on being a wifey

timmy and i celebrated our 2nd anniversary on june 23rd! we went to go to st. louis, mo for a couple of days.

last saturday, i got to watch my cousin nicole get married in evanston, il (outside chicago). it was such an awesome ceremony! she planned it all from kentucky, and it was beautiful. so meaningful and elegant!



i loved remembering my own vows. i loved remembering how excited i was to be a bride and to see timmy for the first time as my groom, i remembered all of our emotions and decisions culminating in front of our closest friends and family, and i was pretty overwhelmed.

when i realized my cousin, one of my dearest friends, was experiencing all of these same things, it was hard to say anything. i wanted to give her my best advice. i wanted to bestow some kind of eternal wisdom on becoming a wife. but with all these things in my mind, i wasn't able to vocalize anything! i had two chances to give a speech, but i couldn't think of a single thing to say. we (nicole and brides maids) spent the morning getting ready together, but i could only smile, it was hard to say anything at all!

i've been thinking about the best advice i received at my own wedding. dave and kathy mehrens told us not to fight or accuse but to always ask why and learn more about each other.

at nicole's wedding, i told one of the bridesmaids that our 2nd anniversary was coming up on tuesday and she said, "i've heard the first one to two years are the hardest of marriage." i was so glad to be able to tell her that timmy and i have had such a fun time being married! he is such a great husband! i enjoy spending time with him more and more!

i asked a lot of questions after we got married. i talked to lots of married women who had been married for only a few years and who had been married for many years. the most beneficial book i read was Created to be his Helpmeet by debbi pearl. i was very skeptical about the book because of debi's conservative mennonite background and some of her views, but i couldn't help but try to read it after i heard my friend's mom's testimony. she had been married 25 years when she read it and after she put the things in the book into practice, her relationship with her husband improved dramatically (even though i can't imagine it was all that bad before...). she then shared it with a group of women from her church, and their relationships with their husbands changed too.

so reluctantly, i started reading. the biblical wisdom that debi shared was passed from generation to generation in her family and as i made my way through each chapter i would try to put it into practice and after every chapter, i was amazed to see the things she talked about come into fruition. my relationship with timmy changed. i always had fun with timmy, but i was finally getting to the point that i could rest with timmy and trust God with our relationship and with my life. it was wonderful.

i've recommended the book to everyone. its the hardest thing i've ever read. i've started to read it again several times. i've re-read certain chapters over and over. this year im purposing to read it all the way through again, asking God what i can do to make our marriage stronger, and for His help to be a better wife.

our second year of marriage was incredibly hectic. it pretty much revolved around moving to and settling into keokuk. when i was journaling yesterday about year two, the word that kept coming up was "learning." i don't know what year three holds or how it will be defined, but i'm thankful for the way it's starting!

it was such a joy to watch my cousin be united with her husband, jesse! marriage has been such an amazing experience! it has stretched me and grown me so much! i've learned so much about love for God and love for people! i've loved ministry with timmy and seeing him grow so much in just a couple of years! timmy has been such a wonderful husband! i had no idea what a good man i was marrying!

praise God for an exciting year two! here's to year three!!!



love.