Our first "Sexy Christmas" ;)

Today, we celebrated our first "sexy Christmas".  We started by opening our festive chonies last night!  I have to say, you did an awesome job of picking mine out...i love them! This morning, we made snowman pancakes and had candy cane coffee and opened all our presents!  We talked about how in the future, we will send the kiddos off to grandma and grandpa's house and keep this tradition every year :) :) :) It is such a wonderful way to celebrate our 6 months even in the middle of the Christmas season!  I love you very much and am excited for the next few days of celebrating! 

almost 6 months already! and Christmas!

Helloooo handsome!  I love looking back at the previous posts and seeing what was going on in our lives at that time.. very special!  So, since I have not written here in almost 3 months and there is a lot to tell, I will make a list:
- I hit 1.5 years in my intership with Intel and am now in the middle of a mandatory 6 month break.  I briefly took a job with a company called MyBinding.com and hated it! We have been toying with some ideas about starting our own businesses and are starting to work toward those!  We are in the process of taking over your parent's janitorial business and getting new customers. It has been interesting so far and I am excited to see where it goes.  Long-term, our goal is to be able to run our own businesses from home so that we can be home with our kids ;) You have a potential offer to work as a golf instructor this summer and we are also very excited to see where that leads!
- We went on a 2 week trip to Mexico with your family about a month ago.  It was around 90 the entire time we were there...gorgeous weather. It was surprising to us that we did not enjoy this vacation as much as the first time and we learned that we love to be adventurous- we are hoping to only go to mexico every other year and use the alternate year to go somewhere new and explore new cities and activities! We also discovered that 2 weeks is a little too long for a vacation! We took fun family pictures on the beach that turned out beautifully!
- It is now full on winter in Oregon and so far, it has been ok! I was very worried about being cold all winter long, but it has not been as bad as I thought. We have a bunch of frogs that live under our house and they are sometimes a little noisy, but pretty cute! we have also had a bunch of issues with flooding...we put a car port in our back yard and put gravel in it which elevated the ground around our house so the water is all pooling right under our back porch.  we currently have a huge pile of gravel in the back and are attempting to even out the ground!
- We have been leading our small group this season and hosting it at our house!  It has been interesting, but overall a good experience. At first, it felt way too small, but after Emily started attending again with baby Claire and Tamara started attending more regularly, it felt a lot better!  We are not sure if we will be hosting again next season- trying to talk to Rosie and Nathan about having it at their apartment, but we will have to wait and see..
- We are getting a puppy!  Your parents are bringing back our sweet girl from Mexico on January 9th and you could not be more excited.  You watch bull terrier videos on YouTube for hours on end and talk about it constantly.  I am not anywhere near as excited as you, but it will be fun to have a new addition to our sweet little family! We are thinking we will name her "Cecilia" and call her "CeCe" for short ;)
- We are heading to Eugene this next weekend for Ashlee and Danny's wedding!  I am a bridesmaid and am pretty excited for it!  We will be heading up on a Saturday for the rehearsal dinner and then will be heading to a bed&breakfast for a romantic night to celebrate our 6 month anniversary!  The wedding will be Sunday, December 16! I can't wait!
- You have been brewing beer with your brother, Cesar, and Lupito...interesting, but you seem to be having fun ;)
-I started taking an adult women's gymnastics class and just love it!  I still have so much of my tumbling- it is awesome. I recently got my layout full back on the floor! and I almost have my cartwheel on the high beam back! 
- You are in your last week of school for this semester and then you will only have ONE semester left!  You have been working really hard and have been getting awesome grades and I am so proud of you!
- You got a snowboarding season pass this year- technically your Christmas gift, but pretty early ;) You are very excited about it and I am very excited about the reason that we got it for you ;) ;) ;)

That is about it!  Life has been very busy, but very fun and we are just loving it! 
Thank you for being my husband and my best friend through it all!  I am so excited to celebrate our 6 month wedding anniversary and then Christmas with you this month!  A year of firsts for us... :)

3 months already!

Hi Jesus!

I just wanted to write so I could capture this time of our lives.  Last night, we celebrated 3 months of marriage! I do not know how those 3 months went by so quickly...! We had been pet sitting my mom's kitten for several nights, so we were happy to be back in our cozy house and we celebrated by drinking leftover wedding wine and watching "Coming to America". Last night, we also killed 11 flies and 2 spiders.  One of the spiders was HUGE and it came up on your arm when you were cleaning the vents......ugh.  It reminded me of how scared I am of spiders and what a long winter we are in for.  I am a little scared for our first winter here.  We have mouse holes everywhere outside and we have to sprinkle poison everywhere unless we want unwelcome guests.... We are going to get a ton of spiders!  and it is already freezing in our house in the mornings (even with all of our thermal curtains up)...I can't imagine how it will feel come January! eeeek.  But for now, I am enjoying the fall season!  You bought some syrup so we can make pumpkin spice lattes!  and we went to Goodwill and got everything we needed for Christmas decorations this past week!  Soooo fun to think about our first Christmas as a married couple ;) We still have lots of work to do around the house to ensure we're all ready for winter (finish painting the shed, finish staining the wood, crap car oil change and wipers, bolt down side house panels, etc.etc) but we are finally getting there!  The finish line is in sight and I cannot wait for lazy winter nights with you!  You are OBSESSED with getting a puppy.  We want to have it by Christmas time so we really do need to know where we're getting it from in a month or so, but you just look and look and look and look.  You even look at breeds that we would never ever get hahahaha. you are so funny- just like an excited little boy.  I love you very much and I am so excited to be married for these next 3 months...so much fun during this time!  our mexico trip, a new puppy, our first married Christmas....!  <3

I love...

I love that you put our first dance song as my ringtone on your new phone!

I love that we get to celebrate your 22nd birthday in two days (our first birthday as a married couple!)

I love that we read before bed (right now, we are reading "The Hiding Place"!  You have never read it and I am so excited for you to hear this story- it is inspiring)

I love that we might be hosting the Fall session of small group at our cozy little house!

I love that we put house numbers up yesterday so people won't be confused where our house is anymore ;)

I love that we have been making delicious coffee :)

I love how cozy our bed is and how it makes us not want to get up in the morning

I love that we watched some ridiculous "classic" horror film last night

I love waking up next to you every morning!  I am so glad we haven't had to spend a night apart yet...45 nights together and loving every one

I love how badly you want a puppy.  I know I sighed when you talked about it AGAIN yesterday, but only because we aren't ready for one yet and can't afford it right now.  I want one too and I love seeing that nurturing side of you come out.... you are going to be a great daddy someday

I love cooking dinner together!

I love that by the end of the week we will have a porch swing set up on our front porch and can sit out there enjoying our peaceful, beautiful view, sipping on some wine together, and talking about our days :)

I love being your wife!  It is the biggest joy of my life so far and I am so excited to see our love grow!  <3

Te amo mi vida!

hello husband :)

Hello husband :)
I am at our cozy house watching our favorite murder mystery show and drinking hot chocolate.  You are at work... I miss you so much!  Come home to me and cuddle up on the couch and watch our show with me ;)  You are such a hard worker.  I am so proud of you and all that you do.  Thank you for being my husband and working to provide for us!  Today, we have been married 5 weeks.  It has already been an adventure- going to Cabo, trying to get Frontier to work with us, lots of fun little stories that only we share.  I love that.  I am excited to watch the Olympics with you this week!  I remember a little something that happened in 2008 while we were watching the olympic gymnastics...can't believe it has already been 4 years! I love you love you love you and cannot wait to love on you when you get home in just a little while!  xoxoxo

1 month anniversary already!

Hello handsome! 
I cannot believe it has already been a month since our wedding!  We have been crazy busy with our honeymoon, moving in together, going back to work, etc.  I haven't had time to write to you in quite some time.  I just wanted to write to you and say thank you! Thank you for working so hard on our house and all the little things we need to fix. Thank you for being my husband and learning and growing with me.  Thank you for being our spiritual leader and leading me through devotionals and Bible reading.  Thank you for being patient with me as we learn our little quirks and try to adjust to living together.  Thank you for having a servant heart and so readily putting me first.  I love you and all that you are and I feel like the luckiest woman to be your wife!  I love our sweet home, I love our inside jokes, I love the traditions that we are starting... everything about our new adventure together makes me smile.  I know that as we come out of our "honeymoon phase" things might start getting rough as we continue to transition and learn about each other, but I am so glad that we are armed with knowledge and a super strong foundation.  I love that our relationship is founded in friendship.  You are my absolute best friend- my confidant, my buddy, my go to guy.  We have been through ups and downs and we have studied Godly relationships and surrounded ourselves with Godly people, strong friendships, and families- I know we have the support network we need.  I am so excited to see what this first ("hardest year") holds for us.  We are coming up on a time of uncertainty with my internship ending and I know we will need to learn quickly to really trust each other.  I couldn't be more excited to see how God uses this time to grow our relationship and teach us to trust.  I love you and feel so lucky to go through life with you by my side!  Happy 1 month-iversary :)

Our wedding day! 6/23/12

My sweet boy! Today is our wedding day! :) I can hardly believe that in literally 12 hours, we will be husband and wife....I am about to get out of bed and shower and then put on a simple black dress and sweater and head over to our house to join you for coffee and then we will drive out to McMinnville together <3 We have poured ourselves into planning this special occassion and I know it will be the most special day of our lives... even if some things don't go as planned ;) More important than our wedding day, however, is the rest of our marriage!  I know we are off to a great start with premarital counseling, a supportive small group, and surrounding ourselves with loving friends and family.  I cannot wait to see our marriage grow and our relationship deepen over the years!  I love you so much now- it is amazing to think that my love will just continue to grow deeper and in 50 years...! I cannot wait to kiss you at the altar today and to start the rest of our lives... <3 I love you!

out last dating date...

Last night, you took me out on our last date as a dating couple.  The next date we go on will be as a married couple!  The wedding is now only 3 days away and it is amazing to look back at everything.  Last night was a much needed time to reflect on the past four and a half years and remember everything we have been through!  We remembered the awkward first 6 months of our relationship before I left for college in California.  You were not looking for anything serious, and I was super serious about only wanting to date my husband.  Lucky for me, I intrigued you enough to continue pursuing me even into a distance relationship.  A year and a half of distance was so hard!  I remember how awkward it would feel when we would first see each other after a couple months of only talking on the phone.  I remember when you were waiting for my grandma and I at Shadow park and I saw you and thought "wow" because I had only seen your face via skype for so long i had forgotten how handsome you were.  i remember when we finally lived close again and starting to spend time together every single day.  we decided that we either wanted our relationship to start moving toward marriage and work through some of the issues we were having or to call it quits before investing any more of ourselves.  that was the lowest period of our relationship as of yet, but we learned so much about each other!  We really got to know each other on a new level and got to understand what the other person is looking for, needs to feel loved, etc.  and it was such a huge step forward!  I remember my senior year at Pacific.  I went through some time of seriously doubting that I wanted to marry you if I had never dated anyone else.  How did I know that you were perfect for me if I had never tried anyone else... I struggled with that a lot that year.  but we also had a LOT of fun that year!  we went to all my school dances and functions, we went to a lot of parties with my sorority, my crazy roommate threw a couple of hilarious parties at our apartment, we got serious in the small group we had joined and made some amazing new friends, we started thinking about life post college.  I remember when you got in your car accident and feeling terrified!  I remember being so upset that you called me last.  I wanted to be the first one that you came to for anything and everything.  Your incision got infected and you could not come on the cruise with my family.  I was so mad at you even though it wasn't your fault.  I remember our huge fight right before I took off on international waters for a week and wouldn't be able to talk to you.  I remember getting back onto American soil and listening to my 30 voicemails from you.  In one of them you talked about some of our dear friends and their story was so encouraging for you.  I remember letting my guard down after that message and realizing that you were right and that I was so caught up in wanting everything to be perfect I wasn't enjoying what I had right in front of me.  I remember coming home to a room filled with little presents and a closet filled with balloons :) You told me you would come lay in my bed while I was gone because you missed me.  That week was so eye opening for us... we really loved each other and we really wanted to be together.  I remember that next week when you drove me out to Shane Co. and asked me to pick out a ring!  That was the happiest day of my life! You spent all summer working to pay off a ring for me and we were so excited.  Then you finally proposed one day after your birthday... and the last 10 months have been a blur of planning and craziness.  but now the big day is almost here and I cannot wait!  Last night, I cried tears of joy, but also tears of sadness as we talked about ending this chapter in our lives.  I have learned so much about myself, about you, about life over these past four and a half years.  I am sad to see this time of our lives become "history", but I am excited to move into this next chapter with you.  I know the best is yet to come and I cannot wait to experience life with you!  I feel so lucky that I met you at only 17 and that we got/get to go through so much learning, growing, experiencing together!  I would not want to experience life with anyone else!  So  *cheers* to our story and to our future! I love you, my fiancee!

Finding happiness...together :)

This morning, I was feeling overwhelmed.  I was stressing about all the things to get done for the wedding and all the changes taking place.  My dad told me last night to slow down and enjoy the last week before the wedding.  I was angry that he would think I wasn't enjoying it.  This afternoon, I took some time to slow down and think.  I went for a long walk and just thought.  He is right, I have not been enjoying it.  It has been making me anxious and tense and worried.  I have also been really worried about my job and how it will all end up come September when my internship ends.  I am scared because I am not loving my job.  I am scared because the job exacerbates my personality and encourages me to be always on, always stressed, always working.  That is NOT what I need in life.  I want to enjoy life!  I want to find what makes my soul sing.  I want to find something that I am passionate about and pursue it!  I know that I am passionate about being a mother- and I know that you are on board and someday when we are ready to have children, I can pursue that with my whole heart.  I am so excited for that and I am so thrilled that you are on board with letting me live out that dream!  But, until then, I don't want to waste away the years working at a job that leaves me feeling dull and empty.  I want to figure out what makes me happy, what I am passionate about, who I am.... I thought about all of this during my walk today.  I came up with several things that make me HAPPY

1) Exploring nature
2) Photography- I especially love taking pictures of people
3) Gymnastics and dance
4) Psychology- I especially love studying relationships
5) Supporting you- encouraging you in your walk with God, in your career, and in your personal development

I know that this summer is going to be a whirlwind with your job, the farm season, adjusting to our new home and lifestyle, and being newlyweds.  I know that the two months after our wedding and honeymoon will fly by and be busy as ever, and I am ok with that.  However, come September, I would really like to take some time to explore these different passions of mine.  I would like to do some studying, take some classes, go on some trips, explore, pursue... and find out who I really am- who God has made me to be!  I would also love to take some time and think about where we can plug in and volunteer.  I feel that volunteering and learning to give humbly and selflessly will be the biggest blessing for our marriage.  I am so excited to explore all these different areas with you and discover more about ourselves.  So many people say that 21 is too young to get married, but I disagree.  I am so excited to get to grow into our personalities and passions together.  We are still just discovering who we are and what we want out of life and I feel so lucky to have you by my side as I learn.  I feel so blessed to have you by my side to encourage me to keep growing and learning and to help me along the way!  I hope I can be a wife that encourages you and helps you grow.  I want to be the kind of wife that inspires you and takes pride in your accomplishments.  I want you to feel like a little school boy, running home to tell me what you learned or accomplished because you know I will be so proud of you.  I cannot wait to go through this with YOU.  You are the love of my life and I am so thankful for you!

:)

hello handsome!  i have not written to you in so long- sorry! life has been blurring by so quickly! we are getting married in SEVENTEEN days! holy cow! i am so excited! :) this past weekend was mari's baby shower.  yesterday, our little nephew was born (4 lbs 12 oz.) and it was so much fun to see him!  tomorrow, nick arrives in town! friday, alex graduates from high school! life is just sooo busy but so full of fun and exciting things!  our time is finally almost here and everyone will be getting excited for us :) I cannot wait for all the events- bachelor and bachelorette parties, bridal shower, moving in together, and of course the wedding itself! Jesus, you are my very best friend and I feel so lucky to get to have you as my life partner! Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin and even through my bridezilla stages ;) You are the best and I love you!

my roommate ;)

well hello there matress owner ;) I cannot wait to set up our bedroom with our super soft sheets, our cozy down comforter, our gorgeous duvet cover, and our awesome bedroom set.  you are going to be my favorite roommate ever! ;)

working working working

I love you! This past week has been amazing.  Now that we have our house, it is wonderful to make plans with you!  Everything has become so real.  We have been looking at mattresses for a while now, but NOW it is like we actually get to picture where it will go in our cozy little house and it makes these decisions so much easier and much more romantic.  Although our house needs a lot of work, it is going to be perfect for our needs.  just to document where everything is: we need to replace the ceiling in the master bathroom due to water damage, we need to replace the master bathtub, we need to replace the bathroom door with a hole in it, we need to get a new dishwasher, we need to get a new stove, we need to paint many walls (although now the obnoxious pink and purple walls have primer on it!), we need to paint the outside of the house, we need to spray away hornet nests, we need to try to find a way to keep the heat in- it has been freezing in there every time i've walked in.  we need to get a lot of lamps because it is super dark in there. after that, our house will be ready to start moving in to!  we will need more storage room because there is not much... we still need to buy our bedroom furniture and mattress, and figure out what we are doing for a book shelf and coffee table, but other than that we are just about done with furniture! i cannot wait to look back on this blog in a few months and remember how much work we had to do on it!  it will be so cozy and so perfect for us once we're done.  i am so thankful for your parents help in getting it ready!  we could not do it without them.  today, you are working all day and I am going to spend the day working on wedding stuff: song list, updating our registries and website, researching our marriage contract, etc. etc. i am so ready for all of this planning to be over with and to just get to relax with you on our honeymoon ;) it cannot come soon enough!

rope swing

<3

pin the mustache on the groom ;)

I am having too much fun looking at bridal shower games... check this one out! I realized it is even funnier because you're hispanic hahaha. I am SO excited for the festivities to begin! I cannot wait for my shower and my bachelorette party! what a fun time of life :) There has been a lot of stress in planning, but thinking about all the FUN of the wedding week makes it all worth while.  Then planning our honeymoon itinerary yesterday was soo fun- amazing to think that we get to go on that special trip!  what a blessing! i can't wait to take our first vacation together.  omg i just realized we forgot to schedule in the surfing lessons that came with our groupon for the hotel in el pescador hahah whoops! we had better make room for that... although your mom would sure be happy if we didn't go surfing haha. i cannot waaaait! my heart is just filled with joy and i owe so much of my happiness to you... you are my best friend, you are patient, you are loyal, you are everything that i need. you are such a smart, kind man and i am SO lucky i get to spend my life as your wife.  you are going to be an amazing husband ;)

I love you!

I love you :) I am so excited to start our new lives together!  It is crazy how time is flying...only 9 and 1/2 weeks to go!  I am really excited to get our house and start buying furniture!  This time of planning has been really fun- it has been so special to me to go furniture shopping and think about what kind of carpet we want.  All of this planning is for OUR house and OUR future and OUR new family- and it is soo exciting!  I cannot wait to move in with you and begin our new lives ;)

our first wedding gift :)

Hello handsome! I have not written a post in quite some time- I guess I was too busy enjoying our vacation ;) I had a fabulous time with you in Mexico and feel so blessed that we got to go on that trip and just enjoy some down time before the whirlwind of wedding planning.  I cannot believe we only have 79 days left until our wedding... where did all the time go?! I got home from our vacation to find our first wedding gift on my desk.  We got the silverware that we registered for- the kind you are sooo excited about ;) and i cannot wait to start using it with you! i really really want to get our house already so we can start working on it! i cannot wait to move in with you <3 i love you so much and i look forward to these next 11 weeks and all the stress and craziness they bring- this is a once in a lifetime experience and i am so glad i get to experience it with you!

planning, planning, planning...

OK- I am getting soooo excited to see my "bride" look come together.  I now have my dress, my veil, my shoes, my garter, my jewelry, and my hair picked out! i just need to figure out makeup and I will be READY! I cannot wait to see the way you look at me when you see me all done up on our special day :) I also cannot wait to see our wedding pictures and choose the ones we want to hang up in our house.  We will treasure the memories from our wedding day for the rest of our lives, and I cannot wait! :) Also, I think that our idea of picking out wedding day chonies for each other is hilarious. I cannot wait to see what you pick out for me! I have been looking into getting you personalized boxers, but I still have no idea what ones to get you! sometimes, wedding planning is soo stressful.  but then there are other parts of it that are so fun, like finding the perfect shoes or picking our your wedding day underwear.  I am so SO lucky to get to plan this special day with you!

support..

Jesus- I am soo excited to start our lives together!  It is very overwhelming trying to figure out insurance plans, phone plans, internet and tv...all the basics for living on our own!  It is crazy that you and I are going to be our own little family!  We are going to leave our parents and cleave to each other.  We are going to need to rely on each other for support.  It is really scary to think about it- and maybe I do not quite feel ready.  I do not think I would ever feel ready though if I never took the leap.  I am excited to take this leap with you! I could not have found a better man to be my life partner and my support.  You are so perfect for me.. :) The Lord has truly blessed our relationship and given me so much assurance that we have His blessing to move forward in our relationship.  I am excited to continue to pursue our Lord together and grow together through our marriage!

Spring Break in Mexico... :)

I am really excited to go to Mexico with you in just a couple weeks!  It will be so fun to get to see your family's house and just have some bonding time with them!  You really get to know someone when you go on vacation with them.... I am sure it will be interesting, but so much fun! I am really really excited to get to relax!  I think that we really need to just get away and take some time off from life and wedding planning...it will be so good for our sanity as well as our relationship :) I am kind of afraid of the jellyfish and scorpions, but I know that it will be so much fun!  All I can say is sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Anyway, I am so excited to go on our second vacation together!  By the way, after Mexico, the next vacation we go on together will be our honeymoon.... :) :)

I LOVE YOU <3

You've got a friend in me!

One of my favorite parts of our relationship is our deep friendship. I consider you my very best friend, Jesus!  I love how we can just be goofy together, play jokes, and be ourselves.  I love our inside jokes....wouter smook, man thong, oh my lanta.... :) I absolutely LOVE our first dance song!  The words are so perfect for our relationship and a perfect representation of how any marriage should be.  I hope you always know that you have a friend in me!

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
Just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got troubles, well I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and we see it through
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
But none of them will ever love you the way I do
It's me and you, boy
And as the years go by
our friendship will never die
You're gonna see
It's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's day!  I was really busy at work all day and it was so amazing to get to go out on a wonderful date with you  and celebrate our love! We started out our date going out to our faaavorite restaurant, Red Robin.  I love sharing a burger with you and those fries are to die for- especially with a little ranch and a little sweet chile sauce ;) we then headed over to your brother's house to give our beautiful nieces their cards and cookies.  I love those little girls so much! It is really going to be fun living so close to them and watching them grow up! The girls kept hitting their singing balloons that their dad gave them and telling me they were at a concert and dancing...so cute! Then we went to go see "The Vow", which was really cute and I love how you get so wrapped up in girly movies just for me. and the best part of the day was my present... i am going to treasure it forever!  yesterday, we talked about how neither of us really remembers any previous Valentine's days...so I wanted to document our amazing date yesterday so we can always remember :) i look forward to many, many more Valentine's days with you over the years ;)

remembering the past, looking toward our future :)

Hello handsome :)
I am so excited for you to read these all in a few months... I still have not figured out what else to get you as a groom's gift, but I know that you will love this part of your present! 

Today, we found out that another one of our friends/family is pregnant.  It is crazy how many babies are going to be born this summer! It makes me think about our future and how excited we will feel when it is our turn.  Isn't it amazing to think about a new little person that will be our creation and will reflect our personalities, looks, and characters? I cannot wait to start a family with you!  OK, yes, I can wait.  I am excited to have a few years just to ourselves and to spend our time loving on each other and growing together! 

It is amazing that it has been over 4 years since our first kiss and that we have been engaged for over 6 months! I love remembering our first kiss and how awkward it was.  I love thinking about those first few months of our relationship and remembering those butterflies and messaging on myspace and our first few dates. Those memories are so special to me and I will always treasure them in my heart! I am so excited for when we are old and gray and celebrating 50 years since our first kiss! :)

Te amo munch munch munch!

lime green sweater!

Today was gorgeous outside and since it was a Saturday and I could afford to waste some time, I went shopping.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular.  I found a lime green sweater on clearance at American Eagle and just had to get it.  All I could think about was how much you would love it because of the color.  I can just imagine wearing my lime green sweater and yoga pants and cozying up on our couch to watch a movie... :) I am soooo excited to live together! It is really fun thinking about how we are going to decorate our house and what furniture we want to buy.  I am so excited to get our wedding gifts and see if we get all the stuff on our registries- those beautiful gray sheets, that amazing down comforter, those fun wine glasses, the gorgeous blue bath towels, that waffle maker! I can just imagine sharing each item with you and it makes me smile and feel so happy :) I am counting down the days until we get our house and until I get to marry you! You are truly my dream come true!

growth..

jesus, the past four years have been amazing! it is incredible to look back at our time together and see the growth.  we have really been through a lot together and it is so fun to see how we have grown together over the years. as we are moving toward marriage, i am surprised by how much we have been growing lately! i am seeing a lot of growth in our levels of trust, in our relationships with God and our comfort sharing that intimate part of our lives with each other, in our financial knowledge and wisdom, in our conflict resolution skills, and mostly in our openness to each other.  it is a good reminder that marriage will not be a "happily ever after", but will involve a lot of hard work.   i just want to say that i am so proud of all the work and dedication that you are pouring into our relationship!  i am so proud of you!  thank you for all of your work and love...i feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have you as my teammate! :)

5 months to go...!

jesus, i cannot believe we still have five months to go until our big day!  i feel so ready to be your wife, to adjust to our new home, to go on our first vacation, to do our laundry together, to plan our grocery lists together, and to just finally get to be fully together!  i am so excited to get to start fixing up our house in a few months!  i am sooo happy with the furniture we chose and the color schemes we are planning!  i hope our home is our favorite place to be and that we always feel cozy and secure there! 

i want to thank you for all of your love and support!  it means so much to me that i can trust you with so much of the wedding planning!  i know that we are going through a lot of "growing pains" in adjusting to our new roles and expectations, but it is really a comfort and a blessing to know what a good team we make!  i am so excited to see how God continues to use us to grow each other and how we will continue to be challenged by each other!  i love that we are so different... what a special time in our life where we are learning our differences and learning how to work together! 

i love you!