10 Years Ago?

This past weekend I had my 10-year High School class reunion.

10 years?

Yes, I know. I can't believe it either.

Ten years ago, it was 2001 and I was 17. At that point in time, I never thought I'd go to my 10-year reunion; I didn't think I would want to. But when my class started planning it a few months ago, I realized that I hadn't been very intentional about keeping in touch with my friends . . . and I really did want to see them again.

They were incredibly thoughtful and actually planned the event to be the same weekend I was already going to be in Minnesota. I could actually go! I could see my friends from my past. I could hear directly from them how life had turned out so far, rather than try to figure it out through facebook. The closer the time came, the more excited I got!

I never thought I would have been excited for this.

I wasn't able to attend the actual class reunion event per say, but I did get to see a majority of those who attended at other smaller get togethers. A few of them even came to my sister's wedding dance to say hi! It was wonderful!

On one hand it felt like we were never apart. Like we were still in school, still going to class together. But on the other hand, if felt like I missed out on the most important part of their lives -- marriages, babies, jobs, homes, etc. I missed seeing how everyone became who they are now.

It made me regret not staying in touch with my friends better. I could tell while we were all chatting that many of them did stay in touch through-out the years. I just wasn't one of them. By the time we graduated, I think I was so ready to be done that I left and didn't look back.

I think a few of us did that. And that's okay. We have all grown up a lot since high school. None of us are the same as we were back then. I could tell in the short amount of time I had with my classmates that we are all pretty happy with where we ended up. And that is just want I wanted to hear! I was so hopeful that all was going well with each one of them.

I'm so glad I was able to be a part of the reunion.

I had forgotten how much of my life had been spent with my classmates -- every day of every school year from 4th through 12th grade! In my attempt to forget the drama and bad memories of high school, I had forgotten how meaningful those friendships were to me. I don't want to forget that anymore.

To the class of 2001 -- God Bless!

This past weekend I had my 10-year High School class reunion.

10 years?

Yes, I know. I can't believe it either.

Ten years ago, it was 2001 and I was 17. At that point in time, I never thought I'd go to my 10-year reunion; I didn't think I would want to. But when my class started planning it a few months ago, I realized that I hadn't been very intentional about keeping in touch with my friends . . . and I really did want to see them again.

They were incredibly thoughtful and actually planned the event to be the same weekend I was already going to be in Minnesota. I could actually go! I could see my friends from my past. I could hear directly from them how life had turned out so far, rather than try to figure it out through facebook. The closer the time came, the more excited I got!

I never thought I would have been excited for this.

I wasn't able to attend the actual class reunion event per say, but I did get to see a majority of those who attended at other smaller get togethers. A few of them even came to my sister's wedding dance to say hi! It was wonderful!

On one hand it felt like we were never apart. Like we were still in school, still going to class together. But on the other hand, if felt like I missed out on the most important part of their lives -- marriages, babies, jobs, homes, etc. I missed seeing how everyone became who they are now.

It made me regret not staying in touch with my friends better. I could tell while we were all chatting that many of them did stay in touch through-out the years. I just wasn't one of them. By the time we graduated, I think I was so ready to be done that I left and didn't look back.

I think a few of us did that. And that's okay. We have all grown up a lot since high school. None of us are the same as we were back then. I could tell in the short amount of time I had with my classmates that we are all pretty happy with where we ended up. And that is just want I wanted to hear! I was so hopeful that all was going well with each one of them.

I'm so glad I was able to be a part of the reunion.

I had forgotten how much of my life had been spent with my classmates -- every day of every school year from 4th through 12th grade! In my attempt to forget the drama and bad memories of high school, I had forgotten how meaningful those friendships were to me. I don't want to forget that anymore.

To the class of 2001 -- God Bless!

What a Weekend!

Last Saturday my youngest sister got married! Needless to say it was a busy weekend! And to make it a little more fun and crazy, I had my 10 year class reunion at the same time. Stay tuned -- photos and stories to come!

Last Saturday my youngest sister got married! Needless to say it was a busy weekend! And to make it a little more fun and crazy, I had my 10 year class reunion at the same time. Stay tuned -- photos and stories to come!

My Wonderful Life -- and 2nd year of Marriage

Today is our second wedding anniversary! I can't believe our wedding was two years ago. Sometimes it feels like it was twenty years ago, but most of the time it feels like it was two days ago. I remember it so vividly. . .

. . . seeing Chris for the first time that day

. . . rushing through the family pictures

. . . my dad lifting my veil and giving me away (and how nervous he was)

. . . kissing

. . . the embarrassing toast my sister gave

. . . the party

It was a beautiful day. I loved every minute of it.

This year was a beautiful year. I loved every day of it.

When I was getting ready to get married, a co-worker of mine told me the first year of his marriage was great, it was year 5 and 7 that were hard. The guy standing next to him said, "Well, my first year was really difficult but it was a lot of fun after that." From that conversation I gathered that every marriage was probably different. And every year as the potential to be fun, easy, or hard.

I feel very lucky to say that years 1 and 2 were great. Yes, year 1 had some rough patches (not in our marriage, but in our lives) as we were both unemployed for a long time . . . and we lived with complete strangers. Year 2 was fantastic! We have a home, we both have jobs, we are well provided for (thank you, Lord!) and we are loving this amazing city.

I have learned a few things this year about my husband, myself and about marriage. For one, a healthy/good marriage takes effort and time. If we aren't proactive or careful in how we plan our time, we could easily go days without having a real conversation. And that stinks. I hate it. But it's true. So, we have to make an effort to really spend time together. We have breakfast together every morning. I love this!

Secondly, I have to make a choice to serve -- it doesn't always come naturally. For example, my husband appreciates a clean house. So, if I neglect the laundry, the dishes, or cleaning, it can communicate more than "I don't feel like it right now." My husband does a lot of things for me out of love. Service seems to be in his blood. I'd like to choose to serve him more often. After all, a wife is meant to be a helper right!

Marriage isn't stagnant (or at least mine isn't!). It changes . . . it grows. Just as we as individuals grow and change over time, our marriage does the same. Circumstances, events, and time all impact the way our marriage moves. Hopefully it becomes stronger and better. I can say ours has over this past year. I feel like I know my husband so much better and he knows me extremely well. We have learned and will continue to learn how to live well together.

I know we have much more to learn about each other . . . it will take years! I'm looking forward to year 3 and what it will bring -- what changes will our marriage go through this coming year? What new things will we experience together? Only God knows!

Life is exciting!


Photographs by: Steve Learned (http://www.stevelearnedphoto.com/)

Today is our second wedding anniversary! I can't believe our wedding was two years ago. Sometimes it feels like it was twenty years ago, but most of the time it feels like it was two days ago. I remember it so vividly. . .

. . . seeing Chris for the first time that day

. . . rushing through the family pictures

. . . my dad lifting my veil and giving me away (and how nervous he was)

. . . kissing

. . . the embarrassing toast my sister gave

. . . the party

It was a beautiful day. I loved every minute of it.

This year was a beautiful year. I loved every day of it.

When I was getting ready to get married, a co-worker of mine told me the first year of his marriage was great, it was year 5 and 7 that were hard. The guy standing next to him said, "Well, my first year was really difficult but it was a lot of fun after that." From that conversation I gathered that every marriage was probably different. And every year as the potential to be fun, easy, or hard.

I feel very lucky to say that years 1 and 2 were great. Yes, year 1 had some rough patches (not in our marriage, but in our lives) as we were both unemployed for a long time . . . and we lived with complete strangers. Year 2 was fantastic! We have a home, we both have jobs, we are well provided for (thank you, Lord!) and we are loving this amazing city.

I have learned a few things this year about my husband, myself and about marriage. For one, a healthy/good marriage takes effort and time. If we aren't proactive or careful in how we plan our time, we could easily go days without having a real conversation. And that stinks. I hate it. But it's true. So, we have to make an effort to really spend time together. We have breakfast together every morning. I love this!

Secondly, I have to make a choice to serve -- it doesn't always come naturally. For example, my husband appreciates a clean house. So, if I neglect the laundry, the dishes, or cleaning, it can communicate more than "I don't feel like it right now." My husband does a lot of things for me out of love. Service seems to be in his blood. I'd like to choose to serve him more often. After all, a wife is meant to be a helper right!

Marriage isn't stagnant (or at least mine isn't!). It changes . . . it grows. Just as we as individuals grow and change over time, our marriage does the same. Circumstances, events, and time all impact the way our marriage moves. Hopefully it becomes stronger and better. I can say ours has over this past year. I feel like I know my husband so much better and he knows me extremely well. We have learned and will continue to learn how to live well together.

I know we have much more to learn about each other . . . it will take years! I'm looking forward to year 3 and what it will bring -- what changes will our marriage go through this coming year? What new things will we experience together? Only God knows!

Life is exciting!


Photographs by: Steve Learned (http://www.stevelearnedphoto.com/)