I married an amazing man on June 30th....

.... Just thought you should know :)

XOXO

Sneak Peak: Engagement Pics and the Story

Good morning!

Just got back from my Kaia workout and I'm not quite ready to crawl back into bed yet so I thought I'd catch up on my blog since I've neglected it for FAR too long.  So, to get you up to speed a bit.  As mentioned in my last post, I got engaged!  B and I are so happy and can't wait to spend our lives together.  Boy, it's been a doosey of a year with lots of challenges and changes but I can't wait for the road ahead.  I had promised to share the proposal story so here goes.

The Proposal
Last Christmas, one of my gifts from B was a set of three golden tickets (he loves creative gifts) that promised three backpacking trips before the year's end (still need to take two of them haha).  I got such a kick out of them that he decided to carry the theme on into this Christmas and incidentally the proposal. 

It was Christmas Eve and we had just gotten back to my place after a long, lovely day spent with each of our families.  The next morning was going to be crazy with church, breakfast with the fam, and gifts so we decided to exchange our gifts for each other that night.  I decided to go first and proudly presented B with what I thought was a gift that was FINALLY more creative then his (he always beats my in the gift arena).  He gleefully tore the paper from his seed starter kit (total gardening nerd), thumbed through his new Strong's Concordance, checked out the giant veggie seed packets I had gotten him and the proceeded to order me from the room.  Confused, I headed into the living room to wait for my gift to be "set-up."  I wondered what he was up to and racked my brain for things I had mentioned over the months, trips we wanted to take, or any other crazy ideas B may have gotten into his head (mind you...for Valentines Day, B had made my a paper macee heart with a bottle of wine inside, which sadly his brother ran over before he could give it to me...so nothing was out of the question).  Finally, I heard B shout for me to come back in, and I darted off to find what my creative gift would be.

I entered the room and immediately saw gold mistletoe hanging from my bedroom light and B standing on my bed.  B told me that this was a continuation of last year's gift and that he had hidden five golden tickets in the mistletoe for me to pluck out.  I had to pick them in order and give him a kiss after reading each ticket.  I picked out the tickets one by one...15 minute foot massage....backpacking trip of my choice....Norwegian waffles with wine...and the last ticket saved for after we got married.  It wasn't out of the ordinary for B to talk about marriage.  We often sat and dreamed of what we would do after we got hitched...trips we would take, where we would live, how we would raise our kids.  But I thought that actually getting married was still a ways off.  B wanted a better job, I needed to finish school, etc, etc.  As I looked down to give B his kiss, as requested after each ticket, I saw that he was on one knee and there was a dainty little gold band in his hand, strangely similar to the one's I had teased him with during our marriage talks.  My heart stopped as I realized what was happening.  NO WAY!  I tried to bite my tongue so I could hear all of the sweet words that were coming out of his mouth but all I could say was "really? really? really really really really?!"  Then, instead of shouting yes, as my heart wanted, I simply dived on him and began kissing his cheeks and kicking my legs excitedly (Not my most mature moment). 

Needless to say it was was PERFECT.  Just me and B, no big ta do, no onlookers, nothing more than comfy pants , golden tickets and a beautiful dainty gold engagement band. :)  I couldn't have asked for a better proposal or fiance for that matter. 

Alright, enough of that.  Below are a few of our (unedited) engagement pictures from this weekend.  My friend Danielle graciously agreed to take them.  Isn't she so talented!?

I hope you enjoy them!  Have a wonderful week!

Ring a Ling Ling

So...I'm engaged.  Weird, exciting, surreal....so many emotions I can barely stand it.  B, you are my love, my best friend, my silly man who makes me smile, laugh, think.  I can't wait to start the rest of our lives together. 

P.S.  I'll be sharing the proposal story soon!

Until then... have a wonderful Wednesday! :)

Waste Not Want Not

I always imagined that I would have a husband who would make enough for me to stay home.  That I would be able to buy a house after college, travel as I wanted, have a job I enjoyed, and plenty of free time.  That I would know what I wanted to do with my life and would be doing it....at least before 30!  But life has a way of throwing a big fat stick into your spokes and sends you headlong into a future that looks quite different from what you had originally imagined.  I look at the path before me now and see a family that will start well past 30, a house, perhaps, in my distant future, a future husband who may not make enough to keep me at home all the time, less travel, and more work.

Neither had I imagined however, the unexpected blessings that would envelope me in my late 20's.  The richness of the relationships that I would have in my life, that I would laugh nearly as much as I loved with my future husband, that my best friend would sit across the hallway from me at work and we would giggle daily at the stupid messages sent back and forth, that I would see, first hand, the work God would do in my life.  That my cup would runneth over despite all that I lacked in the world's eyes.

I look into my future and I just can't wait to "struggle" a bit by the world's definition because by mine, I have already succeeded. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

B, Birthdays, and Beer

This past month was B's birthday.  The big 28 whoop!  We hadn't gone out of town in ages so against my better judgement I peeled myself away from studying and we headed down to Occidental for some wine and beer tasting, Norwegian waffles, and breathtaking views.  I'd never been there before but, after seeing the views from the cabin we stayed in, I figured we'd find something fun to do.  Needless to say we will definitely be going back.  Occidental has all the charm of Napa or Sonoma minus the crowd (and the prices).

 Our Cabin

 View from the balcony.....gorgeous!

Birthday Boy!  Don't mind the noose behind his head.....

The Spread

He's a bit excited...in case you couldn't tell.

Happy Wednesday!!!

DIY...or don't

Maybe if I start posting the DIY projects I want to do I'll actually do them?  Just a thought....

Source: granddesignco.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

Love the color!

Source: twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: backstitch.tumblr.com via Laura on Pinterest

Genius!

Source: karapaslaydesigns.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

Not sure if I have the guts to do this to my brand new Ikea dresser.  Thoughts?

Source: rockettstgeorge.co.uk via Laura on Pinterest

Over the headboard when B and I get married? :)

Thank God for Fish

I just realized it's been over a year since my first blog post...CU-RAY-ZEE!  Looking back, I cant believe how far spiritually, physically (Kaiafit <3..check it out), and psychologically the Lord has brought me since then.  I've moved out (once again) from the parentals house, met the love of my life, started down the path to nursing, and gotten in the best shape of my life, all in 12 short months.  Not that I think all my trials are past me...believe me I know there are many MANY more to come as life unfolds.  But, I feel that I have the faith and tools to get me through whatever life throws at me, God willing.

This blog has afforded me a space to truly express myself, house my inspiration, and share my faith.  Posting to it has become an important part of my routine, something I truly look forward to.  It has reinvigorated my love for writing and helped me to work though difficult situations and emotions.  When I first sat down one afternoon in July of 2010, teary eyed, heartbroken, beaten down, searching for an outlet for the pain, I had no idea what was in store for me. 

I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.

~ Jonah 2:2

Because of one little devotional, supplied by God, my perpective on life was changed and my hope renewed.  I still have that tiny slip of paper posted in my cubical to remind me that when life seems dark, difficult, and meaningless, we may indeed be in the belly of the fish....
 
 

July 17, 2010

Rescued

To most people, being swallowed alive be a sea creature would be considered a bad thing.  And yet, in the dark and strange stomach of a giant fish, Jonah the Prophet gave thanks.  As frightened as he must have been, and as awful as the situation semeed, Jonah knew that it was, in fact, a rescue.  God snatched him out of the watery belly of death and plopped him into the belly of a great fish.

It makes me wonder.  How often, when life seems dark, stinky, and unfair, am I really in the "belly of a fish?"

God promises to hear our cries for help, but He never commits to send help in the way we'd expect.  In fact, our God specializes in unusual rescues.  Who else would have used grasshoppers, a snake on a stick, and stone in a sling to solve His people's problems?  Who else but our unusual God would use the death of His own Son to rescue His children?

Sometimes my bad situations might actually be deliverances.  God grant me the grace to recognize my surroundings, and, like Jonah before me, to give Him the glory when He comes to my rescue.

 Have a lovely week!

Happy One Year B!

"This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you..."

P.S. Awesome gift B got me.  Don't mind the messy coffee table....

Crazy Town

So...I think I can safely say I no longer hold a roundtrip, non-refundable ticket to Crazy Town, though I do still keep a spare ticket in my back pocket, just in case. :)  This past year has been a doosie...TONS of changes, challenges, anxiety attacks, tears, fights...but mixed in with those times or darkness are countless moments of excitement, adventures, lessons, joy, answered (and unanswered thankfully) prayers, and little victories.  I feel like I have been drug through the mud, thorns, and over the gravel road....most of the time being pulled along by my own pride and stubborness.  But despite the scars and bruises I have, I feel renewed and strenghtened.  Not that swelling sense of accomplishment and excitement, but a calm, comforting grounding, like my feet are firmly stuck to the ground even if my body continues to sway in the winds of Life. 

I truly realized this the other night while B and I were walking back from class (we are taking a Chem class together....yipppe!).  B was telling me about a friend of his who is having relationship issues and how he had told him that he needed to take "the lead" in the relationship.  This immediately sent me into defense mode since many of the issues with Sh*thead involved the power struggle between the two of us and my belief that he tried too much to control me.  Long story short I proceeeded with a series of questions ultimately leading to the one real question on my mind: How did he think he was the "leader" in our relationship.  I prepared for his answer of "I make all the decisions," or "the buck stops here" or "you do as I say" lacing up my boxing gloves for a Level 11 reaction (as Sh*thead once said).  As I grew red in the face, he looked down at me and said "I pray with you when you cry."  I immediately deflated.  He leads our relationship because he prays with me, because he prays for me.  I don't think I've ever felt more love for B then in that one moment.  I realize that he truly understands what Christ says regarding marriage in Ephesians 5:

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

~ Ephesians 5:22-33

Letting go of the past and focusing on the blessings of my present and future...as well as the pain...that is how I rid myself of the roundtrip ticket :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. This blog post made me laugh aloud....and inspired me to write today's post. :)

Happy 4th of July

I hope yours was spent celebrating our freedom with the ones you love :)

Waiting Life Away

When I get a new job...get married....have more money....have children....have time....have the patience....have....have....have....

These are thoughts are constantly filling my mind and spilling out of my mouth. I sit in front of my computer at work at watching the clock and waiting for 5:00pm so that I may finally enjoy the day. I wade through the week with eyes half closed and my mind foggy waiting for the weekend so that I may enjoy time spent with B, my friends and family. I move through life with an unrelenting desire to finally start living fully with a marriage, home, and children, a job I love and time to devote to hobbies.

So often my mind hearkens back to the past, my adolescence, when things were easier, more enjoyable, when there was more time for the things I wanted to do. Times when there were not constant demands, responsibilities, troubles, and heartbreak. I kick myself for wanting to grow up so quickly, for falling so irrationally in love without thought to consequence, for throwing away moments, friends, and morals without consideration for the damage I was doing to myself, my soul, and my ability to love fully.

And then after weeks of depression, aggravation, sadness, and impatience, I realize that I am letting so much of my short life slip by without even a thought to the moments I am in. I spend all my time in the past and future, longing to regain the freedom, innocence and ignorance of childhood and adolescence and waiting to finally live the life I have built in my mind. I spend very little time in the present, enjoying the work that I have to do daily, small accomplishments, joys, frustrations and failures, learning to live in this world instead of waiting for life to begin.

Photo via me :)

Time slips away so quickly and it is so easy to forget that we may not have a future or at least not the one we planned for. Similarly, the past sneaks up on us like a stalking lion and drags us back into memories and reminiscing…leading us to believe that it was so much easier, better, fulfilling way back when. But was it?

I am resigned to the fact that I am a dreamer, someone who always longs for the greener grass, for Mayberry, for black and white photos and simpler times. However, I refuse to continue to let each moment slip by without an acknowledgement of the little joys and frustrations that they contain. My life is now not 5 years ago or 10 years down the road and I am determined to be present in it.