July 13, 2007

One Year!

As of this Sunday, Adam and I will be married for a whole year. I feel great. I have learned so much this year. I used to have so many fears. I was scared of divorce because my parents are divorced, I was nervous about finances bc everyone said "you'll never have money again", I thought we would kill each other bc people told me that our first year of marriage would be the most challenging (others said the worst comes AFTER the first year)! Goodness gracious, if I've learned anything it is that marriage is like everything else - marriage is what you make it. Sure, its tough, but so is being single!
We've had so much fun this year. We've each survived holiday's with the in-laws, Tax-season, 2 kitchen fires, Adam's terrible case of food poisoning, and 2 and a half weeks at Travis' house with Rick, Ritter, Izzy, David, and Lance (If I could do that, I could do anything). We've had some really great times too. There was all of the ice-storms this winter where we sat in front of the fireplace drinking hot chocolate, Our first 2 weeks of summer where we laid on an air mattress in the middle of our living room watching episode after episode of LOST, and of course our canoe trip in the pouring rain. I am so happy with Adam. He is easy going, smart, loving, gracious, a hard worker, a gourmet chef, and above all, a Godly husband. Everything I ever wanted and more. The longer I am with him, the more I respect him, the more I trust him, and the more I miss him when he's not around. We have had a wonderful year together. One year down, many more to go!
-ABliss

July 6, 2007

The Best Medicine

I have learned so much this summer. Its been good; restful for my body, trying for my mind, rejuvinating for my soul.
Last week Adam and I went to Neosho to visit my family and friends. We only had a few days, Adam had to preach on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, but we needed to get away for a little while and this was just the ticket. On Tuesday morning we didn't have any preliminary plans, so we decided to go canoeing. We hadn't been in a long time and because of the rain, the water was said to be very high. It was. We went on a 3-mile canoe trip and it was wonderful! The water was higher than I have ever seen it and because of that, we barely had to paddle. So here we were floating down Elk river. No one was out there but us, some beautiful birds, a few turtles, and a bunch of fish. It was just what we needed- peace, quiet, each other's company...until the rain came. I don't mean rain drops...I mean it started pouring! And it was cold! Here we are sitting in the middle of the water, nowhere to go for shelter or relief. We looked at each other and we started laughing, and it started raining even harder, and we laughed harder. Whoever said laughter is the best medicine was right. We laughed all of the way back to the campsite (which took us a wile since we didn't want to paddle because we were cold and since our armpits were still dry we wanted to keep them that way). It was a blast! It was also a great reminder. Why get upset over things that are out of my control? Its easy to get frustrated or angry when things don't work out the way I plan, but if I do, I am really missing out on some other great adventure. Easier said than done, but I'll tell you what, canoeing in the freezing cold rain was the most fun I've had all summer.
-ABliss