The Beginning of Forever

For those of you who have been absent from social media for the past few days...

AL AND I GOT ENGAGED!!!

We were well-aware that this news would not come as a surprise to anyone, but we didn't realize how many people were anxiously awaiting our engagement and were thrilled to share in our excitement with us! I knew once we got engaged, I was going to start blogging again simply to document this special time in our lives. I want us to look back in 20+ years and still be able to relive these moments as if they just happened yesterday. I hope those of you reading this will enjoy following along on our journey to becoming husband and wife; we can't wait to share it with you!

To start, our proposal story:

On Saturday the 15th, Al told me that he was really craving Olive Garden salad (this is a frequent occurrence in our lives) and asked if I wanted to go on Sunday after church. I obviously said yes because who turns down the OG? So we made those plans, and Sunday was shaping up to be a normal day for the two of us. 

That morning neither of us got up for church (oops), but we still wanted to go to Olive Garden. So Al got in my car and started driving, and instead of turning left onto 17 to head towards North Myrtle, he turned right. I asked him where we were going, and he told me I had to get gas. That was the truth, so I didn't think much of it. He pumped my gas, got back in my car, and asked me if we could go to the park first because he hadn't seen it since the hurricane... 

[Side Note: Sunset Beach Park has become a special place to us because it's where we go to Eno and talk about life. It's also my favorite place in all of Brunswick County because it is so beautiful. We spend a lot of time there, so him wanting to see it after the hurricane was not weird.]

...so I responded in typical, Morgan fashion, "I mean I am kind of hungry, but I guess so." So we drove to the park and were walking around looking at all the debris that had mostly been cleaned up. We were talking about the tree that fell on me (never gonna live that one down) and were picking out trees that would've been better to Eno on. We made our way down to the water and were just talking about nonsense, and then Al grabbed both my hands and turned me to face him. This is when I knew what was happening. The only thing I remember him saying was, "Babe..." and then I'm pretty sure I blacked out. At some point I asked him to hold my phone because I didn't want to be holding it in my hand, and then he continued with what he had prepared to say, and before I knew it, he was down on one knee asking me to marry him!!!

I said yes, and he put the most beautiful ring ever on my finger, and as soon as we started hugging, I heard cheers and whistles coming out of the woods. I looked up and his family, my family, and my best friend were all running down the hill to us! They were all so excited, and I was equally excited and in disbelief. My sister's boyfriend Khyne had been taking pictures the whole time and took some more of us with our families - pictures I will truly cherish forever.

We stayed and talked at the park for a bit, and then Al said that we were going to go to Olive Garden if anyone wanted to join us. Of course everyone wanted to join us, and we were thrilled to have them with us to celebrate. We drove down to the restaurant, and as soon as I walked in all my friends from home and Wilmington were standing in the doorway waiting to hug me! I was so surprised and honored that they wanted to drive down to celebrate that day with us. It meant the world to me and made me realize even more how much God has blessed me with wonderful family and friends.

Al put so much thought and preparation into that day for me, and it was everything I had been dreaming of for so many years. On October 16, 2016, I made the easiest decision I've ever made by saying yes to becoming his wife. I am still in shock, and I don't think it has sunk in for either of us yet, but we are so excited for what this journey holds for us. I can't wait to share more of it with you as the wedding plans start to unfold. In the meantime, be praying with us and for us that God will continue to prepare our hearts to be the spouses He created us to be. We are trusting in His plans for our lives together and following where He leads!

Photo credit for most pictures: Khyne Daniels at kdanielsphotography

What Are You Going to Do After Graduation?

This is a question that has been asked of me since my first semester of college. Why anyone would expect me to know what I'm doing after graduation when I just graduated high school is beyond me. However, the longer I have been a college student, the more frequently those eight words have been a topic of conversation. If you ask me, that is a HUGE question to answer. As a twenty-year old Junior, I have spent the majority of my college career thinking about after-graduation plans. Will I go to grad school? Will I get a job? Will I even make it to graduation at all?... (I kid, I kid). I have been constantly racking my brain to come up with the right answer to this daunting question. And when you're a COM major, the question is more like, "What can you even do with a degree in Communication Studies?" [Answer: Absolutely anything. Is that encouraging or overwhelming? I lean more toward the latter]. With all these questions about my future literally hanging over my head, the future can become less like a dream and more like a never-ending nightmare.

Recently, I was really thinking about the future and the path that my life is on, and, in one moment of clarity, I found the answer I had been looking for. All this time I was trying to come up with the answer that would be most pleasing to the ears of the asker. I didn't want anyone who was asking me about my future plans to hear the words "I have no clue" come out of my mouth. I didn't want to seem unprepared or unconcerned. I have always been the diligent worker and the careful planner (at least until college anyway), and I did not want to portray myself as anything less than what people knew to be true about me. What I didn't realize I was doing was that I was creating a version of myself that was not me at all. I was stuck between the fears of not knowing and not pleasing everyone. BUT, in my epiphanic moment, I broke free of those fears. And here is how:

I do not decide my future.

I have never been the one deciding my future.

I did not get where I am today out of my own merit and hard work.

I am not my own and will never be my own.

Those four statements hit me like a ton of bricks in a single moment. I have been so busy trying to decide what I am going to do with my life and my future that I have forgotten that it isn't my future to decide. Jeremiah chapter 10 says, "I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; It is not for man to direct his steps." And Galatians chapter 2 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." My future is not my future at all; It is God's future. My life is not my life at all; It is God's life. God, in all His power, wonder, and majesty, created me with a unique purpose for my life. And He alone knows the plans that He has for me in order for that purpose to prevail. His plans are great, and I want nothing more and nothing less than the plans God has for me. After realizing this, I finally had a solid and confident answer to the ever-looming question of "What are you doing to do after graduation?" Before I share my answer with you, I want to share with you a few verses of encouragement (and a little of my insight into them).

Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." How awesome and humbling that God set me and you apart before we were even born!

Proverbs 16:3 - "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

I read: "Commit your [essays, math homework, group projects, final exams, free time, study habits, relationships, friendships, mind, heart, soul, life] to the Lord, and your plans will be established." What if we all went into our work with that mindset? Our productivity would be astounding.

Proverbs 16:9 - "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

I don't know about you, but that is so freeing to me. I can plan, plan, plan all day long, but the Lord still determines my steps. His sovereignty is so great.

James 4:14-15 - "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

We are but a MIST! Here today and gone tomorrow. How much more should that make us want to fulfill the purpose God has for us in the little time we have here? The Lord's will be done.

Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

This is probably the most well-known verse about the Lord's plans for our lives, but how encouraging and comforting it is to know that the Lord's plans are to give me hope and a future.

Proverbs 19:21 - "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Again, we make so many plans in our hearts and minds that we stress and worry over, but the Lord's purpose for our lives will always prevail when we are seeking Him.

Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

First of all, God's masterpiece?! If all I am known as for the rest of my life is God's masterpiece, then I will be the most content person on the planet. Secondly, God has prepared our work for us in advance. Why not trust in the work He calls us to do?

Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men... It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

This really hit home for me. I don't serve men. I serve Jesus Christ, and that should always be the heart behind my work.

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

God is working all things together for my good. Constantly trusting in that.

Deuteronomy 14:2 - "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured people."
That last sentence brings me the most joy. The Lord has chosen US to be His treasured people. Why wouldn't we trust Him with our futures?

I know that is a lot of verses to take in, but if you really think about what the premise is behind all of them, you will find that they are all alluding to the same thing. God, our Father, the Creator of the universe, set us apart and made us His chosen ones before we were even born. He, in all His sovereignty, has a specific plan and purpose for each of our lives, and He will direct our steps along the way. If we trust in that plan, we will not fail because the victory has already been won for those who trust in the Lord.

So, when someone asks me the question, "What are you going to do after graduation?" my answer will be very simple: I am going to do whatever the Lord calls me to do. While I may not know exactly what that is yet, I can fully trust that He knows what it is and will bring me to it in His time and in His way. We think we have to have it all together all the time because of the way our society and culture has been set up. We think we have to graduate high school, go to college, get a good paying job, get married, have a family, work until we're 65, retire somewhere nice and tropical, and eventually die. But I am here to tell you, the Lord will direct your steps. His plan for you may not be to go to college. Or His plan may be for you to go to college but not necessarily find the best paying job. He might be planning for you to get married and have kids, or He might not be. However, I can assure you that whatever God has planned for you will be far greater than anything you could have planned for yourself. This is a lesson I have learned over the course of this year, and it is something that I am holding fast to in the coming years of transition in my life.

My future and my life are in the hands of the One who is working all things together for my good, so I have nothing to fear. The unknown can be a scary place, but nothing is unknown to God. And having confidence in God's abilities to make my life something beautiful for Him makes the future a not-so-scary place. My constant prayer is, "Your will be done, Lord." I am so thankful for God's sovereignty and grace. Truly, His will be done in my life because my life has never been my own. All I am for Your glory, Jesus.

The Real B. Davis and P. Sawyer

As many of you saw, my beautiful cousin asked me to stand by her side on the most important day of her life, and to say I am thrilled about it is an understatement. What many people don't know is the relationship that Brandi and I share. So I thought that I would let you all in on one of my most favorite relationships in my life, and what better place to start than the beginning...

Pictured above is me, at the ripe ole' age of almost two months, and that child with those gorgeous locks petting me would be Brandi Suzan Martin. As you can tell, we go waaaay back. Brandi, or my non-cousin as I so affectionately refer to her as, is technically my cousin by marriage. My dad's sister, Aunt Tonya, is married to Uncle Slade, who is Brandi's mom's brother. So while there is none of the same blood running through our veins, Brandi and I are about as close to cousins as non-cousins can get. We have spent a majority of our summers together in Columbia at Tee and Unc's house, attended many of our two shared cousins' birthday parties, and watched each other grow into the people we are today. Luckily, as the years have flown by, Brandi and I have become much more than non-cousins. I am so blessed to call Brandi Martin one of my very best friends. And, while more often than not there is quite a bit of distance between us (she lives in TN, I live in NC), she is someone I know I can always count on, and that is the true marker of a wonderful friend. 

Not only do we share a middle name, but we also share a deep love for One Tree Hill (matched by no other fans in the history of the show), a sassy/sweet attitude about life, and a desire for others to know more about Jesus. While I wouldn't say B and I have a lot in common, I will say that we never run out of things to talk about. Growing up, our conversations were centered around the boys we liked at the time (you know exactly who I'm referring to, B) and the struggles of two teenage girls. Now, while our conversations are still very similar (her talking about Chris, me talking about Al, us talking about the struggles of young adulthood), they are few and far between, which makes me cherish them even more. There are times we go months without talking, but we always seem to pick up right where we left off, and I think that says a lot about the bond Brandi and I share.

One of my favorite memories with Brandi is a fairly recent one. The morning this memory occurred, I had just driven home from Charlotte and went straight to the movies to see The Longest Ride with my sister and my roommate. Now, I'm a sucker for a Nicholas Sparks movie, or any movie that has a love story, so I knew what I was in for when I bought my ticket for this one. However, my emotions were extra strong that day, so I walked out of the movie theatre afterwards with tears still streaming down my face. I couldn't shake the feeling I had after watching that movie, but now I know why. My roommate, sister, and I had just gotten in the car, hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot yet, when Kayla and I got a text from Brandi with a picture of her ENGAGEMENT RING!!! The excitement and emotions were unreal! We both feverishly texted back and asked for details, and that's when she called us. Thinking about that conversation still gets me teary-eyed to this day. Brandi walked us through the sweetest engagement story ever, and, by the end, Kayla and I couldn't even talk because we both we crying so hard. It's such a sweet moment when someone you have grown up with and loved for your whole life calls you and tells you she's going to be a wife! Words can't describe a moment like that. However, Kayla and I were ecstatic for her, and we couldn't wait for June to come so we could see her smiling face on her annual family beach trip, which is where, unbeknownst to us, she asked us both to be her bridesmaids (aka my all-time favorite memory with her).

The future Mrs. Brandi Carter is truly one-of-a-kind. She is smart, loving, and an awesome toenail painter (had to throw that one in there). She is also kind, compassionate, and selfless, which will make her an excellent wife and someday mother. I am so excited to witness this next huge step in her life and am so honored that I was asked to be a part of it. 

Brandi, you will never know the impact you have made on my life. From giving me advice about boys that weren't worth my tears to sending me a prayer journal when I asked Jesus into my heart, you have always been the most thoughtful person I know, and I couldn't ask for a sweeter non-cousin than you. I can't tell you how excited I am for you and Chris as you begin this journey of marriage together. I have been praying over this season of engagement that you're in and will continue to pray over your marriage as you two begin your lives together. Know that I am always here supporting you both and that I am always just a phone call away. You are more like a best friend to me than you are a cousin, but even more than that, you are more like a sister to me than you are a best friend. I am so thankful for the relationship we have always shared! Thank you for everything you do for me, even from a distance! I am SO PUMPED for September 26! I cannot wait to be in Tennessee celebrating your wedding weekend with you! I love you more than you'll ever know, you beautiful bride-to-be!!

Sophomore Year... CHECK!

And just like that, sophomore year has come to a close! I am still in disbelief that I'm a junior in college! This year has taught me so much about myself, my life, and my Jesus, and I am so thankful for every lesson learned. I am stoked to see what God has planned for me in my last two years of college (WHAT)! 

As a short and sweet way to reminisce, here is a photo timeline of my sophomore year:

August:
Celebrated Lauren's 18th birthday and visited with my sissy!

September:
Chopped my hair off, went to hockey games with my friends, and found out I was having a niece!

                              

October:
Did the Overflow Scavenger Hunt with my small group, celebrated my nana's 75 birthday, went to the Apologetics Conference, helped with my best friend's baby shower, and met Little Miss Kohen Lea!

November: 

Threw my sister's baby shower with my sister and mom, celebrated my sister's 21st birthday, had a photo shoot with sweet friends, and welcomed my beautiful goddaughter, Sophia Lorraine, into the world!

            

December: 

Had a fun, Christmas photo shoot with Al, finished first semester of sophomore year, and celebrated Christmas with my family and Al's family!

January: 

Celebrated my sweet friend, Abbey's birthday, continued to watch my Sophia grow, attended my lifelong best friend's first bridal shower, and welcomed my sweet niece, Lorelei MaGee, into the world!

February:
Celebrated my dear friend, Cassie's, 21st birthday, loved on Al for Valentine's Day, got to really spend time with Al's baby cousin, Lucas Avery, for the first time, attended my lifelong friend's 2nd bridal shower, and went bridesmaids dress shopping with my Alex!

         

March:
Had spring break vacation in Charleston with Al and got to visit with my Lilly, celebrated my little bug's 4 months of life, celebrated my 20 years of life, and got to love on Lucas some more!

    

April: 

Celebrated Easter with Al, celebrated one of my favorite people, Shayla's, 21st birthday, celebrated my roomie, Brittany Rue's, 21st birthday, and attended my sweet friend, Lilly's, spring dance concert with my college bff!

     

May:

I am currently celebrating being DONE with my sophomore year and am waiting for my grades to come in! I am also excited for all the summer shenanigans that are bound to happen! 

Thank you all for reading and seeing a snapshot of my life this year! I'm thankful to God for it all! May He bless you all this summer season! 

Xoxo, 

Morgan