Settling In

We are in the process of getting settled in. The wedding is done- it was wonderful. God gave us a beautiful day- sunshine and warm weather, which was nice considering the reception was under a tent outside. The ceremony went without a problem. Things went smoothly. We only had 2 hiccups- which everyone has- we were taking pictures in the park- and a ranger stopped us, it was a national park and you have to get a special license to do that. Thankfully Russ and I went over to the park before the wedding party joined us, so we got a ton of pictures of just the two of us at the park and just a couple with the wedding party. I can't wait to see all of our pictures.
The second hiccup was that our friend Paul who was going to videotape our ceremony got stuck at the camp where the men's retreat was held the night before (another story to tell). While we missed him and are sad he wasn't able to join us we were very thankful that my cousin Nick was able to step in a tape it for us.
All in all it was a great day and at the end of it I was Mrs. Pierpont. There are some specifics I do not remember about that day, but the things I do I love and will always cherish this day.
We went to North Conway, New Hampshire for our honeymoon. I had never been there before and we had a good time. We saw lots of moose crossing signs- they made me laugh. I however did not see a live moose, that would have been even better!
We went up on Mount Washington. We took the cog railway up the mountain, it took about 30 minutes to go up 3 1/2 miles. It was a beautiful day up there- not too cloudy and not too cold- it was about 35-40 degrees while we were up there and we could see really far. The pictures are awesome- I will have to try to post some.
After New Hampshire we went to Maine for about 5 days to see Russ's extended family. I met some of them that were not able to come to Ohio for the wedding. Maine was also a first for me. We had lobster one night- I wasn't a huge fan of having a cooked lobster in front of me that needed to be dismantled to be eaten. Lobster at a restaurant already dismantled is good- its the dismantling that I couldn't handle. So needless to say I had something else to eat that night.
After Maine we headed west to go pick up our dog, spend time with Russ's parents and see some friends before heading to Iowa.
We stopped in Ohio and spent time with our good friends Steve, Amy, Hayley and Abby. This was lots of fun, but it ended way too soon. I am looking forward to November when we go to see them again. It was so difficult to say good-bye on Saturday, I cried on our way to Michigan.
Russ's parents and Attawolf (our dog) were very excited to see us. It was good to see them too. We spent a couple of days with them before heading out to Iowa. We went to a huge Christmas store called Bronner's- they give you a map to find your way around. It was a bit overwhelming! For the past many years every Christmas I buy a penguin for Ruben, a nutcracker for Dad and a Santa for Mom. It has always been about finding an interesting, unique, different one for them. There were lots of Santas that fit that description and I could not handle it. There were a few tears and I decided that I was just going to skip Christmas this year- it will be hard.
We packed up the car one more time, this time with a dog for a 9 hour trip. Attawolf is not a bad traveler, but he doesn't like sitting in the back seat, so he stood in the middle the first half of the trip and on my lap the second half.
As we were getting closer it was weird thinking that we were coming here to stay, not just a vacation. It has been sooooo very long since I have lived here that it seems weird that we are here to stay. But we are beginning to get settled in, unpacked the suitcase and put clothes away- which was so nice, after a while one gets tired of living out of a suitcase. Attawolf has settled in too, and realizes this is home. He loves Dad and Ruben and enjoys playing with them, begging for food and even sleeping with them.
Now we are looking for jobs- resumes have been updated and being sent out, please pray with us that God provides us with good jobs quickly.
We are excited to see what God has for us here in Iowa and we know we are where He wants us to be. As spoonfuls of grace are being scooped out I will share how we are seeing God work in our lives.

Small Break

I am taking a brief break from my blog for a couple of reasons. 1. It's just a couple of days until I become Mrs. Joyce Pierpont 2. I will be enjoying my honeymoon.
So therefore, I shall return to blogging after the honeymoon.

Last Times vs. Firsts

The wedding plans are coming along, not too much left to do (or at least I want to think that) before the big day- 15 days from now. So much has been done in the last 2 weeks and lot to finish up this weekend.
I had another last night, I met one last time for dinner with Elaine. Elaine and I used to teach together back at Cedar Hill and would eat lunch together every day. After I was not teaching any more we would get together every couple of months for dinner at Applebees to get all caught up. I realized tonight that it was the last time for this to happen- it would be a long trip for dinner from Iowa. I had a moment of sadness at it being the last time. I then realized that while I have been having a few last times, there are a lot more first times things coming up that are very exciting. So I have decided to try not to be too nostalgic about these things and enjoy each moment that God brings me.

Not a Part of the Plan

Last night threw a kink in my plans. I am a planner my nature, sometimes it is a positive and others a negative, but it is what I am. I am a planner. Last night Russ and I went to get some dinner, did a little bit a shopping and then headed over to meet our baker to taste the cake and get that part of the reception all settled. I was excited all day about going to taste cake. As I was getting out of the car I caught the tip of my pointer finger of my left hand in the door, it shut on it. OH MY WORD did it hurt. I cried and had a bit of a melt down in Phill's (cake lady) drive way. She came out of the house to make sure we knew we were at the right place. So I wiped the tears off and we went in the house. Russ asked if we could have some ice to put on my finger. So as we sat there tasting cake- which was incredibly yummy and figuring out all the details I had my finger on ice. It hurt a lot and I could feel the pain going down into my arm and the tip of the middle finger was numb as well. We decided to go ahead and get it checked out at urgent care. Phill let us know there was one down the street. So away we went, we ended up at the ER instead but we got in right away. After getting X-Rays done I learned something new. We have spongy bones in the tips of our fingers and I broke mine. So now I have my finger in a splint, on pain pills and took the day off. This all makes the plans a little interesting, I am not going to be able to do everything myself now and going to need help from others- actually just accepting the help already offered. God has a sense of humor and helped me slow down and enjoy the last 24 days before the wedding.
Tonight is exciting as I have another shower. I am sure others will have fun too, I mean what could be more entertaining but a bride on narcotics with a broken finger trying to open presents. I am still excited anyway and going to enjoy tonight.

Remembering Who's Daughter I Am

So the last couple of days have not been so good. Lots of stress from work, planning a wedding and a move, a lack of sleep and then add the the greiving process to the mix. It hasn't been a very good past few days. ( point in fact I smiled at one of the guys at work today and he asked what was up, I said I was just smiling at him is that okay, he commented back that yes it was fine I just haven't smiled in a about a week.)
Things are starting to get better, while the stress and the greiving aren't necessarily gone they are being looked at through different eyes. I have been reading in the Psalms lately and it has been a huge encouragement to me to read about all the things God was taking David through and how He was using them to glorify Himself and to grow David. I know that the many things that I am walking through our lessons that can grow and shape me.
I have also had heaping of grace poured out to me recently, not just spoonfuls. Because of that, encouraging words and wise counsel my perspective has begun to change.
I am the type of person who when I have a job to do I want to do it all myself (typically) and do it to the best of my ability or even better. I have been told that some times I am too hard on myself- I am beginning to see that and trying to change. My parents always encouraged me to do my very best, I think I have been trying too hard. I remember countless times when my mom would ask/ tell me to remember who's daughter I am. While she didn't want me doing anything that would embarass or disgrace my parents she was reminding me more that I am the daughter of the King and to live like it. So today as I was driving home from work, her words came to my mind so I am going to remember that and face the next month of busyness, stress, excitement and all that is going to be wrapped up in the days before our wedding as living as the daughter of the King!

To Do Lists

Invitations are done and in the mail. They turned out much better than I had originally anticipated, however by the time I was done with them I was getting to the point I was hating them. Now that they are in the mail, I really love them again. :) Wedding planning is coming along, I believe we have decided on a caterer. We are getting things done and my calendar is filling up quickly, it seems like I am going to be very busy for the next 36 days. It doesn't help that I am exhausted and trying to get enough rest. So right now I am making lots of to do lists and living by them. I am trying to take one moment at a time and trying to enjoy this time. I am so very thankful for Russ who is helping with things and taking care of me, making sure I take time for myself and getting plenty of sleep. I am blessed to have him in my life.
So tonight he is working, so I am going to take advantage of it and do a little bit of shopping, relaxing and going to bed early. So glad it's the weekend and I can get some extra rest in as well as things done

Invitations

Now that the move is complete, stuff in storage, settled into Tom & Belle's and Soccer Camp at church is complete it is time to focus on the upcoming wedding.
It seems like there is so much to do and such a little time to get it all done. This weekend is focusing on invitations. I have gotten a lot done already today and am going to try to get everything but the outer envelopes done tonight. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....
This is my break from them for a couple of minutes and then it will be back to work. Thankfully I do not have too much more to do. Just some slits and gluing and assembling them together. Then it will be time to calligraphy the envelops.
It has been fun doing them ourselves and putting them altogether- including picking what we wanted, thankfully I have been saving wedding invitations and programs since I was a teenager and had many to get ideas from. I "stole" both my invitation and wedding program idea from Elizabeth Johnson Calvin. She had great ideas and I have used them- I have heard it say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. From going to pick out the paper, getting all the supplies and working on them, I have had fun using my creativity in this aspect of my wedding. September 18, 2010 will definitely showcase Joyce and her talents or her attempts at least.
So much to do, must stop rambling....