showers, showers and more showers!

I must admit- I've slacked on the blog posts.

Things have been so crazy- I don't know how most bloggin' brides did/do it (much kudos to Krista Dial *formerly Krista Farmer* and her amazing blog... she got married about a month ago and her blog totally rocks: so check it out here!   So now I must attempt to fit four showers into one post.  Yes- I'm that crazy enough to try it!

Showers 2 & 3 (because remember- shower 1 was back in May)
Tool Time Shower and Family Shower

The last weekend in June was quite busy for Andy and me, as we managed to squeeze in two showers in one day- as well as a family get together.  We were fortunate enough to have my mom and stepdad join us for the event, which made the weekend all the more special.  First shower that day was the Tool Time Brunch, hosted by our senior pastor, Dr. Green, and his wife, Karen.  All the pastoral staff and their wives came out for this shower and we had a wonderful time!  We got a lot of great tools that Andy and I have already put to good use as we start to build our little love nest so it's more of a home where married people live, rather than a bachelor pad.  :)  We also got some great advice from many wonderful couples, especially about home repairs, and I got to know our church's pastoral staff a little better.  As a soon-to-be pastor's wife, I think it was a great to just hang out with everyone in a more relaxed setting and just be able to chat with everyone.  Made the role I'm about to jump into at least seem like a little less intimidating! ;)

Next up was the family shower, hosted by the wonderful Delliveniri women (Marvel and Amber, and Kristen documented everything :D).  I met a lot of Andy's family- some of which I had met before, but it was great to get a refresher course in names and faces, especially since his family is as close as mine!  Lots of great food at this shower too.  Kind of a recurring shower element I remember... I really like to eat.  By the end of the day, Andy and I were so overwhelmed by all the people that came and how much we were showered... but it didn't end there!!


Oh no- because we still had two to go.  Flash forward to July 17- another double header for the soon to be newlyweds!  This was one was the "church shower" because this was mainly for the people from our church. 
Now I know you're probably thinking, "Shower #4?  Don't you think that's a bit much?"  Yeah- probably for any other couple, it would be.  But here's the reason for the split up.  1) we have too many people in too many different places- so only one shower would have been excluding a lot of people.  2) Andy's family has been at the church they currently attend for a really long time.  Andy grew up in that church, and it's not a tiny church either.  3) Andy is on staff at church- therefore having more friends than he thinks he has.  4) Even if we had only had 2 showers, one here and one in Illinois, there would have been no way Andy and I could have said hi to everyone who came, and then also opened presents.  It would have been like an 12 hour event.

Anyway- back from my tangent!  We were showered again by so many wonderful and lovely people that day that I can't even begin to tell you about all the wonderful gifts we received.  I met what felt like half of the church (although I later found out- it was way less than half), and each person so wonderful and gracious, and so very sweet.  I feel bad because I know I'm not likely to remember everyone's names and faces.  But we had a blast- and the fact that Andy was able to stay there with me was a total blessing because I know I would have been overwhelmed otherwise! And God bless our hostesses- because those women know how to cook!!! I wish I had gotten to eat more because there was soooo much good stuff that I did not get enough of!!

Andy and I got a little bit of rest in between showers, but not much because we ended up trying to organize everything so there was a little less chaos in the downstairs of Andy's house.  Then on to Plant City for the fifth and final shower: the Couples Shower!  The DeSpain's (good friends of Andy's family) were gracious enough to host the shower at their house, and what a spread we had!  It was an ice cream social themed event- and were there ever a spread of ice cream toppings, this one took the title!!  Everything was so beautifully arranged, and more toppings than Coldstone Creamery!  Words can't explain how awesome it was- so I'll let the pictures do it justice.  I was very glad to meet some of Andy's friends he grew up with, and I loved how most of the stuff we got at this shower wasn't things that we were registered for (which of course by this time, I would imagine there wasn't much left on our registry- we've been incredibly blessed to get almost everything we've asked for).

We got some really neat travel tumblers, which had our names and wedding date printed on the inside- I was amused by the "PV (house)": very cute I thought.

Karen Ferguson (one of Janet's good friends)- also framed one of our invitations, and frou froued it up really pretty-like, and then also framed a poem by Beth Moore entitled "Dear Bride to Be" which was very lovely.  :)


Overall- we were incredibly blessed by everyone we knew and we got to eat a ton of GREAT food- now it's just waiting time til the big day!! :D

Days 54-50: Nesting

So last week was a very busy week- trying to get everything set up for my mother and stepfather's arrival for Shower South.  Starting on Sunday, Andy and I embarked on a cleaning and painting spree as my parents were staying at Andy's house and we wanted the guest bedroom and bathroom to be all nice and somewhat organized.

Yeah- we should have started earlier.

BUT!  After many hours of cleaning, painting, doing laundry, reorganizing, and one all-nighter of cleaning and arranging all to the sound of the Glee station on Pandora- the rooms were finally completed.  I wish that I had taken before and after pictures because the transformation was phenomenal, but I do have the after pictures.

Our guest bedroom is Disney themed (surprise, surprise)- although it still has a lot of work to be done.  I want to get an Uppercase Living thing to put on the wall (most likely- I'll create my own online, I'm thinking a Walt Disney quote) and then also get some Disney art- probably when we go on our honeymoon.  They had some really neat sketch drawings last time we were in there- so that is most likely what we will go with.  But until then- here are some pictures I took after the parents left.

I know what you're probably thinking, why is there an Eiffel Tower in the Disney room?  And right now, I'm not sure either whether it's going to be more of the "Epcot Corner" or more Beauty and the Beast themed.  Stay tuned for more info on that. :)

The guest bath is a little more "elegant" persay- but it does stay with the black and white color scheme (because I like things to coordinate- this is why the master bedroom and bathroom color schemes will be similar as well).  Every time I walk in, I can't help but think of twin because it matches her style- and she has already told me that it is, indeed, her room and bathroom.  So around the Peavyhouse (haha, word humor!) we affectionately call the guest bedroom the Hannah room.  But here are a few pics of Hannah's bathroom as well.

I'll post more about the Tool Time Shower and Shower South later, hopefully tomorrow! :)

76: Shower North

May 29- Day 76.
Andy and I recently made the extremely long roadtrip from Brandon to Harrisburg for what my mother lovingly referred to as "Shower North."  We left Wednesday after I left work at the Afterschool program, and drove straight through to Nashville to meet Andy's parents, since Janet was doing training with LifeWay.  We then got a chance to sleep for about 4 hours before heading out for Illinois, arriving Thursday evening.  This gave us plenty of time to relax before the shower on Saturday (or go and see family and everyone else who was in town... such is life when going back to visit a small town).


The turnout was really nice- Andy was only allowed to stay until it started (my Aunt Connie requested the "No Boys Allowed" ruling, and since she was the one hosting it she pretty much got her way).  And the variety of people that came out was amazing.  We had four states represented (Illinois, Alabama, California, and Florida), and it really made my day that all my mothers were there (Momma Cathy, Momma Karen, and Momma Janet).  The thing that really amazed me more than anything though was one of the activities.  Neither of my "mudders" (as Tuck would say) are really wedding game people so instead, we had a "guess Dena's age in the picture" activity, and also had everyone who came write advice on a card and then also their birthdays and anniversaries (if applicable).  When I got home, I was very surprised on how much advice was something along the lines of keeping God at the forefront of the marriage and making sure to stay in prayer.  It's not that I didn't think I would receive advice along those lines- but it made me so thankful that I knew that I had a plethora of Godly women at my shower who understood what it takes to make a marriage work.  

Okay on to gifts (because I know that's what you're really reading to know, haha).  We got a lot of awesome stuff, a KitchenAid Mixer (which I have wanted for forever but mom said I had to be getting married first before she bought one for me...:D), lots of bakeware (which I love but Andy's a little sad since he's not really allowed to have much of the stuff I know how to bake just yet because of his diet...:/), and lots of bathroom stuff- but I must say that the things I love most were the things I didn't register for.  Karen's mother bought me some beautiful measuring spoons and cups that I'll have to take pictures of and post later.  Each of them with a cross for a handle with the label reading things like "a pinch of hope" "a cup of faith" "a heap of trust" etc.  They are so beautiful that I have a feeling they won't be used much, but seen often. Hannah also did a good job with my sparkly TOMS which she forbode me from wearing until the rehearsal or the wedding, and also my handkerchief which she embroidered for me (which also helped me pick out colors for Gerbera Daisies for my bouquet- so extra kudos Twin!)- but one of my other favorites that I didn't register for: a cross stitched poem from my stepmom, Karen, entitled "Marriage Takes Three."  When I opened it- I was so shocked because it's so beautiful and since I embroider myself, I know that it took a lot of time for her to do that, which for me means the world.  Overall- it was a great time and I was so happy to see a good majority of my family- but also to know how many wonderful women God has blessed me with, and to have their support.  :)

Marriage Takes Three

I once thought marriage took
Just two to make a go,
But now I am convinced
It takes the Lord also.

And not one marriage fails
Where Christ is asked to enter,
As lovers come together
With Jesus at the center.

But marriage seldom thrives,
And homes are incomplete,
Till He is welcomed there
To help avoid defeat.

In homes where Christ is first,
It's obvious to see,
Those unions really work,
For marriage still takes three. 

Day 90: Disney Magic

I am probably one of the biggest fans of Disney that I know.  I have several Disney movies memorized, I know random Disney trivia, and I work at the Disney Store because- well, I just love Disney stuff!  So when Andy suggested we honeymoon at Disney- it only further assured me that God had made this wonderful man especially for me because he, too, has a soft spot for Disney (and he knows how much I love Disney and strives to make me as happy as possible... he's so wonderful isn't he?? :D)

So Saturday the 15th (which was 90 days til our wedding! :D) we set out for a full day of Disney awesomeness.  Since we had done the 4 day dream pass (special offer Disney did for Florida residents through May 25), we were able to use the money we spent on those to upgrade to an annual pass.  We were unsure of doing it at first, but when we looked at the price for a 5 day park hopper ticket, and how much it would cost us to upgrade our 4DDP- it only ended up being about $40 extra to upgrade to come back all year... needless to say, we are now Disney annual passholders.  :D

We spent most of our day at Disney's Hollywood Studios or as Andy and I still call it- MGM.  We were a little upset because Aerosmith Rock 'n' Rollercoaster was down for refurbishment, but we did get to enjoy classics like the Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, and a new favorite, Toy Story Mania- which is an awesome 3D shooter game.  I lost....miserably.  :/  But we also got to see some really cool stuff on the Studio Backlot Tour and in the One Man's Dream exhibit chronicling the life and work of Walter Elias Disney.  I'll post those pictures to my Facebook, because this is the wedding blog- so I need to get to the two real reasons for this post.

In honor of being Annual Passholders- we decided to go ahead and park hop.  We left MGM and went ahead and parked at Magic Kingdom then took the monorail over to Epcot instead (MK was open the latest so we figured we'd park there to save time when we were tired).  We went there with really only two intentions- 1) to ride Figment because that's one of my very favorite Disney rides and 2) to go over to the World Showcase to pick up something for the wedding. We went to a small pavillion in Germany called the Glaskunst.  We had passed by it on our last trip to Disney and saw something we knew we had to come back for: toasting glasses.  We went back and forth between two sets, but finally decided that one set was just better suited for us. So we got these:

Yeah- totally rockin' right?!  That's what we thought anyway.

After we had completed both of our Epcot missions, we got on the monorail again- and then made an impromptu decision that instead of going straight over to Magic Kingdom, we were going to browse one of the resorts we had in mind for our honeymoon.  So we hopped on the resort monorail rather than the Express one to the Magic Kingdom and hit up the Contemporary.  Let me just tell you all- wow.  We had seen the pictures online, but nothing compared to actually seeing the inside, we were AMAZED! It was so pretty and the view was impeccable.  When we decide to book too, we will get an amazing discount due to the fact that we're annual passholders (better than my cast member discount- and no we can't do both...blah).  But after we hopped back on the monorail to go to the Ticketing & Transport Center for MK (I always take the ferry over... I'm really weird like that), we were even more excited for the next 90 days to just fly by!


We ended our day at the Magic Kingdom. We didn't get to do a whole lot since the park closed at 11pm, and most of the rides had wait times that went right up to when the park closed, so we just soaked in the scenery- did the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory, got turkey legs, and did the Buzz Lightyear shooty game for a rematch to Toy Story Mania(lost again. worse than the first time...ugh).
Overall though, it was a pretty successful day in wedding planning.  Oh- and I got great ideas for the Disney Guest Room, but that's another blog for another day.  :)

Day 94: the wedding party

So I've decided each time I post- I will post day number it is until we get married- today, it is 94 days, therefore Day 94.  :) because that sounds better than 94 days to me.

Now- I know that the wedding is supposed to be all about the bride- but I really want to give a little blurb about each of the people who will be standing with us on our wedding day.

I really struggled to pick the people on my side, since I have so many friends that I want to be involved- but at the end of the day, I couldn't see myself asking people to be in my wedding that had never met my soon-to-be husband, and so I wanted people that knew both of us and who support Andy and me (together, not just individually). I'll also include short blurbs about the people Andy picked- because they are all pretty special to me too.

Maid of Honor: Hannah Vaughn (aka Twin H)
I don't think anyone who knows me well would be surprised by the fact that Hannah is my maid-of-honor.  Hannah and I have had a very special relationship since we met almost 4 years ago (wow... now that's just weird).  We became incredibly fast friends, and earned ourselves the nicknames of the "ASL twins" amongst our fellow colleagues at John A. Logan College.  We shared everything with each other- and when we moved in separate directions, it was hard on us both.  But thanks to wonderful mothers and airplanes, we've been able to remain just as close.  When I first started talking to Andy- Hannah wanted to get to know him better before I made any serious decisions about dating him (she had met him one other time when she came to visit me briefly).  Over my graduation weekend, they hit it off quite well.  Twin gave her stamp of approval... twice (once when she gave her blessing for us to date, and then he asked for her blessing before asking for my hand in marriage) and has told me how much she loves having Andy around, not because he makes me happy- but because he points me towards being holy. And that's truly a 'maid' that deserves some honor.  ;)

Bridesmaids:

Amber Peavyhouse
Amber is Andy's sister-in-law, and probably one of the biggest supporters from the get go, even before I knew her who she was.  The first time I met Amber was when she invited me to stay at her house on Christmas Eve because Andy had told her that I didn't have any family in the area, was probably going to be alone that Christmas. "I don't think anyone should have to wake up by themselves on Christmas," she said to me and insisted I stay with her, her husband, and her children at Andy's parent's house on Christmas Eve.  I agreed (crazy? yeah I know), which then led to meeting the family in chunks so I wouldn't be overwhelmed on Christmas, and realizing how much Andy's family reminded me of my own.  Amber has been a big comfort and support through some negativity by people that mean the world to me, and she has been just like another big sister for me. I admire her for so many reasons, and she is such a shining example in my life of a Godly mother, wife, and woman.

Katie Silverman
I met Katie at church and we have been singing together in the 20/30 service for a while.  I loooove Katie's style and her ability to cheer me up even when she doesn't realize it.  Katie was one of the first ones to giggle and get giddy when Andy and I started talking, and she has been such a wonderful friend to me and Andy.  She is a wonderful encouragement in my life and I'm so excited that she'll be standing up with me when Andy and I get married.

Ellen Lynch
I met Ellen also while singing in the 20/30 service at church.  Conversations with Ellen usually start the same way: something about shoes.  But her intuition of Andy's feeling "smitten like a kitten" towards me before we started dating was something that deepened my love for Ellen and our friendship.  She and Katie are also like big sisters towards me in the family that is the 20/30 worship band, and she has been so great to me.


Morgan Routh
Sadly enough, I don't have any pictures of Morgan (yet!!) but she is Andy's younger cousin, and someone who I love incredibly.  When I came to the Peavyhouse family for Christmas- I was cautious around Morgan.  She's 13, and incredibly close to her cousin.  I could see the way she looked at Andy was the same way I look at my cousin Aaron- like a brother.  And knowing how defensive and protective I am of Aaron, I didn't want to force her approval of me- I wanted to earn it (Oh, how desperately I wanted to earn it!!!)  My realization of Morgan's approval of me came sometime around the end of February, beginning of March.  I had started coming to the middle school/high school youth night where Andy leads worship (practicing that whole "support my potential-future-husband's ministry" thing at the time now the word 'potential' has been stricken from that role... heheheh).  Morgan came up to me and started talking to me before the middle school group started, and we talked for a good 20 minutes.  You can ask Andy to see what my faced looked like for the rest of the night because I was beaming and I just kept saying "she's my fend (that's my nephew's word for "friend)."

And now...

The Guys

Best Man: Steve Peavyhouse

Andy's dad is hilarious.  I love his sense of humor and he is a great picture of what I have to look forward to in 20-30 years.  He is a wonderful man of God who could not be more proud of his family and what God is doing in their lives.  He has provided Andy and I with wonderful counsel and the relationship between the two of them is one that brings me great joy.

Groomsmen:

Matt Peavyhouse

Matt's approval of me did not come as easy as his wife's or his children's.  As Andy's big brother, he was very cautious of me, as he wanted to make sure that I was going to be good for Andy and that I would be someone he could tolerate in the years to come.  But- as time passed, Matt's approval finally did come in his own twisted sort of way (he shared all the embarrassing stories and said that he will continue to call me Reemy- a name that Aunt Pam accidentally called me when Andy and I were first talking- simply because he can), I'm very excited he'll be standing up with us, showing his support.

Jeremy Silverman

I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as hilarious as Jeremy Silverman.  Not only has he been a huge blessing to Andy, but Jeremy especially since Andy and I started dating- he's been a a great encourager in my life as well.  Jeremy is one of our many musically talented friends, and he gives his all in everything he does, which is what makes him such a great friend to Andy and me.

Angel Rojas

Angel is another one of Andy's best friends that Andy and I love hanging out with, along with his wife Tara (who will be providing our wedding photography, otherwise- she probably would have been a bridesmaid... because she's awesome).  But we really enjoy spending time with them, as they are hilariously sarcastic and incredibly strong people (and I don't mean that in a physical way... I mean they very well could be but this is more as in their character). So Angel will be reppin' the Rojas crew- while Tara will be taking the pictures to prove it. :)

Jody Baglin

It wouldn't be too far off to say that Jody is probably one of the most unique people in our wedding party.  Most people would be intimidated by Jody's appearance, but underneath his rock 'n' roll style is a lovable teddy bear of a man.  Strange? Quite so, but then again, most of our friends are.  But Jody's loyalty is almost unmatched and he has always been there for us, that he's almost like a big brother to me.

So there it is- to all the people who I love that are not included, I'm very sorry.  My intention was not to hurt anyone, because I probably could have had about 12 people standing up with me, but to me- it would have meant more to have the people who support Andy and I jointly standing with us, rather than people who are standing up with me- handing me over to a guy they've only talked to once, if that.

and the countdown begins

*When I finally sat down for the process of starting this blog- it was 100 days til Andy and I get married (now it's 99- but I'm very ADD, so I'm pretty proud of myself- especially since I started it so late). *

I started this blog because I had a friend of mine ask me when I was going to start a wedding-specific blog, and I was really unsure of whether or not I would.  For starters, I already had one blog that I am hardly ever on, and I was already in the process of wedding planning and hadn't really thought of picking it up halfway through with a blog.  But after she had asked me, it really got me to start thinking about how unique this process will be for me.  Because I'm not just an ordinary bride.

You see, if you didn't know already, my fiancé is an associate music pastor/ AV/Tech director at our church.  Yes- you read that right: pastor.  In just under 100 days, I will be a pastor's wife.  And if you don't know what that entails, it's pretty much like taking on a full-time, unpaid job that has no retirement.

I would love for you to follow with me as I learn the joys and struggles of my wedding planning and what it means to be a pastor's wife.  Maybe you know someone who may be in my shoes too- or maybe you're there yourself!  I have a few friends that I know are heading down this road, and I'm scared/excited to be part of a very unique group of women because I know that it's not an easy task to take on. I have seen many strong, wonderful women of God struggle with this role and label- and I know that while it will be challenging, I'm ready to go where God has called me- to my future husband's side as his support.

So stay tuned for more info and details over the next 100 days- I'm sure it will be very entertaining! :)