I Can Hear the Bells...

It is now 1:34 AM on Sunday September 4th. I’ve just returned from an 8-hour trip with my roommate Hannah back from New York where one of my closest friends in the world, Jenn McCarron, got married to Josh Philpot. The weekend was surreal and amazing and unbelievably fast. Hannah and I left Lynchburg Thursday afternoon at 3 pm and arrived at the McCarron’s in Port Jervis, NY at midnight that night. Somewhere around 36 hours later we were on our way back. 900 miles in 3 days. Daannnggg.

But the weekend was wonderful. I was able to run around with Josh and Jenn a bit on Friday taking care of this and that. Hannah and I actually got the privilege/duty of decorating the church. Our friends trusted us with the backdrop to their wedding…mind you, the only wedding they’ll ever have in life. Whoa. I thought it was pretty trusting myself. :-)

The wedding party was a bit of a big one with 7 bridesmaids and 6 groomsmen. 4 of the groomsmen I already knew personally because they’re either graduates of Liberty or currently attend (Neal Phillips, Justin Petrochko, Daniel Million [Josh’s cousin] and Scott Windham, who was my camp counselor back in the day). The bridesmaids were Jenn’s 3 younger sisters (she’s the oldest of four), her mom, me, Hannah, and Nikki Windham. A handful of Josh and Jenn’s close friends who weren’t in the wedding party also came. Among my favorites: Felipe, Abbey Smith, and Nathan.

The rehearsal was pretty snappy and the rehearsal dinner was wonderful. We went to this German restaurant and were served up some guh-reat food. Finished the evening off with ice cream and coffee. I’ve decided that there’s nothing more enjoyable and relaxing to sit at a table quite satisfied, having great conversation, and sipping on some coffee. Yep, that’s definitely in the top 100 favorite things in life.

The wedding itself was simple and beautiful. I sort of thought I might not cry…but that all ended when Neal began to sing. I’m not sure if it’s his voice, or that the wedding was starting, or the words to the song…maybe all of it. This is the chorus of the song he sang:

Your grace still amazes me
Your love still a mystery
Every day I fall on my knees
Cause your grace still amazes me

Nikki Windham sang “There You Are” beautifully as we were walking down the aisle. It was an amazing moment when the doors swung open and Josh saw Jenn for the first time. He says he wasn’t emotional but there were deeefinitely tears in his eyes. All the bridesmaids were kind of a collective basket case. Hellooo!! Jenn was walking down the aisle!! What did you expect??

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was getting to spend some time with Scott and Nikki Windham. They both graduated and were gone from the LU theater department by the time I came along. They got married back in December of 2003 and actually met through theater at Liberty…awwwww… As a younger ‘theater person’ there are few phrases that I have heard with a reminiscent tone than “Scott and Nikki….” So I really wanted to spend some time with these 2 who definitely left their mark on the stage and backstage of this theater group. I was definitely not disappointed. They were both warm and just great to have around. I now understand what everyone is talking about when they say how much fun it was having them in shows. Hooray.

So I guess I’ve officially been awake 19 hours now. Our hair appointments started around 6:30 this morning. I didn’t sit in the chair until about 8. But with an 11 AM wedding we had to get movin! I’ve never quite had so much hairspray and sparkles in my hair before…it was a new experience. But definitely not one that I hated…and I pretty much thought I would. I guess the whole crunchy, sticky, unmovable look is pretty sometimes…it’s just funny now that I took out all the bobby pins…I only look a little electrocuted…I’m toying with the idea of showing up at rehearsal tomorrow looking like this…hmm…

This morning though things were crazy rushed (we were still at Jenn’s house at 5 after 11) the Lord did provide us with a window of time to pray with Jenn. What a sweet time. I have been so blessed to have shared part of life with her this past year and a half. Few people in my life have inspired me so much, encouraged me so much, and challenged me so much. Jenn truly is the woman that I want to be in my next phase of life. Her story is definitely a unique one…college for 2 years in Chicago…diagnosed with lime disease…virtually on her deathbed for 2 years…recovered and went to Liberty…graduated, started grad school…married Josh at 27…Her life just confirms to me over again that those who seek the Lord are blessed. Everyone’s journey is different. There are trials. There are moments that don’t make sense. But all of it is part of the Lord’s plan. “All things work together for good for those who walk according to His purposes.” What a joyful thing it was to witness the joining of two lives today that earnestly seek to live for Jesus Christ. They have remained pure, they have sought God to direct the paths of their lives, and now they’re enjoying His plan unfolding. Here’s to Mr. and Mrs. Philpot…


(pictures coming soon I think)