Worth Fighting For

Handsome Man and I went to the most beautiful wedding on Saturday.  I'm looking forward to sharing some of our pictures with you later this week, but today I want to tell you about my favorite moment during the ceremony.

Paul and Bethany wrote their own vows.  They were beautiful, unique, and heartfelt.  Something that I found very striking was that they both ended their vows with the same phrase.  I wish I had it word for word (I'll ask them in two weeks when they get back from their honeymoon!), but it was something to this effect:

I promise to put God first, to love you with His love,
and I promise to fight for our marriage.

I love that.  These two aren't coming into marriage all starry-eyed expecting that it's going to be easy.  Four years in, I can tell you that it isn't.  Marriage takes work.  It takes commitment, perseverance, and more love than you could ever think it would.  The promise to fight for your marriage shows that you know that it's worth it.  This couple has many growing days ahead of them.  Days when they will be stretched, days when outside elements may leave them shaky.

But when you know that something is worth fighting for, you protect it with everything you have.

Paul and Bethany weren't expecting that their vows would be put to the test before their wedding ceremony was even over, but during the lighting of the Unity Candle, something beautiful happened that everyone in attendance will remember for years to come.

Wind was swirling around the beautiful hill above a vineyard, and the Unity Candle wouldn't stay lit.  The pastor tried over and over again to light the wicks, but as soon as he backed away for the bride and groom to do their part, the fire would extinguish.  Paul and Bethany tried to shield the candle from the wind with their hands, but it was no use.

Next, Bethany picked up the hymnal that was beside the candle and used it to protect the fire, but the wind still blew out the flame before they could do anything.

They were at a loss.  As hard as they tried to shield their wedding candle from the wind, they couldn't do it on their own.  The wind was too strong, coming from every angle, and the two newlyweds couldn't protect their precious candle by themselves.


It was getting to the point where we were starting to feel sorry for them.  Every wedding has its little quirks, the things that don't quite go as planned.  And it was looking like  the story of how their Unity Candle wouldn't light at their wedding was one that Paul and Bethany would be telling for years to come.  


Just when I started thinking that they were going to give up and continue with the wedding sans candle, the bride motioned to their wedding party, "We need to huddle!"

And with that, ten bridesmaids and ten groomsmen encircled Paul, Bethany, and their Unity Candle.  They formed a tight circle, linking arms and huddling close.  They were not about to let the wind blow their friends' candle out.

Everyone let out a chuckle when they saw Bethany's "two thumbs up!" from behind the wall of friends, but the beauty of what had just happened didn't disappear.

When the wind threatened to extinguish this bride and groom's symbol of unity, they did everything they could to protect their candle from it.  And when the two of them were not enough, twenty of their best friends stepped in to create an impenetrable barrier, protecting it for them.

Isn't that beautiful?

Too often, we try to do things by ourselves.  We're this world of lonely people floundering around thinking no one else can understand.  But when we are surrounded by loving, supportive friends, even the worst storms in life won't be able to take us down.

I'm glad that Paul and Bethany have that figured out.  With a love founded in Christ, invested in each other, and surrounded by friends, their marriage is off to a beautiful beginning.

Our Anniversary Weekend

Handsome Man and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on June 8th. In the past, we've done big trips to celebrate (like this one and this one) and then came Kayleigh :) Last year, we went to a special restaurant, and this year, we left our baby girl overnight for the first time and spent our anniversary in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara has always held a special place in my heart.  It was only about 40 minutes from where I grew up, so it was our family's favorite place to go on special days.  Jesse and I have spent a lot of our romantic dates in Santa Barbara, so it was fun to go back to some of our favorite spots, and try some new ones, too!

Jesse handled all of the planning, which I loved.  It was fun to give him the reins and let him choose what we were going to do for the day.  I couldn't have done better myself!

First on the list (after a rather tearful goodbye when leaving Kayleigh with my parents) was a wine bistro.  Different from wine tasting at a winery, the State Street Wine Bistro gave us the opportunity to sit at a quiet table on a nice little patio and enjoy sampling glass after glass while the Sommelier (am I fancy or what now?!?) brought out food pairings to go with each wine.  We were able to spend as much time as we wanted to enjoying what we were given.  It was perfect!  No rushing around, bustling between other tourists...it was just for us.

We had a lovely time.

When we were finished, we walked past shops, street performers, and gorgeous little alcoves until we reached the water.

It's been a long time since we've spent time as just two of us.  Even though I missed Kayleigh, I loved my time with my Handsome Man.  Being back to one of our first date spots, spending the day alone and enjoying each other was the best way to celebrate our 4th anniversary.  Looking forward to many more to come!

Happy First Father's Day, Handsome Man!

Dear Jesse,

It's been a year since I gave you this tiny pink outfit two days after we found out we were having a girl.
(It's been hanging in her closet awaiting this very day!)

What a beautiful year it has been!

To watch you go from a young guy with no baby experience to becoming a dad who is so natural that no one believes you had never changed a diaper before our sweet girl came along.

The first time you held her, it was love at first sight.  And watching that love grow has been one of my greatest blessings this year.

She is Daddy's Girl, no doubt about it.  My heart swells with joy to see how much she loves you.

I pray that she always wants to be like her daddy.  I can't imagine a more loving, selfless model for her.

Happy 1st Father's Day, Handsome Man.  I can't wait to celebrate many more with you!

♥ B

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Last year for our anniversary, I made Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake.  This year, Handsome Man and I celebrated a night early at home with this beauty.

(if you're noticing a chocolate/berry trend, there definitely is one!)

Recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

♥1 pound fresh strawberries
♥ 2 tbsp white sugar
♥ 2  1/2 cups flour
♥ 1/2 cup cocoa powder
♥ 1 tsp baking soda
♥ 1 tsp baking powder
♥ 1/2 tsp salt
♥ 2 cups white sugar
♥ 1 cup butter, softened
♥ 1/3 cup vegetable oil
♥ 2 eggs
♥ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
♥ 1  1/2 cups milk
♥ 3/4 cup brewed coffee
♥ 1 qt heavy whipping cream
♥ 1/4 cup powdered sugar
♥ 2 tbsp white sugar

Preheat the oven to 350* and lightly grease two 9 inch round baking pans.  Hull and slice your strawberries, put them in a bowl and sprinkle 2 tbsp white sugar on them.  Stir them gently and place in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, set aside.  Using your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together.  Slowly add vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Mix in dry ingredients until just combined (overmixing will produce a very dense cake).  Turn off the mixer and stir in milk and coffee until the batter is well blended.  Gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then remove the pans and allow to cool completely on cooling racks.

Beat whipping cream until foamy in a large bowl.  Gradually add 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form.  Once the cakes are completely cooled, spread half of the whipped cream over the top of one.  Use a slotted spoon to scoop the strawberries out of the bowl so that they don't drip pink juice on your beautifully white whipped cream, and layer half of the strawberries onto the cake.  Carefully set the second cake on top, and spread the rest of the whipped cream on it.  Add the rest of the strawberries, and voila!  A beautiful, unique dessert.

Perfect for celebrating an anniversary!

Happy 4th anniversary to the beautiful heart that has loved me, the strong arms that have held me, the man who daily lives out my happily ever after.

I love you, Jesse!

A Growing Morning

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This morning did not go as planned.

What Jesse and I had looked forward to as a morning spent together searching for a new computer for me turned into a morning of unexpected hiccups.  The property manager called to tell us that the repairmen we had requested two weeks ago would be arriving today sometime between 9am and 2pm.  Suddenly, our computer shopping time was taken away from us, the printer refused to print out the pages we needed, and somehow, instead of banding together against these seemingly annoying-but-harmless inconveniences, we let them reduce us to two selfish people overwhelmed by the things not going our way.

How does this happen?

I'm feeling especially convicted about my attitude right now.  Yes, it's very frustrating to be at home all day in  a house where the floor doesn't meet the bathtub and you can't shower without the risk of mold growing underneath, or where the counter tile hasn't been laid yet so the contents of your bathroom have been in boxes for the past two weeks, or where something's wrong with the ventilation system in your laundry room so that even if you run the dryer 4 times, the clothes still come out damp.  It's stressful, frustrating, and a little too out-of-my-hands for this control freak.  But that doesn't mean that I should lose it at the thought of going one more day without a computer.

I've been studying Proverbs 31 through Good Morning Girls, and through my time in the Word this morning after Jesse left, I realized with disappointment that I have not lived up to being a Proverbs 31 woman this week.  I have let the state of our home overpower my desire to be a loving and selfless wife, and have instead allowed it to fuel my selfishness and make demands of my Handsome Man that are too much for him on top of everything at his new job.

She will do him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:12

All the days.  That means I don't get to take good attitude timeouts when things don't go my way.  I can't flip out over the fact that there are no pictures hung up on the walls and oh-my-gosh-we've-lived-here-for-two-weeks-already.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverbs 31:26

Ouch.  I have allowed the circumstances around us to take every word of kindness off of my tongue this week.  I have whined, badgered, and complained.  There is no wisdom in that, and definitely no love.

No, things didn't go as I had planned this morning.  But God had a different plan for me today.  Instead of getting what I wanted, God showed me that I wasn't doing what He wanted me to do.

Jesse left me this morning with a kiss, and the gift of his computer for the day.  He loves me enough to lay down what he needs to satisfy my selfish desires.  A man like that is a gift from God, and worth learning every difficult lesson for!

Thanks, God, for making me grow this morning.

"Love Bears All Things" Serving Tray

Welcome to the second day of my Valentine Craft Series!
If you missed the Valentine Tutu from yesterday, click here :)

Today, we'll be painting and decoupaging a serving tray with a portion of a verse from 1st Corinthians.

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Cast of Characters

♥Wooden serving tray (I got a two-pack for $3.99 at Michaels)

♥Sponge brushes

♥Fine-tip paint brushes

♥Stencils

♥Sandpaper

♥Decorative paper

♥Decoupage glue

♥Paint

Sand your tray to make sure there are no rough spots.

Give it a generous coat or two of paint

I used Sweetheart Red by Delta (because I already had it in my stash)

Take your pretty decorative paper and cut it to size.

I love this paper because of the pretty filigree edges.

Stencil in your letters 

(I traced mine onto wax paper to make sure that I did the spacing correctly.  Here's a clever way to do it without stencils--print it out!  Gee, I love Pinterest!)

Next, use the brush to apply the decoupage glue to the surface of the tray.  Allow it to sit for a bit so that it's tacky, not wet, before you set the paper down on it.  (This helps prevent wrinkles)

While the glue is setting, paint in your letters

Set the paper down carefully on the decoupaged surface of the tray, being sure to align it just how you want it.  Spread an even coat of glue across the top.

(See how I accented the letters with gold paint and a fine-tip brush?)

To add a bit of gloss to the entire tray, you can spread the decoupage glue across all of the painted areas--paper or not.

Next, I used a sponge to gently apply dabs of gold paint around the rim of the tray

This adds another dimension to the tray, and brings out the gold accents in the lettering.

And you're finished!

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What a Guy!

Yesterday morning, after I fed Kayleigh and changed her diaper, I plopped her into her baby swing and hopped into the shower.  When I got out of the shower, Kayleigh smiled up and me and cooed.  I talked with her while I brushed out my hair, and she never stopped smiling.  Once I was dressed and ready to take her downstairs, I picked her out of the swing and gasped in shock.  Soupy baby poop had gone up her back all the way to her underarms.  Gah!

I rushed her to the changing table, but couldn't resist taking a picture and sending it to Jesse.

"Envious, much? Lol, I guess I'm not allowed to take showers any more!"  


If you're wondering, "What weirdo sends poopy pictures to her husband?"

I'll proudly raise my hand.  Don't you think it helps them appreciate what we do on the front line?

Anyway, I nearly fell down the stairs yesterday when I heard Jesse come home.  He greeted me at the steps with a beautiful bouquet.

"What's this for?!?"

"For being an amazing mom," He said.  "Thanks for all you do."

*swoon*

I love my guy!

Thankfulness on a Rainy Day

***Looking for my 3rd Anniversary Blogging Giveaway?  Click Here!  It ends Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 10:00pm***

It's been pouring all day.

My favorite kind of stay-in-bed day.  It's perfect.  It's cold and grey outside, our bedroom has a misty blue hue to it, I'm under a pile of crocheted blankets and handmade quilts, and I feel perfectly content.

I've had lots of time to think today...and today, my thoughts are filled with thankfulness.

I'm thankful for my husband

I'm thankful for how he makes me laugh. I'm thankful for how he comforts me.  I'm thankful for how he pushes me out of my comfort zone every so often to show me that I can do more than I think I'm capable of.  I'm thankful for his strong arms, and for how he can make the big bad world go away with a stroke of my hair and a kiss on my cheek.

 

I'm thankful for all of our quirky fun

My handsome man seriously cracks me up!

Who would have thought that I would have married such a ham?

I'm thankful that he pulls me out of my shell.

I'm thankful for our teamwork

I love working side by side with him...whether it's at our home, our church, or on the mission field.

I love that we understand each other.  Words.  Expressions.  Silent conversations from across a crowded room.

I'm thankful for the way he serves me

Not the "I'm a princess and I demand to be treated as such" kind of serving, the "Bethany, I promised you my heart, and everything in me wants to make you happy" kind.  It's humbling.  It's exhilarating.  It's more than I could ever deserve, and I'm reminded of that daily.

Most of all,

I'm thankful that this incredible man chose me.

He could have had any girl (believe me!)

But after pursuing my heart for a year, he asked me to marry him.

It's been nearly three years since I became his wife.

I never knew happily ever after could be so wonderful.