Vacation 2011: Preaching

Not only was Donald a groomsman in Kari and Matt's wedding, but they also asked him to preach a Wedding Message.  He gave an awesome message on what a marriage covenant is and how this covenant, like all other covenants He makes, demonstrates His love for His people. 

On Sunday, Donald got to preach at our church back home.  I had every intention of bringing my camera with me and snapping a few pictures of him while he was up there, but apparently my Matron of Honor duties were not officially over and I got to church as he was walking up to the pulpit and I forgot my camera.

For that message he preached about running the race for Christ and used Philippians 3:12-14 which says:

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."   

But the most awesome thing happened, during the invitation a man came forward and gave his life to Christ! Putting his trust in the one who saves! It was awesome to see how God was working through Donald to help that man see his need for Christ.  Praise God!

P.S. The reason I was so late was because I had to meet Kari and Matt out near the Richmond airport to pick up Matt's tux so it could be returned.

I didn't get any pictures of Donald preaching, but I did manage to snap a few pictures of the 3 girls before church. They are getting so big!

This was them being silly!

Vacation 2011: K&M Wedding- Reception

Since Donald and I were both a part of the wedding we couldn't exactly take pictures during the ceremony and we didn't grab my camera during the first dance since we both had to be introduced with the wedding party.  But I did manage to grab my camera in time for the Father/Daughter dance and then all events following!

Kari and Matt were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. and then shared their first dance as husband and wife to "Smother Me" by The Used.  They were adorable and it is a sweet song. 
After the first dance we had lunch from Q's BBQ- BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, and baked beans! Yum!

After lunch Kari and Matt wanted to take some pictures with family members, I missed the first few because I was decorating their getaway car! But here are a few that our camera caught:

After all the pictures were taken we went back inside to watch the Father/Daughter dance.  Kari and Sean danced to "Ready, Set, Don't Go" by Billy Ray Cyrus.  It was a sweet moment.

After Kari and Sean danced, Matt and Kari had a Money Dance (where you pay to dance with the Bride and Groom).  This a small handful of those pictures.

After the Money Dance we did the toasts and cut the cake.  We didn't get any pictures of the toasts because, well I had the camera and I was giving one of the toasts.  They cut the cake and to my delight, they smashed it in each others faces! (I love when people do that!)

The Happy Couple after cleaning off all the cake!

Then they did the bouquet and garter toss.  Tobi caught the bouquet and Nathan caught the garter!

Then it was finally time to say goodbye to the newlyweds. We sent them off in a sea of bubbles!

It was such a GREAT day! The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was perfect! There is one funny story that I have to tell! During the Father/Daughter and Money Dances we had a real wedding CRASHER enter the reception.  She came in and got a drink and then asked the caters for a plate of food and they gave it to her! She watched a few of the dances and even danced and clapped herself.  Donald saw her come in and he kept an eye on her. Ha! It was too funny!

P.S. Sorry this was such a long post, but there were too many pictures that I wanted to share!

Vacation 2011: K&M Wedding- Rehearsal & Rehearsal Dinner

After our bellies were full and our nails were pretty we headed down to Maymont for the rehearsal!

There is only a few things you can say about a rehearsal for a wedding- we just rehearsed! Here are some pictures:

For the rehearsal dinner we went to Roma Italian Restaurant. It was very good! Here are some pictures:

Vacation 2011: K&M Wedding- Lunch and Nails

The first offical event for the wedding was a Bridal Party lunch and getting our nails done!

For lunch, the Bride picked Applebee's! We had a really good time eating and talking! The resturant was not too busy, so we could just hang out in the booth without feeling rushed!

After lunch we went over to a nail place and got our toes and fingernails painted!

We had a great time hanging out with Kari one last time before she became a Mrs!