2.years.

Two yrs ago today I was walking down the aisle to be joined as one flesh to my prince. 

Now, living in a new city, in a new state with a brand new baby and puppy I am more in love then that day. 

There have been ups and downs. Laughter and tears. From living in our first apartment together to driving across country. From raising our little puppy to bringing home our baby boy. Life has been so so amazing and God has blessed us. 

Normally I would post a million pictures of our wedding but I leave you with one of us exchanging our vows. 

My prayer is that we will live out our vows every single day. 

With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. I promise to be your faithful and loving wife. I pledge my whole life and self to you.

I give myself to you, to have and to hold on this day forward - in the good and difficulty of life, no matter what comes. I will love and cherish you as long as we both live.   

Promises, love, and more love. -Monics

Date night....weekend?

Happy Tuesday all my lovely readers.

{whoa.. Tuesday! Where did my week go? And its the 13th!! Where did my MONTH go?}

This weekend my husband planned a romantic time. Friday night he "made dinner" (which he actually just bought take out... Which i was surprised because be is actually a very good cook). I came home from taking Sophia on a walk to a candle light dinner, soft instrumental music, and little pink roses on the table. It was so sweet (swoon, right?).

Saturday he got up and made a delicious breakfast of omelets and biscuits with orange juice. Mmm! Omelets are his specialty. Later that day we drove around Alabama looking at all the gorgeous colors (its called 'alabama the beautiful' afterall). That night we went to church and then went bowling.

Sunday we lounged around and watched football. Later we watched movies.

It was such a great weekend!

I talked to a friend about dating in marriage (she has been married for 12 yrs) and she said that she doesn't NEED to have a date night. She would like it.... But her marriage is still strong without it.

Martin and i have been married a little over 1 year and we try to have a weekly date night. I want to stay in routine with this for when we have kids. We dedicate a night to just be married and be together. We try to do something (if finances allow) outside of the house and we don't talk about bills or anything like that. We just enjoy each other.

How important is a date night to you and your husband (boyfriend, fiancé)?
How often do you have one? I babysat for a couple who went out once a month with her husband of 10 yrs.

I don't think a date night has to be going out and spending a lot of money either. One Sunday Martin and i played card games and it was SOO fun!
Its a rare occasion where there is candle light too. Some nights its just left overs and a movie... But we still set aside time that is JUST for each other. (put your cell phone on silent)

My love language is quality time.... So i think that is also why i love a date night (or weekend) with my man. (:

candles, left overs, and love. - Monica

Also make sure to check out Sippy Cups and Pearls to read my guest post and learn more about me and husby.

http://www.sippycupsandpearls.com/2012/11/meet-monica.html?m=0

Overcoming obstacles.

Our washing machine and dryer are located in our huge garage.
We noticed a couple of weeks ago that there was a small puddle in the middle of the garage. It started getting larger and larger and we thought that the washing machine had a leak.

Yesterday my wonderful husband checked and rechecked all the plugs and hoses to fix the leak, but he wasn't sure how to fix the stagnant water problem in the middle of our garage.

He decided to use a hose and blast the water out.
When i came down stairs to check on him, there was even more water in the garage along with a very frustrated and overwhelmed man.

I thought he was just going to give up and our garage would just eventually dry up (or have a puddle of stagnant water forever).

But Martin was determined and through his frustration he kept going. He started grabbing towels and trying to push the water out but that wasn't really working. The towels got thrown on the ground.

He borrowed the neighbors leaf blower and tried to get the water out that way... But that seemed to just spread the water.

I saw my husband hit that wall. That feeling like you can't get it. You are done. Its not working. I thought (for the second time) that we would stop... But he amazed me and pushed through it.

He grabbed this piece of metal thing, angled it to the ground, and scraped the water out. It started to work!!! The water was being pushed out of the garage! He kept it up and got a lot out. He grabbed the leaf blower and dried up the entire garage!!! After about four hours of a constant obstacle he overcame it!

I hadn't been as proud of my husband as i was then. He did it! He experienced a huge obstacle and was able to use the tools he had and got through it!

Frustrations, doubt, anger, and annoyance came but my man was able to overcome.

Afterward it started making me think of all the obstacles we face in life and how often times we can feel so done. So ready to give up. We feel like the tools we have aren't good enough to get the job done or worse- they make it harder on us. But keep going. Don't give up. Persevere. Fight through those frustrations and feelings of shortcomings.
God has given you the tools to get through it. Sometimes you have to use them over and over again but you will get it.

Not only did Martin fix the problem (a leaky washing machine), he also cleaned up the mess (huge puddle of water). Remember that often times you will need to do both.

But God is gracious and is rooting you on!

If you are currently going through any type of obstacle know that you will see the other side of it. I understand it feels like it won't ever end and that you are not prepared...but you are. You are.

Let God use hard times to equip you, not to beat you.

fixed washers, obstacles, and love. - Monica

Autumn in Alabama

Happy Monday everyone!!!
Today i am spending the day cleaning and then babysitting. Husby is at work and then he gets to watch the 49ers game.
This past weekend we went to the pumpkin patch and carved our pumpkins. We had so so much fun! It was extremely cold but luckily my husband can still have fun and be silly with me!
We bought some hot cocoa and hot apple cider first! I shot off a corn blaster (pics are in Martins phone though), we did the mini corn maze (we pretty much just walked in it, took a picture and left), we rode on the back of a tractor thing, and then picked out our pumpkins!
We ended our Saturday with an amazing church service about how God, who is the great one, called us GOOD! The guest speaker talked about what it means too be called good by a great God. It was really empowering. We had some wonderful prayer time and my husband and i were really touches by it.
After that we dinner with friends. (:
Sunday we relaxed and carved out our pumpkins. I told Martin i didn't want to do a face and so we came up with our own little thing. (:
It was a wonderful weekend
Enjoy some pics and i am gonna go clean some more! (:
What did you do this weekend?
Have a blessed Monday and week!
Carved pumpkins, hot cider, and love. - Monica










 

First year anniversary pics.

Last weekend husby and I took some 1 year photos. (:

Its something that I want to

do every year around our anniversary with our family to see how we age and grow. (: Here are some of those photos. (: One yr and love. - Monica

Trust the process

Today I have been a little reminiscent of when hubby and I were dating.

this was before he left in Jun 2010 at a friend's wedding. Cant tell in pictures we were struggling.

 After about 9 months of dating, my Mr. moved to Southern California  (about 10 hrs away) to go to a ministry school. It was something that we had always talked about and hubby said that when the school started -- he was going to go. We knew when he left for school that there was a "no dating" policy, since we were doing long distance we thought it would be alright.
A couple of weeks had passed and we found out that it really meant "NO DATING." The following months to come our communication was limited and we had to break our soul tie to each other.

Let me preface -- before he left for So Cal Martin and I were struggling. We were dealing with a lot insecurity, doubt, trust issues, jealousy, and just being so far from the Lord. We tried and our hearts cried out for the Lord... but we were still lost.

At the time when his pastors told us we couldn't have a relationship any longer and we needed to stop communicating -- I was upset!!! Oh my sadness I was upset! To put it incredibly dramaticly -- I felt like someone was ripping out my heart! Not only was my boyfriend 10+ hours away.. but now I can't even communicate with him!? Not even letters. :(

I felt confused and lost. People around me didn't understand the reasoning behind it (at times I didn't full understand the reasoning) but for 4 straight months we didnt say one word to each other. I HAD to trust and rely on the Lord. I had to pray to Him and fall even more in love with the Lord.
My love came home for Christmas break and it was a little awkward in the beginning. We were able to spend some time together -- but not kissing or holding hands or anything. We had given each other to the Lord in this season and we were TRYING to trust this process.
Hubby still proposed on Christmas morning and then left a week later back to school. The following 4 months were a little more confusing because we were engaged but still couldn't talk. I was planning a wedding with him... but it still felt a little.. unsettled.

Christmas break 2010

 Honestly for a very long time I resented that season. I was upset that I missed out on that part of his life. He was being transformed by the Lord and speaking into so many people's lives -- and I wasn't apart of it. I felt like his pastors hated me -- & that's why they didn't want me to talk to him. I had to fight back insecurities that he would be better off with someone else there (I battled that for a loonngg time! We had to talk through it with our pre-marital mentors and even after we were married the enemy would try to bring that lie back).

his graduation. (: 5.8.10 my birthday

Summer before our wedding. (: WWAAYY better place in our relationship! God is good!

 This morning I was talking with a friend about that tough season and the Lord reminded me what it was for. Its like a light bulb has finally went off. I SEE it now. Hubby and I learned (through that process) to find our identity and happiness in Christ ALONE! We were able to work through some of our insecurities, jealously, and distrust and be the couple that God intended us to be -- so that we could have the marriage God intended us to have. We are not perfect & if we try to find our happiness in one another -- we will ALWAYS be let down. But through that season we learned to rely on the Lord and leave the old behind and make something new with the two of us. We broke the old yucky soul tie -- to make a new beautiful one that is completely blessed.
We still have our ups and downs but with everything we have been through we are able to look to the Lord in any situation.

Its tough to trust the process when you are in it. When things don't seem to be going the way we want them to go its hard to say "ok, God I know there is a reason in this." More often then not we are thinking, "Get me outta here!!!" Remember that God could be preparing you for something. It may not be for right now... but it could be for your future. I don't think Martin and I would have the marriage we  have today if we didn't have that tough season. Trust the process and remember that He makes all things together for your good. :)

huge hugs from my home to yours!

processes and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥

1st Yr Anniversary in Atlanta

Well my love surprised me for our anniversary to a trip to Atlanta, GA to go to a Christina Perri & Jason Mraz concert!
I was beyond  excited!!! I saw Jason Mraz in concert a few yrs ago in Portland and always tell Mr. V how bad I want to see him again in concert.

We got up Saturday morning and made our trip to Atlanta. A couple of hours later we arrived at The World of Coca-Cola.
We had such a great time! We tried different types of soda from ALL over the word! Some were good (Asia's were REALLY sweet -- like liquid candy) and some were.. bleh (Germany ...uh! It was like SPICY.. idk.. gross)!
We also watched a fun 4-D movie! Our chairs shook and we got blasted with wind and water! It was fun!
There were some really neat old coca-cola things too!

The 2012 Olympic torch was in Georgia that same weekend so we took a picture with it!
Martin said that we are so favored by the Lord. It was a really awesome opportunity!

When we left they gave us coca-cola in a glass bottle. We had so so much fun!!

After that we went over to Gorden Biersch Brewery for dinner. It was really good. My Mr had a little beer sampler to try a little of all the beer that they brew and I had a peach ice tea (I was determined to get something with peach in it hehe).
Mr V ate a chicken avocado sandwich with REAL garlic fries and I ate a BBQ Chicken sandwich with regular fries. MMMmmmmm! It was delicious!
My silly phone then died at the restaurant when I was trying to take a picture of my love.

While we were leaving the restaurant it started to rain. HARD. We were starting to get bummed because the concert was outside. The rain FINALLY stopped right when we parked -- but it was still all wet and I walked in a lot of muddy puddles.
Mr V got AMAZING seats and it was covered! It was such a great concert!
Christina Perri is absolutely adorable and has a phenomenal voice and Jason Mraz is such a great performer!
It was our first concert together and it was awesome.
I was sad that I didnt get any pictures or videos... but my love just said that our first concert was very very intimate -- just us two. hehe.

I drove home after the concert and we attempted to go to Starbucks... but ended up in scary downtown Atlanta.. so we left without the coffee. We saw TONS of people. A very strange "ice cream truck" playing rap music. Aaannnddd a Cinderella carriage being pulled by white horse. No joke. haha. Crazy!

We had such an fun adventure for our anniversary!

Last night we read the memories from our memory jar. (:

It was fun remembering the past year together. (:

one year. (:

this video is from the concert we were at.... but I did not record this... I just youtubed it. hehe.

We were a little further away then this. (:



hooray for one year of marriage and 100 more!

fun anniversary celebrations and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥

Friday's Letters

Happy weekend lovelies!!!

Lets write some letters!




Dear Sophia, 
Could you please stop chewing on me, the blankets, the shoes, and everything that is not your toys. Thanks! We loved snuggling with you last night while watching football. I hope you get used to it... that is your daddy's favorite thing to do. (:
Love, your momma

Dear Home, 
Can you ever stay clean? I feel like I have been cleaning you nonstop every single day. Kitchen. Bathroom. Living room. Bedroom. Floors. Eh... oh well. I am going to clean you super good today so I can relax all the weekend.
- Stay at home wife

Dear Chapstick, 
I am OVERJOYED that I found you! Thank you for keeping my lips soft and happy.
With love, a girly girl

Dear Love, 
I had soooo much fun with you at dinner for your birthday last weekend! You looked too cute in that Sombrero!
I am so glad that we can talk and work things through and we are learning more and more about communication. Thank you for that wonderful date day! I think that we needed it. You work so incredibly hard for us and you deserve to just do fun things and relax.
I love you and appreciate you soo much! I wish you didn't have to work tomorrow so that we can just hang out again. I am looking forward to church on Sunday with you!!! (:
Forever, Your Rib

Dear Follower/Friends, 
Thank you all for reading! I am just always in awe of the comments and emails I get from all of you! I appreciated it so much! You are all too sweet for words!
I made some changes to my blog style. What do you all think? I am not an expert at blogging or layouts or html or anything so I am always proud of myself when it can at least function properly! hehe.
I am enjoying getting to know you all a little bit better!
Thanks again, Mrs. V

Dear Lord, 
You are so incredibly good to me.  You saw my heart and the things I was going through spiritually this week and you showed up to speak truth to me.
Lord, forgive me for believing the lies that the enemy speaks. Once I find the courage and the confidence to write about fighting insecurity the enemy attacks me right to my core. Thank you for using the beautiful people around me to remind of my worth. Thank you for all the love that you have for me and for verses that remind me of Your glorious truth.
You are so good to me and none can compare to You. God continue to reveal Yourself to me as I read along with SheReadsTruth in the book of Proverbs. Encounter me at all times.
I pray for everyone reading this to encounter a fresh love from You!
Always, Your Princess

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!! (:

letters and love, Mrs. V

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Chinese food & cuddles

This weekend my Mr. and I had a little at home date.

Last week he had an INTENSE work week. It was long hours and really strenuous work. He said he almost stepped on a snake too (he is currently working landscaping at big commercial businesses).

I decided that Friday was going to be at-home date day. We would relax, rent some movies, and order some take out. He deserved it.

Martin came home with Chinese take out! I had been looking into Chinese restaurants too! hehe. (: I was so stinking excited!
So we had some DELICIOUS Chinese food in the cute containers ( most places we would go to.. they would put the food in a Styrofoam container.. so we were extra excited about this Chinese food)!

The rest of the weekend was filled with Parenthood and playing/snuggling with little Sophia. (:

she loves to bite his face!

This morning when I woke up.. my heart felt so heavy... I am not sure why or what exactly I was feeling.. but I was like overwhelmed with the feeling of love.

Love for my husband. Love for that stinky little puppy. Love for the Lord. Love for my life.
I can't fully describe it but it was a complete reassurance of being surrounded in love.

It feels soo wonderful!

food in cute containers, cute puppies who bite faces, and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥
Also make sure to check out my new facebook page. (:

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I have never done this link up with Jamie at This Kind of Love but I thought I would give it a try this week. (:

I am loving my sweet new little puppy - Sophia. I know that I have mentioned her a lot lately (and I probably will keep doing it). She can be soo sweet... especially when she is sleeping. hehe

I am loving baking!!! I have been getting up early with little Sophia -- but since I am up... I have been baking blueberry muffins for Martin for work. I have been LOVING it! Martin said that everyone  loves them too... since he shares them with his work guys. hehe.
Today I made baked oatmeal and it was pretty good! Martin said he doesn't normally like oatmeal but he liked the baked oatmeal. They kinda taste a little like a muffin. (:

I am loving that my husband's birthday is in a week and a half!  I love love love celebrating the people in my life. I know that I am going to bake him a (hopefully) awesome cake and probably have dinner somewhere... but I want to do something a little special.

I am loving some things I found of Pinterest --

via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

Via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

But most of all --

I am loving my wonderful husband! (:

baked oatmeal, sleeping puppies, and love. - Monica
♥ . ♥ . ♥