Rest.

Sometimes we just need to slow down and take a deep breath. To sleep. To rest and relax.
I've been sick for three weeks now. What started out as a little nausea throughout the day has turned into a constant headache, extreme exhaustion and occasional dizziness. It started to scare me so I finally went to the doctor today. Last week I got some blood results back from two weekends ago when I gave blood at Mars. I didn't think it was a big deal until I started reading and discovered that I tested positive for West Nile Virus which is completely bizarre because it's January. So, I got some more blood work done today after going to the doctor's and will hopefully be finding out something by the end of the week. I am hoping that it is nothing serious, but I definately am not feeling like myself. I am so tired. I just want to feel better. And I hate seeing Chris be so concerned about me. Makes me feel sort of like a little kid.

Trying to keep my mind on other things.....
Church was great on Sunday as always. Rob Bell seriously has a way of captivating people's attentions. After church we went to Muskegon to Chris's parents and I went to Tim and Megan's baby shower, they are having a little girl, and she was due last week, so she should have her anytime. Then we came back to GR for the house church, which was also great. Tomorrow night we are doing a game night, here at our apartment this time. I hope I am feeling up to it, this always means I need to get some cleaning done tomorrow. Chris has the day off so atleast he will be here to help. He is such a wonderful husband; he has been trying to take care of me, even though there is little he can do, but he comforts me. And he is such a good provider. I don't know what I would do without him, I love him so much.

We have been looking at houses online the past couple days. It is so much fun, there are a couple that we really like. Hopefully the fact that it is a buyer's market will continue on into the summer until we are ready to start getting serious about this house business. There are two houses right over close to Mike and Julia's that we really love and are decently priced. And they are way cheaper than the condos that we looked at last week, which makes me so excited, and the payments would even be cheaper or about the same. Granted we would need to do work, but who cares, that is part of the fun, and it would be our house. Hopefully it is part of God's will to make this happen for us! I can't wait for this summer. I know it will be here before we know it.

Things still haven't slowed down.

The past year has been so crazy. And it really isn't going to be over until Trisha has her baby. I guess I have been thinking that things aren't ever really going to slow down now at all. From this point out life is supposed to fly by right? That is what I hear anyways, and sometimes that is how it definately feels. It is January 18th already. Almost February. Almost my 22nd birthday. I can't believe I have been out of high school for four years already.
Anyways, this morning I woke up excited. I have so much to look forward to. Trisha's baby. Celebrating our *1st* one year anniversary. Moving this summer, possibly into a house. A fun summer hopefully, maybe a trip to Cedar Point, hopefully a camping trip with our House Church. How our House Church is going to grow this year. A week off with Chris. Chris maybe getting his surg. tech job. Me being at Tanaz for one year. Celebrating our *2nd* one year anniversary. And then winter and Christmas will be here again. I am sure that this year is going to fly by, just like the last one did. But I am so blessed.
I just got an email from our friend Jon who is in our house church. He got layed off from his job, something that I don't think anyone really saw coming. I pray that he finds another soon. I pray that Michigan's economy starts to pick up, there are so many people here that are out of work. And people are just moving away. I suppose that is part of the reason for why it is such a buyer's market for houses out there right now. Anyways, hopefully he will find another job right away.

It's like a two-sided knife.

Yesterday I experienced a sadness I've never felt before. Something I wanted so badly wasn't real....yet I knew it was impossible and not the right time. But it just hurt, so deeply. Something that I can't explain to others because they don't understand. Especially Chris. It was just depressing, and I couldn't even tell him why I felt how I felt. I feel better today, I'm pretty much over it I guess.
Anyways, it's wednesday, so thankfully I have the day off. I'm doing a couple people's hair and also thinking about running some errands, but maybe I'll just hang around here and forget it all. My Tivo has become my new-found friend, which isn't always such a good thing. I do sit around and watch a lot of TV now...haha. I am hoping Chris gets me an elliptical for my birthday. I feel like such a brat lately. I have been asking for and expecting so much. I owe him so much. I guess we are taking a week off this summer, he is going to get his wisdom teeth out, and we will probably just hang out and go to the beach and everything, I am really looking forward to that.

I've come to love Sundays.

Even though it means that I have to go back to work the next day. But yesterday was so great.
The David Crowder band came to Mars and played for worship, it was so amazing. And the guy has a great voice, they rocked it, it was pretty sweet. I wish Chris could have been there with us to see them. After church I cleaned for a while. I love it when the apartment is clean, it just gives me a sense of calming, and it's not so cluttered. I can't wait to move to a bigger place. We were looking at this brochure for condos last night. I don't want to get his hopes up. I don't know what to do, sometimes I want a house, with property, but these condos were pretty sweet. And they have like pools, and huge work out rooms, and we wouldn't really have to take care of anything. I just don't want to feel like I'm living in an apartment, or dorms. I just want some privacy, and a decent place to park my car. And I want to feel safe. I don't really feel that where we live right now. It would be nicer to live closer to work as well.
Anyways, our house church all came over here last night, and Chris cooked Chinese. I would definately have to say that it was our most successful and fun meeting thus far. The food was great and everyone seemed like they had a lot of fun. We watched the BullHorn Nooma, and the discussion was good. We talked about how it's hard to be a Christian sometimes because people label you compared to other instances and situations they have come across which is often quite negative. It's hard because at the same time, we cannot judge other Christians thinking we are better or that we are doing the right things and they aren't. I know I am not perfect by any means. But when you live within that very conservative and legalistic lifestyle, life just becomes very hard after a while. I went through a time in my life where I lived with a lot of guilt and it took a while to come out of it. I thank Chris and Megan for bringing me out of it. I know that God wants us to live a great life and to be happy. We also talked about how by loving others we are loving God. Even loving people that are hard to love. I know I'm probably pretty hard to love sometimes.
Overall it was a really wonderful night. I just really like everyone in our House church so much, I feel blessed to have them all in my life and to have met everyone. Wednesday night Jason and Andrea are coming over so I can cut her hair, and saturday we are trying to get everyone together to go bowling, which should really be a lot of fun.
Oh yes. And last night, I dreamed that I was pregnant. All night long.

A Year In Review continued.

After the wedding, things came and went so fast. Chris started his clinicals. I went to Arizona in May with Jeanne, Barb, Christie and Linda. Summer always flys by anyways. I am not sure if we even made it to the beach one time. Our apartment complex has a pretty nice pool though. I also got hired at Tanaz around that same time and started when I came back from the trip. Chris turned 26 in August, and also finished his clinicals. Megan and Pat got engaged. Talk about going wedding crazy for a while there. I love fall. We love fall.
On October 7, we had our "2nd wedding." The big one. It was such a beautiful day, almost 75 degrees and sunny, perfect wedding for pictures outside. Everyone looked so wonderful. I will never forget that day, we had so much fun. I will never forget how Chris looked, and standing with him, taking those vows. It all becomes such a blur. He was so nervous when we first got married at the courthouse. I was too of course, but he showed it more. That feeling walking out....like wow, I am a wife. I have a husband. You will never forget that feeling.
We went to New York and Boston for our honeymoon and took the Amtrak train. It was so fun. Even our crummy smelly smokey little room in New York was great. And I have never walked so far in my life....learning to use the subway was fun. I can't wait to take another vacation with Chris.
Trisha also found out she was pregnant. I remember when I heard her voicemail I was in my car all alone like screaming because I was so happy for them, I just wanted to cry. I totally had a feeling that it was going to be a boy...and sure enough...
She is due in March. I cannot wait...Christmas next year is going to be so much fun. I can't wait until we have kids. =)
Thanksgiving arrived. And then two days later was Meg and Pat's wedding. It was so beautiful. I'll never forget Pat singing her a song....and my zipper getting stuck, the great reception.
We love Christmas time. This year was different again. I was so excited, because it was mine and Chris's first year being married, our first married Christmas. Our tree was so cute, even though it was borrowed. Shopping was fun. It didn't snow on Christmas which was sort of sad, I couldn't remember the last time that it hadn't. Chris actually had the weekend off which was awesome, last year was terrible without him. He got my my TIVO! I was so excited, I love that thing. Except now I watch waaaaaaaaay too much TV for real. I had fun shopping for him. I bought him so much stuff, it was awesome. He loved his shoes and coat...and sweaters, and sambucca, I was so happy. His parents also got us a laptop. They are so great, I love them. I wish we lived closer so we could see them more. I love living in GR. I love Mars Hill. But I would love to little like right by the water. Chris was spoiled growing up there, so he doesn't understand. It's just so beautiful. And I love taking that walk through the State Park out to the beach. I always secretly hoped that he would propose there. I don't think that we even got a chance to go out there this past year. Sad...
New Years was great. We hung out at Mike and Julia's and then Chris came at 11 when he got out of work. We played darts which is definately one of my new found favorites and Scene It. I always thought that game wouldn't be fun but it is actually.
So now January is half way over already. Time seriously does fly by the older that you get.
Tonight after work we bowled with Thea and Jason; I really like hanging out with them, they are always so much fun.
Tomorrow the David Crowder band is going to be at Mars, and they are doing the worship service. I don't know any of their songs but I guess they are really cool. Then the House Church is coming over here to hang out for the first time. Chris is making Chinese and we spent like 3 hours preparing that and Crab ragoons tonight.
He is so crazy sometimes. Sometimes he is driving me insane, and then I just like love him so much I can't stand being away from him. He is so nurturing and sweet and sensitive, I love it. And stubborn. haha. He has to be right sometimes. But I know that I am like that too. I can't wait to crawl into bed and snuggle up next to him. And I can do that. Because we are married. =)
xox

A Year In Review.

This past year has been such a crazy blur.
And one that has affected me more than ever before.
There are so many good memories, I hope I can always remember them all.

I guess things start in November of 2005. I graduated Douglas J and moved to Grand Rapids all in the same night. I couldn't wait to be near my then boyfriend Chris. I started working at Red Lobster as a temporary job until I found a salon I wanted to work at, which ended up taking longer than I hoped but everything worked out great.
In December Chris proposed, and I said yes and the plans begun.

2006. The new year always sneaks up on you. In February I turned 21. The long awaited day was finally here, not that it made too huge of a difference to me, except that I could finally share that bottle of wine with Chris if we chose.
March brought wedding number one upon us. We decided to get married early for many reasons, but looking back I don't regret it at all. It is still so crazy sometimes, I cannot believe that I am married!! I have looked forward to this for a long time, and now I am here, at this point in my life, living with my husband. God is good.

Hello.

Hi. I'm Anne. I've been wanting to start a blog for a long time now, but I knew it would take a little bit of work, and I have just been procrastinating for a while. But now I have no excuse. I am not sure what will come of this, or if anyone will even read it, maybe I will just keep it to myself, even though I would secretly delight in someone finding my posts amusing. =)