#areadyheart

So I just got back from seeing Taylor Swift (okay, okay - she's totally my guilty pleasure and I refuse to be ashamed!), and I originally planned on sharing a few photos and videos from the concert, but this "bible study" was laid on my heart like you wouldn't believe, so I decided to share this, instead. (I probably will still post about T. Swift anyway, though. I just can't resist!) 

A couple of days ago, I pinned a photo that had a bunch of verses listed that apply to preparing yourself for marriage, under the title "A Ready Heart." I did the whole "pin now, read later" thing, and forgot about it for a while. Today, while browsing Pinterest, I decided to finally read what it was all about.

A couple of ladies have blogged about it, and I'm more convinced than ever that this is the perfect time to start a new Bible study. (And I'm no good at Bible studies, so we'll see how this goes.)

Side note: I have been reading the book "A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study" and I LOVE it. It definitely hit me with some major conviction, though. I'm one of those people who reads a book that's about God and about the Bible - and I call it a Bible study, but... I don't actually ever crack open a Bible. So when I read in the book that you can't call that a Bible study, and a true study includes picking a passage in the Bible and really studying it, I knew I had this whole Bible study thing all wrong. 

So when I found this specific study, which gives you a direct passage to study throughout the week, I knew this was the perfect way to start out a new way of reading my Bible (not to mention I bought a new Bible and it is so neat). 

There are 12 verses to study, and since there's only 8 weeks until the wedding, I doubled up on passages for all of August. I think that the actual format of this is to do one passage per day, for 12 days. But I'm going to make this a weekly thing, and spend more time on each passage and really study it and commit it to memory.
I'd like to do it for the 12 days leading to the wedding.. but I'm stressed as it is about this wedding, who knows what I'll be like the 2 weeks before! I know I need to make time for reading my Bible, and that's really what it comes down to (trying not to make excuses!), but I thought this would be a better way to ease into the daily Bible reading flow. :)

I'm so excited to share this study with you all, and if you want to join (single, engaged, married!), please do! I'll be sharing weekly on Instagram, so be sure to follow along, and even share your study, too! I'm starting today with Genesis 2:5-25, wish me luck!

xo Haley

Engaged, y'all.

So, I've been engaged for a year now. Literally, nearly a year to the day (the 29th!). We never, ever imagined being engaged this long, let alone by the time the actual wedding rolls around, we'll be engaged for 17 months. But with still being in school (and helicopter parents, we love you!) we thought it would be smartest to get a little further in school before getting hitched.
So anywho - last weekend we finally  had our engagement photos done! Elise is incredible. Beyond incredible. The turnaround time on these photos was like 0.6 seconds! Not to mention, the photos turned out beautifully! Here's a little peek:

Disclaimer: I know Blake looks super into that Mickey ears picture, but he was not. The things he does for me... 

You know, when preparing for engagement pictures, I was all focused on the outfits and locations. But you know what? NO ONE tells you about all the kissing! I'm not a PDA gal AT ALL. And all that kissing, in public... in front of a camera. Whoa, buddy. Not for me. That's why in all of the pictures of us kissing, Blake looks so serious, and I'm giggling. I literally could not stop laughing.

Seriously though, if you EVER need a photographer, Elise is your gal. She is the sweetest, most creative girl. She and I were always texting about ideas, and let me tell you - she has GREAT ideas. I can't even tell you how happy I am with our photos. I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for these for what seems like forever, and they turned out just how I hoped they would! I feel like they capture mine and Blake's (extremely silly) personalities. Elise, you are the greatest. I can't wait for you to shoot the wedding! Also, Elise, you are now recruited as my life photographer. I'll call you when I have babies, for sure. ;) 

Where you can find Elise: 

Facebook | Website | Twitter | Instagram

Love you, Elise (and Ethan too)! Can't wait to do this again in 156 days! <3 

Dress Shopping.

This weekend was the absolute best. One of my besties (and bridesmaids!) roadtripped to Springfield for some good old fashion fall fun. Oh, and some wedding dress shopping. :) 

A few weeks ago, my mom, Blake's mom and I went to a bridal show, and I decided to book an appointment with David's Bridal for the end of September to try on dresses and get a feel for what sort of dress I wanted for my wedding day. I had no real intentions of buying (or even finding a dress), but I went in with an open mind. And I'm SO glad I had an open mind, because I happened to find the dress! It's absolutely perfect, and it's nothing like I had in mind, but the dress of my dreams at the same time. This weekend also marked the one year countdown to the wedding. As of today, we have 362 days to go! It sounds like a lot, but I'm sure it'll be here before we know it. 

*full disclosure... neither of these are the dress I ended up choosing. :)