She's Getting Married!

My sister-in-law (Jay's middle sister), Mary Austin, got engaged over Thanksgiving weekend. Andrew surprised her by showing up at Callaway Gardens (where the Wolfs spent Thanksgiving) and proposed to her in the chapel there.

Aren't they adorable???

(This was taken just after the proposal)

They will get married on June 30, 2012 (her birthday)! She will have a wedding cake that is her birthday cake or a birthday cake that is her wedding cake next year--either way, I'm pumped for the cake (birthday cake is for sure in my top 5 favorite foods)! She can blow out birthday candles on her wedding cake. So sweet -- I love it!

Mary Austin is one of the most phenomenal people I have ever known. She is deeply kind and has a tender, compassionate heart. I will never forget when she called us on April 21, 2009 in tears saying how grateful she was that I'm alive. I could share countless stories like that with you. She is an authentic, selfless, Christ-following woman. I am very blessed to be related to her. She is studying to be a nurse, and it suits her perfectly! As I can attest, her bedside manner is the perfect mix of knowlegable, competent, and kind -- exactly what you want in anyone caring for you. She has come out to California the past three Jan-term breaks during her college, and she and Alex will be out here again this January--such a special time.

This past summer, we happened to be in Montgomery on Mary's birthday, June 30, 2011 (I had a speaking engagement in Wetumpka), and we got to celebrate that special day with her. Jay's youngest sister, Alex, is like a mini version of him in so many ways--it's crazy. They are both deeply creative, very intelligent and celebratory. Alex and Mary are not only sisters but are absolutely best friends. So Alex had planned a birthday celebration for MA that is forever engraved in the memory of each guest at this precious party.

The party was an intimate, under-the-stars screening of a film that Alex had made about MA's life--the pictures spanning over twenty years, mixed with home videos and a fabulous soundtrack (I told you she was like her brother) made us all laugh and cry. The event was made even more magical as the setting was surrounded with candles and lights strung above and chocolate cupcakes, individual popcorn boxes, and Pellegrino were served. Oh, and this little pink fete (Mary's favorite color) was a surprise too!

A few recent updates in our lives:

- Our dear friend Anna's father passed away yesterday after a very long and difficult battle with multiple myeloma cancer (his caringbridge site is here). Anna and Andy have been some of the most incredible friends to us through the years, most radically as they took James into their home and cared for him as their own for nearly 2 months after my stroke. Please pray for this wonderful family during this time of great transition.

- This coming Thursday, December 8, I will have the yearly appointment with my neurosurgeon, Dr. Gonzalez. I got the MRI/MRA several weeks ago, and he will discuss the results of those scans with us on Thursday. Please pray that my aneurysm is completely gone--that would certainly be the best, but if it's still there or even if it's grown, pray for wisdom in moving forward and for peace in giving God control of it all.

- On a fun side note, our living room was featured on a design blog called Little Green Notebook, check it out here!