Less words

This blog is two parted. Part "this is what God is teaching me right now" & part "holy crap my best friend's engaged". I could've split it into two, but why make it easy?

Part I:

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips."

-Psalm 141:3

I'm a big talker. Don't worry, I'm aware. I don't see it necessarily as a bad thing, I'm a big people person, I also love to listen, and I like to think most the things that come out of my mouth are pretty positive.

But I could also learn when to shut up. Or at least think before the words come out of my mouth. Because in all honesy, I don't think a whole lot before I spout off my opinion or a story. I also realized recently that I've gotten kind of terrible about interrupting people when they're talking to either insert my part of the story or my opinion or something. It's not cute.

I think a lot of the reason my mouth works that way is because it's the way my mind works as well. A million miles a minute, non-stop, bouncing off the walls. But if we're being blunt, my words looking that way just don't reflect Jesus very well, ya know? So I'm ready to be more intentional with my words (btw, I feel like that word is the story of my life right now.) And for now, that means being a little bit more quiet. Taking a little bit (or alotta bit) more time to think about what I'm about to say. It means not telling 10 minute long stories and always, always, always having something to say.

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,"

-James 1:19

I'm really excited about this and what God's going to teach me through it. More to follow, I'm sure.

{Sidenote: you know those days where you can just feel Satan on you? Like he's prowling on you especially hardcore that day? Poking at your already tender insecurities, bringing up thoughts that you just know aren't from the Lord. Is that just me? I doubt it. Today's one of those days. I've been finding myself going come at me bro like every other minute. End sidenote.}

& Part II: after jump

This is Ashley.

Best friend/soul sister since the age of 3. Seriously though, three. How many people can say they've had the same best friend for 19 years? Not many. I'm a lucky girl. So of course we've been dreaming about our wedding days since we could talk, promising one another we'd be each other's maids of honor, constantly changing what our colors would be and what our dream dress looked like.

Then came Roy. Let me nutshell their story real quick: Roy & Ashley met in youth group when they were sophomores in high school. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, but neither of them have the nerve to say it. Enter weekend youth retreat where girl pretends to fall asleep on the boy's lap on the bus ride home. It's all history from there. Roy moved to Atlanta to go to Emory College, Ashley moved to Baton Rouge to go to LSU, and they've made it work for 3 years long distance (there's a very good possibility I've got all these years messed up, it's just been a long time.)

Three months ago I got a call from Roy saying that he'd accepted a job offer and was ready to get the ball rolling on proposing to Ashley. I had to pull over on the interestate because I was so excited (read: crying so hard I couldn't see the road). For the last three months I've been lying my butt off to my best friend's face to ensure she got the surprise of her life when Roy proposed to her. And we suceeded. Roy flew in from Atlanta yesterday morning, drove straight to ask her parent's approval, and then came to BR to set up the sweetest, most thoughtful proposal I've ever seen. You could say she was surprised.

So now I'm a maid of honor, and so excited to finally be planning the wedding we've been talking about for 4 & 1/2 years!