(42/52) CALIFORNIA IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA...

you know what's a great treat?
1) a weekend date in california
2) enjoying traveling together
3) exploring new places and revisiting old favorites
4) evan having a conference and getting to tag along
5) family that the kids love so much they barely missed us


our flight may have been delayed well into the middle of the night,
but we found $3 travel pillows, made it safely, and so did our bags.


the weather may have been a rainy and foggy mess,
but that didn't slow down our adventures one bit.


i may have come face-to-face with america's largest slug,
but i looked it in the eyes and pretended to be fearless.


we hiked down the hill from our b&b- mountain home inn, and straight into muir woods.
on our misty walk through the woods, we were wowed by creation and God's creative details.



next stops were to sausalito, point reyes, and mt tamalpais.
through the fog we uncovered dinner, cheese shops, and seashores.



we made our way across the bay and into san francisco.
a quick check-in at our our hotel there, then right back across the bay for our incredible alcatraz tour.


monday morning the sky cleared and evan's conference began.
we spent our days differently but similarly both learned new things.


ev learned helpful businessy things through his meetings.
i learned the history of the cable car and the best bagel spots.]


see you (again) soon california.

(28/52) DOZENS UPON DOZENS ...

a dozen years since we said "I DO."

a dozen anniversary celebrations.

a dozen years choosing life together.

a dozen years choosing to love.

a dozen years of thankfulness for his steadiness, wisdom, character, and fun.

here's to dozen and dozens more to come.

A ZOOM LENS ON MARRIAGE...

ZOOM IN

and see two lovebirds sitting on the beach soaking up some sun.

ZOOM OUT

and see how we were surrounded by munchkins on all sides, 

running a makeshift beach concession stand of stockpiled candy, 

burning up from the beach bags of stuff on our laps,

wondering when the freshly potty-trained munchkin will need to race back to the house,

and avoiding the reality that it was time to put sunscreen on all again.

snapshots of marriage can capture the smiles and moments together.
but not pictured are the sacrifices, the prayers, the commitment, the growth,
the going to work each day to provide, the laundry, the cooking, the decisions,
the priorities, the forgiveness, the teamwork, and the love.

this year on our anniversary all five of us were in san antonio for a few days
where we happily tagged along on evan's business trip.
we splashed at the pool and went out to eat for dinner,
just like we had in st lucia eleven years ago on our honeymoon.
but this time we were in texas and with three extra hilarious family members.

eleven years ago we said i do.

this year i continue to hope for a marriage even more beautiful than our wedding.

we are two imperfect people striving to trust a perfect God and grow along the way.

thanks to my anniversary surprise from evan and the talent of jamie wells,
i now get to see this painting each time i walk into the kitchen.
it is a reminder of my favorite bouquet which i held over a decade ago,
but it is also a reminder of countless marriage moments since.

many things have changed along the way, but this hasn't changed a bit-

there is no one in the world i would rather be next to.

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 15)...

PART 15: AFTERWORD

our story isn't perfect by any means, but it is ours and i love it!

i once read that everyone has two stories- 1) the story you would tell if you were sitting on the couch being taped like the older couples on when harry met sally 2) then the other story is the one that includes all of those things plus the rest of your details too.

all of life has ups and downs. none of us are perfect and evan and i definitely make our fair share of mistakes and disappoint each other. but while everything shapes us and teaches us lessons along the way it's the sweet, sweet details i didn't ever want to forget. and that's why i wrote our story. thanks for joining us in "our lifelong conversation" as i put it into words.

i had always hoped for 3 specific things in the man i married.
1) a strong christian that loved God
2) someone with a double letter last name
(i have always taken great pride in how many double letters i have in my name
and i didn't want to give that up when i got a new married name)
3) someone who would play with my hair every night while i fell asleep
well, i got all i bargained for and much, much more!

in conclusion, to you evan-

GROW OLD WITH ME, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!

(this picture was taken during the summer of '08
at the exact spot evan proposed to me almost 5 years earlier during the winter of '03)

and now we've come to
THE END of OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION
although it's not really the conclusion of our life story because
"true love stories never have endings."
~richard bach

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 14)...

PART 14: GROW OLD WITH ME, CONTINUED

at first when the speakers fell silent and the lights went out no one knew what to do. so evan and his mom just kept dancing without the music. but soon it became clear that this wasn't a temporary situation and we were going to have to figure out an alternative plan.





as it began to sink in what was happening around me i didn't freak out or panic. i didn't do anything at all. i just went into a daze. i remember watching everyone around me working to find solutions. i on the other hand just plopped down on ballroom floor. i guess that was my survival mode.










it turned out we weren't in the only downtown building without electricity. a transformer blew and the whole block was without. the first area of concern was the guests stuck in the elevator. not every wedding album includes pictures of firefighters at work, but ours does. thankfully they freed the 5 guests who were traveling upstairs at just the wrong moment.






the next priority was figuring out what to do about the heat. without the air conditioning our reception was beginning to get hot. it was the middle of summer and there were entire walls of windows. it was hot, but it also could have been worse. all of this was happening in the late afternoon so we knew eventually the sun had to go down. at the same time we knew until it did go down at least we had natural lighting to light up the event!


as guests tried to decide whether they should stay or leave a spontaneous plan came to be. i didn't find out until much later that while i was sitting on the floor in shock my aunts and uncles were spreading the word that i had wanted dancing so we should find a way to have it even if the band could no longer play.




so that's just what they did. they started singing acapella versions of songs by the gatlin brothers, oak ridge boys, alabama, and even a version of the chicken dance complete with harmony. it was just awesome. it was also just what we needed to get the party and the laughter started!








although there were some surprises along the way we have wonderful memories from our wedding day. the end seemed to come so soon. but yet we knew it was also just the beginning. we tossed the bouquet and garter, changed into our leaving outfits, and were running off through fistfuls of birdseed before i knew it.

i can't make a decision to save my life. i have spent hours debating which socks to wear or what to order for lunch. but when it came time to make the decision to marry evan i was unwaveringly sure. and it is one of the only decisions i made without so much as a second guess. i am thankful everyday that evan chose to grow old with me.

next thursday, the final installment of "our lifelong conversation"
PART 15: AFTERWORD

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 13)...

PART 13: GROW OLD WITH ME

i woke up saturday, july 10th 2004 ready for the day and all it held. i cry at everything from sappy songs to commercials. but as i walked down the aisle to evan my eyes were completely dry. i've always loved it when i see other brides, and especially grooms, cry on their wedding days. in fact half the time i tear up watching them, but when it came to my own wedding it just didn't happen.




i was certainly filled with emotions but for some reason the tears didn't flow like i thought they would. instead i was overwhelmed with excitement. excitement for all that had led us to this day and and excitement for all that was to come from it. earlier that morning i did cry over my hair while getting it fixed. and i had been a total mess while trying to get my makeup done. but when the moment came that i finally got to see evan you just couldn't wipe the smile off my face!


we took all of our pictures before the ceremony. we still kept the tradition of not seeing each other on our wedding day until i walked down the aisle to him. but that moment just happened before any guests were in there. a couple of hours before the ceremony the room was completely empty except for evan standing at the altar. i opened the wooden door at the back of the auditorium and started my way down the ridiculously long aisle towards him. i will never forget his face in that moment! or how he looked at me exactly the same way when i walked into him again at the ceremony. and then how he continued to look at me that way throughout our entire day. we took a few precious minutes together to pray and then invited the rest of the wedding party and our families to join us. i think having those few minutes just the two of us helped put me ease the rest of the day.





at 4pm the guests were seated. the ceremony was about to begin. all was going well. except that i was hungry. so as my bridesmaids lined up next to their corresponding groomsmen i was sitting on the floor of the bridal room, dress sprawled around me, with a large bag of baked lays in hand. my dad was there with me. while i crunched on chips he was busy willing the sweat away from him and his tux while standing right in front of a huge box fan turned up on high. what a sight we must have been.



and then the moment came to leave the bridal room and make the big entrance. with my arm looped through my dad's the doors opened, all the congregation stood, and we began the march down the aisle together. i had heard too many people say that in retrospect their wedding day was such a blur, so i was determined to remember it all. i walked slowly taking in all i could. smiling at every guest i could. trying to soak up the sounds of canon in d, the smell of candles and flowers, and so happy to be in that moment. and then i reached the altar and joined evan's side, the place i wanted to be most of all.



our ceremony was perfectly wonderful to me. our dad's each came up and read a verse and prayed for us. then my uncle keith led the ceremony making it so personal and applicable to us. all in all it went smoothly. well, until we were saying our vows and i got a bubble in my throat as i tried to say the "poorer" part of "for richer or poorer." i cleared my throat and eventually said it correctly, but by then everyone was already laughing at my blunder. i promise it was unintentional though and contained no hidden message! we continued on and before i knew it keith announced that evan could kiss his bride, and was introducing us as mr. and mrs. for the first time. we stepped down the aisle together to james taylor's "your smiling face."

from the church we drove to the windsor ballroom in downtown abilene. as i walked in i was amazed at the way our family and friends had poured themselves into the details. from the beautiful flower arrangements to the fruit tower and tasty hors do'oeuvres it all looked wonderful. next i saw the frozen cappucinos and frozen lemonades in the drink machines and our wedding cakes on stands. after that i took in the kids' area with cartoon drawings of evan and me waiting to be colored and heart shaped sugar cookies ready to be frosted and decorated. then i saw the band ready to play, and i knew we were ready for our first dance as husband and wife. so we took to the dance floor and spun around together.



next came the other significant dances. it was at that moment that the picture perfect day and our reception plans came to a screeching halt as the electricity abruptly went out, and we were left without music, lights, and most importantly air conditioning on that hot summer afternoon!

PART 14: GROW OLD WITH ME, CONTINUED