30 Years

Hey friends,

Thanks for indulging me and all the wedding photos.
I promise to cut back on posting them at least until the professional photography returns. HA!

Tom and I just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on Tuesday.
It's hard to believe we've been married that many years.
I guess it's true what they say "Time flies when you're having fun!"
I'm very grateful the Lord has helped us get here, we could not have gotten to this place without HIS grace, mercy, faithfulness, patience, love and everything else HE is and offers us.

Working in a Christian counseling office I see broken marriages and broken families enter our doors every day and I must admit it makes my heart sad and at the same time it encourages me to rely on the Lord even more for my own marriage.

Let me say that our marriage is not perfect; NO marriage is because we are all sinners.
But we have managed to learn a lot of lessons in these 30 years and the biggest lesson has been this:
By putting God first and nurturing our individual relationships with God as well as our marriage relationship with HIM and each other we experience HIS very presence.
Even in the rough places, the not so nice places, the messy and awful places and the in between a rock and a hard place places.

HE is our rock.
HE is our strength.
HE is our answer.
HE is the ONE who loves unconditionally.
HE is the perfect ONE who loves us perfectly.

Lest you think Tom and I do this perfectly everyday let me remind you of what I said earlier
We are all sinners.
Yes, we fail, sometimes we even fail miserably.
BUT GOD continues to loves us even in the midst of our messiness.
God does not love our sin, BUT GOD loves us with an everlasting, unending, unfailing, perfect, indescribable, love.
So... if you're seeking answers to questions and difficulties in your marrige I want to encourage you that God is ready and available to help you.

What words of advice or encouragement can you offer?

A few more pictures.


Kelsey and Kathy


Isn't our son Joseph a handsome escort?

Bouquet Found

Hey sweetest friends,

Just wanted to update you.
Kelsey's parents found her bouquet and the two treasured items in one of four garbage bags they found in the church dumpster. They searched through the bags in a driving rain storm and God answered our prayers.
Praise God from who ALL blessings flow.
Thank you for your prayers!!!!!!!
Nighty nite

It's Official... They are Married

It's Official....
Here's the happy Couple on their way to the reception

These are a few pictures from my not so great camera.
I'll post more when the real photos arrive in a few weeks.
Thanks for all your prayer. The Lord was truly honored in every moment.
There were a few hiccups but nothing the Lord didn't handle.


I would ask you to pray for us to find Kelsey's bouquet.
It appears the caterers thew it out in their clean up and her bouquet contains two very significant items.

4 Days and Counting

Hey friends,
We are just four days away from the wedding and I wanted to share a few pictures of the lovely church where the wedding will be held.
The building is called Oliver's Carriage House. A church bought the property in the 1970's and they have taken great care to save the history and integrity of this carriage house.

I wish you could see the inside of the building.

They have saved a few horse stalls on the main floor and are using them as office storage.
The sanctuary is on the second floor of the building with wooden floors and ceiling as well as beautiful rock walls.

This picture is from their web-site and they have it set up very much like our wedding will be.
Our reception will be held on the grounds inside beautiful white tents.



I wish each of you could see the cross over the fireplace mantel.
It's made from items found on the grounds when the parking lot was installed.
There are door hinges, horse shoes, bridles, nails, nuts and bolts along with various other metal objects.
Each item has been welded to metal bars and all the items are old and rusted.
I call it the cross with junk. Just like our lives...
We all have junk in our lives and we all need to bring that junk to the cross.
What junk do you need to lay down at the cross?

5 Days and Counting

Greetings to all my new friends in Indiana,

Each of you was such a blessing to me this weekend and I so enjoyed our time together.

As soon as I receive your pictures, I'll post them here. So... send them on to me.

We are now just 5 days away from the wedding. Wow!!

While I was away speaking this weekend. Tom as well as Josh and Kelsey's small group moved all their things into their new apartment. Kelsey spend her first night there Friday night and since Josh has moved all of his things from our house, he's bunking in our guest room.

It was a strange sight to see his empty bedroom in our house last night when I returned home. The only thing left in his room was a Darth Vader Helmet sitting in the middle of the floor.

We've enjoyed having Josh at home with us these last few months, and the Lord really blessed our time with him. I'm so grateful to the Lord for both our sons and we are especially thankful for Josh's godly maturity as he enters marriage.

Thanks for all your prayers, I appreciate them as I now have another cold and my head is stopped up and I can hardly breathe. Won't I be a pretty sight at the wedding?

9 days and counting

Sweetest Friends,

As I pack my bags this morning I just read your precious prayers for me.

Thank you for lifting me up and for caring for me so well.

I am feeling much better today and I know your prayers are a large part of that.

I'm also on an antibiotic for a "raging" infection according to my physician. I had recognized the symptoms a few days ago but had no idea I had a fever or that my infection was "raging".

I've printed your prayers and will carry them with me through tonight's event and this week-end with the great ladies in Indiana.

I ask the Lord to visit you with HIS presence today and to meet your every need.

10 days...the final countdown begins

Ten days and counting... are you kidding me?
I think I've made a hundred lists and they are all over my house, yet nothing is packed.
I honestly don't know how the bride and mother of the bride get it all done.
Wait... I was a bride and somehow my mom and I did get it all done. Whew!
That's relief it can be done!

Okay, so my plate isn't even half as full as Kelsey and her family but today I'm feeling a wee bit stressed. I've yet to pack one item for our trip out of town tomorrow and it's a formal event.
I'm prepared and ready to speak to the awesome ladies in Indiana this weekend but have to unpack and re-pack my bags as soon as we return Friday afternoon to fly out early evening.
I don't even want to think about next week...

And have I mentioned that Josh and I haven't even practiced the Mother-Son dance for even one second. Hello... what are we waiting for and can we really pull this off?
Oh my goodness, can you tell I'm more than a wee bit stressed?
I'd best get ahold of myself and take a deep breath.
I know all this may sound silly and frivolous but it's where I am and I promised to be real with you.
Okay enough realness for today friends.
I'm leaving work early to take a friend to lunch, then off to a Dr's appointment and then to meet a contractor who is giving us a bid on some work that has to be done.
If the Lord places me on your heart I'd really appreciate your prayers.
I want to be a shining light for these ladies this weekend.

11 Days and what I will NOT be wearing

Hey friends,
We are just 11 from the wedding and I wanted to share something I will NOT be wearing to the festivities.
Look closely at her rear bumper
I thought this was hilarious and wanted to give you a laugh.
Have a Nice Day!!

12 Days and Counting

Hey friends,

A Happy and belated Mother's Day to each of you. I hope each of my sweet princess friends was treated royally by your family. And yes, you are ALL my princess friends!!!

I can't believe we are just 12 days away from the wedding.
Where in the world has the time gone?

I'm really excited and trying to get the last few things done before we leave for Baltimore on Thursday May 21.

Tom and I have an out of town event this Thursday night and then Friday I'm flying to Nashville Indiana to speak for an amazing group of women this weekend.

I would love your words of advice and encourgament as I put some thoughts together for Josh and Kelsey. My emotions are very close to the surface right now and I don't want to be a snot wiping, mascara running mom at the wedding.

19 Days and a Blanket of Blessing

Hey friends,
We are 18 days away from the wedding! Where has the time gone? I can't believe it's right around the corner.
Kelsey is leaving Charlotte today in order to do some work with her job in Baltimore and to finish up the last few wedding details.

May I ask you to join us as we pray for her safety as she drives to and from Baltimore and has many work obligations to fulfill in the next 8 days.

As she leaves I wanted to share what she presented me with last night.
She has been working on a very personal blanket for the last few months and even though it's not quite complete she wanted me to have this for a Birthday/Mother's Day gift.

Carefully and with great skill Kelsey has sewn beautiful fabrics together to make this blanket.
She has put the Elmore name in the center of the blanket in pink.
She will transfer pictures of Tom and I as children, newly married and with our sons onto individual squares on the blanket. What a treasure this is and will be for years to come.

I can't wait for you to see my blanket of blessing. I will post some pictures of it on a few days and then
when it's finished I will show you her completed handiwork.

In the meantime... here's a great picture of my beloved taken when we were in Roanoke for Easter.

21 Days and a Party

Hey Friends,

We are now just 21 days until the wedding.
I wanted to share some pictures from one of the sweetest parties for Josh and Kelsey we've attended.
Our Small Group from church (Covenant Group) hosted this party last night and it was a precious time of encouragement and prayer as we approach the wedding three weeks from today.

I cannot thank our friends enough for hosting and providing everything beautiful and delicious. Oh my goodness these friends thought of everything and we were treated to an evening of encouragement, laughter and love.

Enjoy the pictures!

The Happy Couple

Chuck Engstrom offers biblical words of advice and a precious prayer.

All the ladies

The hostesses of this grand party

Thank you friends for loving our family well.

I wish each of you could have an extraordinary group of women in your lives like these ladies.

They are the hands of feet of Christ and one of my life's biggest blessings.