One Year Down...


One year ago I was a nervous, blushing bride. I was surrounded by my closest friends and family, but the one I was focusing on the most was my soon-to-be husband. The gown and suit were put on, the pictures were taken, and the heat was tolerated. Soon I was waiting at the back of the church with my dad, waiting to walk down that aisle to the strong, handsome young man waiting for me. That was the start of a wonderful, challenging, exciting, unpredictable, faith-building journey of our marriage. In just the first year we have lived in three different states, had a combined total of eight jobs, Bryan graduated from Moody, and we both started vocational ministry; he as a youth pastor and I as a Client Care Coordinator at a local pregnancy help center. 

We have had so many different opportunities in our busy first year of marriage to witness the faithfulness and never-ending love of our Father, when He has sustained us through a variety of challenges; whether economical, physical, emotional, etc.
On this one year anniversary I want to share with you a list of my top ten highlights from our first year of marriage. They are in no particular order, and I am sure I am forgetting some, but these are some that stand out the most.

10. Mitch convincing Bryan to try on a Batman costume (complete with black spandex).
9. Being in our dear friends’ weddings.
8. Sitting on our back porch in Robins, IA, grilling, talking, or cheering for the runners and bikers going by.
7. Running the Cap City Half Marathon with a team from Harvest.
6. Welcoming our new niece, Violet Hope, into the family.
5. Hiking trip with Brett and Meredith in the rain.
4. Laughing at Bryan’s hilarious dance moves and singing.
3. Both of us landing our dream jobs.
2. Enjoying an uninterrupted week in Hocking Hills, complete with traveling down the “forbidden road”.
1. Getting to know Bryan more, and gaining a deeper understanding of God’s love and sacrifice for His Bride, The Church, through the metaphor of marriage.

I am so thankful that God brought Bryan into my life three years ago and I am amazed by the way I am loved, challenged, and encouraged by him daily. God is so faithful and marriage is just another way to see that played out in such tangible ways. 


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