Reflections on marriage

Okay, I don't claim to be a pro at this, but I have a few reflections on marriage after my first week of it.

1. Umm it's awesome.

2. It's so nice not saying goodbye to Tyler and leaving his apartment.

3. It's really awesome when Tyler cooks dinner because I want to watch the Bachelorette.

4. Honeymoons should happen once a year. I guess now they are just called "vacations". This doesn't sound as luxurious but oh well.

5. Tyler makes me laugh even more than when we weren't married!

6. I am generally in a better mood because wedding stress is gone and I get to live with Tyler.

Okay, look for further reflections in the future.

Just married =)

Okay, huge sigh of relief. I am glad everything is over and done with- my stress level has reached an all time low... But let me just say. Our wedding turned out only a thousand times more beautiful and more perfect than I ever could have pictured it. I have so many people to thank and will do so soon, but I couldn't have even pictured it better. I didn't even picture it being that good!

I seriously loved every minute of that day. I am so glad that we did the big wedding and had all of our friends and family surrounding us. I just feel like it's a huge testimony to the love and support so many people have for Tyler and I. It was perfect, we are so very blessed.

Cancun was wonderful! It was so awesome have no where to be, just relaxing... and being together. Honeymoons are a great idea. I am so glad we went big for it and didn't settle for just relaxing in Joplin. I think we deserved that vacation. We both work so super hard over the past year to get to where we are. I think it was the perfect reward.

We are home now... working on setting things up which is a BLAST to me! I love organizing and setting up... ah it's bliss =) And to be doing it with Tyler (which I love to say is my HUSBAND!) is such a joy. He is reading his ESPN magazines that came while we are gone (pure bliss for him I think!) and I am unpacking presents and such... such a great day =).

While we were on our honeymoon one of our flight attendants asked if we would have done the whole big wedding and everything all over again (rather than elope)... surprisingly I said yes! I think I asked Tyler to elope just about every week of wedding planning that I experienced. But it was so worth it. I loved every minute of it.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who came, supports us, and has prayed for us. I love you all!

1 Week

My wedding is only one week away, and that is so weird!

This week I got much accomplished. Well, that includes a visit to Joplin in order to relax and set up our apartment... relaxation is success.

I had my bridal portraits this week. That was SO weird. It was so nice to finally see how everything fell together (everything: my dress, hair, makeup, jewelry...). It was all perfect! I had no idea what I would look like, but it ended up being perfect. It definitely made it all more real to me. I looked in the mirror and realized "Oh yeah, you are actually getting married." I got a little nauseated. Not in a bad way, but an exciting way. I am a little nervous... but mostly excited and ready.

There's so much to think about. The part that stresses me out the most is that I have to finish wedding stuff, but also manage to pack and get ready for the honeymoon too... That's nerve-wracking to me. It's hard to get ready for the wedding but also get ready to leave the country on the next day. Well, I assume it will all get done.

I guess that's it from this front. I look forward to the day that my blog will not revolve around the wedding. Really, I am looking forward to the day that my life doesn't revolve around the wedding!

One more week!

Can I Brag?

Okay. I am going to brag for a second.

I made Dean's List. I have never done that before. I have been pretty close. It's never something I have like set out in my mind to do... but I did it. Let's think about this. This semester was my first full semester of being engaged. So apparently when you mix lots of wedding plans, about a billion wedding showers/events, school, and ministry it equals awesome grades. It even raised my cumulative GPA a point! woo hoo 3.5! But I am proud of my semester 3.8. Really proud!

One more thing. I have this thing lurking in the back of mind. I have a feeling that I need to pack for Cambodia. It's super strange. But I honestly feel like I am leaving for Cambodia in a week... It's a strange feeling. In a way it's a let down, but I think the alternative to going to Cambodia is pretty awesome!

Only 10 days !! Woot!

HeeJin Choi

A couple of months ago I received an awesome gift. This gift came from a little sister in Cambodia. She sent me a letter and a purse. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to hear from her less than a year after I left her side. But it frustrated me.

You see, I have this friend named HeeJin. She is probably one of the most incredible friends I have ever had. We had this language barrier going on while she was here, but we had this bond that was not like a bond I had ever experienced. After she left and went back to South Korea, we stayed in touch. I heard from her every few months through e-mail. Suddenly, she stopped writing. It was sometime during my freshman year at Ozark, I think in the fall, that I last heard from her. So I got frustrated by this. I wanted to know that she was okay, that life was good. We had gotten so close but then there was a sudden drop off.

So when I received a gift from a girl who does not have simple means to communicate with me, it got me thinking. She had to send a letter and purse back to America with someone who knew me. But HeeJin has easy ways to communicate with me, e-mail, facebook, etc. But she wasn't communicating. I was really upset. All I wanted was to hear from her. It would be so easy for her to say hello. But I truly gave up. I decided that I probably wouldn't ever hear from her again. I really wanted to be able to send her a wedding invitation, but I had no idea what her new address is in Australia.

This morning I woke up at 8 AM. Not on purpose. I couldn't fall back asleep. So I checked my e-mails. I had a facebook notification informing me that HeeJin sent me a message. Before I could even read it I just began to cry. I am so thankful that God answered my consistent prayer to allow me to just hear from her. He is so good to me.

Goodbye high school and junior high clothes!

Umm wow. I just went through all of the clothes in my room. I think that the goal of high schools are to sell you so many t-shirt (athletic t-shirts, homecoming t-shirts, class t-shirts, etc.) that when you are 21, about to get married, and fixing to move out of your parents house, they provide a huge obstacle that is cleaning out your closet. Yikes. It's a mess. But some person who shops at goodwill is about to indulge themselves in about 20 class of 2007, Owasso Volleyball, and Owasso Choir shirts (20 each. not total). Oh well.

I love being home, and I love having time to complete wedding tasks. We got so much done today. I look forward to the day when completing wedding tasks is not the highlight of my day. I can't wait until the highlight of my day is waking up next to Tyler... Oh dear =)

I miss my ring. I miss wearing it and people knowing that I am engaged! It's super sad. But I must say, it's even more gorgeous with it's wedding band attached to it.

Okay. I really just wanted to blog about the surplus of clothes practically flowing out of my room. It's a humorous sight. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I purchased clothes as a teenager. Oh well, it was fun to look through my clothes and remember what I bought them for, what I wore them to, the good and bad things that happened while wearing them. It's weird how I remember those things. It was a good time, but I am glad to say goodbye!

As soon as I checked out of Dennis Dorm, room 312, I felt like I could breathe. As sad as it was to say goodbye to the dorm I have known for three years, I am really excited too. It's so crazy to think that I am not moving back there. Even crazier to think that three weeks from this moment I will have a husband. How did that happen?

We got my ring back... I must admit it, it is even more beautiful than before. The downside to having it sautered is that I have been asked quite a few times over the past two weeks if Tyler and I are still engaged. So today, I will be buying a fake ring for $1 so I can clear up the questions. You may think I am silly, but when you are three weeks out from a wedding, you kinda want people to know you're engaged and there are no issues.

Tyler and I have been insanely blessed by gifts people have given us. It's so great. We have so many people that love for us and care for us. I am sooo so thankful!

Well here I go! My last day to relax with Tyler before the whole wedding thing. It's crazy. I hate saying goodbye to him and all, but knowing that the next time we are spending lots of time together will be on our honeymoon definitely makes it easier. I can't wait!