Christmas With Family

Classic Langner Portrait

Cute Nices & Nephlets

The Wonderful Hubby (who actually sat for the camera! Thank you, Hubby!)

We hit both families for Christmas. With a little unique wrangling that landed us in the airport on Christmas day, we set up Christmas for my parents at their new home in Forest, Virginia, and brought Pete's mom a happy Christmas surprise in Vernon, Connecticut.

All in all, it was a crazy first married Christmas, but we did enjoy the time we spent with our families. OUR Christmas cards won't be going out until June, however, so please don't be offended that you haven't received anything from us as yet. Those of you who sent us gifts, thank you so much! We really appreciated it!

In other random news, we get a five-day weekend for New Year's. *grin* Anything could happen...

Here's hoping you enjoyed your holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Well, folks, we're dropping out for our Christmas weekend--not as early as we wanted to, but what can we say?

Here's to a White Christmas!

Out of the bosom of the Air.
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent and soft and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.

Approaching a Year

Just thought it'd be fun to compile some favorite pictures from this year. Enjoy!

Fun on a Silver Morning

It frosted beautifully last night, and we woke this morning to a rose-gold sunrise through the ice etchings on our windowpanes. In a rare event, we arrived at work a few minutes *early* and had time for a few random items.

Today's "Pearls Before Swine" strip: what happens when you get too little sleep (or when you're just plain not paying attention...)

Ever have to put your cat in a carrier before? Check out this morning's uncaged "Get Fuzzy" strip.

Oh, and if you're thinking about dying in Biritiba Miram, Brazil, don't. You might find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

Today's verse of the day, taken out of context with the after-effects of my rather bad day yesterday, was also one of those randomly humorous items that tickled our funny bones:

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth everyday alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
~Romans 14:5

I am fully persuaded that today is better than yesterday.

Lastly, but definitely not leastly, Pete's coffee run was only to *pay* for yesterday's coffee, but on his trip, he "met Cindy Cha who was eating a veggie sausage and drinking de-fac -- de-caf. Told her I'd circulate a prayer petition in legal for our dear sister who was joining a vegan cult. I also said her hemp coat looked lovely. I'm afraid she laughed so hard she was nigh on tears."

There are times when I think it's just better not to inquire...

Spontaneous Weekends

This weekend, Pete and I got to experience the joy of the spontaneous.

We didn't start out with any plans for our weekend. Just the usual, "Yay, we don't have to work," and a plan to finish moving my office around before the Free Indeed Concert on Friday evening.

Then I found out that Free Indeed didn't have any decorations. And that my desk wasn't going to be ready to be moved in until Monday. And that no alumni moment had materialized for Free Indeed.

We went to work. As soon as we established that I would not be able to finish cleaning my office, we left to pick up some decorations and door prizes for the concert and the alumni moment. As we were decorating, my cell phone rang. It was theKate, calling to tell us that she and her best friend were going to be coming up to stay the night so they could go Christmas shopping--with their own spontaneous ideas.

"Sure, not a problem! You know you're welcome!"

After the concert, I was talking with Gabe's dad, who mentioned that he would see me on Sunday. Surprised, but not altogether in the dark, I realized that Pete must have told Gabe we would come up with him to see some highlights from Handel's Messiah with his family. While my brain was still wrapping itself around that plan, we were invited to stay for pizza with Free Indeed, which we did. We then topped off the evening with a spur-of-the-moment trip to Magnolia's for dessert and a date.

The next day, I was planning to meet my friend Heidi to talk about weddings (she's engaged now, btw--see my post about my wedding...). On the way home, I called to ask Pete if we could just go out and pick up our Christmas tree that afternoon--so we did, and we took Gabe with us too! We had bought and then returned a tree stand, thinking we wanted to get a fake tree instead of a real tree, so we needed to get another tree stand for our tree, which turned out in the end to be real.

Then we decided at the last minute before returning home from picking up our tree stand to meet up with Kate and Kristi at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in Leesburg. Then Kate and Kristi spontaneously stayed another night to help us decorate the tree. While we were decorating, it began to snow.

The next morning, we went to church in Pennsylvania and spent the day with Gabe, his family and our friend Katie. The community performance of the Messiah was worth the trip. It was held in a huge old Methodist church in Carlisle, complete with even more snow.

Sometimes, I suspect we just need spontaneous weekends, to remind us how fun living can be. Ask us about our new memories sometime!

Kate's Take on the Wedding

http://crownsathisfeet.blogspot.com/2005/10/wedding-one-i-was-gonna-crash-one-that.html

Delightful perspective...

Pride and Prejudice

So last night, Pete and I watched the new Pride and Prejudice, a movie that had a lot of ground to cover after its previous versions.

Overall, I think I liked it, though with the time constraints, you lost a *lot* in character development. And then there was the slight issue of Elizabeth Bennett adopting the mannerisms of Keira Knightly. While Matthew Macfadyen delivers a very fine Darcy--more mysterious, and more passionate than Colin Firth--Miss Knightly couldn't really pull out of her 20th century self to fit into Austen's era. Donald Sutherland's Mr. Bennett was an affectionate, though badgered country man who dropped his lines out in such an understated fashion you almost wanted him to repeat them to figure out how they fit into the story. Mrs. Bennett was, as usual, annoying, and Kitty and Lydia giggled with the best of them.

I enjoyed the filming, and the sense we gained from the movie of being almost in the room with the story. The distinctions between the Bennetts' society and Darcy's society were much more clearly drawn. With the use of a bit more drama than other versions I have seen, I think the director achieved a flavor of high romance, if he did set propriety at nought for a bit with Lizzie's apparel. I will also admit that I left with a sense of cold and wet, which may have been due to the weather outside last night, but might also be attributed to several scenes filmed in the pouring rain.

I would recommend that you watch this film, but don't expect it to be like any other version you've ever seen. If you accept it as a movie on its own, it does an admirable job of capturing your senses, leaving you with an invitation to continue watching even after the credits start rolling.

Just had to get that out of my system.

Pete's LOTR Character

Congratulations! You're Pippin!

Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?

Colorado Memories

"And I would tell my children, 'Your mother has the wildness of the mountains in her spirit...'"

We were standing, holding each other, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Colorado. On one of our many drives, we had stopped to visit the scenery (and use the outhouse) in Theodore Roosevelt National Forest. As the wind whipped through our hair and I huddled a bit closer to my husband for warmth, he began to share with me the beauty he sees in my heart. I will never forget that moment...

Pete took me to Colorado, the home of my heart, for our honeymoon. We had originally been planning a trip to Europe, but on Valentine's Day, Pete asked me if I wouldn't rather go to Colorado. Such a gift he gave! My first view of the mountains brought tears to my eyes--I didn't know how homesick I had been until I saw them, waiting for me with the red of the setting sun piercing through the blue and gray and green of the clouds resting on the peaks and drifting into the valleys.

We had arrived at the Denver airport in time to catch sight of the snow as we were flying in. While we were waiting for our shuttle, we enjoyed a rather...uh, lengthy kiss that caught the attention of some passers-by in the shuttle across the way. Pete kissed me to the tune of the whistles and hoots of encouragement! We were officially on our honeymoon, and didn't care if the world knew it!

We spent our days resting in the lodge at Estes Park or driving through the mountains--though Pete did cave and take me shopping a few times! I had my camera, and we were able to take a lot of pictures on our drives, a sampling of which I include below! We both agreed that it was the best trip either of us had ever taken--and it wasn't just because we were married, either! We watched lots and LOTS of movies together, but it was so nice to just rest!

So, without further ado, here is a little photo-journal of our trip!

The Happy Couple

(What can we say? We didn't spend time around people to get our picture taken together!!!)

Rocky Mountain National Park

*grin*

The Driver

Aspens

LONG, long ago, so the legend says, when Joseph and Mary and the Holy Babe fled out of Bethlehem into Egypt, they passed through the green wildwood. And flowers and trees and plants bent their heads in reverence. But the proud aspen held its head high and refused even to look at the Holy Babe. In vain the birds sang in the aspen's branches, entreating it to gaze for one moment at the wonderful One; the proud tree still held its head erect in scorn.

Then outspake Mary, his mother. "O aspen tree," she said, "why do you not gaze on the Holy Child? Why do you not bow your head? A star arose at his birth, angels sang his first lullaby, kings and shepherds came to the brightness of his rising; why, then, O aspen, do you refuse to honor your Lord and mine?"

But the aspen could not answer. A strange shivering passed through its stem and along its boughs, which set its leaves a-quivering. It trembled before the Holy Babe.

And so from age to age, even unto this day, the proud aspen shakes and shivers.

Me--STILL with my wedding pimple...

Colorado Elk: It was mating season... ;-)

Looking at me? Or the mountains?

The Hazards of Driveby Shooting...

Plains and Mountains and Sky

If I had my life to live over I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual trouble, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I would pick more daisies. ~Nadine Stair

St. Ambrose

Last night, though Pete and I did not go to an All Saint's Day party planned by my boss, my dear husband found a way to make his presence known. After extensive Internet research on the saint assigned to us, St. Ambrose of Milan, he wrote his own comprehensive history.

I present it here for your review:

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saint Ambrose: A revised and (the author hopes) more interesting fractured historical account of the Bishop of Milan: his life, ministry, and water ballet skills.

Birth

Saint Ambrose was born. Possibly, though this fact has been argued. 340 is the year which many in the Church believe is the year in which he was born (if at all). Of course, where he was born is a well settled fact. It was in Trier. Or Lyon. Or Arles. Regardless, you now have as much information as I have regarding his birth. It is presumed, though not conclusively documented, that he had a mother; this presumption arises since Mr. Saint Ambrose’s dad was fairly well off and the family could afford one.

Life

Historians enter heated arguments with each other about St. Ambrose’s life, sometimes permitting their rancorous disagreements to spill out into their own personal lives. Their venting often gets them in trouble with their cats, since they frequently yell, “Ambrose’s father was prefect, not perfect!” After these unseemly outbursts, they must usually purchase large quantities of expensive Asian fish with which to placate their offended feline who are terrified by such yelling. The irony, of course, is that Ambrose’s dad doesn’t really enter the picture. He was prefect, but not perfect. His imperfections do not appear to have harmed his prefecture; please disbelieve any fabrications or prefabrications seeking to pierce the fabric of solid truth woven tightly in this hasty history. His father was the prefect of Gaul, to be precise. While perfecting his galling prefecting, he (or rather), his presumed wife, bore three children: Saint Satyrus, Saint Marcellina, and Saint Ambrose. It is often thought that their childhood must have been idyllic, if not heavenly, with such names.

Ambrose was educated in philosophy, in oration, in the classics… and in Rome. He was in Rome because his father, having perfected his prefecting to the point where it could no longer be perfected any further, expired. His family felt Gauled, er, called, to the Eternal City, and continue there for the educational and spiritual benefit of the children. As Ambrose’s academic accomplishments started increasing, so did the number of politicians taking note of his political skills. While some would consider it a shame and disgrace, he decided to enter the legal profession. His oration during legal arguments was so compelling that he was soon sent by Emperor Valentinian to become the consular governor of Liguria and Aemilia. Basic gist: they thought he talked “real perty.” His residence was to be the northern Italian city of Milan. Milan, of course, is the Italian word for “My lawn… no trespassing.”

History recounts Ambrose a kind and gentle leader, which is good, since he, in fact, was kind and gentle. While the consular governor, the bishop of Milan died (prompting the immortal cry, “THERE’S A DEAD BISHOP ON THE LANDIN’!”). * It is interesting to note that at this point in time, Ambrose himself had not yet been baptized into the church, being a catechumen**, another Italian word meaning either “half cat, half human” or “gesunheit.” There was much concern regarding the death of the bishop, namely because of a schism in the faith at the time between the traditional beliefs held by Roman Catholics and beliefs being advocated by followers of Arian (who openly doubted the divinity of Jesus Christ). It was feared by the traditionalists in Milan that an Arian would be appointed to head the church in that city. This fear prompted civil unrest and pleas to the pontiff requesting immediate appointment of a bishop to the Milanese see by papal edict rather than through the usual method of election. Ambrose himself went to the basilica in an attempt to quell the impending violence brought on by the civil unrest. While offering an impassioned plea for unity and peace, the crowd started to call for Ambrose’s appointment to the episcopate! Ambrose, fully realizing his training not equal to the task, promptly did the only thing a self-respecting Frenchman would do. He fled. The crowd, unwilling to accept this as a refusal of their will, chased after him, and announced him their candidate for bishop. Valentinian, knowing Ambrose’s character, approved the Milano’s choice and confirmed his appointment. On December 7, 374, he was baptized and consecrated Bishop of the See of Milan.

Ambrose’s appointment immediately affected his life. He divested himself of his worldly goods (including his collection of “The Gladiators of Gaul” action figures) which prompted his brother, Satyrus, to quit his own job as a prefect and attempt to talk sense into him. Ambrose, however, was more interested in carrying out his ecclesiastical duties than his own physical comforts, and instead accepted Satyrus’ service as administrator of his physical affairs, permitting Ambrose to focus on his own spiritual training.

Ambrose stood firm in doctrine against the assaults of the Arians on the divinity of Christ, wrote liturgical hymns, preached, and, in general did a lot of good things which caused a lot of people in a lot of places to respect him. A lot. He is most famous for his role in the notorious Investiture Controversy, a remarkable achievement, mainly because it occurred 750 years after he died. Because of this, his role was limited, and he is well thought of for not having rendered an inflammatory edict about the matter.

As many people are aware, the Catholic Church and many other denominations practice baptism by sprinkling. Other denominations practice baptism by immersion. While this hasty history seeks not to settle the differences between the two in its short pages, it does wish to point out why Catholics practices baptism by sprinkling.

Ambrose was a Doctor of the Church. There was hardly a man who could have done more in his office, though he considered his life to have been spent doing too little. He titled himself the doctor who “did too little,” and is known as Dr. Doolittle, a self-effacing title and inside joke skillfully crafted into a public relations coup by his personal secretary, Paulinus. About this time, he, along with his friend Saint Monica (the famous “Ragin’ Harmonica” of the Milanese Jazz Scene) began ministering to Augustine, a Hippo. In fact, his masterful communication with Augustine so impressed his associates that his skills in bestiary communication have since become legendary, prompting a recent documentary starring Eddie Murphy in the role of Saint Ambrose’s Doctor Doolittle. Their ministrations to Augustine complete, all that remained was the Hippo’s baptism into the church. When the day came, Augustine, unfortunately, tripped over Ambrose’s miter, and fell into the baptistery, completely soaking himself but sprinkling all the bystanders with the baptistery’s wet contents. To this day, in honor of this kindly bishop and his famous baptizee, the Catholic church practices baptism by sprinkling.

Ambrose faithfully discharged his duties as the Bishop of Milan for 23 years, dying in 397. Despite my ignorant drivel, he remains one of the most respected and revered defenders of the divinity of Christ and of the Church. The basket of Milano cookies are offered for your mutual enjoyment and the memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.

_______________________________________
*A thousand pardons, I confess to having viewed episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
** One who is being taught the principles of Christianity. English equivalent is “padawan.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Following the presentation of the document, Pete had supplied the party-goers with nine different varieties of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies.

As for our own evening?

*grin*

We didn't miss the party. We attended a Japanese steakhouse showing of "Flying Knives and Dinner While You Watch" and ended the evening by reading ourselves to sleep.

Weekend Adventures

Question: What happens when a newly married couple has a house to finish moving into, a bunch of gifts to identify and acknowledge, and grocery shopping to do?

Answer: They skip town.

*grin*

Pete and I trekked into the Holy Land with the crusaders in "Kingdom of Heaven" on Friday night, skipped into the heaths of Wales for "The Return of the Native" on Saturday, and drove into the wilds of Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday for Mexican. We had a very productive weekend.

First, unless you want to be bored for a non-historical fantasy, don't watch "Kingdom of Heaven." Although, I have to admit, this is the first time I've actually liked Orlando Bloom in a role. Pete and I think it might have something to do with the fact that he was virtually speechless.

Second, the "Return of the Native" is a very depressing movie. But Catherine Zeta-Jones plays her part very well. It's worth seeing, at least once.

Third, North Carolina was just an impulse. So was the hitchhiker we picked up. We took him down to Wytheville with instructions not to travel today because it was Halloween and "kids throw eggs and all kinds of stuff. I wouldn't want to be traveling tomorrow night." He was an interesting character.

We stopped in to see some friends at the B&B where Kate and I stay when I go down to the clinic in North Carolina. We had a delightful conversation, and then proceeded to a Mexican restaurant we found in January when we were all down there. Pete got the street tacos he'd been craving, and I enjoyed yet another chicken chimichanga. I found myself wishing I hadn't snacked quite so much on the drive down. I couldn't fit the food in!

Still, we had a really special time, just driving and talking. With everything that goes on in our lives, it's really easy to let go of the fact that we enjoy talking with one another about what is in our hearts. A sermon at church sparked the discussion, and we went from there into just about everything else. It's been a while since we talked like that, and it was so worth getting home at midnight.

The extra hour this morning was a God-send. I didn't have to get up for work when I normally do, and I was able to wake up in the sunlight again. That always helps.

Honeymoon pics and stories ARE coming--I just need to get them to the office to upload!

Post-Wedding Post

Our wedding pictures are now out and up at our photographer's website. The password, for anyone who would like to look, is my maiden name, langner. Please note that you can order prints from his website if you are interested!

Also along the lines of wedding reports, I wanted to post our wedding vows and the words to the song that I wrote for Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I vow to love the Lord my God, our Abba, with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I vow to live in the truth that you are His, set apart for the work of Christ in you. Because He laid down His life for me, I vow to lay down my life for you. Because He loved me, I will love you. Because He prayed for me, I will pray for you.

I, Peter Alan Sauer, take you, Kelly Anne Langner, to be my wife. In marrying you, I take new responsibilities that I cannot fulfill in my own strength, but by God's grace and power working within me, I give myself to serve and love you in all circumstances. I will allow God to use you as He forms me in the image of Jesus Christ. I will dwell with you with understanding, and give honor to you as to the weaker vessel, remembering that we are heirs together of the grace of life. I will accept your love and respect. I will go where He calls me to go, and I will lead you in gentle love. I will be humble before you and our Lord, confessing my sins and my failures and trusting in His mercy and your love. I will be faithful to you, holding my body, heart, and thoughts only for you. I will be your friend, giving thanks for you and cherishing you as a treasured gift from my Father. I will share with you my heart, my love, my joy, and my hope in Jesus Christ, from this night until I die.

I, Kelly Anne Langner, take you, Peter Alan Sauer, to be my husband. In marrying you, I take new responsibilities that I cannot fulfill in my own strength, but by God's grace and power working within me, I give myself to serve and love you in all circumstances. I will be submissive to you as Sarah obeyed Abraham as I trust in the Lord. I will accept your love and leadership. I will allow God to use you as He forms me in the image of Jesus Christ. I will follow you where He calls you. I will be humble before you and our Lord, confessing my sins and my failures and trusting in His mercy and your love. I will be faithful to you, holding my body, heart, and thoughts only for you. I will be your friend, giving thanks for you and upholding you as a treasured gift from my Father. I will share with you my heart, my love, my joy, and my hope in Jesus Christ, from this night until I die.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Always His
by Kelly Langner and Kirsten Winston

I will share the dawn with you, these first new rays of light.
I will smile and laugh with you on days that aren't so bright.
I want to bring you all the joy I know every day I live
I give my life to you in Him, and we'll be always His.

I will share the moon with you, singing even in the dark.
I will place my hand in yours when the frost has etched its mark.
I want to give you all the love I own every day I live,
I give my life to you in Him, and we'll be always His.

I will hope in Him with you, walk together as His friend.
I'll walk as a stranger too, living for our journey's end.
I want to dream with you of His return every day we live.
I give my life to Him with you, and we'll be always His.

And by God's grace, I give myself to you,
For all my days, I will walk with you.
I'll be your helper, your friend,
With Jesus as my aim and as our end...

I will go with you wherever God may lead
I will walk with you as He provides our needs.
And through the sunrise or the shadows,
When He drives us to our knees.
I will pray with you that we will be always His.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that most of the excitement is over (with the exception of a reception-to-happen in Connecticut over Thanksgiving), the time has come to revamp this wedding site into something productive. Therefore, I am moving the wedding paraphernalia and discussions (with the exception of one planned post) from my personal blog to this blog as Pete and I attempt to move past the wedding into the moments and the future God has for us. We thought it would be fun to create a site (okay, *I* thought it would be fun to create a site) for updates about what we're up to so that people can check up on us. We may or may not keep it up--there's still something cool about the personal connection, so if you want us to keep updating, COMMENT. *grin*

Honeymoon stories and pictures to come soon!

The Beginning of a Very Fun Story

Pete: Isn't she beautiful, ladies and gentlemen?
Kelly: No, you are not putting that on here!
Pete: Oh yes I am! And you can't stop me. I'm a husband...

Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it: "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."

~Isaiah 42:5-9

In Christ alone...

A Story Not Our Own

How We Met

Kelly: THIS is a funny story.

Last year, Pete came down to HSLDA to study for his finals with my coworker and his classmate, Vanessa. There was a Valentine's dance sponsored by PHC that year, and Vanessa decided that she wanted Pete to have a date--so she tried to set us up. Me, being the kind of "don't mess with me" person that I can be, put my foot down, being quite aware of the kind of dance it would turn out to be (I was right too!!!), and decided not to go. Besides. I didn't do the blind dating thing. Pete says we met that week, and that God really impacted him about me. I don't even remember his being there.

I figure it was a God thing.

Pete: I was... whew... Wow. "Um, you were hurting like crazy. I remembered you. You gave Dan the 'what-for' on ATI." Kelly came down to the cafeteria for something while I was studying with Vanessa and our friend Dan, and she had her cane with her. I think I asked Nic (Vanessa) why you had the cane, and she told us about Kelly's health problems. I went home, and a couple weeks later, I dropped something out to Dan about remembering Kelly.

My first real memory of Kel is sitting down in my office talking about special needs after I came down to work for HSLDA in May of 2004, and we ended up talking about her grandparents, her health, and my bestest little sister Mary Jo. She invited me to go ice skating with a group she'd put together.

Kelly: I invited him to go ice skating with a group. Ahem. I was so mad at him.

It ended up being just three of us, Pete, me, and another girl, Leeann Bisulca. She didn't know how to skate, so I was helping her, and he just skated off in his own little world. I thought he was so rude! It was okay, though, I guess, because I'd been told that he was looking for a wife. I was avoiding him too!

Pete: But I was very leery of getting into any friendship with a girl! I wasn't looking for a wife--and I didn't even want to be looking for a friend at this point!

Kelly: So much for well-laid plans. I had my own plans that night. I was going to bring Pete out of his shell enough so that I wouldn't feel guilty because he wasn't hanging out with anyone when there was so much social activity going on around him. It backfired on me too. After our skating outing, we went to Starbucks because I was starving and in danger of collapse (a fact I wasn't admitting to anybody!).

We got stuck in the Starbucks after closing time by the DADDY of all thunderstorms. There were police driving up and down and telling people to stay indoors. All I remember is that I was terrified, and so I decided to try to distract myself by conducting a surface grilling of Pete and Leeann (who, I had decided by that time, would make a good couple) that was not related to the weather.

I figured we could stick to a deep topic like the characters we thought we would be if we were in the Lord of the Rings. Pete wouldn't give me a straight answer, and I was ticked, but I was NOT pushing. *grin*

Pete: It served her totally right. She was going at it like Grand Inquisitor Torquemada, calculating each question to deflect attention from herself and find out as much as possible from Leeann and myself. I wasn't going to let her have it. So I told her I saw myself as the Nasghoul (sp?)

Kelly: Nazgul.

Pete: It seemed like the thing to say because (a) I thought at the time that the Nasghoul were the flying thingies with the long tails and loud shrieks. I didn't know they weren't- I just picked the ugliest creature I thought of, and (b) I honestly didn't really like Lord of the Rings enough to remember the characters except for the inebriated dwarf. And I just didn't want to be a sloshed shortie...

Kelly: None of which I knew at the time, and since they are some of my favorite movies ever, it was a good thing I didn't know. Anyway, the evening took a VERY unexpected turn about halfway through our digression into our favorite movies.

Pete: I was getting more and more uncomfortable because God was asking me to talk about what I had spoken with a bunch of friends about: Himself. Specifically, "did you guys ever get the impression from God that something big was going to happen?" I didn't want to ask the question, because it didn't seem surface level enough for the conversation that we were having--besides the fact that I didn't know you guys, and I knew the other people I'd talked to about Him a lot better. Kelly's jaw dropped about 14 feet, and bounced on the ground a few times.

Kelly: I must have gone into shock. For years, I had been begging God for someone who would understand the driving force behind my passion. Ever since I was a little girl, I had believed that something big was coming and that God had something for me to do. He had spent the last three or so years taking me deeper into Himself and His Word than I had ever been before.

Pete: I think at that point in time, Leeann pretty much faded out of the conversation. Kelly agreed that she thought that God was going to be doing something. I don't remember specifically what we talked about, except that you mentioned that the kids that we'd seen at the skating center could be the ones to experience the judgment in the last days. We talked about God, about how we wanted to know Him and seek Him, and about how our preparation for what He was bringing could only come through Scripture.

Kelly: We spent a long time talking about our passion for the Church. That night, after Pete left me at my house, I freaked out.

Pete: To put it mildly.

Kelly: *grin* I emailed several of my guy friends who understood my passion for the church and told them more about it than I ever had before. There was no way I was going anywhere with Pete that I wasn't willing to go with anyone else. Then I went to bed and told God I wasn't going think about it in one breath, and begging for help with another breath. I know, looking back on that night, that God used that conversation to point my heart toward Pete. I was fascinated, and not admitting it.

Pete: I was happy to know that there was someone else who was interested in God, in knowing *Him,* not just about Him. With the exception of Sam, I had never really spoken with a girl who was interested in God before.


On Being Friends

Pete: I think the main idea last summer was about offering ourselves to God and being obedient to what He called us to do. He called both of us to be friends to each other.

Kelly: For me, this was a real challenge. Pete scared me with his passion for the Lord, for the church, and for people. It matched too closely with my passions, and when I added that with the knowledge that I had gained through an attempt to pay him back for some pizza that I couldn't intimidate him, there was no way I was going there. So the day God sat me down during my devotions and asked me if I would be a friend to Pete, and actually allow Pete to be my friend, I looked rather skeptically in His general direction and asked Him why. I got no answer to my whys. Just an overwhelming sense that I should obey. Still, this left me with some serious questions about what to do with it. After some previous experiences, I was not eager to step into a friendship with a guy I barely knew and offer him some sort of validation by being a girlfriend to him. My walls were up so high I didn't know how to climb them anymore, and I was very worried about the possibility that Pete could fall for me. Then God took a step that shocked us both.

Pete: A couple days after the Starbucks incident, I went to North Carolina for my employer, for what is known around the office as the most bombed-out conference of 2004. After getting stopped five minutes into the trip for speeding by an over-zealous Loudoun County Sheriff (with a prejudice against Yankees!), I came to the conclusion that this weekend would not be the most stellar weekend of my life.

Two hours into our seven-hour trip, we discovered that we had forgotten to bring the books that we needed for the conference. After prolonged negotiations with our office (being more stressful and lasting longer than any of the Israeli-Arab peace summits) and after chewing up another hour and half of precious time in said negotiations, it was determined that one of our doomed—er, stalwart—crew would need to head back to Virginia for the books after dropping the rest of us off in North Carolina.

By a very fair and measured process, by which I mean I was the new guy (two weeks on the job), it was determined that I should make the trek back to VA for the books. Fortunately I was met halfway back up, so I only had to travel seven hours that night, instead of fourteen.

The van had no radio reception in the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, and I had forgotten my MP3 player. I was stuck in the car with God.

Kelly: Oh, yes, very stuck.

Pete: It was a decent trip. We had a good time talking about His creation, and all of a sudden, He got very rude and changed the subject on me.

“She is mine.”

Wha???

That was not very fair of Him. I wasn’t trying to say that she wasn’t. I wasn’t even thinking that she wasn’t. We’d had one conversation. Two. No more than that, I swear! She had impacted me a great deal with her passion for the Lord, with her knowledge of Scripture, and with her genuine relationship with the Lord. Her relationship was not confined to phraseology and practices. It was real. God was a person to her, one with whom you could actually speak, obey, be loved by, and love in return, and be consumed with.

The rest of the conference was something of a blur, though I do remember that at one juncture, Will tried to pay me back for some pizza that he had already tried to pay me back for and I had refused. I found it suspicious that after having rejected his attempt at repaying me once, he should so earnestly attempt to pay me back. After inquiring a bit further as to the sincerity of his desire to be rid of his indebtedness to me in re: pizza, I was informed that the source of the funds was none other than my coworker Kelly.

Kelly: I later found out that Will spent that money on himself. *grin*

Pete: I kept thinking about that conversation with God. What did it mean that she was His? I was not trying to get into a relationship, although I must admit, I had never been so intrigued by the reality of a young woman’s relationship with God.

Kelly: During Pete’s time away, I had a conversation with my girlfriend Ash, in which I mentioned the Starbuck’s incident. Pete’s name came up, and she asked inquisitively, “oh, who’s Pete?”

“Oh, he’s just a new coworker of mine. He came to work at HSLDA after graduation.”

She (wisely) dropped the subject, but I found after we were engaged that she had never forgotten that conversation, and wondered if God would actually do something with it.

Meanwhile, I was just about ready to retreat. God was putting on too much pressure.

Pete: When I got back to Virginia, I asked Kelly if she wanted to get together after work some night and talk about what God was showing me in Psalm 32. Rather than replying with a polite “no thank you” or “perhaps we should do it under supervision,” I received the most interesting email I’ve ever gotten in my life.

Kelly: Sorry!

Pete: It’s okay! I don’t remember much about the email, but I do know that I had accidentally pushed some button that she didn’t want pushed.

Kelly: Had he ever! But he hung with me!

Pete: I truly was not looking for a relationship, nor did I want to give the appearance that I was, and last thing I wanted to do to this precious treasure that God had called His own was drive her away in fear. I decided it would be best to tell her what God had told me, hoping this would assure her that I had no interest in pursuing a relationship with her.

Kelly: When I got his email telling me what God had told him, I burst into tears! I had been so afraid that he was going to fall for me, and here God had gone before me to protect me so I didn’t have to put my own walls up. I cried myself to sleep that night, completely awed at the fact that He would claim me as His own, that He wasn’t ashamed to call me His.

When I shared the story with my parents that weekend, they started praying, unbeknownst to me. Meanwhile, God had given me the impetus to trust Him in my friendship with Pete, so I decided to go out on Him and let Him lead in the friendship, instead of trying to control it myself.


Ask Me For a Sign

Kelly: I spent nine days (that felt like years) in the hospital last summer. Pete and our friend Gabe were there with me and Kate as much as they could be while keeping their fulltime jobs. During that time, God bonded the four of us in a relationship that could only be classified as His. We prayed together, shared what He was doing in our lives, cried together, laughed together (BOY did we laugh!). We scared all the doctors away from my room because every time someone came in we were praying! I wouldn’t have survived those nine days without their constant encouragement and prayers.

Pete: In late August, Kelly stayed a week with some friends from church who informed her that I was in love with her. This was a startlingly new concept for me, considering the fact that the only other hint of love that I had experienced in my life took the form of a foil, saber, or epee. Besides, I wasn’t looking for a relationship, so I wasn’t in love. Simple as that.

Kelly: HA!

Pete: I tucked myself away for about three days with my Bible and kept praying that God would reveal my motives and my heart. I had been very worried, and was very worried, because I know I don’t know my own heart, and I kept praying that my motives would be pure before Him, that His love and not my own would be the love that characterized my relationship with Kel. I knew that she loved me with His love, but at that time, I didn’t want my relationship with her to overshadow my life. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, and I really wanted God to protect her from me as necessary.

Kelly: During this time, God was beginning to heal me from a previous heartbreak. I had made a vow that I would wait for someone, and though I was aware that I was no longer in love with that person, I was not at all interested finding someone else to fill the hole in my heart that relationship had left. God had become my all, and I knew that I needed no one else.

Pete: I am grateful beyond words for the encouragement that Gabe, Kate, and Kelly offered me throughout the summer to seek the Lord first and keep trusting Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 came to typify our individual relationships with God that summer. We might not have had any idea what was going on, but God kept using us in each other’s lives to point us to Himself and to trust the Cross of Christ and not our own hearts, thoughts, minds, etc. The spiritual battles of last summer were so intense and the emotional roller-coasters so stomach churning that it caused me to wonder at times what reality was.

On several occasions, God used Kelly to challenge me specifically in regards to my motives and focus. Had she not encouraged me to know that God was ever-merciful and always longing to forgive and love me, I seriously doubt I would have continued seeking Him. There were some days where I just wanted to give it up, but God kept urging me to trust Him. As weird as it seemed to have a group of friends that didn’t know one day to the next what God was doing, it was amazing to see how He revealed Himself to us through each other, not for our glory, but for His.

It became commonplace for God to ask one of us to do something, i.e. pray for each other in the middle of the night, intercede for each other under spiritual attack, share something with each other from His Word, or confront each other as God led. He taught me to trust Him first, even if I did not understand where on earth He was leading, even if it made absolutely no sense to me.

Immediately before school started, God asked me if I was willing to be Kelly’s friend, no matter what.

“Sure,” I blithely replied.

“No matter what?”

This exchange continued for quite a while, until I got the point that this was serious.

“Like, what ‘what’ is ‘no matter what’?” I asked.

He brought a series of what-ifs to mind, each one more difficult to accept than the previous. I finally told God that if it was what He wanted, I would have to trust that He would be glorified in it and I would be Kelly’s friend no matter what happened.

Kelly: THEN the unthinkable happened. I was NOT ready for it, but God wasn’t waiting on *my* timing. He was talking to Pete.

Pete: In September, I was most surprised—no a better word would be flabbergasted—by the following conversation with God:

I was driving home from my parents’ house, and after one of our usual conversations tending toward “God I don’t really know what You’re doing, but I want to do what You want, so please help me trust You with it,” He asked me to ask Him for Kelly.

There wasn’t really much difficulty understanding what He meant by “ask Him.” I knew He meant marriage, and I couldn’t believe He’d have the gall to bring something like that up. I didn’t want to get married. I wasn’t interested in a relationship. I was in school, she didn’t like me that way, I didn’t like her that way, and give me five minutes and I’ll be able to come up with about 20 other reasons why not.

He was somewhat insistent on it—not demanding. Just the way that God’s Spirit is, tugging, “Ask Me.” I flatly refused, citing the fact that “God you don’t do things like that. You don’t tell people to ask You for things. That’s absurd. I’ll show you.”

Then I opened my Bible. “Don’t tempt the Lord,” was the passage that I was looking for.

Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:10-14)

Basically, the protestation not to tempt God was an excuse to God’s specific command to ask Him for a sign. And what did God ultimately do? He gave us one of the clearest prophecies of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I didn’t know what to do with this. I remember thinking that this might be from Satan, but I knew that if it was from God, He wouldn’t let it rest, and I knew that if it wasn’t from God, I could at least ask God for it through faith in Jesus Christ and hope it went away.

So I bowed my head and mumbled something to the effect of, “God, I’m asking You for Kelly.”

And tried to go to bed.

“That’s not what I asked,” He replied.

All told, it took me two hours to finally get around to saying, “God, I’m scared, and I don’t know why You’re asking me to do this, but please give Kelly to me to be my wife.”

You might find this odd, because at this point in time, I didn’t think I was in love with her anyway.

I fell in love with Kelly the next day.

Kelly: As Pete told me about his encounter with God, he began to realize that he was in love with me, and I sat here, wondering what in the world was going on. I certainly didn’t return his feelings, though I had to admit that even at that point, the last I wanted was for Pete to walk out of my life.

I was faced with a choice to continue obeying the Lord in being Pete’s friend and allowing him to be just my friend, even though I knew his feelings were much deeper my own. I remember getting *very* quiet. I didn’t discount his story, because I had had a similar encounter with the Lord a few years earlier when I wouldn’t surrender someone to Him to do with as He would. Pete’s argument that God didn’t ask people to ask Him for things wouldn’t have held water with me anyway.

Pete: In the meantime, God kept reminding me that she was His. I was not free to pursue her, even though I was falling in love with her, and quite honestly I didn’t want to! I kept trying to tell myself I couldn’t be in love with her because I was still in school. Kel demonstrated true love. She never rejected this. She went to God with it, and she encouraged me and prayed that I would seek the Lord about this as well.

Kelly: During that fall, Pete never pursued me. He was a very faithful friend, even though it was obvious that he was struggling. Often he would look away in pain or hold himself from sharing or saying something because he knew that I wasn’t ready and God hadn’t given him leave to pursue me. The ball, I knew, was in my court, and until I got some time with God, I wasn’t picking it up.

November came, and with it Thanksgiving. Pete planned on spending his Thanksgiving at home, and Kate and I were taking off for Appomattox to spend it with our family. I missed him WAY too much. The day after Thanksgiving, I called him and told him so.

He replied with an encouragement the Lord had given him over a very cool drive into the airport.

Pete: Surrounded by a thunderstorm and clouds floating in front of a very brilliant moon, I was reminded that I could only trust God with today, with what I have today. I told God I couldn’t go on, couldn’t keep doing this every day for the rest of my life. God asked me to just trust Him for today.

Kelly: Today. Today I could do. I had trusted God with yesterday, and He’d been faithful. Looking back now, I can see His gentle hand opening my heart, little bit by little bit. That Thanksgiving, He began to teach me again about thanking Him.


A *VERY* New Year

Christmas brought changes neither of us expected.

Kelly: The night of the Free Indeed concert (Free Indeed being the group that I founded and co-led with Gabe), Pete bought me a gift. It was a simple gift, just a friendship gift from a friend whose love language is gifts. He had given me things before, and I had accepted them without thought. When I opened the lighthouse necklace, however, my heart did something it had never done before. I knew I was going to have to think about it later, but I was waiting until I had some time.

I wore the necklace that night for the concert.

Pete: I was driving home. Kelly called. In a conversation about forgiveness in which she shared with me her struggle to forgive someone and have nothing left to owe him but love, I asked her to forgive him. I was driving up in the middle of a nor’easter, and stopped at a Subway in the pouring rain. Somewhere in Podunkville, Pennsylvania, it struck me that I wanted to marry Kel. That’s basically as far as the thought got, because what hit me next was the irony of my comment to God that summer after He asked me to ask for Kel, when I said I wasn’t interested in getting married, I didn’t want to get married—and here I was, thinking that I wanted to marry my best friend, the person He had used time and time again to point me to Himself. My bestest buddy.

Kelly: Awh. By the way, the run-on there was his. :-D

Pete: I emailed Kel from my sister’s home that night in regard to several conversations that we had had.

Kelly: The next morning, I was more thrilled than I should have been for where I was confessing to be about our friendship to find his missive in my inbox. His words encouraged me to take the step the Lord had been asking of me in forgiving the person who had hurt me before. He told me that he was extremely proud of me for being courageous enough to forgive, and he was probably going to be considered insane to encourage the woman he was in love with to make amends in a previous relationship. He closed his letter with an “I love you.”

I knew that the love he was offering was a friendship love, though I also knew wanted more. But he hadn’t asked, and I knew he wouldn’t unless God led him to.

Pete: And I also knew that was something that God had to do in Kelly’s heart.

Kelly: The next evening Pete was confronted about his email to me, specifically about his inappropriate relationship with a young woman. As I was the young woman in question, I thought I would shatter. Three years before, I had been confronted in a similar fashion over an email I had written about the young man that I was in love with. I felt like I was reliving that pain, and was certain that it would be only a matter of time before Pete caved to the pressure and walked away.

Pete: For me, it was a struggle between being her friend as God had led me, trying not to live out my love for her, still struggling with why God would ask me to ask Him for her, and praying that I would see her again. I was terrified that she was going to run away. I was also scared that I had misunderstood God and was only seeking what I thought was best.

Kelly: THAT was also the night that my parents had sat me down to express their concerns about my commitment to the Lord regarding my previous relationship. I called Pete, because I didn’t know who else I could talk to about it, to be met with his explanation of what had happened on his end. I had never heard someone so determined not to hate. He wasn’t angry, but deeply wounded by those he loved more than his own life. His heart was on the altar, and I knew he was losing it all because God had asked him to be my friend. God was leading him to obey Him in that commitment.

I hung up the phone that night and I knew in my heart that Pete was a man. I also knew that he was a man after God’s own heart. It had been a while since I had considered my prayer for such a man, but God brought it to mind that night in regard to Pete. Again, I set it aside to wait until I got to Tappahannock, where I would be spending a few days over the New Year.

Before I left my parents’ home, I shared what had happened to Pete with my parents. I remember my dad’s soft look as I told him how much I respected Pete. I think he knew then what I would soon find out for myself.

Pete: I asked Dad for help. I explained that God had called me to be Kelly’s friend, but I was terrified of stepping over that boundary, and I didn’t know if I already had. He agreed to help keep me accountable. That same night, Kel called me from Tappahannock.

Kelly: I wasted my first day at the bed and breakfast in Tappahannock. I didn’t want to admit to God that I was feeling these things. I was, after all, still bound to my own commitment to another whom I didn’t love. It served me right. I didn’t want to hear Him tell me I couldn’t love Pete. And I didn’t want Him to tell me I could! I was terrified.

The next day, however, I had a two-hour conversation with, Esther, my friend from England. She asked me some *very* pointed questions, which I answered without thinking about. I couldn’t escape them, though, and as the day wore on, I found myself trying to dodge them. I decided that I was going to rent some movies, only to discover that there was no VCR at the bed and breakfast. Desperate, I went into town to rent a VCR. There were none to be found. Finally, I went to Walmart and bought one.

It was too late. God had gotten through. On the way home, He asked me what I really wanted.

“Oh no, God. I’m not going there.”

I can be very stubborn.

“What do you want, Kelly?”

He can be more stubborn.

We kept this up (a bit longer than two hours) until I finally explained to Him exactly what I wanted.

“God, I want to love Pete, all right? I want him to be the father of my children, to be the one that I get into fights over the dishpan with, the face I wake up to in the morning, the voice I hear for the rest of my life. I want him to be my husband. I want to accept his love, and I want to love him in return!”

I was a bit frustrated with God for dragging it out of me. I’d been so good.

I didn’t know what to do once it came out. I bounced from one side of my bedroom to the other, pacing, freaking, trying to figure out what in the world had just happened. I thought about calling Kate, about calling the guy in the other relationship, and finally settled on calling my parents. I heard rumors that Dad spent most of the next day humming around the house. Mom said she’d never seen him so happy.

*wry grin*

My next step was calling Pete. He didn’t answer. I left a message.

Pete: I still have it on my phone.

Kelly: I KNEW I was going to POP.

I put my movie in and enjoyed (thoroughly enjoyed, I might add) the “Princess Diaries II.”

It had just finished when my cell phone rang.

Pete asked me what was up, and I started with, “Um, what would you do if God didn’t bring me to Tappahannock to tell me to get as far away from you as possible?”

Pete: That was the “logical” conclusion I had reached before I went home for Christmas.

I said, “what?” And she repeated herself. I queried for more information, “What are you saying, exactly?”

She hemmed and hawed for a bit, and then came out with, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

I fell into a snowbank at that point, for the record.

Kelly: You didn’t!

Pete: I did! It was one of those things where I went, “Ah….!!!” And fell backwards into a snowbank.

Six and a half hours later, we hung up. It was 4:30 on the morning of December 31st. I, of course, wanted to do what any self-respecting, manly 23-year-old guy would do—I went and got my mommy up.

Mom was intent on praying about it, which she did with me, and my parents promised to continue. I called Kelly’s dad from an Exxon station in Nuagola, Pennsylvania.

The Proposal from Kelly's Perspective

Our New Address

We know it! God gave us a beautiful place to rent after we get married in October, and we have an address! It's perfect!

Picture this: You pull into your very own tree-lined driveway and find yourself in another world as you approach the gray/brown-sided house that used to be a barn. You park in your own garage (a carport created from a section of the barn) and climb the steps in the shade of the woods to open the door to what will be your very own house. If you look to the left, you can see the pool that the landlords said you could use for swimming (perfect for Kelly, who can only exercise in a pool!)

When you walk in the door, you see steps that have an oak finish circling up to the second floor on your left. To your right is a kitchen with dark green counters and cupboards with a light finish, complete with new appliances . Through the kitchen, you can see a dining room with two windows that opens into a cozy living room done in white and taupe that has another window! There is a gas fireplace in the living room, and all of the floors on the lower level are hardwood.

If you go to the left when you walk in the door and take the curving stairs up to the second floor, you find a full bathroom at to the right that has a tub that is low enough for Kelly to get into without a problem. Just outside the bathroom is the stackable washer/dryer combination. Directly ahead of you is the room that we will use for our bedroom, a room that has two windows that face east, so we can watch the sunrise! If you go to your right, there is another room with two windows that we are going to use as a study so Pete can have a place to do his work. This one has an interesting shape, with a small alcove as you walk in the door that opens up to a full room as you round the corner. The upstairs rooms have white berber carpeting and closets and extra storage in cubbies behind the walls.

Kelly: It's totally a God thing. Do you ever get the feeling that He has just blessed you beyond belief? I mean... I struggle so much believing that He would actually give me things I desire that I couldn't even ask Him for this, and yet... It's more perfect than I could have imagined, right down to the tub and the use of the pool! I didn't do anything to deserve this... didn't trust Him, didn't dare hope... But He is so good anyway. I get so caught up with trying to deserve what He gives, that I don't know how to be blessed or how to accept His gifts. But first He gives me Pete, now this house... My heart is opening with excitement--what is He going to do next?

Pete: I tried talking to God about it. I can't think of what to say other than "Wow" and "Thank you."

Our new address as of September (when Kelly moves in) will be:

36810 Stone Meadow Lane
Purcellville, VA 20132

Wedding Party

Our wedding party is an eclectic group of people who, for some seriously demented reason or another, actually LIKE us, and even claim to LOVE us, which seems unbelievable, except for the number of times they have proved it.

Seriously, though, there were so many people we wanted to ask to be a part of our wedding, but costs and practicalities run high at these things, so we had to limit ourselves. Thank you to all of you for your love and support for us, and for being willing to stand up with us, however embarrassing it may turn out to be!

(Kelly: Yes, you should take that as a warning!)

Here are the chosen.

Pete: Picture little green aliens... "Oooooohhh.... You have been chosen...."
Kelly: It won't be THAT bad.

Maid of Honor :
Kate Langner (who won't be walking the aisle without a miracle that turns her into Cinderella which, to Kelly's chagrin, is NOT likely in the next millienium. DARN for Prince Charming.)

UPDATE: It happened. She is now walking the aisle, hurray!

Bridesmaids:
Joli Chism
Christy Du Mee
Leeann Walker
April Quarto
Ashley Trim

Best Man:
Alan Sauer (Pete's dad. In case you were wondering.)

Groomsmen:
Courtney Canfijn
Gabriel JOHN Waddell
Fred Spielman
Corey McLaughlin
Joseph Moss

(How's THAT for an ethnic round-up?)

Pete: You forgot a large Atlantic Cod named Phil "Braintree, Massachusetts" Bankhead.
Kelly: THAT would be Prince Charming.

All in all, it appears to work out to twelve people who will be standing at the front with the couple. Who knows, though. Anything could happen.

And then there are the ushers...

Daniel Mitchell
Joshua Langner
Joel Langner
William Estrada

Welcome aboard, guys!

Twelfth Night: Custody of "The Platter"

On Monday night, Pete and I hosted our first annual Twelfth Night party. Being newly married, we understand the importance of creating our own family traditions, and since all of our other holidays were booked, we decided to create a Twelfth Night celebration--a few days late.

The invitation email went out the day of the party and read:

A Cock-Eyed (er... Cockney) Evening

Most of you know about and have been looking forward to our joint jewellry this evening.

For dinner and treats, we'll be serving wig with eyes on feet with head, followed by a dessert fondue made of stairs. To avoid wife, we'll avoid the missis, horse, and watch.

Come meet Road at Soap tonight, seven-o-clock on the nose.

If you expect to gain any idea from this email of what is going on tonight for our "Un-Twelfth Night Party", just be aware that you may all expect anything.

Our house. 7:00. Be there. (Click here for directions)

Your somewhat sincere, albeit well-meaning hosts,

~Pete-n-Kelly~
P.S. translation below...

Most of you know, and have been looking forward to our joint tom-foolery this evening.

For dinner and treats, we'll be serving syrup of figs with mince pies on plates of meat with a loaf of bread, followed by a dessert fondue made of apples and pears. To avoid trouble and strife, we'll avoid cheese and kisses, bottle of sauce, and bottle of Scotch.

Come meet Frog and Toad at Cape of Good Hope tonight, seven-o-clock on the nose.

(Pete has this really great new book of total randomnity... :-D)

At 7:00pm, as scheduled, the party commenced.

We played a few rousing rounds of Catch-Phrase, in which we learned that girls know nothing about sports, boys are very loud, Gabe is very particular about particulars, and Vanessa believes there is a Seattle baseball team called the Seattle Sea Lions. Chris is terrified of the buzzer, and Katie holds the record for the most buzzes.

After that, it was on to a short name game in which we experienced imitations of such random characters as Scott Somerville, Spartacus, and Zelda the Warrior Princess. I think.

Then it was on to the evening's real entertainment: "Family Court:" A custody battle between the newly-freed Katie and John Caleb, who just finished their second-year finals. The battle? Who should *not* gain custody of "The Platter."

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, we'll let them tell the story.

Gabe, counsel for Plaintiff Katie Schlaak, kept ticking off Judge Random. This had some rather nasty consequences.

Examining "The Platter" that Plaintiff Katie was "too feminine" to own.

Plaintiff Katie--Does that laughter look a bit horrified to you?

Defense Counsel Will stands up to object to Expert Witness Abigail's testimony. "The fact that there is no pink on that platter is no reason that my client should be the one to have custody!"

Defendants could not keep straight faces. It seriously affected their credibility.

Defense Counsel insulted Bailiff Vanessa, who had to be restrained by a higher authority. The offense? Will's sea lion imitation: "ARP, ARP!

Expert Witness Abigail--zany femininity personified. "The Rose always helps!"

Or not.

Defense Counsel had serious trouble being serious for his closing arguments. Which were already closed because Defense had rested by the time the Plaintiffs presented their first witness.

Judge Random, now Witness Random, had some trouble staying awake to be sworn in by Bailiff. (Please note that CD case is not a Bible.)

The evidence of Defendant JC's insanity: A can-opener and rubber gloves, brought onto the premises on Defendant's person.

Judge Random would not allow the evidence to be admitted.

Objection! Intimidation of Counsel!

"Very well. We shall prove which one of you deserves custody of 'The Platter.' Cut it in half, and we shall see who the real owner is!"

Abigail was the real owner.

They couldn't believe it! Witness Abigail's amazing generosity stunned Vanessa.

And Chris.

All agreed: it was an extremely fun party.

And who knows where "The Platter" will end up next?

Directions to Our Place

Follow Main Street (Business 7) through Purcellville toward Round Hill until you're almost out of town.

Turn left at the 7/11 onto Rt. 690S.

Follow 690 South to Colchester Road and turn left onto Colchester.

When you reach the STOP sign at Telegraph Springs Road, turn left again onto Telegraph Springs.

Turn right at Stonemeadow Lane.

Our downhill driveway is the fourth driveway on the left, marked by a smallish black mailbox with 36810 on it.

If you need help, call us at (703) 727-4220 or (703) 297-6059.