#thebrockedees

The past few weeks have been a blur. On June 28th, one of my dearest friends (Miriam Petrofksy) was married to her fiance Daniel Brocke! *yahoo!*

It was one of the sweetest weddings I have ever attended...and I've been to my share, mind you. ;) I arrived about 3 days before the wedding because I was part of the cake making crew. The week went by in a delightful blur--full of rejoicing, laughter, stressful moments, prayer, and the sweet presence of Jesus. I cannot express how full my heart was to be able to be back on PEI (Prince Edward Island, Canada) soil and to witness the opening of a new chapter in Miriam and Dan's lives. 

The morning of the wedding was beautiful. Sunshine streamed through the windows during our Family devotion time. Around 10:30, we gals made our way to the 2nd floor of the Inn (The Sky family has an Inn connected with their house. The girls made the 2nd floor their "prep" area) to begin all of our makeup/hair/etc. 

We were a bit late to start (the bride had a hard time getting her hair to stay curled! Yikes!), but however, when the piano music started, the door opened and it...made you want to cry.

All I could think about was how mighty and beautiful the heart of the Father is towards us--His own children. Years ago, I never knew Miriam existed. By complete "accident" we met the Petrofskys, and over the years, we because true friends. Miriam was one of the first girls I have had intense hours of prayer with (Newfoundland, Canada), one of the first people I learned to love to hug, one of the first people I learned to trust with my heart. Miriam and I have had hours of talking under starry skies, in a moonlit field of daisies, over the phone in our different time zones. Over the last 2 years, we have seen each other infrequently and cannot talk very often--yet we have never had that *awkward* toll distance often places on relationships. She is one of my dearest friends and I feel so honored to have a Miriam-sized piece in the puzzle of my heart. Above all, all I could think was "Blessed be the name of the Lord!" because He has written a glorious story for Miriam and Daniel--because He loves them. Jesus calls each of them "friend". Jesus has brought them together, all for His glory. Praise the name of the Lord.

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Brocke!

The Bride & Bridesmaids

 The cake Tai Sophia & I made!

Father Daughter Dance

Overall, my heart is full. I cannot fully share how beautiful it is to see two people (both sold out for Jesus) step into a new journey--their gaze fixed completely on Jesus. I am beyond excited to see what the Lord has in store for the Brockes!

Praise the name of the Lord for He IS Faithful, He IS True, and He has GOOD plans for those that Love Him! <3

Love,

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Kircher

They're married!

And my favorite photo of the day :)

We were standing together, getting ready to line up for going into the sanctuary. We were also joking 

because right behind us was an Exit door--'There's still time!!'. I'm so grateful that this moment was captured! [Photo Credit: Jonathan Parker]

God is so incredibly sweet! After years of praying for Jessie and her future husband (unknown most of the time), I had the privilege of standing beside Jessie as she promised to serve God alongside Andrew. It was probably one of the sweetest, most relaxing weddings I've ever been to--which seems hard to believe because of how busy we were! God just brought everything together in a special way, even providing small moments (like the one above) where Jessie and I could have "little pep talks" ;). The church family that Jessie and Andrew have are SUCH a gift from God! They did SO many things, including taking care of even the smallest details-their youth group even made all of the sandwiches. I was blessed by the Church family's serving and humbly honored to work alongside all of them.

 The morning of, Jessie and I had a fun, laid back drive to get her hair done. Then as soon as we hit the doors of the church (figuratively, that is), we were "GO" mode. But I cherish every single moment of helping my childhood friend--from repining her hair, helping her zip up her dress, arranging her train, twitching jokingly to make her laugh, singing "going to the chapel" with her from our Wedding Party table, tearing up as I made my very first toast, laughing because of how good God is, and then waving goodbye as they headed out together.

I got to say goodbye to Jessica Lee Bannan on Saturday.

 But. I think Jessica Lee Kircher and I will get along JUST fine. :)

Mrs. Kircher

Jessie's getting married.*Gulp*

The more I think about it, the crazier it seems. Jessie, my friend since I was 11 (almost half my life now), is getting married on March 30th! This past weekend at her wedding shower (which, despite my responsibility of hostess, was super fun) and into the week as I was helping her plan "tablescapes", all I could think was--"Is this really happening!?" :)

Despite my own surreal feelings, I know without a doubt that it has been the intricate weaving of the hands of the Creator that has woven the fabrics of Jessie and Andrew's lives together in such a beautiful way. Despite their "less traditional" way of meeting ;), God is writing a beautiful story for them and working out even the smallest details.

A quick version of the story:
Jessie Bannan and I met when I was 11 and she was 12. We mutually agree that neither of us liked the other at first impression--I thought she looked snobby and she really did not want to be acquainted with ANOTHER stranger. You should also know that, because we were both home schooled  our mom's were kind of nudging  us towards each other because 1)I had no friends and 2) Jessie's mom is great at including everyone. So Jessie was kind of fighting that "Mom says I have to" feeling ;). We laugh so often about it now, but I truly know that the Bannan family was a gift from God. They became a second family to me, including me on camping trips, kayaking, hiking, bowling, snow tubing, beach trips, gingerbread house making  parties--you name it, we probably did it. Jessie and I also went through a lot of molding and shaping under God's hands together. Sometimes the outcome was awesome, and sometimes really really painful. But God knew we needed each other. :)

Jessie moved to North Carolina over a year ago, specifically to be a nanny for her 2 nephews. There, through interesting circumstances, she met Andrew Kircher (who is a Marine) and it ended up that they went to the same church! Funny thing was they had never seen each other =p. They got to know each other over time, I got to meet him and he survived lunch out with my family!(haha!) He proposed the weekend of New Years and they are getting married March 30th!

Out of all of this (extremely) shortened story, 2 things continue to blow my mind:

1) I have always prayed that whoever captures the heart of my close friends could actually be MY friend too. I have had bad experiences with feeling used, or where guys pretended to be my close friend because they liked my best friend, and then they drop all contact when things don't work out. But Andrew is actually a really neat guy and I have a lot of respect for him. I feel blessed that I feel comfortable around him and can call him a friend.

2) All of the times I've prayed for Jessie's husband, I've been praying for Andrew. 
Pretty crazy huh? All the times I've prayed that her husband would be strengthened, courageous, seek God--everything--I was praying for Andrew.....He actually exists! :)

                                                      

awww...Aren't they cute? ;)

I'll sign off with this. I've been struggling so much with some really heavy burdens, some things which feel like  burdens I know I can't bear without Jesus' help. It's in times like this it is CRUCIAL to remember the testimonies in my own life where God has proven himself to me! The list is a prettttyyyy long one, too. And even now as I think about my friends, all I know is that God will take care of his people....and He will take care of me. Just as he spent years crafting both Jessie and Andrew for their life together, He is crafting me specifically for purposes which He has set before me. Whether it involves a future spouse, or just trusting Him with day-to-day needs, He WILL provide and care for His flock. He is the called the Good Shepherd for a reason! Trust him, friends. He will not fail us. :)

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.[...]As a father has compassion on his children,   so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;for he knows how we are formed,he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass,they flourish like a flower of the field;the wind blows over it and it is gone,and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting  the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." ~Psalm 103:8,13-18

"But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." ~Micah 7:7

~Just wanted to show you what we're known for~