I don't even know where to begin in writing a blog for such a dear friend like JulieAnne. There isn't a time when I can remember not knowing her — we've always known each other, it seems. In fact, before her beautiful wedding ceremony, her mom told me about a time when we were babies together in the church nursery. JulieAnne's mom had just taken away her paci, and I still had mine, and it was causing problems. So for a time we were separated until my mom took my paci away too, and I wouldn't upset JulieAnne. But other than that, we spent most of our growing up years together.
JulieAnne is kind, smart, funny, sensitive, and beautiful inside and out. She has the best voice when reading Scripture (and always has...even as a sixth grader!) and sings the most beautiful harmonies. And the best part is that she has found Mike, and together their life is full of affection, laughter, and a deep commitment to each other.
They both had family and friends from all over come in town to celebrate with them, and it was the sweetest time. A big highlight for me was seeing all 5 Bowen siblings together — don't they look so happy to be together celebrating their big sister?
JulieAnne's grandparents were such gracious hosts to much of their wedding weekend. We had a great barbecue Friday night after rehearsal, and the wedding was unseasonably PERFECT for June 14. Saturday, all the family gathered back and Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch and pictures. They have a gorgeous mimosa tree in full bloom, a full, southern garden, and a pond with the bridge JulieAnne and her siblings grew up letting their imaginations run wild on.
They shared several stories with me, but I have to pass on these two.
There is a beautiful magnolia tree on their property, but JulieAnne's grandmother has a hard time seeing it now. So each day, her grandpa goes out and trims off a bloom to set in the bird bath so her grandmother can find it and enjoy its beautiful design, scent, and feel, probably while relaxing on their screened-in porch.
If you're wondering about the tractor, the first time Mike came to visit the Formosa farm, they got in a big of a pickle where someone needed to drive the tractor back from their trek out onto the land. After surveying his options, Grandpa dubbed Mike the guy for the job, and Mike took his first turn at a tractor. JulieAnne said at that point she knew Mike had stolen the heart of the family right along with hers. Mike's beautiful mother and loving aunt and uncle seemed just as smitten with JulieAnne and her whole family.
In college, JulieAnne and I were suite mates for three years. We had a couple habits that became favorite shared rituals of ours. A popular car game among our friends at the time was to suppose someone is "perfect in every way except..." and then you decide if you would still marry that guy. We would take walks around campus together and giggle for an hour at all our silly options of a way a guy could be "perfect in every way...but..." One night, we passed by the campus administration building (Cone-Bottoms Hall) and said, "Perfect in every way but INSISTS on being referred to as "Cone-Bottoms." We laughed for the rest of college about what that would be like to be hitched to someone so irrational. Well after being married several years myself, I can at least anecdotally say that we all take turns flexing our irrational muscles (or is that just Chuck and me...?), and I'm confident that she and Mike will have their not-so-shining moments, too. However, their deep and loving commitment to Christ and each other will be what brings them back to the conviction that no matter how hard life feels, they are better for walking it together and proudly introducing their love as "Cone-Bottoms." :)
Our other little ritual was to ask each other every morning, "what are you most excited about today?" Sometimes it was a lunch date with a friend, a class with particular topic, or just that it was Friday and it was the weekend. We continued asking each other this even after graduation, even when she lived on the other side of the world teaching English, although not quite daily. It was one of my favorite parts about my our life at Ouachita, but as I was reflecting those memories on my drive to the rolling hills of Van Buren county, I was struck how in just a simple question each day, we were reminding ourselves and each other the importance of caring about other people's life just as much — if not more — than your own. That isn't always the easiest part of marriage, is it? But if Mike and JulieAnne can endure their own "Cone-Bottoms" kind of irrational days with each other and begin each day anticipating what the other will enjoy most, they too will have a lifetime of picking "magnolia blooms" for each other to enjoy on the porch.
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