I Love Him More Everyday

(Picture from our honeymoon! August 2006)

I fall more in love with Tim everyday!

Thinking about my cousin getting married or even when anyone gets married, it makes me reflect on my marriage and what God is teaching me.

Marriage is a beautiful reflection of Christ loving the church. I have learned so much about God's unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness. I am a lucky girl to be married to the man of my dreams. Tim is truly selfless and is a continuous encourager and challenger in my relationship with God. If you spend one day with him, you will know he is not content with just living a life focused on worldly pleasures, but wants to share with others the life-changing truth of Jesus Christ.

Just like any other marriage starting out, we had to get used to living with the opposite sex, figuring out what our roles are, learning how to better communicate, and being completely vulnerable with one another. Now those are some adjustments!! But through talking, praying, fighting, crying, and laughing, we have learned to embrace and love our differences (and smiliarities). We really try to enjoy the simple joys in life and the gift of marriage God has given us. We know our relationship is not about us, but about glorifying God and making us holy.

(Verses read at our wedding)
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
1 John 4:7-12

Our marriage is not by any means perfect or easy all the time, but I can see God refining us through the harder times and this makes the sweet times that much sweeter.

Below are some pictures from our honeymoon in August 2006. Old pictures I know, but when I reminsice on where we were, where we are now, and where God is taking us it makes me cherish these pictures so much more.
Looking at these pictures makes me think of how much I loved him when we first got married and to how much more I love him now.
I fall more in love with him everyday!

Enjoy!



This is us at one of our dinner reservations off the beach. yeah, it was pretty amazing!!



No, this picture does not reflect how excited we were to be married. :) Our marriage has gotten goofier and goofier through the years.



Kisses are great with me! He is such a sweetie.



Is he not the most adorable thing you have every seen!! I love that smile.



I am excited to be known as his!



I don't know how we did it, but we did a great job matching at night for our dinners. We did not coordinate or anything, it was just intuition. We were meant for each other. :)



I love him more with each passing day!

In May we are expecting our first baby girl and we are pumped!! We know the chapter of our lives of just the two of us is over and the journey of starting a family is beginning. We cannot wait to see where the Lord leads us and teaches us in the upcoming months.

Rachel's Bridal Shower

My cousin Rachel is getting married in March. I grew up with Rachel and love how our relationship has grown. We don't get to see each other very often, but when we email, talk on the phone, or do see each other it's like we were never apart.

She is a godly woman whose complete desire is to glorify the Lord in everything she does. This not a cliche thing, she really does live her life this way. You will never leave a conversation from this girl without her sharing how beautiful God is and what she is learning. Her fiance, Benjamin, sounds just the same. They both desire this for their marriage and other relationships. Great couple!

Below are a few pictures from her "Black and White" themed bridal shower. We had a blast!

The beautiful, glowing bride-to-be Rachel!


The bride to be, Rachel, with her sisters Rebecca and Esther.


My cousins and me hanging out/catching up at the shower.


My sister Shubhra was a huge organizer and decorator for the day. She definitely has a gifting for planning and organizing events. I think she has found her calling....well after the army. :)


My Mom and me chilin at the shower. We were sportin' the black and white.


I love hangin with my cousins!

The Baby in My Womb Leaped for Joy

I receive emails from John Piper's website and really enjoyed reading the latest sermon titled, "The Baby in My Womb Leaped for Joy".

This sermon gives a biblical perspective on abortion and the privilege humans have to be made in the image of God. ("God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27) Piper gives a little advice to our president and shares how God values and has purpose for life from the day of conception.

Here is the link for you to check it out:
"The Baby in My Womb Leaped for Joy"

I am now in my 25th week of pregnancy. I can't believe how the time has flown by and it's crazy to think I am more than halfway there! She is kicking and moving all the time. I recently read a book called "Becoming Baby Wise" by Ezzo . This book was full of useful information regarding sleeping patterns, routines, feeding, and other information regarding what the first few weeks might look like.

I also receive weekly emails giving me an update on how the baby is developing and I thought it would be fun to share this week's update with all of you.

Pregnancy Week 25


How your baby's growing
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

How your life's changing
Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.

You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

When you have your glucose-screening test at 24 to 28 weeks, a second tube of blood may be taken at the same time to check for anemia. If blood tests show that you have iron-deficiency anemia (the most common type of anemia), your caregiver will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement.

It's crazy to think that there is actually a baby in my womb... a life created in God's image with feelings, emotions, and personality. As my due date gets closer, I can't help but stand in awe of the creativity and wonder of our great God!

2008 Disney World Christmas

Tim and I had the privilege to go to Disney World for Christmas 2008. (thanks Mom and Dad!!) I went when I was way younger, but Tim had never been. We had an experience of a lifetime and we will always remember this trip. Disney does a fabulous job of making everything feel "magical" because it's so perfect and big. Nothing is done halfway, they go the extra 5 miles to accomodate everything for you and make everything extravagant.
We talked about starting now to save money to take our child to Disney World, but then thought we should start with college first. :)

Here are a few pictures and memories we made and will remember.

Of course, you can't go to Disney World and not take a picture of the breath-taking castle you grew up getting excited about. This is where all the magic happens. :)



Here is the entire family together. We were in line for the ride "It's a small world." It was so cute! We were together everyday and did most rides together. (some I had to sit out for being prego)


Here is Tim and me with our goofy 3D glasses for A Bug's Life show. This show had cool effects!


We had dinner reservations at Cinderella's castle which is the big Disney castle. It was so fun to be able to be inside the famous castle. We even were able to get a picture with the princess.


Tim and Goofy became buddies. They even dance the same!


Tim's parents were so sweet to buy our baby gifts from Disney World. We know this baby will not be deprived of love.


Tim and I shared our last snack/dessert before we left our resort, a marshmellowy rice krispy treat! Our baby girl loved it inside my tummy. :)


The trip would not have been complete without a picture with our old buddy Mickey. What a guy!

We are going to have a GIRL!!

Our last Dr. appt on 12/29/08 has been the most exciting appt yet! We had our 2nd sonogram and it was truly breathtaking! The lady pointed out every body part including the gall bladder, stomach, fingers, toes, spine, face, and heart. As she showed all the body parts and measured the baby's weight and height she repeatedly said everything is "perfect", "beautiful", and "great". As a first time mother, this was music to my hears. My biggest prayer has been for the baby to be healthy and she is! Praise God! We heard the heart beat again and it is stronger than the time before.

The next bit of news is what we have been announcing to every person we come in contact with, IT'S A GIRL!! When these words were said by the ultra sound lady, Tim said our daughter's life flash before his eyes. He saw dresses, make-up, training bras, dating, prom, and even jumped to givng her away at her wedding. Crazy I know because she has not even been born yet, but I'm sure most father's can relate to this experience.

When our doctor came in he congratulated both of us and said, "Start saving now because girls are expensive! Accessories, getting their hair done for prom, prom dresses, paying for a wedding, and the list goes on..." It was really funny. :)

All this to say, we are really nervous and excited about our sweet baby girl to arrive!

Happy New Year!!

It's crazy to think today is the first day of 2009. Man did 2008 go by quick! Just thinking back over this last year makes me so thankful for all that I have learned and experienced over this past year.
Looking back reminds me of God's faithfulness and how He is enough for all my needs. He is my Creator and Savior for all eternity and I have the joy of being a part of what He is doing in the lives of people around me. I am so undeserving, yet He loves me anyway. Yay!

I just finished reading John and was convicted and reminded of how Jesus loved people just as they were and he was always intentional about sharing the truth with boldness. Jesus always relied on the Father to guide Him and desired to do the Father's will.

This is my heart's desire for this coming year.
I am praying for:
-God's guidance and wisdom in parenting and caring for our little girl that is arriving in May.
-God to prepare our hearts for when we move to Austin to help start a church with Hill Country Bible Church.
-God to soften hearts and moving in the hearts of people in Austin. Preparing now and when we get there opportunities to be a part of what God is doing in Austin.
-God will provide finances for Tim to be able to work full-time at the church.
-Home groups at The Village (specifically the ones from our split) to be transformed by the gospel.

I know this is going to be a big year for our family and I want to trust the Lord to guide my every step.

Everyone, Happy New Year!!

Adolphus Christmas parade 2008

Last weekend we went to the Dallas Adolphus Neiman Marcus Christmas parade in downtown Dallas. We had a blast. It was a great start to the Christmas festivities in Dallas. We woke up early and walked downtown, found a great spot, and settled in. Living in downtown Dallas is great because we did not have to deal with parking. Yay!! The weather was cool, but not unbearable. It was a fabulous morning!

Below are some pictures from this fun morning!





A Christmas parade is not complete without Santa!




"Ice Age" is one of my all time favorite movies. I laugh like a crazy lady during the movie. I'm so glad they were in the parade.



Care Bears!! This brings back memories!




We had a blast in downtown Dallas!!