K Week.
Classes.
Michigan.
Synergy.
Core Group.
Woodhill.
Practicum.
Jesus Prom.
Sickness.
Basketball Games.
Double Dates.
Engagements.
Weddings.
Family.
Friends (Old & New).
Sorrow.
Life.
Rebellious Joy.
That's it folks. My last semester of classes is officially over and the only thing standing between me and my diploma is Student Teaching! This has definitely been my most challenging semester of my entire college career. It was plagued with stress, busyness, sickness, and death. I've cried more tears than I can count and leaned on Jeremy's shoulder a dozen times. Yet despite it's challenges, this semester has also been filled with countless blessings, new friends, fun memories, and lots of laughs. I'm going to attempt to focus on a few of the semester's highlights and share some places where I've seen God throughout these past couple months.
Core Group.
This semester, I was blessed with the opportunity to lead 8 other leaders from CSF. We met on Monday nights, studied the book of Acts, encouraged one another, and simply "did life" together. I loved getting to know these precious girls and am sad I won't get to lead them next semester. I even had the honor of baptizing one of my sweet girls, Taylor, at Synergy this September. I am so proud of her and love seeing her passion to live a life set apart for Christ!
.
Woodhill.
Woodhill continues to be such a great blessing and God is always moving in this community! Just before Thanksgiving, we got to celebrate with Liz's family as they welcomed a new addition to their family. Little Miss Jecelle was born on November 20th and Jeremy and I got to visit her when she was just a few hours old. She's just precious. We've also watched little Tabari and Roderick grow and Jeremy's loved wrestling with these two. And of course, Selena-girl continues to get so big...and so sassy! My favorite thing she said this fall happened one night when Davis was giving her a hard time about her doll's name. Selena and Davis went around and around with Selena calling her doll its proper Spanish name and Davis horribly mispronouncing it. This went on for so long that Selena became exhausted from correcting Davis and finally said, "Sure. Just call her whatever you want" hahaha. It was hysterical and even better since Selena can't say her "r's" very well ha.
More than anything, we're SO excited for Southland's Richmond Road campus to open next month! We pray our sweet families will call this place their home and can't wait to get them plugged in! I just know God has incredible things in store for this new campus and can't wait to be a part of it.
Friends.
This semester has been blessed with so many wonderful friendships, both old and new. We have so many ENGAGED friends and love having other couples we can talk wedding details with! It's especially cool to share this exciting stage of life with other Christian couples and it feels like we're instantly bonded simply by the fact that we're all engaged.
God crossed our paths with Callie and Brian and we feel like we've known these two for years! We are both getting married on the same day (how cool is that?!) and are honored to share an anniversary with them. Callie has been such an encouragement and we love having another couple to relate with. We've also gotten to know Truett and Eric (more engaged friends!) and have decided we'd like to be neighbors haha.
Just last night, we got to play a small part in helping Joe (Jeremy's roommate) propose to his precious girlfriend. We lit 200 tea-light candles and spelled "Marry Me?" It was adorable and I may or may not have been more nervous than Joe was haha ;)
Of course, Auburn and Erin have been there for me all semester and I can't imagine what I'd do without them. I'm so excited for them to be in our wedding and can't wait for the day when all of my best friends are gathered together to help us celebrate! Oh May, hurry up and get here please!!!
School.
This past semester has been my absolute hardest as far as school goes! I took on 19 hours and managed to pull off a 4.0. All I can say to that is "God is good!" Seriously. I am so thankful this challenging semester is behind me and praying Student Teaching is a better experience!
Even still, God blessed me big time with incredible "Education girls" to get me through this semester. Hulia, Kat-lin, D-Meista, and Suz (you know who you are ;)) made this semester SO much better and always brightened my days. Our group texts are constant entertainment and I'm beyond thankful we were able to help one another make it through all the stress our classes brought! And best of all...we made it and finished strong.
Pappy.
On October 31st, my Pappy went to be with Jesus. He was sick for so long and passed away just over a month from his 90th birthday (he would have turned 90 this Sunday!). I struggled greatly with Pappy's illness and eventual passing but I have such peace in knowing that I'll see him again someday! I was blessed to have such an incredible, gentle, and Godly grandfather. He told silly jokes, gave us "somalians" ($2 bills), and always had a watermelon waiting for me in the fridge. I miss Pappy but I'm so thankful he's no longer hurting. Instead, He's partying with Jesus and now we just have to wait until we get to join him!
My "theme song" during the days leading up to Pappy's passing was Hillsong's "'Til I See You." I just love the song's lyrics and can't listen to it without getting tears in my eyes. They played this song at 608 after we came from the hospital where I saw Pappy for the last time. Needless to say, the song's emotional value intensified and I wept like I've never wept in all my life. Though it was slightly embarrassing, it was such a cool moment and just an overwhelming amount of different emotions. I was in God's house, singing (or trying to) such comforting and hopeful words, and being held in Jeremy's arms while my heart was physically hurting. In that moment, I could feel God's presence and I knew He was with me. I knew it was ok to be sad and that I didn't have to feel bad. I knew God would carry us through this storm and that He is strong in my weakness. Most of all, I knew where Pappy was going and that I'll be there too someday!
Jeremy.
Where do I even begin? What a blessing Jeremy continues to be to me. He is such a clear reflection of Jesus and loves and serves me better than I deserve. I love "doing life" alongside of this sweet boy and am so honored to be his teammate. We're loving this "engaged stage" but we sure are looking forward to May 18th! We're constantly looking forward to the day when we don't have to say goodbye at night and get more excited about moving to Louisville and starting a new adventure every single day! I'm so proud of Jeremy for finishing school (he graduates next Friday!) and am excited for all he's going to get involved in next semester. Though I might be a bit jealous of his new, free schedule (or a lot jealous haha ;)), I know the Lord is going to use Him in big ways and am excited to support him in whatever lies ahead. More than anything, I am continually thankful God scripted him into my path and can't imagine doing life without him. He just makes everything better and I still can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life doing life with my best friend! Seriously, it's so very wonderful.
Still to come.
I think that mostly sums up some of the highlights...you're probably bored from hearing me ramble so I'll wrap this baby up ha! I'm feeling extremely blessed and mighty relieved to be done with this semester. In the time to come, here are a few things I'm looking forward to...
I'm excited for Christmas Break.
I'm excited to spend time relaxing with my precious family.
I'm excited to catch up with old friends.
I'm excited to celebrate "1 Year" with Jeremy.
I'm excited to go to Passion and worship alongside of 70,000 other students.
I'm excited to look more like Jesus.
I'm excited for Richmond Road.
I'm excited to begin Student Teaching (and NERVOUS!).
I'm excited to plan our wedding.
I'm excited to become Mrs. Jeremy Eaton!
There’s so much I want to say about our engagement. At this
particular moment, I’m feeling slightly overwhelmed and don’t quite know how to
express all that I’m feeling—such joy, excitement, happiness, and most of all,
love. But…in an effort to share our story, capture this beautiful moment in
time, and reflect on all the Lord has done, I’m going to attempt to put to
words a little bit about all that’s been going on! Wish me luck and try to bare
with me and my oh so scattered brain haha ;)
And
everything you see in italic is me: Jeremy. I figured I would give my two cents
as Rachel discusses.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamt of the man I
would one day marry. My mom and dad began praying for him even before I could
talk. And once I was old enough to understand the concept of marriage, I joined
them in this prayer. I’ve observed countless couples, seen what’s good (and
what’s not), and prayed without ceasing for a man after God’s own heart.
^^That’s humbling. I
can’t really say I did the same. Just goes to show how blessed I am. Rachel and
her family were blessing to me before they even knew me.
This past weekend, my prayers were answered in such a
beautiful way when Jeremy asked me to marry him. For those of you who know our
story, you know what a big deal this is. (If you don’t know our story, check
back soon cause we’re gonna right a big ol’ long post all about it haha!) You
know I liked Jeremy for months and wrestled with the desire to do life
alongside of him while he was insistent on remaining friends. You know that I
desperately tried to be patient (‘twas a huge challenge) and you also know that
I prayed some pretty big and rather BOLD
prayers—prayers pleading that God would change Jeremy’s heart and give him
feelings for me, should that be His will. There were times when I cried, times
when I wrestled with God, and times when I thought I simply couldn’t bare the
pain that was being inflicted upon my heart (of course, Jeremy didn’t know the
kind of “torture” he was putting me through ha.) And you know what?! I wouldn’t
trade a single second, minute, hour, or day of this span of time because it was
during THIS very time that God was working on my heart and refining me to look
just a little bit more like His Son. This time was absolutely crucial and
though it was painful, it was necessary. And you know what else? It makes THIS
moment all the sweeter, as I look back on God’s provision and faithful hand
through this entire thing.
Nine and a half months ago, Jeremy and I decided we wanted
to be intentional about getting to know one another more (at this point, we’d
been friends for exactly 1 year to the day…believe it or not). We both
expressed feelings for one another and as he so sweetly put it, “the idea of
dating you excites me.” This was such a wonderful revelation, because on this
specific night, I was sure he was about to tell me he just wanted to be my
friend haha. Well, long story short, we decided to wait for three months (October,
November, and December) so we could be prayerful, prepared, and patient about entering
into this relationship. We wanted to allow God to purify and refine us so we
didn’t rush into anything or get caught up in emotion. Most of all, we wanted
to be absolutely certain that this relationship was one that was
Christ-centered, pleasing to Him, and an example to those around us. We didn’t
want this to be of our own doing, rather we wanted it to be all God’s. So…by
the time January came, we felt certain God had brought us together for a reason
and we began dating New Year’s Day (my how I thought this day would never get
here haha….such a sweet reward for our days of waiting).
Halloween
Merry Christmas!
New Year's Eve
Our 1st Date!
For the past six and a half months of “official” dating,
Jeremy and I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve alongside one
another, travel together (Gatlinburg, Joplin, and NOLA), and simply “do life”
together. Every moment I spend with him is such a blessing and God has
orchestrated this entire thing so much better than I could have ever imagined.
I can’t help but praise Him when I look at Jeremy. I am constantly in awe of God’s
faithfulness and provision.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Fast-forward to Saturday and here’s the part of the story
you’ve probably wanted me to talk about all along haha. Sorry I’m so
long-winded…you can’t say I didn’t warn you ;)
This past Saturday, my world was flipped upside down when
Jeremy asked me to be his wife. It was an absolutely perfect day…I simply
couldn’t have asked for better and know it’s one I’ll never forget. Here’s how
it all went down…
All last week, Jeremy asked me to pray for good weather on
Saturday. He said we were going on a surprise day date and we needed there to
be good weather. Now you may be thinking, come on now, a surprise date and good
weather…you should have suspected something was coming. But…in my defense, he
told me weeks ago that our engagement would NOT happen on a surprise day date
because that would be too easy for me to guess. So, here I was praying all week
long for good weather and getting worried that it might rain on this
unbeknownst plan. Anyways, I digress.
So
I told her a little engagement fiblet. I did what was needed haha. I convinced
her that a ring wasn't coming till Thanksgiving. I lamented at how hard it would
be to find the right ring, or ask her parents, or plan everything, or surprise
her, when all along, I had already taken care of everything. Her family even
got in on the taunting action. Her sister through a fit about how I if I don’t
involve her on getting the ring, she’ll kill me (she had already gone with me
at this point). Everyone in her family knew this was coming and they all
discussed giddily in the background when she wasn’t there. Her grandma even put
it on her calendar. I’m a planner. What can I say? I had her look at rings 2
months in advance (she thought it was 6 months), I asked her parents 6 weeks in
advance (her dad got choked up), I got the secret photographers 5 weeks in
advance (Thanks Joy and Adam!), I got the ring 4 weeks in advance (I put it in
a safe so I wouldn’t be tempted to fiddle with it all day), and I finished all
my preparation’s in the week leading up to it. I had everything coordinated.
The only thing I couldn’t control was the weather. All I knew is that I just
needed an hour of no rain so I could propose. So I asked God: “Please, all I
need is for it not to rain when I propose. I don’t care if the rest of the day
is a hurricane.” Every day for six weeks, I prayed for no rain. I checked the
14 day forecast every day until it became the today forecast. It always taunted
me with a 50% chance of rain warning. Every word on that forecast was either a
hope-filled blessing or a cursing omen.
It’s never easy to sit next to your girlfriend with an engagement ring in your pocket. I had to make sure the ring was on the opposite side of her in the booth.
Next, Jeremy took me to Louisville Stoneware and surprised
me with the opportunity to paint pottery! Ironically, I had wanted to paint
pottery for weeks (I never told him this, mind you ;)) so I was extremely
excited about this. We both chose to paint a plate and Jeremy quickly set to
work on the design he had been planning for weeks (again, completely
unbeknownst to me). He crafted the words “A Plate to Remember” and then played
dumb and asked what the date was. Oh how gullible I was to play along with his
plan and be so clueless haha. While he was painting this sentimental plate, I
was in my own little world making a Birthday-themed plate that said “You’re
Sweet” with a cupcake on it. At the end of our painting, we were proud of our
pieces and I liked that his included the date so we could “always remember the
day we painted pottery together.” Little did I know this date was going to hold
so much meaning ;)
Yeah,
Yeah, Yeah… It was a risk to do something that obvious before the proposal. But
I am really good at playing dumb… really good. If it weren’t for the 90’s
women’s button up shirt I had to wear to paint, she might not have been so
distracted that she couldn’t realize what could be happening. But hey, I wanted
a plate to remember for a date to remember. I even picked the colors we are
going to use at our wedding to paint it. I set up a number scheme to remember
the date by. If you can’t tell, I am a super analysis machine. On an unrelated
note, Groupon is the best ($54 of pottery and tours for $24).
After we finished painting, we walked outside to find that
the skies had literally opened up. It rained so hard there was water gushing
from the sides of the building. At this exact moment, however, it wasn’t
raining and Jeremy decided it was time for us to head to our next destination. I
had no idea where he was taking me. I was watching the sky, praying the rain
would stay away because he said this part of our date needed sunshine.
All
throughout painting, I was covertly texting Adam, my prep man. He was telling
me that it was pouring there at Cherokee and that I should probably reconsider.
All I knew was that God was faithful (though that isn’t what I felt). I was
going to go to that park rain or shine, know that God’s will would happen. God
knew my case. I just hoped He agreed with me.
A short drive later, we arrived at Cherokee Park—a beautiful
park in Louisville that we had visited earlier in the summer. I was happy to be
back at Cherokee Park and think it’s one of the prettiest places in Louisville.
Once we got there, we just sat in the car for a minute (Jeremy was stalling
haha) and I was quite satisfied to sit in our nice, air-conditioned, NOT HUMID
car. After about a minute (what had to have felt like the longest minute in
Jeremy’s life), we decided we’d get out and walk around. (Note: At this point,
Jeremy was waiting on a text from Adam to say they were ready for us to walk
over because he and Joy were taking pictures/recording everything.) Jeremy told
me, “I think I need to go to the bathroom real quick” and at that exact moment,
Adam sent a text that said, “Ready.” To this, Jeremy promptly proclaimed, “You
know, I actually don’t think I really have to go that bad” and I just kinda
stood there a little confused as to why he wouldn’t go relieve his bladder if
he needed to go haha. After this little episode, Jeremy
encouraged me to walk with him up this little hill to our favorite stairs
(there’s a beautiful set of stone stairs in the woods). As we approached the
top of the hill, I noticed that we were walking towards a blanket and picnic
basket. (Current thoughts in my head…“Hmmm…that’s sweet! Who’s that for? Oh
dang, there’s a North Oldham mascot on the blanket. That’s us! Wait, what?!”)
You
might ask: “Couldn’t you just fake go to the bathroom so you don’t look like a
fool?”… NO. I was that excited. I couldn’t waste my time trying to look all
suave.
Once we were near the blanket, Jeremy shared that this was
for us but “before we get to that, I want to ask you a quick question.” And
here’s when it happened! Jeremy got down on one knee and, as I giggled
incessantly, he shared that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his
life with me by his side. I couldn’t stop laughing and didn’t believe him for a
good while (not until he said, “I love you.”). After regaining my composure, I
excitedly said “YES!” and he placed the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen on
my finger. And you know what else happened?! We shared our very first kiss!
That’s right people…we waited to say “I love you” and kiss for 9 loooooong
months! (Sidenote: If you get the opportunity to do this, I can’t recommend it
highly enough. Granted, it was no easy task. We absolutely relied on patience
and self-control from the Holy Spirit. He gave us just what we needed to get
through it! By waiting to do these things, it was like we got to give ourselves
an incredible gift and those three words have such greater meaning now. It’s
also beautiful because the first man I’ve ever kissed is going to be my
husband! How amazing is that?!). Agreed!
I
knew that she wouldn’t believe me when I got down on one knee. I had taunted
her several times before—O, my shoe is untied!—so I made sure to wait for it to
sink in. I even had to show her the box with the ring to convince her that this
really was happening. I was so afraid that the ring wouldn’t fit. Her ring size
is 4.25. That’s puny. It would have been so embarrassing if it didn’t fit and
we were like “Welp, better luck next time.” But fortunately for me, it was the
perfect fit.
After we kissed, we took a bunch of pictures (thanks again
Joy and Adam) and as soon as we were done with our pictures, the sky opened up again
and rain fell all over the ground. Jeremy and I sat in a gazebo and reveled in
what just happened as we watched the soothing rain soak the grass. As we sat
there, he read me a beautiful, hand-written letter and we prayed together (the
only time I got teary-eyed). Shortly after that, the rain lightened up and we
decided to head home to freshen up and let everything soak in just a bit haha.
On the car ride home, we called our family and closest friends, then went home
and let the world know via Facebook ha. Jeremy also washed my feet, just as
Jesus washed the disciples feet. (Is that not the coolest act of service or
what?!) Later on, we were blessed with a delicious dinner at the Old Spaghetti
Factory in downtown Louisville with BOTH of our families! We celebrated with
our moms, dads, and sisters and enjoyed some delicious cookie cake (thanks,
Mrs. Eaton!). After our bellies were good and full, we took some family
pictures then headed over to my Nanny and Pappy’s for yet another little celebration
with loved ones. It was just wonderful and it fills my heart with such joy to
see our families together. The unity we’ve been blessed with is incredible and
I’m excited for these relationships to strengthen. I feel so lucky to be apart
of two incredible families, soon becoming ONE!
It
is absurd just how alike our families are and how blessed we are to have them.
I can just imagine the fun times ahead as two families join together in an
onslaught of goofy shenanigans. Overall, God truly blessed our day. It feels
like it was all a dream.
So there are all the details, at least the ones I can most
readily recount haha! I’m still in shock and can’t stop looking down at this
giant sparkly thing on my left hand…boy do I love what this ring represents. I’m
excited for our big day (mark your calendars for May 18th) and look
forward to all the planning and preparation that lies ahead (ps…if you think
about it, I’d love some prayers for patience and peace, not stress and anxiety
as we navigate these rough waters of wedding planning ha). I can’t even begin
to express the level of love I’ve felt these past few days. The support we’ve
received from our friends and family has been mind-blowing. We appreciate it
more than you know. Even greater than the love I’ve felt from those around us,
however, is the intense love I’ve felt from God. Just this weekend, I’ve seen
God’s love in such a real, tangible, and inexpressibly beautiful way. I’ve felt
closer to Him than I have in a long time and can’t stop thanking Him for such
rich blessings. It’s like I could just feel Him smiling upon us and it’s so
cool how He’s allowed me to experience His love in a whole new way.
I’m excited to love Jeremy just as Christ has loved us. I’m
excited to do life along side of him, to be his helper, to go through good
times and bad times with him by my side. I know times won’t always be this
sweet but I also know that God will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5) and that
because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have nothing to fear. I’m excited to
serve Jeremy and to help make him more like Jesus so that when he meets Jesus
face to face, he can be presented as pure and holy as possible. I’m also
excited to see how God uses our earthly romance for His glory because
ultimately, this is ALL about Him and not at all about us. I want our love to
be a reflection of Christ’s love and I will strive to live in such a way that
others can’t help but see Him in us.
Amen!
As I wrap this baby up, I just want to take a quick second
and assure you that God is the Author of romance. He himself is love (1 John
4:8). He loves you more than you can ever comprehend or imagine. In fact, He
was willing to send us His only Son to pay a price we can’t ever repay him for.
Only because of the love our Father has lavished on us can we love at all. So
let’s love because He first loved us. And let’s not ever forget that God’s love
is greater than any earthly romance could ever be. Though I feel like the
luckiest girl in the world, I know there will be times when Jeremy will disappoint
me and just the same, I’ll disappoint him. This is an inevitable reality
because the fact is, we’re human and we all make mistakes. But take heart! Even
when our flesh fails and we fall short (which will happen, ummm let’s think
about it…ALL the time!), God’s love never fails, it never gives up, it never
runs out on us! How amazing is that?! I hope you can feel that love and that
you won’t ever forget it because it’s da trufff.
Yesterday, I completed my sixth semester here at UK and am officially a SENIOR in college! What?!?!
Today, my room in Lexington is completely backed up, my car is stuffed full, and I'm about to see Jeremy for the last time for several days.
Tomorrow, I'll be boarding an airplane to fly to Costa Rica with my family for a week!
I'm sitting here just pinching myself and asking myself, "Is this real life?!" Seriously, all I can do is praise God and be in constant awe of Him. This past school year has been so wonderful and I think I'd even go so far as to say it's been my favorite thus far! Just in the past few months, I've had the chance to lead a group of Freshmen girls through my Shift group, went to Gatlinburg, served in Joplin for a week, and took a spur of the moment (and once in a lifetime) trip to New Orleans! I've enjoyed my classes (for the most part haha) and managed to squeeze out another 4.0. Even more, I've had the blessing of dating my best friend for the past 4 months and have loved every second of it! I've also gotten to experience God's work through Woodhill and have seen Him move in such mighty ways amongst the people He's placed in our lives. In looking back on this semester, all I can say is God is good and I'm so unworthy!
I'm looking forward to this summer and all the Lord has in store for it. I'm a bit apprehensive to leave my "home" here in Lexington and am definitely going to miss my house, my friends, my church, Woodhill, and CSF. Even still, I'm excited to spend intentional time with my family and can't wait to be all together again. I'm also excited to reconnect with old friends and hope God blesses me with the chance to serve new friends and help people back home. This summer, I hope to know God more intimately and love those He's placed in my life more intentionally.
Before I wrap up, I wanted to share a few pictures from Jeremy's birthday weekend. On Saturday, I surprised him with a trip to Red River Gorge and we hiked all through Natural Bridge. It was so much fun and we couldn't have dreamt of more perfect weather. I loved walking through the trails and couldn't get over how something so beautiful was practically right in our very backyard!
Also, here are a few pictures from Wednesday night. We decided to throw a banquet for several of our families at Woodhill. We made invitations, blew up balloons, cooked a bunch of yummy food, and threw ourselves a party! Again, the weather was absolutely glorious (almost 90 degrees!) and we had so much fun with our sweet friends. It really just felt like we were one big family and I am continually thankful for the way the Lord brought us all together! I love each of them dearly.
[[Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.]]
