Currently Reading The Silver Chair By C. S. Lewis see related

Archie Van Horn

 It seems like I only post on this when I have something semi-interesting to report....and for this post, Nick and I got a dog!  He's an adorable 1-year old black lab/golden retriever mix.  We got him from a Labrador Rescue here in Cincinnati and named him Archie... poor guy was left in a barn for the first six months of his life!  So he's a bit shy, but so sweet!  We signed up for dog training which starts in a couple weeks.  I'm pretty excited about that....
Anyway, life is the usual.  Still working weird hours at the church.  Still trying to figure out what to do with my life.  Still loving marriage!  More updates later...ok, probably in like a month.

Currently Reading An Echo in the Darkness (Mark of the Lion #2) By Francine Rivers see related

Newlyweds: Nick & Jen

Woohoo I'm married!  The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind.  Everyone said that you hardly remember your wedding day, and unfortunately that seems to be proving itself true.  On the honeymoon Nick and I shared things that we remembered, which was great, because I hadn't noticed half the things he did!  Overall things went pretty smoothly.  Mark Schuitema (our officiant) kept reminding us "As long as you're married at the end of the day, it's fine!"  We got a lot of compliments on our ceremony- mostly to the credit of Mark's direction, and all the other talented people who participated in the wedding!  Thanks you guys!  The reception was a little hectic, mostly because the DJ wasn't really directing people, but he did an awesome job with the music.  And aside from the cake girl putting the topper on upside-down, and other such minor details, it was all good! 

And, our wedding pictures came online soo quickly, which I was immensely excited about!  If you want to check them out, go to www.collages.net  The User ID is 090206Ci  and the password is 9124.  I think they turned out really well- I can't wait to put together our album! 

Anyway, the honeymoon was pretty awesome.  An old friend of Karen (Nick's mom) let us use his condo in Boca Raton, Florida for the week.  Even though it rained a lot (darn Hurricane Ernesto!) we had so much fun!  Nick's brother and his girlfriend gave us tickets to ride on a glass-bottom boat and go snorkeling, which was so cool!  We were a little nervous at first (having just read about poor Steve Irwin!) but fortunately there were no sting-rays in sight!  So, now we're both back at work, doing the usual 9-5 thing.  I'm excited to see how God is going to use us as a married couple.  Right now we're going through a series at The Vineyard titled "The Call: Answering God's Purpose for Your Life"  It's pretty sweet- there is a book and DVD to go along with it, so we're doing that with our small group.  There are over 300 groups throughout Cincinnati going through it as well!  Nick and I are praying that God reveals His direction for us.  Though our jobs are ok, and we know they're God's provision for us right now, neither of us feels incredibly satisfied.  Just the first two weeks of the series have made us begin dreaming again, and hoping for what comes in the future!  

If you're reading this, please pray for God's direction, and purpose in our lives.  We can't wait to see how He answers! 

Oh, and on another note, we're addicted to 24.  You should watch it.  But I must caution you, it can be addictive. 

Currently Reading Heaven By Randy C. Alcorn see related

The Countdown Begins...

Wow... I am really not good at this whole blogging thing.  But I decided as I am on the "eve" (ok not quite) of getting married, I figured I should update a little...
This summer has really flown by!  I've been working at the Vineyard for almost three months, which has been ok.  Not super-challenging, which actually has been great, since I am able to multi-task wedding planning along with Excel spreadsheets :)  The past couple weeks wedding planning has been reallllly stressful.  I was trying to update my mom and Karen with all the details, so I'm not bombarded by vendors on the day of the wedding, but there are so many!  People keep telling me, "something WILL go wrong, so just don't worry about it" but the slightly obsessive part of me thinks, "No!  This is my ONE day!  Everything must be perfect!" Then I stop and realize how unrealistic that is.  Nick and I have been praying about it a lot, and I know that when God shows up, little details that aren't perfect won't even matter. 
Today I go to pick up my dress from the alterations lady.  That's been kind of a nightmare.  Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's not been fun.  I keep freaking out that it won't be adjusted right and it'll just fall off!  So I asked my mom to come down from Columbus today to go with me, in case there's some catastrophe.  I don't think I really come across as a very authoritative person, so hopefully my mom's authoritativeness will rub off.... :)  and, more importantly, that my dress won't fall off!
Anyway, the important things is that I'm getting married in 8 DAYS!!!!  Nick and I are so excited!  We're heading to Boca Raton, Florida to spend a wonderful week relaxing on the beach!  Ahhh vacation! 

I can't wait to start our life together!

Currently Listening Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia By Various Artists Turkish Delight! see related

This entry is in honor of Sarah, who faithfully checks my xanga site often to see if I've posted.  Clearly it has been awhile.  It's one of those things like journaling-- if I don't do it often, things just seem to pile up and then I just have to skip a bunch and start over, otherwise I'm overwhelmed!  So here goes...

Spring Break was fantastic.  I was surprised at how much the Lord showed up on our trip, and how fun Macedonia was, despite the dreary weather!  Some sweet things about MK: Salep ~ Cappucinos "so schlog" ~ cats in dumpsters ~ cars parked on sidewalks ~ people singing praise songs in Macedonian ~ the STINT team ~ the national staff ~ the openness of students ~ Old City ~ gypsy kids (ok not really) ~ the language ~ the culture

Overall, it was awesome.  A lot smaller than the group I went with to Liverpool last year, but it was fun to get to know people more, and room with Katie and Liz.  It made me more excited to share the Gospel as well, which was exciting.  It's nice to get out of the routine for a bit.  I think everyone on the trip was impacted in some way, which is amazing.  It was only a week, and yet it was such an incredible experience!  Part of me is a little jealous of the Rome trip (definitely some better photo ops there!) but honestly, how often am I going to head off to Skopje, MK?  Yeah, probably not my first choice for honeymoon destinations.  Not that I'm thinking about that...  

Which leads me to the fact that I seem to be bombarded with wedding stuff.  As of right now, I am in two weddings, and attending at least half a dozen.  This does not include the weddings Nick is in, or the ones he is invited to!  I have three showers in the next month and a half, and I feel like I'm going crazy!  I'm definitely content with where I'm at, but at the same time, I am like, when's my turn?!?  Ok, ok, I hear you- be patient Jen.  However, just so you know, I am a recovering surprise-ruiner addict.  If you're wondering what that is, I'm the kid who stealthily snuck into my parents closet and unwrapped presents before Christmas...and never got caught!  Although this is one surprise I'm determined not to ruin.  And so my plight as of now is to keep myself focused on the Lord and not think about engagement, rings, what color my bridesmaid dresses should be... stop!  ok I'm good now. 

I have now wasted approximately fifteen minutes of my life, since I don't think anyone will actually read this... but for those of you who are xanga/facebook/myspace addicts, this will give you a small glimpse of the thoughts of Jen!