Nuptials fit for a Princess...but REALLY.

Well, I caught the Royal Wedding bug.  And I have to say, the day did not disappoint.  I thought Kate looked absolutely FLAWLESS.  At the risk of being redundant, I thought she was the most stunning bride I have ever seen.  I loved the dress, the hair, the veil, everything.  Some of my favorite images from the day.

Kate arrives at Westminster Abbey with her Father

Kate with her sister and MOH, Pippa
I love this sweet moment between them (And BOTH of the dresses!)

Oh, you know...just hanging out with a few close friends.

This picture makes me think of Whitney Calhoun.
She could have been Whitney of Wales, aka WOW.

My favorite moment of the day.

Off they go!
The Prince and Princess on their way to happily ever after :)

Dress - Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen

Hair - down, soft, and flowing

Make-up - Kate did it herself!

Kate's Something List...

Something old: The bridal gown, from Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, featured “traditional Carrickmacross craftsmanship,” a lace technique that dates back to the 1800s.  

Something new: Her parents gifted their daughter with custom-made diamond oak-leaf earrings with a diamond-encrusted acorn set in the middle, a nod to their new family crest.

Something borrowed: Kate’s tiara, on loan from the queen herself, per royal wedding tradition, is a 1936 Cartier “halo.” 

Something blue: We can't see it, but a blue ribbon is sewn into the interior of her dress.    

I am so glad I was up to watch this historical event.  It was said on the Today show that this is just what the world needed right now...I think I agree with them.

Live with Love,

-JD

In Remembrance

Tonight, my heart breaks for my sweet friend, Cari.  She goes to the University of Alabama and had to evacuate the city today.  She is alright and her close friends are all accounted for, but the death toll is rising in Tuscaloosa as clean up continues.  There are 15 students found dead so far.  I cannot imagine.  Here we are in Knoxville, complaining about dented car hoods and broken windows when another SEC school just a few hours away does not even have clean water.  It is a startling realization that life can be over so quickly and so out of our control.  

Although we are football rivals, please pray for Tuscaloosa.  This is going to be a long and difficult process.  Let this be a reminder to all of us not to take life for granted.  I am so thankful that my best friend is ok, and I am hurting for those who cannot say the same.  To all of our friends of the Tide, may God bless you with peace and healing.

Psalm 46: 1-3

God is our refuge and strength, 

   an ever-present help in trouble. 

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 

   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam 

   and the mountains quake with their surging

Live with Love,

-JD

Union and 3rd

Heard this song for the first time today.  Didn't know what I'd been missing.  I'm officially a fan.  Check him out.

Andy Davis - Union and 3rd. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELdBy4HvXJk


Live With Love,
-JD

It is finished.

Good Friday.  The night in which the most perfect sacrifice ever occurred.  When I truly stop to think about it, I am baffled.  Jesus Christ, the perfect and holy Son of God, not only came to the earth to walk among people, but died a horrible, painful death that he did not deserve.  He died for people that would mock him, scorn him, deny him.  He died for sins that had not even been committed by people who had not even been born.  Try and wrap your head around that one.  This day is a reminder to me of God's constant and relentless pursuit of my heart.  At the Tenebrae service at my church tonight, I found myself in a dark sanctuary full of people, but feeling as if it truly were just God and me.  I couldn't help but ask the question - What were you thinking?  Jesus didn't have to do this.  But I realized that he did.  It was once explained to me in this way.  God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful.  Well, doesn't that seem like a double standard.  So let's break it down.  Sin must be punished. Ok, I can understand that.  The punishment for sin is death.  Still following.  There is the just part.  Jesus had no sin, but took on the sins of the world.  He DIED.  He took our punishment.  There is the merciful part.  Whoa - mind is blown.  I cannot even begin to conceive what that kind of love is like.  This is one of those things I'm just going to have to wait and ask the Big Guy about when I see him face to face.


A couple of years ago, this was printed on the front of the bulletin for the Good Friday service.  It was really spoken to me.  I wanted to share it with you.

It was on the Friday that they ended it all.
Of course, they didn't do it one by one.
They weren't brave enough.
All the stones at the one time or no stones thrown at all.

They did it in crowds...
in crowds where you can feel safe
and lose yourself and shout things
you would never shout on your own,
and do things you would never do
if you felt the camera was watching you.

It was a crowd in the church that did it,
and a crowd in the civil service that did it,
and a crowd in the street that did it,
and a crowd on the hill that did it.

And he said nothing,
He took the bruises, the spit on the face,
the whips on the back, the curses in the ears.
He took the sight of his friends turning away, running away.

And he said nothing.

He let them do their worst until their worst was done,
as on Friday they ended it all...
and would have finished themselves had he not cried,
"Father, forgive them..."

And began the revolution.


It is so easy for us to skip from Palm Sunday to the celebration of the Resurrection - but we cannot forget the sacrifice of the Cross.  It is finished.


Live with love,
-JD

New York State of Mind

So, for those of you who don't know, music is a big part of who I am.  In high school, I dreamed of going to Broadway and performing.  I went to college to earn a degree in something slightly more practical - Music Education.  Upon starting my college career, I fell in love with the concept of being a teacher even more than I previously had, and my Broadway aspirations fell to the wayside.  Recently, however, I have had a rekindled love for the stage thanks to the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables at the O2 in London (saw it on TV, not live - but still incredible).  The performance is flawless.  At the end of the show, there is an encore of the song "One Day More" in which the cast of the 25th Anniversary Concert is joined by the original cast of Les Mis from 1985.  It is some of the best musical theatre I have ever seen.



Clearly, it has consumed my thoughts.  I don't know if this is because I love it so much or because I desperately need summer break to arrive...possibly a combination of the two.  But I have to say...I don't hate it.


Live with love,
-JD

Who am I?

I have recently decided that I want a blog.  Inspired by friends and their blogging adventures, I have joined the club.  I don't know that I have anything other people would find worth reading about, but I like to write - and this will be a nice break from the academic papers I am assigned for class.
A little about me...My name is Jenny.  I am a student at the University of Tennessee studying Music Education.  I am the Youth Intern at Church Street UMC in downtown Knoxville.  I am an Alpha Delta Pi. I am the daughter of Spanky and Mama D.  I am the sister of Reed.  I am the girlfriend of Alex.  I am a sinner, saved by grace.  I am a lot of things.  
The interesting thing about being a human is that a multitude of factors influence who we are. A variety of events, both planned and unplanned, shape us into who we become.  I have been excessively blessed by the events in my life and wouldn't change a thing.  I am pretty proud to have lived 20 years without accumulating regret.
As a senior in high school, (I have a feeling I will be referring to this year alot, as I made some very important decisions during this time) I adopted a "life motto" of sorts.  It is a quote by Alexander Woollcott.  It is "There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."  I strive to approach life with this mindset.  I may not always know where I'm going, but I savor the process of getting there.  Life is just as much about the journey as it is the destination.  So here is the beginning of my blogging journey.  


Live with love,
-JD