learning.

my summer break, thankfully, allows for rest, recovery, and learning. i can take off my metaphorical teacher hat and do some learning all my own.

i spent time reading this morning, before my husband woke up, a book by mark batterson. this book, the circle maker: praying circles around your biggest dreams and greatest fears, has been and is the perfect way to start my summer. shane and i both believe that this summer is going to be one of great changes, and we are trusting that God is present in the dreams and fears we are working to tackle this summer and beyond.

i want to encourage you to read the book, and i want to share with you some things i've gleaned from the early chapters.

batterson encourages readers to "intercede until God intervenes." isn't that good? prayer, he says, has the power to change things, the power to save a generation, and even affect the course of history. 

intercede until God intervenes.

prayer has the "power to resurrect dead dreams and give them new life." i know there are dreams you've given up on. because you've pursued a dream and failed, even multiple times, does not mean that prayer can't revive that dream. resurrection, says batterson, is central to the christian faith. God is the father of resurrection. why couldn't he breathe new life into your once-forgotten dream?

do not settle for small dreams that don't require divine intervention. don't go after dreams that don't require prayer.

ephesians 3:20-21

"now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory..."

my apologies.

my apologies for our absence. the last month of school is typically torture, and this year was no different. shane and i have both been busy beyond belief (notice the alliteration -- just wrapped up an awesome poetry unit with my ninth graders, forgive me [again]).

somewhere within the last month, beth and dylan visited. our time with them was much needed and provided an awesome break from the chaos that is may.

we said goodbye to our friends for another year, but our fingers were crossed behind our backs in hopes that we can see them again before another full year passes.

our week in pictures.

have i told you lately how much i love this guy of mine?

i may have complained a bit in recent days about how itchy the beard had become. husband graciously offered to wave goodbye to the destruction left by no-shave november. it has been five months, after all.

look at that baby face.

we spent easter weekend with family. so happy to spend some time with our eleven month old nephew, kale. i see two bottom baby teeth poking through.

in case you're counting (i know we are), the dicharrys arrive in sixteen days. 

six-teen-days!!! 

we're going to pack as much as we can into their week-long visit. i think we're most looking forward to the black keys concert, but i know there are going to be a lot of good times in our very near future. 

we'll have some good old hometown fun and journey to tulsa and probably kansas city and lawrence, too. it's likely to be the best week ever. 

spring break. days three and four.

days three and four of spring break looked eerily similar. a lot of time was spent finishing the hunger games trilogy. and, because of the obscene amount of rain we've gotten this week, there was no better place to read than cuddled up in our bed. 

shane all but demanded that i take a break from reading yesterday in order to meet him for lunch. we met at our favorite chinese restaurant only to be shooed away. apparently, the eatery closes at one. what kind of restaurant stops serving lunch at one pm? we got our wanton fix today, though, when shane picked up chinese takeout for lunch. he's good like that.

hours spent in our bedroom reading this week forced me to face the tough reality that i've killed yet another house plant. what was once a beautiful plant is now nothing more than bare twigs. still, i refuse to give up. maybe i'll add potting a new houseplant to tomorrow's to-do list, a list that thankfully no longer includes the daunting (yet enjoyable) task of finishing the hunger games.

happy spring, friends! 

this is my husband.

this is my husband. when we married, he was a clean-shaven 22 year old. this photo, from our honeymoon in mexico, shows a bit of facial hair. he went the entire week of our honeymoon without shaving. we were on vacation, after all. but, for the most part, the majority of his face was silky smooth while we dated and throughout our engagement.

this is my husband today. meet his beard.

according to shane, it's on its way to epic status. in fact, before starting this journey, he researched "how to grow an epic beard." 

i've heard him say, to me and others, things like, "this is a transitional period" or "they said people would try to make me shave." well, shave he didn't and shave he hasn't... not since october.

i still love him dearly, of course, but i sometimes wonder what's hiding under that thing. 

we've been featured.

a few of our engagement pictures were recently selected and featured on a great wedding blog called middle of the map weddings. so cool!

how sweet are the kind words written about us? i must admit, i teared up a bit. i must also admit that the balloon photos are some of my least favorites from the entire session, BUT we didn't get to pick which ones were featured, AND apparently someone somewhere loved them.

i adore the first two shots. the colors are so vivid and kim newman captured us so well.  simple splendor photography, you rock!

remembering our wedding.

i remember the colors and the bitter wind.

i remember the venue we worked so hard on, the ceiling that was a beautiful glimpse into what once was.

i remember our first kiss as man and wife, a confetti kiss that we'll never forget.

i remember the dancing, the music, the smiles.

i remember our getaway: the cheering, the clapping, the relief.

i remember our wedding day -- my very favorite day with my very favorite man. i look through the thousands of pictures from that day and try my hardest to thank God for each blessing. i say "try" because there are simply too many blessings to ponder at once. honestly, it's blessing overload. my mom, who passed away twelve days later, was there, at our wedding. my best friend forever, who spends more time overseas than in the states, was by my side, along with my two beautiful sisters. and, most importantly, i left married to the man of my dreams. God is good.

all photos by Simple Splendor Photography.  we thank them kindly.