My Wedding Day

While picking my brain as to what to write - I came across one of my favorite blogger's page today & she's partnering in hosting a pretty fun link up.  So why not join in?!  Thanks to Holly of Where We Can Live Like Jack & Sally  for the super fun link up!

    

So without further ado...my wedding day! And in advance, there are quite a few photos (some courtesy of my awesome photographer, but most of these are from our dear friend MaryGene, who is quite the photog herself!) - but mostly because I just loved my wedding day so much!

Well, after about a year & half of dating my Honey Isaac proposed to me in Plam Springs as a TOTAL surprise...I'm pretty good at finding out information, but he did a fantastic job keeping it a big secret.  We got married on 07/24/09 -- why did I pick this day?  Well, honestly, marrying a football coach I got my first taste of the time constraints associated with the new lifestyle of mine.  My options, working around camps & workouts, were the 4th of July or the 24th (which would lead us right in to "dead week" for our honeymoon).  Not wanting to infringe on others' holiday - I opted for the 24th. 

Alright here are the details!
Location -- my Mom & I found this beautiful venue in the hills about 20 minutes from my house.  The Willamette Valley here in Oregon is pretty well known for some killer wines, particularly our Pinot Noirs.  We were married at a vineyard called Zenith Vineyards in West Salem. It was the first place we looked at, it had an amazing bridal suite (a priority for me - since I planned on getting ready onsite!), and the views of the surrounding hills & vineyards were breathtaking.  My mom, who isn't like a glitter & butterflies mom when it comes to weddings, simply asked me if we needed to go anywhere else -- I of course said NO!  Funny part of this story....my mom put down the deposit for this place approximately 2 months before Isaac & I were engaged! So I knew something was up! Ha!

(courtesy of Vibrant Table)

The other benefit of Zenith -- they had the most fantastic catering company available.  Without question they were one of the highlights of our whole event.  I had the best coordinator who took care of everything, the food was beyond amazing, & the service they provided for our friends & family was unparalleled.  Even my mom was impressed!

 Bridal Party -- My uber popular husband wanted to have like 8-10 people in our wedding parties.  I quickly shot this down, and told him he could have 3 groomsmen, and 4 ushers.  I had my niece be a junior bridesmaid, 2 bridesmaids & my younger brother was my "Gentleman of Honor."  This is something I SO thankful I did -- friendships come & go, but family is forever.  I am thankful my little brother stood beside me on that day as my #1 go to.  And it worked out well for the recessional - since we had my brother & Isaac's best man/brother both escort my niece & the rest of the party was good to go.  I had a makeup artist/hair stylist come to the venue that day & she did the girls' hair so they looked awesome & I let them each pick out their own dresses (to honor their different body types & tastes) but they had to be chocolate brown/short. I think they turned out pretty good looking! We also had Isaac's little cousin be the lei bearer, my little cousin be our ring bearer, & our friend's sweet daughter be our flower girl.  All 3 kiddos were 4 at the time & were just so stinking cute! Isaac's cousin & our friend's daughter held hands all the way down the stairs to the ceremony site & down the entire aisle! It was precious!

Colors -- Our colors were chocolate brown, ivory, and a sort of muted light blue (think light blue hydrangeas).  Loved it.  Clean, classic & flattering.

Here are some photos from our ceremony:

 

 First Dance -- Isaac & I danced our first dance together to a song his Nana recorded.  She passed away about 10 years ago now, but she was a singer in Hawaii in the 60's & 70's - and had recorded this beautiful song "Misty Rains & Lehua" with her cousin's band.  It is seriously one of the most beautiful songs & I'm so thankful we could include her in our wedding.  We tried to add as many Hawaiian touches as possible to honor Isaac's heritage & family.  I know his Dad was tearing up while we danced.  Seriously -- go to iTunes & listen to it. It's gorgeous.  

During our first dance

Reception (I'm adding this one!) -- LOVED our reception.  Our DJ was amazing, the food was amazing, we spent a lot of time going around & seeing people.  We had people flying in from Hawaii, DC, Indianapolis, California, & Washington - so we wanted to say hello to everyone.  Our caked was phenomenal - I still go to our cake lady any time I need something special!  The toasts were amazing.  Father/Daughter & Mother/Son dances were great -- Dad & I danced to "I loved her first" & I forget what Isaac & Sheila danced too....whoops! My family danced like lunatics (expected) and my friend Morgan may or may not have shoved someone to grab my toss bouquet! It was a beautiful, tasteful, classy night - complete with good friends & family, great food & wine, and lots of love!

 

Our cake -- top tier: champagne cake w/ guava mousse.

And the cake topper: My grandparents used this when they got married in 1946. It has an iridescent feel to it, so I asked my cake lady to try & mimic that in the ribbon (which are pleated to match some pleats there were in the side of my dress).  It was such a joy to share this piece with my grandparents. 

 Oh, just my Swarovski encrusted wedding shoes....LOVE LOVE LOVE them! And have TOTALLY worn them since!

 Showing off the shoes again...Ha

 Me & my honey - in our leis (mine is pikake or jasmine for non-Hawaiians)

And our Swarovski champagne flutes.

My mom's saying thru the whole planning process: "Every girl needs glitz!"

Honeymoon -- After leaving the venue, we spent two nights at a nicer hotel in town. I HIGHLY recommend this to all my friends! We spent the next day just resting and laying low. And didn't head out to Hawaii until Sunday morning.  We then got to spend 6 beautiful days on Kauai.  It has easily become my most favorite islands. So peaceful & calm.

And to top it off - after our days in Kauai, we hopped over to O'ahu for our Hawaii party.  Isaac's Dad hosted this party for us so we could celebrate with all of Isaac's family & friends.  Let's just say it was nearly larger than our actual wedding.  Well there were certainly more people that's for sure! But it was so fun to see everyone, and basically have a whole other celebration!  Isaac's family gave us a such a gift in that party.  His aunty was amazing!  And we were SO thankful for one of his HS YoungLife leaders, Charmaine, who essentially was the party planner for the whole event.  We celebrated at the old Dole Cannery Ballroom.  Had great music. GREAT food, again! And again, LOTS of love & laughter, lots of hugs & kisses.

What Would I Change? -- Hmm...probably the amount of dancing Isaac & I actually did. We were so busy saying hello to everyone we didn't dance much.  I would have tasted more of my cake!  I would have confirmed our get away car!  We were gifted a ride from the venue by a football parent Isaac knew - he's in a classic car group & a friend of his with like a '56 candy apple green Chevrolet with suicide doors & all white interior (loved it) was supposed to pick us up -- but they ended up at another winery, and when we were there -- they headed back home, which was approximately 40min from us.  So we took my parents car to the hotel.  More candid photos during the day. All in all, there isn't much else I'd change. 

Aw, man...I just love looking back at this day.  My husband is the best man around (and I'm not the only one who thinks this! Ha!) & I am so blessed to be his wife!

Thanks for going down memory lane with me! :)

Jet Set

Welp this past weekend we took a little jet set trip to Hawaii...yup for a 24hour period.  Crazy I know.  But sometimes it's necessary to do those crazy things for your family.

Honey Isaac's family was having a small reunion, and his dad called like every day to see if we were free to come. So we made a decision to throw caution....and frankly, logic....to the wind and woke up at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday and made our way to the airport to take a 6 hour flight to Honolulu. Despite a salty gate agent (flying standby is a delicate endeavor let me tell you) we both made the flight no problem.   Man I'll tell ya -- it was rough goings as the night got late, that 2 hour time difference was brutal.  But all in all, it was awesome - it was nutty - it was good for Honey Isaac's soul.   During 2012, we took a break from traveling to Hawaii...so I could tell how quickly it rejuvenated him.  Good food, family, spending time with our nieces & one of our nephews, visiting his grandma, and mostly just soaking in good weather (it was a balmy 24 degrees when we left Portland).  

It was so funny how the entire drive to the airport, Isaac kept saying "This is so stupid," "I can't believe we're doing this," "I can't believe we're only going for 1 day" etc.  My response...SO WHAT?! We didn't have plans.  We don't have kids to worry about.  We were responsible and asked my little brother to watch our dog.  And we had the money to pay for our tickets and snacks with no problem.  It's totally necessary to do crazy things every once in a while.  To do things that make no sense.  To keep things interesting! Plus it's fun & important for me to show Isaac how much I love him and be flexible for things like this and spur of the moment trips to Denver to see his brother & his family. 

So our little travel loving butts are headed off yet again this weekend for a wedding in San Diego.  I seriously can not wait for this trip -- it'll be my very first Samoan wedding! So fun!  Hopefully I'll have lots of fun stories to share when we get back!

Football Widow No More

Before you get all worked up...don't worry...Isaac is still coaching football. ;)

I have a few friends who are coach's wives, follow a few ladies on Blogger/Twitter who know the perils of the season, and am pretty familiar with the struggles that the fall can bring.  And of course I've seen images like this floating around Pinterest

There is definitely a common theme amongst football wives/girlfriends -- a common identifier of being a "football widow" once fall camp kicks off.  Sometimes, truthfully, that indentifier has been used a guilt trip tool on my behalf.  I've used it to bemoan my situation.  I've used it to justify bratty behavior, or simply to not do the dishes.  How silly & selfish of me.  Here my husband is being used by the Lord in a way that he is able to be excellent, in a way that allows him unprecedented access to kids & their hearts, and in a way that offers opportunities for him to coach up, encourage, and in specific ways share his faith.  How awesome is that?  And yet, there I am...at home...one of his few places of peace/safety...acting selfishly because I am a football widow.  Hello kick to the gut!

Rather this fall I want to encourage Isaac, cover him, the coaches, & players in prayer, & free Isaac from the burden of having to dance to all my little demands(though sometimes they're not little, in all honesty).  I am casting off that identifier -- and instead replacing it with something like "football encourager," or even just....football wife! Remove the negative & replace with positive!  If you're of the praying sort, would you be interested in joining me pray for the McNary football team & coaches? Just shoot me a message/comment & once I have the list I'll share it with you.

And just for good measure...I did find a few photos from the trusty ol' iPhone from vacation! 

At the awesome Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. during our Ale Trail!

Where I spent most of my days...Eagle Crest Resort Pool...aka heaven!

And just for fun & reminiscing purposes...

Hard to believe it's already been 3 years!

Many more to come....now if only I could get back in to pre-wedding shape! FALL GOAL! ;)

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Craziness Has Begun!

Life as I once knew it has gone.  We're nearing two weeks of Isaac being the head coach at McNary & I can already see (as I mentioned previously) how life is going to be drastically different.  Being the wife of a head coach carries with it different expectations, different responsibilities, and carrying oneself with a different air than being the wife of a coordinator or even position coach.  Man....reading that back, I sound like such a snob...definitely not my intention!! Perhaps that's going to be an area of heightened awareness for me....

Thankfully I've been reading thru Joyce Meyer's "Confident Woman" devotional on my trust iPhone each day.  Let me tell you -- a number of days I have sat back and thanked the Lord for speaking to me right then & there about my heart, my intentions, my "plans" for my life & Isaac's life, & for the way I care for those around me.  And in His perfect way, God has already brought me two distinct instances where I had to stop and lean on His guidance first.  But probably the thing I'm hoping to be a part of in this process is helping to create a real community between the other coach's wives/girlfriends.  I'm hopeful that God will provide for the right way to bring this to be for our community.  But right now I'm excited to see who God brings to the surface for other coaches & how they will interact with Isaac as he continues down the road as head coach.  Will you continue to pray with/for us? Pray for humility, pray for a meek spirit, pray for enthusiasm from kids/parents/teachers/administration/community, pray that relationships come first & confidence that from these relationships success will also come, and please pray that above all the Lord be glorified in this adventure!

Oh...and also, could you pray that my heart would be protected from being sucked in to sinful "what about me" thoughts.  That I would have a servants heart to help walk alongside Isaac, to help in any way I can, and to also be a voice of clarity & truth to him.

And if you haven't read much of Joyce Meyer -- take a chance, she's pretty good. :)
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Fill-In-The-Blank Friday

Last day with my mom out of the office.  Kind of ready to have her back -- even though she drives me batty most of the time.

Thanks as always to Lauren at the little things we do for the blanks!

1. Love is a choice & a daily decision.  Yes feelings are associated, but when it comes to true, consistent, complete love -- that must be chosen. It's a verb, not simply a noun

2.  Being in love feels like excitement, adrenaline & a pinch of fear all at the same time!

3. My favorite quote about love is "Love me when I least deserve it because that is when I really need it" -- Swedish Proverb

4. The most important thing in a relationship is trust & communication.  Yes I gave 2 -- but they are so closely tied together. Ike and I are probably what some would say "over share-ers" but that's how we roll.  Full disclosure, share everything gently & ALWAYS be kind to one another even when it's hard

5. A "deal breaker" for me in a relationship is someone who is not trustworthy

6. The way I show love in my relationship is time & words of affirmation. And Ike loves to have his head, arms, & palms scratched. So I give in to those as well :)

7. I love my honey, my happy Hawaiian, my football coach, the man who would swim thru a sea of sharks to bring me a lemonade.

That was fun to get to think about all the different ways & reasons why I love Isaac. He's one of a kind I'll tell you what! I can not wait until the day that we have kids so they can see what a wonderful husband to be or to look for. Ahh...blessed :)

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A Saturday Reprieve

Every fall there is one Saturday that I look forward to -- one Saturday where there are no football plays being scribbled on scrap pieces of paper, one Saturday where I'm not waiting just to see my husband at 3pm, one Saturday when we spend every moment together doing whatever we want.  Yesterday was that day -- and it was awesome.


There weren't any grand plans on the agenda.  In fact there wasn't anything "spetacular" about the day, except for the fact that we were together for an entire Saturday.  The primarily consisted of a Saturday market visit, dropping off our dog at the groomer, grocery shopping, dinner and a quick run in to Toys-R-Us(try not to judge).  Super glamorous events I know.  But in complete honesty, nothing about yesterday sucked or was boring.  I love my husband....and without trying to sound like one of "those" wives, I would not trade him for anything or anyone.  God obviously knew what he was doing in putting us together.


I treasure that Saturday every season. It's perfectly timed -- right in the middle of the season.  It's a reminder that all the time away is worth it.  And it's a reminder that the end is near, and the partnership will be back to normal.  Football season is hard -- especially on the wives/girlfriends sometimes.  But this weekend was a reminder that I'm married to a wonderful man and through it all he loves me above football.  So I'm ok with sharing him & letting him be the best man possible as a football coach!
Love that man
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Photos of Hawaii

So I only snapped a few pictures of our recent trip to Hawaii...but let me tell you, these following photos are some of the most important (and some of my favorite) parts of Hawaii in general!
Enjoy!

Starting the trip off right! POG Mimosa - 1st class status!

 Hubby's lunch selection in 1st class :) Mahi Mahi, Curry Chicken & Spare Rib w/ mashed taro

Letting his hair "breathe" ha!

Hickam AFB Beach -- great afternoon w/ my bestie

Hubby & MIL being silly with faux glasses

My view Sunday morning -- gorgeous & peaceful!

Definitely a Happy Hawaiian! Our last beach stop before heading to the airport

While I read....he hunted for sand crabs!

Rounding out our trip with another 1st class ride :)

LOVE LOVE LOVE being in Hawaii.  

Seeing family & friends, eating delicious food, and spending quality time together.

Nothing beats it.

Looking forward to going back at Christmas time -- And then planning our real "vacation" to Maui for the next trip!

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2 years strong

A pieced together photo from our honeymoon on Kaua'i

Today marks our 2nd anniversary & I'm reminded again just how thankful I am for the man -- he is pretty fantastic & I am blessed to share my life with him!

 We have spent the last 24hours cleaning the house in preparation for his mom & grandma to come in to town. They'll only be here for like 2 days (benefits of working for an airline I suppose), and then we head out to Hawaii on the 3rd - so it'll be nice for Isaac to have some quality family time.

Tonight hubby has something planned so we'll see what the big man has on tap!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

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Valentine's Day

Super thankful for my wonderful husband Isaac -- also super thankful that we don't take Valentine's Day to the extreme (no offense to those who leave little love notes & candy hearts all over the house).  I'm thankful for the flowers that I'm sure will be coming today.  I'm thankful for my Necco Sweethearts that are likely awaiting me at home.  And most of all I'm simply thankful for a husband who loves me, cares for me, protects me, and would swim thru shark infested waters to bring me a lemonade! ;)

 He's such a good man.  So we spent all day yesterday together - had breakfast, looked at furniture, took a spontaneous trip to IKEA to get ideas for the upcoming office makeover, and went to the greatest Asian food market in the area (Uwajimaya) for some Hawaiian & Japanese goodies & lunch.  Yesterday felt like our Valentine's Day -- completely focused on one another and the life we live together.  I love this man!
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Sappy Me!

Did anyone else watch Hallmark's movie last night besides me?? Well hubby Isaac watched too - and was sweet enough to indulge me.  I typically don't get drawn in by their movies, but last night was one I just didn't want to miss!

 The Lost Valentine was such a sweet story - detailing a love that was strong & deep, never faltering.  There was one particular scene at the end of the movie that brought me to some pretty strong tears.  WWII love stories strike a chord with me, veterans strike a chord with me, The Navy strikes a chord with me (love my Sailor brother), honoring our fallen soldiers strikes a chord with me -- in essence the entire ending of this movie struck a chord with me. All in all it made me thankful for the love I share with Isaac, made me thankful for the veterans who served & current serve, and made me thankful again for the Navy.

If you didn't have a chance to watch it last night - see if you can get your little hands on it, definitely worth it.  I didn't think it was too sappy or over the top for the most part, but it's a Hallmark movie - you have to expect the sappy factor to go up a bit.
What do you have planned for this week?  Tonight I'm jetting to the club for Group Power, quick bite to eat at home, then back to the gym for some ZUMBA! Super fun!
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Anniversary Success!

Well this weekend was so much fun & so relaxing! It was such a treat to be able to spend an entire weekend together with my husband and celebrate our anniversary.  So bizarre to see how quickly this year has gone by; but it makes me excited to see what this new year will bring!  I love that man! We had such a great time, putzed around Newport on Friday - lounged like lazy bums on Saturday, and took our time on the drive home Sunday.  It was perfect - exactly what we needed as we head in to the busy football season.

I'll post some pictures in the next couple days to share.


But in the mean time -- could you pray for my friend Heather? She's having a tough time with her folks, they are not really supportive of her marriage to her husband Jim.  They're two of our greatest friends, and definitely one of our  go to couples.  She's staying with us for a little while (Jim's in the Navy & they're headed out to Hawaii in September).  Pray for healing & growth.

Glad to be back!
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360!!

My life changed nearly a year ago... That's right - comin' up on the big 1 year anniversary...currently at day 360! It is so bizarre to think that one year ago today I was finalizing those last minute plans, making sure everything at work was organized & ready for the lady covering for me, & welcoming various family members & friends in to town who were to celebrate with us.

Isaac and I are spending a quiet weekend together at the OR coast - which I am so excited about! I even get to take Friday off!! (Yahoo!! Thanks Mom!)

Every day I learn something new about Isaac - how we work together, where we make each other better, where I need to bend, and so much more.  I love the life that he & I are building - creating our own rules for how our family functions & will function in the future.  I love that we are starting off our marriage right by being in tune with our finances (i.e. adios debt & credit cards!), I love that we are creating boundaries to protect our family & our time together, & I love that even in those times where we may not like each other too much...we still have an unrelenting commitment to the vows we exchanged.  Sure life is hard sometimes - and it doesn't always seem fair.  But in the end I would not change one thing.  We're making it on our own and making it in our way.  I can not wait to see how things progress for us in the coming years.

I'll try & be good about taking some photos this weekend (admittedly - this is an area that I want to grow in...capturing life's events as they occur) to share!  But for the time being....back to the grind!

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Waving Palm Trees

That's what I'm imagining right now... Tall, beautiful palm trees - swaying in a warm breeze... Preferably with the quiet roar of crashing waves.
Today is fairly chaotic & full - a few mis-understandings here & there, and quite a bit of problem solving on my part for a file that was easy for the most part, and quickly got complicated (gotta love banks....).

But instead - I will continue to imagine this beautiful picture... and be slightly jealous that my hubby Isaac is currently IN Hawaii to surprise his mother! Lucky son of a gun!

Life is good when you add everything up - I have a wonderful husband whom I love & who makes me laugh, parents who still would do anything for me, a brother who I am so proud of (Navy man that he is), friends who challenge me to grow & be stronger,  and a Lord who is forgiving, who is my Protector, & who sacrificed for me.

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A Day of Nothing

Yesterday was one of those days where I stayed in my pj's all day & just relaxed.  I know that might sound a bit odd to stay in your pajama's all day; but I needed it.  I needed a day where I had no commitments - no expectations to live up to.  It was glorious.

And my studly husband has gotten the first set of posts up for our pergola.  What a blessing to be married to such a handy man.  And not only is he handy... but he is incredibly creative as well.  There are about 5 walls in my home that are graced with his artwork.  And he is absolutely musically inclined - blessed with a keen ear, a sweet & tender voice, and the ability to pick up virtually any instrument & play.   He's recently been playing back up guitar in the worship band at church.  But today...today he led worship and it was so sweet.  We sang songs that I normally am not a huge fan of - but with a sweet turn on them they sounded new - refreshed.  I don't say that simply because he is my husband - but because it is true.  After the service we were stopped about every 15 feet by people, young & old thanking Isaac for playing and telling him how much they enjoyed his playing.

That's something Isaac has a hard time taking - He and I have had so many conversations about why he has such a hard time taking a compliment from someone about something he does.  Particularly when it comes to his music.  He is incredibly gifted and it has really only been until recent that he has started to be comfortable with the compliments and be gracious in receiving them.

I love being married to Isaac -- I love learning new things about him every day.
Life is good :)
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Be Kind

Seems simple right?  But doesn't everything always seem more simple than it sometimes really is?

That was one piece of advice Isaac & I were given just before we were married.  It came from a dear friend to both of us; a woman who had poured into both of our lives individually.  And at the time, I have to admit, it was taken very quickly at face value -- yeah of course we'll be kind to each other, we love each other!  How silly were we....  Often times it seems as though it's the ones you love the most that you can be so unkind to.  Satan sneaks in & digs at the ones we care about THRU us because he is trying to assert himself within.

But get BACK Satan!  You have no place here....   He is powerless against the mighty power of my God!
For our God is one of unconditional love & forgiveness.  Our God is one of making new creations & clothing his children in white!  Our God is one who has the names of his children written in the palm of His hand & He works for the good of those who believe & trust in Him!  And he is kind...

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