A Letter to That Broken Girl

Dear Broken Girl,

You have had your heart broken into what feels like a million pieces, and now you feel really quite broken yourself. I'm here to tell you that it does in fact get better. So much better.

I know you thought that your life was on track. There were promises made, and a plan in place, but you knew it didn't feel quite right. You allowed yourself to ignore that nagging feeling because you so desperately wanted the end goal. To be married. To have kids. To be a wife and a mother and the identity that goes along with that. Certainly beats the identity you have now. Stuck in limbo. Not in school, not really having a "career"

Hillbillies vs. Hippies

I have been to Big Valley Jamboree the past 8 years in a row, and many are finding it quite odd that on this year which marks the festival's 20th Anniversary I am choosing not to attend.

Me, Gloria, Nicole & Charlene

Well there are a number of reasons- some financial, some personal. Either way Chris and I decided to instead take in the Calgary Folk Fest which was this past weekend.

And I fell in love.

I'd like to attempt to compare the two festivals, not by music genre (the obvious difference) but instead by overall experience and a few sub-categories. Please keep in mind that this comparison is based solely on my own experience at both- I am fully aware that there are people that experienced BVJ in a completely different way than I did. I am not summarizing the Jamboree as a whole- just as I saw it.

Confessions of a Newlywed: Our First (Non)Date

I realize a lot of this series has been me attempting to be honest about my experiences in our first year of marriage with the hopes that some of what we have learned in our short time thus far may resonate with others. While I have a lot more to say, I think perhaps I'll save it for my "One Day" book (and be thankful this series has all my juices flowing in that respect)

So that being said, this will be the last post in this series, because I've been itching to write about more than just marriage! I thought it might be fun to end on a lighter note and tell you all a few bits and pieces from our love story. When we got engaged we decided to make a Wedding Website to have a place where people could connect with us and refer back to if they needed details like where we were registered etc. This website also had a bunch of mushy stories- Chris and I both wrote our version of our first date on this website, and I thought I'd share that with you today.

Confessions of a Newlywed: Deserted Islands and Sanctification

Chris and I have been watching Lost on Netflix recently. The other night one of us made a comment about how living on a deserted island has a way of flushing out all your flaws.

Well, if that's the case, then I think marriage is like living on a deserted island

Can I get an Amen??

I'm sure I've said this before, but I feel like marriage is like having someone hold up a mirror to you, revealing all your flaws and imperfections. Some days it feels like one of those fun house mirrors where everything looks distorted and crazy, and some days the lighting is just a little more flattering.

Confessions of a Newlywed: Avoid Always and Never

I'm not sure if our generation ever cooks with a pressure cooker. I don't even own one, and I don't know anyone who does. I have memories of my Mom cooking with one though, and remember the warnings we were given as children. We were NOT to touch the cooker. Even though the jiggling top was so tempting. If you mess with a pressure cooker it can quite literally explode all over your kitchen.

I think you see where I'm going with this, no?

Confessions of a Newlywed: Pick Your Battles

I have this friend, and she is somewhat perfect for me. We completely get each other. We're crazy similar in our likes/dislikes and more importantly our views on life, which prevents us from having those moments when you're sitting there thinking "What the heck are you saying?" when your friend is talking and all sorts of crazy is coming out of her mouth.

Come on people, it's honesty time. You know you've been there.

Ok. there was that one time that she talked about putting someone in a potato sack and beating the living daylights out of them. That was a bit nuts. I was pretty sure she was kidding though. Pretty sure.

Confessions of a Newlywed: To Champion One Another's Needs

If you haven't noticed already, Chris and I are very intentional about our marriage. What I mean by that is that we recognize that the odds are against us in this world in many ways. Marriage is not something we take lightly - it needs to be nurtured, protected, and taken care of. Quite simply put, the Beatles were lying to us all when they sang All You Need is Love. It's like a car. You can buy a brand new car and think everything is great, but if you don't wash it regularly, it may rust; and without regular oil changes, your engine (albeit, taking some time) will eventually seize.

So we read books. We attend bible studies focused on marriage. We read countless articles. We pray about it; separately and together. We talk about it often; both between just the two of us, and with others. We both believe in having mentors in our lives. Someone who has already been through your current stage of life, and for us, someone who is further on their walk with God. This too, has been instrumental in our first year together.