five on friday: anniversary edition

Sunday marks Jake and I's one year anniversary. I can't even believe that it has already been a whole year. It seems like it was just yesterday but also seems like so long ago, all at the same time. I am so thankful every day that I married such a wonderful man. We will be celebrating our anniversary in Austin, TX at a friend's wedding. We have never been to Austin so we're both excited to have a reason to go and to celebrate with my friend Christin on her very special day.

And since it's Friday, I am linking up with Christina, Darci, Liz and Natasha for Five on Friday. Also, in honor of our anniversary, today's five are my five most favorite things about my husband.

(1) There is never a dull moment with my husband. Whether we're starting a new project, he is rough housing with Winnie or one of our random conversations,  it is always a joy.

(2) He is a very strong worker. He is very dedicated to his work or whatever task he is doing. He doesn't do anything half way. He is a great example of how hard work pays off and I know that he blesses our family by being a person of such diligence.

(3) His faith. He is always striving to be a better person. He encourages me and guides our relationship to be one which honors God. This was one of the most important qualities I wanted in a husband and he does it well. And for that I am eternally grateful.

(4) He is tall, dark and handsome. I don't feel that I need to dwell much on this. But he's pretty easy on the eyes.

(5) He is my best friend. I never really understood what that was like until I met Jake. Life is just better with him by my side and I couldn't imagine life any other way. He brings so much goodness to my life and is a better husband than I could have ever hoped for. I am beyond blessed.

Happy One Year Anniversary J! I love you and can't wait for many more years together!

on loving well

Last night the hubs and I finished a four week book study at our church on the 5 Love Languages. I know a lot of people are familiar with the love language concept, but if you're not let me give you a brief overview. Essentially, there are five basic ways in which people give and receive love. Although the study we did was for married couples, this is not specific for marriage necessarily, so don't think that if you're not married that this doesn't apply to you. Because it does. Anyway, the five different languages are

• words of affirmation
• physical touch
• quality time
• acts of service
• gifts

People tend to have a primary love language and often a secondary. This is how one feels loved by others. The book uses the term "love tank" to use as a way of measuring how loved your feel. There isn't a right way or a wrong way to receive love. There are just different ways. And, I think, once you understand how a person feels loved, it really helps you understand them in a new way. I really could go on for awhile about this topic but I'll spare you, so if you are interested in learning more check out the website or the book. I really enjoy Gary Chapman and his books and I think this is a pretty quick and easy read.

I had read this book before I started dating J so I was very familiar with my love language: quality time. I knew that was how I best feel loved by others and often is my ideal way to spend my time with people I care about. However, reading this book now after being married a year was insightful in a new way. Even though we're relatively new to the marriage train, it is still helpful to understand how I can show my husband how that I love him.

The hubs love language is words of affirmation, which is my lowest love language. And it is pretty common for you and your spouse to not have the same primary love language. So that isn't a big surprise. What has come as a surprise to me over the past year is how poorly I am with that specific language. As soon as I learned (thanks to my mom) which was j's love language, I knew why God had brought us together. While I love to write and love to talk, I am not so good with expressing myself verbally with words of affirmation. I always thought that I was awesome at pretty much anything to do with talking because, frankly, I do it a lot. But come to find out, I stink at telling my husband (or anyone else for that matter) how I appreciate them. And when that is the primary way your husband feels loved, it can be a bit of an issue.

I have worked some at trying to improve my skills in this area. Now after taking this class, I realized that just trying a little isn't good enough. My husband deserves to know how much he is loved in a way that speaks loudest to him. And while it is uncomfortable and somewhat awkward for me to express myself this way, it is something that I must learn to do and try to do well. Thankfully, I have learned this early in our marriage and hopefully I can continue to get better at it because my husband is great. He deserves to know that each and every day.

So if this is a new concept to you, I encourage you to check it out. It could really make a big impact in all your relationships.

wedding picture gawking part II

So I wrote this blog a long long time ago and promised that I would post most pictures of the our wedding day. Welp, I sure didn't ever do that, so I figured it was time to hold up to my end of the deal. As we're getting closer to our one year anniversary, I still look at these pictures all the time (maybe I should get a hobby?). But they are just so wonderful and I cannot say enough good things about our photographer, Kim. So without further ado, here are some ceremony & post ceremony pictures!

 

 

I promise I will post reception pictures soon!

family & food: part I

In our family, we learn at an early age that food is best when it is homemade. There is just something about cutting into a fresh loaf of bread that you just can't get from a store. The smells and sounds of walking into a kitchen busy with preparation for a meal is something that resonates deep into my soul. It is something that to me speak of not just food, but of love and home.

I grew up in a small town, where the typical "eat out" restaurants were at least 15 miles away, so eating food at home was kind of a given. And I didn't think anything of it. But also, being a part of my family included learning how to cook and bake at a young age. I made my own birthday cake at age six, obviously not completely by myself but regardless, I took the credit. It is just a part of how we grew up and what we came to know as normal.

Every Sunday night, we spent around my grandparents table. We'd gather together in late afternoon, either when the farmers were finished out of the field or when the golfers were finished with 18 holes. But when you walked into their house, my grandma would always be scurrying around the kitchen, apron on and making something delicious. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents would all sit around the table eating and chatting late into the evening. This again, was our normal.

As I've grown up and moved out of my small country town, I have come to realize how much of a gem those Sunday nights were. Those nights were more than just about eating dinner. They were a time of sharing in life with the ones we hold so close to our hearts. It's about nourishing our bodies and our souls. The food was far more than just about eating to fill out stomachs. It encompassed so much preparation, love and care that my grandmother put into each dish to share with her family. To take care of each and every one of us. Those are the nights that I miss the very most now.

Now that I am cooking for my own family (well, my husband), I realize why cooking and making food for the ones we love is so important. Food is one of my love languages. Not in a glutenous kind of way. But it a, I may not be great at using my words, but I will show how much I care for you through my food. Making food with my own hands is almost like therapy to me. It's one of the ways that I can be creative and express who I am in the flavors and treats I can make. It's something that I can have confidence in because it's something that I love.

So when our family decided to put together a cookbook, we all agreed that it was a great idea. There were so many recipes that have been passed down from my great grandmother, my grandmother and new ones we've adopted along the way.  It was time to put all of those family gems in one place...

And I'll tell you more about that in part II...

one month

dear future mr,

one month from now, i will be your mrs. can you even believe it, because i can't. i can't believe that its already been almost ten months, let alone the two years we've been together. time goes so fast. i'm excited for all the first that will come in the next year. our first address together, our first vacation, our first christmas as a married couple, our first joint bank account. so many firsts to be had. as excited as i am about all those firsts, i'm more excited about the everyday. coming home to you everyday, sharing your last name with you everyday, cooking for you (almost) everyday, waking up to you everyday. i'm ready to share in every day with you. the good ones and the bad ones too, although i may not feel that way in the moment. because when it comes down to it, there isn't anyone else that i want by my side on a bad day. you know how to make me smile, even when i don't want to. you make me laugh harder than anyone else. you make me feel like i can overcome the world. your are exactly the person that i need to be with me to get through every day. and that is exactly why i believe that God has brought us together. not for all the big moments, but to love each other through the everyday moments. to share together in the little joys of life. yes, there will be many big moments, too, but not as often as the other. life for the past six months has really been, well, crazy and its not going to slow down just yet. but when it does, i am excited that you will still be there each and every day.

love,

me

173

You know those moments that happen so unconsciously and so quickly but drastically change your life forever. Some are good and some are not so good. Well two years ago, I had one of those moments and it changed my life for good. I returned a phone call from a man named Jake and now, in a few quick months, that man will become my husband.

It's one of those moments that I had not expected, nor planned out. It was something that God had been brewing up for a long while. If it had been in my control, it probably wouldn't have happened at all. But, I am so thankful that it did.

In 173 days, I will take a new last name. I will begin a new journey. A journey that is exciting and scary; thrilling and nerve-wracking; awesome and God-inspired. I'll be honest, there are moments where the big idea of marriage is daunting. So often today, we see marriages splitting, unfaithful spouses, selfishness over commitment. And I'm sure that no one intends those marriage to end up that way. I highly doubt that anyone walks down the aisle and thinks that it won't last forever.

I too am one of those people. I believe that we will choose marriage over singleness. Love over hate. Humility over self-righteousness. This is our prayer. This is my prayer. I pray our hearts are prepared for the unknown that is before us. I pray that we turn our eyes to Jesus before one another, our jobs, our money, or another person.

Jake and I may never be a CEO of a hospital, or a top selling author. But if we leave any impact on this world, my hope is that we leave a legacy of love and can show the world how to be a marriage that lasts.

In no means, do I think our relationship is perfect. We'd be the first people to say we have our own points of "uniqueness." But I know that we will try out best and love as well as we know how. And survive each day through prayer, grace and forgiveness.

Today & Everyday

Happy Valentine's Day.

I hope you are surrounded and feeling loved in some capacity today. Whether it is from your spouse, parent, child, friend, co-worker, dog...whatever it is, I hope you are feeling loved.

Typically, I would have prepared for today. I would have some sort of handmade craft or food to give to my valentine. However, this year I am not so prepared.

Today I'm thinking about the beach and how just 24 hours ago I was in sunshiny Florida sipping coffee and reading this book in the Florida room. Chatting with my grandmother about cooking, weddings, and life. Spending time just sitting and relaxing and existing.

But today I am back to the grind, struggling to get myself to focus and be productive. Dealing with a little post-vacation bummedness (I just made that word up). And tonight I will go home, exhausted and feeling a little grouchy because I'm still not recovered from our 4:15 a.m. wake up call to make our flight back home. I will put on my sweatpants and new Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, make a delicious dinner with Jake and some red wine and snuggle in for a movie. Enjoying the little moments of love. Nothing grand, nothing spectacular and, do to saving for the wedding, no gifts. Which is perfectly a-ok with me.

Because honestly, almost everyday is like valentine's day. I rarely go a day that I don't feel or know that I am loved. I am beyond blessed by my future husband, grandparents who still take walks on the beach together, family, friends and a God who, despite my feelings and worry, loves me regardless.

So, Happy Valentine's Day to you today and everyday.

The Engagement Story - His

Fellow readers of the K.I.S.S blog:

My name is Jacob Paul Revere and I will be your celebrity writer for this lovely blog posting. I have never had any interest in “doing” a blog, but since my lovely wife-to-be has encouraged me; I am sitting here writing to you all.

The wonderful engagement story is something that every single woman in America dreams, wishes, and fantasies about upon birth.  Think I am exaggerating, just talk to Shana!  The goal behind me writing to the extensive amount of followers is to simply provide a different perspective on the wonderful and amazing day that Shana said YES! It all began one day back in January of 2011 when I realized that Shana was the one that was meant for me.  At that time, she had given me so much and been an integral part of my life.  I realized that I didn’t want to spend another day without her.  She was the other half of me that I didn’t know I needed (yes Sha I said need!!  Haha inside joke). I began on January 17, 2011 to write in a journal where I could funnel all of my thoughts and aspirations into a place that Shana would not be able to see or hear.  And so began the proposal journey.

I had spent many days thinking about the how and when and where and why, but I didn’t have any true direction until the wonderful Groupon email was sent to me.  The Hot Air Balloon Corp. got my business and that is where I started the foundation of the proposal plans. I knew that I needed to schedule the hot air balloon ride at a time that would allow other activities afterward, because I was defiantly not going to have the day be like a re-run of the Bachelorette where Jason gets in a hot air balloon, gets on a knee and asks some random chick named Moniqua to marry him, even though he has been cheated on the whole 32 days he has known her. Anyway, I began planning for after the balloon ride which is when I involved the lovely friend, Lauren, into the plan. She was brought in to tie-up loose ends, as well as help out with some other thoughts. So, here is what I came up with…

THE PLAN:

• Hot Air Balloon Ride: 8 am – 11:30 am
• Alternative: ???
• Indy Zoo: 12 pm – 3:30 pm
• Alternative: Children’s Museum
• Picnic at Park: 4 pm – 8 pm
• Alternative: Any park in the greater Indy area

THE ACTUAL EVENTS:

• Hot Air Balloon ride was cancelled
• Parked car to watch sun rise
• Car battery died
• Called Uncle Bud and Aunt Sheri for a jump and went with them to breakfast
• Went to Indy Zoo (no problems…great weather)
• Lauren successfully dropped off the warmed food and placed it in the trunk of my car
• Went to park and found the entire Indy Mexican population having a fiesta (250 people total)
• Went to other park (thank you Lauren) ate dinner, dessert, shared the journal, and asked the women of my dreams to marry me.
• Tears of joy, the word “Yes, of course” over and over again, jumping, screaming, kissing, more jumping, laughing, and more crying!

To summarize, I hope you all have enjoyed this celebrity blog posting and that I have enlightened you on the engagement story of J and (future) Sha Revere!

A beautiful whirlwind

The last week has been nothing but a whirlwind. The most awesome, blessed whirlwind. I still don't think the "engagement reality" has truly sunk in. Jake and I keep saying "we're getting married...to each other." It's so different in my mind now as a reality as opposed to something I've been dreaming about since I could dream. I find myself staring at my ring, or messing with it because I'm not used to it yet, or thinking that I need to take it off because I forget that I am in fact getting married!

If you don't know me, let me tell you that I LOVE weddings. I love all things wedding. Really. My dream job is to be a self employed wedding planner. So now that I get to plan my own wedding, it's so surreal. So there is the engagement daze, the wedding planning but most importantly...the marriage.

I can't wait to marry Jake. I cannot wait to come home to him every day. I can't wait to share an address with him, a name with him and a life with him. Even seeing how much time, energy, thought and love he put into the engagement just blew me away. He continually shows me how incredible he is. I still can't believe I get to marry him. It's just so cool.

He's going to be an awesome husband. I cannot wait to share in the wedding planning stage with him and to see our families, friends and love come together to celebrate something that is right in the world.

But for now, back to laundry, trying to find a date, and getting excited for my 25th birthday! Woah! Engagement and birthday in one week. It's going to be a good 25th year of life.

PS - Engagement story coming soon.

All we need is love, love is all we need

I've been having lots of conversations this week about love. Love of all sorts. There are so many ways to use the word such as I love fall and candy corn. I love my puppy. I love my family. I love my friends. I love my boyfriend. I love my God. Right there I used to word love six different times, each of them carrying something different along with the word. 

Also, I think I am in love with the word love. It seems to be everywhere. It's written 551 times in the Bible. I look around my house, I've got it somewhere. We watch love stories. We read romantic books about love. We're attracted to images that portray love. Why are weddings such a big deal? All because of those four letters L-O-V-E.

This is the love all over my house.

So what does it really meant to be love? 

I really enjoy conversations about relationships. I thrive on them. I don't think I'm an expert but like I said...I love love. So, I always enjoy a good conversation about what love means. I used to think I understood what love was, but then I met a certain someone and my whole view of it changed. Everyday love takes on a different meaning to me. I used to think that love was something that I felt, all day, everyday. But now, I am learning that love is something that I do. It's an action. 

Someone very wise (aka my mom) once told me that one of the greatest struggles that my generation will face is the misconception of what love and relationships are all about. And I so get that. Doesn't TV tell you that love is passion, romantic dates, buying nice things, more passion? Just watch a prime time TV show, or yet...The Bachelor.

Did you know that there are three different kinds of love? Yep, three. Philos, Eros, and Agape. A short lesson: philos - friend, eros- erotic, agape - unconditional. Three different kinds of love, for three different ways to love. Someone whom I love once said "I think the best kind of relationship is one that encompasses all three kinds of love: friendship, passion, and unconditional love." And I tend to agree. Why wouldn't you want all three?

Anyway, my tangent on love is simply to just say...there is no direct formula. There is no magic feeling that you must feel. Love is different for each of us. We experience it differently and we love differently. Relationships are already messy, so keep love simple.

Three things on my mind

It's funny to me that I often think to myself..."Oh, that'd be a good topic to blog about." Yet, every time I go to sit down to actually do it, my mind goes blank. Maybe that a blessing because it frees up what I can right about right now, in this moment. It let's me say what I want to say.

Right now, I have a few things on my mind:

1. How God is faithful
2. How great my co-workers are
3. How great my boyfriend is

1. I daily struggle with surrender and control. God and I often have a battle on who is in control. Well, really it's me who is having the battle. God usually just waits til I'm tired and then steps in to save the day. But, I am finding that I am having to learn how to trust more and more, even as I get older. I used to think that by the time I was almost 25 (eek!) that I'd have it all figured out. But actually, the older I get the less I feel like I have figured out. I'm regressing in sorts. I probably just used to be ignorant to what I didn't know, when I thought I did. And now I realize how much I don't know.

One of my professors in graduate school said, "I teach the first class, where you will learn how much you really don't know." And he was right.

This is real love

But back to God being faithful. I also used to think that trust was a feeling. No, trust is not a feeling. Trust is a choice. Much like many other things are a choice...surrendering, forgiving, loving, commitment, perseverance, joy. These are all choices. I used to think that unless I "felt" them inside, then they weren't there. This is not at all true. If I were waiting to feel like forgiving someone when they've hurt me, I'd probably never do it. If I were waiting to feel joy, to be happy...I'd never be happy. These things are a choice. Love is a choice.

I used to think that fairy tales equated to truth. I used to think that I'd always feel mushy gushy in love every moment of the day. Well...I did for a while, but now I find that my love has changed in sorts. Now, let me say that it has changed in a good way. I'm still new on the relationship spectrum and we have a lot way to go. But it's not a fairy tale...well it is a fairy tale, just different than the way that Disney portrays it. I seem to have gotten way off topic, but oh well.

The sum of number one is that God is faithful and He will always provide. Sometimes it's different than we think, but it's always a greater blessing than you know.

2. I just got home from work at 9...long day. We had an event and it always makes me realize how great the people I work with are. Everyone is hard working and does their part. I appreciate them so much. They've spoiled me for any future employment

3. Why is my boyfriend awesome? He is awesome because he picked up all the toilet paper on the floor of my bathroom that our puppy decided to pull down today. That's why he is so awesome and that is what I call love.

Home Sweet Home

In the past six years, I've lived at six different addresses. For the first 18 years of my life, I lived at the same address. So moving every year has been a big adjustment for me. And in two weeks, I will yet again be changing my address.

I have found that each place I've lived has its own personality. Each with a character of its own and once you move your things and people into each place they become alive. I've learned to purge and pack. Stuff and load. Unpack and organize. Clean and settle. I feel as if I've mastered packing and moving.

Mom and I in my current kitchen

Although I'm not looking forward to all the work that comes with moving, there is something exciting about making space your own. I can't wait to add my personal touch to make my new house cozy and Shanesque. With all that said, I cannot wait for the day when I can find a house of my own. A place where I can come home each day, park my car in the garage, have a yard for Winnie to run around in, have dinner with my family, do home improvement tasks on the weekends, and have lots of friends come to visit. What I guess I'm saying is I'm excited for the day when I can make a home.

Although, that is not where I'm at currently in my life journey, I can look forward to that time. But, for now I have to continue to learn how to be content and I have come to understand the phrase "home is where your heart is". I may not have a home of my own, but home, I have found, is who I'm with. It's the people that make a home, than the structure.

I grew up in a great house on a great street, but it was the people in it that made it home. And someday it will be the people who live there that make my home.

And now some pictures of Winnie...

When she was wittle.

Sweet moments.

Home.

Guilty Pleasure

My guilty pleasure in life is...dah dah dah

ABC's The Bachelor & The Bachelorette

Let me start by saying: Yes, I know its a reality TV show. Yes, I realize most of the couples are not together now. Yes, I realize that the ABC producers do a wonderful job at editing.

Now with that out of the way, I can't help it, but I do love the show. I've been an avid fan since Season 1 when Alex Michel broke Trista's heart and picked Amanda Marsh to receive the final rose.

But, I was really ok with that because Trista came back the next season for The Bachelorette and introduced the world to Ryan Sutter. They are the one couple who has manged to live the reality show fairy tale. They're still married and have two kids. Plus, they're just beautiful people.

Seriously, how adorable are they! I was a little bit obsessed with them. Confessions: I taped their entire wedding episodes and probably watched it multiple times. 

I've watched every season, minus one. I chose not to watch it because I wasn't a fan of the bachelor they selected. He shall go nameless. But other than that I've watched everything to when Bob cracked up everyone on the show, when DeAnna managed to make a presence in three seasons, when Jason picked Melissa then changed his mind, to Jake and Vienna's awful relationship, Ali sobbing over Jake, everyone falling in love with single mom Emily who lost the love of her life in a plane crash. To most recently, Bentley leaving Ashley to go "be with his daughter."

Yes, it is just a TV show, but its not to far off from every girls dreams to fly around the world and live a life of being wooed and multiple men trying to sweep her off her feet every time they see her. Although, as I'm maturing and seeing the show for what it is. I tend to be a bit turned off by the fact that one person is in a significant relationship with multiple people, and the other is fully aware of it. Let's be honest...that's not normal and may even be classified as cheating. But who am I to judge, right?!? I still enjoy watching. Like I said...guilty pleasure.

If today I was given the chance to be on the show, I would have to turn it down because I already live in reality. And I'm already am in love...with just one man.

 

For my momma:

He will cover you with his feathers, 

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

~Psalm 91:4

Winnie the Pup

Originally, I had planned to blog on Sunday about the fact that we got our puppy! However, this little 8 lbs bundle of fuzzy joy has been requiring a little more of my time than I had previously anticipated. So it is now Thursday and I am just getting around to blogging about Miss Winnie.

This is Winnie. She is a 7 week old, blondish/redish Goldendoodle. We got her from a breeder about five miles from Jake's house. In case you aren't aware of what a Goldendoodle is...she is half Golden Retriever and half Standard Poodle. In other words, she's going to be fairly big and curly. However, the beauty of this breed of dog is that they don't shed! Which was my only requirement. No fur. I'm too narcotic to have dog hair all around. 

So far, she has been an absolutely awesome puppy. Yes, she has an accident every now and then but we've learned its most likely because we stop watching her every moment she's out of her crate. I've learned so much more about puppies in the past 6 days. I forget what Jake and I used to talk about before the Winster came around. Yes, less than a week and I've already given her a nickname.

 For those of you who know me, know that I am not a dog person. I have never really had a desire to have a dog. When I turned 15 my parents got a new puppy on my birthday. I was not a happy camper. Oh, and she's a pug and she sheds everywhere. I didn't want another dog. And my grandparents had a dog growing up that I was deathly afraid of.

With these experiences, needless to say, I wasn't too thrilled with dogs.

However, Jake has always wanted a dog of his own. So, after a year or so, we found a compromise. A Goldendoodle; the ability to play Frisbee and doesn't shed. Perfection. And we found Winnie.

 We picked the name Winnie because she looks like a teddy bear, which of course reminded me of Winnie the Pooh. Hence, the name Winnie.

Despite all my poor experiences with dogs, I am absolutely lovin' having this puppy in my life. There is nothing like it.