Jesus, antiques & wine

ross & i escaped on a pre-marital counseling retreat just outside of the freakishly adorable town of saledo, texas. the class we've been in for seven weeks concluded with a retreat of more than thirty couples. we felt so beyond blessed to be around so many people in our same phase in life and wise, godly counsel.

i have a secret for anyone who reads this and is not engaged: although proposals, wedding plans, and dreaming of your life with the man of your dreams are all incredibly exciting and fun- the truth is: being engaged is hard.

just like everything that God created to be good, Satan creeps in and tries to corrupt it. besides attacks from the enemy, it is naturally scary to be on the brink of the biggest decision of your life. two are preparing to become one, yet are still not one yet. it's a weird time. but this weekend i feel like i came out of the desert and jumped straight into the coolest & clearest of streams. i am at peace & my cup overflows.

during our free time on saturday afternoon, ross & i ventured into a cool antique shop to find a treasure for our future home. while i was paying for a rockin' milk glass fruit bowl, i noticed the lady checking me out had a dutch accent. when i told her i studied abroad in maastricht, she got goosebumps: that's where she was from. small world.

we told her we were in town for an engaged couples retreat and that we would be moving to college station. i made a comment like, "well, it's not nearly as beautiful as holland..." but she abruptly stopped me and said,

"no, you make every place beautiful.
you have to make your home beautiful."

it's funny the people you meet and the way God speaks through them & says exactly what you need to hear. she also told us about a wine tasting festival, which we of course thoroughly enjoyed.
it was a good weekend.