Today is a very special ten-month mark. I am smiling as I write this, shaking my head a little at how fast time has flown and how fast things have moved. In case you’re somehow not on board, I’m talking about the ten months that Adam and I have been together. 🙂 As my first (and last 🙂 ) relationship, I have to say I didn’t expect much of what we have learned and been through these last months. However, I wouldn’t take any of it back.
As someone who observed a lot of relationships, studied them, critiqued them, compared them, and discussed them, I always thought it was rather cliché to say “I’ve learned so much about myself and just how selfish I can be!” when describing your relationship and what you have learned. However, now that I am in one myself, I have come to realize how that statement is not only true but how it does not even begin to encompass all the lessons that a dedicated relationship teaches you about yourself, about your sin, about the false gods you have erected in your life, about your expectations, and about your relationship with the Lord.
So I have made it through a whole rotation of the most-recent changes to this blog. This has been quite an eventful last few weeks on here, and I am excited to remain faithful to writing on here, to keep to those designated post-days, and to plan ahead for future posts and discussions. (I fell asleep last night thinking about the upcoming Food-Filled Friday post… that is, after my typical planning for this morning’s breakfast.)
Last night I met for the first time with my first East-Coast accountability partner. I’m pretty excited, and although we spent most of our time last night just catching up, laughing at some common situations in our lives, and sharing some lessons we’ve been learning in the relationships with our men (her husband and my fiance), we have great plans to go through a book together, to stay accountable to each other regarding our time in the Word, our prayer life, and Scripture memorization.
In California I had accountability partners. My first year, Audrey Lundy and I were 
great friends (we lived on the same floor in our dorm) and we ended up meeting together once a week to talk and hold each other accountable. My sophomore year, my next-door neighbor (wall-mate) Courtney Mehringer and I met weekly to talk and pray and, of course, laugh together. These were “official” accountability partners (I mention this because my roommate Michaela and a handful of other friends, Esther, Jesse, and Caitlin, were unofficial but just as valuable accountability partners I had) and I cherish the times we met, the things I learned, the challenges I was given, and the times in prayer that we shared. I guess Joe Keller was right when he told us that once you live with real fellowship, you’ll never want to live without it.
In moving back to New York, there are a few things I really miss about southern California. Of course I miss the weather and the college atmosphere, the unlimited hot water, the buffet-style eating, amazing sushi, and speed limits over 65. However, what I miss the most are Master’s chapels, Church of the Canyons, and the fellowship of living with and constantly interacting with girls (and guys) who know you well enough to both give and receive accountability.
That’s why I’m so excited about meeting with Beth bi-weekly. 🙂 Beth and I have known each other since were were both homeschooled and taking swim classes together at the Johnson City YMCA. We were best friends through high school and even great friends while we were separated with me in California and her here in New York. Now that I’m back in New York to stay and preparing for married life, it has been my desire to get plugged-in with a girl locally to be accountable to, to learn from (especially in the area of being a new wife – Beth is married), and to grow with. Getting to meet with Beth is quite a blessing, and I look forward to the fellowship.
We haven’t decided what book we’re going to work through. We both have a collection of great books on being a good wife, so we’re gonna have to look through them, pray about it, and meet somewhere in the middle. 🙂
On a school note, have you ever read Milton? Today one of my school assignments is to read as much as I can possibly stand of “Paradise Lost” and write a paper on general criticism for Rhetorical Criticism. Ugh… I’m so ready to be done with classes. 🙂 Two and a half weeks!
lol… I’m not ADD…. I just have alot on my mind. I’m about to jump to another subject as I quickly move on through my updates and thoughts and the next thing on my mind is wedding…. of course! 🙂
Today, in the midst of working on those school assignments (see, I guess this really does tie in somehow….) I’ll be going through my list of invitees for my wedding (whoohoo!!) and making sure that I don’t lack addresses. I’ve contacted all the people whose addresses I still need, but some of them – of you – have not gotten back to me. We’re gonna be sending the invitations out within the next two weeks.
Another thing on my to-do list for the wedding is choosing wedding music. I don’t know, but I would venture to say this has been the hardest specific choice in the planning of the ceremony. It’s not that I don’t like most music. I just don’t know what songs I want! There are so many classic songs for the processional, mid-ceremony solos, recessional, etc., and I don’t know which would be best! I do have a list of some I like. I just need to narrow them down. Oh, and seven bridesmaids makes it somewhat complicated because I have to have either a super-long song for their processional or two songs that we can fade together and make it not sound awkward. The reception music is so much easier. Adam and I have a lot of favorite songs, so that’s nice.
Well, I’m off to do those noted activities and hopefully get a ton accomplished before lunch in an hour. Yes, we eat lunch at the same time daily. The guys get a lunch break from 12:30 to 1 pm every day, and since the mill is about a 90-second four-wheeler drive to the house, they get to come home for lunch. I’ve really enjoyed that, because I get to see Adam for a good 25 minutes every day during his break. It definitely makes it nice to not have to wait ‘til 4:45 every night to see him, see how his day is going, give him a kiss, and even discuss a few things. Hopefully if we get to live in the little cabin near the mill office, that tradition will continue.
Dinner’s pretty much timely as well, as we normally eat between 5:30 and 6pm. The more I eat on a regular schedule and regulate life like that, the more I like it. It helps with the progress of the day, the scheduling of events, and the digestion of the stomach (lol…wow, I sound ridiculous saying that) to have regular times for eating.
Okay, I’m off for real.
P.S. Yesterday I accidentally ran across this website:
http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/11/10/14-cool-tea-and-coffee-mugs/
and thoroughly enjoyed looking around at all the random and rather creative selections of items. I love some of them, despite their being rather eccentric. lol… Eccentric is a funny word. I think if we were to ask anyone we could agree that we can easily label other things or people as such, but no one ever desires that title. Am I wrong? Let me know if you disagree.
Until tomorrow, adios.
Making My Boast 