But a wedding is always a good thing to celebrate!
So to great friends Jerel and Grace: congratulations on your nuptials! You guys had a beautiful ceremony and I am thankful to have been there to see the two of you off on your adventure through life together.
Lauryn, my ravishingly beautiful cousin (okay, "second cousin" if we're going to be technical about it) who has served as The Knight Shift's official pin-up girl for the past few years, was married to her boyfriend Jason over the weekend! I'm so very happy for the two of them, even though this blog is losing one of its biggest attractions!
(But hey, I lose a poster gal and I gain some family: not a bad deal, and I've another single lady waiting to be the next beautiful attraction on this site :-)
So here it is: the very last pic of Lauryn that I foresee posting on this blog (barring family reunions etc.) Fittingly it's of her being escorted by her father at her wedding...
Congratulations Lauryn and Jason! And may God bless you all the days of your life together :-)
For a week now, even during the trip to D.C., my mind has been in agony over how to approach this.
I've gone over it a thousand times and more. But, I suppose there's nothing left to do, but to go ahead and address this. And maybe... maybe... some of us can get up the courage to move on.
For a while now I've been posting photos on this blog of my incredibly sweet and ravishingly beautiful cousin, Lauryn. And they've become something of a hit. In fact, I've even received numerous e-mails from single guys asking, sometimes begging, me to get them in touch with Lauryn.
Here she is from a few days ago, as a bridesmaid for my cousin Angela's wedding. That's Lauryn on the right (with Angela's sister Rachael on the left)...
Lauryn is a beautiful bridesmaid.
And she's going to be even more beautiful as a bride.
It is my great pleasure to announce that as of a few days ago, Lauryn is engaged! She'll be taking the vows with her boyfriend Jason later this year.
Congrats to Lauryn and Jason! Y'all are an incredibly lovely couple and I'm really looking forward to seeing the two of you embark on this journey that God has set you upon.
As for this blog's single male readership, be of good cheer: there are lots of young lasses in my family that probably won't mind becoming The Knight Shift's new pinup girl!
(But for the time being, I'm taking a rest from wielding that big heavy stick. To say nothing of Lauryn's dad Bob finally able to put the shotgun down...)
Ashton Hobbs is posting a wazoo-load of photos on Flickr of Chad and Koren's wedding yesterday. Click here for the "Chad Austin Wedding" set.Great work Ashton :-)
I want to say first of all that Chad is the man for running a 5 kilometer race at 7 a.m. on the morning of his wedding day. He finished at a pretty good time too (the race not the wedding day... nevermind :-P)
Anyhoo, just got in and I'm frazzled, but there will prolly be pics and some YouTube video (if I can get the consent forms signed :-) up on the blog soon. In the meantime, know that it was a wonderful ceremony and celebration afterward, and all involved definitely feel like not only some new friendships were made, but new family across the board. And let it also be known that New Hampshire is certainly a place that knows how to produce some interesting characters :-)
More later. 'Til then: Congrats Chad and Koren!
I got conned into being videographer (something about payback for what we put Chad through in his portrayal of George Lucas a few years ago) so there'll be plenty of pictures later, and maybe some YouTube video.
The rehearsal last night went great! Lots of new friendships being made along with family. We are all excited about Chad and Koren getting to have their special day.
More later! In the meantime, y'all please keep the happy couple in yer thoughts and prayers :-)
But you know what? None of those things thrill me nearly as much, as being able to share with you, Dear Readers, the all-too-rare and unique stories that make one stop and appreciate that in a world that has seemingly gone off the rails and full-tilt bonkers, there still exists a lot of good. And that is exactly what I'm having The Knight Shift celebrate today...
Through friends that it turns out we share, I recently found a new one in Kristel Reid Faris. She lives in New Hampshire and as of this month is the newly-minted wife of husband Keith! And Kristel and Keith had made arrangements for their wedding, but a fierce snowstorm, in addition to other things, caused them to have a smaller ceremony instead.
But really, it's much better if you read Kristel's account in her own words...
"Keith and I are both 33... and had both, on our own before ever meeting one another, submitted to the Lord's will last summer that we were single because that's what He wanted. Then... through a mutual friend... we met and a cosmic, supernatural, only-God-can-do-that kind of atttraction gripped us and we feel deeply in love.And here is the video of Keith and Kristel Reid Faris getting married!"We had planned a big ceremony... complete with gowns and tuxedos and hors d'oeuvres, but that plan was interrupted when I became suddenly ill and nearly died of liver failure. It was an odd turn of events, but one that the Lord used, in His infinite wisdom, to reveal to my fiance Keith and me the true extent of our love for one another.. .and our complete and utter love for Him. Once I was released from the hospital, we sought out our pastor and pulled together the wedding. Our immediate families, as well as our friends in Portugal who were Skyped in, gathered in a friend's home and we committed our lives to one another."
Kristel continues with more good news...
"I am also pleased to report that I am completely and fully healed...and all of my doctors (and there are nine of them) are in total shock at how fast I was healed. I should have been in the hospital for 2 - 6 weeks...but it was 7 days. And my liver should have taken 4 - 6 months to return to normal....but it was 4 weeks. :)Keith and Kristel, that is an amazing story, and I am deeply honored to have been given permission to share it here so that others might find it, and be likewise encouraged by your faith and your love."Our gratitude to our loving, patient Father is something we offer to Him every day. We know that our meeting, instant love, survival through crisis, and marriage are all because of His strength, His mercy, His grace, and His love."
And congratulations! May God shine His blessings upon you now, and in all the years to come :-)
First there's Jenna Olwin, who over the past few years has not only become a very dear friend to Lisa and I but also a wonderful sister in the Lord, who will tie the knot with her boyfriend and soul-mate Lou tomorrow. Here's her blog post about getting engaged from back in March. There might be pictures that I can post soon afterward of the wonderful event.
And then in the wee hours of this morning my friend Chris Rash and his wife celebrated the birth of Reagan, their first child and a beautiful baby girl!
Congratulations to Jenna and Lou, and to Chris and Ashley and Reagan! Y'all are definitely in our prayers this weekend :-)
And then there's the lovely and effervescent Abby Prince of WebProNews, who I came to know this past year. According to our sources she's getting hitched somewhere in Kentucky.
Congratulations to Roger and to Abby and their respective spouses-to-be! May God bless you today, and it is our prayer that you and your loved ones have a long and happy life together :-)
And... Jenna said "yes"!
No word yet on when exactly the wedding will take place but Jenna says it will likely be before this coming fall.
Congratulations on your engagement, Jenna and Lou! May God bless you and keep you in His care in these no doubt very crazy months leading to your wedding, and all the days that will follow :-)
UPDATE 12:33 a.m. EST 03/10/2008: Jenna has posted on her blog an account of how Lou popped the question on her, told in her own unique and special way.
Congrats again you guys. Lisa and I are so happy for you! :-)
Chalk up not one, but three things that took place yesterday. One we knew was coming and the other two were complete surprises. Of the three, two were very good and the other was pretty bad... but as nobody was hurt, and that the rest of the day's events were so joyous, I can't say that there's been any lingering regret.
I'll save Good Thing #1 for the post right after this one. That took place yesterday morning at 4:30 a.m. It was so awesome that I had to wake up Lisa to tell her the great news. Well we got in a few hours of rest and then made ready for Meg and John's wedding, which was set for 3 p.m. at First Congregational Christian Church in Reidsville. Just before we left, Lisa and I took pics of each other...
We headed out just before 2:30. Normally, this would be less than a 5-minute drive to the church. But not long after we had turned on Richardson Drive and were about to turn left onto Benton Lane to take a short-cut to the church...
...my Toyota Corolla got rear-ended by a truck.
Don't worry: Lisa is okay. The other driver is okay. And I'm okay. That nobody was hurt is a huge thing to be thankful for: things like vehicles can always be fixed or replaced. People, not so easily. I pulled the car into a guy's driveway and the following things came to mind, in this order:
- Is Lisa okay?Here's what my car looked like after the crash:- Is the other guy all right?
- CRAP WE'RE GONNA MISS THE WEDDING!!!
At least we weren't smuggling anyone in the trunk this time...
We don't know yet if it's totalled. I think it might be repairable, but we won't know for sure until this week. And if not well like I said: I have to thank the Lord that nobody was hurt. If this one is one then I'll just get another car.
But this lil' Corolla has had a glorious history! So many adventures that took place with it: travelling all around the mountains of western North Carolina as a newspaper reporter, driving all those times to see Lisa in Athens, escaping gunfire from neo-Nazis, fleeing a church full of snake-handlers, running surveillance on a swindling operation, going on the De Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River, crossing the Chesapeake Bay, doing the campaign trail around Rockingham County as a school board candidate...
If it can be fixed, I'll look forward to many more adventures to come in it. And if not well, it's had a good run. At least my Toyota Corolla will live forever on film, immortalized in our first movie Forcery :-)
The cops came by shortly afterward, got the relevant information and began cleaning the glass out of the street (the entire rear windshield of my car got blown out). By this time there were less than 5 minutes before the wedding was supposed to start, and we had tried calling over there to let our family know what happened but nobody was answering any phones. The wife of the other driver then offered to drive us over there (and we are very thankful for that offer!). The tow-truck was just starting to get my car when we drove away from the scene. We got to the church right at 3 p.m., and luckily for us the actual ceremony had not yet started. Lisa and I slipped in just before the wedding party started down the aisle.
So here is Meg and John during the ceremony...
And here are the happy newlyweds just after tying the knot!
We showed Meg and John the pics of the car and I told them "You know how at Jewish weddings, how they always smash a wine glass for good luck? Well, we did you guys one much better!" No seriously, I actually told them that :-P
But anyhoo, wrecked car aside, it was a beautiful ceremony, with a wonderful autumn theme to it. And after the wedding, which ended a bit before 4, everyone went back home or to their hotel rooms, to rest up and then change for the wedding reception at Wentworth Recreation Building. Meg and John had something of a barbecue dinner/hoedown for a post-nuptials party and they wanted everyone to dress-down out of formal-wear and be comfortable (and also 'cuz barbecue sauce is hard to clean out of a nice tuxedo).
And that was the day's more ummm... spectacular events. All things considered, it was pretty good. But I couldn't resist having a laugh with my car crash. Now, this next bit probably won't make much sense unless you are a regular viewer of WGSR Star 39 in Reidsville/Rockingham County and the surrounding area. It's referencing a commercial that I've heard a lot of people giggle at ever time it runs. The line that this guy delivers, it's something like the "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" of the Reidsville/Martinsville/Danville area...
"We've had a terrible accident in the city and now we're going to Brian for a live report!""Coming to you with a live report right now from the city where we've heard that there's been an accident!"
"Let's check the condition of the driver! I wonder if he has anything to say..."
But hey, Meg and John are now married! And we got to see it! That's the important thing :-)
But already, at 5:30 in the morning, this is shaping up to be an awesome day.
I'm going to postpone explaining exactly why today is so awesome until later, when I can have the pleasure of telling a few people and hearing their reaction (no, Lisa isn't pregnant... yet). Let's just say that this is something that I've been trying to do for a way long time, and as of this morning, success is finally in sight!
And what you see in this image has a lot to do with it...
More later :-)
Seems like just yesterday. Can't believe all of the things that have happened in those five years.
Where does all that time go?
What does God have in store for us the next five years?
I don't know ... but it's a great feeling knowing I've got the best girl in the world to share this life's journey with.
Happy anniversary honey :-)
Happy anniversary you two!
