I said yes...

8 years ago I said yes to the love of my life! It was the best decision I could have ever made. I can't believe how young we were. We were babies! 20 and 21.
It's a joy to do life with this man by my side and have the privilege of parenting our sweet daughter together. So thankful he asked me to marry him 8 years ago. We've had some really amazing years along with some challenges, but Marc leads our family so well by putting the Lord first in our marriage. For that I'm so very grateful.

1 John 4:7-12 (niv)
⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Enagagement Anniversary

7 years ago on this day was one of the most thrilling, surprising days of my life!
Marc popped the question to me! During our 1 1/2 years of dating, Marc liked for things to be on his time and for us not to spend too much time together. He liked lots of balance with us, friends and such, so I went with it, even though I would have rather spent every waking moment with him. Obviously that would not have been healthy.
A couple of weeks before he proposed he told me he loved me, which made me go mute for several minutes. I was in complete shock. I thought he wouldn't tell me that til we got married. Seriously, he was very hard to read and very mysterious. He always kept me guessing for some reason...! My mom was very afraid he was going to break my heart someday, which would have been tragic because I fell deeply in love with him from the moment I first laid eyes on him {side note: that was my freshmen year in the library while studying for a final, I'll never forget how "dreamy" he looked}. I know, I won't be mad if you roll your eyes, I'm just a hopeless romantic.
So all of that to say, I definitely did not expect a proposal for a very long time, and was very shocked when it did happen. It was one of the most memorable days of my life, along with my wedding and getting saved :).
It is still by far one of my favorite stories to tell. If you haven't heard it or would like to read about it, I
wrote it all out 2 years ago on this blog here: http://www.theyounthappenings.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-said-yes.html

 engagement present
2-25-05

engagement pictures

I think we look so young in those pics. Man, infertility sure ages you and makes you fat. Boo.
I seriously can't believe we are coming up on our 7 year wedding anniversary. Time has FLOWN by over these past few years.
I know I say this a lot, but I'm so thankful for Marc. He puts up with me and all my crap and loves me unconditionally. He is calming, a voice of reason, discerning, and such a servant. Over the past 2 years our love has grown more than I could have ever imagined. Our relationship is stronger, more grounded and connected. We always say we may not want to have to go through what all we've been through, but we are sure grateful for how close we have become through it all.

For those of you that are still waiting for a man, do not lose hope. I know I felt like there would never be a perfect guy for me out there, but I think that there is. Just wait on God's timing {I know exactly what that statement means and feels like, and I know it gets old} but faithfully pray for your mate that you may or may not know. Infertility has given me a sensitivity for anyone that is waiting on something and no matter how you look at it, it's just not easy being patient.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Oh how I love engagements

So one of my longest, closest, dearest friends got engaged this past Friday night. I could not be more thrilled. She means so much to me and is/has always been there for me. She often knows what I need more than I do ;). We like to call ourselves "SM's" which means soulmates. We have somehow developed our own language over the years. And when I say over the years, I mean we went to pre-K together all the way through college... that my friends is a long time to know someone. We were close in high school, but in college we became super close.
Rachael is one of the most thoughtful and most caring person I have ever known. She would literally do anything for you. Because she is such a good friend to so many, she has been a bridesmaid about 15 times..no exaggeration on  that number. So needless to say, it is most definitely her turn! I think I felt maybe just as giddy if not more as she did! I also had the privilege of going with her fiance to help pick out the ring. That was a first for me and it was so exciting. It was also very difficult to have to consistently lie to her about not knowing anything!

I can't wait to help start planning a wedding. I told her I've needed a project and to watch out...:) I may become a bridesmaidzilla. We had a fun engagement party for them on Sunday night. It was so last minute I was shocked how many people were able to come out for it. I know it meant a lot for them.

 As soon as he bought the ring I ordered this awesome platter so that I could have it ready to go for an engagement present! It may have been the first time I've ever been prepared with something personalized!

 the platter came from Amy Hannon over at Sincerely Yours. Her etsy shop is amazing and she does awesome note cards and wedding invites as well!



Happy Engagement weekend Ra!

I said yes!

Five years ago today my hubby decided to ask me to marry him. I had no idea it was coming. It was a complete surprise.
We started dating in November 2003. First kiss was December 2003. I was pretty darn obsessed with him. I felt and still feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have found my prince charming. I knew the first date that I would/could mary him if he would ever have me and feel the same way (No Lie). It definitely took him longer to figure that out, but I don't hold it against him. I was pretty forward.
It was interesting how we met. We had a lot of mutual friends and had a class right next to each other, which was always convenient to "accidentally" bump into him. Seriously, my heart would flutter on those days I saw him. I was sometimes even stalkerish...
Unfortunately, the whole pi phi house knew of this crush and I would get asked everyday if I talked to him or if I had asked him to this specific, upcoming function. Well a certain someone leaked this info to him and he totally knew I was going to ask him to a function so he set it up for me to ask him. How awesome embarrasing.
I guess it all worked out in the end. We did go to the function and we I had a blast!


The Night we got engaged! Feb, 25th. 2005
Marc asked me to stay in town and go on a date with him, so of course I said I would. Although, all of my friends had left town for the weekend (for reasons I didn't know why then, but now do) I stayed strong and didn't leave.
I waited for him to get off work. He was a bank teller at First Security. We went and ate at the MOST random place ever. Seriously, I have only eaten there that one time and haven't been back. Well we got there at 5, can we say early bird special. No lie, we and one other older couple was in there. Sort of awkward, but funny. The whole dinner he was getting on to me about talking about marriage with my roomate. You should know he told me he loved me 3 weeks before this night. I knew we would get married I just didn't know when. So I was talking about it a ton which he was not appreciating. Side note- We never looked at rings together, and never discussed wedding stuff. He was all about the element of surprise, which is great.


He then took me to this spot on the white river, gave a me a sweet journal that he read to me with many verses in it, and then he got down on his knee and PROPOSED! I was SPEECHLESS, shocked and excited! I could not believe it was happening. It was so memorable.


But thats not where the proposal story ends.
As I was still floating, we get in the car and start driving to who knows where. I didn't care, I was engaged to the love of my life and nothing else really mattered at that moment. I wasn't paying any attention, when all of the sudden we pull up to the springdale private airport. We get there, start walking to a plane and they open the door and my parents and sister are all in there with flowers and roses! Ahh another surprise! It was so fun. Then we flew to Little Rock and were there in 30 minutes. (Another side note. I had not talked to one of my friends, I was still too excited to think who to call, and plus you can't make calls in the plane).
we pull up to my parents house, go inside and most ALL of our friends were there waiting on us! They had made banners, brought gifts and made tons of food. It was another really fun Surprise.


That night I will never forget. It was truly amazing. Marc definitely outdid himself with all of the surprises. I couldn't sleep and was overjoyed that I was going to be able to spend the rest of my life with my dream man. I couldn't grasp that he chose me to begin a new life with.


So there is my lengthy enagagement story.


Here are some pics from my actual album. unfortunately I don't have the digital pics on my computer, so they are really bad quality.