One year

It has been one full year and a week that I have been married to the love of my life! Since I said "I do" last January 7th, I've been on a roller coaster ride. Dan and I have truly come to find that marriage is to make you HOLY, not "HAPPY." We cannot get these two things mixed up. I thought I would share a few things I have gone through and learned during time. 

Dan and I came to Christ for the Nations Institute FIVE days after we got married. We had an early wedding, went to our cabin that same night for our honeymoon and left four days later. On the fifth day we arrived at our new home; Dallas, TX. I was excited yet sad at the same time. When we came here, I was horrified at the first glance at our new home (apartment). It was as small as can be even though it was nicely finished. I'm pretty sure I was as negative as could be about everything at the time. Yet we managed to fit all of our stuff comfortably. Instead of looking it as "small and squished," we looked at is as "quaint and cozy." Much better perspective, right? Anywho, that was one of the first of many negative thoughts. Dan's parents are VERY close to me. They were up here to help us move but left the day after and boy did I become depressed. My thoughts were, "I want to share my NEW marriage with my family, I want to live in a nicer place, I don't want to be in the ghetto, I don't want to have one car, I don't want to feel alone!" Thank God we do not live on our feelings! -We have to remember that God puts us in situations where it is about HIM, not about us!-I was also in the middle of trying to heal from a broken relationship with a loved one. It seemed as though I was as happy as could be with my new half, I was also as sad as I could be with everything else. Isn't this how we feel with God? We come to be happy and so in love with Him, yet we allow everything else in our life to make us feel sad. Dan was there for me through every step of the way with healing, learning, and experiencing. 

I have learned that the best thing that has happened to us is moving away from everything we've known. It has challenged us to learn how to be our own person, and to learn independently. Within this year, we have gained friends, lost friends, gotten closer to friends and family, etc. It has been twisty up and down in knowing who God is going to bring in and out of our live's. One thing we've learned is that connection is a HUGE part of life! It is important to get connected to others, make strong relationships, and build. 

Aside from meeting many new people, there were quite a few trials ahead of us. I had to learn how to cook (which I love to do now), how to let my feelings go, how to schedule better etc. It seemed really hard at first to balance: school, work, working out, dinner, time for ourselves, reading, praying, etc-- EVERYDAY! I soon just stopped working out because I didn't know how to handle all of it. The thing to help you when you get married is to not put pressure on yourself to get things perfect. Allow yourself to have progression.. allow there to be time to let your schedule work itself out.
On another note, after our first semester, we did YFN which was the hardest time of my life! (Well one of them). God stretched us out of our comfort zones and made us stronger when we didn't even know it.--I have my testimony about YFN in another blog.

Moving along, we also have had a blast our past semester. We joined "Prayer and Intercession" student ministry which has been such a blessing as well as taking classes by Dutch Sheets, Mike Massa, and others. God has spiritually pushed us such as praying for the school systems weekly, reading the Bible 15 minutes out loud for the day, speaking in tongues 15 minutes or more per day etc. We have encountered student led prayer meetings, two AWAKENINGS, 50 HOUR worship and so much more. God is filling us up and preparing us for the amazing future we are anticipating. 

We do miss our family and we are very family oriented still. As well as I am still healing from my broken relationship and believe God will restore it. God is still moving and we are very blessed. 

So far in this year to sum it up, we have: got married, moved to Dallas, started CFNI, got jobs, got in a terrible car accident, made a lot of money from our car accident, did an internship of YFN, helped Dan's parents move three times, attended a full year of college, went on our first year anniversary, figured each other partially out, gotten closer to God, developed a prayer life, and LOVED like never before.

My marriage advice:

-COMMUNICATE (communication is key in every aspect of your marriage.. rather it be in the small things, in sex, in feelings, in arguments.... TALK)

-Keep minors in the minors and majors in the majors

-Take things easy and don't expect each other to be perfect

-Flirt

-Be stewards with your money but don't be so ridiculous to where you NEVER have fun

-Challenge each other spiritually

-Walk with INTEGRITY

-Be spontaneous 

-Do not interrupt one another

-Love like each other are the last people on earth