The Light at the end of the tunnel...

When people go through tough times, generally a friend reminds them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thomas and I chose to embark on a long engagement; instead of sprinting to the marriage altar, we signed ourselves up for a mini ultra-marathon - an 18 month, 1 week engagement.

...we just ran a 5K in Grand Haven. It was their "Kick Off to Summer Fun Run," 5/29/10.

Yup...long races can be tiring (I admit a 5K is WAY shorter than a marathon, but still, I'm a sprinter; ~40 yards is my ideal race.), but they are totally worth it.

This was the first race Thomas and I ran together, the "South Haven Blueberry Festival" 5K, 8/8/09.
At the end of this engagement race, Thomas and I are glad we embraced the journey and are ready to be united.

Our light at the end of the tunnel is the Light. It is a light that shines brighter and truer because it is the light of Jesus Christ. God has been our focus since the very beginning of our relationship, and even though there have been times where we have been sidetracked, like Peter, when we keep our eyes set on Jesus, we are able to stay afloat and walk faithfully to the marriage altar.

Officially, we are one month out from the wedding, meaning that the wedding is becoming more and more real and the end of the tunnel is practically here. HOORAY!

The 50s

I'm certain some of you remember the 1950s, but I myself was certainly not around to enjoy them. One of the remnants of this time period is a fascinating show, "I love Lucy." It is beyond a doubt, my favorite show.
Shifting gears slightly, today marks the half-century mark in days remaining until Thomas and I tie the knot. Not only is the prospect of getting married becoming more and more exciting, but also, the idea of being done with wedding details and planning and enjoying a wedding-planning-less honeymoon is becoming more and more attractive. It's not that wedding planning is inherently bad; rather, after being at this task for some time, I am ready for it to be completed so that I can enjoy the Big Day (and I think Thomas shares this sentiment).

All the while, quite a few tasks have been achieved by myself and others.

Dress

My dress and I underwent our final fitting, after-which, it will be sent via airmail to MI. Lets just say that I hope my dress and hair don't turn out like this for Thomas and my Bid Day. This fitting should yield a dress a step up (or two) from Lucy's dress.

Flowers

The bouquets are finalized (and all of the extra frilly stuff). I know some people are rather particular about fake vs. real flowers, especially considering wax flowers melt in the sun.

Invitations

All of the invitations have been mailed for Thomas and my wedding ceremony and reception (party). Hmm...I wonder if there will be any surprise appearances from Superman or other flying superheros...

Music

The music selections for the ceremony have been made, and my musicians are in the process of sorting out the scores and learning their respective part. Hopefully they manage to determine who is playing what without resorting to shaving cream.

The reception details (food, music, etc) will be finalized in the near future.

On this day in history...

Here's a trivia question - what happened on this day in history? Well, both the Chilean and Argentinean Constitutions were promulgated in 1833 and 1819 respectively. In 1925, John Scopes was indicted for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution (...wow...how the times have changed...). There was the the infamous one and only nuclear test at the Nevada Test site in 1953. The first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was released in theaters in 1977 (also the year my parents graduated from high school). Today is known as National Missing Children's Day since Etan Patz disappeared on this day in 1979. For more trivia, click here.

More notably to me, I graduated from Tri County High School five years ago today (5/25/06). Thomas had previously asked me to be his girlfriend (2/11/06); however, I declined because I wanted to finish high school before I became involved in any official relationship with dating drama. So, as I had mentally rehearsed, I inquired if Thomas' offer still stood and then accepted Thomas' invitation to be his girlfriend after receiving my high school diploma earlier in the evening.

Thomas and I at Frederick Meijer Gardens, 2/11/06.

Thomas and I at my high school graduation. He gave me flowers, and they were my class flowers at that!

Nowadays, the adolescent culture puts emphasis on anniversaries for how long a couple has been together (1 week, 1 month, 1 year, etc.). Here is the end of a poem I wrote for Thomas on our "one-year" dating anniversary.

I could give you a hug

Or give you a kiss

Or I could simply say

"As you wish!"

For one's fifth wedding anniversary, the color is turquoise. Well, this is obviously not our fifth year of marriage, but I would like to say:

HAPPY FIVE-YEARS THOMAS!

Concerning wedding logistics, here is a bit of news:

 

Invitations

Formal invitations are going out soon thanks largely due to the efforts of my mom.

 

Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner

The times and locations for both of these events have been finalized thanks to the help of Thomas' mom.

Two turtledoves

If you have ever seen Home Alone 2, then you likely are familiar with the symbolism of turtledoves that is sung about in the song "Twelve Days of Christmas."

Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: You see that tree there? Well to show our appreciation for your generosity, I'm gonna let you select an object from that tree that you can take home with you.
Kevin McCallister: For free?
Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: Oh yes. May I make a suggestion? Take the Turtle Doves.
Kevin McCallister: I can have two?
Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: Well, two Turtle Doves. I'll tell you what you do: you keep one, and you give the other one to a very special person. You see, Turtle Doves are a symbol of friendship and love. And as long as each of you has your Turtle Dove, you'll be friends forever.
Kevin McCallister: Wow. I never knew that. I thought they were just part of a song.
Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: They are. And for that very special reason.

You may be surprised to know that "turtledoves," especially "doves" are found sprinkled throughout both the Old and New Testament.

"My beloved speaks, and says to me:
'Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing (of birds) has come,
And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs,
And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one, And come away!'"

 Song of Solomon 2: 10-13

If you know anything about this book in the Bible, you know that it is about King Solomon and his lover or supposed first wife - courtship through consummation. Even during their early days, they were very poetic:

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves.   ~Song of Solomon 1:15

So, why all of this stuff about two turtledoves? Well, Thomas and I will have our consummation of marriage in exactly TWO MONTHS!

Two lives united in friendship,
Two friends united in love,
In the presence of Christ,
Are united to become one.

With Christs help, we will be friends forever...

 

Spring planting...

Parable of the Sower

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” ... "The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." Luke 8: 5-8 & 11-15

With all of the weather this spring, farmers are finally getting their crops in. Here in Rochester, there was a story about the farmers starting planting a couple weeks back. Going with the trend, Thomas thought it would be fun (and fulfilling) to plant a few low-maintenance vegetables along the garage of my apartment. After asking permission from my landlord and now that the weather seems to be consistently warm, Thomas planted a few peppers and cherry-like tomatoes last weekend (the tomatoes did not survive the cold, frost-like mornings last week) and a tomatillo and replaced the cherry-like tomatoes this weekend. The idea of this garden is to keep the plants growing until I leave for MI in mid-July. Then, upon return from our honeymoon in the beginning of August, "my" apartment will become "our" apartment, and we ideally will be able to reap a harvest.

Planting these few plants was not an extremely easy task since the area had some intruders that needed to be removed. Fortunately, the bed contains rich topsoil and is West-facing. Since it is under the eaves of of my garage roof, the plants will likely need to be watered in addition to rainfall. Like the parable above, it is vital for our transplants to receive the proper nutrients and not get choked out by competitors. Planting on good soil is exactly where Thomas and I are starting our marriage - a marriage that is refreshed by the Light, nourished by the Word, and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Thomas and I are now in single-digits (for weeks, at least) - NINE WEEKS REMAINING!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

As you likely presumed, I have a mother. In thinking about mothers (and hopefully eventually becoming one myself), here are some thoughts from a few others:

• If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?  ~Milton Berle
• Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries.  ~T. DeWitt Talmage 
• My mom is literally a part of me.  You can't say that about many people except relatives, and organ donors.  ~Carrie Latet
• The phrase "working mother" is redundant.  ~Jane Sellman
• When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.  A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.  ~Sophia Loren 
• A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.  ~Peter De Vries
• Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.  ~Mildred B. Vermont
• Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. -Marion C. Garretty 

True sentiments about our culture today: 

• Woman knows what man has long forgotten, that the ultimate economic and spiritual unit of any civilization is still the family. -Clare Boothe Luce 
• When you educate a man you educate an individual; when you educate a woman you educate a whole family. -Robert M. Maciver

 And just for kicks and giggles: "Women's Liberation is just a lot of foolishness.  It's the men who are discriminated against.  They can't bear children.  And no one's likely to do anything about that."  ~Golda Meir  

Mother From Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Honored in Israel as she is not in the East generally; one superiority of Judaism over other contemporary systems (1Ki_2:19). King Solomon rose up to meet and bowed himself unto Bathsheba, and set her on his right hand (Lev_19:3). Figuratively, a city is mother of the surrounding villages its daughters (Jos_15:45; 2Sa_20:19). Ezekiel (Eze_21:21) uses “mother of the way” for the parting of the way into two roads which branch from it, as from a common parent; however, Havernick, from a Arabic idiom, translated it as “the highway.” (http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-verses-for-mothers-day/)

Let me end by quoting Proverbs 23:22-25:
 ²² Listen to your father, who gave you life,
   and do not despise your mother when she is old.
²³ Buy the truth and do not sell it;
   get wisdom, discipline and understanding.
²⁴ The father of a righteous man has great joy;
   he who has a wise son delights in him.
²⁵ May your father and mother be glad;
   may she who gave you birth rejoice!

Both of our mothers are working earnestly to help put together Thomas and my wedding day. Even though I might be a bit hesitant at times for their assistance, in the end, I am (we are) extremely grateful that they are willing and are doing so much for our Big Day. THANK YOU MOMS!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

We love you!

Not sure about this, but hey, Robert Frost was a good poet. What do you think?

“A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes.” -Robert Frost

National Day of Prayer

As many of you are likely aware, today is the National Day of Prayer, which has been annually proclaimed by the President of the US since its institution by Congress in 1952. Surprisingly, what will probably get more recognition today in the public square is a Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo. Recently, there has been a political battle over the constitutionality of the President asking the citizens of the US to pray for our nation. This has not received much media attention, but the group spearheading the campaign to remove the National Day of Prayer is still fighting. What astounded me was that the group (Americans United for the Separation of Church and State) is headed by a Reverend - a "church" leader. Although I pray none of you are affiliated with this church, I find it disappointing that the United Church of Christ would be involved in removing the President's right to ask people of all Faiths to pray for our nation. Another thing most people don't know is that the legal term "separation of church and state" is not found in the US Constitution. It was originally used by President Jefferson in a letter he wrote to the Danbury Baptists. It was brought to public attention by the Supreme Court in 1878 and has gained a stronger foothold since. Fortunately, there exists a group of people who pray every day specifically for our President - The Presidential Prayer Team.

With this said, please join me in prayer today (and everyday), praying for our nation's leaders to have wisdom and to follow God's guidance. For we are commanded: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In your prayers I ask that you pray for Thomas and I as we near holy matrimony, giving us the wisdom to preserve our vows and the perseverance to live them out in an active choice of love.