Slowly but surely, things are coming together little by little. We are now out of the 200 days!! Ahhh!! Time honestly needs to slow down a little. Ha! Ha!

We now have 2 more things we can check off our list: Hairstylist and Tuxedos!

It's funny because every time I think about the wedding, I feel like I am planning the whole thing for someone else. Then when I stop to think that it's for me and I start to panic! Ha ha!! I guess everything just feels so surreal! Everything is so exciting, but there's so many other emotions too. It's like everything I have dreamed of is finally happening, but I have to keep pinching myself that it's all real! =)

Sometimes when you get caught up with everything that is happening around you, especially planning a wedding, you forget to pause and enjoy everything. Saw something that I have seen before, but is a great reminder of what kind of man I am about to marry ...


I can't thank God enough for blessing me with Mark ... cheesy I know, but it's the truth. =)


 -Lene

Sometimes I hate the fact that we're getting married. *gasp* I know! Crazy huh? Not for the reason you are thinking. I only hate it because of the money it involves.

People dream of their wedding day their whole life and the little details they want to incorporate in it. Then the day actually comes and you realize that there's more to having the "perfect" wedding. One's perception of "perfect" I guess can change.

This is what I keep realizing. As cheesy as it may be, but I've come to realize that perfect isn't about all the little details, it's about the reason for the occasion. Our day is already perfect because we have been blessed to be given a love that comes only once in a lifetime. The forever kind of love. =)

The wedding is just another financial milestone we need to overcome. There will always be more milestones to come. Now it's the wedding. Later on it will be something else. What matters is that we have each other. What matters is the journey, not the destination.



-Lene

"There will always be struggles along the way, but there is no one else I would rather struggle with than you."

Every relationship has their ups and downs and last weekend was a down time for Marky and I. I can't even remember the last time we fought before this, it's been that long. Let's just say that everything was a misunderstanding and emotions got into the way.

But I am happy to say that we have worked everything out by God's grace.

Here's a little something from Bob Marley that's worth keeping in mind.


Happy Wednesday!!

-Lene

The more and more I am getting into all this planning, I am coming to an unfortunate conclusion ... as much as we would like to think that the wedding is OUR day, it really isn't.

It's more like a huge party that you and your FH are hosting. =(

You really have to compromise or "give-up" a bunch of the things you like in order to keep relationships in good shape.

*sigh* Who would have thought getting married was this complicated?

After talking to some very wise ladies who are going through the same issues as me, this is what I have learned:

"Learn to pick your battles. Don't sweat the small stuff."

(I think I may have said this to myself before? Or someone said this to me before?)

"But it all works out in the end and you will realize the stuff you are stressing about now won't matter to you the day of."

"I think we get so caught up in the "wedding" of it all (think Kim Kardashian) that we forget that it is all about what brought us to this point."

It is our day. I just have to keep my eyes on the goal, to be with each other forever. Here is a great line that I learned as well that could come in handy later on ... "I'll take your suggestions into consideration."

=)


-Lene

Happy Wednesday! =) What a great Wednesday it is. The sun is out and it's supposed to climb up to 17 degrees today! A great improvement from the single digits we've been having just last week.

Just thought I would add this here. Finances or money in general is always something that everyone worries about and as much as we don't want to admit it's importance, it is. Especially in mine and Mark's situation. For those of you who have gotten married already, you all know how hard it is in the pocket to get married. It's reality and there's not much we can do about it. That's why I found this message from Rick Warren so inspiring.


“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)

The Bible teaches that God is the source of our finances. He is the one who provides for our needs.

What does this mean? It means that, instead of looking to my employer for financial security, I look to God. It means that, instead of looking at my savings account employer for financial security, I look to God. It means that I don’t look to anyone or anything other than God to provide for my needs.

Let me illustrate it this way: When I turn on the water, I know the water doesn’t actually come from the faucet. The water comes through the faucet. The water is actually from a reservoir, and the way I happen to receive it is through the faucet.

In the same way, the income that God wants to give you may come through a job or through something or someone else.

But the source is always God.

We don’t need to worry about which faucet God uses to supply our needs. In a sense he says, “If I turn off one faucet, I can just as easily turn on another. If you lose one job, I can give you another. I am your source, not your job. I am your source, not your bank account.”

Worry reveals the places where you are not trusting God. Ask God to help you understand what causes you to not trust him, and ask him to teach you to start trusting him. Look for how he does that. In addition, when you start to worry, talk to God about your concerns.


Hope this helped brightened your day in some way.

-Lene

I have always been on of those people who always try to look at the brighter side of things. Everyday, I try to remember to give thanks for everything that I have.

One of the things that I haven't really put much thought in lately is how grateful I am to have found Mark. Yes, I know, cliché. I'm sure you're thinking "Of course you are! That's why you're marrying him." Ha! Ha!

Source

But I really do want to emphasize why I am grateful for him.

He never gives up!
To Mark, not being together is not an option. From the very beginning, we both agreed that we don't believe in "cool offs" because that leads to breaking up. Whatever struggles we go through, he's always trying to get us to "be in the same boat".

He respects me
in every way. He loves my individuality and how I stand up for what I believe in.  Even when he doesn't agree with him, he respects my opinions just as I respect his. He respects and admires my "old school" Filipino values and traditions.

OK, here we go! Our second Engagement Photoshoot is tomorrow! Well, it's scheduled for tomorrow, but Mother Nature does not seem to be co-operating! As my future sister in-law Yasmin would say "Caman"!! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Last Friday, I finally got around to cleaning my room after let's just say a very long time. Ha! Ha! What motivated me to clean it? My mom was coming home from the Philippines! =) She's been on my case for a while about cleaning my room, so I knew I had to do it before she got back from her trip.

As I was going through the pile of papers, envelopes, old chocolates (LOL!), etc. on my desk, I realized how my "bill" pile was starting to stack up. Going through them, I got all nervous again. I have always dreamed of having the perfect wedding, but as we actually plan our wedding, it is becoming more and more a reality as to what "perfect" means. Weddings cost money and that's reality. There really is no way around it.

Anyways, there I was freaking out a little (as always it seems) as I continued cleaning, then I came across something that literally stopped me in my tracks.

I found a book that one of my friends had lent me and on the back it had such a beautiful message that really hit home!


After seeing this, I literally just cried. =)

Oftentimes we get so caught up with all that is happening in our lives that we forget who's overseeing it all.

Afterwards, all I could do was let out a big sigh of relief. He's got this!

-Lene

"Change Your Words - Change Your World"

Here is something I learned from the LOJC Youth Inspired! this past weekend. You are what you say! If you believe that you are blessed, you will be blessed. Instead of saying "I have so many problems", why not say, "I have so many "projects" or "possibilities". Or, instead of "I am so stressed", why not say, "I have so many opportunities."

Of course words have to be accompanied by actions. Do what you are saying ... make it happen!

Here's a video that was shared with us and I thought was simply beautiful.

"I am going to have an AMAZING Monday today!" =)

Happy Monday!!

If you find someone who makes a point to tell you how much they love you everyday - keep him!

Mark has always been a very thoughtful guy. He always makes sure that he texts me everyday (during the day) just to say "hi", tell me he misses me, that sort of thing. On top of that, we usually talk when I'm on my way home and later on at night before we go to bed. I guess all of these means of communications are what has kept our long distance relationship to last this long. To some it may be too much, but to us, it's what has worked!

His usual daily texts usually arrives by around noon, unless he's busy. Today, he surprised me with an email instead!  


"Hello poop,

Hope you're not getting sick of these little stories/messages that I'm posting. These things really hit home to me and carry a beautiful message that I know I can use now and later on in life.

We're still in the process of interviewing a few other DJs. I'm finding that this task has got to be the hardest one of all. The overall reception rests on this decision, so we're trying not to make any quick decisions. We have after all over a year. =)

So in the meantime, here's a great Friday message for you. Enjoy! =)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day not enough is; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. 

I know that for the longest time, I have been guilty of this - lack of patience. Being the control freak that I am, I often have a tendency to want things to happen now.

I've struggled with this over and over again. In fact, there are still days that I struggle with it. When Mark and I started going out, we decided to take it day-by-day. We didn't know how long our relationship would last and look where we are now! Then after the 7 years mark passed, I started to get antsy. We talked about the wedding, but I wanted to know when it would happen.

Now, we are finally engaged and I just want our day to come so that we can finally start our life together.

Again, God has found a way for me to learn about patience ...

Waiting patiently in happy ignorance - By Terry A. Modica

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." Oh please, Jesus, tell me now; send me an email!

We don't like feeling uncertain about the future. We want to know about God's plans about how or even IF our prayers will be answered. We want to know how things will turn out if we say yes to a new job or a ministry or a challenging donation of our time. We want to know how long we must continue trying to evangelize others before they finally wake up and repent, especially when their worldly ways are causing us problems.

In our chats with God, we say: "Okay, if I do what you're asking, what will happen?" or "Will this trial ever end?" or "Ahem, please explain further so I can base my decision on how logical this sounds."

Being ignorant of the details can be scary. We know there's a bigger picture, but all we've got to work with are a few small puzzle pieces. We're not in control. Ohhhmygosh, this means we have to trust God!

What seems to be a frightening silence is really a huge gift. Imagine if God were to sit you down in a nice quiet prayer room and display on the wall a video that shows everything he's going to do in your life: everything he's asking of you, what you'll have to endure to accomplish it, all the hurdles you'll face, how he'll be stretching you beyond what's comfortable and familiar. Do you really want to know all this? Even though the movie would also show the fun of it, the good times, God's helping hand, the wonderful fruits and rewards, etc., wouldn't you break out in a cold sweat panic attack? I know I would.

We should thank God for our ignorance! It's a great relief to trustingly let the Holy Spirit have full control. Jesus says in this Gospel message: "The Spirit of Truth will guide you to all truth." The Holy Spirit will "announce" to us whatever we need to know, not when WE want to know it, but when it truly is the perfect time to know it.

Life's greatest adventures come from trusting God in the midst of ignorance. Have you ever ridden a roller coaster that has surprising twists and turns? It's popular with riders who like the thrill of not knowing where they're going, where's the next dip, the next spin, the next upside-down loop. The life of a Christian is just as thrilling! Don't worry. Even if you don't like roller coasters, it can be a safe adventure. God is your seat belt – he holds you in his lap very securely.

For safety, please don't try to climb out before the ride is over.

This is going to be short and sweet.

Mark and I just encountered our first BIG hurdle after being engaged. Basically, what we have realized is that we can't please everybody. In fact, we shouldn't be pleasing anyone but ourselves!

This wedding is for us. Suggestions, inputs are very much appreciated, but in the end, it should be what we want that matters.

This goes right back to the very first advice we received after we got engaged last year.

"No matter what, just go with what YOU want. Remember, this is YOUR day."

And this really hit home today.