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A year ago today, I had already gotten my hair done, put my wedding dress on, saw Kent for the first time that morning and was in the middle of picture taking by 10:00am for our 11:30 wedding.... The ceremony went beautifully - we wouldn't have changed a thing. We had lots of friends and family there surrounding us with their love and support. It was an emotional day for me - especially when I walked down the aisle with my dad and when Kent and I said our vows. It was amazing to hear a man promise to love and cherish me for the rest of my life - 'till death do us part - and for me to make those same promises to him after experiencing a broken marriage between my parents, and yet to see the healing that has taken place in my family up to that day. God is so good and forever faithful.

...since that day we have spent six weeks in Guatemala, packed up our belongings, moved across the country and both started new jobs, met new friends and started building a new church community and life out here in Washington state.

There have been many ups and downs this year due to the stress of so many changes at one time, but we have had a wonderful and very blessed year together. We have both grown so much as individuals and as a couple, learning how to lean on each other and God as the Maker and Sustainer.

Here are some of the high lights from this past year:
- our honeymoon in neon-city: Gatlinburg, TN (thankfully our cabin was away from the bright lights)
- arriving in Guatemala six days after our wedding to do an internship with Christian Reformed World Missions and the memories we have there: climbing a volcano (and cooking hot dogs on top!), street ministry, 18th street gang prison ministry, La limonada, Roldolfo and Anamiriam and family, Joel, Howard, etc. etc. etc.
- flying to WA by myself while Kent and his dad drove cross-country with our belongings
- living in a house (well, one that we rent :) and all the responsibilities it takes to keep up a house
- starting my first job as a Spanish teacher (who also became the Family Psychology teacher for that year, too) and seeing my students grow throughout the year
- at the beginning of the year, students asking me, "Are you from Michigan?" Me: "Yes" Student: "I thought so - I can hear it in your accent." I think my my 'os' (i.e. Mom, college) and 'as' (i.e. Dad, bad) are not as nasally as they once were. I now hear the difference when I go back and visit my family.
- getting notes of encouragement from students and parents
- Kent attending Fuller Seminary for a while until his schedule no longer worked...and how God provided the perfect fulfilling job for him at Logos
- me having to cope with moving away from my family and friends in MI
- meeting new friends that have been such a blessing to both me and Kent
- starting a budget and sticking to it! :)
- getting involved in worship leadership again at our church in WA after taking a solid break for refreshment and renewal
- living by the glorious mountains (when one can see them ;) and in a great climate that is not humid at all
- living in a place where I have NEVER experienced so much rain and dark, cold, dreary days in one year - everyone keeps telling me that this year is unusual...but we'll see about that. The weather really affected me this year - I'd rather have snow than all that rain in the winter!
- eating at the Fairway every Saturday morning with Grandma VG and at her house on Saturday evenings with the fam - a long-running tradition.
- completing my first year as a teacher and returning next year to continue teaching Spanish 2 and 3, and starting the first ever Spiritual Life Team at the school (a combination of 2 previous teams the school had that I am a leader of!).

I could go on. It has been a great year filled with many joys and challenges and I look forward to this coming year with its joys and challenges and fewer transitions! :) I am very blessed to be married to Kent. I love him more today than the day we got married and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him.

I love you, Kent! Happy Anniversary!

Today, I'm celebrating Father's Day lots of miles away from my dad - he's in Michigan, I'm currently on vacation at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast with Kent's family. I don't have my own computer or otherwise I'd put up a picture of the two of us (I guess I'll have to do that once I'm back home).

Dad, I love you and miss you. I am thankful for your love and sacrifice, your patience, your great big bear hugs, your laughter and smiles, your willingness to help...among other things.

Here are some great memories I have that I will always cherish:
- going sledding on The Big Hill ("New record!")
- the countless drives from GR to up north and the games we'd play and the songs we'd sing in the car to pass the time
- dad teaching me how to "get in front of the ball" for middle school softball and to throw hard and catch well, whether it was a pop fly or a faster-than-lightening throw from him that stung my hand if I caught it wrong
- going tubing and dad whipping me and Sara around the lake - especially at the end of each round when he'd drive the boat in 5+ circles to get the waves HUGE and then gun it to try to get us to fall off (a.k.a. flail off in the air).
- camping at Brower Park, playing frisbee and going fishing (especially the time when I caught way more fish than dad...and the only one he caught was a small fish that died after he tried to release it back into the lake :)
- going waterskiing together on dad's trick skis when I was about 3 - I stood in front of him on top of the skis
- going through walks in the woods to look for leaves and bugs for my 6th grade leaf and bug collections and learning about the different species along the way
- 4-wheeling
- walking the ~2 miles (give or take a bit) to the River...running and jumping off the edge of the sand dune...having rock-throwing contests to see who would be the first to throw a rock to the other side of the river
- playing our instruments (me, dad, Sonny, Mike and Chad) for special music in church
- eating out at The First Wok for Father-Daughter nights
- dad's trumpet descant during the last verse of "When Peace Like a River" at the part when it says "The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend..." - it gives me chills every single time, never fail
- eating ice cream each night before we'd go to bed...a tradition I've kept going pretty faithfully :)

There are so many more special memories I have with my dad while growing up, but it would take quite a bit more space.... Dad, thank you for the love you have given me, Chad and Sonny throughout the years and the ways in which you have been there for us. Thank you for the memories that will forever make me smile, laugh and be grateful for you.

I hope you have a great Father's Day and know how much you are loved and missed. I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks!