It's more than time for an update on the lives of Peter and Kelly. We've been so busy for the last couple of months, it's hard to find time to blog and keep the rest of you in the loop!
I shot my fourth wedding this year last weekend. I now have about 7,000 pictures to proof in the next two weeks, before my last one for the summer. Pete just got back from Connecticut on his third conference of the year (the first two have been in the last six weeks). We are ready for a break. And an update!
We celebrated our six-month anniversary in April with a short, intimate vow renewal on the beach (pictures to be posted at some point, I promise!) and a stroll down memory lane with a night at the bed and breakfast where I was staying the night I called Pete a year and a half ago.
Pete's sister Amy and her family have moved into Maryland, and we can't tell how much we're looking forward to spending more time with them when all this is over!
My brother Josh has gotten engaged to a sweet girl who reminds me so much of me that I'm just flattered at how much Josh actually liked me! We shall see how the Lord leads these two. Pete and I look at them and think how young they are to be getting married--19 and 21--and we have to keep reminding ourselves that God knows what He's doing and He doesn't give everyone what He gave to Pete and me at the beginning.
We've been doing so much traveling (we've been to Lynchburg, Florida, DC, OH, Philadelphia, and Connecticut in the last couple of weeks), we hardly know where home is anymore--oh wait! It's not really our home! We have a mouse who has moved in and appropriated Pete's sunflower seeds and my chocolate. Our landlords have also hired a ghost-painter to scare the soot-coated walls into hiding. We were blessed to receive a new fireplace to erase THAT particular problem.
The last two weeks, we have eaten at home ONCE, so our grocery bills have been going into eating out. Lately, I've been subsisting on hot dogs and pizza. Yes. I know this is not healthy. I cannot help hoping that I am gaining weight, however. When I do have a chance to cook at home, we have been enjoying a renovated Martha Stewart recipe for chicken with lemon and thyme. Pete loves it, and I'm drinking lemonade again this summer for the first time in several years. I forgot how much I liked it (though we quibble a bit about how watered down it should be!)
God has not stopped being faithful to us, and though we're perhaps not as close to Him relationally as we'd both like, His hand is evident not only in the work He is doing in our lives, but also in His provision for us as we have faced bills and car repairs and speeding tickets and tiredness.
One of the biggest examples of His hand on our lives occurred three weeks ago, when my best friend came in from out of town. She has a mental illness, and she had stopped taking her medication because she wanted to try a natural route for a physical problem she didn't have. Pete stayed home from his conference that weekend and we were brought to the end of ourselves as she slipped further down the slope of reality. God brought us closer together as we reached out to minister to her, finally making the hardest decision I've ever made in my life to get treatment for her. In the end, He comforted us both as we cried over the pain of her loss.
The house is finally starting to come back under control now, and I'm home sick today to try to catch up on some rest and correspondence.
My brother Joel is graduating in two weeks, so we'll be in Lynchburg for that, and then it's out to Kansas the next week for another graduation!
That is about all the news that is fit to report for the moment (or rather, all that I can think of to write about). Let us know how you all are doing!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Sudden Spring Update
Pete and Kelly got married in October. They've been learning and growing and getting to love each other better. It's been a good and tough first few months of marriage. But, they made it through the winter, in spite of their soot-encrusted apartment (gotta love the gas sometimes--we can't even get it off the porcelain in the bathroom) and the cold outside. They are thankful for a shortish, mildish winter, even though Pete is from Connecticut.
Pete and Kelly are having fun setting up house and starting a photography business. Pete is studying for school again, and Kelly is letting him. Kelly has been going to sleep abnormally early, and Pete has been getting up abnormally early. But, we enjoy the time we have together during the days.
Pete just got his topic for his senior seminar paper, and he is quite excited about it. Kelly is a bit clueless about the law of the thing, but wondering what kind of cracks Pete can come up with for "Legal Criteria for Protecting the Right to Life of Incompetent People."
Today, Pete and Kelly drove to Leesburg and South Street Under for lunch, and then drove back by way of a little-known country road. We saw running horses in a pasture beside the country road. It was pretty.
Pete and Kelly are excited because they will soon have Pete's sister Amy and brother-in-law David in Maryland, along with two of our nices and nephlets! We're looking forward to visiting, photographing, gifting, and getting to know them a bit better--provided God doesn't send US out to California when Pete passes the Bar next year. Because he will.
Pete and Kelly are getting ready for a fun secret that happens on a Tuesday. :-D You know we'll post some pictures when it happens!
So here is our update for a sudden spring day.
And here are a couple of new favorite pictures. Enjoy!
Pete and Kelly are having fun setting up house and starting a photography business. Pete is studying for school again, and Kelly is letting him. Kelly has been going to sleep abnormally early, and Pete has been getting up abnormally early. But, we enjoy the time we have together during the days.
Pete just got his topic for his senior seminar paper, and he is quite excited about it. Kelly is a bit clueless about the law of the thing, but wondering what kind of cracks Pete can come up with for "Legal Criteria for Protecting the Right to Life of Incompetent People."
Today, Pete and Kelly drove to Leesburg and South Street Under for lunch, and then drove back by way of a little-known country road. We saw running horses in a pasture beside the country road. It was pretty.
Pete and Kelly are excited because they will soon have Pete's sister Amy and brother-in-law David in Maryland, along with two of our nices and nephlets! We're looking forward to visiting, photographing, gifting, and getting to know them a bit better--provided God doesn't send US out to California when Pete passes the Bar next year. Because he will.
Pete and Kelly are getting ready for a fun secret that happens on a Tuesday. :-D You know we'll post some pictures when it happens!
So here is our update for a sudden spring day.
And here are a couple of new favorite pictures. Enjoy!
Thursday, February 23, 2006
WHAAA???
I occasionally check a blog that has a lot of interesting articles about married life, but today's post just about floored me!
The topic was raising our boys to be men and our women to be women. Which I'm okay with to a point, but people will be people, and that is an inevitable fact. Creating gender roles is not a good way for dealing with life.
Anyway, the post linked to an "insightful" (insightful? Good grief, do these people just get together and pat each other on the back for their ideas all the time?) post from the leader of a religious organization that shall, for the purposes of this post, remain anonymous.
The insight given in the post?
...This reminded me of a rule I want us to adopt for our blog. No smiley faces allowed! Real men do not use smiley faces on e-mails! This is fine for the ladies, but not the men. Real men communicate humor effectively without having to use a smiley face and real men can discern the presence of genuine humor without seeing a smiley face. So let our blog be free from all wimp-like communication!
Excuse me while I check my gender again and make sure I have landed in the *right* role...
:-)
;-)
:-P
:-D
The topic was raising our boys to be men and our women to be women. Which I'm okay with to a point, but people will be people, and that is an inevitable fact. Creating gender roles is not a good way for dealing with life.
Anyway, the post linked to an "insightful" (insightful? Good grief, do these people just get together and pat each other on the back for their ideas all the time?) post from the leader of a religious organization that shall, for the purposes of this post, remain anonymous.
The insight given in the post?
...This reminded me of a rule I want us to adopt for our blog. No smiley faces allowed! Real men do not use smiley faces on e-mails! This is fine for the ladies, but not the men. Real men communicate humor effectively without having to use a smiley face and real men can discern the presence of genuine humor without seeing a smiley face. So let our blog be free from all wimp-like communication!
Excuse me while I check my gender again and make sure I have landed in the *right* role...
:-)
;-)
:-P
:-D
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Valentine's Week Report
Valentine's Day fell inconveniently prior to payday this year, but since it was our first V-Day after getting married, we weren't about to let it slide. Instead, we created something that could become a tradition: a Valentine's Week. Instead of choosing one day to look forward to and risk spending a ton of money (because everything is expensive for Valentine's Day), we gave each other a whole week of surprises and fun!
On Monday, I officially commenced my Valentine's Week blogging at my personal blog with a collection of rememberies, quotes, and love-related stuff.
On Tuesday, Pete was resigned to going home, watching a movie, and spending a normal evening. He didn't know I had spent some time compiling love quotes, romantic pictures, and short passages from Song of Solomon to combine into a 10-card evening for him. We stopped for pizza and a bit of sparkling blush on our way home, and had a very special night as I gave him the cards throughout the evening.
Wednesday, I had scheduled emails with a love quote or poem to arrive for him every half-hour during the day, culminating in a love letter at the end of the day. His email for noon? Two of my packages arrived for him: a little stuffed llama from an old memory, and the Mansfield Park soundtrack from a new memory! (We had just watched the movie on Saturday, and Pete had really enjoyed the soundtrack.) On Wednesday evening, we went out for Japanese together, joining two apologetic couples who were out with their rather noisy young children at a table for eight.
By Thursday, I was running a bit short on ideas, but Pete was just getting started. When we went grocery shopping on Thursday evening, he disappeared on the pretense of hitting the restroom. I didn't suspect a thing, though I wondered a bit if he was okay, because he was sure taking his time in there! When we got to the car after we finished shopping, Pete had me open the back to find three bouquets of spray roses waiting for me. The sneak! I quickly moved them out of the way to put in the passenger back so we could load the groceries, and then went to the front seat to start the car, since I was driving. There was another bouquet of flowers on the driver's seat--"Kelly, you ditz! You meant to put those in the back--oh wow..." It was a NEW bouquet of fragrant, long-stemmed red roses. Extravagant!
Friday was our planned date night for Valentine's Week. I knew we were going out, and it was going to be late, but Pete didn't tell me until we were almost to the Metro Station that he was taking me to see the Disney Ice Princesses production at the MCI Center in D.C. I was thrilled! I had decided not to watch the Olympic ice skating this year (Michelle Kwan's withdrawal was QUITE a bummer), so Pete had found a way for me to see ice skating anyway! On our way to the MCI center, I presented Pete with his last two gifts, a little stuffed walrus (from another old memory) and the soundtrack to the new Pride and Prejudice, which we listened to on the way.
Pete promised one more surprise as we arrived at the last minute, and as we raced to our seats, I found my eyes growing wider and wider as we approached the front. Three rows back, two rows back... *gulp* "You bought us seats in the FRONT row?" It was an incredibly fun experience! I can be such a little kid sometimes: I didn't stop smiling the whole night! My guy is so wonderful!
Saturday evening brought the end of our Valentine's week. Pete surprised me with chocolate-dipped strawberries that he'd dipped himself, and I had a little fun with roses and candles after our crockpot dinner of corned beef and cabbage... (*chuckle* We were celebrating a bit early for St. Patrick's Day?)
We have enjoyed so much of our relationship in the comfort of our friendship, but Valentine's Week let us go a bit beyond friendship to the more daring, romantic end of things. All in all, it was a very special week, and one that we'll both probably treasure for a long time. It gave us both an opportunity to invest in each other, and learn more about what makes the other feel loved.
On Monday, I officially commenced my Valentine's Week blogging at my personal blog with a collection of rememberies, quotes, and love-related stuff.
On Tuesday, Pete was resigned to going home, watching a movie, and spending a normal evening. He didn't know I had spent some time compiling love quotes, romantic pictures, and short passages from Song of Solomon to combine into a 10-card evening for him. We stopped for pizza and a bit of sparkling blush on our way home, and had a very special night as I gave him the cards throughout the evening.
Wednesday, I had scheduled emails with a love quote or poem to arrive for him every half-hour during the day, culminating in a love letter at the end of the day. His email for noon? Two of my packages arrived for him: a little stuffed llama from an old memory, and the Mansfield Park soundtrack from a new memory! (We had just watched the movie on Saturday, and Pete had really enjoyed the soundtrack.) On Wednesday evening, we went out for Japanese together, joining two apologetic couples who were out with their rather noisy young children at a table for eight.
By Thursday, I was running a bit short on ideas, but Pete was just getting started. When we went grocery shopping on Thursday evening, he disappeared on the pretense of hitting the restroom. I didn't suspect a thing, though I wondered a bit if he was okay, because he was sure taking his time in there! When we got to the car after we finished shopping, Pete had me open the back to find three bouquets of spray roses waiting for me. The sneak! I quickly moved them out of the way to put in the passenger back so we could load the groceries, and then went to the front seat to start the car, since I was driving. There was another bouquet of flowers on the driver's seat--"Kelly, you ditz! You meant to put those in the back--oh wow..." It was a NEW bouquet of fragrant, long-stemmed red roses. Extravagant!
Friday was our planned date night for Valentine's Week. I knew we were going out, and it was going to be late, but Pete didn't tell me until we were almost to the Metro Station that he was taking me to see the Disney Ice Princesses production at the MCI Center in D.C. I was thrilled! I had decided not to watch the Olympic ice skating this year (Michelle Kwan's withdrawal was QUITE a bummer), so Pete had found a way for me to see ice skating anyway! On our way to the MCI center, I presented Pete with his last two gifts, a little stuffed walrus (from another old memory) and the soundtrack to the new Pride and Prejudice, which we listened to on the way.
Pete promised one more surprise as we arrived at the last minute, and as we raced to our seats, I found my eyes growing wider and wider as we approached the front. Three rows back, two rows back... *gulp* "You bought us seats in the FRONT row?" It was an incredibly fun experience! I can be such a little kid sometimes: I didn't stop smiling the whole night! My guy is so wonderful!
Saturday evening brought the end of our Valentine's week. Pete surprised me with chocolate-dipped strawberries that he'd dipped himself, and I had a little fun with roses and candles after our crockpot dinner of corned beef and cabbage... (*chuckle* We were celebrating a bit early for St. Patrick's Day?)
We have enjoyed so much of our relationship in the comfort of our friendship, but Valentine's Week let us go a bit beyond friendship to the more daring, romantic end of things. All in all, it was a very special week, and one that we'll both probably treasure for a long time. It gave us both an opportunity to invest in each other, and learn more about what makes the other feel loved.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Date Remembery #2
Our first Valentine's Day remembery, about the evils of not obtaining full disclosure, can be found here.Do enjoy!
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