Top 10 Events of (my last week of) College!

Last week, (okay every week since getting engaged AND placed for internship within a period of 72 hours!) was kind of hectic. I have condensed all of last week into a format David Letterman would perhaps approve of...

Top 10 events of my last week of college:

10. FINALS. There were plenty of these + papers to occupy any spare time. Enough said.

9. PACKING. Mom was a savior in this department for me. I had packed up a fair amount of stuff before she came in town, however while I would be at work or a final, Mom diligently worked on packing up my kitchen and anything else she could, as well as lined up a storage unit to store my stuff in during the time between school ending & moving to St. Louis

8. VISITED WAYSIDE, WISCONSIN (Adam's new home for internship) - SO blessed by all of the people there, and SO excited for the opportunities and ministries Adam will get to be a apart of - even stopped by Lambeau while we were in the area!

7.  MOM FLEW IN! Kevin (our Best Man) picked Mom up from the airport on Sunday while Adam & I were on our way back from Wayside. Celebrated a late-night Mother's Day. I was really excited because I put together a Mother-of-the-Bride Wedding planning survival kit to give her :)

Mother-of-the-Bride Wedding Planning Survival Kit

6. WEDDING ADVENTURES - First thing Monday morning, Adam, Kevin, my Mom, and I paraded off to the tux store to pick out the guy's wedding look. Lots of fun and the guys were great sports too! Also all 4 of us had a cake tasting adventure on Tuesday afternoon - successfully tried some cake we will NOT be getting for the wedding - but who doesn't love a wedding adventure??

5. Went to BRIDAL SHOW #2 with Mom! This show was held at a country club, much bigger in scale than my first Bridal show, I was really glad I had been to one already so I knew what to expect a little more with this one. We got champagne before we even walked through the door, and the night ended with a Bridal fashion show (we had front row seats!!) 

4. On Tuesday, took Mom to see our reception venue - 

THE WILDER MANSION!!!! This was by far one of the highlights of the week! Check out some sneak peak pictures below :) We also met with a caterer later that same day- very long appointment - may or may not have discussed a burrito bar with queso as an option - much to Adam's excitement!!! (sure beat the conversation about linens haha)

3. LAST CLASS & FINAL OF UNDERGRAD! This was ten times more exciting than I had ever imagined it would be! Fun that Adam, Kevin, and I all had the same last class/final so we could celebrate that together!!!

2. Friday - we got to have our ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS taken! Adam, myself, and Kevin headed down to Old Town (a part of downtown Chicago) first thing in the morning, met up with our photographer, and spent the next few hours getting photos taken - our pictures will be done getting edited in the next couple of weeks - can't wait to share them with you all! Also fun was having Kevin along, not only because it was just fun to have another friend along (made things a little less awkward with the photographer at the beginning) - but also because he was SUPER helpful with carrying things and pitching in anyway he could. [Had to share his sunglass look he sported!]

1. LAST NIGHT OF COLLEGE AND GRADUATION. Mom left late Thursday night, Friday was laid back (engagement photos - woohoo!) - and our week got to end perfectly - spent with all our dear friends!!! We hung out, danced late into the night, and got to cheer on everyone we have spent the last 4 years with as they finally graduated!! Bittersweet though it was, can't be more thankful for everyone and the experiences we have all shared these last years together!

Family photo!

Upcoming post: News about our upcoming trip to Japan! (One week from today 5/23 - until we leave!)

Trust God.

Once upon a time, Mary Schmich a Columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote a column now known as the "Wear Sunscreen Speech". Given by an author, Kurt Vonnegut, as a commencement speech for MIT, the words have been shared with many college students as guidance and advice for their future. The words to the original speech can be found here: Wear Suncreen.

The following is my own parody on those words: 

Trust God.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, trusting God would be it.

The long-term benefits of trusting God reach far beyond anything I can write about here. This is the one piece of advice I can give, that has stood the test of time, more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the gift and power of your youth. 

. 

You may not understand now the gift and power of your youth. But trust me, God has made you so unique and amazing, that in 20 years you'll think back to what you experienced and accomplished at your age right now, and be in awe of who He created you to be.

You are not as un-loved as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but remember that faith ends where worry begins, and worry ends where faith starts.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day to help someone else.

Pray.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. 

Love people anyways who may be reckless with yours.

Read your Bible. Seriously.

Don't waste your time on jealously.

Sometimes you will feel ahead, sometimes you will feel behind.

The race is long, but God has already won the race for us. 

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults.

To succeed in doing this, know that God made you & He doesn't make junk.

Keep your old journals, or favorite cards of encouragement.

Through away your old research papers.

Worship.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.

The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year olds still don't. Instead, ask God, He already has a plan.

Spend time listening to other people.

Be kind to those around you. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll dance the Cupid Shuffle on your 75th wedding anniversary. May whatever your family ends up being, love God wholeheartedly and love each other. 

Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your steps are planned by God. So are everybody else's. Praise Him above all.

Enjoy your body. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it. Take care of it. God has made you in His image, and He loves when you use your body to honor Him.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the Bible, even if you end up not following the directions.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Do not creep too much on Facebook. You will only feel too self-centered & unproductive.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Forget High school fights with them, and thank them everyday for loving you anyways. Even loving you all the way through finishing college. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Plus its fun to tell "remember when..." stories. Don't miss out on that.

Tell remember when stories.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in location and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. They will always help keep in perspective that if you can make it through bad freshman decisions, you can make it through just about anything. They will laugh with you and at you, but never will you feel so loved.

Live somewhere new at least once, but don't forget to call your Mom. Travel.

Accept certain truths. People aren't perfect. Prices will rise. You too will get old. And when you do, you'll remember that when you were young, people seemed nicer, pricers were reasonable, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect to not work hard to support yourself. Maybe you have a job or call. Maybe you'll have an inheritance. But maybe you'll go through a tough storm or some hard years. The value in hard work and planning is priceless.

.

Don't mess to much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Don't drink too much either or by the time you're 40 you will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you trust, and be patient with those who supply it. Seek counsel from those with experience and love in their hearts. The heart of a teacher is irreplaceable. The heart of learner is even more valuable. Sometimes people make mistakes, sometimes you will make mistakes, I can't tell you what those will be or how to fix them.

But believe me - TRUST GOD. 

Congratulations to all my friends who have graduated this semester & to those moving onto internships as well. Love you all!