Grateful

4 days and counting! I can honestly say that at 4 days away from my wedding, it all still seems surreal. A sweet friend of mine teased me tonight saying that we should still be spending our summers in the pool talking about boys and our way-off-in-the-future weddings. But nope! This summer, for her and I, will be spent with me married and her planning to get married in August! It doesn't seem possible The day I've waited for my whole life is almost here. Yahoo!

I feel so many things right now, and one main one is gratitude. I'm grateful first and foremost to God for saving me and blessing me incredibly in so many ways, despite my sinful heart. I'm eager to see how God works on my heart in the coming months and years. I know He has many things to teach me, and I pray that I will have a soft heart as He molds me into the woman and wife that He wants me to be. I have a long way to go, and even as I sit here, I'm reminded that I need to spend some extra time just being with the Lord this week as I prepare to have a life-changing day on Sunday.

Secondly, I'm also extremely grateful for His goodness. God has blessed me with such an amazing man. Taylor is everything I ever thought I wanted and everything I didn't even know I wanted or needed. As cliche as it may sound, he really is my other half. Some specifics I'm grateful for about Taylor:

• He balances me so well, and he keeps me calm and focused on where I need to
• He makes me want to be more godly, and he pushes me to be better and work harder in every part of my life
• He studies hard and pursues God in every aspect of his life
• He is constantly defending his faith in the face of unbelievers and those who seek to make him second-guess himself or make fun of his faith
• When he has questions about his faith or a subject he's studying, he doesn't just ignore it. He studies and asks and finds answers. He doesn't just blindly take everything at face-value
• He has SO much to teach me
•  He works hard at everything he puts his mind to; he works to be the best that he can be
• He sets goals, and he does what it takes to attain them
• He plans ahead, and he will do anything it takes to provide for us and take care of us
• He's trustworthy
• He's faithful
• He's loyal
• He's caring
• He's long-suffering (Patient, yes, but this says even more than that. I pray God always grants him more patience; I also pray that I will test it less with every passing day)
• He sees things in me that I don't, and he believes that I can be the woman God wants me to be
• He corrects me and helps me see ways in which I can improve
• He's kind
• He's easy to please ( in most cases =] )
• He's someone I can serve and spoil and just love on, always!
• He's gracious
• He really, truly, actually wants to spend the rest of his life with me...seriously???

Put simply, I'm completely and totally in love with him, and I can't wait to be his wife in 4 days =]

Another thing I'm grateful for is my family. They may be dysfunctional, they may drive me bonkers sometimes, but they're mine, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I am so blessed and loved by them, and they've truly helped me to be the person I am today. Without them, none of this would be possible. They taught me what to look for in a man, they taught me to work hard, they taught me how to serve, and they taught mainly by example. They've always been there to pick me up when I fall, and now they're right with me as I enter this next phase of life. They've all accepted Taylor into their families, they support us 100%, and they would always be there for us if we need anything. They're all wonderful, and there's going to be lots of tears on Sunday =/ Waterproof makeup, anyone?! I'm getting teary now just thinking about it. To think I'm really leaving and going out on my own. True, I'll have Taylor, but I'm just all grown up now. Going home will never be the same. Taylor and I are our own family now. I'll have my own place to call home, and it's never going to be Mom or Dad's house again. Don't get me wrong; amidst the tiny element of sadness, I'm still really excited =]

One final thing that I'm especially grateful for is our friends. We have so many people pitching in on this wedding and doing things to help out. And those that aren't actually involved are constantly asking if there's anything that they can do. There's so many people that are supporting us, encouraging us, and praying for us. I could never find adequate words to thank you all. Our church body has been especially wonderful. I'm going to miss my GBC family in a few months; I love you all!

As a final note, tomorrow is officially my last night to babysit for the Thursday Night Crew, and I'm super bummed! I'm going to miss all of those sweet kiddos, their parents, and all of the other great friends in this group. Thank you all for being so sweet to me this year and for allowing me to spend a few hours with your precious kids each week! I am truly grateful for you all.