"In Sickness & In Health"

Well, we are married. :D

But it has been a very challenging few weeks. The wedding itself was beautiful. More beautiful than I could have ever imagined. By Friday, I was done (I'll explain in a min), done with everything. I pretty much threw everything we had made into a pile & told my family to do what they could with it. I felt ridiculously bad for not helping decorate but I was done. I don't think I could have. I could no longer make any kind of decisions. It was the strangest feeling ever. But I have amazing family & I couldn't believe it when I saw it on Sat morning. If I had been able to make any decisions, I think I would have just messed everything up.

I know you want to see pictures & I will post a few here but I'm mainly waiting for the professional pics to come in.

So, let me tell you about how our life has been from the week before the wedding to present.

Challenge 1

My hall toilet has been running for some time & I had bought a new flapper to fix it a while back ago & had just been procrastinating. Anthony & I were going to pick up my sis & bro-in-law the Sun before the wedding at the airport. They live in Barrow, AK & about a week before all this, their sewer had frozen so they had not been able to use the toilet in their house for awhile. So, I wanted to provide a nice, quite, functioning toilet for them while they stayed with me.

On Friday I replaced the flapper; this did not stop the running plus, I noticed the water in the tank had a lot of black stuff floating in it. I quickly discovered that the flushing mechanism had a crack in it, so, on Sat, Anthony & I went to Wal-Mart & found one for $4 & replaced it. When we took the toilet apart, we noticed the rubber gasket between the tank & bowl and the seal in the water supply tube (what was causing the black stuff in the water) had started to deteriorate, but wasn't too bad yet. We put the new flushing mechanism on, put the tank back onto the bowl, & filled the tank with water. Almost immediately water started leaking between the tank & bowl.

After we picked Kim & Jonathan up at the airport the next day, we went into Lowes & bought a new water supply tube (later realizing we had the wrong size & having to go back to Lowes) & gasket. Anthony & Jonathan worked on the toilet only to have the leak still present. We made another trip to Lowes & still there was a leak. I called my friend Thomas & he came over on Monday to take a look at it. After taking the toilet apart & putting it back together about 5-6 times & talking to his plumbing buddy, we finally discovered the tiniest chip in the toilet. Thomas tried some sealant but it still didn't stop the leak. We finally decided a new toilet was going to be the only solution. So, Monday evening, during a big storm, Kim, Jonathan, & I went to buy a new toilet. Jonathan installed it like a pro with only one more trip to Lowes. Yay! Craziness over...not so fast.

Challenge 2

Tuesday night Kim forced me to finally go to bet at about 11:30pm. I walked into my bathroom to find white stuff all over the floor. I looked up & there was a decadent size wet spot on the ceiling & bits of the popcorn ceiling had fallen onto my counter & floor. Jonathan climbed up into the attic & onto the roof but couldn't find any holes. He figured it must be coming in through the vent in the roof. So, the next day, I had a roofer come out & take a look. Sure enough, the sealant around the vent in the roof had cracked & water was dripping down. He fixed it for $75 but also noted I had some hail damage & might start considering a new roof.

Challenge 3

Kim found some mouse dropping in the hall bathroom & hallway. Yay.

Challenge 4

Anthony had been sick all the week before the wedding but hadn't wanted to tell me because he didn't want to worry me. He told me on Thursday that he was starting to feel better. The day after the wedding, Sunday, he started feeling really bad again. On Monday, we decided to leave our honeymoon cabin & drive around Beaver's Bend. While walking around the visitor's center, Anthony became really dizzy & had to go to the car. We drove to Wal-Mart & bought some Tylenol, NyQuil, & a thermometer. He was running about 101 fever. We made an appointment with his doctor on Wednesday & she performed a chest x-ray & sinus x-ray which came back normal. While examining him she mashed on his right lower abdomen & he complained. So, she sent us to the ER for possibility of appendicitis. Naturally, I brought him to my workplace. They did a CT & he was normal. Yay! No surgery! But he still felt terrible for a few more days. He's feeling a lot better now.

Challenge 5

Since Anthony wasn't feeling too great on Tuesday, I drove us home from our honeymoon. I must have hit something because we got a flat & had to buy a new tire.

Challenge 6

Friday night, we were in the hall bathroom putting away towels or something & I looked up at the ceiling & saw this brown stuff that looked like it was growing on the ceiling. Anthony pulled the curtain back & in the tub were lots of dead termites. UGH! So, yesterday I left work early to meet with the pest guy. Very nice, little, old man. So, hopefully that will do it.

Challenge 7

This morning while I was having breakfast, Anthony had finished & was walking through the living room to go take a shower & screamed. Lying on the floor, like he owned the place was a snake! Just a little garden snake but still. EEK!!! Anyway, after a few minutes of what could have been a major laughing point on any prime-time comedy, we caught the snake & through him into the bushes outside. We aren't really sure if he was still alive... Anthony said that "Yakety Sax" should have been playing in the background during the excitement.

Ok...picture time....

Ever After Chapel

Instead of printing programs, Anthony, me, & my dad made a chalkboard & had my cousin/day-of coordinator/insanity preventer/one-of-the-most-amazing-women-I've-ever-had-the-pleasure-of-knowing, Kaylee, write out the actors. ;)

As you can see, my maid-of-honor was celebrating from Mongolia where she now lives. What a blessing technology is today! Her mom brought her iPad & Brandie was able to watch the whole thing via Skype. Amazing!

My dad had been sweeping off the front step & had set the broom down, dusted his hands off on his pants, & looked up to see me standing here. He said, "Oh my gosh!" & immediately reached into his coat for his camera & snapped this pic. It made me feel so pretty. :)

Our Twitter friend Collin played his cello (we actually had never met face-to-face until the rehearsal...that's how we roll). Kim (my sis) sang while her husband, Jonathan (most amazing bro-in-law in the world) played an AMAZING version of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow." While Anthony & I had a private communion. Also in this pic is my INCREDIBLE cousin & day-of....week-of-coordinator, Kaylee (check out her adorable blog "Blue Mitten Green House"). I cannot put into words how amazing this woman is. She is more of a sister to me than a cousin. 

Mr. & Mrs. ..... with Louis Armstrong's "'Bout Time" as our exit music. 

Rev. Bob Oudin, my sister's father-in-law & one of the most sincere men I know, married us. We both love him so much & look to him as a spiritual mentor. He probably wouldn't like that but that makes him even more of an honorable man.

Here we are as a wedding party...sans Brandie, of course (but she was in our thoughts & hearts). Jason, Alejandro, my hunky husband, me, Kim (my sis & matron-of-honor), Anya, & Tanya (Anthony's sisters).

My sister & matron-of-honor, Kim, and her brother-in-law (also the maker of my ring...see his Etsy site) performed Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" with Joshua playing the ukulele that he made himself. What talented family & friends I have!

This is something special our friend Jordan made for us. She also designed our invites. She is super talented. If you have any interest in her designs check out her Etsy site.

I'll post more as soon as I get the professional photos back from the photographer. :D

Wedding Day!!!

Well, today is our big day! 

So many emotions.


I really don't know what to say. 


I'm blessed beyond measure.


I'll just leave this post with some verses about marriage, love, & ones that we are especially fond of.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
(Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV)

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
(Ephesians 5 ESV) 

  He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.(Proverbs 18:22 ESV)

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.(1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV)

For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.(1 Corinthians 11:8-12 ESV)

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.(Genesis 2:18-25 ESV) 

He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”(Matthew 19:4-6 ESV)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.(Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.(Romans 12:9-21 ESV)

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.(Romans 15:4-6 ESV)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.(James 5:16 ESV) 

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.(Colossians 3:18-19 ESV)

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”(Hebrews 13:4-6 ESV)

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”(Mark 10:6-9 ESV)

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.(1 Peter 4:7-9 ESV)

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV)

“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”(Joshua 24:14-15 ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(Colossians 3:12-17 ESV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.(Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)

Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.(Luke 12:31 ESV)

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.(Psalm 25:1-3 ESV)

Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!(Psalm 37:3-7 ESV)

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!(Psalm 4:1 ESV)

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.(Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.(Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV)

A Little Wedding Eve Humor

Wedding Eve...Psalms 1

This is it. Last day of single-hood. Lots to do today. :) Pray for us. Pray we keep today & tomorrow lighthearted, full of humor, minimal frustrations, & lots of great memories to look back on in the years to come.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1 ESV)

4 Days...Psalms 4

What a great psalm! It is a short 8 verses yet there is SOOO much packed in them.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!(Psalm 4:1 ESV)

Oh, how the Lord has answered both mine & Anthony's prayers for a godly spouse. Despite our apprehensions of what is not known to us yet ;) & other typical butterflies that come with knitting your soul to another human being, we cannot wait to be married. Not just because we love each other so much & enjoy each other's company & all, but because God has directed our path in such minute details that we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that He has willed this marriage. We also don't feel like He has done this just because He likes us, but because He has something major planned for us and we can't wait to see what that is. 


God didn't just answer our prayers but our parents' & friends prayers and I know of at least one Sunday School class that was praying for a mate for me.

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah(Psalm 4:2 ESV)

That last question is still relevant today. (By the way, you will rarely hear me use the word "relevant." I have come to almost hate that word. Heretical teachers, like I'm about to describe, use that word constantly today saying things like, "We need to make the Bible relevant to today's culture." WRONG!!! The Bible has always been relevant. Sorry...I digresss...I'll write a post about that on my other blog another day...) 


I don't know if you have noticed in the last few years but there is a growing fascination & love for what I call fortune cookie philosophy. Those sentence or two statements that seem to hold some kind of ground breaking revelation/truth but when you really look at them & critically think about them, they don't really make sense. Either it is just stating some kind of bland fact with flowery language, it's practically an oxymoron or double-speak. More like a string of pretty words that sound nice but don't really make cohesive sense. Am I right on this or the only one that has noticed this?


Verse 2 also mentions how the people were/are seeking lies. This is so true today. Just look at the "popular" preachers: Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, Steven Furtick, T.D. Jakes, Rick Joyner, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Cindy Jacobs, C. Peter Wagner, Creflo Dollar, Todd Bentley, Lou Engle, & the like. 2 Timothy 4 warns about such false teachers & those that follow them.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.(2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

It's not easy to speak out against the "poplar kids" but when they are leading people to a false security, you can't stand idly by. I don't want to have my friends & family look at me on Judgment Day & say, "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you warn us?" I couldn't bear that kind of guilt. 

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.(Psalm 4:3 ESV)

What encouragement! Just to know that God has set me aside (1) saving me from damnation & (2) to live for eternity in Paradise.

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.(Psalm 4:7 ESV)

What an anthem! Everything may be crashing down around me but I can hold fast to the joy that Christ has placed in me. I may not be happy but I have joy & that is worth more than the happiest of days. Whether God decides to bless us with riches or poverty, we will have Him & that is all we need.

One Week Left...C.S. Lewis On Marriage

One of C.S. Lewis most famous books & probably THE most recommended apologetics starter books is "Mere Christianity."

"Mere Christianity" is actually a collection of transcripts from radio shows C.S. Lewis did and were originally published in 3 separate books in 1942-1944. Today, it is divided between those 3 books, each divided into chapters.

Chapter 6 of book 3 ("Christian Behavior") is entitled "Christian Marriage." Lewis does not disappoint with his wisdom. In this post, I wanted to share some of the the parts I found especially insightful. I would advise anyone & everyone, Christian, atheist, agnostic, fill-in-the-blank to read this book. If nothing else but to get a Christian's perspective on a multitude of topics.

So, without further ado....C.S. Lewis....

"The Christian law is not forcing upon the passion of love something which is foreign to that passion's own nature: it is demanding that lovers should take seriously something which their passion of itself impels them to do. And, of course, the promise, made when I am in love and because I am in love, to be true to the beloved as long as I live, commits me to being true even if I cease to be in love."

"...no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all....If the old fairy-tale ending 'They lived happily ever after' is taken to mean 'They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,' then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would by highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years?...ceasing to be 'in love' need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense--love as distinct from 'being in love'--is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moment when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be 'in love' with someone else. 'Being in love' first moved them to promised fidelity; this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run; being in love was the explosion that started it."

"...if you go through with it, the dying away of the first thrill will be compensated for by a quieter and more lasting kind of interest. What is more (and I can hardly find words to tell you how important I think this is), it is just the people who are ready to submit to the loss of the thrill and settle down to the sober interest, who are then most likely to meet new thrills in some quite different direction."

"Let the thrill go--let it die away--go on through that period of death into the quieter interest and happiness that follow--and you will find you are living in a world of new thrills all the time."

8 Days!!! Psalms 8

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.(Psalm 8:1 ESV)

When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I was in choir after school at my church. The only song I remember singing (because it was my favorite) was this verse. I still remember that song & now I can't stop singing it. :)

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,(Psalm 8:3-6 ESV)

Here the psalmist is describing the works of our Creator & then is in astonishment that He would take time to think of us. Looking at creation & realizing that I know the One who created all of it & that He knows & cares for me as well is a humbling experience. 


I can't say it any better than:

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!(Psalm 8:9 ESV)