Hello, daddy-o!

On Wednesday night, Graym and I were blessed to babysit for our pastors children so that they could have a date night out without the hustle and bustle of their three lovable, yet energetic, boys. It was the first time that Graym and I had babysat together, and I was greatly looking forward to seeing him interact with the kiddos in that kind of environment. I already knew Graym was GREAT with kids. My cousins children absolutely love when Graym comes over and often ask for him as soon as they see me walk through the door. However, being in someones home with three boys who you have to feed, entertain, and put to bed was something that I had yet to see him do and I was excited to watch  my man in action.

Overall, we had a wonderful night! The boys were a blast to play with and we filled the evening with running around the house, jumping on pillows, picking and eating figs, and even building a fort. Getting them to bed took a little prodding, but after bribing them with lots of bed time stories, the trio brushed their teeth, said their beautiful little prayers, and headed off to bed. Well...the oldest two did, at least! The youngest, Dillin, who is only 2 and still naps throughout the day, got out of bed a couple times but after a few rounds of coloring, baseball watching, and cuddling, he eventually tuckered out enough to get some shut eye. Once the boys were nestled in bed, Graym and I were able to do some of our own cuddling as I allowed him to watch the Yankees game. The sacrifices of love, huh? :)

Graym did an incredible job with the boys and I was so blessed to have him there with me. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that not only am I marrying a man who I know will love, protect, and honor me as his wife but will also be an incredible provider and father to our children. Graym has such a sweet, playful, and gentle heart that I know will immensely bless our future family. Though we plan to wait a few years before starting a brood of our own, I know that when that day comes Graym will be the dad that every little boy and girl dream of.

Boy, oh boy, I surely found a good man!

Cowgirls for a day!

Last weekend my beautiful bridesmaids whisked me away to Malibu Dude Ranch in Milford, PA for what surely was the best bachelorette weekend in the history of bachelorette weekends. It was a complete surprise, but a wonderful one! After 5 long hours in the car, we arrived at the unknown destination for what turn out to be an incredible weekend filled with horseback riding, riffling, archery, a rodeo, and dance party til we were too tired to keep moving! We had an absolute BLAST together and enjoyed every minute on the ranch. The people there were incredibly friendly, the food was great, and the bull riding left us freaking out in our seats. Overall, it was an incredible weekend and I can't thank my girls enough for putting this together!


Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend:

 

No babies for me (yet): NFP update

Hey all,

So I know I said I wouldn't write about this again since some people probably find this a squeamish topic and would rather not read about it, but then I figured if you don't want to read about it you don't have to! Pretty simple logic, right? :) Plus, I'm a very open gal who'll talk about anything and really couldn't resist! Anyways, I just wanted to give everyone an update about my whole preparing-not-to-have-a-baby-just-yet process and the things I've learned along the way. I figured I could share what I have learned and perhaps get some more advice since I'm still pretty new to this whole thing!

So since the last time, I have decided to go with natural family planning (NFP from here on out). I had tried the pill for a month for a few reasons. 1) I get AWFUL cramps that require me to take between 1000-2500mg of painkillers every 3-4 hours for the first 48 hours to combat. 2) I get uber moody. Sorry Graym! 3) I still deal with pretty bad monthly period-related acne and figured it couldn't hurt to try to clear that up along with the other benefits. Well, that didn't go so well. The pill made my cramps worse, I had headaches every day the entire month, and I broke out like crazy. Plus, I often forgot to take the pill at the same time every morning and don't think it would be a very effective option for me (heellloooooo honeymoon baby!). I could've tried the NuvaRing afterwards, but considering that thing was big enough to fit around my wrist and my previous attempt didn't go so well, I decided to try out the natural approach and settled on NFP.

So far, the process has been great. I really love that NFP isn't just about not getting pregnant, but learning how your body works. As a woman, I feel like it is my right to know how my body works and understand it's signs. It's a great birth control method but also a way to track your hormones and physical changes, which can ultimately help you realize when something is amiss.

The first month was a little tough. I often forgot to take my temperature right away and didn't really know what I was looking at. But three months in to it I have finally been able to determine at the beginning of the month when I should ovulate and start my cycle. These last two, I have been right on the money! It's really neat that I can estimate that and see how my bodily changes reflect that. I'm still struggling with the recognizing the changes my body goes through right before ovulating, but hopefully these next two month will proves fruitful.

My only regret in this whole process is that I wish I started sooner! I only have one cycle left before the wedding since I'll be starting the second one about four days in to the honeymoon (sucks, right? We tried to plan the wedding around it but when a gal has a 35 day cycle that doesn't fall on the same day every month, it proves tricky! I obviously failed hahaha). I think another couple of months would be great to get things totally figured out, but I'll go with what I know now and Graym and I have already decided to be extra cautious these first few months of marriage. Yes, we want babies, but not yet!!

I wanted to close by saying thanks for all the wonderful advice that you all gave me through my first update and via emails. I really appreciated it and it's great to know that there are so many women out there who actually use this method! Sadly, it's not publicized as an effective alternative to hormonal methods as much as I'd like, though it's benefits far out weigh the time it takes to take your temp in the morning and keep track of your other bodily changes. Please feel free to continue share any tips or give more advice! They are definitely welcome and though I do have a few questions I'll refrain from asking here since I think that might be a little too much for a public blog ;)

I hope this wasn't too squemish for ya'll this time! 

Love, Sash

Who wants to give this gal a massage?

Truth be told: I am stressed! We are at the point in this wedding process where there are just so many little things to figure out and I can't stay on top of it all. 

Plan the day-of itinerary. 
Coordinate flight schedules.
Book hotel rooms. 
Confirm arrival of bridesmaids/groomsmen. 
Make the program, favors, centerpieces, misc. decorations.
Confirm delivery of flowers, chairs, etc.
Gather honeymoon documents and schedule activities.
Purchase items need for gift table, favor table, guest book, dinner tables, and more.
Order bridal party and parents gifts.

And the list goes on and on...all of which need to be completed within a month and half while tackling my job, organizing the new apartment, and ultimately trying not to go crazy or blow up on Graym. Our sermon at church yesterday was on rest and boy do I need some right now! Not a day goes by where I'm not thinking about the wedding and what needs to happen next and frankly I'm just tired. I don't want to think about this any more. I don't want to do this any more. I want to go home, sit on the couch, cheat on my clean eating with a giant bowl of ice cream, and watch Americas Funniest Home videos because I flippin' love that show.

I know. Major vent post and I'm sorry. Well, not too sorry. It feels good to get this off my chest but I know I don't have the heart that I should have right now. I want to be joyful and love this time, but I'm at the point where so much is running through my head that I don't even have the opportunity to be joyful. Everyone has been so wonderful, too, asking me if they can help and what they can do, but sometimes even delegating tasks can be draining when you're the only one who knows all the details to complete those tasks.

Anways, the point of this point was to offer my back as a massage spot for any one who would like to be a masseuse for a day ;) And please be praying for me. I want to love every minute of this, especially these last few weeks, and some prayer for God given grace and joy would be greatly appreciated.


Love you all. 
Sash

60 day update: So close yet so far away

Graym and I hit quite a milestone this week: two months until the wedding! Every time I think about it an intense wave of eager anticipation washes over me and I'm left in the most giddy, overwhelmed, anxious state I've ever been in! The past ten months have flown by while at the very same time the next two months seem like they'll take forever. I'm sure I'll look back and think differently once the wedding day has come and passed, but for right now that day is so close I can almost taste it and I really, really want it to be here right now! Thankfully I do have a bit more time, though, because there is just so much left to do!

Let's begin with an honest confession, shall we? Here's the deal: I am SO over all this wedding stuff! Yea it's been fun, and yes I've enjoyed being able to express myself creatively throughout the process, but MAN I cannot wait for it to be over. I never thought I would say such a thing and when my cousins were going through the same set of feelings I'd laugh and shrug it off with a resounding, "That'll never happen to me! I'm going to love every minute of it." While I have loved all the planning and designing, I'm excited for the day where I can come home, relax, and not have to figure out what's next of the agenda, design that latest printable, or determine what has to be ordered! I just want to stop planning this wedding and actually be married! Is that too much for a gal to ask? : ) At least with only two months left, I can keep on trucking knowing that the beautifully wonderful end is in sight.

*Phew* Glad to get that one off my chest! Now on to the exciting news.

As many of you have figured out already from your recent mailman delivery, the invitations have been sent! They were sent in bunches on different days so some of you will be getting them a little later than others, but don't fret! They are on their way! Everything was made and designed by moi, from the burlap backing to the invitation design. Ok, ok. So I took some ideas from pinterest but hey, what future bride hasn't? Overall, I think they came out pretty swell and I hope you did too. A lot of time, effort, and love went in to those babies and I must give a quick shot out to my wonderful mama, handsome fiance, and incredible bridesmaid, Maria, for helping me glue, glue, and glue! You guys rock and there is no way I could've done it without you.

Side note: I realized I made a mistake on them today!! Worst feeling ever and I'm totally embarrassed. I swear I checked those invites 50 times before sending them to print but, alas, I put the wrong wedding website on there : ( I will be sending out a message to all the guests via facebook or some other means with the correct website later tonight and hope that you all forgive me for my silly mistake. Uggghhh, seriously. Only me!

Now back to today! Today marks 60 DAYS until the wedding!! I cannot believe it. In less than two months I will become Mrs. Kasko and I have come to love that last name more and more over time (and the man who holds it even more!). We have hit the stage where all the tiny details need to be figure out and I am beginning to feel so overwhelmed by how much we still have left to do. Thankfully I have been blessed with a wonderful support group of family and friends who have assisted me with various tasks and Graym has really taken initiative this past month with calling and contacting people without me asking. Have I told you how much I love him? I really, really do! Right now our biggest things are favors (cute little jars: check!), decorations (wall decal: check!), centerpieces (mason jars: check! wood slabs: check!), and wedding party gifts (uggh...no check on this one, yet!). Anyone who wants to have a DIY party with me this weekend is more than welcome to! :) That's just the beginning of the list, though, and it just seems to be getting longer and longer! It'll all get done and the wedding will be perfect, but man it's tough when you have a lot to do and you have no desire to do it (remember when I said I was over it? Yea...). 2 more months...2 more moths!

On another note, Graym and I get our apartment this weekend!! We wont' live together before the wedding but wanted enough enough time to move it and get the place settled so we weren't swamped with moving a week before the big day. We already have some wonderful gifts to move in and a living room set that we purchased from craigslist. It's beautiful and pretty much new since the guy kept the set in his formal living room. Talk about a bargain! My wonderful cousin and bridesmaid, Nicole, who just got married also gave us her husbands old bedroom furniture and dining set for FREE! Graym and I are so grateful and know that it will make a great addition to our new place. Both of us cannot wait to be in there together and know that we will be blessed in this home. We're also stoked to have you all over! I finally get to be a hostess! How fun is that? :D

Well, to keep this post from getting unbearably long, I'm gonna say so long for now! I'll keep you all updated as these next two months roll on by. We can't wait to see you all at the wedding come September. It's pretty much gonna be awesome, so get your excited pants on!

Much love,
Sasha

Home sweet home: Our new place!

GRAYM AND I ARE TENANTS!!!

That doesn't sound nearly as neat as "homeowners" but it's just as a wonderful feeling! On Monday, Graym and I put in the security deposit for our new apartment. Can you believe it? We found the place where we are going to LIVE! Words cannot describe how stinkin excited we are and how blessed we feel. We had been researching various apartment complexes in the area but after visiting two, we were a little off put. We had a strict limit of $1500 a month (crazy, right? Welcome to DC...) but in this area, we'd be lucky to find something that is in a good location, part of a safe neighborhood, was a decent home, and affordable all in one. Yea, we can find places that rent out a studio or one bedroom for that rate, but when you add in the cost of utilities, cable/internet, laundry, parking, and more, you're looking at paying closer to $1800. No thank you. And the places that did include all of that within the $1500 cap, we'd either need to hire me a security guard or be stuck in the 1950s. Needless to say, I was getting a little frustrated with the prospect of finding a nice place to live until I remembered a little tip that more than one person had recently suggested to us: look for an independent owner; someone who is renting out their condo, town house, or finished basement. So off to Craigslist I went and after spending a few days scouring the ads I stumbled upon a few that seemed encouraging and began making phones.

We were absolutely AMAZED at the difference that renting a persons home or apartment could make verses an apartment complex. The properties were often twice as big, in beautiful, safe locations, and their rental cost often included all, if not most, of the utilities and other hidden costs. After viewing 3 other places and working with one man to settle on a price and move in date, Graym and I have put our deposit down and will residing in a basement apartment in Alexandria, VA.

Now when I say this place is awesome, I mean that it is awesome.  We have our own private entrance to the basement which leads to 1100 square feet of beautiful home. The kitchen is huge, the appliances are all 5 years old or less, and we even have our own washer/dryer. Two french doors lead to the bedroom and both that and the living room have beautiful Berber carpet to cushion our toes. The neighborhood itself is gorgeous with new, large homes built 7 years ago and it is located directly across the street from Kingstowne center. If you've never been there, it's a great spot and has been lovingly coined "the new old town." Within a 5 minute walk we can find ourselves face to face with the movie theater, lots of small shops and restaurants, the grocery store, Walmart, and one of our favorite places to shop: Khols. A ten minute drive down the road in either direction is the Springfield Mall and Old Town Alexandria, and within 20 to 30 minutes we can be hanging out with Grammie and Bapa or mom and papa, hanging in DC, or shopping at Tysons. Since we'll technically be considered a resident of the home, we'll have access to all the community amenities as well which include 3 club houses that you can rent for special events, 3 giant pools, tennis courts (with lights for night playing!), and a massive weight room that includes all the free weights, kettlebells, and cardio equipment you can imagine.

All this for.........*drum roll please*.........$1475/month. BAM! Utilities, parking, cable/internet, everything you could imagine is included. Graym and I feel so blessed to have found this place, to be the only tenants the owner even considered, and to know that in just a few short months we'll be calling it home. Unfortunately I have already gotten in to complete home decorating mode and am ready to buy lots of pretty stuff to furnish the place! Thankfully we begin renting July 15 so at least we don't have to wait as long for that.

Here are some of the pictures that the owner posted on craigslist. They definitely don't do the place justice though, so I guess you all are just gonna have to come over sometime after the wedding :)

Entry door to the left there, living room in front, and bathroom on the right. The living is twice as big as it looks here, promise!

The front door is behind the picture, so the bedroom pictured here is on the right. I love those double doors! And you can see the big kitchen on the left.

Humungo kitchen! I can't wait to cook in there :D

Surprise! My wonderful bridal shower

Around 5pm on Saturday, May 19 Graym and I were heading to my house after a wonderful and eventful day. We started the morning off by playing some tennis, followed by an afternoon showing of The Avengers in 3D. It had been such a great day already and I never could've imagined that when I arrived home that I'd be walking in to the country!

My incredible parents along with my awesome team of bridesmaids put together the most beautiful, indescribable, perfect bridal shower that a girl could ever ask for! Since Graym and I love country living and have a very rustic, southern theme to our wedding, my mom decided a full on country themed shower was perfect. My papa and uncle built a make shift barn in the back yard and the place was decorated with wagon wheels, whiskey barrels, and hay bales. The delicious food consisted of recipes straight from Paula Deens kitchen and we sipped on sweet tea and cold lemonade while we ate and laughed. All the guests were dressed up in their best cowgirl attire including boots, plaid shirts, and cowboy hats. Everything was above and beyond anything that I could have imagined and I was left speechless by creativity, dedication, and joy that was put in to making this special day happen. I was so incredibly blessed by the love and support I was shown by everyone who attended, and all of their gifts will help make our fist place a home.

Now to give thanks where thanks are due.

To the guests: Seriously, I have the best family and friends ever! Thank you all for coming, making that day so wonderful, and for shedding me with all your love. The meals you brought were delicious and I can't wait to try out the awesome recipes you gave me!

To my dads coworkers: I don't think you'll be reading this, but thanks for lending my dad all those awesome props to make our backyard turn in to a barn! The place looked awesome and I can't wait to use them again at my wedding.

To Tio Roberto: You and my dad made the most killer barn ever and I loved it!! Thank you for putting in the time and hard work to help make it happen.

To my girls: thank you so much for all that you did to help my mom with all the little details. You were there when she needed you most and really helped tie it all together. I'm so thankful to have you in my life and by my side during this time.

To my mom and dad: words cannot express how incredibly blessed I am to have you as parents. Every day I witness such overwhelming love between you two and I'm so thankful for all the wonderful ways you have extended that to Graym and I. You have given more than your all to make your little girl feel like a princess and I truly felt like one that day. Thank you for making my shower such a beautiful, memorable one and I pray that Graym and I can share the same love and care with our children that you have shown me. You are the best parents a gal could ever ask for and I am so honored to be your daughter.

Phew, ok. Enough with the sappy stuff! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the shower. Enjoy!

The "barn"!!

Yummy, yummy cake :)

My beautiful bridesmaids

The best mama in the whole wide world!

Wedding shoes are stressful (most pointless rant ever)

If you're in to reading totally irrational, pointless rants about nothing of great importance, that this is the perfect post for you. Read on, you silly little thing you, read on.

Well, the title of this post pretty much says it all. Wedding shoes are majorly stressful! Out of all the wedding stuff so far, I think picking out wedding shoes have taken up the most time and caused the greatest frustration. Why you ask? Because of a silly and obnoxious person called...me! 

Here's the thing, I don't care about the shoes at all, but I totally care about the shoes! Major contradiction, right? Right. And that's the problem. See, I don't care enough about what the shoes look like that I'm willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes that I'll wear for 45 minutes on one day. Yea, I know many of you have said you can totally wear your wedding shoes again with cocktail dresses, etc., but I'm not a heel person. I love the way they look, can rock them for an hour or two, and then *BAM* here come the flip flops. If I could pull off a whole day of heels, I'd understand biting the bullet and splurging a little, but, again, I more of a flats, flip flops, wedges kind of a gal. The hunt for affordable yet cute wedding shoes began and boy was it a task! I wanted shoes no higher than 3" (but flats were no go too...I wanted to have a little height but didn't want to tower over Graym), with a T or ankle strap so I wouldn't slip out, not too flashy with a ton of sparkly jewel stuff, and they needed to be white. Diamond white. Not this off white ivory stuff that all the dresses (and therefore shoes) come in these days. Like a crisp, fresh layer of snow white to match my dress. A surprisingly tough combo. Either they were too tall, the wrong color, a weird style, or most importantly too expensive. 

FINALLY after months of searching I finally found a pair that I like and have ordered which is uber exciting but with online shopping only comes more anxiety. Will the shoes fit? Will I have to exchange them? What if they are too high? Or uncomfortable? 

*Sigh* I give up hahaha. At least I finally ordered a pair and they are really nice. In case you were wondering, I had to order the shoes now because my first dress fitting is the first weekend in June. Why so early? My dress has very delicate layers with intricate lace details that can't simply be hemmed. These details have to be removed and sewn back on by hand, which is going to take this poor woman a couple months to do. Crazy, right? The little things you don't realize come along with purchasing a wedding dress! Anyways, you can check out the pretty little heels here if you'd like. Let's just hope that they fit and I love them just as much on as I do in the picture :)

Time to vote!

Ok ladies and gents (though I'm pretty sure this is mostly a lady thing haha) I need your help! I'm trying to decide between two pairs of bridal earrings and am at a standstill. I really love them both! So I'm coming to facebook for all of your opinions. Blogger said I got over 200 views the other day, so I'm thinking this should turn out well! Ha!

Here's the first pair. I'm attaching it as a link in case Graym opens this post up before realizing that he can't look. Thankfully I have a great fiance who doesn't want to see anything relating to me and the wedding so I can trust him not to take a peek :) Anyways, here it is! 

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/74191561?transaction_id=74191561

Pros: It's stunning! Absolutely beautiful and totally one of kind. It's gold, which is what I wanted since my engagement ring is gold, and the intricate details are amazing.

Cons: My dress is pretty busy. It involves a lot of lace and layers and has a beautiful design on top of it all...I think this earring might be too much with my dress

Here's the second pair! http://www.etsy.com/listing/91374221/gold-bridal-earrings-long-pearl-and

Pros: It's beautiful, gold, and has a very classic and simple feel to it. It doesn't need much to make a statement

Cons: Ummm...none really haha I think it would go perfect with my dress but I just love the other one so much too!!

So let me know your thoughts! It's so hard to know how it'll look with the dress without actually seeing them together, but this etsy vendor has a no return policy so I can't just buy both and return the one I don't choose. Hopefully I pick the hard one, though it'll be hard!

Let's vote! share your thoughts either here or on facebook. I can't promise I'll go with the majority but I'd love to know what you all think :)

Thanks so much!!

- Sasha

Starting to feel like home

"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."

Spoken by Maya Angelo yet settling deep within my own heart, this quote is one that I believe resounds throughout the entire human race. We are born with a natural desire to find, make, build a home where we not only feel comfort but safety, love and warmth, acceptance and growth. We want a place that we recognize; a place that we could travel with our eyes closed. A place filled with memories and where the remnants of laughter and tears echo off every wall and street corner. We want to be able to drive with friends and point out the spot where we graduated high school, our favorite Sunday afternoon ice cream shop, and the historical landmarks which make us proud to be a resident there. A home grows from being the place you lay your head at night in to a community of neighbors, buildings, street signs, and history that web together and cradle your soul. It's the place you long for when you've been gone far too long. It's the place you never wish to leave.

Three years ago when my family moved to Virginia from my born-and-raised state of Massachusetts I was completely unaware of how strongly this transplant would leave me longing for the home I no longer had. At the time I had no strong connection to the northern state other than a deep pride for my Boston sports teams, my characteristic masshole driving, and use of the word "wicked". I lost touch with most of my high school friends and was completely absorbed in my college life. That was home to me: the beautiful and frigid state of Maine where I learned who God and myself really were. I didn't think leaving MA would be difficult. In fact, I thought it would be easy and quite exciting. Never did I imagined that that first summer I spent in Virginia would be the most difficult and depressing summer of my life.

I guess you could say I truly learned the meaning of the all too common saying "you never know what you have until it's gone." For the first time in my life I was in a place where I felt no connection. I knew no one besides my wonderful family and a single friend stationed twenty minutes away from the house. The only place I could drive to was the supermarket and that was only because it was located right across from our neighborhood. Back roads and alternative routes home were no longer an option; I simply did not know the streets and often found myself lost, confused, and struggling to find my direction. Our new house was huge and beautiful, but the three story lodge lacked all those little things that made a house a home: the smell that was our smell (you all know what I mean. I'm sure so many of you could walk in to your home blindfolded and know exactly where you were just by the scent); the little scratches and dings in the wall that made mom mad when it happened but always caused a chuckle when you'd pass it in the hall later on (remember that time HJ fell head first in to the wall and papa had to patch it up? I still laugh thinking about it!); the familiarity of where everything is where everything should go.

Now don't get me wrong, there were some wonderful things that came out of that summer. My relationship with my cousins, our neighbors by a couple miles, grew and I can truly say I have never been closer to Nicole than I was that summer. I loved our weekly ice cream and mall runs and I owe it to her that I didn't go completely crazy those few months. I had the opportunity to explore and learn about the capitol of the United States and the deep history that ran through every street. I learned how to be independent in a place where I felt so alone and took the time to read and indulge in pleasures I never had the time for before. It was a summer of blessings that I failed to see until I took the time to look back and thank God for His mercies.

Things began to change over the course of the next couple years. I returned to Virginia for school breaks and holidays and as each time passed I would enjoy the time a little more. I became more familiar with the surrounding and more involved in my parents church. I learned the street names was blessed to meet a wonderful man in the area that made coming back a bit easier too. It was nice to know that things were starting to change, but as much as I was looking forward to life after college I wasn't so sure about leaving the home and school I did know and returning full time to the place that caused me so much grief just a couple summers prior. I was afraid of diving in to what felt like shallow waters. Now, almost a year later, things have improved to a point where I can no longer say "this doesn't feel like home." I've learned my way around and have successfully learned multiple routes home when I'm stuck in the much too often traffic that has made D.C. famous. I've picked up a slight southern accent when saying certain words and particularly when surrounded by certain people (*cough cough* the Pinckneys *cough cough*), and have even added the word "ya'll" to my mental dictionary. I've grown wonderfully closer to my family as we spend nearly every holiday, birthday, church morning, and random outings together and have had the opportunity to watch my little brother finish senior year and some beautiful little children grow and mature. It's been wonderful this past year and the comforting feeling of a home has been built around this place, yet it still seemed to lack permanence. Graym and I often talked about our future plans and the hope of moving south to North Carolina or possibly even out west to Colorado within a few years. Everything was planned around our move and when we'd really be able to settle down and build our first home together. Virginia has surely become home but a temporary one indeed, and I couldn't wait to build our permanent foundation elsewhere...or so I thought.

It brings me such joy to say that for the first time in the three years that my address has held a Virginia zip code that I can actually picture myself building a home here. For the first time I'm actually excited about that idea! Who knew that one day could make sure a whirlwind change?

To understand this change I must first share with you the latest adventure that Graym and I had embarked on: finding a home church. Soon after we got engaged we decided that we wanted to begin the process of finding a church we could settle and grow in over the next few years. We didn't want to be in Virginia forever, but we new it was important to receive spiritual nourishment from a bible based church during the few years we knew we'd be here. We began attending various churches for a few weeks at a time until we stumbled upon one that Graym really loved and connected with: Redeemer Church of Arlington, a church plant of Sovereign Grace Ministries. I find it really important to point out that Graym really loved this church. As for me...well, I liked it. It was a nice church with a great community that primarily consisted of young professional in their twenties and thirties that were either getting married, just got married, or just started a family. Bingo! Couldn't sound more perfect, right? But I was hesitant and intimidated for reasons I really couldn't put a finger on. Something felt so unsettling and I couldn't understand why.

Graym quickly decided after only a few weeks that he wanted this to be our home church. As my future husband, I trusted him in this decision and knew that he would only make this choice if he truly believed it would benefit both of us and lead us to a greater understanding of our God and our faith. Graym understands his role of leader and protector and greatly strives to be that for me everyday. I knew that he wouldn't place us somewhere that would cause us any harm or distress so I willingly accepted this church as our own. All I could do now was pray. I prayed in desperation, telling God that if this is the place that he wanted us to be that he would have to change my heart. I came to Him with honesty and openness, asking for understanding and a renewal of spirits. I wanted to love this church as much as Graym, but I knew the Lord would have to perform some major renovations within my heart. I prayed this often. I prayed this sincerely. I prayed this for what seemed like many, many weeks without an answer.

On Sunday, May 6th I received my answer.  The church was having an after-service dinner for anyone who would like to attend (to clarify, church begins at 4:30pm on Sundays) and we had planned from the previous week we would go. Graym was excited to introduce me to the people he had met at his Thursday evening small group and on the Sundays that I hadn't gone, but I, on the other hand, was very anxious and not looking forward to eating dinner with people we didn't know in a church I didn't yet feel comfortable in. However, as soon as the service ended and the community made their way downstairs, the transformation began. Some wonderful couples introduced themselves to us and we spent much of the evening chatting. During dinner we sat at a table with two other pairs and hit it off, sharing part of our lives and stories with one another. I met some of the men and women who attend small group with Graym, including one of the pastors' wife, who were genuinely excited to meet the gal he spoke so much about and they quickly made me feel like a welcome part of the church community.

For the first time I wasn't in a hurry to leave. Conversation flowed easily, joy was truly felt, and connections were made. Unfortunately the did night did have to come to an end and as we got in the car, a smile spread across my face as I revealed to Graym everything I had been feeling over the past few months and the emotions that took over now. I was excited to be a part of that church and meet newlyweds that shared common interests as us. I was excited that they were excited to meet me and wanted to welcome me into this place that they cared for so much. I was especially excited for the coming week when I would be able to say hello to the couples we met and chat before service instead of sitting quietly in a pew. I began to understand what I had been struggling with and the emotions I grappled with for so long, my need to feel accepted and recognized. I was now able to put that all behind me and look forward to the life we could live here. For the first time I could see Graym and I settling down and befriend these wonderful men and women we met. I could see us raising kids with the other newlyweds and being surrounded by the love of Christ in these families. I could see us happy and comfortable in an Arlington home where we'd invite people over for barbeques and birthday parties. I could see us settling in Virginia.

Whether we will actually remain long term in Virginia has yet to be determined. We both love the sate of North Carolina and believe that the slower paced and simpler lifestyle better suits us, but it's nice to finally feel like a home could be built right where we are. I am so grateful to God for the faithfulness, love, and grace he showed me that Sunday. He changed my heart in all the right ways. I'm also so thankful for Graym and that I have a man I can trust with big decisions regardless of how I feel about them, knowing that his choices will be in our best interest. I was truly blessed this weekend and know that I will continue to be in the Sundays to come.

Virginia. It's starting to feel like home. 

A beautiful momentary marriage

I have been working on another post these past few days but wanted to put that on hold for a moment to share this video with you all. It especially hit home as an engaged woman preparing for life that is bound to be full love, triumphs, struggles, and hopes. A life that God designed not as a means to promote myself but glorify Him. As I now look to share that life with Graym, I can only pray that we will praise and honor our Lord through the actions of our marriage, that we will be so satisfied in who He is that nothing we face can shatter our joy in Him. I hope that if Graym and I ever find ourselves in a similar situation that we will be faithful to the vows we've shared and love one another through what would most certainly feel like a tragedy in the moment. But isn't it amazing how something that can feel like the end of our world can reap blessings beyond belief? That seems to hold true for Ian and Larissa, the couple I want to share with you. You can feel the love and joy they have for one another and Christ through this video and I hope you are as blessed as I was watching it.

To share just how God used this video in my own life, I wanted to give you a small glimpse in to the past couple of days. Graym and I had our usual bedtime chat on Monday but it didn't end as well as usual. We were discussing something about the wedding and simply could not get to a point we agreed on. We said our "good nights" feeling frustrated and not too pleased with the one another since he simply did not see my view point and surely he felt the same about me. We watched this video individually throughout our day, touched in our own way, and when Graym came over later that evening for a class we've been taking together we wrapped our arms around one another and apologized the first moment we could. We had witnessed a story of love; a story of cherishing the important things and realized how small and unimportant our disagreement had been. We had gotten upset over something so trivial, something that wasn't even of secondary importance let alone primary. Grace. It's something that we so desperately need and something we lack so often. I'm so glad that Graym and I could share grace with one another yesterday evening and that this video opened our hearts to see the areas in our lives where we need grace to overflow. I hope that we continue to forgive the small things, to recognize them as tiny and unimportant moments in our lives and focus on the grand, beautiful, and wonderful things that too often pass before us. I pray we can more often be like Ian and Larissa, filled with joy, gratitude, and satisfaction.

I haven't figured out how to embed videos in my blog yet, but you can click here to watch the video. May you be blessed.

Love, Sasha

T-145 days!

That's right! Just 145 days til my handsome man and I walk down the isle. That's only 4 and a half months!! We've made some huge strides this past month and with just two big things lefts to cross of the list (florist and chair/linen rentals) we will soon be cruising into the smaller details and a less stressful time of wedding planning...or so I hope!


This past weekend was particularly awesome simply because 1) I got to spend it with some of my favorite people and 2) it was filled with lots and lots of wedding stuff :) My mom, papa, Graym, and I made the hour long trip out west to Front Royal to visit with a couple florists, check out a hotel for our out-of-town guests, and eat at our potential rehearsal dinner spot. Both florists were absolutely wonderful and extremely helpful. They loved that I came in knowing exactly what I wanted for the bridesmaids and centerpieces and were able to suggest some ideas of there own. Now we just have to wait for a quote from each and pretty much go with the cheaper of the two haha We then heading over to Stephens City and not only found the hotel to be great but the management as well! The woman we met with, Veronica, was absolutely delightful and more than excited to be showing us around. Even before we saw the rooms we knew this was a great choice due to the friendly, outstanding service. The hotel turned out to be very nice as well and included deluxe continental breakfast and a pool at half the price of other hotels in the area. Hopefully our guests will like it as much as we did! We then headed over to Roma's Greek and Italian Restaurant for lunch and once again we were blown away by the kindness and generosity of the manager and wait staff, plus the food was delicious! You can check out their website here. It has a great little space for small parties that is just the right size for our rehearsal dinner and we are so excited to be back there so soon. Oh, and did I mention their cannolis and chocolate cake (served to us on the house just for coming to check them out!) were AMAZING!! Those most definitely will be served at the rehearsal :)


It feels so great to finally have those things checked off our list. After looking at the checklist on theknot.com, we are drawing close to the little details: decorations, invitations, picking the menu, and finalizing other ideas. It's really starting to feel like the wedding is just around the corner and we couldn't be happier! 


I'll be sharing more with you guys in the next few weeks. A lot has been running through my mind but with all this wedding stuff I haven't had much time to write! Plus I'll need your feedback on some ideas, so make sure you check back soon :D


Boy oh boy, we can't wait to be married!

Poll: Registries!?!?

Ok guys and gals, I've got a question for you all. Lately Graym and I have been in registry overdrive. We started last month but my gorgeous bridesmaids informed me that they'd like it done sooner rather than later since the bridal shower planning is under way and they'll need that info for the invitations. We've been quite busy putting things together but I've been left with a few questions that perhaps those of you who have been married, are getting married, or have gone to a wedding might be able to help me with...

Firstly, and the biggest question, can you have too many registries? And if so, how many registries are too many? We are currently working on registries at 2 stores and have put together a "general" registry at myregistry.com (I'll get to that in a moment). We're also putting together a honeymoon registry where guests can buy us, for example, a dinner on the water, a snorkeling trip, or horseback riding at sunset instead of the typical dinner plates, mop, or bedroom set. That brings us up to four and am tossed as to whether that is one too many. So ladies and gents, let me hear your thoughts. Do you prefer more registries where you have options instead of being limited by the items on a single or two registries, or can a limit be reached where there are just TOO many options that leave you wondering which is the best thing to buy?

Second: what are your thoughts on a "general" registry? Let me explain. Graym and I have these 2 store registries that are great and filled with various items, but one thing we just haven't been able to find at a store are dinner plates that we love. Graym and I have two different styles so finding the perfect match has been tricky. Instead, we found this site called myregistry.com where you can put items from a bunch of different places on to one registry so that as a couple you are not limited to purchasing everything from just one or two stores, just like many of us don't buy all of our household items in one place. We are using this site to put the dinnerware that we want from Pfaltzgraff so that we aren't confined by the options at the two other stores. We could also put all the registry items from the other two stores on this one place (this site can link all different store registries in one place), but weren't sure if that would be confusing. So, once again, what are you thoughts? Is a "general" registry a good idea when you have those few items you love that aren't located at the other stores? As someone buying a gift for a couple, do you find it easier when all the registry items are located on one site or does it make it confusing trying to figure out which items are from which stores?

Lastly: honeymoon registry. We think this is a great idea. I personally would love to do this for another couple and think its wonderful to be able to purchase someone a lifelong memory instead of an item (not to say that we don't need things, because we do!). What do you think? Do you like the option of being able to buy someone a honeymoon activity and would you do it? Or are traditional registries best?

Thanks everyone. You all rock :) I look forward to hearing what you all have to say!!

180 days left to go!

That's right everyone! Only 180 DAYS LEFT TO GOOOOOO. That's 180 days too many if you ask me, but, alas, I do not have a time machine and must resort to praying for patience, patience, and more patience. You should probably join me on that one because so far it isn't working hahaha :)

I apologize for my lack of blogging the past month or two. Planning was in a bit of a hiatus until last weekend when Graym and I looked through a planning checklist and discovered we were a bit overdue for a few things. Now, once again, wedding mode has kicked in I have become the planning Nazi. Poor Graym; every free moment we have I try to fill in with wedding stuff: from registries to flower and cake appointments, invitations to honeymoon reservations. You name it, we've worked on it this past week. The biggest things are the flowers, cake, chair rentals, and honeymoon reservations. I have my bouquet designed (see it here) but I still have to order the dahlias for the bridesmaids as well as the corsages for the other members of the bridal party. Thankfully Graym decided he liked the look of pocket squares more than boutonnieres so we get to save a little money that way. The cake...who knows whats going on with the cake right now haha. We have one appointment set with a lady we loved but whether she can do it is still up in the air and I have no clue what I want it to look like. As long as it's delicious and doesn't look like a 4 year-old made it, I'm a happy girl. For chairs, we would like to rent gold chiavari chairs instead of using the yucky black chairs that our venue provides us with. However, those puppies rent for an average $6/chair and since I can't find any rental facilities within 45min of our venue we'd have to pay quite the delivery/pick-up fee as well. We'll see what happens with those guys... Lastly, but never least, the honeymoon. We have our room booked but flights are still in the air. Tickets are going to cost around $1100 for the two of us but we're hoping to score something a little cheaper. We've begun scoping out some fun things to do on our trip, like horseback riding, jet skiing, and snorkeling, so that we can come up with a budget and decide what we'd like to put on our honeymoon registry (that's right folks! Instead of buying us a vacuum cleaner or bed spread, you can buy us dinner on the beach or scuba lessons. How fun is that!?). Soon we'll have to start making those reservations and really begin planning out our trip.

Wow, that was a lot...and it's only the beginning. Registries have been asked to be completed sooner rather than later now that my girls are getting the bridal shower under way and I have learned that Graym is not quite as decorative a person as I am. He finds my need for extra pillows, wall hangings, pretty vases, and napkin rings quite silly and feels our registry should be filled with necessities and not luxuries (ok, I'll admit we have no use for napkin rings and I put them on there just to drive Graym crazy, but we only have about 120 things on our registry right now which is less than the number of people we're inviting. I think my decorations are perfectly legitimate (if anything they bring the registry count up) and who wants a boring house anyways??)

Now that planning is well under way I'll be blogging more often to keep you all informed :) I'll definitely be needing a few opinions here and there too so make sure to keep on reading!!

Say YES to the dress: Bridesmaid edition

Last weekend all of my beautiful bridesmaids were here in VA to do some shopping for their wedding attire. A group of 6 girls dress shopping was guaranteed to be a good time, and it was! We had a blast trying on different styles and it was wonderful seeing my cousins getting along so well with my friends from Maine. They enjoyed traveling in the car together while I drove separately with my mama, and ,amazingly, in the span of that day they managed to piece together the bridal shower AND bachelorette party. Oh the things ladies can do when you put us together :) I am so blessed to have those 5 girls in my life and I couldn't imagine anyone better suited to fit their role of bridesmaids.

At the end of the day we had limited the dresses to two favorites, and afters some thoughtful deliberation on my part have decided on a gown that made each and every girl glow. As you can see to the right, the dress is accented with the ruffled halter which was SO flattering on the girls. I'm telling you, they looked stunning in it! Joanna, my maid of honor, will be in the floor length version of the dress while my other four bridesmaids will be in tea-length. I'm pretty sure the purple dress on the right is the "Grape" color that will be ordered. It's a bit different than the original purple I had in mind, but I'm a flexible bride who cares more about how the girls feel in the dress than the color of it :) They all loved this dress, and so do I. I can't wait to see them all in it in just under 6 months!

To see just who these lovely bridesmaids are, check out my previous post here :)

2 days!!!

Til I get married!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?! 

Ha. Noooooo :(

BUT IT'S SOMETHING JUST AS GOOD!!!! :D :D :D

All of my beautiful, lovely, stunning bridesmaids from out of state and right here in VA will all be in the SAME PLACE so we can go bridesmaid dress shopping! WWHHOOOOO. I'm not quite sure what I am more excited about: having all my girls here or having all my girls to go shopping with :) I haven't actually introduced my side of the bridal party yet, so here goes:

Joanna aka Cheeks (on right): Maid of Honor, best friend of the bride

Lorraine (left) and Nicole (right): Bridesmaids, cousins of the bride

Christina (left) and Maria (right): Bridesmaids, friends from Maine :)

Aren't they the prettiest gals you have ever seen!?!?!? I think so and I am very, very blessed to have them by my side in love, friendship, and support throughout this engagement. It is going to be a blast having them all here this weekend and I have a feeling there will be lots and lots of ice cream involved :)

ps: My best male friend, Monthe, is also a part of the wedding party. Graym and I decided we wanted to do something a little more ceremonial with the rings so Monthe will be presenting them to us at the altar along with the bible which we will use for readings/say our vows over during the ceremony. It's going to be so beautiful! I can't wait! You can check out his photo below :)

Less than 7 months to go!!

Yesterday, Wednesday, February 8, 2012 marked 7 MONTHS until Graym and I say "I do"!!!!! However, I like today ALOT more because now I get to say that there are LESS than 7 months to go :D

This past month has been an exciting one indeed and the pressure to get everything ready in time is starting to build. We visited hotels to booked rooms for our guests, ordered our wedding bands (mine came in already!), and my wedding dress is currently waiting for me at the bridal boutique. I'll be going with my mom to try it on tomorrow (insert an uber giddy gal who can't sit still in her seat and is squealing with delight here). 

We've also began working on our registries and woah is that tough and surprisingly exhausting! Since Graym and I will not be living together until we're marriage, that also means we won't have an apartment to call our own until then. Without a clue to the size, colors, or design of our apartment, it's tough to determine just how much stuff we can fit in there. Currently we have gone to various store and clicked pretty much everything that we think we'll need, resulting in about 3 different dinnerware sets, 2 bathroom sets, multiple pots and pans, and other random items here and there because I was really excited to use the scanner :) We browsed through the store, stopping at every aisle to look at and ask one another:
"So, do you think we need these?"
"I dunno. Let's just put it on there just in case. We can always take if off later"
"Yeah, true."
"How many do you think we need?"
"I dunno."
"Two? Three?"
"I dunno."
"Well I'm putting three."

So there is currently two or three of everything right now haha. We now have to go through our lists, decide what we want to keep and take off, which ones we like best, and figure out what we still need to add. There is so much thinking involved and both Graym and I have gone home drained after doing the registries. It'll be so nice when it's no longer just a picture on a computer screen but an item to put in our very own apartment :)

With 7 months left to go, there is still so much to be done. My beautiful bridesmaids from up north will be heading this way in a few weeks to join my gorgeous bridesmaids from VA so we can pick out the dress that they will be wearing. I'm still working on my bouquet and florist appointments need to be made for the other flowers. The rehearsal dinner planning is underway, and some of the littler decorative details are falling in to place. Things are really starting to come together, and every day that goes by just brings more and more excitement and anticipation.

I can't wait to be his bride!!

My first wedding nightmare!

Yes, I'll admit it. Last night I had my first real wedding nightmare. I've had dreams before where things might go a little bit awkward during the wedding  or Graym and I couldn't find some "alone time" post-reception, but those I found much more humorous than frightful. Last night, however, left me completely freaked out!

The wedding dress is a huge part of the girls wedding day. When I found my dress, I fell in love and have been so excited to put it back on ever since that day in October. One thing I did do though was order my dress in a different color than I tried on. The dress in the boutique was an off-white/ivory when I wanted the traditional white wedding dress. I'm still a little bit worried that the dress may look different, as does happen sometimes when you try dresses on in different colors, and apparently this has subconsciously left me majorly tweaked out.

In my dream I was heading to the boutique to try on my dress since they had just received the dress in store and I was eager to try it out, see how it fits, and make any alterations if needed. My mom, and for some reason Graym, came along. When I tried on the dress, I almost died. It wasn't my dress! It was a weird variation of my dress that had some crazy brown and tan design on the front and was only as long as about mid-calf. Though I insisted this wasn't the dress I ordered, the woman and man who worked at the boutique claimed that it was, and even my mom said that it didn't look that different. I made them check the paperwork, and lo and behold they had never written down the particular details for my dress and so they just kinda guessed as to what I wanted. I demanded that they order me another dress free of charge, and as I waited for her to call the bridal company in China (because apparently in my mind that's where they make wedding dresses haha) I was left pacing in the boutique. I was fuming! And THEN the woman comes back all cool saying, OK, no problem, we'll have your dress here and ready by November. So I flip out, saying that my wedding is in September and that she needs to figure something out since they made the mistake and I need my dress. Graym this whole time is just sitting in a corner with his eyes closed since he doesn't want to see the dress, which is also driving me crazy because I wanted his support. 

Then I woke up. I'm not sure it that's a good thing because I wanted to know if I ever got my dress on time, but perhaps it also saved me from continuing such a bad dream. I should be getting my dress in (my real dress) sometime this month or next so I have been quite anxious lately.  That topped with a late night that didn't end too great is probably what triggered this catastrophe, but hopefully this doesn't evolve from a dream into real life!

So there you have it. My first, and definitely not my last, wedding nightmare. Just 7 more months til I can kiss those all good-bye :)

Flowers and flowers and flowers, oh my!

Of all the wedding planning, figuring out what flowers to use for the bouquets has been driving me crazy! As a frugal perfectionist with an artistic, crafty edge, picking out the perfect flowers has been quiet a challenge. I want a country, rustic bouquet with southern flare but is more put together than your typical wildflower bouquet. I want my girls bouquets to stand out from mine while containing the same aspects, and the mens boutonnieres need to match as well. I've seen gorgeous flowers on Pintrest and online, but the colors are never what I'm looking for so to try and match it with deep purple has been difficult. And let's not get started with the price! One woman quoted me over $600 for the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres and not including the centerpieces. I'm likely to spend over 1k on flowers alone at this rate.

So lucky me that I stumbled upon this beautiful picture on Pintrest:

I'M IN LOVE!!

A single jumbo dahlia, wrapped in burlap/twine and lace.  

Simple. Sweet. Rustic.

Perfect.

The past two days I have been quite obsessed with finding silk versions of these but without luck. I did, however, find a wonderful vendor who overnight ships fresh cut dahlias. Sweet! I'm still hunting for a local garden or florist that may have these but right now I'm just happy I figured this out!

My bouquet will have similar touches as I stated earlier and will be made of silk flowers so I can keep it forever. A round bouquet with medium and mini dahlias in ivory and plum purple, with touches of baby's breath, mauve garden roses, and tan berries or pods. At least that's what I have in mind so far. That is very likely to change in the next couple months but I'm still thrilled at the possibilities!

Thankfully, another item checked off the list! I'll be spending much of today calling hotels and restaurants in order to book rooms for my guests and a place for the rehearsal dinner. Yay! Things are coming together wonderfully :)

Let me know what you think about the flowers! I hope you love them as much as I do (and if you don't, too bad :P)

Wedding updates!

With 4 months down and less than 8 to go, I am in full wedding mode! We've accomplished a lot so far, and yet it seems like there is so much left to do! So here is a quick recap of whats been done, what we're working on now, and what the next 8 months will be filled with:

* Pick a venue...DONE

* Hire a photographer...DONE!

* Hire a DJ...DONE!

* Buy my dress/veil...DONE!! (and it's sooo gorgeous!!!!!!!)

* Select our lovely bridal party...DONE! (and I don't think I've introduced them yet, aahhhh! that 

  will be done soon, promise!)

* Save the Dates...DONE!

* Buy mason jars...DONE! (and lots of em too!)

So all that fun stuff has been taken care of it, and almost all of it has been paid in full! (Once my dress gets in, then the other half will be paid and we'll have no outstanding wedding bills, woot woot!) As of right now, this is what Graym and I are trying to check off the list in the next month or two:

* Flowers for the bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and centerpieces. As of right now, I'm 

  looking at silk flower bouquets...they are cheaper and last forever :) I'm currently talking to one 

  woman who makes GORGEOUS silk flower bouquets, so we'll see what happens!

* Finding our cake lady. We went to an open house a couple months ago and LOVED this 

  woman's cake, but she is a little pricier than other vendors so we're gonna do some more 

  tastings before we pick (and honestly, do doesn't love to eat various samples of delicious 

  cake!)

* Bridesmaid dresses! My girls will be coming down the first weekend of March to try on some 

   lovely dresses. Until then, I gotta pick out the ones I like and set up appointments to try then on.

* Wedding reggiisstttrrryyy wwhhhhoooooo!! Picking out stuff for our new apartment is gonna be 

   a blast!

* Gotta book our honeymoon flight to Turks & Caicos!

Phew! So we sure do have a lot to get to over the course of the next couple months, but I know it's gonna be tons of work planning with my husband-to-be. Graym has been such a help and blessing throughout the wedding planning so far, and I know that will continue to hold true as the months pass. Even after these next two month, there is still a lot to be done...decorations, food selection, invitation design, etc...but I know we'll love every step of the way. 

240 days!!!

Time to walk on the water

One of the most wonderful things about being the lover of Grayms heart is the opportunity to rejoice with him through our triumphs and encourage and sustain one another through our trials. It is such a blessing to know that no matter what high or low we are experiencing or enduring, we stand by one another to encourage, support, and love. I don't think many people can say that they enjoy going through the tough times with their loved one, but I was truly blessed by what has enfolded over the weekend.

This past Friday, Graym was let go from his job at Booz Allen Hamilton. After just 5 months of employment, the company simply did not have enough work for all of their employees. Despite Grayms excellent performance and popularity among his coworkers and leads, as one of the newest contractors he was terminated simply due to lack of seniority. It was quite a shock for Graym, who had spent 3 months searching for a job and never expected that at such a young stage in his career he would feel the effects of the current economic and workforce struggles. I knew he was upset about the loss of work and having to start from the beginning, as well as concerned about maintaining himself and our relationship without an income, and after many months of learning how Graym reacts to tough situations, I had mentally prepared myself for when I would be seeing him later that evening.

If you could only have seen my face when I walked through that door to a bounding, joyful, and exuberant man with a huge smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around me and squeaked, "Hi baby!" I was shocked and honestly didn't know how to respond! Who is this man in front of me? What happen to who I expected to be a very grumpy Graym? I couldn't help but laugh as I asked, "What happened to you? You're so...happy!" As Graym proceeded to share the events of his day and the change in his demeanor, I was left with such a joy in my heart. God had placed such a comfort and peace over Graym that allowed him, despite the disappointment and hurt in losing his job, to see that God has complete control over this situation and wasn't about to leave him during this trial. I was so blessed by his bold faith, and was also granted another opportunity to learn Graym as he told me, "I appreciate it when you tell me that everything is going to be ok and that I need to trust God, but sometimes I need to figure it out for myself". Wow! What a heart-revealing, honest statement that reminded me once again why I love this man so much. With that in mind, I was able to look at the day in a whole new light, and was even more in awe of how he sought God in sadness and confusion, and was received into the arms of a loving, faithful, and providing God that transformed his heart and helped him to see that He would always be by his side.
 
As I reflected on the weeks end, I was left with a fond reminder of Peter as he boldly stepped out onto the waters to draw close to his Savior (Matthew14:22-33). Jesus calls out to his disciples, "Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid" and beckons Peter "Come". He steps out faithfully, but as the wind blew and the waves crashed he was struck with fear and began to sink. Jesus "immediately reach out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" In this time, how will Graym and I react? Will we step out with faith, or stumble in doubt when the rocky waters hit? It was beautiful to see the trust and faith with which Graym stepped out on Friday, and I pray that holds strong as we have just begun down the job-seeking journey once again. I also know that there will be many rocky moments that we will face throughout the course of our marriage, moments that will test our faith and may cause us to sink into the dark waters, but God is unchanging and just as He reached His hand out to Peter He will also reach out to us. How can we not be comforted knowing that our marriage is in the cup of Gods hands, constantly protected and loved?

Such a wonderful, unexpected way to end a week, huh? :) God is so good. 

And, on a more amusing note, I also told Graym that from now on if he's had a bad day I'm just gonna disappear for a few hours to let him "figure it out" so that I come home to a happy man instead ;) Just kidding!