Six months and counting

Today is November 24, and that means that officially Dan and I have been married for six months. I was told by a newly married friend that time goes fast when you're married, and wow, was she right. I'm afraid of waking up one day and finding that I'm forty! I think life is better right now than it has ever been, and I don't want to miss a minute of it. Married life is SO much better than dating!

I'm going to attempt to write a short tribute to the last six months. Since it's now 5:50 in the morning, I'm not sure whether it will turn out way too mushy or just plain ridiculous. Read at your own risk!

Favorite wedding day moment: It's a toss up, so I'll pick three. First, seeing him for the first time, me in my wedding dress, him looking oh-so-handsome in his tux. Second, saying my vows to Dan and seeing his reaction. Fun stuff. Third, our kiss after the vows. Dan pulled out all the stops and performed a swoop-your-woman-up-in-your-arms-and-smooth-her number, I think much to our pastor's amusement or horror, I'm not sure which. It was great.

Worst wedding moment: There's not much to work with here, but I'll say our rehearsal. It was a zoo and made me think that our wedding might turn out to be a freak show (it wasn't.) We were both frustrated because everyone had opinions about everything, and we were even told we couldn't run (walk briskly?) back down the aisle when we were pronounced husband and wife. We did anyway once we were married. :)

Best married traditions: Mugs of hot cocoa on Saturday mornings. Yum. The off-to-work kisses in the morning and the honey-I'm-home kisses at night. Friday night dates, which sometimes are as simple as going to work out together or watching a movie at home and eating popcorn. The point is being together, not how fancy the date is.

What we're most thankful for in the past six months: Our church. Honestly, I don't know what we would have done without Cornerstone. We've met so many awesome people and have wholeheartedly enjoyed getting plugged in there. God is so good.

Most annoying habits discovered: When you've dated for 3 1/2 years, we had hoped there wouldn't be too many surprises in store as far as this goes. I did discover pretty early on that Dan apparently took pains to remove each and every sock from his foot inside out and left them that way to go through the wash. Solution: he realized his socks were never clean going through the washer like that, and mended his ways. Dan discovered fairly early on that I had the charming habit of squeezing the toothpaste from the top instead of the bottom (I know, classically annoying, huh?) Solution: separate toothpaste tubes. I guess also qualify for more annoying habits, mainly rolling onto his side of the bed at night and pushing him to the very edge, and stealing all the covers.

Worst married moment: It's probably every Tuesday, when we get up at 5 a.m. to get Dan to work by 6 a.m. We just don't talk while we're getting ready. My body is always very clever and helpful on Monday nights and makes sure I sleep the worst on these nights. So making a sandwich in the morning becomes a colossal challenge (although I think Dan tried to put a box of cereal in the refrigerator one morning, so I suppose I'm not alone). I have to be honest and say there have been no dramatic fights. Sure, we have our moments when we get frustrated with each other, but I can't come up with any real winners to share here. We'd like to keep it that way.

Most dramatic married moment: Okay, I'll share something that's rather personal on here. Last month there were a couple weeks where it seemed like a very good possibility that I might be pregnant. It feels silly to share that on a blog, but I share it because I have never been more thankful for my husband or more proud of what the Lord is doing in his life. He showed far more maturity and wisdom and faith than I did in responding to that new thought, and he was a rock for me. And no, it turns out we are NOT expecting, but I think the Lord never wastes an experience on our lives and never fails to use them to show us something new about ourselves.

Thanks, Dan, for a great past six months. I know that despite whatever challenges they may bring, the next six months, and the future beyond, will be a joy and a blessing simply because we are together.

Stephanie

Hope for the first time in a long time

Well, it seems that the Lord is up to some pretty awesome stuff in my family's lives these days. As most of you who read this probably know, for about the past four years, my mom has been fighting what we thought was MS. My dad and I have watched it slowly drain her of her strength, her energy, and really her ability to enjoy life like she used to. The mom of my childhood was always super involved, visiting my sister, volunteering at my school, cooking yummy meals, helping with my dad's business. Now unable to drive and hardly able to walk, her life has been very different.

I had really gotten to the point where I had accepted that this was the way the Lord was working in her life, and knew there was a very good possibility she would never get better. She had been pursuing treatment from a naturaopath, but it seemed to the rest of us that the doctor didn't know exactly what he was dealing with and her "treatments" really weren't helping her get any better.

But two weeks ago... a break through. My mom met some people at her doctor's office who packed up for New Mexico to get a second opinion. They had heard of a doctor there who specialized in treating Lyme Disease, which is often misdiagnosed as MS. Through their eyes, my mom got to learn about him and what he does. Apparently he himself was cured from Lyme Disease, and he has helped many, many people.

Modern medicine sees Lyme as a bacteria that is treated with antibiotics, but this stuff really is nasty. Once it's in your body, it has no intention of leaving, and from what I understand, antibiotics kill a lot of it, but not all of it. This doctor's treatment is different. While he acknowledges it's a bacteria, he treats it more as the virulent parasite it is.

So in the matter of a few days, my parents packed their bags and hopped on a plane for New Mexico. I was cautiously hopeful. But on Friday I got a call that the doctor had tested her blood using a special microscope, and yes, she was positive for Lyme Disease. She also had a lot of other nasties since her body is so compromised.

I can't even tell you how amazing it was to have a solid diagnosis. Basically this stuff has been eating my mom's nutrition and her muscles. So on Monday, she began a 7-day IV treatment that makes the Lyme expose itself and then kills it. She will have to go back in 2 months to be tested, but 90% of the doctor's patients are better after the first treatment.

His advice? Go home and REST and EAT. My mom has been doing a very strict diet designed for the food allergies and MS she supposedly had. What a joy it was to talk to her on the phone and hear that she was eating steak, breakfast sandwiches, hamburgers and fish! Finally she gets to live again!

The slightly troubling news is that Lyme is more contagious than many people realize (most people think you can ONLY get it by a tick bite.) My dad does show positive for having it, so he will be treated as well. Thankfully his immune system is strong enough that it has not affected him.

In all of this, I am grateful to the Lord beyond words. While I know that my mom's recovery could be very, very slow, I also know that this news has rekindled hope in my family. I am thankful that our God is the Lord of suffering AND the Lord of healing. He meets each one of us where we are at and sustains for us the journey. Praise the Lord!

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Psalm 147:3-4

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.
Psalm 103:2-4

Stephanie

Fall, Lovely Fall

Well, it's about time that I updated and delivered on my promise of pictures. I was just thinking yesterday that I wished I had a camera with me when I was out driving. I always think to take pictures when I go somewhere unique, but sometimes I forgot to take pictures of the everyday things around me. I really can't remember a prettier Oregon fall than we've had this year - the trees are colors are so vibrant and stunning and the sun has been out every day. It was strange talking to Stephanie in Alaska the other day and hearing that it is in the 20s and snowing there! Sorry Steph, you just need to come visit. :)

Alrighty, back to the trip...

So the day after we arrived in Chicago, we went to the lovely town of Wheaton and visited two museums on the Wheaton College campus. One of them was called the Wade Center, and it was a "mini museum" with a collection of items about C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and a few other writers. This oak wardrobe was handmade by C.S. Lewis's grandfather, and resided in Lewis's childhood home. His brother said that it was the inspiration for the wardrobe in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Though as my brother-in-law wisely pointed out, Lucy would have had to crawl into this wardrobe!

Just absolutely loved this painting of Aslan.

The campus of Wheaton. My only complaint was that because we were in a rush after visiting the museums, we had to eat in their cafeteria. Quite honestly it brought back some very painful memories for me of days when I couldn't find anything to eat in my school's cafeteria but tortilla chips and carrots and a handful of shredded cheese. I think subsisted on that stuff for four years! Thankfully, their food was better than Corban's.

The group of ladies I went with. They were so much fun. I joked before the trip that it was like going on a trip with seven mothers, but really it was more like going with seven great friends. I'm so blessed to work with them all and to learn from their wisdom!

Here's our group with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, whose ministry for women, Revive Our Hearts, put on the conference. She was a dear! And of course, she was as amazing in person as she was on stage sharing from her heart.

We got to try frozen custard from Culver's, which we had heard raving reviews about. I greatly enjoyed it, since ice cream in most forms is a close friend of mine, but it still didn't compare to Tillamook's Udderly Chocolate ice cream... which was waiting for me at home.

And speaking of home... it was really good to be back. Hope you've enjoyed the pictures... I would love to hear how you all are doing!

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:10

Stephanie

A Weekend to Remember

Well, I am back in the lovely land of the Pacific NW after my jaunt to Chicago to attend the True Woman 08 Conference. It's really hard to know how to sum up 4 really amazing days in a blog post short enough that anyone would actually read it, so I'll just hit the highlights. I think one of my co-workers put it so well when she said, "I was so empty before I left, and now I feel so full."

First of all, the conference was amazing, and it was HUGE. As in 6,300 women in one room. I think Dan's exact words when I told him that were, "That's WAY too many women"!

While it's true that the amount of estrogen in the conference center was off the chart, there was nothing fluffy or wimpy about this conference. Every speaker has something very profound to say - including John Piper, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Janet Parshall, and Joni Eareckson Tada.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite thoughts and quotes that I was privileged to hear.

“In every situation God is always doing a thousand different things you cannot see and do not know.” - John Piper.

"Stop listening to yourself; talk to yourself." - Karen Loritts

"Can you accept His will for your life, even if it's not what you want?" - Janet Parshall

"I want to be a jewel that does not cringe when God chooses to give me a good scrubbing every now and then. My soul can stand a good scrubbing." - Joni Eareckson Tada

"Don't waste your suffering." - Joni Eareckson Tada

"Don't judge the outcome of the battle by the way things look right now." - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

My "touchstone" moment was definitely Friday night when they showed the video message from Joni Eareckson Tada (if you don't know much about Joni, you have to read her books. She is an amazing woman of God.) Joni is a quadriplegic, but she has been experiencing some very difficult pain in her bones and wasn't able to be there in person. Her message was so very, very powerful - about how the Lord uses suffering in our lives. If you have the time, I'd very much recommend listening to her message on audio.
Next time I will share some pictures from the trip!

Because of His grace,
S.

Off to Chicago...

So I realize that so far I am not doing so good at keeping up with this blogging thing! But since I am sitting here waiting for my ride to the airport and I rarely have extra time, I thought I would write a short update.

I am truly blessed because this week I am off to Chicago with the rest of the staff at my office! We are going to Nancy Leigh Demoss' True Woman 08 Conference. It should be really awesome - I have never heard John Piper speak and am looking forward to that. Also, it's embarrassing, but I've never been back that far east before, and you can bet I'm going to have a window seat on the airplane, and hopefully I'll be able to see something.

I'll update on how it was, and include pictures, when I get back.

In the mean time, I have to steal something off of my boss' blog. Do ya'll know about Brian Regan? He is just plain hilarious, and a pretty clean comedian too, which makes him all the funnier. Dan and I have one of his stand up routines on ITunes and we can practically recite half the lines from it, we love it so much. Anyway, this video is quite entertaining, so enjoy!



Stephanie

Wedding Pictures Tour

I thought it would be fun to post of my few wedding pictures from our big day. Hey, I figure my parents payed enough for our photographer that we want to get our use out of the pictures! In all seriousness, I just enjoy sharing photos from that day, so for those who care, enjoy. :)

On another note... I had a flip calendar that someone gave me as a gift earlier this year. Each day I flip the calendar and read a quote about everybody's favorite topic - love. Some of them are way too Shakespeare-y or mushy for my taste, but occasionally there's some really thought-provoking ones. Yesterday's that got me thinking was: "To love someone means to see them as God intended them" - Feodor Dostoyevski

I realized that was a very beautiful way of expressing how I want to see each person in my day- as the Lord would have me see them - fully created in His image and precious in His sight, in complete need of His truth and grace. How would that change how I treat them, talk about them, think about them?

Okay, enough contemplating. I'll leave you to enjoy pictures!

My handsome groom, the reason for the whole day!

Fun dessert table our caterer did for us. I had asked her to do some desserts and fruit, but I had no idea it would all turn out like this! I think the fruit bouquets were my favorite.

The view from the balcony during the ceremony.

Some people think it's strange we don't have heads in this photo, but I really like this focus on our hands.

Lovely bridesmaids. Each girl got to choose a slightly different variation on her dress, and I thought they turned out really cute.

Kissing daddy, I really like this one!

Hope ya'll are having a good weekend!

Stephanie

Infamous Motherhood Stories

Okay, Stephanie V. inspired me with her strange yet funny blog post, so I am posting a link to something along the same lines. The fun thing about blogs is that you can have some insight into the lives of people that you really don't know all that well, but who have great stories to tell. The daughter of my boss, Randy Alcorn, is one such person. I've been a faithful follower of her blog for a while now just because she is so FUNNY. This infamous story from a while back involves her two small children, the bathtub, and excess fruit consumption. Get my drift? (The small child in this particular picture is not one of hers; that happens to be my husband at age 1, and I posted it, well, because it's cute.)

Anyway, I read this story, and it made me cry with laughter and decide I'm not quite ready YET to be a mother. (Cindy, do you have any infamous motherhood stories yet???? So good to hear from you by the way. Miss you, and congrats on baby number 2!)

So if you have a minute, check out Angie's blog: http://dastump.blogspot.com/2007/01/finallya-new-post.html

Stephanie