in Eastern North Carolina, location to be announced
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
I said Yes!
Last week when I flew out to So Cal, to meet Mikes family and friends, he proposed!
We have been talking about marriage since the beginning of our relationship, but now those lofty plans are absolute ... fairly soon I will be married. With this move to Oregon and soon marriage, within a few short months my life will have drastically changed. As unnerving as this steep change is/will be I am thrilled about it. Moving across the country has taken a heap of faith and is constantly requiring more, but making the commitment to get married has brought a lot of security to this choice. I don't know how I found such a wonderful, godly man to spend the rest of my life with.
And check this ring out! Small, simple, and PERFECT for me! When I went to a jeweler to get my finger sized they thought I was crazy for wanting a small diamond, but Mike understood. My heart may have stopped beating when Mike proposed and I saw the ring; not because of the ring, but because of what it symbolizes: he is committed to loving me, learning my ins and outs, taking care of me, and leading me in Gods will.
As part of the proposal Mike set-up a photo shoot with his good friend, Bryan Giardinelli. As a photographer myself I am rather picky with photos, but Bryan did a perfect job capturing the two of us and our love, or as he put it; us being "infatuated with love".
We have been talking about marriage since the beginning of our relationship, but now those lofty plans are absolute ... fairly soon I will be married. With this move to Oregon and soon marriage, within a few short months my life will have drastically changed. As unnerving as this steep change is/will be I am thrilled about it. Moving across the country has taken a heap of faith and is constantly requiring more, but making the commitment to get married has brought a lot of security to this choice. I don't know how I found such a wonderful, godly man to spend the rest of my life with.
As part of the proposal Mike set-up a photo shoot with his good friend, Bryan Giardinelli. As a photographer myself I am rather picky with photos, but Bryan did a perfect job capturing the two of us and our love, or as he put it; us being "infatuated with love".
Thursday, January 6, 2011
YWAM Salem
Recently I purchased my plane ticket, with my final destination being Salem, OR. In two days I will be in California; a week, Oregon.
Back in September and October I went through the process of making a terribly hard decision; to be on staff with YWAM Orlando or YWAM Salem. I love the heat and humidity so being in Orlando has its bonuses, plus I already know most of the staff there, some are my close friends, and we just purchased an 198 acre campus that is in the midst of renovations.
The decision was extremely wearing, I love Orlando and it's familiar, but in order to continue my relationship with Mike we would need to be in the same place. The Lord didn't help the agony either, He just kept telling me that I need to be in YWAM and He wasn't releasing Mike from Salem, plus Mike still has another year left in his two year commitment. I will be able to walk out my giftings at both bases. So it came down to whether I thought my relationship with Mike was worth sacrificing Orlando, a place of family and beautiful weather.
Not all of it was bad, I really do appreciate the fact that God was giving me a choice in all this. And even with my decision made, ticket bought and bags packed I can still change my mind. He has made sure I don't feel forced into my decision, though I had to make it quick, and I can still escape.
I'm happy with my decision though. Yes, it is painfully hard leaving Greenville. I've always lived here, in the same house at that, all my friends are here, plus family. Everything here is familiar and safe. Salem isn't. Aside from Mike I don't know anyone there; I'm completely starting over. All the self value I have found in my family and friends here is going to be ripped out of my hands ... with only the Lord left to look to for worth.
I know God is going to do amazing things while I'm there in Salem and I'm sure I'll make some friends along the way; the process is going to hurt, but it's all worth it.
Back in September and October I went through the process of making a terribly hard decision; to be on staff with YWAM Orlando or YWAM Salem. I love the heat and humidity so being in Orlando has its bonuses, plus I already know most of the staff there, some are my close friends, and we just purchased an 198 acre campus that is in the midst of renovations.
The decision was extremely wearing, I love Orlando and it's familiar, but in order to continue my relationship with Mike we would need to be in the same place. The Lord didn't help the agony either, He just kept telling me that I need to be in YWAM and He wasn't releasing Mike from Salem, plus Mike still has another year left in his two year commitment. I will be able to walk out my giftings at both bases. So it came down to whether I thought my relationship with Mike was worth sacrificing Orlando, a place of family and beautiful weather.
Not all of it was bad, I really do appreciate the fact that God was giving me a choice in all this. And even with my decision made, ticket bought and bags packed I can still change my mind. He has made sure I don't feel forced into my decision, though I had to make it quick, and I can still escape.
I'm happy with my decision though. Yes, it is painfully hard leaving Greenville. I've always lived here, in the same house at that, all my friends are here, plus family. Everything here is familiar and safe. Salem isn't. Aside from Mike I don't know anyone there; I'm completely starting over. All the self value I have found in my family and friends here is going to be ripped out of my hands ... with only the Lord left to look to for worth.
I know God is going to do amazing things while I'm there in Salem and I'm sure I'll make some friends along the way; the process is going to hurt, but it's all worth it.
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