A friendship that changed my life

Well to start off, I wanted to talk to y'all about a girl I met in college. I will be the first to say I was terrified going off to college. I have always been such a homebody and loved spending time with my family. Starting my freshman year at East Carolina, I immediately connected with Devin’s group of friends. They were so loving and welcoming. I just knew I had made all the friends I needed to make. After a while, I kept getting the feeling that I was missing out on things on campus because I was always off campus hanging out with Devin and his crew. Well, being the typical freshman I was, I decided I was going to sign up and join EVERYTHING. I was blessed enough with the experience of being on the ECU Club Dance team for two years. These girls will forever have such a special place in my heart. Anywhooo…I remember talking to Devin one day and telling him I felt so lost because I just had not found my “best friend” that everyone talks about finding when they go off to school. Of course I had Kandice from day one of college and she is still to this day like a sister to me, but she had her little “click of friends”. I had a lot of really close friends, but not that ONE best friend.

 

I remember one night, a couple of girls from the dorm decided to go out to dinner. I decided I would invite these two girls that lived diagonal from Kandice and I that I hadn’t really gotten a chance to know to come. They all came and we had a wonderful time! After that night, I kept running into one of the girls that lived diagonal from me that had come to dinner. We still didn’t really know each other that well, so it was still that awkward “hey how ya doing” passing in the dorm shower room and in the hall ways kind of friend ship.

Well…Everyone….Meet Jessica Pate.

There was the one day I was feeling really down about who knows what now, and I asked Jessica if she wanted to ride with me over to see Devin and his friends. On the way over there, I completely broke down to her and told her how I didn’t feel like I had found my place in college yet and then she broke down and said she felt the same way! Hahaha Who knew God would use two young emotional females to start up the beginning of a new and wonderful friendship.

 

Since this day, the two of us have been inseparable. If we aren’t together, people ask where the other one is. We are usually up to no good and always looking for something to get into! Whether it be stealing a dorm mate’s mattress, tying our neighbor’s door together so neither one could get out, having a dance party to ourselves, stealing walnuts from Devin’s neighbor’s house (sorryJ), making our other roommate fake an arrest and ask Devin if he claimed her (yes we had an officer help us with this), and many other things I should probably not share with the world hahaha. There is never a dull moment.  We decided we were going to live together in an apartment after our freshman year. We have now been roommates for 3 years! I can hardly believe that much time has passed!

Since we’ve been friends, we have seen each other experience heart breaks, tragedies, celebrations, engagements, etc. What I have learned from our friendship is that a good friend doesn’t always have to say the right thing…they just need to be there. I personally have had a rollercoaster of emotion over the past couple of years and she is one of the people who I remember always being a constant friend.

While being at East Carolina, I did join a church in Greenville. In the beginning of mine and Jessica’s friendship, God was never the center of our life. We were mainly concerned with what we were going to do Thursday-Saturday night. Throughout our time going to church together and learning more about the gospel, God is now the center of both of our lives and usually end up in deep discussions about God and the great works he has done in our life and how we can better serve him. It is such a blessing to have a friend who shares the same love for Christ as I do.

Our friendship is one that indescribable. Our jokes, not many people would understand…Our talks are usually strange and you wouldn’t follow…We can sit across the room from each other and one of us starts laughing and we already know what the other is giggling at.

There are many friends that will come and go throughout life…I am aware of this for it has already happened. But it is friendships like this that are for life. Jessica is one of my bridesmaids and I can’t even imagine my wedding day without her. She not only has a special place in my life but also in Devin’s life. He looks at her as his little sister. Devin has been a wonderful aid in helping Jessica find peace in a lot of aspects in her life. We always say that Jessica is going to have to live right next door to us one day because he doesn’t know what me and her are going to do without each other hahaha (and because I’ll have to do her hair/make up every morning before she goes to work).

I am forever grateful God puts such special people in my life. I have prayed hard for a Godly group of friends and he has surely provided as he said he would.

HONEYMOONING, CUPCAKES, PHOTOGRAPHER, and MORE

This Christmas break, I did some major wedding planning! Since I will be finishing up my LAST semester of nursing school in Greenville this spring, I figured I better complete a lot of items off my to-do list.

 

I finally met and booked my photographer! Her name is Amber Parker (soon to be Rhodes). Her business name is Chasing Moments Photography. Just over the past few months, I have seen her business grow tremendously! I am excited to see where God takes her career. She recently did one of my best friends, Maggie Hickman’s wedding. I have only seen a few pictures from the wedding so far, and let me tell y'all...they are beautiful. I am so blessed to have her as my photographer!

Okay, okay...here is the big and exciting news…Devin and I have officially booked our honeymoon!! We will spend our first week as Mr. and Mrs. Devin Sellers in JAMACIA!!! I told Devin to narrow down the search to about 5 places and I’d pick from those. He worked so hard to make sure he found the perfect place for us to honeymoon.

 

So…I got my to-do list from the knot.com and it told me to start researching bakeries and to do cake tastings! Devin and I had no problem starting this task. We started researching local bakeries and the price for cake is jaw dropping. After Devin started seeing the prices, he was determined he was just going to bake the cupcakes himself because he has 2 cupcake pans and he could do it in no time…come on babe…this is NOT happening. So we continued our search and came across this lady out of Leland. Her company is call Cooper and Chloe Cupcakes. We emailed her and asked if we could do a cake tasting. She prepared us a ½ dozen cupcakes to try. Let me just say…they were FABULOUS! She is super talented and very nice, and I am so excited to have found her.

 

My sister and I got to go to a Bridal Expo together as BRIDES! It was so fun walking around together viewing all of the local vendors! Once vendors found out that we were sisters, they would immediately turned to our mom and say "Oh my gosh, how are you handling all of this?" hehe. My sister and I are very close, so planning for our weddings together has been such a great experience. 

 

 

 

These are just a few of the details we got set in stone while I was home for Christmas break. I am now back in Greenville to finish up my last semester in college. Time has really flown. I feel like just yesterday I was moving in the dorm for my freshman year. I am really allowing my faith to guide me in life right now. I will soon be applying for jobs as a nurse! As soon as I figure out where I’ll be working, then we will begin house hunting! I have a couple of job openings I have my eye on. I will continue to pray for guidance and have constant faith knowing that God will lead me to where I can serve him.

 

 

my 2013

This past year instead of trying to stick to a new year’s resolution, I saw someone post on facebook about choosing a word and seeing how that one word can change your life. I chose the word Strength for the year 2013. It is so incredible to see how this word has worked in my life for the past year. It has been one of the best years but also one of the most difficult years I have ever experienced.  In 2013, I experienced a roller coaster of emotions that only Strength from God could help me through.

I completed 2 semesters of nursing school (ONLY ONE MORE TO GO!). This has been one of the most wonderful, yet draining things I have ever done. I have worked with patients that have made me want to pull my hair out, some who changed my life, and some whom I will never forget. I pray each day when I go into clinical that I learn something new and can help better a person during my time with them whether it be physically or emotionally.

 

 

I also saw Devin graduate from ECU. Since I have been at ECU, Devin has also been there. He has been my comforter and a constant friend to me. Since he graduated and moved back home, I had to learn to live without him being there every day. We have already done the long distance relationship thing when he first went off to college after high school so having to do it again has been challenging. I know God is strengthening us and bettering ourselves during our time apart.

 

One of the things that knocked me and a lot of our friends to our knees… I lost one of the most important men in my life on May 15^th, 2013. Mr. Donald. This is a curve ball that we were thrown this year. Losing him was not in our year plan at all. This just goes to show it’s not our plan. It’s God’s plan. His plan is so much more than what we can envision. Though we do not know why he was taken from us so suddenly, we just know to have constant faith in God and know that He is our healer and will provide us all strength to get through this difficult time.

As you all may know….I got engaged to my best friend on June 8^th, 2013! It was the most wonderful and perfect day thus far in my life! He truly made me feel like a princess. We have done a lot of wedding planning over the past couple of months, but I honestly can’t wait until October 4, 2014 so I can call that handsome man my husband!

 

I pulled my first summer working at Sunset Slush of Holden Beach! This is the store Devin, Drew, Mrs. Susie, and Mr. Donald had opened a couple of years back! The atmosphere of the store is so welcoming and happy. Tourist turn into family friends after they return year after year. I had worked in a local restaurant for the past couple of years, but with the stress and grieving our family was going through, I could not emotionally handle the restaurant industry. It was so hard to leave a work family I had been with since I was 16 years old, but I felt my time there was up. Being surrounded by the Sellers family while working was very comforting. Sunday nights were family nights. Devin, Drew, Meghan, Mrs. Susie, and I all worked together. We did a lot of laughing, dancing, crying, fussing…but that’s what families do. We stuck together this summer through the good days and the bad days.  

 

Now this is something I am so excited about…My sister is engaged and I had the priviledge of seeing Drew propose to her! What a special moment that was! She found her soul mate and they are going to tie the knot!

On December 28^th, 2013…I saw my two dearest friends get married! Maggie and Sam Hickman are now MARRIED! Devin and I got to be the witness on the marriage licenses hahah! What a blessing it has been to watch the two of them fall in love and become one. They have such a pure marriage and I cant wait to see what God has in store for them.

These are just some of the events of my year 2013. God provided me with the strength to face each challenge. I have learned to trust in him and use him as my strength rather than relying on myself to do it all. I pray that you all will read this and be encouraged to choose a word that will help push and challenge you through this next year!

MY FIRST WEDDING SHOWER!

This past Saturday, my best friend Maggie had her last wedding shower which was her Christmas shower brunch! Maggie and Sam will be getting married in less than 3 weeks and I know that is an excited couple! I have enjoyed watching her and Sam grow and form into such a beautiful, Christ loving relationship with one another.
 

Devin and I also were given our first wedding shower this Saturday!

 

Christmas season passes through our engagement time, so this was a perfect theme for our first shower! My Aunt Lisa and Aunt Sami were gracious enough to put together this shower for us. At the shower, we had aunts, cousins, grandmas, friends, some of my bridesmaids, and my 2 main men Devin and Little David all there to celebrate.

 
 

Christmas time has ALWAYS been a favorite time of year for Devin and I. It is a time where there is no stress from school, time to enjoy family and friends, and a chance for us to create traditions with each other. We were given some of the most beautiful gifts at the shower. Lots of ornaments, stockings, decoration, etc. Now we just get to organize it, pack it up, and have it ready for next year to put up in our FIRST HOME TOGETHER!

(My "Sweets tree" from my fabulous Bridesmaids)

(Cowboy stockings)

This is an ornament that has a photo of Devin's dad in it. I cherish this so much for many different reasons. This picture was taken on our last Sellers family vacation to the mountains. This in my opinion was the best vacation we had ever taken together. We sat around, did much of nothing, and just enjoyed the time we were allowed to spend together. We all miss our dear Papa Bear more than words can describe. Every year we hang this ornament, I'm sure we will reminisce on this trip and remember the wonder father that he was.  

Sellers tree!

Ok, ok...I have big news…

Drew, my sister’s boyfriend (now fiancé), told me in October that he wanted to propose to my sister! This added so much joy to my heart! When my sister loves someone, she gives them her entire heart. She has had her heart broken a couple of times which always crushed me too. To see her hurt, makes me hurt. I believe that my sister deserves the best and I wasn’t going to let her settle for anything less than that. Anyhoo, I met Drew in March of 2011. I instantly knew there was something different about the way he looked at my sister. It was like he had the entire world at his fingertips every time he was near her. He shows patience (with us Enzor girls…you have to have that), love, and kindness to her.

My sister has been nothing but good to me during my engagement! She has helped keep me on my to-do list, collecting some of my stuff she knows I’d probably loose on my own, and I know she’ll keep me sane when wedding time is in full blast. Now I get to do the same for her! I have gotten the chance to learn from her, so now I get to return the favor! I am beyond excited to part planning, dress shopping for her, going to bridal conventions together, and creating yet another pinterest board! I am so blessed to know that my sister has found the one for her. I wish y’all a happy engagement and let the planning begin!

i want a crucifixion type love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E9doP6EtHk

take 3 minutes and watch this video..

 

 

Tonight I got to witness one of the most beautiful things I have seen in a while.

Before Devin moved back home from Greenville after graduating, he and I attended a life group together through our church. It was honestly the best thing we ever did as a couple. We had never really gotten into studying the bible together until we started attending the small group. This was the beginning of a new relationship for us. We would have conversations that had great depth and meaning to them. We learned so much about how to have a Christ centered relationship through a sermon series our preacher did and us just studying and working through the material together.

After Devin graduated, he moved back to our hometown. There are many wonderful churches in our community but not too much to do as a young adult. Since the life group back in Greenville made such an impact on our life, Devin decided he wanted to try and start a small group back home. He started the Bible study off in Romans. They take a chapter each week and work through it verse by verse. Because I am finishing up my last year in school at East Carolina, I haven’t been able to attend the past couple of groups. Thanksgiving break is this week so I am home for the holidays and I got to attend one of the Bible studies tonight! I was very excited to be able to attend because Devin would always call me after the past couple of ones they had and would just go on and on about how great they were going! Devin has always claimed he was a terrible public speaker but he has proven himself wrong. He led the group so well! He read out loud part of the chapter and if any of y’all know Devin, he does not volunteer to read. To hear him read scripture makes my heart swell. Looking back on the life we use to live and to look at it now…I am just so humbled by the grace God has given us. I see him working on our hearts constantly. I am so blessed to be marrying a man who strives to serve God in everything he does. Devin’s faith is inspiring and I am so excited to be marrying a man who loves Jesus as much as I do.

If you are interested in attending the bible study, I highly suggest you go! Don’t let a busy life keep you from having fellowship and worship time with fellow believers. I promise you’ll get a lot out of it.

to my other half, kandi fox!

 

Kandice Fox…where do I begin. When I decided to attend East Carolina University, I had to make the choice of whether or not to live in a dorm or in an apartment. Everyone said that it was the best experience to live on campus your freshman year, so that is what I did. I decided to do the random roommate selection. I was nervous, but so excited to see who I was going to be paired with!

Right before my family and I were about to go on my senior trip to Busch Gardens, I got the email with my roommate and dorm information. It said I was going to be living in 117 Garrett Hall with Kandice Fox. I immediately looked her up on face book and her name popped up as “Kandi Fox.” All summer when I would talk about my future roommate, I would call her Kandi. She and I discussed what colors we were going to be using and shared some vague information with each other but didn’t really get to know each other on a personal level.

 

August rolls around and it’s time for MOVE IN DAY! Kandice arrived first, so when we walked in the room, we all introduced ourselves. As we began haul everything in the room, my mom kept saying, “Now Kandi..” and would start a conversation like that. I overheard her sister call her by “Kandice” so I kept trying to secretly tell my mom to call her Kandice not Kandi...but she did not get the hint.  (This has been an ongoing joke since then.)

 

It did not take long for Kandice and I to gain a close relationship. Not only did we share a tiny room, we also shared the same major in school. All of our classes were the same so we got to spend a lot of time together. One of the first nights we were in Greenville, we decided to go downtown. All the girls in Garrett Dorm started to get ready and we are about to leave and I see Kandice is still wearing basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. I asked her why she wasn’t going, and she told me she was and that she was ready to go. Well, let’s just say I did an intervention with her and dolled her up a bit. When we got downtown, I learn that Kandice is only 17. This is a slight problem because you have to be 18 to get into the clubs. As we walked nervously up to the doorman, she just pulls out her student onecard to use as her ID. We were all terrified he was going to tell her no for not being of age, but no. He told her no because she was showing “too much skin.” She had put on a belly shirt instead of her tshirt and those types of shirts are not allowed in the clubs.  Guess you could say I intervened too much.

 

Anywho, as the year went on, Kandice and I became best friends. Everything that we did that year, we did together. We learned early on that we were kind of the same person. We both love everyone we encounter with all of our heart, which in turn means that our feelings are easily hurt. We both like to hold in our emotions until we just can’t take it anymore. We have this weird connection where we can tell if something is on the others mind or if we just want to cry. Put on a sad movie and we’ll both be in tears, but put on a scary movie and we’ll both scream at the screen like it’s a live person. We are both kind of shy at first, but give us time to warm up to you and you’ll see our true side. We both love to dance and think we’re really gangster, but let’s get real…we’re both “typical white girls” in that department. 

 

I feel like God put Kandice and I together our freshman year for a reason. We have helped each other grow in many different ways throughout our college career. I am so truly grateful that God placed Kandice in my life. She is such a woman of God and I continue to watch her grow in her faith every day. She is the toughest girl I know and such a wonderful role model to me. She has always called me her big sister, but I look up to her so much. It is so hard to believe that we are in our senior year of college. I feel like just yesterday we were sneaking her into the clubs because she wasn’t old enough to get in, and today she turns 21!

 I am so humbled and honored to have gained such a friendship while in school. Kandice is one of my bridesmaids and I am so excited that she will be standing up there with me on my special day. Kandice and Devin have always shared a “brother-sister” kind of relationship which means so much to me. I couldn’t imagine how my life would be right now if it wasn’t for her.

 

Kandice, you have truly made a mark in my life and will forever hold such a special place in my heart. I cherish our friendship more than you’ll ever know. I love you sis.

 

-light skin