I'm getting...MARRIED! :)

That's right...my boyfriend (now fiance) Casey asked me to marry him Saturday night at the Cheesecake Factory in Raleigh. I'm so excited!

I always envisioned myself to be like Jane from Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Bingley proposed to her. "Yes...a thousand times yes!" And the look and his face! Does it get any sweeter than that?

Honestly...it took me a good couple of hours to get used to the fact that Casey and I were no longer dating, or "boyfriend and girlfriend"...or whatever else you want to say. We are engaged, and he's my fiance. That's still a little hard to say, but it's true! I couldn't be more excited!

We are thinking about getting married next February, doing a winter wedding. I always thought I'd get married in May or the summer sometime, never winter. But I think there's something magical about a winter wedding. It's not definite yet though because we still have to talk to his family before we set a definite date.

Here's my current to-do list:

1. Set a date!
2. Decide on a guest count (100, 150, 200 guests?)
3. Make said guest lists
4. Ask my girls to be in my bridal party
5. Decide on flower girl/ring bearer
6. Attend a bridal show this Sunday in Greenville (excited!!)

I'm thinking about doing tiffany blue and grey as my wedding colors. I really like the idea of doing a bird theme, too. I have a lot of planning to do, and I'll be blogging about those plans as they unfold in the next few months! I want to treasure this season of engagement and use it to best prepare for the years ahead of marriage.

Surpassing.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and counted them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ..." -Philippians 3:7-8

I had read or heard this verse perhaps a dozen times or more, but when I was working on my reading through Philippians today, it really hit me. Paul had given up everything, everything, for Christ. He gave up comforts and desires and even his own life...and he counted it all loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

Surpassing.

It surpasses anything this world could ever offer. It surpasses its own version of love. It surpasses money and being well liked, friends and success. To Paul, none of it mattered. Does it matter to me? What value do I place on the way I dress or the digits in my bank account? Do I care too much of what others think of me, even above what Christ thinks of me? Have I really, truly, grasped the concept that He matters so much more? If I lost it all, would Christ be enough? If not, can I really claim Him as my all in all?