Countdown...

So as I sit here at school counting down the days until spring break, and the days until school is over, and of course the days until the wedding, I have begun to realize that it is soon, very soon. I can't believe how fast school has gone. My freshman year, I thought it was going to last for eternity (if you know me, then you know how much I love school.... Not very much at all, especially the first few years). But wow... where does the time go. I still feel very young and for that matter I am, I mean I just turned 21. But my life is about to change, a new chapter is about to be opened, a chapter filled with many wonderful things. And even though I know it's not going to be easy and very well could be the hardest thing that I ever do, I do know that it will be the most rewarding adventure full of new possibilities and dreams. And this new chapter doesn't mean that I am going to close the old chapter but rather continue on in the book that God has created for me to live. I am always going to be a part of my families lives (whether they like it or not) and they will always be a part of mine. I have always dreamed that my kids would get to grow up next to their grandparents as I did, because that meant a lot to me. I am going to continue being me, striving to be the best wife and mom just like I saw in mine (even though it seems like an impossible task. Man mom, you set some high standards), but that is what I desire for my kids to have, love beyond all measures.

So as I count down the days:
17 days until spring break
48 days of school
82 days until the wedding

I will continue to prepare my heart and mind for the new phase of my life. And I look forward to the many memories that will be created with all of the people who are a part of my life.

Here is a picture of my sister and I.
Can't wait to be home with you Whit!

conforming?

Conform. When I think of conforming my engineering brain automatically thinks about a liquid or gas that conforms to the boundary it is placed in. The definition given by Webster says that is correct in one sense of the word, but to conform can also mean to be obedient or compliant, or it can also mean to act in accordance with prevailing standards or customs.

Think about all the things around you that we are conforming to. Are you turning in your taxes this year? I sure hope you are conforming to the rules enforced with those. Have you driven lately? Well most of us try and conform to the recommended maximum speed, but aren't always successful. On the subject of driving you must have a car, so do you trust that the manufacturer conformed to the design specifications to make a safe, reliable and efficient car? You sure hope so.

But among all these things the biggest question is, are you conforming to the world or to something greater? I recently came across this quote:

"To be close to God requires nothing we all do not have, it just
requires holding nothing that we do have back from God."

Think about that for a minute... are you holding something back, or are you caught up in worldly things, such as TV shows, that new pair of jeans, or that big screen TV? Jesus says in John 12:25

"The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who
hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

So do we hate our lives enough? Do you love Christ so much that on that scale of love it appears that you hate everything else beyond him? This is a hard thing to achieve, but something we all should strive for.

Simple...

This past summer while looking at the Real Simple wedding magazine, I came across a wedding dress that I loved. And being the tight wad that I am, I did not want to pay the pretty penny that it cost. So being blessed with a Grandma who is the best seamstress around, I knew she could re-create this dress.
I showed her a picture of it and sure enough she said that is would be simple! Ahha, just what I wanted to hear. And besides it makes the dress all the more special knowing someone I love and care about made it especially for me.
So I thought I would share a photo of what the dress will be similar to..the style... Simple...

engagement class

So Alexa and I last week started an engagement class through Cornerstone Church and have greatly benefited from meeting and learning from other couples in the same stage of life. We have both really enjoyed this time and have learned a lot about what it means to have a biblical marriage that is centered on Christ. So I thought I would share a few things that we have learned that we hope will become truth through our lives.

The first is that marriage is God's doing and it is for His Glory. What do I mean by that? Well God created Adam and asked him to name all the animals while they walked past him. In doing this he realized that God had created mates for all the animals except him. So he longed for a mate and God provided it in Eve. This is the desire inside of each of us, to long for a mate just as Adam did with Eve and most importantly God provided.

The reason he created us for his glory is because as he told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and increase in number, God loves to see us, in his image fill the earth. To see a planet full of beings created in His image is so glorious it is hard for us to even imagine. The wife is to be submissive to the husband as the church is to Christ's teachings, and the husband is to love the wife with unending love as Christ loves his church.

These challenging teachings are causing some great discussions with the other 19 couples in our class and we are having a great time going through this journey towards our marriage. Oh and in case you wondered, we just crossed the 100 day mark on Friday so we are getting closer and really excited!

misconceptions

Are you the type of person who may hold on to some type of misconception and are not willing to let it go, because it may require you to change your mind or the way you have always done things? Alexa a while back talked about the Salt Company and the impact it has had on our lives, but one of the greatest things about this ministry is the fact that they bring people just like us and even ones from even greater struggles each week and show them the love that God has for them.

One awesome thing that shows the impact this ministry has on the Iowa State campus can be seen through this article written by a transgender person who was a former hater of christians and what they stood for. Check it out here. Alexa said it and I'll say it again that I don't think we even realize the blessing that we have to be able to worship the creator of the universe and everything that surrounds us. Each week we do this while in the midst of people who are in the process of still trying to figure it all out, oh how great it will be to see them all in heaven.

Dreaming...

Last night, Payton was away at his connection group and I was up in his room "working on homework" (to be truthful, nothing got done last night but that's ok). Anyways, it all started when I talked myself into looking on petfinder.com for a dog. I have been an animal lover all my life and can never remember not having multiple animals.

Here is a picture of Moses, our family dog now:

Anyways, in being the animal lover I am, it is not hard for me to find a dog and immediately fall in love with it. My parents and Payton both know this and have reminded me numerous times that I need to wait a little longer before looking because it's just a given that I will be able to find many dogs that I like when I look and well you guessed it... I found MANY dogs last night while looking.
So I thought I would share a few with you...
The first one is my Rudy, he is my favorite and the youngest of the dogs..

He is a golden retriever mix.
The next one is Dora who is also a golden retriever mix and happens to look a lot like Moses (our family dog). This is the one Payton really likes:
And in the midst of all of this, Payton's roommate Andy came to see what I was up to. Once he discovered what I was doing, he quickly became a part of it and found a dog that he likes. I told him that we could keep it for him while he finishes school, its only a few years right. (I don't think Payton would go for this as he has already told me it is one dog for a while, unless we move to the country someday. But I don't think it would be to hard to convince him otherwise)
So here is Andy's dog. Her name is Josie:
They are all very cute dogs and wish that I could take them all in. Now all I have to do is convince my parents that they can just watch it for a few months while Payton and I finish school. I'm sure this won't be too difficult of a task being that my parents are animal lovers too, even though they like to think otherwise sometimes. Who can resist those faces anyways?
So this is it! Wish me luck!!