it will be our home! Now we just have to make it look like a home :)

and last but not least....PIPER IS HOME!

We got our sweet little puppy this week! She has been amazing so far and I must say I believe we have the worlds greatest puppy. She is the most loving little girl and she is already spoiled to death. Yesterday she came to work with me and she never left my feet and she was not even on a leash. She loves to be with people and HELD by people. We spent the evening together too as I worked on organizing the new place, Nic had to work late, and we had the best time. We played and even napped together haha, I was worn out yesterday! Nic came to the new place when he got off work and found Piper and I both passed out on the floor :) We love her so much already!



But anyways! That is the jist of life lately! Lots of awesome and amazing things going on! I will try to keep up the blog a little better from here on out. Especially with the wedding approaching so soon! It is now less than a month away, 27 days to be exact!

Love you all..happy saturday!

Meet PIPER

Well it is official! Nic and I have finally put down our deposit on our sweet little puppy! Originally I wanted a male. Growing up with them I found that they were always the more loyal dogs but things changed alittle :) The other day I called the breeder and she said she had one male available! I was so excited and Nic and I hit to road yesterday after church to go meet the little booger and put down our deposit. Well on our way there the breeder called me and said that someone had put a deposit down on the male that MORNING! Needless to say I was bummed. Nic (while grinning because he some how found my being bummed a tad bit funny haha) said that we could turn around if I wanted too. But I insisted to keep going so we could meet the girls.

We got there and they brought all the girls that were available to us. And right away this little puppy who is still trying to figure our how to run and walk runs toward me with her little front legs STRAIGHT! Haha it was the cutest thing to see her run like that. She immediately climbed right into my lap....so sweet! I didn't want to fall in love to quickly so I continued to play with the others. One was the runt and to be honest she is so small I am unsure if she will make it, poor little thing was precious but did not stand a chance as our pick. They other one went straight for my shoes and if you know me...I can not risk my shoes being eatin haha. But she was definitely spunky but after a minute of playing she went off by her self and found a bag to chew on, she did her own thing and didn't even care that we were there. The next one was at first Nics favorite but she was WILD!! She was terrorizing all her sisters and she was always fighting for the attention. She was a player though which is what caught Nic at first. Then he got a hold of the little girl that I loved at first. He got up in his arms and did not want to leave. If he put her down she would come back to him. I think that she chose her owner before we even chose her :)

It was a hard decision because I really had my heart set on a boy. But the breeder brought the boy out for me to meet and I would have never chosen him either. They called him Mr. Mean and he was just like that little way to wild girl. But we got to see the Mommy and Daddy and they could not be prettier. So we decided that this sweet little girl was going to be our little baby!

I still can not believe it is real. I grew up with Dogs and love them more than anything and the last 5 years living in Boone all I have ever wanted was to get one but it was never the right timing or I never lived in a place that would except them. But it is really happening and Nic and I are getting the sweetest baby girl!

We get to take her home in a few weeks and it will be an adventure for sure! Nic and I were already talking last night how we wish she was here! And can I just take a moment to say how wonderful my fiance is! I honestly never saw all of this happening so easy and he has been so supportive about getting the dog and so for it! And although it is just a dog it has blessed me beyond measure that this wasn't a fight but it was an agreement. I have been so impressed and in awe about how FOR this he is! He used to say that he never wanted an animal in the house and now he is just excited about this puppy as I am! God has blessed me with a great man! Here is our first family pic :)

"I got it" - God

Well the Lord speaks again :) I really believe I am in a season of maturing and increasing as I am preparing to go into marriage. I have recently learned so much about prioritizing life according to operating out of a family/marriage mindset instead of a individual mindset. You got to hear a lot about that a few posts back. Well yesterday the Lord was showing me just how big He is!

Isn't it ridiculous how we forget sometimes that God is God! He is the maker and Creator of this earth. He has promised his blessing over us and he takes delight in seeing us prosper. His word is TRUTH! And when you read his word you will begin to realize what he has said about you and how you should live your life abundantly here on earth and when you have the revelation that it is TRUE it will blow your mind.

I am going to take a moment on this blog post to declare the word of God over my own life. I hope it inspires you to do the same. I would say that 99.99% of people that have talked about their marriage or given us advice about marriage have made it seem like we would financially go through a terrible time in the beginning. The Lord convicted me strong of this thinking. No where in the bible does it say that in your first year of marriage you will starve. But it says that...

"Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever." Psalm 112:1-3

"Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." Proverbs 3:9-10

"The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it." Proverbs 10:22

"This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

AND FOR MY GRAND ENDING....

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty." Malachi 3:10-11

The Lord goes as far to say TEST ME IN THIS!! If you bring him your first fruits he will open the FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN and pour out SO MUCH blessing that there will not be room enough to store it!

You may think I am being ignorant to the possibility that we may not always have enough for everything. But yesterday when that thought also crept into my mind the Lord said...."Kira...stop planning for lack and start planning for abundance." If we plan for lack we will get it! But if we leave room for the Lord to bless us he will fill it.

There is a key word in what the Lord said to me....PLAN! When you know how to handle the blessing and you are mature enough to cherish it and to not abuse it the Lord will give it. I am not ignorant because I have FAITH in God to prosper my future husband and I. I am blessed to know that if I plan well the Lord will show off the truth of his word. And as Nic and I move forward into the unknown and unseen of where our money will come from in the next season I can tell you one thing...the Lord is my supplier and he can do above and beyond my own understanding. I refuse to plan for lack I allow my FAITH TO ARISE in believing God for exactly who He is...GOD!

When I received this revelation I received it in the financial realm but it really goes for everything! The Lord has promised us SO MUCH GOOD! Declare His word over your life, give back to him your first fruits, and let his Glory rise!

Our God is Faithful!

I love you,
Kira

It isn't easy but it is Possible

I dedicate this post to my Uncle, Brian Keith Paul.
Today is his birthday and I wish he was here.

In November 2006 my family went through something awful. We lost a dad, a husband, a brother, a son, a best friend, and an uncle. Today I am not here to talk about the tragedy, the pain, the sorrow, etc. but here to talk about the strength, love, passion of a man and a family and ultimately our GOD.

Loosing Brian was the hardest thing this family has been through and there is hardly a but that can come after that statement BUT here are a few :) BUT the way the Lord designed our family to be together during every hard time was amazing. My family lives in Wilmington and the rest of my mom's side lives in West Virginia. We some how still remained as close as ever. My cousins are not my cousins they are my brother and sisters. My parents and their parents are best friends and have been since they were little. My mamaw and papaw are hands down the BEST mamaw and papaw in the world. When we found out that Brian had cancer Lenza was in Wilmington with me, we were together. When Brian had his intensive surgery at Wake Forest, we were together. Before we found out the cancer had come back we all spent the week in Wilmington on the beach and hanging out, we were together. When Lenza won homecoming queen and we got to see my uncle released from the hospital to walk across the field with her, we were all together. And when the day had come for my sweet uncle to be with the Lord, we were all together. Our houses were over 7 hours a part but how good is God to know that we needed each other. We were one. We were each other's strength, each other's smile, each other's comfort.

My uncle was a man of courage and fight. I learned a lot from him in this sense. When he saw something that needed to be done he went after it. Some would say he was stubborn and in some ways he was but he still got the job done :) He was hilarious and never passed up a time to be completely ridiculous to make everyone laugh, you should see some of our home videos! On his birthday, he loved cakes made out of donuts, he loved to watch his kids succeed, he supported them like crazy and loved them to no end.

I think about him not being here with us now and us not being able to celebrate his birthday and it makes me sad, but then I imagine him around the throne of God, worshiping him, singing, loving, etc. and I know he is in a far better party than we could have ever thrown for him here.

A woman prayed for me one time and she referred to my uncle and said...who ever you lost is surely with the Lord. Praise God! She was right and no matter how much I miss him here I push through to realize where he is and I smile. I have an amazing family, a strong family, and a loving family. It hasn't been easy but it has been possible. For the Lord will not give you anything you can not handle.

Just needed a moment to get this out. Sometimes it is hard to bring something like this back to the surface but today I choose to look at the few BUTS that there are to the difficulties of loosing my uncle.

I love you Uncle Brian and I am happy that you are having the best Birthday today! I wish more than anything that you could be here this summer for my wedding! I know you would love Nic and there is no doubt that I can feel your support from heaven :) Miss you always...

I end saying the one things that can always be said...OUR GOD IS GOOD!

Love you all,

Kira

Coffee Dates

Today I am going to let you in on one of Nic and I's secrets. We love love love to spend time together and do all sorts of things but our absolutely favorite thing that we do is have....

COFFEE DATES!

It seems so simple but to us they are so special. Nic and I both like to read, although he is a much more avid reader than I am, I still enjoy a good book. So we read books together often. And at any given moment in the last 3 years we have been dating we have most likely been reading a book together. It is not for everyone but it has definitely worked for us. We read something that will build us up in our relationship with each other and our relationship with the Lord. Reading these books have really shaped us and we give this time together a lot of credit in our relationship :) But back to the coffee dates...

Today we had our first one in a while. Life has been so busy lately and schedules have been crazy but we were able to sit down and go over some of the book we have been reading. More than the book these times together are so encouraging because we have the most wonderful conversations. A lot of times, in any relationship, we can get into a routine. We talk about life, people, and everyday things but good, genuine conversations that cause you to grow and fall more in love can sometimes be overlooked and unspoken. This is exactly what our coffee dates do for us. They set aside a time where we get to hear each other's hearts, dreams, and visions and both be challenged in the same way as we read the same book.

It was such a blessing to spend this time with Nic today :) We have always said that even when we are married we will continue to do this. It's just our thing and I think every couple should have their own :) Something that allows two people to be refreshed, gain joy in each other, learn more about one another, and grow together. Without having the time to do things things I can only imagine how bored we would get in our relationship after time.

Life is sweet. It is now less that 2 months till we get married. There is a lot to do but what's bigger than wedding plans is our personal growth together and the Lord is speaking clearly and blessing big! With out my trust being in Him I can totally see how Bridezillas can be created ;) Thank you Jesus for delivering me from that mindset haha

Love you all & have the most wonderful week!

Kira

From Independent to Intertwined

Marriage. I'm not quite there yet but I am already experiencing the Lord shifting my mind and heart into that of a wife. I find myself making decisions that were once a battle but are now unquestionable. Selflessness, support, trust, & faith is coming to me more strongly than ever. Soon it will not just be me fighting for my own dreams but US fighting for OUR dreams.

What I love about Nic and I is that we are both driven and purposed people. We understand that there is a calling of greatness on our lives. And please hear me when I say that, I am not boasting about who we are, I am just confident that the Lord has called us to a specific purpose (as He has done to us all). We are not people that sit in the shadows for the most part but we are go getters. We help in a time of need, we have visions, dreams, and believe that we are here in this time and season to make a difference in the lives around us.

But for each of us before there was an US there was an I. Before Nic and I started dating or even knew each other he knew he was called to greatness. And before he was ever in my life I knew I was called to greatness. We both had dreams and we both still have them. The Lord birthed visions inside of us and we both still have them. Before now we have done what we can to nurture those dreams, to fight for them, to position ourselves for achievement in them, and to be souled out in our God given purpose.

Well now we are given a new God given purpose. We have not exchanged the old for the new but we have added on to what has already been placed in our hearts. We have been given the purpose of Husband and Wife, the purpose of representing the picture of how Christ loves the Church. It is not an interuption to the way life was before but it is a new mindset, a new way of thinking.

I find myself now more than ever caring more about his dreams than mine. Are my dreams still there? Yes. Will I still go after them? Absolutely. Will I continue to operate in the gifts God has given me specifically? Yes. Will I continue to nurture my dreams? Yes. None of this changes but there is a change in the process. I will do all of these things but never at the expense of what is ultimate...my marriage. I love supporting Nic in his dreams and it gives me JOY! That is a ministry. And although I find myself caring more about his than mine does that mean I will never get to see mine come to pass? Absolutely not.

There is no greater tangible picture of dying to self than marriage presents. There are no more room for secrets or unknowns. Your spouse will learn every detail of who you are, good and bad. It seems like the scariest thing in the world but yet it is the most beautiful thing in the world. Because ultimately the more we see the more our love will grow. It is truly the most vulnerable relationship. But selflessness goes both ways. Because I am the woman in the relationship and I am called to submit to him as the leader in the house does not mean I am the only one to gain selflessness. As I care about Nic's dreams coming to pass he also cares about mine. We will work together for the good of the Lord....we will work together to see these dreams come to pass.

I will go after my dreams but never at the expense of my relationship with Nic or without the greater need for the union, the family, in mind. We will lay down personal agenda's and will pick up the agenda of togetherness. I praise God for the way that he is forming me and preparing me to be a wife because I know in the past this type of selflessness would have ripped me to shreds as I felt entitlement to my dreams. Praise God I have been delivered from that and Praise God for this new understanding.

Someone once told me that I was so independent that I would end up pushing everyone away (that wasn't a very nice statement huh?!) And although it may have been semi true years ago I can say confidently today that I lay down my independence and I pick up togetherness. TOGETHER we are called to greatness.

These are just a few things I have been learning in my spirit about becoming a wife. We are only 2 months and 3 days away from entering into the greatest relationship. The newness of it all is raw and it sometimes turns my stomach but when I see how magnificent it is in the eyes of the Lord I can not wait to embark on the journey. I know I will not always be the best wife and Nic will not always be the best husband but as long as we can always lay down self and pick up togetherness we will push through to greatness.

"Submit to one another out of reverence for God." Ephesians 5:21

I love you all,

Kira

Road Trip

Geez, I didn't realize how long it had been since I had blogged. Sorry about that :) So this weekend marks a mile stone in my wedding adventures!! My DRESS CAME IN and I went to Wilmington to try it on for the first time!!!

Nic and I left Friday morning to make my boutique appointment of 2:00pm in Wilmington. I was SO thankful he came with me! First of all, we are the best road trip partners, which I am very thankful for. And who doesn't want to be in the car with the love of their life for 5 hours! To Nic and me road trips together are the BEST!! So we got to Wilmington and he dropped me off at the boutique where my mom met me. The time had come!! How exciting but honestly very nerve racking. I didn't say a whole lot which is a normal reaction for me when I am excitedly nervous. But we got in there and I put it on. My mom immediately began to get emotional and I really really loved it. Except....let's just say there were a few things that I would have liked to be different. Wish I could tell you the detailed story but Nic may read this and I can not give out any clues :) The lady at the store assured me that the things I wanted could be done, so I took the dress off, put the stress away and waited till my seamstress appointment in the morning.

In the mean time I went back to my house to find Nic passed out on the couch haha, I love that he can make himself comfortable in my parent's house. We relaxed for the rest of the day and then went out the the baseball fields to watch my brother's game, he coaches for our high school. I was so excited about this night for many reasons. One: I love baseball. Two: We were going as a family and Nic was there to be a part of it. Three: More than anything those baseball and softball fields are home to me. Four: I was so excited for Nic to see the part of my life that took over probably 75% of my childhood. Five: Nothing compares to a warm summer night at the baseball fields, no matter what field it is.

Well my exciting night didn't turn out to be so exciting! It POURED down rain! We went anyways but it was not as enjoyable that is for sure. But we stuck through it and supported my brother and hung out with my parents. It was still nice to all be together!

Saturday morning....aka the seamstress appointment. It didn't go as easy as planned but non the less it was successful. The first 30 minutes we were there we went round and round on if what I needed done was even possible at all. Can I just say that I do not think I even took a breath in that 30 minutes. I believe it was stressful for everyone in the entire room. But eventually we came to a quick fix conclusion and I took a risk but I let the seamstress do something on the spot that could have been dangerous if I didn't like it. But guess what....it made the dress PERFECT!! I was finally able to exhale, take a deep breath and relax! I'd say that is the most stressed I have been so far in the whole process.

I came back to Boone that evening welcomed by our INVITATIONS! Everything is becoming so official, and it is so exciting! I LOVE the invitations and I am having a girls party tomorrow at my house, hosting all my friends over to help me assemble them. Taking something tedious and turning it into a night to remember with my sweet friends! Although, time is getting shorter and seems to be running out this season of preparing for marriage has been a blast :)

Love you all,
Kira

Houses & Puppies

Happy Sunday :)

After a good lunch of leftovers from eating out this weekend and a good nap I am just resting before I decide to get up off the couch and clean! I have had a great weekend and I would have to say that the best part was the fact that Nic and I signed a lease on our new place!! I am so excited about it. Most of the places we have looked at so far have been really unpresentable. When looking for an affordable price range you never really know what you are going to get, especially when you are also looking for a place that accepts pets. It has been difficult to find a great place in this little town but we finally did. The place is brand new, we have our own private deck, a little yard for the puppy we don't have yet :) and 2 bedrooms, a washer and dryer and the biggest plus for me...a DISHWASHER! I have gone all year with out a dishwasher and I can honestly say that I have not gotten used to it. I just do not like dishes. I try but it just doesn't work for me haha. I told Nic that I truly believed this dishwasher would prevent us from a lot of first year disagreements...I was partially kidding ;)


We signed the lease on Saturday, put down our deposit, and took lots of pictures so I can stare at them in the next month and imagine how I am going to decorate everything! How fun! I still can not believe we are getting married and will be living in the same house. It is very surreal but I am so ready for it!

Now we just have to find the next member of our little family. Our puppy! I have found a breeder I want to buy from but the litter will be ready to go home before the wedding and I am really just trying to make sure that I am fully ready to take that on before hand. I think I am but I am just trying to be as smart as possible. I would say we will 80% get this puppy and guess what....it was born this week! When the breeder emailed me to tell me they were born I was so excited! (I am already a little emotionally attached, can you tell :) )

Look how sweet these little things are...and look how beautiful the mommy is! Don't you think I need one of these lil boogers?!




I will let you know when I finally put down the deposit, hopefully I can bring myself to do it! But for now I am going to get up, do dishes, put a way clothes and get ready for another awesome week.

I hope you all find lots of rest and refreshment on this beautiful sunday!!

Love,
Kira

It's Never Perfect All the Time

Well, first of all...I watched the Royal Wedding this morning. I spend the night at Christi's, we both slept on her couches, set our alarm for 4:30am, finally had the strength to turn the TV on at 5, and spend our early morning watching a true prince and princess be married. It did not disappoint. I loved every second of it and I can not wait for it to be my moment to be a bride :) I think I will feel just like a princess on my wedding day. One because my groom is a true prince. Two because I have the most amazing dress. Three Nic will have on a tux with a tail. Four I will be swept away with my groom at the end of the night in a horse carriage. The list could go on and on but my point is, I get to be a princess one day very soon! I have never really been into princes and princesses and actually when I was younger I rarely dreamed of my wedding like most little girls do but I would be lying to say I will not soak up every moment of that day as mine and Nic's and be nothing short of a princess and I also have no shame in saying that I believe I will not feel any different than Kate felt this morning. To me Nic is more of a prince than anyone could ever be and I know in the eye of the Lord and in the eyes of my sweet fiance...I to am no different than a real princess, I am not saying I am viewed that way to everyone but I know that in the eyes of these two I am and on July 15, 2011 I'll get to have my own royal wedding :)

We have had LOTS of planning going on lately and I feel like we are on a role. Although, things have not been as smoothly has hoped for in many areas haha. I knew it would only last so long before the mishaps begun. But so far everything has been fixable :)

My bridesmaid's dresses were suppose to arrive this week. And the company e-mailed me the other day and said that the designer's did them in all the WRONG color! You should know that I ordered those dresses 3 months ago so it has been a long process for them to come in and I do not have 3 more months to wait for more dresses. But luckily since it was their fault not mine they are rushing the order and I will have the dresses in the RIGHT color in 3 weeks. (When they can do it that fast it makes you wonder what in the world they have been doing the last 3 MONTHS?)

Along with that I...
...Ordered my Invitations for the wrong company and they were only going to be able to make me ivory invitations with Burgundy ribbons (PS my colors are purple, black and silver.)
...One of my bridesmaids couldn't get the shoes I picked out for them
...and many other small changes to plans have happened

But on the other hand...
...I was able to cancel my invitations and order them from the right place
...The bridesmaid was actually my maid of honor and she is getting the shoes in black which will actually be cuter, so she will stand out
...my wedding dress has arrived
...we found a great house to live in
...our potential puppy was born this week
...GOD IS GOOD
...I get to marry the most amazing man
...Our wedding will be fantastic no matter if things don't go as planned :)

Mishaps are just mishaps...like I said so far everything has been able to be fixed. They may give you a temporary heart attack but you just have to laugh about it, make a plan B, and keep going. I believe that nothing can take from our wedding day. It is getting so close and I couldn't be more excited. I feel like most of the big things are pretty much out of the way and now we can really begin to focus on the ceremony and the flow of the night. This is the part that means the most to me and I am so excited for the vision to start forming.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Love you

Refreshed and Ready to Roll

I am back and refreshed :) I had such a great time at home this weekend it was unbelievable. I truly missed being in Boone and at my church for Easter but the time with my friends and family was much needed.

Look how cool my shower cake was!! We tested out the lady that we are getting to do our wedding cake and check it out, it looks awesome and it tasted awesome! My wedding cake will look nothing like this haha but it still shows she can do a great job! The shower was a lot of fun! It was sweet to have all my friends together from all different places and to have my family there also was such a blessing. My mom put everything together and I give a shout out to her for being the world's best mom!! I am not kidding, I have the best parents! And my best friend Jackie directed everything and put together the games and she was so great! It is so sweet to see all my friends and family together in one place.

Easter was different but it was really great. I went to church with my brother and his girlfriend and then I went to my home church and met up with a friend there. I haven't been to my home church in over a year probably and it had been a while since I had seen everyone. It was the Pastor's last service after 25 years of ministry in the church, he is retiring. They whole church couldn't stop their tears as he pushed through to preach about the resurrection, faith, and how the Lord has brought him through these last 25 years. It was such a sweet sweet service. After the service I went to talk to all the ministers and other's and it was so sweet to be celebrated by them as they were just now seeing me for the first time since my engagement. It was a quick reminder of how blessed I was growing up to be surrounded by such great, caring, loving, and supporting adults in my church. I am thankful for everyone of them.

Sunday night I met up with my friends at a Mexican Restaurant in town and it was pretty much our entire group and we just sat there and talked about our lives together, our friendships, our memories, and the expected future. We laughed so hard we teared up and I am pretty sure that entire restaurant knew way more than they needed to about us as our voices in love and excitement couldn't help but elevate. When you sit at a table with a group of people you have been with for the last 12 years and realize that nothing has changed so far and it probably never will it will truly bless you. I feel like most my blogs are about great friends but relationships truly bless me. I cherish them, I will fight for them, and I will hardly ever let go of them. Thank you girls for being the best of friends to me. And thank you to all my other friends who are also the best of friends to me! I am refreshed daily by your relationships.

I am glad to be back in Boone with my sweet fiance, back to my amazing job, and great church! This week has already unfolded so many great things :) Will update you on everything at once next time :)

Love you all!

Hello Break!

Here I am sitting at work waiting on my 9:30 parent meeting to show up and I thought I would take this time to catch up on the blog. I am so excited because Easter break is almost here! Although I do not get a full week off like most schools do I still get this Friday and next Monday and I am headed home :)

My mom is throwing me a bridal shower on Saturday which I am super excited about! I love so much to celebrate with my friends and family from home. I do not get much time to spend with them since I live in Boone but I still love them to death. I have been truly blessed to still have such a great community in Wilmington. When I go home, even after 5 years of not living there, it's like I never skipped a beat! I love it. Not to mention I will once again get to be showered with love and PRESENTS. I will admit though, I am going to miss Nic. I like to share these moments with him and I want him to get to open and see the presents too, but the girl and family time will be great!

Now that I have bragged on my friends in Wilmington let me brag on my friends in Boone! 5 of the girls up here are coming to my shower! It is a 4 and half to 5 hour drive but it isn't stopping them. (I think the fact that I live at the beach is influential in this decision but I know that they love me just as much as the beach :) )

I know this weekend is going to be a ton of fun and I can't wait to tell you about it. Not to mention it is Easter, my favorite holiday. I am excited to spend it with my family especially considering this will be my last holiday as a single person. I of course am going to love having Nic with me so much more but I am glad that I get to take this time with them. I know they love for me to come home and it is a rare occasion that I get too, so it will be a treat for all of us.

If you don't know much about my home town, you should know that it is the greatest place! I have always said that it is my heart and soul and I pray my parents never leave there so my excuse to visit never runs dry. Here are a few things I plan to do while I am there.

1. Go to the Beach
2. Wear a dress every day
3. Eat at Tower 7/K-38 (either one will satisfy)
4. Go downtown to the River
5. Go out with my friends
6. Play with my puppies (they aren't really puppies anymore but to me they are)
7. Have my dad grill out in the back yard
8. Go shopping in real stores (poor Boone just doesn't cut it in the shopping area)
9. Get PORT CITY JAVA everyday (maybe an occasional Starbucks treat too)
10. Get crab dip while I am out to eat (Family dinner at Bluewater is sounding pretty good)
11. Go to the Fuzzy Peach for self serve yogurt bar
12. Eat a Robert's Chicken Salad Sandwich
13. Get wedding things done that are impossible to do from Boone
14. Walk the loop at the beach
15. Hopefully talk my friends into taking me out on the boat (love the boat over the beach any day)

Just a view things. I love home. I LOVE Boone, but I still love home! Excited for my break! Can't wait to tell you all about it!

Have a wonderful Easter, I hope you are overwhelmed with love and joy in the realization of our Savior's miracle of redemption!

Love you,

Kira

God's Gift of Oppurtunity

Do you ever get invited to participate in an opportunity, it seems worth it, it seems as if it would be beneficial to you, so you take it but it ends up to be so much more than what you expected it to be?

Last Friday, through my job at the high school, I was able to participate in a Youth Suicide Prevention Training. It was a half day event that I was paid to attend and it was all about training an individual to be prepared to recognize a person's invitation to help when they are dealing with suicidal thoughts and then be able to address the situation. The training was awesome and I am blessed to have this knew knowledge and educational backing to deal with the seriousness of suicide. But the Lord has turned this into something so much bigger for me...a whole new understanding of prevention and having faith behind it.

The training in a nutshell basically taught us to be upfront. When you see that a person is struggling with depression, isolation, and many other indicators you simply sit down with them and address your observations and then bluntly say..."Are you thinking about committing suicide?" You do not beat around the bush, you do not ask them if they are wanting to hurt themselves because their method of suicide may not be painful. You cut to the chase...and if they say no, then great, you can help them find a solution to whats bothering them. But if they say yes, you are able to talk to them and get them the proper help that they need. Almost every person who has suicidal thoughts does not really want to die, they just want the pain to stop. This is serious. Very serious. And to not take it seriously could cost a life....

Here comes the Lord's spin on things. I can not stop thinking about this training and how it does not only relate to suicide. It is a principle that also works in spiritual situations.

The training may have seemed simple but as they went on I really had confidence in the prevention. And it actually seemed 100% easier to be straight forward and to not beat around the bush. It is one question....rather than tons of suggestive comments that are made to hopefully have the other person fess up to what they are dealing with on their own.

When we see something that is going on in our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, or even a lost soul. We can not take the matter lightly. God is big enough to use us. Just like the matter of suicide a lot of times the spiritual matters in a person is the same...life or death. To know Jesus or to not. In my training I learned the simplicity of having faith in the prevention. Doing this rids of the fear of offending someone, making a situation worse, or looking like a freak for jumping straight to the most intense situation. Who care's about all of that when there may be a life at stake. I know this is kinda intense but this is such a huge empowerment to me that I wanted to share it with you.

When we meet someone and they are dealing with something severe and you feel that tug in your heart and that push in your spirit to do something for the Lord, have faith in that. Have faith that the prevention (GOD) will work, because he will, because ultimately He loves that person more than you do, He created them, He is their father. Increasing our faith will give us the strength to save a life. If you dismiss the invitation, which by the way every person who is considering suicide will give out invitations and most of the time it is subconsciously because what is inside them is crying out for help. They want the help, because like I said before they really do not want to die they just can not figure out another way for the pain to end. But people who do not know Christ also give out invitations, to be saved, to receive love, to be helped, to be healed. If you dismiss it, you may have cost them their life. If you acknowledge it and speak the truth of God into their lives, God is big enough to move. Have faith in the prevention. This also goes for your friends and peers that do know Christ but could walk more deeply with him. They long to glorify God, their spirit longs for someone to speak encouragement into them.

Have faith in what he is speaking to you when it comes to the well being of his son's and daughters. He has given us the authority to speak his truth in the earth. Do not allow fear to hold you back from saving or elevating a life. It matters, it is serious. Notice the indications and the invitations of a person who is being held in captivity and by the spirit of God with in you SPEAK freedom into their lives. Do not just walk away in hopes that they will one day find peace with God. You are there, you received the invitation, you have the authority, SPEAK.

It is life or death, it is freedom or captivity, it is wholeness or brokenness, it is healing or sickness, it is peace or depression, it is fearlessness or fear.

God's people need you. Believe in what the Lord can do through you. When you have FAITH in the prevention you will be unafraid to use it. People will be uplifted and a community can be changed.

Engage your faith...step out in fearlessness...touch a life...you were made for this :)

My mind is blown and my heart is increased by this revelation.

I love you!

Kira