Lisa + Brandon Part 1

Luke and I had a BLAST celebrating Lisa and Brandon's wedding!!  What a memorable and exciting few days!  Things that could have gone wrong:

• monsoons
• a hotel full of guests with no power
• spray tans go awry
• a ripped bridesmaid dress
• bars with no power
• minor car accidents
• 100 + degree weather
• a bride, groom and family stuck at the rehearsal dinner because of a storm
• a church with no power

And...all of those things happened.  And it was awesome.  All the little things made this wedding beautiful, crazy and so much fun.  

I got to Fredericksburg on Thursday and spent the afternoon and evening with the Bride and her family.  We set up the venue, finished up all the details, and just enjoyed relaxing together before everything began!  

On Friday morning Lisa and I went on a run, which I owed her since she ran with me the Friday before my wedding!  We survived the run and the heat and headed to the Bridesmaid's luncheon at Bravo, where I had delicious ravioli and enjoyed the company of all the fun ladies.  

Up next:  The Rehearsal Dinner.  We headed to the Fredericksburg Country Club where we were served delicious cocktails, appetizers, filets, and dessert.  Hanging out with the whole bridal party was a blast...I loved seeing old JMU folks and meeting new ones.

Amanda + Tory:  Fun couple at our table and hosts for the weekend!  Thanks :)

BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!!!!  Love that necklace...

All the ladies:  Katie (MOH), Liz, Lauren, Amanda, BRIDE, Leslie, me, and Macfie

I always feel the need to take one of these pics with the groom

The whole bridal party

After silly pictures it was time for the after party...or the storm.  On the way to drop off our car before heading to Capital Ale House...the clouds, winds, lightning, and craziness began.  The bride and groom were stuck at the Rehearsal Dinner, the rest of the party was stuck at the ale house with no power, and we were stuck in the driveway...

...until Luke told it was OK to come inside...even though we thought we need to get to the bride ASAP.  After discovering she was OK, we waited out the storm at Amanda's and drove back to the place we were staying.  Luckily, we had power, but the groomsmen and other wedding party members had no power at their hotel until 4:00am the next morning.  It was described like it was the Titanic in the hotel lobby.  But, we continued to have a great time and more to come...

Things are a changin'

It seems like nothing can stay the same in the Logan household...and you know what?  As hard and frustrating as it can be sometimes...I like it.  It keeps me on my toes, and most important relying on the Lord.  I am sure a lot of you reading this know what has been going in our lives, but I just want to take a moment and reflect on the past couple of months and how we have seen God work!  As my dear friend Amy shared with me this morning, "I am obsessed with the way God is working in your lives."  I would tweet that if I tweeted.

Anyway, here is a timeline (sorry it is so long!):

• One afternoon in March Luke came from school and shared that his contract was not being renewed at the high school he had been teaching at.  Even though he did not like his job, hated his 50 minute commute (AKA 2 hours of his life each day in the car), and was having a hard time teaching in the public school system coming from a private school and an awesome after school program the past few years....it was a still a job and we were devastated.  
• In case you did not know, Luke is the sugar daddy around here considering I am in school full-time at JMU.  Here comes panic:  how will we continue to survive, should I quit school and get a full-time job, do we need to move into a smaller place and get roommates, etc....basically I was freaking out to say the least.
• Luke and I were planning on being in Boston this summer!  Luke was going to take a class at Gordon Conwell Seminary and I was going to have an internship there with one of my good friends from Greensboro who is now the Director of Admissions.  We had to make the hard decision to stay in Harrisonburg and give up our summer dreams to save money and figure things out.
• Luke starts applying for jobs, has great interviews, but things still are not working out.  
• One night I ask Luke if he was really passionate about teaching and he responded something a long these lines, "I am passionate about things I do in my job, but not necessarily teaching.  I love building relationships, getting creative and working with people.  I think I want to go into sales."  In which I replied, "Well thats great, but you have no experience in sales."
• The next night, Luke goes out to dinner for our friend Paul's birthday.  Not knowing what Luke had shared with me the night before, Paul mentions Luke would be great at sales and that he knows someone who is hiring.  
• Luke goes in for an interview with HAJOCA corporation, an industrial construction supply company.  The branch in Harrisonburg has tripled in size in the past couple of years and they need more people in sales.  The interview goes well, in fact he did so well on the interview and tests that he qualifies for management.  He goes through most of that interview process, gets asked to interview with the president of the company.
• After much prayer, we decide management would not be the best fit for our family (the training involved a lot of moving) and he turns down the interview as asked to still be considered for sales within the same company.
• Time passes and I have to find a last-minute internship for the summer since I cannot got to Boston anymore.  I have a conversation with a friend about the Office of International Programs at JMU and interview for that job.  I get it and to my surprise it is paid!  It is rare to find a last minute paid internship, especially at JMU.
• We still have not heard anything about Luke's job and we continue freaking out.  Although we were doing fun things (as you saw in precious posts) we were anxious inside.  God reminds us that we are in a refining process...
• "...he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.  For you, O God, tested us, you refined us like silver.  You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.  You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance" (Psalm 66:8-12)
• The day before we were supposed to leave for Boston Luke gets a call from his new boss (a great guy and strong Christian) and he was offered the job!  Crazy enough, our friend Paul decided to apply for a position as well and also got a job.  Luke started last week and is loving it and it is great that he has friends to work with!  
• The next day (the day we were supposed to leave for Boston) Luke surprises me.  I came home from work with a post-it on the door stating "Get Ready."  He had packed up the car and had everything ready to go.  He surprised me and took me to an AMAZING bed and breakfast in Staunton (a small town 30 minutes away).  We had the best weekend together (pictures to follow)
• Meanwhile God had been affirming me that we are supposed to be in Harrisonburg and that more change was coming...
• Because we were not in Boston this summer, I finished up another practicum in Judicial Affairs helping develop a new class.  I loved it!!  One week ago I had my final evaluation with my supervisor and it was very positive.  I shared that I could see myself working in Judicial in the future, but only if it including coordinating a program similar to the Civic Learning one that we have (a mentoring/volunteer experience for students who need more guidance and involvement at JMU).  I was a mentor this past semester and loved it.
• A few days later I get an email from my supervisor asking me to come in and talk with her first thing Monday.  I walk in and she offered me the job as the Interim (so they don't have to run a search process) Civic Learning Coordinator!  I had no idea that the current coordinator was leaving and she knew he was searching but not that he had accepted the job.  She said our evaluation confirmed that I would be a good fit and I start on July 30!
• This means I will work full-time and start going to school part-time.  I will only graduate a semester late and JMU will still pay for my classes.  Although I won't be in as many classes with my cohort, everyone has been so supportive and I will continue to spend time a lot of time with them.

I share all of this because it is proof that God fulfills his promises.  In Ephesians 3:20 it states, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us."  Had our summer gone like we planned, we would have missed out on what God really had in store for us.  We have not decided what we are going to get yet, but the goal is to have a symbol somewhere in our home that marks this time in our lives.  That we can look back at it when times get rough again (because they will) and say that God provided then, and he will continue to provide now.  Like one of my favorite devotions says, "We do not need  Plan B.God will provide."  This was something I never even thought to plan...and it has been one of the biggest gifts and best surprises!

I know that was a long post, but it really is a picture of the greatness of God!  Now you can enjoy some pics from our surprise celebration getaway:

We started out the weekend with some prayer and then Luke brought out a picnic full of cheese and crackers..and my favorite wine from Cross Key's "Joy White"

The water garden by our picnic (behind the b&b)

view from our spot

Our little cottage behind the b&b we stayed in.  Robert E. Lee kept his horse here during the Civil War. It was awesome!

We went out for a great Italian feast and even got coffee afterwards, what a treat!

The next morning we had a baller breakfast and then walked around downtown Staunton, which was recently voted one of the top ten small towns to visit in America!

And of course we had to go to the local farmer's market as well.

Thanks for helping me reflect (haha CSPA) on all that has been going on in our lives.  To God be the glory!

Colonial Williamsburg + More Celebrations

I feel like all I do is write about things I do on the weekends.  What happened to my funny stories and life experiences...I am beginning to think now that I have instrgram (big life change # 1000 that has happened in our lives the past 2 months) I may not need to blog.  I can simply upload a fun pic of my happenings.

Well, until I officially decided to stop I guess I will continue to share about Luke and I's Williamsburg adventure.  After we left the zoo we headed to the colonial district and ate an amazing meal at an open-air restaurant close to William and Mary.  We shared 3 seafood appetizers, great cocktails, and even better conversation.  It had been awhile since Luke and I had some good alone time together away from the burg!

Sunday we adventured back to the Colonial District because Luke had never been there before!  Check out our fun pics:

Luke made me curtsy for some reason

We watched these ladies shear that goat for a real long time.  It was fascinating, even in 100+ degree temps!  

Trying to get friendly with horses again...one bad experience at girl scout camp 15 years ago...

 Taking a pic with the brick maker=made Luke's day

After exploring the colonial side of Williamsburg, we went to a few shops around campus.  Lucky for Luke, they had a car show as well.  We found some shade, a good cheese shop, and a bench to grab a quick picnic and look the cars.  Well, Luke looked at the cars...lets be honest...I was people watching.  

Around 3:00 it was time to head to the park for the whole reason we were in Williamsburg in the first place...to celebrate Jess and Clay!!  One of the first nights I met Jess, 3.5 years ago, she told me about Clay.  She shared about how great of a friend he was...and how she just thought the world of him.  The problem was, she didn't know she could love, love him...hmm sound familiar?  And 3 1/2 years later...they are getting married!!  They have been dating since Feb and she knew he was the one as soon as they reconnected.  Not only do I like him because he lives in NC (on YL property staff at Carolina Point), but also because he loves the Lord and treats Jess like she is a princess. I could not be more excited for these two!

It was a surprise engagement party...

best picture ever..

Clay meets and joins all the Big Love men!  We have some winners :)

Another great part of this weekend was getting to see Katie as well.  She got engaged a week after Jess to the one and only Jeff.  You may remember our first meeting and the Cinnamon Challenge...click here for more details.  Anyway, her and Jeff had also been friends for several years before they started dating and decided to tie the knot.  Katie is getting married in October at VA Beach and Jess in December in Asheville...AKA party time!  

 Beautiful Brides to Be!

Lauren+ Ash+Taylor+Jess+Katie+Amy

move back to the burg ASAP!

The Big Love Family, minus a few special people of course :)

We had a great weekend of traveling, spending time together, and celebrating!  Let the summer of VA weekend and day trips continue :)

Logan Family Weekend

The first weekend in June Luke and I went up to Northern Virginia for a fun Logan family weekend.  We all gathered to celebrate Grandpa Kelly's (Connie's dad) big 80th birthday!  It was a special weekend for him and we were so glad we were able to enjoy it with him.

The festivities began on Friday night as Luke, Connie and I got dressed and ready to go out for a nice dinner...and then on our way was told that the location had changed:  We were headed to Bob Evans.  I had never been there before, and although it was not the steak dinner we were anticipating, we enjoyed the company of Grandpa and all his family and friends.  Later that evening we headed out for a drink at a local brewery with Connie.

Saturday was the big celebration at the Springfield Country Club.  There were lots of family and friends there who shared kind words...and FUNNY stories...about the birthday boy!

 Grandpa Kelly got to meet Amelia for the first time!

 I just can't get over how cute and SWEET she is...

The Logan ladies:  Evan, Lila, Connie, Amelia and me 

We have only hung out with Erin and Todd (Luke's "uncle cousin") a few times, but it is always a blast.  Wish we could do it more! 

 He doesn't look a day past 40!

After a delicious lunch and some cocktails, Luke and I joined Matt, Evan and the girls at the DC zoo!  I had not been since I was in elementary school, and it was just as cool as  I remembered it.  I loved being there with Lila and watching her look at the animals with such wonder and joy!

 Amelia was such a good sport!

 Lila can't go anywhere without finding some ice cream!

 checking out the elephants with "Uncle Uke"

Luke will be a great dad one day!

After the zoo, Luke packed up again and headed to our next destination:  Williamsburg.  That's right Springfield, the Zoo, and Williamsburg all in one weekend.  Those are things you can do when you are young and with no kids...so we take advantage of it :)