Shower Weekend Day 1

I was so excited to blog about my shower weekend and post lots of pictures from our fun activities, but I got to NM and found I left my camera memory card in OR. I apparently left my brain right beside that memory card as was evidenced many times throughout the weekend.

So, I will still be posting updates about all the fun we had, and I will borrow pictures from other people who took photos for me all weekend. There was a LOT packed into a few days so I will probably take a few posts to write about it all.

Friday morning started with me waking up at 3:45 a.m. to get to the airport so I should have known my exhaustion was imminent. I got into El Paso about 2:00 p.m. and after a few stops in EP, we made our way to the wedding location so I could get a feel for how things would be set up and really just picture everything better. I am SO happy we did this! I feel great about the wedding site and the flow of the ceremony and reception and everything really!

When we finished up at the wedding location, we headed to Artesia to meet my dad and little brother and one of my bridesmaids, Rachel, for dinner. Sadly, we were running way behind schedule and Beckham (Rachel's baby) was already in bed at that time. I got to run in and look at him in his crib and he looked SO cute all swaddled up and sleeping.

While we were finishing up at dinner, 3 of my bridesmaids arrived in town and we got to meet up with them next. We all went to the wedding closet at my parents church which is pretty incredible! There are tablecloths, candles, flowers, vases, and tons of other stuff that you can use for your wedding, for free! :) It's great! It works on a pay it forward system, so you just donate some of your wedding items after your wedding for future brides to use. Here is a picture inside the closet:

Also, I got to try on my wedding dress, which came in THIS in the mail!!

This is what you get when you order your dress online from China. lol Though we didn't realize it was coming from China when we ordered it...  It looks perfect and just like the super expensive one in the store, though, so I'm happy.

I finally got to bed like 1 a.m. on Friday morning after almost 24 hours awake, but it was so great seeing all my friends and catching up with them, so as always...it was totally worth it!

Submission

As a highly opinionated and fairly independent gal growing up, I was always fiercely opposed to the idea of a wife submitting to her husband. I hated the idea that the man was in charge and the wife, by sheer virtue of being female, was supposed to do exactly as he said.

Obviously, that's not exactly how God designed marriage, but that is how I interpreted it, and if I'm being honest, that is how I saw a lot of Christian marriages being played out. I saw wives who had to ask their husbands permission far more than I liked and I saw husbands who decided just how often the wife was allowed to leave the home.

The other day I was listening to a podcast on marriage and the speaker said something about the man being the head of the household. His take on it was that God doesn't say he "should" be the head of the household, he says he IS. Scientists don't sit around discussing if water SHOULD be wet. It just is and they accept it and make all their other decisions and calculations around that fact.

Next he talked about how God is really the Head of the household (Big H) and that means He's the big man in charge. The man is the head of the household (little H) which means he is just held to a higher responsibility regarding the lives/souls of his wife and kids (eww...responsibility? Who wants that? No thanks! I'll gladly give that to the man!)

My final thought on the matter was actually really sweet. I realized that I don't mind submitting to Kory. I trust him and don't worry that he'll take advantage of my vulnerability or boss me around or make me do things his way in the name the position God has given him. I actually love knowing that I can submit to a man who I love and trust fully and completely. I WANT to serve him and do what's best for him. I know he'll do the same for me and I don't have to worry about my needs being met because we're mutually looking out for and taking care of each other.

Maybe God knew what he was talking about after all? How about that!

Life is not a Fairytale

I had a realization this weekend about the huge gap between the way I picture my future and reality. This is especially true when it comes to weddings. When I pictured my wedding and even my showers, I thought I would be in great shape, my nails would be beautiful, I would be excited and happy and having the time of my life.

In reality, I was exhausted, I haven't worked out in far too long, my nails are a real mess, I spent most of the weekend sick and I was so miserable at times I wanted nothing more than to be in bed cuddled under warm blankets.

However, I had amazing friends and family who helped me pack gift and do wedding projects and loved on me, even though I clearly had plenty of germs to share. No one noticed my personal appearance was not identical to the brides in my bridal magazines. I hated that I felt bad this weekend, but I have been reminded over and over it would be much worse if it happened wedding weekend. (I will be taking lots of vitamins and medicines prior to wedding weekend now...I think little sleep and pure exhaustion equals sickness for me.)

I still had an incredible weekend and really enjoyed the time I got to spend with friends and family and future family! I see now that God was teaching me an important lesson about how we can set ourselves up for disappointment by ridiculously high expectations. I am learning to be content, whatever the situation. A wise friend told me she calls it choosing joy. Right now, I am still feeling sick and am waiting in the Phoenix airport for my delayed flight, but I choose to be grateful I have time to read my book and write some thank you notes and eat lunch without being rushed. I feel happier already!

Friday Five

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do a Friday Five post this week. No promises that I'll ever remember to do it again, but here it is for this most exciting of Fridays!!

1. I got today off work! Sadly, I don't get paid because it's a mandatory furlough day, but I'll still take a day off happily. It's a move by the State of Oregon to hopefully save money by closing offices for a day and sending workers home without pay...and I hear there are more of them coming next year. Oh well--more days off!

2. I'm heading home to NM this weekend for a girls wedding weekend extravaganza!! I'm SO excited :) I'll get to see all of my bridesmaids (and meet two of their babies!), my mom/aunts/cousins/grandmas, and Kory's mom/sis-in-law/grandma and I know it will be so fun. We'll also do wedding craft projects, have 2 bridal showers, get fitted for my dress and b-maid dresses, do a hair and make-up trial, check out the venue and make many plans for the wedding that is only 2.5 months away.

3. The weather in Artesia this weekend is supposed to be in the 80s and I am beyond thrilled about that! It hasn't been above 50-55 in 6 months here (ok...maybe that's not exactly true, I'm no meteorologist) and I am LONGING for some sunshine. I plan to soak up some sun this weekend and enjoy wearing Spring clothes.

4. I have to drive 3 hours to get to a major airport here in Oregon and I have to drive 3 hours to get to my parents house from any major airport I fly into and that makes for a LONG trip. The flights alone are usually 7-8 hours with a lay-over and then 6 hours of driving just makes me feel like I should be arriving in another country after all that travel.

5. Babies!! I am SOOO excited to meet Beckham Crawford & Grayden Washichek this weekend! One of my main goals for this weekend is to hold those babies a LOT and get lots of good cuddle time with them. I promise to return next week with great pictures of me holding them, as well as all the other fun events of the weekend!

Lists Make Me Happy

• I love bullets. I hope other people love them as much as I do.
• I think it's funny how everyone apologizes for not updating their blog often enough. I don't expect anyone else to blog every single day or even every few days, so I assume you don't expect the same of me. I blog when I have something I want to write about. You should do the same. It's very freeing.
• I seem to start every single sentence with I...then again, this is a blog about me, so I guess it makes sense.
• Our first wedding shower is this weekend. Sadly, it's in TX and we're in OR so we can't be there.
• How in the world did people plan weddings before the internet? (You don't need to answer this.)
• Modern Family is seriously the most hilarious show on television right now. I love it!
• We just got a Costco membership and have quickly realized that it is the biggest impulse buy store ever! Of course, impulse buys there can cost you $400!
• I want an iPad 2 so badly. Have you seen that cover? Genius!