We have now lived (together) in Woodbridge, Virginia for over 2 months. Our apartment is very exceptional, it is spacious, has a washer/dryer, is on the third level (no one stomping on our ceiling AND exercise going up and down the stairs), etc. However I will let you see for yourself. We have pictures of what the apartment looked like within the first week of moving in…the stuff everywhere is not due to the fact that the apartment’s sole occupant up to that point was a bachelor, in fact it was quite clean…until I moved in 
. And we have pictures of what it looks like now, a bit more homey. Enjoy.
It’s been about 4 weeks since we began our wonderful adventure together. After a week in Maine (see pictures here) we’ve started to get settled into our apartment in Northern Virginia. It’s becoming more and more like home though I don’t know how long we will be staying in this apartment since the lease ends next June. What we do after that will be a decision we’ll have to make in the next few months, but in the meantime it’s been fun seeing our current place transform it to something more than a very stripped down “bachelor pad.” Thankfully with the addition of a more creative roommate (did I just call my wife a roommate?), I mean helpmate 
, the apartment is becoming a warm and inviting place.
Outside of the apartment taking on a transition our lives have experienced a drastic change as well. We are now one flesh, and that brings up all sorts of new adventures and challenges. The realty and implications haven’t really set it as we have kept busy with putting together the apartment and the visit of Sally’s sister, I’m sure they’ll become more and more evident as we grow closer and spend more time together. Thankfully God is gracious and loving as he prunes and molds us into the image of Christ. Overall, I love the married life (and my wife) and enjoy having a wonderful friend and helpmate. I look forward to the days, months, and, Lord willing, years to come.
As far as our lives go we’ll be heading to the Mountains this weekend for a short getaway trip together. Then coming up in November we’ll be heading to my aunt and uncles house to spend Thanksgiving with their family and my parents. Finally, we are trying to make it out to see Sally’s family at Christmas in Tennessee, but after using all my vacation on the wedding and honeymoon our only feasible option is to fly. Unfortunately, current ticket prices are out of our price range and we are hoping that they’ll come down so we’ll be able to make the trip.
We are also visiting and exploring different churches. Last night we went to our first small group or care group with a church we’ve been exploring. It was very encouraging to spend some time with other believers to talk about life and how God has been working in each other’s lives. It is easy to get lonely in Northern Virginia (and anywhere else), but the culture here is different than that of Indiana which throws a whole new dynamic to community and friendships. As I digress, that topic is a series of posts that I may try at another time. Lord willing, we’ll settle into a new church home in the next few months.
Yes, we were married as planned on September 5th. The day went by so fast and things ran very smoothly (at least from what I know) thanks to Janet Whipple and Cheryl Sabens as well as everyone else who helped out!
I did get one little scare about the wedding cake though. The bridesmaids and I were standing around in the prep room waiting for the ceremony to start, when I got a phone call that went something like this:
Me: Hello.
Jack*: Hi, this is Jack from the Wal-Mart bakery.
Me: Hi Jack. [thought: Ahhh did they forget to pick up the cake!!]
Jack: there seems to be a little mix up about the cake. When the people came to pick up the cake they said they thought that it had already been paid for in advance…
Me: [thought: Oh, no!!!! we forgot to get the cake money to the people picking it up!!] (Calmly) No, it was not prepaid.
Jack: Well, I should have checked, but didn’t. You can bring the money by later.
Me: Ok, I can have that to you this afternoon [thought: Who can I send to pay for the cake?]
Jack: It doesn’t have to be today, just bring it by when you get a chance, it was my fault for not checking!
Me: (Great relief) Thank you for your help. I will make sure it is paid for by Monday.
Jack: Thank you. Have a good day. Bye
Me: Bye (Phew!)
The day was beautiful. It seems to all be a blur, but the moments are quite clear. I did get nervous about 5 minutes before the girls and I headed down for the processional, but otherwise I felt calm and relaxed. Except for a brief moment on the phone with “Jack”, I was not worried that the day would not run smoothly.
It was wonderful to see so many friends and family, many of whom I had not seen in years! Thank you all for coming and being such an encouragement! I only wish we had more time to spend with each of you!
And so, the adventure of married life began. It has been a wonderful two weeks and we are looking forward to the years that God will give us together.
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of people….forthwith….heretofor…
The wedding is only four days away! The past week has gone by so quickly. Wedding plans are all in order, and right now I am focusing on packing and, of course, the last minute details that come up. Adam will be driving here, leaving after work on Wednesday and either driving straight through arriving around 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning or stopping the night somewhere and finishing the drive on Thursday. Either way we will meet up on Thursday later morning or afternoon. Thursday I have a dentist appointment in the morning so immediately after that will head over to the church to begin setting up for the wedding.
What an exciting time this is! Adam and I can’t wait to be married and begin our new life together, and 4 days seems a LOT more doable than 4 months seemed. But this time we have been apart was definitely a good time of growing and developing our relationship. We had several Skype dates, we would eat a meal “together” then after talking for a while we would play a game online together. Here is a picture I took of one of our dates:
Date night in July
I was trying to figure out how to take a screen shot…I did but wasn’t ready
Friday night around 9:20 I saw Adam for real (ie- not via Skype) for the first time in five weeks! During his two day visit we were able to accomplish many things:
We GRADUATED!!!
Yes, we successfully completed the last session of pre-marital counseling. Special thanks to Pastor Whipple for giving us several resources for building a healthy marriage. However we cannot ignore everyone who has invested in our lives up to this point in preparing us for marriage especially our own parents.
WEDDING!!
We went to our friends Steve and Lindsey’s wedding on Saturday. It was interesting to watch and think “I’m going to be up there in four weeks!” what a strange, yet wonderful, thought!
Tuxedo
Adam and I stopped by the Men’s Wearhouse and picked out a Tux for him…I really think that he can pull off that hot pink color so well, and with matching shoes, it takes my breath away!
Visit!
We did get some time to just talk. Saturday we ate lunch out and also made a late run to DQ for some ice-cream and conversation! On Sunday Adam’s parents came for lunch, it was great to see them and also for my family to get to know them better as well.
Goodbye
This was a very sad moment, but we didn’t cry this time because only 26 days separated us from our wedding day, when we will not have to say “goodbye”.
How grateful we are that God has given us this time to grow closer to each other. By providing us the means to communicate while seeing each other via Skype and Google video chat (we decided the video quality is better on Google video chat, while the voice quality is better on Skype…in case you were wondering). What a special time we have right now looking forward to a lifetime together.
This past week my family took their annual trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This trip usually
Isn't my niece cute?
happens in early June, but with the birth of my niece it had to get postponed to the end of July. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go, having recently started a new job, but I DID get to make a quick trip down to my aunt and uncle’s house in Greensboro, NC this past weekend to celebrate my uncle’s 50th! Though the trip was quick I am very thankful to have spent time with my wonderful family!
The weekend in pictures:
Neighbors did some dumpster diving at grave yards... this wasn't their first time doing such a thing! (uncle on right)
I liked this sign
Arrow pointing to house across the street
Gift theme: 50 things for 50th Birthday
Yeah, so I don’t have pictures of the rest of the family so if you (family) want to send me some it would be greatly appreciated!
One of the benefits of living in Northern Virginia (NOVA) is that you’re not too far from Shenandoah National Park. On nice days and from certain spots one can see the mountains from the NOVA; granted the mountains aren’t towering by any means with peaks in the Northern part of the park hardly exceeding 3500’. Regardless of the height they are mountains, it is a nice change of scenery compared to the flat lands of Indiana.
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to explore some of these mountains and spend time in God’s creation. The biggest questions were what types of hikes does the Northern part of the park offer and which one(s) I want to go on. The park offers a variety of hikes along streams, falls, meadows, and mountains with each giving different experiences and views. I opted for a mountain hike that offered panoramic views and a moderately challenging hike. Going into the hike, I knew it was going to be a little strenuous since I’m not in great hiking shape, but figured it would be a good way to get into hiking shape!
As of September 21st Sally was definitely someone I could marry thus the reason for continuing the relationship! In my heart, which is deceitful above all things, I would have been fine in asking her to marry me then, but thankfully Wisdom prevailed. During the following months God grew my love, admiration, and appreciation for her and then came November, where a change in my thinking and pursuit occurred. Through much meditation, prayer, and seeking advice the words of Proverbs 18:22 became more and more influential and real, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” The shift in thinking went from a “lets see if we’re right for each other” to a, “we are right for each other what is the next step”. This shift in thinking wasn’t by any means drastic, except for it’s implications for my life and Sally’s.
