Miller/Carlson wedding

April 13, 2012

Miller/Carlson wedding

I met Dana my senior year. I was supposed to live in this house with 4 other girls, but ended up having to move out after 2 weeks due to personal convictions. So I didn't have anywhere to live, school was about to start, I lost my parents the security deposit and first months rent from this other place, and I was really stressed out. My friend Jessica who I went on summer project with that summer jokingly invited me to live with her and her 3 roommates in a house near campus. But then the joke turned into reality when we realized by me moving in our rent would be less than $200 each. So I met Dana one day as I was basically going to move into her house (which I am so thankful for their generosity!). I'm not sure how it happened, but I ended up sharing a bunk with this girl I barely knew.
Little by little Dana and I started hanging out more and more. She convinced me that biking was really cool and sold me a bike she got on craigslist and then we fixed it up (except our very first ride together my chain broke in the middle of oberlin rd. and we had to call kyle osborne to come save us....but that's another story). Within a few months we were great friends; Dana is one of the few people who get my humor and she is often the only person to laugh at my jokes or movie quotes (because she has probably seen every movie ever made). she's super talented at music and can listen to a song one time and play it back on the piano. Needless to say she whooped my butt at guitar hero, which I was pretty confident in until then. Dana and I started biking everywhere and did a 30-miler race that October with our team called "Off The Chain".
Whenever I wanted to do something crazy and adventuresome, Dana was the first person to jump on board. One time we went bike caroling at Christmas time even though I'm a terrible singer and there were just 2 of us. I think we even handed out candy?
That year was on of the best year of my life I think. Our house was always party central and people frequently just stopped in unannounced because they knew someone would be there to hang out. If I could relive that year, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I am so thankful to God for not allowing me to live in the original house because otherwise I wouldn't have met Dana.
After she graduated, Dana took an internship in Orlando with the Jesus Film. She gets to do what she loves (film) and help share the Gospel with it, what an awesome job! In Orlando she met Ryan at the office...he's an IT guy. I remember the day she first told me about him and then I proceeded to stalk him on Facebook. I watched as he pursued her and Dana would tell me about the flowers he would leave on her desk and other cute things. They went to Universal and Disney frequently for dates and slowly their relationship became something more. She told me she wanted to marry him and he felt the same, though it was a few more months before he proposed.
I met Ryan for the fist time last April when went to our friend Brandon's wedding in NC. My favorite thing about Ryan is how much he adopted Dana's love for all things NC: shagging, cookout, NCSU, Cheerwine, etc.
Dana called me last July with the news that Ryan proposed at the NCSU Belltower, which is so fitting for her. Consequently this was the day after my sister was proposed to so I was in double shock. That day I mailed her some wedding magazines to get started since I knew I wouldn't be able to help much being so far away.
2 weeks ago I stood by Dana's side as she married her best friend. I know that God is and will continued to be honored by their Christ-centered marriage. Dana put so much hard work and creativity into the wedding and we all had so much fun! I hate that I live so far away from them, but I know we will be friends no matter how many miles are between us.