Guest Room & Guest Bathroom - Current

The first installment of our house as it looks currently. Today I'm highlighting our Guest Bedroom (which also doubles as our workout room and music room) and the Guest/Main Bathroom. There is still some decorating to be done in both rooms, but we aren't in a huge rush at the moment since we don't use it as much as some of the other rooms in the house.

 

Guest Room Before: 

Guest Room Currently:

Thankfully the previous owners painted this room back to white before they moved out. That saved us a lot of time, work, and money, since we didn't really have a need for a super PINK room at this point. I expect we'll paint this room some day...but for now, the white walls helps give it a more open feeling, which is good since it is such a multi-purpose room. We are going with an Americana theme in this room, so the white walls fit in well with that theme as well.

Mark's parents were our first visitors to use this room during their trip to Oklahoma back in March. We had such a wonderful visit with them and it was great to finally be able to host them when they visited, instead of sending them off to a hotel to sleep.

 I'm hoping to add some pictures and floating shelves to the walls pretty soon to pull this room together a little more. I've also got some ideas for new curtains for this room. The current goal for this room is to make it functional for Mark and me, but also inviting for our visitors.


Guest Bathroom Before:

Guest Bathroom Currently:


So this room is not decorated the way I had originally envisioned, but I have really come to LOVE the grey and yellow. My original plan included lighthouses, beach and sand. But when I went shopping for that theme, I did not have much success. It either looked like something that belonged in a beach resort decorated the 70s (think ugly puke green palm trees), or tan sea shells (hello! I need COLOR!). I just couldn't find anything in the stores that matched the picture in my head, so I forgot the ideal and started to rethink this room.

I ran across the shower curtain at JCPenney and instantly knew it was perfect for our main bathroom. Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors, and pairing it with grey is just so perfect! Once I had the shower curtain hanging, everything else came together very quickly. I'm still on the lookout for things I can add to this room, but I am quite happy with how it looks currently.

Our Home-Before

It has been quite the year of transition for Mark and me: Moving into a new home, changing jobs (Jill), changing ministries at church, just to name a few. I've had a desire to get back to my blog and life finally seems to be settling back into a routine, so I thought this would be the perfect time to reenter the world of blogging.
People have asked me for pictures of our house and I didn't want to post anything till I had the official "After" pictures. But I'm learning to enjoy the house in this "in-between" stage as well. :) Below are some of the pictures from our first view of the house, before we made an offer on it (so NONE of these decorations are mine).

I still can't believe we've been in this house for over a year! It has been such an amazing blessing for our family and we have had so much fun setting it all up and decorating as our budget can afford it. We fell in love with the house during our first trip, but it was our FIRST home to tour and it was no where near where we were looking to settle down. After a couple weeks of looking at hundreds of homes online and dozens in person, we decided to take a second look at the first house....and then decided to make an offer.

One of the biggest things I was looking for in a house was an open floor plan and this house delivered nicely with an extra large living room open to the kitchen and dining room. 

The Master is a very spacious room, with lots of room for our Queen sized bed. 

The other two rooms are a little small, but still decently sized. We love having a guest bedroom now (or at least *I* love it!) and additional room to stage sorting and purging. We hope that some day we'll get to convert one of these bedrooms into a nursery, but for now they are both being put to good use. 

 

(Ignore Mark -- he had to test the bathtub and didn't realize he was in my picture)

The Master bath is wonderful! It has a nice sized soaker tub (which I use at least 2-3 times a month) and a separate shower. Double sinks weren't a must for us, but we've really enjoyed having them. 

A second full bathroom was on my list of musts. Growing up with 3 sisters, we always lived in homes with 2 full baths. I'm glad this home had the second bath, because I have waaay too many fun bathroom decorating ideas -- I could probably use about 4 more bathrooms to use up all the ideas! 

   

An indoor laundry room was another must for me. After a year and a half of having to carry a laundry basket outside to do laundry, I was ready to bring that whole chore back indoors. I have an absolutely beautiful laundry room, with plenty of room for all my equipment and tools indoors and right off the kitchen, but with a separate door so we can close it while the machines are running.
We also got a little office nook! This was a bonus room for us. We knew we wanted space to setup an office, but figured we'd have to share it with the guest room. Currently it is open to the front hallway, but we look forward to putting in some french doors so we can close off the room when needed. 

So there you have it, the before tour of our new wonderful home. I'll try to upload some of the current pictures some time later this week. 

Counting My Blessings

I started writing this post back in November -- but I was so overwhelmed by emotion that I couldn't finish even writing it. The pain was too fresh and emotions too raw, I couldn't make it public. Now, after a few months of seeing God's hand at work -- I feel ready to share my Thanksgiving 2012.

I was watching the clock, waiting for 5 o'clock so I could start my long "to-do" list. I needed to baste the turkey, make a cherry pie, clean up my house and who knows what else. Mark was getting off work at 5:30 and would come home to help me -- then we planned to run over to my parent's house to greet the Smiths and play with the kids before they went to bed. That was how we planned to start Thanksgiving and it was going to be great.

But then I got a text from my Mom. "Pray for Dad ...he was just in an accident...taking him to the hospital."

My heart immediately dropped to my stomach. Surely it wouldn't be serious -- horrible accidents don't happen to my family, I thought to myself. Dad's a (mostly) careful driver. What happened? Pretty soon Mom called -- she didn't know much else, just which hospital they were taking him to and that she had to run home before getting to the hospital. I offered to run over to the hospital, since I could be there in 15 minutes, much faster than she would be able to make it.

Much of the drive to the hospital was a blur. I'll admit that there was some texting and some talking going on as I drove -- trying to make sure my husband knew. I had to let my boss know I had left the office early and why. I had to ask my friends for prayers. I arrived at the hospital and was greeted by my Mom's boss and family friend from church. He helped me find Dad's room in the ER and then stayed with us till my Mom got there.

My first sight of Dad gave me hope -- he didn't look too beat up, some bruises and bumps, but nothing major. He knew he had a broken wrist/arm (same one he broke back in jr. high) but I honestly thought he'd maybe stay one night and then be home with us for Thanksgiving day. My sweet father smiled at me and said "well, looks like Brian will have to find a replacement for me in the church Christmas play".

Since I was the first family to arrive, I gave the hospital staff all the demographic information for their records. His address, date of birth, emergency contacts and insurance information. I met his doctor and nurse and watched as they examined him to determine the extent of their injuries. They were both calm and relaxed and acted like it was all going to be ok -- which helped put me at ease. They took him back for xrays and CTs and all other kinds of scans and tests. Each time, Dad came back in more pain and it hurt me to watch him hurting, knowing there was nothing I could do to help him.

The time in the emergency room is a little bit of a blur. There was a chance Dad would need surgery because of some internal bleeding. The doctors wanted to keep him over night for observation, the plan was to take another CT in the morning and then decide whether surgery was needed. Hospital staff came and went, my sisters came back to the room (the ER has a policy of only two people back there at a time -- some how we ended up with 4 in Dad's room at one point), a Pastor from our church came and prayed with my Mom and me, my husband was there and all the while Dad seemed to be okay. Not great, but okay.

But suddenly his color started to fade, he complained about being super hot and sweaty. Two new doctors came in and started asking questions in preparation for surgery, if he should need it right away instead of waiting till the next day and the longer they questioned him, the less sense Dad's answers made. He told the doctor he was starting to get dizzy, that he was starting to lose it (Looking back, I should have known what "I"m starting to lose it" meant, since it was the exact phrase Mark said to me before fainting at our wedding).  The doctor nodded and kept asking him questions. A machine beeped in the background, kind of an annoying, urgent sound.

A little bit later, the nurse came back in to check blood pressure. He looked at the machine and was convinced it was giving him wrong numbers, so he took the blood pressure again. He didn't believe that reading, so he got a new cuff and took the blood pressure again. He still didn't think it was right. He calmly walked out of the room and a second later I heard his very urgent request for the ER Doctor to come to Dad's room. I heard the Dr order someone to call the head surgeon and get him down there NOW. Pretty soon, there was commotion outside Dad's room.

Then there was commotion inside Dad's room. Doctors, nurses, techs, you name it, they were in the room. Taking blood pressure immediately. Hooking him up to saline and who knows what else. Someone started to wrap his broken arm in gauze.

I sat in the corner of the room and it suddenly hit me. My Daddy was in serious trouble and I had no guarantee he was going to make it out of that hospital alive.

A doctor came in and introduced himself to us all. He explained Dad's blood pressure drop was indication of internal bleeding and that they were going to take him in for surgery. The plan was to open him up and see if they could locate the bleeding. Then they whisked Dad out of the room, some tech/nurse still wrapping and splinting Dad's arm as they went.

It wasn't till some hospital staff began to lead us to the family waiting room that I let my emotions surface. As we walked, I cried. We met Jaime and Joanna in the Emergency waiting room and told them to follow us, we'd explain it when we got there. I walked behind them, trying not to alert them with my tears.

I cried because I was so incredibly relieved for the medical staff who caught the blood pressure problem, I cried because I realized how easily that could have ended differently and I cried because Dad was in surgery and there were still no promises he would make it. I cried because I was completely spent emotionally. And as I cried, I was filled with peace. Whatever happened in that operating room, God was in control.

Fast forward a couple of hours. We got the news that Dad was out of surgery, things had gone well, but they were going to keep him intubated overnight. I barely followed the explanation of the surgery that the surgeon gave us, I caught that it could have been much worse, both his injuries and the extent of the surgery required to patch him up and that the Doctor seemed pleased with the surgery, but everything else is pretty much a blur. We waited another half hour before we were able to see him in his ICU room. I'll admit, it was a little scary to see him hooked up to all those machines, but it wasn't even close to how scary it was to see him losing it in the Emergency Room.

Now here we are, over two months after the accident. Dad's hand is out of a cast, his stitches are out of the incision from surgery, he's recovering from the gout that came on because of trauma. Life seems to be returning to normal. But one thing has changed, I am now aware of how truly blessed I am.

I love you Daddy! 

The Trip I Didn't Plan

Somewhere in the world tonight, there is probably a woman still curious about the girl she met in the airport. The girl who couldn't stop crying. No names were exchanged, but a kind word of support and an offer to help if she could.

When we started this trip, both Mark and I anticipated a week of making memories with each other and with our family and friends. We didn't expect the call that came on Saturday morning, but then, who really does expect that phone call. My dear Grandpa Johnny had slipped into eternity with his Savior. And suddenly, our vacation to South Carolina took a detour to Iowa.

We buried Grandpa today. And though I've known for a while that this day was coming, I've cried often these last few days. As I sat in the DFW airport by myself, memories of the past few days came rushing through my mind.

-Talking to Grandpa's brother, Uncle George, and hearing him share about the last time he saw his brother alive, and how much it meant to him when Grandpa Johnny exclaimed "that's my brother!"

-Watching my Dad and his siblings say goodbye to their father.

-Listening to taps being played as part of Grandpa's military honors graveside service. Watching the soldiers fold the flag and present it to my grandmother. And the watching Uncle George begin to cry.

It was a hard two days, but I'm so thankful we were able make the trip. What a blessing to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends and family.

And now, I'm back in South Carolina while my husband is in Iowa. I'm with his family and he is with mine. Not the vacation we had planned, but I'm working on trusting God, this wasn't a surprise to Him and somewhere in all of this, He has a plan.

But as I trust Him, the tears still fall. Lots of tears. And hopefully, some sleep.

Road Trip

I grew up making road trips with my family. I think the longest I remember is the yearly trips up to Iowa to visit relatives. Those were 8 and 9 hour drives, so a pretty decent trip. Then there was the cross-country moves from Oklahoma to Oregon and then back to Oklahoma, but I honestly just remember key stops along the way. I have somehow managed to forget all the grueling hours in the car, in between those stops.

So here I am, sitting in my husband's car as we sail down the road making our very own family road trip. This time it is a cross-country trip from Oklahoma to South Carolina. 18 hours total. I expect it to be brutal at times (like at 7am tomorrow when my husband wants to hit the road or whenever I finally go stir-crazy), but I also know it will be full of memories. Wonderful memories to fill up my sticky note collection. Happy memories to remember for years. Memories that will remind me to fly next time!

The Day is Finally HERE!

HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL HUSBAND

#1 He is a wonderful friend, my BEST friend. A friend recently asked me when I knew that Mark was the man I was going to marry -- it got me thinking about a year ago and everything that was going on during that time. I can honestly say that there was a point when I realized Mark was the best friend I had ever had. He stuck with me, even when it caused him pain. He truly listened to me and what I had to say. He wasn't afraid to tell me truth, even if he knew it might cause me pain. He was the friend I always dreamed of having and had looked long and hard for. I'm blessed to be married to my very best friend -- and I look forward to growing old beside him. 

Mark David, I love you so very much. Thank you for patiently waiting for me to hear God's calling. Thank you for being faithful, even when it seemed hopeless. Thank you for listening, caring and letting me cry on your shoulder. Thank you for making me laugh and helping me enjoy every part of our life. Thank you for letting me celebrate you today and all this past week. Happy Birthday!! 

Now let's go eat some cookies :) 

Celebrating Continued

Why My Husband is the Most Wonderful Man in the World

#2 He is a Strong Provider. Ok, so I'm kinda mixing two in one, but they are both true. 

He is a great provider. Not just through his job, but seriously taking care of my daily needs. Since I have to leave for work before he does, he makes coffee in the morning and makes sure I have something to eat and that my water bottle is filled up. When we would hang out with our friends, before we were together, I would notice him staying at the back of the group. I asked him about it once and found out that he was providing safety for the group, making sure no one got left behind and protecting them from the other dangers around us. He is a provider. 

He is strong. Physically he can move or pick up just about anything he sets his mind out to do. Emotionally he is a pillar for me to lean on, helping me think through things from a different angle and coming to a more rational conclusion. Spiritually he challenges me to hear and read things a different way, making the Bible come to life even more clearly. In every way, my husband is strength. 

These character qualities serve as a reminder to me of my ultimate Strong Provider, my heavenly Father. He lives out Ephesians 5 command for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, laying His life down for her. And this, is the most precious gift my husband gives to me on a daily basis. Thank you babe for being such a wonderful husband! 

Celebrating Two Days in One

Yesterday Mark and I enjoyed our date night a little differently. We ordered take out from Zio's and then got to work putting together our new bookshelves. We are still looking for ways to make the best use of the tiny space we have here. Last week we decided on matching shelves for either side of the bed -- after getting it all put together, I can honestly say this was a wonderful choice! But, that also made for a late night, so I didn't blog Reason #4 last night. Hold on to your hats -- we are doing two in one tonight! So, without further ado.....

Why My Husband is the Most Amazing Man in the World

#4 He is a Hopeless Romantic...and that is a VERY good thing. From bringing home flowers just because he was thinking of me to the sweet note he might slip into my purse. He doesn't leave me any room to doubt his love and devotion. He makes the mundane tasks in life fun and he makes the special days even more special. I'm blessed to be his girl.

Valentine's Day Dinner -- gift to me from my hubby

#3 His Wonderful Bass Voice. Growing up with a father who sang tenor, I'm not exactly used to hearing those low notes yet. But every time I get a chance to sing with him, I find myself listening to him more than singing the music in front of me. Tonight in choir I actually got to sit next to him for one of our songs and it was a blast to hear the blending of bass and soprano (with the Tenors and Altos sitting around us, making it all sound good). I love serving in our church music ministry with my hubby. 

Singing for Church - International Dress Sunday

Celebration Countdown Continues

Why My Husband is the Most Amazing Man in the World

#5 He has a great work ethic. It doesn't matter whether he is volunteering his time or on the clock. He works quickly, practically running from one job to the next. But his work is never sloppy, nor is it rushed. The word efficient comes to mind when I think about how he works. Whether it is breaking down tables and chairs at church after a dinner, or doing the dishes at home, counting cash in a money box or preparing products at work to be tested, my man works hard. 

Taking the (UPS) bull by its horns!

And Yet Another Day to Celebrate

Why My Husband is the Most Amazing Man in the World

#6 He has a great sense of adventure. A couple weeks after Mark and I finally got together, we went on a ski retreat with the Singles group at our church. I had planned from the first time the trip was mentioned to attempt skiing for my very first time. But like I'm prone to do, the closer we got to the trip, the more I started to chicken out. To make a long story short (I don't want to put you all to sleep), I wouldn't allow myself to chicken out, because I knew it would disappoint Mark if I didn't join him on the slopes. So I went....and I had a blast! Mark is always coming up with great ideas for adventures we can take.....and making me follow through on the ideas I have. He pushes me to experience new things and see the fun in everything. He is the best companion for any adventure -- I'm so glad that I get to be his side-kick! 

After our first day on the slopes!

Continuing the Celebration

Why My Husband is the Most Amazing Man in the World

#7 He is quite the handy man around the house. Whether it is a lightbulb out, a car that needs to be washed, shelves that need to be built, a light switch that needs to be fixed or dishes that need to be washed (well, put in the dishwasher at least), he is your man! He is a jack of many trades and master of all. He is always amazing me what he says we can accomplish or fix ourselves. I'm blessed to be married to such a talented man. 

 (Left: Look, my Stud finder works! Right: My handy man at work)

Day 2 of Celebration

Why My Husband is the Most Amazing Man in the World

#8: He Cares for Others. One of the greatest things about Mark is how he cares for the ones he loves. I noticed this before we were together and it is one of the things that attracted me to him. He isn't a social person, he isn't a man with a million close friends -- but he treats his friends and family like they are worth a million. If you are blessed enough to be in his circle, count yourself beyond blessed.

Thanks to my Sis-in-Law for this picture -- Uncle Mark with his niece and nephew! 

March 1 - Something to Celebrate

Today is the first day of a new month, the first day of March. 

I personally think that February is one of the best months of the year, but that's beside the point. This is a month to celebrate, a month to enjoy to its fullest!

What makes this month so special? It is special because it is the month we get to celebrate my husband's birthday!

So, to count down to his birthday, I give you:

Why My Husband is the Most Amazing Man in the World

#9 He has a brilliant sense of humor. I can't count how many times a day he makes me laugh and not just a chuckle, we are talking belly-aching, side-splitting laughter. Between his quick wit and his slapstick comedy, he keeps me on my toes, laughing all the way. He helps me take myself a little less seriously and helps me enjoy the humor and joy in life. A funny face, a nicely chose response, this man has everything I ever wanted when it comes to his sense of humor. 

Such a tree hugger!

Nighttime rambles

I'm sitting in bed at 1am, wondering why I can't fall asleep. It might be the cough that refuses to go away, it might be the cold medicine I'm currently taking (despite their advertising it as "nighttime" medicine), or it might be the thoughts rumbling through my head. Tossing and turning isn't helping, each new position seems to create more problems than it solves. My throat continues to feel like I stuffed a bunch of cotton balls down it and the cough keeps resounding through the air.

My husband is sleeping soundly next to me (how he stays asleep through my walrus-like coughs, I have no idea), slowly "borrowing" more and more of my bed space and covers. Being in the tiny, one-bedroom studio apartment, I don't have many options for occupying my sleepless mind.

So I powered my iPhone on, turned down the brightness (so I don't disturb the aforementioned sleeping husband) and started surfing for good reading material. What I settled upon was not really uplifting nor sleep inspiring. Now I'm even more restless as I think of past failings (mine as well as others), lost friendships and things in life that I still don't understand.

I'm choosing to turn to God for comfort tonight. Thankful for His forgiveness, praying for wisdom on how to move forward from here. Thankful for the rain which just started falling and will certainly aide in my falling sleep.

Here's hoping a few hours of rest are possible tonight! Now if this cat would just settle down....

The Power of a Clean Kitchen

I accomplished something major today. I am finally 100% completely caught up on dishes!

CLEAN and SHINY!!

Normally this wouldn't seem like such a big deal, but since we got married, people bought us presents. A lot of the stuff bought for us came from our registry and about 90% of our registry was kitchen utensils. In our tiny space, we really didn't have many needs outside of our kitchen.

So we unwrapped all the presents and had them sitting on a card table in our "living room" area for a while. This worked great, until we (er...I) decided it was time for us to get in the Christmas spirit and put up a Christmas tree! All the dishes got piled up in the sink, so we could properly wash them, before hopefully finding a home for them in our tiny little place.

Problem is.....I got sick the next day. My hubby was amazingly sweet and tried to do dishes while he made me rest. He would have done a phenomenal job, if he hadn't started out 3 years behind. He loaded dishwasher load, after dishwasher load (all while still keeping up on the laundry....this guy is amazing!), but between all the wedding dishes and all the everyday dishes from our amazing meals of Beef Stew, Chili and Meatloaf, he just couldn't keep up.

So yesterday, since I was finally feeling 80% human, I declared war on my kitchen. I filled up the dishwasher and started running it. Then I began hand washing. I washed everything I had space to let drip dry, then I let everything soak. Today on lunch I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it again and then hand washed some more. And finally, amazingly, I accomplished my goal of having a clean sink once again. I even went crazy and washed the stove top. I feel much better about the status of my house, especially since we are going away for part of the weekend. It will be nice to come home to a clean kitchen! And I'm convinced my clean kitchen is going to help me recover completely from this nasty bug I caught.

Yes, my counter is really that small. Yes, stove really is that close to the sink.

I think the next room to get this level of attention will be the living room....we just gotta get this place under control and looking more like a home. Watch out Mark, our house just turned into a war zone. ;)

Just the Beginning.....

I love looking at pictures from my wedding day. Even though it was almost two weeks ago, I remember so many of the day’s details very clearly. A piece of advice I received before the wedding was to stay calm and enjoy the day, something probably would go wrong, but at the end of the day, all that mattered is that Mark and I were married. As the day approached, I tried to remind myself of that truth and take everything in, while not stressing about anything.

I spent the last few nights before the wedding at my parent's house. Spending time with the whole entire family, all crammed into one tight space -- it was great and made for some fun memories. Thursday night before going to bed I had one heart-to-heart talk with Dad and Mom. I was super emotional that day from the stress and disappointments of the day, so I cried through the whole conversation, then Dad prayed with me and I made myself go to bed.

I awoke around 4:30am -- not because of jitters or nerves...no, I woke to the sound of Katie, my 6year old niece and flower girl in the wedding, making a sound that could only mean one thing. That's right, she lost all her dinner....and whatever else she happened to have in her stomach, right inside the bedroom door. I helped the poor girl change out of her nightgown and into a tshirt of mine, get a drink of water and then climb back into bed...while Jaime woke David to clean up the mess. (My stomach is weak.....I tried, I just couldn't do it).

An hour later, I finally made it back into my bed. I crawled in bed and began to pray that whatever had caused this wouldn't spread to everyone else in the house and that the wedding day would bring Him honor. I know I fell asleep soon after that, but my sleep was off and on the rest of the night/morning. I finally woke up around 7 and the first thing I heard was Allison (9 yr old niece) telling me "Auntie Jill, this is it! This is your wedding day!" - She sounded just as excited as if it was Christmas morning. I jumped out of bed and began my day with a smile, nothing was gonna get me down!

But very soon I had even more bad news. One of my sisters wasn’t feeling great and soon followed in Katie’s footsteps. Dad wasn’t feeling great and said he felt like he was running a fever and was probably coming down with the flu. My stomach started churning and I just prayed that God would give us all the strength to get through the day.

As if on cue, Mark showed up on my doorstep with Starbucks coffee and breakfast. We exchanged our wedding gifts to each other, prayed for our day and new life together, then talked for about 15 minutes. When he left, my nerves were gone and I knew the day would be a good one, regardless of anything else that might happen.

Hair appointment, then on to the church for makeup; I continued to remain calm – laughing and joking with my bridesmaids and the friends who graciously took time out of their lives to help me. Watching the kids play and getting to hold my new nephew, the day passed very quickly. All of a sudden it was time to get in my dress and then they were telling me that Mark was on stage and ready for our first look. I couldn’t believe the time was here already, but I was ready.

That first look was a very special time for Mark and me – and I’m sure for our families and friends as well. I loved seeing the look on Mark’s face as he saw me for the very first time in my wedding finery. Walking down that aisle on my Daddy’s arm, looking into his eyes as he lifted my veil, put my hand in Mark’s and then stepped aside, all the memories come rushing back as I type this now. What a wonderful memory and what an amazing feeling to be so loved, by two very special men.

The next few hours went by in a blur and soon it was time to touch-up makeup and wait for my cue to walk down the aisle again. The nerves began in earnest again. I remember telling someone (I don’t even remember who now), that I just hoped I didn’t trip and fall on the stairs. Jennie, my oldest sister, gathered everybody together and led us in a very sweet prayer for the wedding, for Mark and me and our life together. We stood in a circle, my sisters, friends and me. A few tears and then it was time to grab bouquets and line up.

I waited a little bit longer and suddenly I heard my friends begin the Organ and Trumpet duet I had picked for walking down the aisle, it was beautiful and it meant it was time for my Dad to walk me down the aisle one more time, give me one more kiss on the cheek and officially hand me over to the wonderful, godly man waiting to accept me. The nerves were gone, all that remained was complete peace.

The hand-off went beautifully, there was a greeting and a prayer and then Mark and I were moving up the stairs of the stage. I forgot to lift my dress and ended up stepping on it – I reached over to hand my bouquet to my maid of honor and heard some rustling like she might have tripped as well. Oh well, these things happen and no one landed on their face, all was going perfectly.

I started listening to our Pastor give the charge to Mark and me – it was a passage from Romans that we had picked out together, one that had spoken to us in the early months of our engagement. I was reminding myself to listen to what was being said when all of a sudden Mark’s grip on my hand loosened. This immediately alerted me that something was wrong, I glanced over, trying to see if he was ok, but his face gave nothing away.

Then I noticed he was fidgeting…..and that is not like Mark at all. He was shifting his weight, he was moving his shoulders, he was slightly swaying. I was convinced he was locking his knees. I gave his hand a squeeze and tried to catch his eye to remind him not to lock his knees. Then I noticed his hand was burning up, I looked over again and saw he was sweating. I remember thinking “This is not good; he doesn’t look like he is feeling well.” I started going through the ceremony in my mind, how much longer did he need to stand up there?  I hugged his arm to me, letting him know I was there for him and encouraging him that he could make it through. I looked around him and tried to catch the Best Man’s eye, trying to let him know of Mark’s distress.

Paul E finished the message and I think he might have prayed, Mark turned to me and I had a chance to ask him “are you ok?” his response left more questions than answers, all he said was “no.”

He turned to his Best Man (Paul R.) and said something, I couldn’t make it out, and then he turned back to me and whispered “I’m losing it”. In the space of seconds (which definitely felt like minutes) I frantically wondered what he meant….is he fainting? Is he just highly emotional? He isn’t going to throw up, is he? And suddenly, he was leaning on Paul R. He moaned and for a split second I wondered if he was having a seizure. I heard gasps from the audience and rustling behind me, I couldn’t focus on anything except my groom and how limp he was at the moment, being held up by at least two groomsmen.

I saw someone coming up behind us with a chair, I remember hearing someone say “watch for her dress” and suddenly the chair was on my dress and Mark was seated in the chair. (I later found out that they picked up the chair and cleared my dress before Mark sat down, but I didn’t notice this at the time) I heard someone in the audience say “get his head down”. There was an usher there with a bottle of water. All I could do was stand there with my hand on Mark’s shoulder, begging God to keep him safe and help him wake back up.

I don’t know how much time passed, but suddenly Mark opened his eyes again and smiled at me. He sat for a little bit longer to regain his sight and make sure the dizziness was over. Soon he was back on his feet, the chair disappeared and we continued the wedding ceremony.

You know what? All those people were right. At the end of the day, the thing that lasted is that Mark and I were married. Despite set-backs and problems throughout the day, we still walked out of the church as husband and wife. God gave us a glimpse on our wedding day of just how fragile life can be, I hope that we remember that lesson and treasure the days we have together.

As Thanksgiving nears, I’m thankful for the Husband God blessed me with, for the way He brought us together and for the testimony we have of God’s faithfulness in our lives.

(P.S. Turns out Mark had the same thing as everybody else in my family and ended up getting sick before the night was over. Poor guy! And everyone just thought he locked his knees during the ceremony!)

Thanks to Jerry Palmer for the picture - Mr. & Mrs. Hopkins!!

Life at Full Speed

Life during session, means life at full speed. A moment to breath, a moment to reorganize thoughts is a thing of the past. I look at the calendar and the lack of free space and time causes my heart rate to elevate. 

But God is giving me the strength to take it one day at a time, minute by minute. I will survive and I will attempt to do my very best and give my all in this job that God has blessed me with providing. 

New Adventures

I haven't blogged much in the past few weeks, but I've had good reasons. After my last post about "Letting Go", God began to work in amazing and mighty ways. On Saturday I will celebrate One Month with the most thoughtful, caring, sweet and awesome guy I've known. Our story is one that only God could have written and I'm thankful I can look back and smile and how and what He has worked out to bring us together. I plan on writing our story down some day, if for no other reason then to help us remember that God is in control and has every detail perfectly planned.

This past week I've been cooped up in my house, thanks to a massive snow storm. 3 days off work has meant time to sleep in, hang with my roommate, read, cook, study my bible, catch up on office work and enjoy being at home. I'm thankful for this time of reflection and relaxation, but I'm also looking forward to hopefully getting out tomorrow and spending time with my guy!

Letting Go

I had this picture in my mind of what my life looked like and what it would look like for the next few years. I know that God led me to a specific place, at a specific time, for a specific purpose and because that was the picture I had been given, I clung to that picture. I held on tight, like a little child clinging to four quarters, even as they are being offered a five dollar bill.

Not too long ago, God started changing that picture. This change meant He had to pry my fingers away from the old picture. I guess I'm just stubborn, and I wasn't ready to let go. "God, you gave me this picture, don't you remember? You can't change it now, this is the one you gave to me."

Slowly, I let go. I opened my fist and laid my desires before the Lord, I submitted to His plans. And it was at that point I discovered the truth worth of what was being offered to me. God replaced that older picture, not a bad one by any means, with something fresh, new and better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me the value of Letting Go.

Memories for a Lifetime

SAT - Ohio 2010

November was such a busy month that I didn't get an opportunity (or didn't take time) to update this blog. But November started in a wonderful way with a trip to Canton, Ohio. I worked with an amazing team of leaders, parents and students on the Ohio State Republican Party Get Out the Vote project. We basically worked the final days of the campaign for Congressional Candidate Jim Renacci, Senatorial Candidate Rob Portman and Gubernatorial Candidate John Kasich.

"He's from North America, he lives in a house"

It was an intense 7 days of driving, phone calls, curfews, door knocking, leading, laughter, and seeing God's hand at work. Our leadership team bonded quickly and by the 2nd day we were finishing each other's sentences. The late nights and early mornings made for some very interesting conversations and the hotel staff kept wondering about these poor people who sat in the lobby staring at their computer screens for hours on end. One night they even offered to make us a fresh pot of coffee since we'd been there since they got on duty.

"I slept through my alarm clock this morning....and I was sleeping on the FLOOR!"

I was responsible for 7 students during the project. Being responsible meant I had to make sure they got fed, arrived at the various locations on time and that they stayed safe throughout the project. My team was a unique group of people -- in discussing team names, one idea considered was "Team Guy Who Almost Ran Bella Over With a Truck", (Don't ask me, apparently it is from Twilight?) - we later became "Team Original" which fit quite nicely.

"I had plans, to make plans"

Each day brought new challenges, but our team met them head-on. In one day I had van troubles (with my rental van), a student from my team lost his wallet, another student was yelled at by a constituent and yet two other students took a wrong turn in the neighborhood and got lost for about 10 minutes. Most of the issues were minor, and while it was tempting to let it get us down, the students rallied their spirits and looked for the humor in our day. I remember driving down a street, laughing so hard I had to pull over to the side of the road. I broke down in tears at the end of that day, the weight of responsibility I felt for those students was more intense than I had expected. But I'm thankful for that day of trials -- that is the memory that all of us walked away cherishing.

"I almost ran over a squirrel, not like I haven't done that before, but...."

In the end, our team won. The election results were in our favor, but that was only a small part of our victory. We walked away from the week with new friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

"Your job, is just to be awesome!"