Reliving The Magic {At Long Last}
May 1, 2010. As guests strode inside the church, I slid my hand under my sweet friend’s arm. I looked her straight in the eyes and gleefully announced, “Grace, this is the happiest day of my life to date!”
The night before, I had spotted Pat as I rounded the doorway of the church to set up for the rehearsal dinner. I bolted straight at him and hugged him close. Then I leaned back and whispered, “Can you believe it? My big brother is getting married! You’re going to be a husband tomorrow!” He smiled happily, “I sure am.”
Nearly 3 months later, the wedding has now come and gone. But the marriage continues. It honestly seems so natural for Michelle to be Pat’s wife. They just click so well with each other. I never ask myself anymore, “Is this real?” because the answer is self-evident. I mean, how could it be any other way?
The ceremony was fabulous. The details were perfect. The memories are bliss. Below are the promised (and long-overdue) pictures that endeavored to capture a slice of the beauty and love permeating the day.
As well as traditional vows, they both read their own personal vows to each other. So precious!
Probably the sweetest part of the ceremony was when all four parents came up and prayed for the couple. After all, what’s a better way to start a marriage?
Best Man Paul was up to his old tricks. Later, we found out the big plastic ring was actually Pat’s idea, but he worked through Paul. 
As a hilarious joke, the groomsmen surprised everyone after the first kiss by pulling out score cards hidden in their suits. I found out that the Master Schemer behind this prank was indeed the Best Man (what are brothers for, right?). Apparently Jimmy (second from right) didn’t think their kiss was so spectacular. 
I don’t know what Jimmy meant by the 2.1. I think they’re pretty good at it. This one’s at least a 9.5. *sigh*
You absolutely cannot convince me that Michelle’s not a gorgeous addition to the Hastings. I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Aren’t they such a happy, good-lookin’ couple?
Pat’s first test of love and devotion: smell Michelle’s shoe.
The shoe game is the best wedding game I’ve ever seen hands down. Or should I say, Shoes Up!
This guy had so much fun being Best Man…
OK, I feel like such a blonde (no offense to all of you blondes–y’all spice up the world ). As we were lining up to see Pat and Michelle off, I inspected the window of their getaway car pictured below. One of Pat’s ushers, a friend from Rice University, remarked, “Don’t you like what we wrote on the window? I think it’s quite funny.” I studied the words one more time, but didn’t get it because in my mind I was reading,
“What’s in a honeymoon sandwhich?
Lettuce Abne.”
I just thought to myself, ” ‘Abne’ must be one of those high-end, intelligent words learned at Rice”, and not wanting to be impolite or look dumb, I just smiled and said, “Ya.” Only now, when I was going through pictures for this post, did I realize what he actually wrote. Yep, I see my blonde roots coming in…
Thus ended the happiest day of my life… to date.
Pumping Prayer
“Earthquake in Haiti.”
“Hurricanes in New Orleans.”
“Tsunami in Asia.”
“Fires in California.”
Frightening news flashes seem to report of one disaster after another. After I heard each of the headlines listed above, my response, along with thousands of other people, was… prayer. In each of those circumstances, the debris, the dead, and the devastated hearts intensified the obvious need for divine intervention–motivating me to pray. “Surely”, I thought, “God’s hand of healing and restoration will have to work mightily in these catastrophes.”
“BP Oil Spill Strikes Gulf”
When I first heard the news, what was my first reaction? Prayer? I’m ashamed to admit that no it wasn’t. My initial reaction was an unspoken faith in science. I assumed that if man-made, modern-day technology could create this problem, it could fix it as well.
Yet science is not the Almighty worker of miracles… God is.
The Maker of the universe can plug a hole in the ocean leaking out millions of gallons of oil easier than I can turn off my kitchen faucet. The One who cares and provides for the sparrow which is sold for a penny will certainly care and provide for the jobless. And the all-powerful Creator of the oceans and wildlife is also the all-powerful Sustainer of the oceans and wildlife.
He will work according to His good and perfect will.
Several states in the gulf region have called today a day of prayer. Perhaps God in His Sovereignty is using this circumstance as a part of His greater plan to draw people away from faith in themselves and science and instead draw them nearer to faith in Him.
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” -Ps. 115:3
My bestest friend
“So Christina who’s your best friend?”, a curious girlfriend of mine recently inquired.
“Jesus.” I smiled sheepishly because I knew that wasn’t the answer she had in mind.
“OK, besides Jesus,” she persisted.
After a brief pause of thought, I answered,
“My best friend would be my dad.”
- A best friend is someone you can’t imagine your life without.
- A best friend is someone who you don’t mind being silent with.
- A best friend is someone you trust to keep your secrets.
- A best friend is someone you can talk to about anything.
- A best friend is someone who sees your soul bared… and loves you anyway.
And that’s why my best friend… is my dad.
If you want to snicker at some of my blond moments…
If you want to groan about the time I spent all day cooking a barely edible apple crisp…
If you want to hear about the time I almost blew up the family (“Death by gas stove”)…
If you want to count all the times that I bickered with my brothers (actually, that would be too numerous to count)…
If you want to pity the time I disobeyed my dad and ended up in the emergency room…
If you want to identify what ticks me off…
If you want to learn my favorite book or my favorite color or my favorite food…
If you want to unveil what’s passionately burning on my heart…
If you want to discover my dreams…
Ask my dad.
That’s because he knows me better than anyone else on the planet. To name a few things, I appreciate (although I may not always act like it) his ability to make me laugh, his willingness to talk to me for hours, his wisdom, his hard work, and his protection.
And the cool thing is that my dad and my mom are best friends too! Now don’t get me wrong–it’s definitely not all peaches and cream in the family. We have plenty of sour times together. 
But I still wouldn’t trade being my daddy’s daughter for the world.
I didn’t write this poem, but it precisely captures why I love–and need–my dad.
#400040">A little girl needs Daddy
For many, many things:
Like holding her high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings!
#400040">Like being the deep music
That tells her all is right
When she awakens frantic with
The terrors of the night.
#400040">Like being the great mountain
That rises in her heart
And shows her how she might get home
When all else falls apart.
#400040">Like giving her the love
That is her sea and air,
So diving deep or soaring high
She’ll always find him there.
—
#400040">Daddy, Happy Father’s Day! You’re my hero and I love you!
And this little piggy laughed all the way home.
We left Virginia Beach directly after the awards ceremony to jump start our long journey home. About midnight, we arrived at the C family’s house. Due to also being half Asian and Caucasian, I think James and Sue Ellen (on my right and left in the picture) look more like me than just about anyone else I know. Maybe I’ll start calling them my long lost siblings.
While we waited for my dad to drop off our rental car on Saturday morning, we took turns kayaking in the C’s pond.
This is their other pond. My jaw wanted to drop from it’s gorgeousness! This view has everything: water, forest, fields, and mountains. In fact, everything about Virginia is just stunning!
Gotta love the hair! Riding in the car was a blast (when we weren’t sleeping that is).
Finally home.
