Tuesday, February 26, 2013

OUR Wedding!

Charlie and I haven't wasted much time....we're already knee deep in wedding planning...and oddly enough, I. ABSOLUTELY. LOVE. IT. I never considered myself a "wedding girl" at all. In fact, I never really wanted a wedding. Ever. But after talking to my mom and Charlie's mom, they both encouraged us to make a bigger deal out of it than what I was originally planning (me and my handsome fiance' on a secluded island reciting vows and then spending the rest of the trip doing nothing but relaxing in the sand!). Once I got the wedding idea in my head, everything has seemed to fall into place perfectly (please say I didn't just curse myself).

Originally we wanted a small wedding on Lake Michigan. How gorgeous, right? But after trying to figure out all the logistical details, we've decided that a local wedding, in the town where he proposed (and we both love) is perfect for us. In addition to that, we're inviting only immediate family (sorry aunts, uncle, cousins, and friends). We chose this for a very specific reason, and I'm already extremely tired of having to justify it. So let me just explain once and for all....Although I know I'm not oooollllllld, I do think that having a wedding at the age of thirty-one is already slightly "nontraditional." Add to that the fact that I have two small kids, and Charlie was previously married (and had a big wedding) and there's more than enough reason to NOT want a huge shindig. I just want the day to be about me and Charlie and what these vows signify for US. I don't want it to be a huge production. I don't want the meaning of the day to get lost in the insignificant details of ribbons, tulle, and burlap. I will not let this day be jeopardized by trivial stressors. I cannot wait to marry Charlie and I am so excited to celebrate our commitment to each other with the people who mean the most in our lives. My biggest wish right now is that our family and friends would understand this and not question our decision to have a small wedding. This is what we're doing and it's what works for us. The day is, after all, about us.

I'm very excited to continue the wedding planning with Charlie! We've had a lot of fun picking out songs, colors, and other small details together. I am going dress shopping with my mom and cousin in a few weeks and to say that I'm dyyyyyying with excitement would be the understatement of the century! I am PUMPED! We have started looking at "fancy" dresses for Lilly and suits for Anderson! Lilly is sooo excited!

I cannot wait to share all the details of our wedding this summer! Stay tuned for more on all that...!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Relevant

I'm sitting here writing while the kids are both still in bed. My house is nearly silent, other than the sound of my fingers clicking away on the laptop. This. Never. Happens! There's something to be said about a few minutes of uninterrupted "me" time. And if I'm being honest, I've been craving some time alone. Or as I like I say "I need a daaaaang minute, ya'll!" Please do not read this and think I need a break from my kids or my new fiance', that's not the case, but my mind feels like it's been going 'round and 'round for the past couple weeks and I think it's finally catching up with the rest of my body. And to be frank, I'm exhausting myself. After an early bedtime last night, I woke up this morning feeling a bit refreshed and more relaxed. With the help of my new favorite (old) Kutless song, "Draw Me Near" I am feeling motivated and inspired.

Charlie and I spent a little time last night listening to the sermon that I wrote about in my last post. He worked last weekend and so he missed church (bummer). Luckily, we are able to pull up old messages on our church's website and listen anytime. I'm so grateful for this because I knew it was a message that he'd want to hear. And of course hearing the "original" version was a lot better for him than my broken interpretation that I tried to regurgitate to him last Monday. Although I had taken a page full of "notes" during last Sunday's service, hearing it again last night with Charlie helped me to understand it even more and to understand the enormity of what our pastor was preaching and what God is calling us to do.

Last Monday Charlie and I took the day off to hang out together. We took a little day trip to a nearby town to check out a fun little diner, but it was then that I told him about my "vision" that I drummed up from this exact sermon. As you'll remember, our pastor said that, at our church, we're not just bobbin' for poopies. We are there to DO. We are there, not to play games, but to change lives. He talked about the old model for sharing God's Word, which intimidates a lot of people (ummm, me!). But our pastor turned to the idea of reaching today's world by doing what's relevant. He said  we are to "use what is cultural to communicate what is timeless." I sat there last Sunday at church (with Charlie's mom) thinking about what this meant. Using what is cultural...hmmmm, the internet...my blog?....to communicate what is timeless...God's Word. Ding. Light. Bulb. Moment.
You see, I wrote about this a long time ago...about how I felt this tugging at my heart to do more with my blog. I felt like I had shared "my story" and I was continuously sharing, and I always will. But what does anyone "get" from my blog? What does anyone take away after reading "my story." I'm not saying that I'm capable of changing lives like my church does, but what if something I said helped one person? What if it made someone's day better or easier or gave someone hope? Ahh, that is my mission.

I'd love to go into this way more, but I hear the pitter-patter of four little feet running around upstairs, aimlessly looking for their mama!

All I ask is that you stick with me while I sort out what all this means for me, my blog, and my family....

to be continued....

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

We're Not Just Bobbin' For Poopies

I heard a really incredible sermon last weekend, which is now serving as the title of this post! Don't freak, my church isn't that cray-zay, but it does oftentimes present a message that sticks with me days later and sometimes just because our pastor uses the word "poopies". Anyway, the sermon went something like this:
My pastor knew a guy who was serving as a youth pastor at another church. He was leading about 12 teenagers in his church. One summer they went to China and "smuggled" Bibles to the people there (this was many years ago, mind you). Long story short, this youth pastor eventually went on to help start up another church in a different state and was replaced by a new youth pastor. On this youth pastor's first day, he poured gallons of Mountain Dew into huge buckets and dumped in some candy bars. He informed these teens that they'd be "bobbin' for poopies"...this was the same group of kids, who just months earlier, were smuggling Bibles into China. The point my pastor was making was that these kids didn't to just play games- they wanted to DO something that actually mattered- that would make a difference in the world.
I absolutely loved that story and it made me think a lot about how oftentimes in life we just go through the motions and we just play games. Well, I don't want that for my life. And apparently neither does my FIANCE!

This past Saturday, Charlie and I spent the evening walking hand in hand in a quaint little downtown of a neighboring town. It was a chilly night so we stopped for hot cider beforehand and bundled up to take a leisurely stroll through the gorgeous downtown. It's the kind of little town where you can walk on the brick sidewalks and pass windows of locally owned restaurants to see couples dining over delicious homemade food. It's the kind of town where it feels like people fall in love and stay in love. Oh it's just so cute! Our conversation was much like our conversations any other night...we were going on and on about how much we love each other and how insane it is that we "found" each other and how blessed we each felt. (In short, one of those conversations that if you heard anyone else having, you'd puke your guts out because it's so pathetically sappy...yeah, that's us!) But my point is, I had no clue that anything was about to happen because this was a conversation we'd had so many other times...but then there he was, down on one knee, in this gorgeous tree-lit courtyard, surrounded by a white picket fence (literally), asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. When I finally caught my breath I of course said yes and continued to try to wrap my mind around what this meant...I was going to get to spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. the man I had prayed to God about. the man who would lead our family and the man who would love me like Jesus loved the church. This was a man who wouldn't play games, but would actually DO life with me and DO what he knows to be right. Holy. Stinkin'. Cow. I was dyyyyying! Not only is Charlie the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on, he's got the bigget heart. He loves like no one I've ever known before. He puts 10000% into everything, which I know will include me and the kids. He believes God's word faithfully and strives to follow His word at all costs. He challenges me in a way that I've never been challenged. He unknowingly calms my mind with his presence. For the first time in my adult life, I feel protected and I know that he will always have my back. I absolutely adore this man and I know that my kids and I are ridiculously blessed to have him. And, through everything, I know that he's not playing games- I know that we're not just bobbin' for poopies together. I know that this is the real deal and that I have found my very best friend! I cannot wait to do life with him every single day, from now until forever.