60 Days and Counting

“It will come sometime. Some beautiful morning she will just wake up and find it is Tomorrow. Not Today but Tomorrow. And then things will happen ... wonderful things.” 

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island.

"Dear Bride to be,

You hear a lot of lies and negativity in your own head and even from the lips of others (you are the center of attention, your wedding won't be very 'nice', your dress isn't right, the day won't be perfect unless everything goes according to plan, you only get married once so make it perfect...) and on and on. Here are some truths for you: it is God's performance, not yours. He did all the arranging so far, rest in Him! Weddings are special, but your man is more special! Look for ways to bless him and please him more than yourself. Don't compare. The seed of eternal discontentment is forever found in comparing. Don't compare dresses, budgets, or venues - you will never be happy. Instead, relax and have fun. This time is short and precious - enjoy it! Don't worry about what other people think, don't stress about matching or coordinating colors, embrace the uniqueness. Don't forget all the ways that God has provided through dear friends and family. They are praying for and supporting you and that is the best gift of all. Study the secret of being content - it starts at the roots. Be wide-eyed and sentimental but don't hold too tightly to plans or "ideals". The simple yet profound goals are to glorify God and get married, everything else is extra, not priority. Take it all in and work hard, but don't set your heart on silly desires or let your eyes glaze over with envy. It isn't about you... truly it isn't. It is about God and His marvelous gifts."

A blog post wasn't exactly on my "to do" list today, but I needed a break so what better way to do it? I've been struggling to journal and blog like I used to, as cliche as it sounds, I simply don't have time to sit down and write, but I wish I did. I look back on the last 200+ days in awe at how fast they have truly f l o w n by. Everyone told me it would go fast, but I didn't expect it to be going this fast! Our "longest chain on earth" is already quite short and in just sixty days our whole lives will change. I've been getting increasingly more sappy and busy with each passing day, but I am trying to treasure up in my heart all the wonderful blessings and joys of this special time.

A few weeks ago I did take some time to write a letter to myself because sometimes you just need to preach to your own face for a while until truths become more true than the lies in your head... or at least I do! I wrote it like I would write to Samantha if she was getting married. At first it made me laugh, but re-reading that letter has given me much needed perspective on several occasions. It is astounding how quickly my heart turns to my own desires and my own plans and dreams... it is astounding how selfish of a human I can be. And yet, what is even more astounding, is that through it all God's grace abounds more and more than I could ever deserve. So many people have come along side of us to helps us in every way possible that it truly floors me. 'Tomorrow' is coming; I will wake up one of these days and it will be Tomorrow. For now, I need to learn the secret of being content with each day of work, each day of planning, and each day that God's mercy and grace is new in the morning.

{For more consistent updates of my wonderfully sappy, random, and odd life, feel free to follow me on Instagram @imemilyjane. Word of caution: I'm not kidding when I say it is sappy. I'm a softy for anything romantic, whimsical, or sentimental and I like to capture as much as possible in a snap.)

Picture Happy

Pictures are worth a thousand words (so if you want the word version scroll down to the last post ;)

The Boy becomes the Fiance

I should be asleep, but I am feeling contemplative, sentimental, and very excited!! This has been a crazy couple days, but some of my favorite ones ever! Christmas today was so special. I love my family so much and being able to spend a day together like today was truly a blessing. Saturday was pretty great as well ;) A lot of people have asked me, "how did he do it?" and because I love the documentation of my blog, I decided to post the story here (for those not following along on Instagram). 

I love a good story. Romantic comedies are the best... And ours is my favorite! Maybe someday I'll tell the story of how unlikely our love story was when we first met. How a weird punk boy met a weird homeschooled girl (who didn't look at boys, talk to boys, or interact with boys in any way) and how they teased and texted and eventually fell in love (with each other's weirdness). But that story is for a different time. Tonight it is the story of how this boy went from being a special man to being a very special man. 

We first chatted at Bubble Island three Novembers ago. He brought me back there on Saturday morning (even though he hates the tea) only to find that it was closed for renovations. Although it was kind of a bummer, we made the most of it and he escaped without having to drink Bubble tea a second time in his life ;) Right next to Bubble Island was a bookstore. We walked by and he saw my head turn and my pace slow. He asked me if I wanted to go in. I knew this was a special day and part of me just wanted to skip ahead to the end. But the other (very large part) wanted to go into that quaint little shop with him and just enjoy the day. He smiled encouragingly and I nodded. The door bell jingled as we entered and I am so glad that we went in after all! It smelled like epic stories and ancient wisdom. On our challenge to find the oldest, we bumped into one that had "1899" printed in the cover! I felt like Belle in the beast's library! It was such a fun way to start the best day ever. 
After the bookstore, he took me down memory lane on campus. Because I always have to go there to pick him up, we have had some crazy adventures on that campus. Sometimes it is fun to think about my parents walking the same trails and making the same discoveries that we are making. Campus is a great place to be! As we talked about some of our favorite things (like Reese Peanut Butter Cups and Pentel RSVP Pens), he pulled them out of his pockets and gave them to me! It was somewhat random, yet so fantastic! Then he told me a silly story about an old myth. He explained the story and contrasted it with the infinite love of God (at which point he pulled out of his pockets the fluffiest, white, infinity scarf of all time!) I was laughing so hard and the imagery and preciousness of the moment. 
Next - in memory of our first (semi-awkward) adventure (modernly called date), we played football in front of his dorm. The air was freezing and eventually he asked if I wanted to do something that didn't hurt my hands in the cold. I walked around the car to discover that he had bubbles!!!! For the next blissful minutes I ran through the bubbles while he blew them across the grass... it was magical :) (I'm basically a three year old at heart). Lastly, he took me to the MSU gardens where I take a lot of photos. We sat on a bench and sang camp songs with his guitar. I love the way he sings and plays music. After two of my favorite camp songs, he asked me if I knew the next one. My eyes were fixed to the strings as he proceeded to play me a song he has written!!! It was perfect. I told myself that I wouldn't cry, but the moment he got down on one knee it became something that was out of my control. I've never been more excited to answer a question in all my life! (Although it did take me a minute to gather myself enough to respond) haha and then the giggles and smiles abounded! (Ohhh and after I sobbed "yes" he slipped the prettiest ring on my finger!) 

The next thing to do was have a party! Xav brought balloons and party poppers for the occasion and we spent some time in the parking lot running around and celebrating. We then called our families to tell them the news. Samantha's response will be forever cherished in my heart! She was screaming congratulations through her tears; I've never heard anything more precious! I am so blessed by these people <3 

And that is how he did it! Turns out, he had saved the list of my favorite things that we swapped when we first started dating and used it as the basis for this day (i.e. bubbles, books, Bubble Island, Reeses, pens, balloons, guitar-singing, meaningful words, etc) SO AMAZING! Hopefully I will get the photos up here soon as well as other stories that come to mind. Sometimes these story telling moods happen late at night and I just go with it (but usually I just go to sleep! *whoopsie*). I hope that you all had a joyous and blessed Christmas, what a gift that we celebrate! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night :)