Re-story

May 23, 2021 – Honker’s Island, Moraine View State Park

On this day we said “I do” in one of our favorite adventure spots. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and there were carpenter bees everywhere (our youngest is terrified of bees). It was important to have this day reflect who we are as a couple. We chose to keep the ceremony simple, but meaningful. We place high value on simple and meaningful moments; something we both appreciate in this season of life. Each of our four kids played a special role in the ceremony: a flower girl, a ring bearer, and two Bible verse readings.

As I walked toward my future husband and our kids I listened to the lyrics relating them to our journey leading up to this moment…

“‘Cause when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room”

(by Lukas Graham)

Not only was I making room in my heart for my husband to-be, I was also making room for two more children. We invited God into our hearts and gave him thanks for helping us get to this very special day. Our pastor and dear friend, Sara, told our story. A story that included peaks and valleys, heartbreak and forgiveness, but most of all grace and unconditional love. We made promises to each other as husband and wife, and we made promises to our four children. We blended six different colors of sand into a jar that symbolized the blending of our two families and the adventures ahead. When we walked down the aisle as husband and wife I basked in the beauty of these lyrics which solidified our commitment to each other…

“I’m gonna love you best that I can
Even when you can’t stand me
Even when you can’t even stand yourself
I’m telling you I ain’t going nowhere
I swear, don’t care, I’m here
Ain’t anywhere else I’d rather be
And as long as you let me
I’ll take the heavy, unsteady
It don’t scare me, baby, I’m ready for messy”

(by Chase Rice)

I surprised my husband with a first dance near the parking lot of the pavilion (Nobody But You by Blake Shelton). We danced and sang to each other…I don’t wanna love nobody but you. It might sound cheesy, but I am all about the cheese these days. We took pictures and my favorite is one of the six of us holding hands and jumping up in the air. It’s a true reflection of who are; each one of us different, but united, full of energy and love. We changed into our play clothes and fished the rest of the afternoon. There were disagreements between kids, reluctance to let fish go, and tons of sugar. It was perfect because that is who we are. It was the official beginning to our Beautiful Chaos.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Genesis 2:18