July 6, 2002
Ten years ago today, I took a leap of faith and decided to give Mark a chance once again. It was the best decision I have ever made my whole life! Today we celebrate a decade of a beautiful love story that started out as friendship and grew to love. We are living proofs that if you are meant to be with someone, you will be. Sometimes, you just have to let destiny take its course.

Anniversary Adventures

Beach day - this is a tradition that we started when we were I think around three or four years into the relationship. Our yearly destination has always been Pinery Provincial Park near Grand Bend. This year we wanted to do something different, but we just couldn't pass off doing our tradition, so we went ahead with it. We went to Pinery! =) This visit was different from all the other years we've been there though. We went on a canoe ride! I know it's not that big of a deal, but for someone who cannot swim and going canoeing for the first time, it was kind of terrifying! That was me who was terrified by the way! I did enjoy it maybe fifty percent of the time. The other fifty percent, I was too preoccupied that the boat was going to turn over. He he ...

Buffalo bound - another first for this year was crossing the border to good old US of A! I have never been, but Mark has been countless of time. I told him that I wanted to do some sightseeing, so we went ahead and crossed. We ended up doing some shopping instead of sightseeing though. We ran into some hiccups on our way back, and let's just say that it definitely will make a good story for our kids. LOL! Let's just say that we are proud to say that we stuck it out "for better or worse". =)

Overall, it was a very memorable anniversary indeed!


-Lene

I can't believe how much time has passed. 280 days left!!! Ahhh!!! Ha! Ha!

After 1 year, 1 month and 10 days of being engaged, here is what I have learned:

1. Relationship trials and struggles are happening more and more often these days it seems, but at the same time, I feel even more closer to Mark. Maybe it's because of the fact that trials gives us a chance to grow in knowing each other, and learning to love each other more despite the difficulties.
2. Do-It-Yourself projects are A LOT of work! I am now really thinking twice before I start another one. (Those Save the Dates were a lot more time consuming than I thought. LOL!)
3. Wedding Forums are a lot of fun! Ha! Ha! Gives brides a place to talk about wedding stuff 24/7 without boring everyone else.
4. Long Engagements: Seeing the cons of it sometimes. Having a long time to prepare also means a lot of options. It gives you a chance to sometimes second guess your decisions! >_< Arrgghh!! Not good.
5. When you ask people for opinions, you will get them! Whether you like what you hear or not, you have to accept it. Makes you think twice if you should ask in the first place. LOL!
6. It's really easy to get side-tracked. When you're planning something that includes a lot little details, it is so easy to get caught up and try doing everything at once. Then you stress yourself out because you have so much to do!
7. It's SO hard to stay within your budget! There's always something that comes up and you think that you HAVE to have it, then you pause and really think about it and realize you don't. It's easy to get caught up with things.
8. It's nice when your fiancé is pretty involved with the planning. I'm really blessed in this way. I probably would have gone mental by now if he wasn't there for me.
9. It's nice to have at least 1 day a week as "No Wedding Planning Day". It's nice to take a break sometimes too. =)
10. Sometimes I wake up and think to myself: "Is this real? Am I really getting married?". At times I feel like I'm planning this for someone else. When I stop to remember that this is for me, It's exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time! >_<

One year?! Man, I don't even know where to begin figuring out where the last 365 days have gone! This past weekend has truly been a milestone for Mark and I, most especially for me.

First of, we celebrated our 1 year engagement anniversary yesterday (November 27)  while celebrating Mark's mom's birthday. With the way things are going, October 12, 2012 will be here in no time! =)

Secondly, our hall called for us to book an appointment for our food tasting! We found out that we are able to bring other people to the tasting as well - a pleasant surprise! Apparently this is the time when Mark and I should be pigging out because on the day of our wedding, we most likely will not be able to eat. LOL! They will be serving us all of our courses from start to finish! Eeeeee!! So excited!! Got to remember to wear jogging pants for some extra room. He he ...

Lastly, what really made this weekend so wonderful for me was what had happened at the Youth Servants Retreat. To make a long story short, by God's grace, I was able to finally put behind things from my past and finally be at peace. You can never truly appreciate the grace of forgiveness until you have forgiven and have been forgiven.

I can't thank God enough for all that He has blessed Mark and I this past year. He has answered each and every one of our prayers. Especially when we think it's not possible, God always finds a way to make it possible. He truly is LOVE.

Here's a song that really stuck to me this weekend. This truly is the first day of the rest of my life. =)

Have a great week!

-Lene