.love story.

"every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite."

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
We’ve been together since March 26, 2009, so about 3 1/2 years! We got engaged on March 27, 2011 and were married on June 10, 2012.

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
We met his freshman year (my junior year) of college and I had a crush on him from the beginning. I was a Resident Assistant (RA) in his dorm. Though I didn't officially meet him until around March 2009, I had noticed him in the lobby, playing guitar and hanging out with friends. The first thing I noticed about him was the way he treated others (I mean, besides the fact that he is such a looker!); he was so kind and treated everyone with respect, plus he had a great sense of humor and a knack for making others smile or laugh. After a mutual friend introduced us, we began talking, hanging out, and chatting on AIM until 2 AM (does anyone else remember AIM? haha). We became unofficially "official" the night he made the first move and kissed me to let me know he was interested in me. We have been together ever since!

Alpha Phi Omega Formal April '09 ~ One of our first dates

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
We've been married 108 days!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? If not, where would you like to get married? 
We got married under a tree in my parents' backyard. It was a perfect day. =)

Our Ceremony

THE KISS!!! (And what a kiss it was!)

Our Venue - My Childhood Home

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
Punk was the first one. =)

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
– His selflessness – He is seriously one of the most giving people I know. Especially with me, our family members, his friends, and his coworkers.
– His passion – He is deeply passionate & committed to serving God; playing & creating music; and loving people. He has so many talents and gifts (it's a bit ridiculous!) and he chooses to use them to glorify God and serve others.
– His kind heart – He is compassionate, encouraging, loving, and incredibly supportive!

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?
It’s kind of a long story, so you can read it all here (under the "Our Proposal" section). But the short version is that he completely took me by surprise (because I thought I knew exactly when it was going to happen...a year later haha) and proposed to me in front of six of our dear friends (and a few other people...he was quite gutsy!). It was one of my favorite days ever. =)

Click HERE to view our proposal.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
He does a bit of both! He has brought me flowers for no particular reason, but it is mostly romantic stuff: songs, rose petals, candles, chocolate covered strawberries, etc. =)

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch? 
I am quite content having a night in with a movie and snuggling. I am definitely not opposed to a sunset dinner on the beach though either. =)
 

A picture from our honeymoon...we were cuddled up to watch a movie. 
 
10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
Do more traveling! I’d love to see Italy, France, Australia, and Ireland (again). We would also like to go to Hawaii and the Caribbean.

11. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
I can't give just one piece of advice so here goes: Communicate --> Instead of expecting your spouse to know exactly what you want, be honest and open (read: not hurtful...choose your words wisely) when communicating your needs. It saves a lot of time, tears, and guesswork on your spouse's part. Respect your spouse. Don’t speak negatively about him to friends/your mom/coworkers/whoever. Support him and encourage him to follow his dreams. Make it a priority to have time for just the two of you. Have fun together regularly. Oh, and keep dating!

12.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.

These images are from our ceremony, where we each washed the other's feet. 
 
Love, to me, is putting another before yourself and serving each other's needs first before your own.

Though it can be overused, I try to use 1 Corinthians 13:3-8 as a model for how I am to love Jake and others in my lifetime. I'm definitely far from being perfect, but I'm a work in progress.

^"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies."

- 1 Corinthians 13:3-8 (The Message)

Life Lately

Hello blog friends!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I wrote...it's been a busy life lately: going to Ireland, classes, internship, work, and wedding planning, while missing my fiancé. My internship has been fantastic, especially the training and interacting with the faculty and staff on campus. I'm really excited about what I'll be learning throughout this year and have a feeling that I will definitely be challenged and grow from this experience. I want to become a more competent and empathetic social worker/therapist. I am so excited to work with the students!

Classes are enjoyable this summer. I just finished up my work for the Ireland study abroad class, and am enrolled in Substance Abuse and Research II classes. I'm working with my good friend Paul on our research project, which I am really excited about. We are studying the experiences of survivors of suicide, meaning those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

I was inspired to conduct this research by the loss of an incredible guy Jake and I were both friends with: Cory. We spent time with him earlier on the day he passed away and his death really affected me. I am doing this research as a sort of love project in honor of him. Miss you Cory!

Work is going well, although it's hard to squeeze in 10 hours during business hours with everything else going on. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to continue working with the staff at CRI and members of community organizations. It's been a terrific experience.

I went dress shopping for the wedding for the first time this past Saturday. What a fun, yet a bit overwhelming, experience! We went to a bridal shop in GR that had over 3,000 dresses! I tried 21 (ohmygoodness!) dresses on (taking pictures of each one--front and back--for later reference) and ended up finding two I like. I'm not 100% sold on either, but I'm really excited to continue shopping! Wedding planning is going pretty well also. We're hoping to lock down the date (and venue) when Jake visits in July.

I cannot wait to see him! This time of separation is really tough, but I know I'm growing and learning through it all. He recently moved into a condo with his brother Steve, which is really exciting for them. His new position at the church is going well and I'm really proud of him! I cannot wait to marry him...=)

Well I need to get to bed...another long day ahead of me tomorrow. Sweetdreams!

With love,
Amanda

Waiting on God

This past year has been a big time of waiting on God for me. Whether it be regarding hearing from grad schools, job possibilities, graduate assistant positions, grades, or a study abroad application, God has had me waiting. It's always been a major theme in my life, but the past year has been such a test of how I respond when faced with uncertainty.

I recently was accepted to study abroad in Ireland with the School of Social Work for two weeks in May for class credit. I've never been able to afford studying abroad and am so ecstatic about this opportunity! Ireland is on my bucket list of places to go before I die and I am more than happy for this chance to visit the land of my heritage...(not really but I wish haha). It's beautiful there and I think it will be a perfect transition into my spring/summer semester of classes and an internship. 

In other news, some big changes have been in the works for awhile now. After a lot of prayer, talking, and consideration, Jake recently accepted a full-time position as a Worship Pastor/Director at his home church. This is his last semester at GV and he will be starting the position in May/June. This next year we will be on opposite sides of the state. 

The day he accepted the position officially, I wrote my thoughts down...here's what I came up with.

My thoughts from December 16, 2010:

Today, Jake officially decided to accept a position as a worship leader/pastor at Rockpointe Community Church, his home church. After a lot of stress, worrying, weighing, praying, and contemplating, he has been led to accept this position for the upcoming year and leave Grand Valley behind. We're not sure of all the details quite yet, but we are very excited about this opportunity for him to serve God and minister to his church.

I know he is an excellent person for this position and that his heart is in the right place. I know he will do a fantastic job and that it is important to him to see his church grow and flourish during a season of change for so many churches across the world. It's as though churches are facing a turning point: continue on in the way things have been or take a new path and dig deeper to learn what it truly means to stand in Christ and live life as a follower of God. Jake is passionate about worship and his heart is so beautiful, especially when he is leading worship or playing music in honor of God. It's one of the things I first noticed about him when I went to Campus Ministry services my junior year. There's a difference between leading worship/playing for worship for your own "stuff," whatever it may be, and playing for the glory of God. Just by looking at him, or by listening to him play and sing alone, you can tell, without a doubt, that Jake's heart is after God, and in those moments of worship, it is for God's glory alone he is playing. It's incredible to be in his presence when he worships (though a bit distracting for me...hence I close my eyes to focus) and to hear him talk about his pursuit of God. This new adventure in his life...our lives...will be an incredible journey to embark upon.

That being said, I cannot help but feel anxious in this season. I have known for awhile that change was upon us each individually, but also as a couple, regarding our present but mostly our future. I have a lot of feelings about this change, as I know it is a wonderful thing for our lives and God will bless Jake richly for following His command, but I also know the reality of agreeing to become public representatives of Christ. You would think that we already are, and in some ways, you would be right. However, when someone agrees to take a position in the church, it is then that you are agreeing to put yourself out there, really out there, and open up your life to be commented and critiqued by members of the congregation. It is almost as if you become a "celebrity" of sorts...in regards to the public attention. Your personal life is on display and anything that may not be "up-to-par" or shiny and clean is subject to discussion.

I think a lot of it is that I'm scared. Am I good enough to be his wife? Am I the right person to stand beside him on this path? Do I "have it together" enough to be a worship leader's wife? I have struggled this year to find my grounding and feel rooted in who I am in Christ. I want to know God more. I want to be the best possible wife to Jake in the future. I want to really know I am loved and accepted not only by Christ for who I am, but also by myself. I'm just scared I won't be able to get a hold on it in time.

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I'm really excited for Jake and so proud of him! I know he will do an amazing job as the Worship Director at Rockpointe and can't wait to see what God has for Jake there. I will be traveling to Ireland in May when he moves back and when I return, I will be starting my spring/summer classes and the first semester of my internship. Lizzie (Jake's sister-in-law) is having another baby in mid-May so that is something we're all looking forward to also! I know I will be learning a lot in the next year and it may be a struggle frequently, but God has me in His hands and I will grow in this time.

I've been really stressed lately. I'm not quite sure how to manage everything on my mind and want to excel. I feel like I'm constantly taking one step forward, two steps back in making progress in my life. I have a lot I need to get together yet. I realize I'll never 100% have it together, but I feel so far from even sort of having it together that it's been really discouraging and frustrating. 

Most of the things I'm concerned about, there is nothing I can currently do to change them. It turns out that this is just another one of those times where I need to rely on God and wait on His perfect timing and grace to see me through the ups and downs of life. Until next time friends...

With love,
Amanda