I've Been Finding Beauty In Unusual Places

Things I have learned about Love and Dating // Published in The Courier

o   When you are arguing, do not say NEVER and ALWAYS.

o   Figuring out how your loved one gives and receives love is essential.

o   You have to learn how to do something you don’t enjoy if it makes your loved one happy.

o   Take it slow!

o   Set clear boundaries; For example: If you don’t have it, don’t touch it.

o   Before you say I love you, make sure you want to marry them, and also, make sure you know and can act out what that phrase means.

o   Never ever talk bad about each other in public.

o   Always talk to each other before you talk to someone else about an issue or exciting news.

o   Praying together is an intimate thing, do not do it too early in your relationship.

o   Be on the same level theologically and spiritually.

o   Men, you should be leading spiritually.

o   Do not make-out in public and limit your PDA. It is fair to assume that what you are doing in public, you are taking it one or two steps further in private.

o   If you want Christ at the center of your relationship, he must first be at the center of your heart. If Christ is number one for both of you, than he will automatically be the center of your relationship.

o   Read books and seek advice from married couples.

o   Tell your loved one everyday how good looking they are.

And a few reminiscent pictures of the country(Nicaragua) and man (Greg) that I love!

A Mommy Who is Beautiful Inside and Out

I had so much fun working with Jen. She is absolutely beautiful, inside and out! I am very privileged that Jen and her husband are allowing me to capture this amazing blessing over the next year! I met Jen at Trinity and I instantly new she was different than the rest. She has blessed me so much in the past year and a half with her encouraging words. Thank you for such a fun afternoon deary, enjoy the sneak peak!

Generations

I love my Great-Grandmothers. Although they are not with me today, they have profoundly impacted my life. And, it is from them I get my first name. As I go through this process of preparing myself for marriage I can't help but think of those who are gone who I would love to share this joy with. Because I can not tell them in person, I wear their jewelery; I know it would make them proud. I thank the LORD, for HE is good.

Mahseh Center

The Mahseh Center is a Christian retreat house located in Kewanna, Indiana.(http://www.mahseh.org/) This past weekend the entire Resident Life staff at Trinity took two days to relax, laugh, and receive a couple teachings here. It was a beautiful weekend and it was a much needed weekend. To be able to reconnect with those friends to whom I only get to say hello to as we pass; to be able to share, cry, laugh and pray together was a true privilege. The lake the house is located on was frozen and allowed for some to walk across it while others of us remained inside playing games and spending time reflecting. This place was beautiful and so was my time. Below are pictures of the home and some of the most amazing people in the world. (And I just wanted to say that I finally got the courage to shoot in fully manual!)

Snapshots of My Childhood

I look at these photographs and a flood of memories come to mind. I think, wow Lord, You are good! 

(Oh, and I had to change the background because apparently mine is no longer available)

I just can't get enough of that laugh!

Random Thoughts

Just thought I would share with you all this picture of Greg and I at our Senior year of High School Prom, almost 4 years ago! Can't believe I wore a white prom dress, sometimes I crack my self up.

Okay, so wow, I've already been engaged for three weeks!!!
The first week was celebratory, see everybody I knew and hug and kiss them.
The second week was my besties actual wedding week, her moment to shine, my moment to serve.
The third week, well, I've spent it sick as a dog, laying in bed. But, I managed to get up, shower, and curl my hair, I feel like a bride again :)

I feel kinda outta control, I feel as though I've planned my whole wedding already. But, I mean, I just can't resist, I am a planner and a wedding fanatic! I think it is so funny how my whole life I've planned secret weddings and the one I am currently planning looks nothing like I ever created before, but I absolutely love how it is all coming together!

As some of you may or may not know, with blogspot.com you can see the stats of how many times your blog gets visited, no worries I can't tell who sees it, just how many times daily it gets viewed. I have to admit, it makes my day when I see that people have visited and apparently a lot of people do read it! Something that many people do is keep a wedding website or blog. I've thought about it and wondered if people would enjoy reading/looking at it.

So, I have a request:

*If you do read THIS blog, would you comment to let me know if you would visit my wedding blog/site, too. You can just do it anonymously and tell me in the message its you. (Like Grams B does :) If enough of you want it, I will devote to doing it. I look forward to your comments :)

Merry Christmas

So grateful that Greg and I got to spend the day with my sister and her family this week! To say the least, it was an eventful photo shoot, but after a long day, I managed to get a handful of images where everyone looks adorable. And a valuable lesson: Babies require much patience during a photo shoot and a lot of the time needs to be dedicated towards making them happy. 

I hope your Christmas is blessed and that you would find rest in the shadow of HIS wings! Merry Christmas!