Over the weekend we celebrated my favorite guy. He turned 32 and the camera didn't come out once. That is really not like me at all, I love pictures... but it was so nice to just enjoy the time with him and family and friends and not worry about posing for a picture or enjoy the fun from behind the lens. I think the traveling for the past month made me appreciate the little things he brings to my life so much more. He is a good one, a perfect match for me, and I'm thankful for him every single day. Here are a few of the things that I love so much about him.

he makes me laugh till I can't breathe and I'm crying tears of joy in the bed at night, which is also one of the main reasons I miss him a lot when he is traveling for work // watching him with his nephews now that he knows he will have a son very soon is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen, he is going to be an amazing daddy // noticing how his passion for our church and the teaching we receive there has grown so much and how freely he shares it with others, it is a true blessing to have him lead our family // the way he always makes me feel safe and loved, even in the little things, like simply rubbing my leg while we are talking on the couch after a busy day at work

Peter, thank you for loving me and for choosing me!

I'm so blessed and happy to choose you over and over again, every single day.

Here's to many more birthdays with you!!

Praying for your Husband

One of my goals for this month is to complete the 31 days of prayer for Peter. I haven't started it yet but today is the day. I know I will flow over into February and not be finished by the end of January but that isn't really the point. The point is to take time every day to pray for the man you call husband. I always say my prayers silently before I go to sleep at night. While I'm laying in bed, listening to Peter's breathing as he's already asleep, but I don't ever take the time to really sit down and pray for him alone. I'm excited to start this challenge! 

When Peter and I started talking about marriage and I knew he would eventually pop the question, I bought a journal. Letters and cards are my love language for sure, so I wanted to fill the pages with prayers for him and letters to him so he could read through them one day. I left the first page blank so I could write something special on our wedding day for our first look. 

To be completely honest, Peter hasn't opened the journal since that day. Letters and cards are NOT his love language. HA! So the journal is sitting on a bookshelf and not being used at all. I thought this would be a great way to keep using it. Keep filling the pages with letters and prayers for him. Even if he doesn't want to sit and read it now, I know he will one day. I will love to look back on them and I hope that our future children will read them as well.

The prayer plan is below, originally found HERE:

Day 1 Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

Day 2 Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord. (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

Day 3 Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord. (Ps. 51:2-4; Micah 6:8)

Day 4Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will be glorified in your marriage. (Eph. 5:25-29; Col. 3:19)

Day 5Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the Church. (Prov. 20:6; Gen. 2:24)

Day 6Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a clear, strong stand against evil. (Prov. 27:12; John 17:15; 1 Cor. 10:12-13)

Day 7Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you. (Prov. 6:23-24, 26; Rom. 13:14)

Day 8Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character—persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc. (Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 15:58)

Day 9Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work. Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family. (Prov. 23:4-5; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:5)

Day 10Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others. (Prov. 20:7; 1 Tim. 1:5, 3:7; Eph. 6:10-12)

Day 11Pray that your husband will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord. Pray that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Prov. 15:33; Eph. 6:6)

Day 12Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love. (Prov. 5:15, 18; 1 Cor. 7:3; Song of Solomon 7:10)

Day 13Pray that your husband use practical skills to build your family and make wise decisions for your welfare. Pray that he will serve unselfishly. (Gal. 5:13; Phil. 2:3-4)

Day 14Pray that your husband will speak words that build you and your family, and reflect a heart of love. Pray that he will not use filthy language. (Prov. 18:21; Eph. 4:29)

Day 15Pray that your husband will choose his friends wisely. Pray that God will bring him men who will encourage his accountability before God, and will not lead him into sin. (Prov. 13:20; Prov. 27:17)

Day 16Pray that your husband will choose healthy, God-honoring activities. Pray that he will not live in bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, but that he will experience freedom in holiness as he yields to the Spirit’s control. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:31; 2 Tim. 2:4)

Day 17Pray that your husband will enjoy his manliness as he patterns his life after Christ and strong men in the faith. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual strength. (Eph. 3:16; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Cor. 10:11)

Day 18Pray that your husband will have an eternal perspective—living in light of eternity. Pray that he will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in his life. (Matt. 6:33; Deut. 6:5; Eph. 5:16; Ps. 90:12)

Day 19Pray that your husband will be patient and a man of peace. Pray that he will not give in to anger, but will allow the Holy Spirit to control his responses. (Rom. 14:19; Ps. 34:14)

Day 20Pray that your husband will yield his mind and thoughts to the Lord. Pray that he will not entertain immoral or impure thoughts, and that he will resist the temptation to indulge in pornography. (Prov. 27:12; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Day 21Pray that your husband will learn how to relax in the Lord and, in his greatest times of stress, find joy and peace in his relationship with God. Pray that he will submit his schedule to the Lord. (Neh. 8:10; Prov. 17:22; Ps. 16:11)

Day 22Pray that your husband will practice forgiveness in your relationship and with others. Pray that he will recognize any roots of bitterness, and yield any resentment and unforgiving attitudes to the Lord. (Eph. 4:32; Heb. 12:15)

Day 23Pray that your husband will be a good father—disciplining his children wisely and loving them unconditionally. If he is not a father, pray that he will find a young man to mentor in the things of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2:1-2)

Day 24Pray that your husband will have a balanced life—that he will balance work and play. Pray that he will fear God, but also gain favor with people he knows at work and church. (Luke 2:52; Prov. 13:15)

Day 25Pray that your husband will be courageous in his stand against evil and injustice, and that he will stand for the truth. Pray that he will protect you and your family from Satan’s attacks. (Ps. 31:24; Eph. 6:13; Ps. 27:14)

Day 26Pray that your husband will discover and live his God-given purpose. Pray that he will offer all his dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those goals that will bring God glory and count for eternity. (Jer. 29:11; 1 Cor. 10:31)

Day 27Pray that your husband will understand the importance of taking care of his body—the temple of the Holy Spirit—for the glory of God. Pray that he will practice self-control by making wise food choices, and get sufficient exercise to stay healthy. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 9:27)

Day 28Pray that your husband will be a man of prayer. Pray that he will seek and pursue God in purposeful quiet times. (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)

Day 29Pray that your husband will surrender his time and talents to the Lord. Pray that his spiritual gifts will be manifest in his career, at church, and in your home. (Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7)

Day 30Pray that your husband will serve God and others with pure motives. Pray that he will obey the Lord from his heart, and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)

Day 31Pray that your husband will recognize the lies of the Enemy in his life. Pray that his attitudes and actions will be guided by the truth as he brings his thoughts into captivity to the Word of God. (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 10:4-5)

{Photos are property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& are artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography} 

Join me for this challenge??

Christmas Card // 2014

Seriously one of my favorite things every year.... I get so excited about the photo, the design
the wording, and mailing them out, receiving cards in the mail from friends and family, hanging them up in our house - everything about Christmas Cards make me happy!!

our Christmas card was designed by East West Design Co. and I absolutely
loved working with them!! Great company and I look forward to working
with them more in the future!
& photo is by Red Apple Tree Photography.

Thankful.



God's grace

It honestly amazes me. I am so unworthy of His never ending love but he is constantly giving it to me. I feel that the Lord has been absent from my writing a lot lately and I hate that. I want His love and life to be in everything I share and say here. He is my heart and I want that to show with this blog. I want the happiness to be shining through Him and for the struggles to be secured by Him. I want everything I do to be connected to His love and His grace. I am so fortunate to know this overwhemling and peaceful type of love that our Father can only give. I'm so thankful for that every single day.

Peter

That man. He is a good one and I am constantly amazed at his goodness. No, he isn't perfect… there are flaws, but those aren't meant to be shared here. I am a firm believer that those negative things should stay within your home behind closed doors. Something for a husband and wife to work out together, alone. I'm not broadcasting our negative attributes as spouses here, but I do love to share the wonderful things about him because he deserves to be doted on.

He is easy. Easy to love, easy to like, and easy to be around. I recently had a conversation with one of Peter's friends that has known him for a VERY long time and he said some things that made me feel like a proud wife. He complimented him in ways only a true friend could. Said things that I know are true because I live with him. He is a GOOD person. Easy to love, easy to like, and easy to be around. I'm so thankful to have a husband that makes life easy in the best way possible, but not by giving me what I want, or telling me what I want to hear. He pushes me, he asks the hard questions, but he also makes it so easy to give everything I can back to him. That man. He is a good one and I am so thankful that he's mine.

the unknown

Life as a type A planner can be hard sometimes. I like to have everything neat and organized in my planner but I know that my plans only mean so much. I know that HIS plans are in control. My whole future has already been written, which is comforting. I truly am thankful for the unknown ahead of me. The questions aren't scary because I know who answers them. I know that I can only plan so much, so the unknown ahead is exciting.

family

Not only am I thankful for the family of two that we have created in this past year as husband and wife, but I am thankful for the combination of our families. I have loved gaining a second mother. I love having sisters now, and more brothers. It is so amazing to have over 30 something cousins now, when I only had two before I said I Do. Family is such a beautiful thing and the way that we can grow with two families becoming one is a true gift from the Lord.

my mom

And speaking of family… I honestly don't know what I would do without my Mom. I'm thankful that I never went through that normal phase in life when it was cool to hate my mom. She has always been my best friend. The one person who I could tell anything to. She loves me like no one else ever could, or ever will. It is a deeper kind of love that only a mother can know. I look forward to knowing that kind of love because she did it so well. With every year that I live, I am reminded that she will always be there. On my side, by my side and always there for me.
I'm also extremely thankful for the amount of love that she has for Peter. She loves him like a true son. She supports us and I know that she would do anything for him. That is such a wonderful blessing.

girlfriends

I was told that my friends will cut in half after becoming a wife but I am so happy that this has not proven to be true. I love the girlfriends that the Lord has blessed me with. I love that we share the same heart beat for His Kingdom and we can be transparent with each other. We can vent, share our dreams, share our fears, and openly share anything else because we know it is a safe place. I love doing life with the core set of women in my life.

Grace Church

Oh, our church and how we love it. We are always learning new things to apply in our life from the biblically orriented teaching. The community that we have created there in the past two years has been so wonderful and I miss the weeks that we don't meet for our bible study. And the sweet kids, the precious (and sometimes roudy) three year olds that we teach every other Sunday have blessed my heart so much. I went into the teaching with Peter thinking that it would help cure some of the baby fever but it has done the exact opposite. I can't wait to have babies and see how their hearts will grow because of the teaching our church gives. It is a beautiful thing!

my job

I've started to say this little quote when I talk about work... "I don't hate Monday mornings, but I really love Fridays", and I think that is a beautiful place to be. I spend more time at work than I do at home, so I'm glad I love it. I'm thankful for the impact that I make during the day and the people I have around me. I know that is a true gift!

this space

Over the past several years this blog has evolved. It has changed into some things I thought I wanted, and I've realized just recently that I don't have to try so hard. This place shouldn't feel like a second job. It is a safe place for me to share myself and if that means not posting 5 days in a row or even taking two weeks off, that is okay. I'm so thankful for a husband that keeps me in check when it comes to my blog, also. He reminds me that I shouldn't care about how many clicks I have in a day - but focus on showing His love, grace and His story within our life here. Everything is for His glory, and I'm so happy that He gave me Peter to help me remember that.

Happy Thanksgiving, loves!

Hope you are surrounded by loved ones and filled with His love today!!

...and need stretchy pants for all that food, of course ;)

{Photo above is property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography}

a date night at home.

And here we are with the last set of pictures.... I didn't intend for this week to turn into a "look at me and my hubby, every single day" kind of thing but it happened. Ooopps, hope you all can forgive me. I just couldn't wait to share all of these and heaven knows I couldn't share them all in one post. That would be over kill for sure!

Anyways... One of my favorite things about marriage is having date nights at home. Before we were married we didn't really have a chance to cook dinner together and sit down at a table alone for a date. I love nothing more than cooking dinner while sipping on a glass of wine with my hubby. Getting a little dressed up, throw on some jewelry and spritz some perfume. (then run upstairs and wash your face and put on your PJs before turing on Netflix, duh.) I knew that I wanted Red Apple Tree Photography to capture this, because this is "us". Minus the PJ part, of course. ;)

{Photos are property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& are artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography} 

So thankful for this man, our house and the love that we get to share in it.

The wine, pasta and couch snuggles are pretty awesome, too!

Also check out our Backyard Photos & our Eating Cake Photos!!

cake and dancing is always a good idea.

My mom went by strict instructions to freeze our wedding cake topper and it safely sat in our freezer until our one year anniversary photo session. I wanted to have some pictures taken of us eating our cake together and toasting to our first year of marriage. It has been such a great year and I think it is important to celebrate that. Celebrating all of the moments that have filled our year one. I'm already loving year two, and I'm so excited to see where we are a year from now. Now, on to the cake!

high fives and kisses for a great first year as Mr. & Mrs.

Then we went out on the back porch for a little dancing....

this guy.... love him so much!

{Photos are property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& are artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography} 

I loved getting dressed up for some cake and wearing some of our wedding pieces again! Peter's tie & cuff links, my wedding shoes & jewelry... all of it makes me giddy. That man though, he makes me the giddiest! 

Also, hop over to Sage the Blog to read my guest post about the Three Marriage Dont's
that Peter and I have learned over the past year as husband and wife!

our little family.

When we scheduled our 1 Year Anniversary photo shoot with Red Apple Tree (who also did our engagement & wedding day photos) we knew that we wanted some back yard photos to capture what we love most about our home. I know that I've swooned about our backyard before but it was literally the selling point for our house when we saw it for the first time.

{Photos are property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& are artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography} 

I remember talking to Peter about all of his dreams for the backyard and getting butterflies when I thought about spending weekends in the yard with him. The possibility of having chickens, a big garden, backyard parties; all of it sounded so wonderful. Now, looking at what we have created makes me so happy. I love how these photos capture that. Our love for this life we have created. The crazy chickens that we love have become our little family. It is such a wonderful blessing and I thank God for the opportunity to live this life with the man of my dreams.

Outfit Details:

shirt // Old Navy

jeans // Old Navy

boots // Hunter Boots

scarf // World Market

hairpin // Anthropologie

lips // Buxom Lip Tarnish, Busted

nails // essie, Mink Muffs

Our Wedding // The Details

I loved every single detail about our wedding. There was a perfect mix of classic, rustic and glam. A lot of the details were very special to us and I know we will always hold them close to my heart.

my rings were designed by my sweet hubby and I absolutely love them

his band wasn't that hard to find and I love how sleek it is

my necklace was made by my super talented friend, Christina Nicole

my earrings and hair piece was made by Big Rock Bridal

My bracelet was a gift from Peter's oldest sister

I bought Peter's cuff links from Frederick Engraving and I found his tie at Macy's

the invitations, programs and lavender packet stickers were made by my talented friend, Kelly

so thankful for all the work she did for our wedding day!

the florist used for our wedding was Greg Foster

It was so important to have a candle lit at the entrance of the church for Peter's dad since he was not able to be with us on our special day. We also had a bible open for guests to highlight their favorite passages and write a little note for us. 

We now have the lantern and the bible in our living room which I love to see every day and remember our wedding. 

we had my maternal grandparent's first bed transformed into a bench for us to sit in and have our first meal as husband and wife. It was so special to me. We put the bench in our guest bedroom now.

The linens for our table and the cake table were made by my super talented aunt and I still use them for parties now! 

The lace wrapped around my flowers was from my Mom's wedding dress. 

The favors for the wedding guests were boxes filled with tulip bulbs so they could plant them and remember our wedding day every year when the purple tulips bloom. 

all of the chalk boards were written by my friend Heather and I absolutely loved them!

9/28/13 was a perfect day and all these little details above helped make it so much sweeter.

I really wish I could do it all over again!

{Photos are property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, and are artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography}