throwbacks from dating life.

Friday, July 22, 2011

well. here are some throwback pictures of josh and i while were just little dating college students. here is a walk through memory lane... love you josh....
this was our first picture together. my hairs in my face. nov 16, 2008. there were waves in va beach for once but you chose to celebrate our one month anniversary as an official couple. we went to the aquarium. i loved it. i loved you. we said the "l" word the night before... i remember that moment like the back of my hand. it was so special.
our first thanksgiving together. tessie was a growing puppy. we spent half the day at my house the other at yours. i met your sisters for the first time that day. i was nervous as anything. but excited to be a part of it all.
this was december 2008. we didnt have any pictures together and were bored. so we had our own photo shoot. i love this one bc you can tell in my eyes how much i love you.... wow i love you so much more today than i did then. we were so drunk on love this day. i remember laughing so hard i collapsed and cried.
our first valentines day. 2009 we went colonial williamsburg and walked around. i curled my hair. we drove back to norfolk and ate at the no frill grill- there was no wait which was good because we were starving. it has since become our  favorite restaurant. little did we know we would live on the same street as it one day.
the first family vacation we went on together. may 2009. my dad won tickets to a yankee vs. red sox game at fenway. i invited you. we loved boston. we played the subaru car game to see how many subarus we could find. you met my uncle aunt and cousins. i remember loving spendind days with you and sharing something love (red sox baseball) with you. bliss.
your sister's wedding weekend. june 2009. this was the rehearsal dinner. i bought that tie because i wanted you to match me... but i am pretty sure you hate that tie. but you wore it with a smile. we looked cute this day. i remember going swimming when we got back to the hotel. we played in the pool with your sister and rob and christy and jen. we danced at the wedding and it was the best. you rob and your dad had a blast making fun of me about patrick... you hid him all over the hotel room. thanks for playing games with me.
july 4 2009. we went to visit your sister and watched fireworks at vmi.. or attempted to. it was rained out. but so fun during the day. we bought tyedye shirts.... not sure what happened to mine.... drank lemonade and ate italian ice- our fav. i remember how much i loved spending time with your family. i still do.
disney world 2009. with my family. this was in animal kingdom. you hate disney world. and say well never take the kids there. which may change when they beg you. but you were a trooper. it was hot- which you hate. but we had fun.

our trip to hatteras august 2009. you spear fished. i sat and got burnt. what a fun time. i had never been. there were no waves but you attempted to help me surf. the water was so blue.

december 2009. we were driving after leadership. the temperature was in the teens with wind chill so high you couldnt feel your face immediately when you walked outside. we saw the big red chair in front of brusters and we had to face the elements like bear grills and sit and take a picture. makes me cold just thinking of it. it was so spontaneous and fun. we laughed a lot.
valentines day #2. 2010. i surprised you with a little trip to go whale watching. i gave you a needle the night before. you had no idea why. when you woke up the next morning there were balloons attached to a whale book. you had to pop the balloons with your needle to put together the words "whale watching with me? love, ally" this day was so fun. we saw a whale!

easter 2010. before your parents left for belgium. another fun weekend with your family. we found out jess was going to have a little baby right before this. and now emma is here living it up.
asheville 2010. to visit my mimaw & pa. it was so important to me. so you managed to get off work and come. we had so much fun. a short trip but how adorable are we in our matching patagonias?
i took this picture of you on our day trip to wilmington, nc. we went to the beach. then we at at mellow mushroom. i fell in love with mellow yellow. we walked around the city part all day. but we were so tired, we left at 4 am. our nice dinner at that authentic restaurant. and we saw a wedding there. everything was perfect about that day.


sep 10. what a special day. you asked me to be with you forever. and it was so intimate and personal. right at sunrise. i love my ring. we ate breakfast at pocohantas pancakes. and got tshirts to commemorate. we told our friends and family that day and night at silver beach. in the science lab. i loved that day- i was glowing. i just know it.
our engagement pictures. i LOVE them all. such a special day. it was us beginning everything. i remember how far away july 24 seemed. it flew by.
new years 2010/2011. you came to stay with me and all my susta friends for the weekend. you loved seeing me be with friends- you had never really seen that joy in me before. i loved sharing that time with you- august susta was HUGE for me and god shaped me so much while i was there. i loved every second of that weekend and for you to be there was such a joy.


wow babe. we have come so far. from that first little date to moes where i choked on my food.... to saying "i do" this weekend. it has been crazy. it has been fun. it has been hard. it has been sweet. it has been bitter. but it always been us. i love you.

readers- even if you can't be with us this weekend. we love that you read our blog. thank you for reading. i cant wait to continue this blog from the other side of dating.

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we have been blessed.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

the wedding is so soon. its wednesday (well actually its midnight here in avon andi should be resting but instead i will blog) the wedding is sunday. wow. i cant believe it. my parents and i are came to the beach house in avon on monday evening. we unloaded the cars and went to bed.my dad left today back for chesapeake to run a few errands, grab some more things, and pick up my family from the airport. theyll all be headed down tomorrow and i cannot wait! i see my family very rarely and am so beyond excited. caileigh and josh will be here tomorrow too. and we'll celebrate josh's birthday with some yummy dinner and cake of course. plus some of his favorite beer. my mom and i went to the beach today and we fell asleep... but only for 15 minutes and i wear sunscreen so no worries, no burns. it was so relaxing. the breeze was going and i felt at peace. we checked off a few things on the checklist tonight and i am feeling pretty good about everything. tired but not super stressed. i mean, i have a lot to do but it will get done.

today i woke up to a text from josh that said "ally, the lord has truly blessed us." for a second i thought someone gave us a large sum of money or something... it was so out of the blue that was my first instinct. but being blesses does not mean money. i called him and he said he was just thinking about the fact that literally everything has fallen into place for us. financially, spiritually, just everything. everyone has been behind us all the way. our parents never second guessed our decision to get hitched in college. our "spiritual" leaders never have either (we love you ryder and libby and commitee) everyone has shown us such overwhelming support and we have felt so loved- thank you. our finances have been unbelievable too. finding our first apartment (which i am in love with.) joshs school paid off. my school paid off. parents who love us and support us. friends who care for us. still awaiting our health insurance plan to be approved- but im not worried. we will make it. nothing has gone against us. the lord is so sweet to us.

four days until i am mrs. henderson. goodness i cry as i type that. how sweet it is to be loved by you josh. you love me so well... even when im a snappy little brat who whines. you love me. you laugh at me. you tickle me. and you make funny faces at me. thanks for being a leader. thanks for being a peace maker. thanks for your patience. i love you so dearly. i cant wait for this new season of life with you.

throwback pictures from dating coming soon...

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happy birthday future hubby.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

amidst all the wedding and moving- i did not plan anything for joshs birthday. birthdays are important to me. i love them. i love celebrating with people. but it has been so crazy here and we have been looking forward to our marriage beginning that it totally slipped my mind that today would be the 17th. i realized it yesterday when josh said we had been dating/officially together for 2 years & 9 months. and the fact that i knew that it was the 16th made me think that tomorrow is the 17th. wow, i feel bad.

josh, happy birthday. you are 22 today- which makes you 2 years older than me until my birthday. i am sorry that things have been crazy and busy and stressful. i am so sorry that i forgot. today is your day. we will move and i will buy you ice cream later. i love you so much and cant wait until a week from now- you'll be my 22 year old husband!
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keep calm...

Friday, July 15, 2011

so my first post today was moving day... and josh and i spent two seconds together. he worked the majority of the day and had prior plans for tonight. so i moved some boxes but had to hang out in norfolk most of the day to meet the dominion power guy so our power can up and running for us upon return from ocracoke. i did get some errands done that was very necessary to do. i will move the rest of my stuff tomorrow (josh has to work again) and josh will move his sunday. then when we come back it'll be decorate & set up time. i am thrilled for that.

wedding: things are falling into place. still stressful- not sure if that will stop. i just made a wedding decor list for some girls who are helping me set up the day of. my friend katie meehan told me about this wedding her good friends sister had. and how she didnt have to bother with the decor and it was nice for the girls to spend the day with them. in my head i was thinking "no way. im a control freak & a DIY bride (menaing no wedding planner)" but as i typed it all out i thought to myself: "self. everything will turn out as it should. things may not be perfect, but when you look back it will be." so i am going with that. ill check up on decor once maybe but i really do not need to stress about it  all day. so i will relax. be pampered. drink orange juice. the whole shabang. and be free. i do not want to look back and think "what a stressful day. but so good" i want to look back and think "what a beautiful day that was." so im making my list very detailed and will go over it with the girls so they know the 411. libby is pretty much a super-hero & i love all her ideas. katie hackett and i are alike in decorating (and shes done this all before at other weddings- so she knows whats good.) stef is the craftiest girl i know. alex has an eye for detail and will keep everyone calm. and megan is a natural leader. i have an all-star team behind me. i think a few other girls will come down and help as much as they can. i love them all.and am so excited to relax and breathe on july 24. i know it will be so so good. i also cant wait for poor richard sandwichs for lunch... yummm.
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moving day.

so we just got the keys to our apartment. and i am running a few errands today before i go and wait for dominion power to turn it the power on. so i loaded up my car and will be moving our first set of stuff in today. this is all so crazy. im going to the beach house on sunday so i wont be there for long. and josh will be moving his stuff on sunday. my mattress will go in tomorrow. along with our other furniture. if you have time and are free, text me bc we could use help. this is all so surreal... but i am so excited. please pray it goes smoothly... and that its not too hard to get the furniture upstairs (its the 3rd floor and a very old building meaning tiny stairwells...)
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wow.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

i say wow for a number of reasons:

1. i've had a million blog posts running through my mind the past week but literally have not had a spare moment to write them
2. i am tired.
3. not so stressed anymore- surprisingly. i know it will all come together bc of how much has gotten done this week,
4. yl camp follow up with girls has been amazing.
4. most obvious wowzer: HOLY COW IM GETTING MARRIED IN A WEEK AND 2 DAYS. (plus a wake up... as my momma and sis would say... navy things)

the list could go on... but well stop there. this week has been non-stop for josh and i. all kind of seperate things. ceremony plans, designing & printing menus & programs, applying for health insurance (have not heard back yet- PLEASE pray this works out), setting up utilities at the apartment (thanks j), packing, a visit from caileigh (who sat with me as i sorted my room. what a trooper), painting a little something for the ceremony, buying gifts, mailing thank-yous, camp follow-up, last minute details. i literally could write ten million other things. it has been NUTS. i was really gloomy on monday- stressed of course but couldn't clear my head. tuesdays quiet time was essential for me to get through this week. josh has worked every day. but has been so great with everything- it has caused a little tension but we worked past that and decided that this week was busy and we're both stressed so we need to embrace it and not argue.... wow- what a great guy. next week, he'll be my hubby. i can't wait for ocracoke. after all this stress, it is what we need. stef, josh's best man john carr's girlfriend, gets here saturday night. i am excited for that- she will keep me calm and is one of the craftiest girls i know so i have saved some last minute crafts for us to do at the beach house in avon. and then my family from AZ gets in tues & wed.... CAN. NOT.WAIT. have not seen them since 2007. then caileigh gets there wed & josh. my two fav people.marriage license to make it offic. oh its all happening so fast. i am excited- and the answer to the question that everyone has been asking: "are you ready"... "YES." we're ready. more than ever.

okay enough wedding. young life. camp follow-up. wow. it has been a pure joy to see these girls go from freshman and sophmores in high school to a community of believers learing with each other. we had a post camp cabin time last sunday and it was so great. girls brought food, shared, laughed (a lot), were super crazy. and all over facebook girls are saying shout outs to petes cave (our cabin name) and how much they love evryone. i wont be able to do anything for the next two weeks but the girls planned a family dinner for sunday. are you kidding me? thats amazing. i see leadership in these girls. and community. and love. and mostly jesus. and i love that more than anything. they're all so excited to come to my apartment in norfolk and hang out. and were meeting weekly. its amazing. i am in awe at what jesus is doing through my leadership position and these girls. what a joy it brings me. last night after the post camp pool party, petes cave went to annas to hang out. love it. love it. love it. love this time in my life. cant wait to be mrs. henderson.
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rockbridge yl camp.

Friday, July 8, 2011

josh and i along with most of our fiends headed to rockbridge last thursday night. rockbridge is a young life camp in goshen, va. i have been to rockbridge a handful of times- but never in the summer. and let me tell you- it was amazing. the camp felt so alive. the water activites were awesome. it had such an open and different feel than saranac. saranac had a ton to offer and id definitly still my fav camp, but rockbridge beat my expectations (which i admit were low) i mean the camp itself- not the week in general. although the camp trip was totally different than i expected too. let me explain it all- this could get lenghty... i have a lot to say.

i dont know if i had ever been more excited for a camp trip before. people thought i was crazy for going two weeks before my wedding. but i never second guessed it. i was more excited than ever to go with the grassfield girls. there was a handful in my cabin that i have been trying to hang out with a ton. they are in my bible study. something about it all seemed so exciting- not all knew jesus, and i watched the spirit move in them this whole year and semester. and i just knew that the Lord was going to do big life-changing things at camp for them. and He did. BIG things. bigger than i imagined. more real than i thought. girls met jesus- and remet him at rockbridge. and to be a part of that all was a privilege and honor.

which brings me to my next point... i was a part of it. and i didnt have to be. but God chose me to do so. and before i went to camp, i do not think i thought about it in that way. i didnt deserve to be there- and i was prideful about it. so the Lord taught me. i got sick (a combination of allergies, less than two hours of sleep in the bus, a hike at 7am, and a FULL day of camp) set me up for failure health wise. my sinuses were rambling and my body ached. then my throat felt like sandpaper and i lost my voice day 2 and 3. this means i could not lead cabin time- luckily the Lord provided a co-leader Ally McConnell to help me lead my cabin. i do not know what i would have done without her. she led cabin time completely once because i could not talk and felt like i was going to die i was so beat. and the Lord humbled me in that. it was not me who is leading these girls to Christ- but rather Christ in US. i learned so much in that.

the week was awesome from there. my attitude changed and everything was totally 100% team effort of Jesus. cabin time changed girls lives. hearing the truth about Christ and what he did for us changed their lives. seeing girls go from not knowing a single thing about Jesus to devoting their lives to him. seeing girls who looked at God as an unrelational being to their best friend. it was pure joy. ally and i stayed back a couple times after cabin times was amazing. girls who were too shy to open up- shared their hearts. it was beautiful.

the cross talk. WRECKED ME. i never felt the Spirit more alive in me than in those moments hearing the truth about what Jesus did and how he volunteered to do it. my expectations for everything were blown out of the water. i loved every second. even when i cryed in the corner on day 2. i loved it. i learned so much. i loved leading along side with libby again. i loved seeing my friends from other schools lead too. and seeing josh with his patience so tested.... he had a group of freshman boys from gfield- they are crazy. i mean utterly crazy. but he pushed and did so great. i have so much to say- i will probs blog about it again.

my cabin- and rando guys who ruined the pic...

"the screamer" with leah & mallory (ironic- i couldnt scream pretty much all week)
rodeo night- macy, leah, olivia, & christine






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