Big boys and their toys

It has begun. Already.

Now, for those of you who know Mike, you already know what kinds of "big boy toys" he likes. For those of you who don't, let me clue you in.

Mike has done some amazing things in his life. He has seen and done things that most of us will never experience, both good and bad. Mike has done some EMT work, and was a firefighter for a while before joining the Marines. He was in Iraq for a few months, and although he was not on the front lines, has seen what war can be. He has witnessed many people in very bad situations. His brain works like a triage unit, classifying things that are important enough to be called "head trauma", and unimportant things that could be called "sprained ankle". He talks, understandably, about the "head trauma" things, and dismisses almost everything else. Not that those things are not important, but kinda.

Anyway, all that to say, Mike likes guns. That would be an understatement. One of my favorite things about Mike is that when he likes something, he reads up on it. And I mean EVERYTHING. Anything he can get his hands on. When he wanted to learn about successful marriages, he bought books. When he is interested in a political topic, he reads several news sources. When he is researching a product, he looks for magazines, checks forums, and, as he has been doing for the last hour, talks to the building manager about the shared interest. So when I say Mike likes guns, this isn't a "I'm cool because I have one and I'll whip it out and wave it around because I'm so cool" kind of thing. He takes it VERY seriously.

Mike is pro-Second Amendment, and exercises that right frequently. He is a member of the NRA, and recently became a licensed instructor under them. He is a member of the gun club here in town, and competes monthly in the International Defensive Pistol Association. He isn't a fanatic, but has the opinion of that song "Way Out Here":

Our homes are protected/By the good Lord and a gun/And you might meet 'em both if you come around here not welcome son

Having a firearm in the house doesn't negate his faith in God's protection over us. He just views it as doing his part in that protection. He is intensely protective- it doesn't really matter who you are. He hates injustice, and the intentional theft of innocence. He is a wonderful man. Have I mentioned that?

Except that wasn't what I was talking about. Motorcycles. That's my big boy's new favorite toy. It has been an interest for a while, and he was seriously considering it right before we met. Then he got a little distracted- I don't know why ;)- and faded into the background for a while. Soon after we started dating, I mentioned how I love motorcycles, my one "wild child" thing, I think I called it. He stared at me and nearly drove off the road. "Really?! Most women hate them!" Not this woman. I LOVE them. Every spring, the riders come out, and I just long to be on the back of one, the wind blowing in my hair- or against my helmet, I guess- our shiny bike beneath us, the wide open road before us, and the wild blue yonder above us. I would LOVE to have a bike. I'd look good in leather.

He's signed up for the class this next month, he has a quote from the bank, and we've been at the dealership twice in the last 24 hours. The intevitable (YAY!) seems to be quickly approaching. And why not? We aren't going to be on this earth forever. We might as well enjoy the proverbial ride!

That being said, it's been over an hour. Whether the super is holding him captive or the other way around, somebody needs saving. Or at least reminding that dinner is getting cold. Love you!

Houston- we have pictures!

These are just a few of my favo- well, let's be honest... They're all my favorites! But here's a few in black and white. My dress...


A stolen kiss on the balcony.


The girls all wore sparkly shoes- mine are the black ones with the big flower. I love the uniqueness of their tastes!


This was Mike's idea: the elevator. Not one of us knew that the elevators in the Double Tree are mirrored with gold accents! It was fabulous!


My grandmother made our ring bearer's pillow. What a treasure!


This one was snapped right after we put the veil on. You have no idea how good it is to see me smiling in these!


This is right after the ceremony. I love this man! I'll put some more up as time goes on. Thanks for checking in!

These are copyrighted Kristen Bleger, Sunflower Eyes Photography 2010. Any one who uses them will be drug out in the street and shot, then fifty lashes, and then, you walk the plank.

Any one who admires her work should get over to her website: sunflowereyesphotography.com, or check out her blog at dubaya.blogspot.com.

Thank you again, Kristin, for sharing your amazing gift with us!

Learning Boundaries, Loving People

I can't believe it's been a month already. What a month it has been. We have had quite a lot go on the past few weeks. Mike's work really picks up in the spring and summer when the weather is good enough to actually get projects done. My work just went through a major management change which was sudden and unexpected. My dad graduated from college, which was majorly exciting, and is now being pursued by a company, which could mean a move for my parents. My sister Danielle graduates this weekend from high school, and will be working all summer in order to head off to college in the fall. My sister Rachel is currently at a wedding in California, and just got offered a nanny position with a relative, and will be in Idaho all summer. Not to mention having close friends going through some very big things in their lives, some good, some ok, and some... very bad.
I am a person who takes everything on me. If you stub your toe, have a bad day, get a bad haircut, lose your job, lose a loved one, break a relationship- and you tell me, I take it on. I take it on like I am the one going through it- not empathizing, but actually making it my own and grieving with you. This makes me a very loyal friend, and a very exhausted one as well. I have been learning this about myself for a while, and figuring out that it isn't the healthiest habit to have. If I assume the problem like a cloak around me, I become weighed down, very quickly. This is me loving out of myself, not out of the One who is Love. What is the difference? Our love, the love we manufacture and give out of ourselves, is imperfect and incomplete. Our love is a sprinter, great in short bursts, but not made to withstand the test and trial of time. Our love is essentially selfish, and born out of selfish desires and imperfect.
His love, however, is perfect. It molds us, shapes us, comforts us and never lets us down. His perfect love casts out fear and has defeated death. His love is the perfect marathoner, able to withstand, and never withholds. I don't know if you have ever felt this love, dear friend, if you have ever recognized it for what it is. But it has been there with you just the same. Holding your hand, holding you tight, calling to your soul. Listen for it, loved one, because it most certainly is there, and it hasn't given up on you.

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high about the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

So no wonder I have a hard time loving people. That is not the kind of love I have. But it is the kind of love He has. Which is a wonderful, wonderful thing.