March has been a busy one. This month has been full of decisions… you know all those important questions that have to be answered and some less important ones too. What kind of chair covers do we want for our reception? Do we want a white chair tie or a color? Why are chair covers so expensive? Why does our venue have horrible chairs? Do we reeeeaaaally need the chair covers at all? Lots of questions about chairs… obviously I underestimated the importance of chairs for our wedding reception.

Then there are big questions too. Where are we going to live? What neighborhood is best? Do we even want to live in a neighborhood? How long will we live in this house? What are the schools like in the area? Is it convenient for our life? Our work? Our family? My yoga studio? All these questions are important. More important than chairs, that’s for sure. But I still feel a peace while making these decisions. I have a calmness in my thought process because I know that I am taken care of. I know that we don’t need a perfect house to have a loving home. All we need is a place to love each other and serve the Lord. That brings everything home for me even if we don’t have a home yet. I know that God will provide just like he has provided me with this wonderful man. He will provide and it will be exactly what we need.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. // Romans 15:13 NLT

**I typed all of the above on March 19th and then we officially found our future home on March 22nd. Three days! Isn't it funny how things work out? How sometimes you just have to let go of what you think you want and what you think you need for God to place everything and more right in your lap. We humans are stubborn and impatient but when we take the time to turn everything over to Him we will never be let down with the way He works it all out. The Lord is so good and I'm so excited about our first home. I really do think it's perfect!!!

.....and also, yesterday was 6 months from our wedding day, yikes!!! Half a year till married life in this house!

Preparation.

I know that I have shared some love for Instagram and the blogging world a few times now but my heart hit a new limit last night. My sweet friend from IG, Cassie (obviously she is awesome) Marshall, decided to start her own blog. You should check it out! I was so humbled by her kind words and amazed by the way she expressed her heart. We have always liked each others photos and commented back and forth a few times but I didn’t truly know her. Now that has changed.

I think that is one of the most beautiful parts of blogging, expressing your heart for all to see. I have learned so much about myself since I have started and I absolutely love looking back on all the memories I have kept over the years. Another beautiful part of the blog world is the network. Having the chance to “meet” other people that have the same passion. Women that are seeking God’s will and want to glorify him with every word they type. Thanks to Cassie and her new blog I have found another wonderful blog that I couldn’t stop reading last night.

Nicole from Bloom is so inspiring. I feel like I am right behind this woman… she just got married in March and all her posts come from a heart of transition from fiancé to wife and I can’t imagine reading anything more perfect for me right now. I know I still have some time but reading what she has written makes me more hopeful. More excited and more ready to become a wife and a true HELPER to my husband. While reading her blog last night I came across a bible study called A Ready Heart that she put together for the week before she said i do and I couldn’t wait to wake up this morning and start it myself.

I can’t wait to learn more about what the bible says a wife should be. Discovering what God intended a husband and wife to look like and praying for my future marriage to mirror that. I wanted to share this study today because I know there are a lot of engaged and newly married women that might read this. Any woman can do this study…. Single, engaged, married… whatever you are you are still His and we can learn what He intended for us to become.

As I’m going along with this study I will share my thoughts on Instagram and here as well, if you want to join along you can use #areadyheart to tag your pictures also. Nicole created this to prepare herself as a bride and I’m so thankful she did. Preparation is such a big part of my life right now with the wedding plans, finding a house, starting a life with Peter and the key to all this preparing is my heart.

Right now my heart is so full. I feel like I say that so often and I don’t want it to become repetitive and come across weakly but I really can’t explain it in any other way. I feel as if my chest could burst with thankfulness and happiness because of so many things. Because of grace and His love every single day. Because of these ladies that I have never met but have completely touched my life. Because of my future responsibility as a wife. Because I have this chance to share something truly amazing. My heart is full.

11 things about my best friend!

Yesterday was Jocie’s Birthday and I thought it would be fun to keep up with the 11 things posts for my girlfriends to celebrate their wonderful day of birth... so, here we go! 11 Things I Love About Jocie!

1. her honesty. Everyone needs that friend that can be brutally honest and who expects the same in return.

2. she’s my person…. the Cristina to my Meredith. Even though I don’t watch Grey’s Anatomy anymore that relationship will always remind me of our friendship.

3. the way she sings words to many, many songs wrong. “I sink the pillow to my face…” “Lasso My Car!”

4. and her ridiculously gorgeous singing voice. So unfair. Even when she is singing the wrong words she sounds better than I do singing the right words.

5. she's the only person I feel completely comfortable crying with.  

6. i am thankful that I never had a sister because I could ask my best friend to be my Matron of Honor instead!

7. whenever I need advice or someone to listen she is usually the first person that comes to mind.

8. how my mom loves her just as much as she loves me.

9. her crazy artistic talent! That girl can make anything look beautiful and effortless.

10. our personalities aren’t exactly the same but I think that’s why we work so well… its all about the balance.

11. through thick and thin we have stayed friends and I know I can always count on Jocie.

 

I’m so thankful for our friendship! I didn’t know how lucky I was when Jocie asked me to eat lunch with her that day during our senior year but looking back on it now I know that lunch was one of the best moments of my life. I thank the Lord for every moment of our friendship! I Love you, Sauce and I hope you had a very HAPPY Birthday!!!

a year already.

On Saturday we celebrated a big day! One year ago on Saturday, after lots of thinking & praying, I decided to give my relationship with Peter another try. I’m positive it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Saying yes was a big deal… Yes to another chance with him. Yes to a future with him. Yes to sharing a life with him. It was a wonderfully scary feeling saying yes. Hoping for the best but some how knowing in my gut, this is it. This is what I was hoping would happen but never thought it would and then realizing I wanted it more than I could have imagined. Knowing that I wanted to spend all my days with this man. All the good, the bad and the normal, just another day, kind of days with him. Feeling an urgency in my heart to make him happy and wanting to be the best part of his day, every day.

So, what did we do to celebrate our one year of Cassie & Peter Part Two, you ask? We spent it house shopping and honestly that is a different post for a different day. Holy moly... I just hope we decide on THE ONE soon! Then we spent the night eating sushi and discussing the above mentioned house shopping. It really was wonderful. Making grown up decisions with my future husband and discussing fun plans for our life together on our anniversary was awesome. And like I said, we were eating sushi which pretty much makes any night a perfect night in my book.

Sadly this is the only picture I took all night.

The past year has been filled with so many exciting events I can’t hardly believe it has been a year already… time has completely flown by. But still, I’m ready for the next year and sitting here thinking about how a year from now I will be Peter’s wife makes my skin tingle. Makes me look like a crazy person smiling so big my cheeks hurt and doing a little jittery happy dance. Mmmm, life is good with you in it, Peter Eliya! Thank you for a great year and thank you for loving me!!

Perfect Weekend Littles.

After almost 2 weeks off from blogging I feel so refreshed. I’m not sure how the little vacation happened but I did enjoy it. I didn’t sit down and think I need a break from this little space of mine but any time I thought about writing nothing came to mind. This might make you think that I’m incredibly boring but its just the opposite. I had so many things going on the past couple of weeks I couldn’t even sort my brain on what I should write about. So I didn’t. And it was nice.

But now here I am… with oodles to talk about because I realized it’s been TWELVE days since my last post and I’m ready to make time now. Ready to share some little things from the weekend that made me smile. I haven’t had a little things post in a while and I think it’s a perfect way to jump back in to this little blog world of mine.

walking through the church with my mom, Peter and wedding coordinator on Friday afternoon... such a surreal moment and I can't wait for our wedding day // the feeling I have inside when I sing the word Hallelujah to my Redeemer on Sunday mornings // pulling out a sundress to wear and not having to think about a sweater // the surprise little box of macaroons from my sweet man just because

That lazy Sunday when I decided to organize.

Yes. I had to organize all the wonderful gifts I have been given since the engagement. It was starting to get out of control and with the shaking of Mom's finger I decided she was right, we needed to organize! Thankfully she helped....

Since I said YES to Peter I have been so blessed with many, many sweet gifts from family and friends. Honestly, it was so exciting to pack it all up! There's just something super exhilarating about boxing, taping and labeling boxes for your new home. A place that you don't even know of yet. A place where your future will start and your life will begin with your husband. Knowing that the next time you touch all these wonderful gifts you will be unpacking with that person. Unpacking the little pieces that will fill your day. All the items that will make your house a home with the person you get to love for the rest of your life. Knowing that everything in those boxes is a gift from God and a gift from someone that loves us. That feeling is something amazing and I am so thankful!!!