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Well, a whopping 14 months after our wedding, I have finally sat down to share some photos and thoughts.

Truth be told, I dragged my feet. Creighton and I barely snuck our wedding and honeymoon in before Covid shut the world down. And though we feel so very thankful to have gotten those experiences, it’s felt awkward and even cruel to share a lot considering the 2020 world/social + political climate. There was a lot of trauma last year, but our wedding day was a small sliver of joy—one that we never mean to rub in anyone’s face, but one that we also want to celebrate and remember when appropriate.

That being said, I think it’s now time to share.

We got married on February 22, 2020 (02-22-20…gotta love a palindrome) in Austin, Texas on the most lovely 70 degree day. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I’ll tell you this: one year later and there’s not a thing I would change.

So without further ado, our wedding…

Whew! There you go. A photo summation of our wedding.

It was a beautiful day, but little did we know that soon the world would get a little darker and scarier. Maybe this is a “no, duh” statement, but getting married on the cusp of a worldwide pandemic brings a lot of things into perspective. Do we need hundreds of people around us to find joy? Do we need fancy clothes to make us feel worthy? Do we need pomp and circumstance for life to feel special? The answer, we found, was no—those things, though fun at times, are not the recipe to a beautiful, meaningful life.

2020 gave us a gift in that it striped down our marriage to the essentials—the Lord and each other. And you know what? We wouldn’t trade that for the world! I constantly think back to the words of one of my favorite hymns (which I also walked down the aisle to), “O, God Beyond All Praising.” Particularly the second verse meant so much to me this past year, and my prayer is that we always remember in our marriage to “marvel at God’s beauty” through the “triumph” and “sorrows.” To God be the glory for 02.22.20 and every day we have as the Drydens.

O God beyond all praising,
     we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
     that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
     at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
     and mercies without end:
we lift our hearts before you
     and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
     our great and mighty Lord.


Then hear, O gracious Savior,
     accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favor
     may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
     be filled with good or ill,
we'll triumph through our sorrows
     and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
     and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
     our sacrifice of praise.

All photos c/o the wonderful and talented Ann Mark Photography!

KAT
Currently listening to “You’ve Got The Love” by Florence + The Machines

Spring has been a whirlwind, folks.

I’m not sure when the official first day of spring was, but I’m going to say it kicked off for me when I traveled to Nassau, Bahamas with 12 high school seniors for a spring break missions trip.

Now I’m sure you’re thinking there is no such thing as a mission trip to the Bahamas. But I assure you: the majority of the Bahamian Islands do not reflect the Atlantis resort in your mind. Nassau is beautiful and tropical, but it’s also a very broken, sad place that desperately needs the hope of the Gospel. So, we went and we worked!

While we were there, we worked with two elementary schools, tutoring and leading after school assemblies.

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It was an exhausting and wonderful week! And as a fun bonus, we had a “free day” at the end of the trip to experience the more touristy side of the island.

fullsizeoutput_1103 — Your’s truly on a boat. A shabby Friday, it was not.

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset — The beauty of Bahamian water 100% lived up to the hype.

Am I the only chicken who is mildly scared of open water? Needless to say, my first snorkeling experience was equal parts terrifying and thrilling.

Oh, just a 29 year old trying to fit in with two senior girls. Hoping my usage of a giant T and Lululemon shorts had them fooled about my age…

It truly was a wonderful week. I was so impressed by the maturity and poise of our students on the trip. It’s not always easy to give up your time and energy to serve other people, but those kiddos did it with flying colors. I absolutely loved my time with them.

(…they did wear me out, though.)

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Another spring thing that needs special note was the 30th birthday of my dear friend, Kaelee. In true Kaelee fashion, she celebrated with a theme party (Never have I known Kaelee to not have a theme party, by the way. She reigns supreme as my “most fun” friend.). This year’s party was 90s themed, and listen: I know the 90s are having a fashion moment right now, but after wearing the butterfly clips, the choker, + the tight cropped T for a night…I think it’s best if we leave the past in the past. That being said, the party was a blast and the birthday girl turned 30 in true spice girl style.

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Pictures of Kaelee from the 90s were all around the party. This was a personal favorite.

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset — I want you to know that my shirt says “party like it’s 1999.”

Kaelee made sure we received our fill of 90s foods, such as the wildly mysterious (what the heck is inside those things?) fruit gushers.

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Next up this spring: a fun trip to Austin! My boyfriend Creighton and I have both been crazy busy at work, so we took full advantage of a chance to get out of Dallas for a few days.

While we were there, we went to the Dell Match Play golf tournament, the Austin Rodeo, and also celebrated a few important birthdays. It was one of those trips I didn’t even know how much I needed until I was there. Aren’t those the best?