Is it Really 2010?

Wow. The year is already flying by. It seems like it was just 2009 and now we are here... 75 more busy days before our wedding and although its getting closer, it seems so far away. I have dreams about it almost nightly, so I guess... wait I know its on my mind... We are blessed to have such tremendous people in our lives. From the Weakley's doing our pre-marital counseling, to my stateside bridesmaids planning and getting things ready even though they are super busy with their lives, a maid of honor who is organizing the bach. party all the way from Japan, to awesome women who I aspire to take on their sweet traits (YEAH Mrs. Sheffield and Mrs. McHenry) who are planning another shower in Houston. We can only say that we are tremendously blessed. Thank you all. With 75 days down, we are sending in final payments, signing off on final designs and flowers, picking party music and preparing to send out invites... Woo-hooo. Marcus has been such a trooper and so helpful and patient with every aspect of planning... I mean what guy really has a preference on a shade of purple... But Marcus has truly contributed so much to our planning and listening to me vacillate about hair, make-up, the difference between lilac and violet... I digress... In preparation for being Mrs. Brock, my bach. townhome is once again on the market. We are praying that the perfect buyer comes and takes it so we can have a home just for the Brocks shortly.

We started a couples devotional that has been both challenging and rewarding and I totally suggest that all those with a significant other read it together. The Devotional is from the same people who wrote the movie "Fireproof". It challenges you daily to really love, not just your partner, but EVERYONE. Now those that have ridden with me know that my Houston girl driving attitude is not so bueno... Ever since the book has challenged us to love in all situations, I have had to really sit back and evaluate every reaction. Here is a quick example. This past week after the earthquake some people were making critical critical statements about Haiti and their suffering people. Well, Marcus was adopted from a Haitian orphanage and is 100% Haitian blooded. The things that were said were so harmful and hateful that they did not need to be repeated, but God told me to respond in love and ask for God to bless this person and soften his heart... Um, this is not what I wanted to say. I wanted to twist my kneck and calmly let him know who he was working with... But I did not, even when started making derogatory and racial statements... LORD BLESS HIM! Anywho, we are excited about the journey we are taking as a couple to love...

Lastly, today it has been 9 years since my good friend Dana Pettaway passed away. What a ministry her death was and continues to be. We continue to pray for peace and understanding for her friends and family, but I know she is so proud of her little brother and her friends. Gosh, I will always miss her, but she was an amazingly beautiful person inside and out so I know she is a glowing angel. :)

What a blessing it is to be in God's favor. Thank you to all of our friends for your love and support and get ready to party.

UPDATES

Things are slowing down and speeding up all at the same time, but I wanted to take a moment and process all the exciting adventures that are occurring...

First of all... We are super excited about the two weddings we have coming up! Kim, my sorority sister will be marrying her prince charming this weekend, and STEWEY will be marrying hers next weekend in Houston, TEXAS! What a blessing it is to have other people sharing in this awesome season in life!

Honeymoon Booked! Marcus booked our honeymoon! And we are both super excited... although its booked, we are pretty silent about its location so it can be the one secret during this whole wedding weekend that only he and I know! We cannot even wait.

The Awesome Bridesmaids Dresses have been selected too and everyone is going to look beautiful. Adi requested that she be supplied with a fanny pack since the dress doesn’t have pockets, so I went to Sam Moon and got her one to match the wedding theme! The dresses will be so pretty... The lady at Mockingbird Bridal said I had the prettiest bridal party she had ever seen, I AGREED! :)

Joe T. Garcias: So Marcus' awesome parents booked us an awesome venue for the rehearsal dinner.... MY ULTIMATE FAVE... JOE T'S!!! We will be in the church/building right next door to the main restaurant and it will be private and wonderful and I already know that I am going to be overly emotional that day... If you are coming in to town the Friday before the wedding, plan on coming to the pre-bash!

Reception Updates! We met with Hope at the Fort Worth Club and she has helped us put together the most amazing party ever... So many fun things will occur that I don’t want to share until you guys get there... But all I can say is eeeeekkk!

My Purple Shoes: So, I found the best shoes ever at Zappos.com to walk/run down the aisle in on our wedding day... They are purple jeweled peep toes that resemble the Manolo's that Carrie Bradshaw had for her wedding in Sex in the City, but they are purple and A TON Cheaper... They fit perfectly and look amazing... I can’t wait to take my bridals in them! Marcus' dad, who is so sweetly walking me down the aisle, has asked if he could have some matching Purple shoes as well, so we are in search of some purple man boots for Mr. Brock... we'll see if that happens! :)

After much debate, we decided to book a videographer because Lite Dallas was so unbelievably impressive and we got a huge discount from the Dallas Bridal Show! What a blessing it is to be in the right place at the right time...

We are so unbelievably blessed and excited for all of the wonderful people we have in our lives... I cannot wait for us to have The Brock House filled with laughter, lots of cooking, pool parties, and fellowship with all of our friends and family. Until then, we are patiently waiting for our day to walk down the aisle and are enjoying every moment, soaking in our friend’s happiness and basking in the glory of God's favor! :)

Weddings and Babies!!! :)

It is so unbelievably exciting to see all of my friends get closer to their wedding dates, have their weddings, and even have little ones. Congrats to everyone. I was just sitting back and thinking how awesome it is to look back at childhood photos or even college photos and think, wow... we have grown up sooo much! :) Shout out to Missy and Cliffy on finding out about their new little boy, yea Baby Pennington,and Pam and Chris who are having a sweet baby girl to match their super sweet daughter Alyssa! Shout out to Ernin who is getting married next month, and Caitlyn and Jason too. And Stewey who is getting married in August and Stephanie and Matt and Clorese and Patrick who are super duper newly-weds! :)

As far as the Brock wedding plans, they are of course in full swing and we are now in the waiting room of the wedding world. Everything is booked and planned and we are just waiting to enjoy our day and the rest of our lives. We have 295 days left, which may seem like a bunch, but considering we have been counting down from the 550's WE ARE MORE THAN excited that it is fast approaching. Save the dates will be going out this weekend and that is showing us that it is really coming... eeek...

I am blessed to have AWESOME bridesmaids and they are all so excited about the big day, it warms my heart. They ask me about the wedding more than I bring it up. The MOH is finally back from Japan so she is amazing and planning everything down to the tee... I love getting texts at 8am on a Tuesday about bach. party ideas months from now.

As the countdown gets lower and lower, I am so humbled by the support and the love that everyone has shown us. Everyone coming is someone who has had a profound affect on our lives and we cannot wait to see you! :)

It is such a blessing and an honor to have awesome friends like you guys! :) Enjoy the summer and maybe I will begin updating this thing more often!

Proverbs 31 and Marriage Explored...

...The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. trustworthy. She does him good and not evil. All the days of her life...

So needless to say, I love my future hubby... That should be obvious, but seriously, I love him. God has taught us about agape love for Him. That deep unconditional, unshakable, unimaginable, forgiving love that God give us. God is love in its purest form, and when you have a partner in life who loves God, you have a partner who loves love. Marcus fears God and as a result yearns to stay in His will everyday of his life. As I have been sitting in planning to become Mrs. Brock, I had to sit back and think, really what is this love thing, what is marriage, and what does this mean in the eyes of the Lord? And these are the answers that I have developed...

Marriage is partnering with someone who is equally yoked with you. Who is working as one to achieve favor in God's eyes in do His will together, grow a family with children who too fear God yearn to serve Him all of their lives. That is powerful... what a HUGE undertaking... WE ARE GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAINING UP LITTLE MINI BROCKS TO SERVE IN GODS ARMY... but that is further down the line... Which is why it is so important that our household is led by a man, who is led by Christ... How could I be anything but excited, safe, and ecstatic at the thought that my husband, my partner, my best friend is not only making decisions that he knows are on our best behalf, but that these decisions are reached by Him consulting with God... So basically, WE will always be in God's will if we follow Marcus' leadership! WOW! Now that is security... God has sent me the man of my dreams. Women always tremble when we hear the verse in the Bible that says that wives should submit to your husbands. Holy Hannah, I did too, but now I understand. This surrender, this submission is not one based on servantry or disrespect. This beautiful surrender is relinquishing yourself, your emotions, your worries, your individual agenda and presenting it to the man who is so synced up with God that you would never need to fear or worry. This submission is only describable to me as exhaling... I praise God everyday for His word and His blessings... I thank God for delivering me to a man that seeks Christ daily, that seeks His will and direction. Marcus' spirit, his love and his passion for Christ makes me want to continue to personify the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman. When Marcus takes my hand, my heart melts not only because he is handsome inside and out :), but because His other hand is in the hands of God and that feeling is indescribable. Thank you Lord for allowing me to surrender, for allowing me to just be, for giving me a partner willing and ready to serve. I know that my heart is hidden in Christ and that Marcus was seeking Christ and in his pursuit he found me! :)

People

So... I was pondering love on my journey away from Texas for a week. God has placed amazing people in our lives and I feel as though we neglect them either intentionaly or otherwise. While I was sitting in my hotel room, I got to facebook chat with an old friend from high school and I realized how much I truly missed her in my life. People can have such a strong affect on who you are and we are quick to forget that. God has been placing people's names on my heart lately and I have just been compelled to contact them, no questions asked. How awesome is God's favor and annointing and I could not imagine a life that was not directed, guided, and protected by Him. I appreciate everyone in my life and from this day forward will make sure that they know that I love them and cherish every moment, chat, and text from them:)

Francine

My mom rocks... period. I have been contemplating what it means to be this virtuous woman that I proclaim to be and the person that keeps coming to mind is me madre' aka Meerrrm, aka Francine... Her strength and regalness is something that princes and kings would envy. God's light shines within and through her everyday. There is not one day that I could think of where she has not been an absolute rock. Many people would have crumbled during several situations but Meerrrm has not and she continues to be the pilar of strength that she is... Whew... Look up the Virtuous Woman and you will see her picture... and hopefully a small picture of me in the background!

Meerrm, you rock!

Road Rage?

It is finally Friday. The end to a hard week of work. God's blessings are abundant though. He never fails to provide and never leads us astray. Let me just preface the following statements by saying I am from Houston ----->I had a thought this morning as a lady proceeded to cut me off twice and flip me the bird, twice... What if, instead of filling up with rage and wanting to tell the lady about herself, I prayed for every individual that cuts me off, drives 20mph, or runs a light? Refocusing their negative energy towards positive life-changing thoughts can result in tremendous blessings for the world... Now, if you have ever driven with me, you understand that I can be an impatient driver, I like to get where I am going and I like others to bow down to me and part the seas. Since that rarely happens, so lately I have been trying my new prayer technique and it has worked. No longer am I shaking from the early signs of road rage, but I am now able to rejoice that God and I have worked together to possibly affect someone's life in a positive way. I will never know if they cared or if they just continue to flip the bird, but maybe just maybe that chick with the wayward finger will begin lifting her head and hands to the sky in praise instead of raising it for other reasons! :)