Friday, February 25, 2011

Aycock Wedding | Stephen & Amanda

This blog post is long-delayed, partially and mostly because I can't even begin to share how special this bride is to me.

Amanda & I went to highschool together.. laughed together.. shared life together.. travelled together.. laughed together.. played basketball together (well, she played. I tried).. laughed together.. got in trouble together.. studied together.. annnnd laughed together. Amanda has the most contagious laugh of anyone you'll ever meet. There were countless times we would get in trouble because we were sitting at the back of class giggling about NOTHING. We would start laughing, and by the time we were in tears from laughing, we would totally forget what we were laughing at in the first place.

It is such a gift to be able to laugh at yourself. Life is too serious without that rare and valuable quality. It makes life fast because you're not dwelling on the heaviness of life (hey.. it's there.. you can't ignore it), but at the same time, when you look back, you remember the times you smiled and even laughed through life's inevitable hardship. Amanda taught me this, and that wisdom is precious to me. Ahhh, before I start crying from writing this post, I will share a quote from Garden State (if you haven't seen it, you must) and share a few RIDICULOUS pictures from mine and Amanda's high school friendship, and then finally.. some frames from the day she married her best friend: the one she'll grow old with, the man she dreamed about in high school. I'm still dreaming of mine. :)

"If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like...what do you do? You laugh. I'm not saying I don't cry but in between I laugh, and I realize how silly it is to take anything too seriously. Plus, I look forward to a good cry. It feels pretty good." -Sam (Garden State)

This is absolutely bold of me to post these. 1. She might murder me. 2. Let's face it. I had an awkward stage from elementary to past my high school graduation. Lucky me.

At the Lackey cabin:
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Pretending to be cool in Italy..
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I don't even know..
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We vowed to never grow up.
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Highschool retreat (yes.. i had flaming red hair):
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Senior trip:
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Then, she met her man..
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I can hear her laugh looking at this. ha
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Another dress shot. Sometimes, one isn't enough.
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Stephen is a basketball coach in Plainview, and on wedding day, the soccer ball was all that was on hand in the church. I think it was sufficient for the afternoon. :)
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A's mom is the sweetest woman on the planet.. I mean it.. she really is.
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Another ring shot. Sometimes, one isn't enough. ;) Check out Amanda's Steve Madden gold glitter heels! She is a woman of many shoes.
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The guys asked to do the "Tombstone walk". It was absolutely necessary. haha
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Who's excited!?!?
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This was a pretty memorable speech. ;)
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Oh. & one more for the road.. hahah.

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Stephen & Amanda, thank you so much for everything! I am so excited for you guys to continue sharing life together as husband and wife. :) May God bless your family with joy beyond comprehension (I know He will), and I'm so excited to hear about it. Your strength together is so beautiful. I pray it only grows as you allow Jesus to strengthen you individually. Manda, you're my hero. Don't forget it. -Bets

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