Tomorrow is our 3rd anniversary. Time flies when you’re having fun! I cannot believe we have been married for three years already! Every single day it is a joy to be Ryland’s wife. He is what every girl dreams of. He is sensitive, creative, romantic, a handy-man, a musician, a surfer, and a man who loves the Lord. We travel and explore distant places together, create dessert recipes together, and sing christmas songs before we fall asleep together—even in the summer time. He makes me laugh more than anyone else in the world can. I just can’t say enough about how blessed I am to be his.
He shows me what God means when he says that marriage is a model of Christ’s love for the church. Ryland knows me more than anyone else on Earth—and he loves me anyway. That is saying A LOT-trust me! I pray every day for more grace…that I would be a beautiful bride to Ryland AND Jesus, that I would be a woman worth chasing after, and that I would be a woman who brings honor to her husband and her God. Before Ryland and I were even together, we each had a deep love for Christ and before we ever even thought about dating, we agreed that Jesus would continue to be our #1 love in life. He is our first and true love. Our marriage is second and is based off of the love affair we have with Christ. So far, this model has made our marriage a dream. Don’t get me wrong—we definitely have our moments of extreme selfishness (mostly me :)) but Christ has made our marriage something truly beautiful because we know how to forgive and we practice it often.
God has a funny way of showing himself in our lives. When Ryland and I met and got to know each other, we found out that our favorite verses in the bible were not only in the same book, but also in the same chapter. His favorite verse is Isaiah 51:11 ” Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” My favorite verse is Isaiah 51:3 : “For the Lord will surely comfort Zion and look with compassion on all her ruins. He will make her deserts like the garden of Eden, her wastelands like the Garden of the Lord. Joy and Gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.” It is so awesome not only to be able to praise Jesus out loud in front of my husband but also to be able to get on our knees and worship him together. We have both experienced a rescue mission on the part of our Lord and Savior and we have both felt that gladness, thanksgiving, joy, and the sound of singing overtake us. Praise God!
Here is the verse we chose for our wedding: I pray this over EVERYONE who is reading this post…because this is what Ryland and I prayed for those in attendance on our wedding day…Ephesians 3:14 ” For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
When Ryland and I were engaged, we lived 6 hours apart. He was on the Jersey shore and I was in Pittsburgh doing an internship for Silver Ring Thing. I came home from my internship one day to find this big box on my front porch…Ryland had driven from New Jersey, found a huge box, and stood in it until I came home! I was so happy to see him! 
Our first kiss was on his boat. He took me out for an afternoon ride. We anchored the boat and laid out a blanket to look at the clouds and enjoy the May weather. He told me that he always saw other guys bringing their girlfriends out on their boats and now he felt blessed that he had a girl on HIS boat. How cute is that? I was Ryland’s first and LAST girlfriend. :)
We <3 SCRABBLE!!!
Our Engagement and Wedding Photos were taken by my AMAZING friend Katie Long. She is one of those friends that you wish everyone knew. She should be famous for who she is. I love her.
We <3 CAMPING!!!
WE <3 SKIING/SNOWBOARDING!!!
WE LOVE FROZEN DRINKS!!!
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