Year, Yippee, and Yaweh

Year:

Drum roll please.... Cue the music...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO BRENT AND ME! :)

I truly cannot believe that it has been a year since I was walkidng down the aisle: and I still cannot believe that I was so blessed to be met at the end of that aisle by Brent and his "I do."

The Valentine's day before our wedding Brent and I purchases a journal for one another. However, instead of presenting each other with the journal, we kept them and wrote in them up until the day of our wedding. We then gave them to each other as our plane took off for our honeymoon. In honor of our one year anniversary I wanted to reflect on those days and moments before we said, "I do."

I wrote:
"...We just said good-bye at the airport in Louisville, and it was the last time I will ever have to say goodbye to you like that! My heart literally felt different when I wrote that...This is why I am marrying you-- because life is better with you than apart from you. I remember that first summer before our freshman year when we had to say bye...leaving you was so, so hard, but harder than actually separating from you was the thought of so many goodbyes ahead of us-- the thought that over the next four years at college I would grow to love you more deeply, and yet I would always have to say goodbye to you. It seems unreal that this is actually happening- that the goodbyes are over and that I will be your bride and never have to say goodbye like that again. I will always have you by my side at night. Brent, thanks for being patient in this very long journey with me.Thanks for being willing to work though the distance with me. There is no one else I would have wanted to do this with. And may we always say that of one another. Yours, Kels."

He wrote:
"Today you will be my wife; today we will share my last name. Today you will walk down the aisle and take my hand, and all at the same time you will for the last time be Kelsey C. and begin being Kelsey I.The day is finally here and I am so excited about just enjoying today. Today you will look beautiful and I want to soak up that moment when you walk down that aisle. I knew today's weather would be perfect. I woke up today to the sun shining through the windows. I smiled, knowing the sun wasn't hiding behind the clouds, knowing tomorrow morning I would be waking up with you by my side and just realizing that today is June 7th. I want to be so good to you, always. I want to be a good husband. I want to always care for you and love and protect you. Today, at the end of the day, I want you to fall asleep in my arms, knowing that you are loved, cherished, and safe." ___________________________________________________________________ A year ago:


This year... we have had a lot of fun and "celebrated" over the whole weekend. Friday was the last day for both of us (more below), and we went out to eat, then came home and rented "Marley and Me" (sad. almost made me want a dog. almost.) Saturday we slept in, woke up, went to the pool!, and then went yard sale-ing, and then decided to go to church last night. Interesting enough, the sermon this week is entitled "A love that dares" and Erin Bethea, from Fireproof, is here and was part of the sermon. It was a beautiful reminder that love is a commitment and not a feeling. When we came home we ate supper on the porch and busted open our wedding cake (first year tradition, after all)! This morning we slept in, went back to the pool!, ate lunch, then went to a movie Brent has been wanting to see for awhile: UP! It was GREAT! Then it was Panera Bread for supper (compliments of a student of mine...thank you gift cards) and back home for more cake :) Whew. A fun weekend for us!

Pictures this year? :

We decided we should take some pictures after church (okay...I decided). (And thank you Micah, for the great dress!)

And no, our bed is not made because I am not Kali.

Thanks to mom, our cake was nicely preserved and made the trip from MO to KY

For those of you that don't know the whole story, or have forgotten in, here it is in brief: Our cake was beautiful; we loved it. It was set up a few hours too early, moved into the back of the blazer, fell over...

... and was recreated to look like this. Ha! Oh well...it tasted just as good...and we were just as married at the end of it all!

It was super tasty--- just as good as a year ago!

Brent: Thank you for a great year! Thank you for serving me and loving me, even in my ugliest moments.

At the bottom of our wedding programs I decided to put a favorite quote from C.S. Lewis:
"[Love] is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit' reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God..."Being in love" first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enable them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it."

Yippee:

Friday was a big day for both Brent and I: It marked the end of a lot of work for both of us! It was slightly strange knowing that my first year of teaching was over. I still have to go back this week for some end of the year stuff (yes, I will not officially be done until the middle of JUNE!), but as I said goodbye to my students on Friday there was a reassurance that swept over me: I love what I do, and the Lord has called me to this work! What a "blessed assurance." I would like to write more about this year and some lessons I've learned, but since this is getting long, I will write about that later.

Yaweh:

As you read above, Brent finished his internship at the church. Now, before most of you ask his favorite question, "What's next?" Let me tell you: We aren't sure, but we know God is faithful. (And no, that is not a cliche answer).

Brent interviewed at a local Christian school for an assistant Athletic Directer position...the interview went extremely well, they offered him the job the same day, and he did not have peace about it. So we prayed about it, both felt peace about our conclusion: Turn down the job offer.

I know this seems crazy, especially in the current times in which we live, but we know that our God, our Yaweh, lives beyond these circumstances. Brent feels called to something directly tied into the ministry. We know something will turn up. For now, we will pinch a few more pennies, kick our feet up, pray a lot, keep our eyes on the lookout for something, and enjoy the summer together! And don't worry...I'll keep you informed.

Okay, I better get back to our final Anniversary celebration: the NBA finals. Unfortunately we watched them last year on our honeymoon, so this may be a tradition. GO ORLANDO!