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!

refreshed & restored

we spent the last few days up north, relishing the stolen moments we had with my family. every weekend we spend in northern california is just never long enough...we can't wait for the day we call northern california home and just visit long beach. 

the last 3 weeks or so had been incredibly nuts for us. i was (and still am) busy writing my thesis, staying on top of school work, scheduling photoshoots, preparing for our Good Friday service, submitting my 2 weeks notice at work, and juggling all the other 'life' things that never fail to come up. the busy-ness and the stress left me feeling disconnected and drained from my other half. i am all about quality time, and though sweet words, thoughtful gifts, and cuddles definitely speak to me, there is always something missing if T and i haven't gone out and done what we love to do together - usually that means spending time outdoors, just the two of us, finding some new adventure...

so, by the time spring break arrived and we were counting down the days til our trip to northern california, i just couldn't wait anymore. the weekend was refreshing and restoring, and just the medicine the love doctor ordered for my tired heart. 

long walks in the rolling foothills (with a bajillion stops for photos, sorry), an evening around the fire with my brother and sister-in-law at their new house (which is just down the road from my mom's house - so awesome), some quiet time in our favorite coffee shop, wedding planning, a dinner date at our favorite norcal spot, window shopping, and plenty of time to talk and catch up...those are the little moments that mean the world to me. 

thank you, babe, for being so sensitive to what i need, for being willing to spend endless days with me doing the things we love to do. thank you for your friendship, for doing life together...have i told you that i seriously can't wait to marry you? every day, i get more and more excited! 

a D.A.M.E. good christmastime

meet my girlfriends - emily, mel, & amanda. throw me in the mix and you have the d.a.m.e. girls.

our story is hilarious...God works in the most interesting ways. in 2008, while mel & i were still in high school, amanda & em roomed together at CSULB. a year later, mel & i met by chance on our first night in the dorm. at the time, she and amanda were rooming together. mel & i were both enrolled in the 49er choir, and it was there that we met emily (who, in case you forgot, was amanda's first roommate). the three of us became great friends in choir. at the same time, i started attending bethany church, where i met amanda for the first time. in march 2010, i started working at jamba juice, where amanda worked as well, and our friendship slowly grew. it wasn't until then that we put all the pieces together...that all 4 of us had met through different paths, but were all connected to each other somehow. in the winter of 2011, i roomed with amanda for a month, so that by the end of the story, amanda had roomed with each of one of us. and now, mel & i are roomies...in case you were totally confused by that, the point of the story is that somehow, the Lord had stitched our paths together long ago...and now 2 1/2 years later, i can call all of these girls some of my best girlfriends.

God is a great provider, especially in friendship. i remember feeling so alone when my family dropped me off at CSULB. i didn't know a soul. but that night, i saw mel sitting on a step outside the dining hall, and something prompted me to introduce myself. now, we're not only roomies, but also true friends.

our gift exchange was so full of laughs and memories, and i'm so excited to see where the Lord will take each of us this next year. next christmas will look very different, but i know i'll still be surrounded by their warm and wonderful friendship!

and p.s. look at all the colorful bowls i scored! yay for new dishes!!!