countdown // forty-one

this weekend was all kinds of wonderful - even the not-so-wonderful things were made good. 

i think it'd be safe to say that through our engagement we have learned more about each other, disagreed more often, loved more, cried more, and prayed more fervently than ever before. it has not been roses & glitter - but who ever said it would be, or that we were entitled to that? but it has been so good - soul good. good for me, good for you, good for us. 

friday was hard. but it ended sweetly. after the tears dried and we had let go of the stress, hurt, and misunderstanding, we were ready to be filled once again. filled first with HIS unending love. what a wake up call for me - that i often tend to depend on your love or the love of others more than that of our Heavenly Father. i haven't been feeling His love lately, i confessed. it has just felt like test after test. he tests those who he is preparing for big things, you reminded me. i nodded, knowing in my head but not feeling it in my heart. we talked about living a missional life and our mission field - not only across the world but right here, in our home, in our community. when we go out, you said, we prepare ourselves for the mission field - we don't complain, we don't whine, we are flexible and adaptable, we are fully surrendered. our marriage is also a mission, and though it will be sweet and so good, it will also be faced with challenges and obstacles perhaps designed by our Enemy to weaken us, but destined to make us stronger through the grace of our Savior. 

thank you for leading us. 

in my desperate attempt to slow time down and hold on to you before you leave, we also declared sunday a T&D day - a sacred day. a day of adventure and spontaneity. a hike through the woods, the almost fatal injury to my camera, a trip to Trader Joe's for snacks and treats, a late (LATE) movie, watching the sunset in malibu, a drive down PCH, conversations until we had no words left, a starbucks date, dinner at the diner, the good sunday morning...it was perfect. 

oh and hey, i love you. i'll miss you like crazy. 

countdown // forty-seven

hey you, 

we're getting married in 47 days, and as of today, i have 24 days of togetherness left with you before we become husband and wife - have i told you lately that i'm beyond excited? i'm pretty sure i said that at least 3 times yesterday, and maybe 7 times the day before. i just can't help it. 

thank you for a wonderful weekend at home. besides the throwing up/fever part, the chaos in the house, and the complete lack of quiet, it was still so good. thank you for always listening to what's on my heart, for never giving up on us when things are tough, and for always vowing to make it right again. thank you for understanding my need for quality time, for making it your priority as well. i want to treasure every moment of the next 12 days and hold on to those memories for the 23 days after that. they will be days of remembering you, praying for you, missing you, and eagerly anticipating your return home. 

our coffee date on sunday morning was the best moment during the weekend. i love talking about our life together, and i am so grateful that your heart seeks to follow Jesus first, no matter the cost. we're not destined for mediocre or average - we have both felt that pull in our heart for years. up to this point, we've spent our life as individuals, and in the last 2 years we've been individuals preparing for a life as one. it is my deepest hope and prayer that our together and forever life is one that brings magnificent glory to our King, that it is a testament of His power and purpose in our life. we are called to this, called to marriage. what a gift, that God delights in our love and created it for His glory. what a win-win. 

whether we adopt, serve in local organizations, lead others, go out onto the mission field, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, work in our careers, or raise a family, all of it will be for our good and for His. 

are you ready for this adventure? because i am so ready to begin it with you. 

engagement photos // wide open spaces

where has the time gone today?! that's all i keep thinking...also, my eyes can hardly focus on the computer screen for one more minute, and all i've wanted to do since the minute after i stumbled out of bed this morning is to fall right back into my sheets and sleep for days. but this is the last week of classes, my lesson plan and final presentation are due in 26 hours, my portfolio should also technically be finished tomorrow, and finals are next week - so suck it up buttercup, the real world needs you!

today, i'm sharing the second half of our engagement session - a few beautiful hours spent in the golden hills of orange county. i seriously loved this part of the day, and i want to go back to these fields just to explore a little more - it was beautiful!

today marks ninety-five days until our wedding day - depending on how i look at it, it either totally freaks me out, or i just can't wait for day zero to get here! there is so much we still need to, things that have been put on hold as we wrap up college, and yet i just can't wait to wake up the morning after our wedding day, look at that handsome man of mine and whisper, we're married. even just thinking about it now puts a smile on my face...a smile like this:

 just as we walked toward the sunlight, hand-in-hand and side-by-side, i cannot wait to journey the rest of our life together. sometimes, we'll be heading into unknowns, sometimes into seasons of joy or seasons of sorrow, but no matter what, we'll be there together - always. 

 all photos taken by Jordan Lewis Photography

sundaygrams

this weekend, love looked like

a 2 hour car trip just to be together

taking a detour to visit one of our spots

making meatloaf for dinner

stopping at the bookstore to run an errand

butting heads, but resolving to work it out

lots of prayer

an early morning church service

spending the day apartment hunting and spending more time praying for our future

buying a latte

proofreading my thesis

pushing the grocery cart

standing in line at the theater for an hour

sneaking coffee into the movies

holding hands during the sermon

talking about the things God is doing in our life

registering

realizing our wedding day/night is less than 100 days away

grabbing mission slip letters from the church office

stealing kisses

2 years ago, i gave my first kiss to this man, a kiss i'd been saving for my whole life - i think at this moment i said, 'aren't you glad i'm a much better kisser now than i was then?' ;]

putting his hand on my knee while i drove and he read

and learning how to love more selflessly.

the greatest thing about love is that it chooses you, and you choose it in return - every day, every hour, no matter what.

standing at the spot where T asked me to be his girl over 2 years ago!

i hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

engagement photos // a starbucks date

a few weeks ago, T and i had our engagement photos taken, and i am so excited to share them today! 

if there are a few things you should know about us, one of them is that we love coffee, and we love going on coffee shop dates together. so, i thought it'd be appropriate to start our afternoon at our local starbucks. we stop by this place almost every day a couple times a week, and the baristas have become friends to us. it's a little awesome ridiculous, seriously. these might be some of my favorite photos, because they're just so us. the silly-ness, the fun, the little moments in between. and the constant cup of coffee in my hand.

they say pictures are worth a thousand words - the glances and the uncontainable smiles in these photos? they say more than i ever could with words. 

a huge thank you to our sweet friend, Jordan Lewis, for capturing these. you guys should definitely check out her new site and like her Facebook page!