3 Years

Three Years ago today, I married my best friend. Three years ago today, at this time, I was waking up excited to be a bride. Three years ago today, I realized what love was. Three years ago, I loved my husband less than I do today.





Marriage is a beautiful thing and I have been so privileged to have chosen to build one with such an amazing man. The last three years have been full of ups, downs, backs, and forths. They have been stretching, exciting, and full of love. They have been funny, sad, happy, and scary.



I feel like I should let the world in on the secret that is my husband. He loves Jesus and aspires to lead our marriage biblically. He is kind and still flirts with me like he did in high school. He has a heart for children and I cannot wait to see what he will do as a father. He is funny and we laugh often. He is a man's man who loves sports, outdoors, and other manly things. He is quiet, but thoughtful. He is insanely organized *cough ocd cough*, but its good because I'm not. This next thought may seem a bit odd, but its important. He respects me, speaks kindly to me in public, and stands up for me. He makes submitting to him and serving him easy because he serves me and loves me like Jesus loved the church.





Our marriage has been such a ride and I am excited to see where God leads us next. I love my husband more today than I did the day I married him. I often wonder what it will be like 10, 20, 30 years from now. I pray that God blesses us with a long, healthy, fun life together. I am learning, everyday it seems, how to be a godly woman and wife to him. I only hope that I can be as good to him as he has been to me.

Husby, I know you will read this. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being all of those things that I listed above. Thank you for loving me, even when I go a little crazy or say silly things. Thank you for having a heart that longs to serve the poor and orphans. I love and appreciate you.

Baby L.

Hello All,

As promised, here are some pictures from my first Baby Session! I was so thrilled with how these turned out!

Running

So, as some of you know, I restarted the C25K program (for those who don't, google couch to 5k and you will see what I'm talking about). This time I am running with a friend. Let me tell you, running with a friend has made a lot of difference in how far I've gotten with this program. No longer can I just decide I don't want to run today because Dorothy and I have already made plans to run. Also, as we are running I don't stop because I'm tired, I keep going. Running is very mental and having support really helps me in that area.

Anyways, I'm writing this entry as I wait for Dorothy so we can go run week 4 day 2. This week is much harder than the rest. We have begun running 1/2 miles. This doesn't sound like much to many of you, but to me its a lot. I do not know if I have run 1/2 since middle school, even then I'm pretty sure I walked some of it.

This program has gotten me thinking a lot about perseverance. How do we keep going when things get tough? This is especially hard for me. For certain areas of my life I can keep going through the tough times. This happens with friendships, marriage, and school. For some unknown reason to me, I have the darndest time stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing anything physical that pushes my limits.

Well, I finished my run today. Accidentally lost 30 seconds on the last run, but I know I could have kept going.

So I'll keep pushing along... all the way to 3 miles!

Tradition

I should be writing a paper about my groups class, but it seems fitting that I blog instead. The title of my post is tradition and it is tradition for me to blog as a form of procrastination. Why end that tradition now?

It's odd but I seem to be at my most creative when I am putting off writing academic papers. You would think I would allow some of this creativity to flow into those papers rather than aimlessly out into bloggerland.

Update on my mom... She is out! She went home this week and is doing much better. She still isn't feeling well because of the steroids she is on. This is an answer to prayer! I was getting really worried when she wasn't going home within a day or too. If you all could continue to pray for healing that would be awesome.

Update on photography... I shot my first baby session today with little baby Landon. I can't wait to get working on them! I plan to post them soon. Sadly, papers come before pictures. Also, if you know anyone who needs some pictures send them my way! I could really use the income/experience this summer.

Life seems to be on the upswing. Classes are wrapping up, weather is warming up, and I'm lightening up. I feel like I'm on the verge of this rut ending, but I'm still feeling the effects. I haven't figured out what God is trying to teach me with this, probably because I haven't had a lot of connection with Him lately...maybe that's it.

Well, I really should get back to (ok, lets be honest...begin) writing one of my 5 papers due this week. One more week...One more week...One more week.

Summer, please come soon.

Update

Hello All,

Quick update on my mom.

I was able to come to Fort Wayne today to see her. She was surprised and seemed encouraged from the visit. She is doing alright, still in the hospital and probably will be there at least another day. They have upped her diet to a transitional diet and currently say there is no blockage. However, she is still not feeling well and the inflammation does not seem to be going down and the doctor's don't seem to be saying why things are the way they are.

Prayer Requests:

Healing
Less Inflammation
Good Doctors
Quick(er) Recovery
That she would rely on God right now.

Greg and I will be back into town tomorrow afternoon, if surgery becomes the option (it isn't now) I will be headed back here. Regardless, she seems very upbeat and hopes to possibly be sent home tomorrow or monday if the inflammation finally subsides.

Prayer Request

Hello all,

This will be a super quick blog. If any of you who read this could be praying for my mom it would be great! She was admitted to the hospital wednesday for a Crohn's flare up. Surgery doesn't sound like an option right now so thats good, but they are keeping her to see if she can handle a diet of solids, right now she is on a clear liquid diet. She sounds upbeat and seems to be doing alright.

Specifically pray for:
Healing from this horrible disease
less pain and the ability to eat solids
good doctors who know their stuff
a positive attitude for both her and me


Thanks :)

Quiet

Quiet - the word that describes me as of late. However, nothing about my life right now is quiet. I am busy, beyond busy with school and work. Yet, I sit here and write, because its a wanted distraction from writing papers about nothing in particular.

I've been quiet for other reasons to. I find myself with little to say, which if you know me is unlike me. I have been in a rut for some time now. I would like to say its been a short sort of rut, but I think I have been in it for a little longer than would qualify for the description of short. I have been intensely lonely lately. This is due to a couple of reasons, none of which bare mentioning on a public blog. Mainly, I miss my best friends. I have some really great friendships with some really great women who all (except one) happen to live, at minimum, 2 hours away. Two of which live in completely different states. I miss having people who "get" me. These friends understand my sarcasm, get my impatience, and don't seem to mind when I say "flippin" or "frickin a" when I get frustrated or excited. They get that when Im busy I get stressed out, flustered, and sometimes need a shoulder to cry on. These women know me deeply, they know my past, they have been with me through tough times, and they understand why I am who I am. Even now, I sit here, staring at the blinking line that begs me to keep typing and I don't know what to type. I just miss them. I miss being free enough to spend time with the ones that are close and call the ones that aren't. I miss being as happy as I used to be. That what ruts seem to do to you, deplete you of your joy.

God created us to be in relationship with one another and the past year has been really tough in that area for me. You can read through my blog and see why, no need to rehash it all now. However, I am so thankful for those friends who get me. Cassie, Meggan, Julie, and Sarah K, I don't know where Id be without you. If you read this, thanks for being great friends who love me and accept me as I am.

Note: This blog is not to say that I don't have other good friends or to say that people have been bad to me in any way. Just a rut. PS my husband has been such a trooper during this rut, he is such a great support.

Hopefully as the summer sun begins to shine and I begin to regain some control over how I spend my time, the rut will lessen and I won't be so down.

Summer get here soon :)