Erin’s Wedding June 23, 2009

Well, after a very eventful weekend, my sweet college roommate got married.  If pictures are actually worth a thousand words….

People always think we’re sisters….

 

I got to see some of my loves!

 

It was a beautiful wedding, and it was a tremendous blessing to see these friends that I love so dearly.  How incredible to spend time with friends that know me so well and love me just the same.  I am so thankful for them.  And for Lance’s safety.  He had an adventure on his way back from San Antonio.  Anyway, seeing all of these girls’ smiling faces was one of the highlights of my year so far.

Yikes stripes! June 18, 2009

This has been an out of control few weeks.  Let’s see… I last blogged on June 3^rd.  Since then…

• We attended the company picnic for the firm.
• We met my parents for lunch to celebrate our anniversaries.
• We attended the summer kick-off party for the youth group.
• I worked in the nursery during church… but successfully finished teaching the 2s!  Back to grownup class now!
• We organized a cookout for our young marrieds group at the park.
• Lance did work camp.
• I had dinner with my friend Kenna.
• I achieved 6 months of working at the firm… which means I get vacation days now!
• Todd made us all stand in the bathroom at church because the bathroom is a storm shelter, and a big storm rolled through.  Unfortunately, my little presh Budster was outside in the storm that was bad enough for Todd to make us stand in the bathroom.  He looked like a drowned rat.
• We went to a summer youth series… during which I stood up, walked across an aisle and seized cell phones.  Am I mean?  Possibly.  Do I think that worship is important enough to put the cell phone down for an hour?  You betcha.
• We got Lance ready for mission trip (including going to WalMart and Kroger for snacks, making restaurant reservations, planning for lunch before leaving, ordering crafts from Oriental Trading, picking up the van, hooking up the trailer, making multiple to-do lists, pulling $500 out of our bank account so that we could put exact cash in envelopes for the kids, etc.).
• We (unfortunately) missed the young marrieds’ lake trip due to the bullet immediately preceding this one.
• We got Buddy’s nails trimmed.  Traumatic?  Yep.
• We realized that church is very different from the back of the auditorium than it is from the front.  Who knew so many people left after communion?!
• Lance went to San Antonio.  (If you want to know what he did there, you can read his blog. J)
• I hosted small group at our house.
• I met my friend Kenna again… this time plus Richard, Caitlin, and a pup named Ginger.  We got yogurt and it was soooo good.
• I got my hair cut.  I no longer have “the Rachel” from circa 1997.
• I paid the bills, pulled some weeds from a flower bed, did the laundry, did the dishes, and kept the house nearly spotless out of boredom.
• Oh, our back porch light kind of short-circuited and is dead now.  Poopy.
• I bought my first maxi dress.  The first one I tried on was so long that fabric drug the ground all around me.  Anyway, this one fits better… and it may be one of the most comfortable things I have ever put on.  I hope those are still in fashion whenever I have babies.  They seem like good pregnancy dresses.  Maybe I’ll wear them even if they’re out of style by then and just cry if anyone tries to tell me otherwise.

Tonight, I head to Garland to stay with my mom and celebrate the wedding fabulousness of Erin.  It will be an adventure of a weekend – I will get to see my mom and sister, Lance will finally come home, I will see all of my college friends, my best friend from college will get married… and I don’t think I can sit in my dress.  Definite adventure.  I am super excited though.  After a week of not having many people to hang out with (except for my superfun yogurt night with Richard and Kenna and the mini-gummy bears), it will be fabulous to be around so many people that make me so happy.

Also, I know I’ve been slacking MAJOR in the picture department… but hopefully I’ll have some wonderful ones after this weekend!  I know – something to look forward to!

3-Year Anniversary June 3, 2009

My love,

Three years ago, we became husband and wife.  We had a wonderful wedding that made us both laugh and cry, which is exactly what I wanted.  I wore a princess dress and had all the beautiful pink flowers I always dreamed of.  No one exploded during the wedding (which was a legitimate concern…).  You cried so hard as I walked down the aisle that I couldn’t look at you.  It was pretty much perfect.

But, love, as incredible as that day was, the three years since then have been amazing… all because of you.  They have been very different than we’d anticipated.  We actually fought less than everyone told us we would, but we had other more difficult matters to deal with.  We’ve had health issues and a car accident and a pink slip to reckon with… but that was okay because we always stand by each other and take care of each other – maybe even more so when there are bad things happening.  You have been incredibly patient with me… throughout my year of unhappiness at that job, dealing with at least weekly (and sometimes daily tears)… during each and every time that I get frustrated and stressed and entirely caught up in the details… when I have been hurt deeply by other people… You took care of me when I had my wisdom teeth out and when I had a stomach bug.  You always get the heavy bowls off the top shelf that I can’t reach.  You make me laugh so hard, and I love to hear you sing.  You are always my white knight.

I feel incredibly blessed to be married to someone who can communicate so well, is so self-aware, and can admit fault.  Your humility teaches me constantly, and I think I am starting to learn that I don’t have to be right all the time.

In so many ways, we are so much alike.  We have a million little inside jokes and so many “remember when” stories.  On the other hand, though, you are my polar opposite.  I think that balance causes us to be a perfect fit while simultaneously driving each other crazy at times.  I know, though, that you have made me a better person, and I pray that I have shaped you, too.

You are truly my best friend, which is part of what is so hard when you go out of town.  Not only does my husband leave… my best friend does, too!  You are always the first person I want to tell things to and the one I call when things go great or terrible.  My favorite place to be is wherever you are.

Happy anniversary, love.  You have made the last three years wonderful, and I look forward to celebrating years and years and years together.