The Proposal: June 21

Well I said I'd post soon! And now I can actually say I followed through. When life settles down, I sure look forward to starting back into blogging on thrift finds and sewing and food... but I'm a little caught up in love land at the moment, and I'm sure you don't mind me telling you how Chris proposed. 

So here it is, as told on our wedding website from kinda a third person point.

The past year was full of phases when we frequently said, "this is crazy". And all of it led up to this one moment that will start the craziest chapter of all. So why don't we tell you about that moment!

We frequent a certain coffee shop in good ol' downtown Gresham. Naomi has been going there for years for coffee dates and personal reading time. Chris spent a decent number of hours there while hard at work searching for a job after moving to Gresham. During Chris' first visit we spent hours there getting to know each other, and it became the place we go to just hang out. 

Chris had made Naomi think that he was too tired to do anything much that Saturday. So he sat back and made her think she was calling the shots. The morning was relaxing - we made brunch together and read out in the sun. As the afternoon rolled on, we went to run a few errands that Naomi needed to do. The plan was to end up at the aforementioned coffee shop and read for a long relaxing while.

When we arrived Chris went to order Naomi's drink. Little did Naomi know that he had snuck the ring in his pocket. Oblivious to what was happening, Naomi was chatting with some friends who just happened to be there (not knowing they were there for the sole purpose of distracting her). During their conversation, Naomi noticed a guy sitting in the corner across from her strangely engrossed in his camera ... but then was distracted (once again) by another friend who also happened to be in the coffee shop, doing "photography work" for his job.

Conversation moved on. Chris rejoined the group and sat with Naomi on their favorite couch. The husband of their friends had received a phone call and came back to tell his wife that his sister, was shopping in Gresham and needed help with a dead car battery. "We'll be back in 10 or 15 minutes," they said. Naomi thought it was strange since she thought, Doesn't his sister live in Portland? Who in Portland shops in Gresham? However, with their leaving, Naomi jumped at the chance to call a friend back who she'd missed a call from earlier. It was going to be a long phone call so Chris momentarily panicked. He came up with some weird babbling, stuttering, (stalling) noises in an attempt to get off the phone, so she hung up to ask what he needed. 

(Thankfully) Chris didn't need to come up with much of an excuse, because a barista brought out a mug and handed it to Naomi, saying, "Here's your Americano." Naomi was super confused:

Why is this a mug? They always use to-go cups. And why is this so light? Where's my coffee??? Oh wait - cute! There's pictures on this mug... Wait? These pictures are of us? Oh how cute! She thought Chris had given her a thoughtful gift. (Naomi loves mugs!) Until she moved her fingers that were covering the bottom half of the mug - there it read, "Naomi... Will you marry me?"

She went into shock, asking a multitude of half questions, "What are you...?" "Where did...?" "Is this a...?" "What's happening in...?" and she finally landed on, "Are you really proposing to me right now?"

Chris responded with, "Yeaaaahhh." (Insert the tone you hear when a 10 year old says "duh")

Chris pulled a ring box out of the mug and opened it with a giant smile.

After Naomi realized she was sitting in silence for a few moments she said, "YES."

Hugs and smiles followed... and more hugs! And the whole world said... "Aaawwwwwww"

Psalm 37:4-6

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord;trust in him, and he will act. 

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

The Best Story So Far: Part 3 (Up Til Now)

Photo Credit: David James Visuals

Yep. I'm still alive. And feeling a little guilty it's taken me so long to finish this story. 

Sorry for the cliffhanger! 

In case you need a recap:
Singleness
Best Story So Far: Part 1
Best Story So Far: Part 2

Last I mentioned in this love story, I was flying down to meet my boyfriend's family in Cali. I think I'll pause here and go ahead and tell you. His name is Chris. And at this point, we have both expressed our love for each other. It wasn't cheesy, and it wasn't cliché. It was a beautiful conversation. And that's all I'll say about that: At this point, we love each other.

I was nervous to meet his family. I'm a pretty confident person, in general. But this was different. I was embarking on a weekend packed with tons of new people, in two different towns, from 3 different eras in Chris's life... Gearing up, I had determined to not get overwhelmed... after all, he had already done this part in my stomping grounds!

The whole weekend went so000 well, not to mention how much fun I had and how many amazing people I met. 

The weekend concluded with conversation about "closing the gap" geographically between us. Long distance was difficult. And while we'd only been experiencing this for a few months, both of our intentions were long term. 

The Move. 

I know it may feel like I'm cutting things out, but I know no other way to embark on this next chapter without just diving in. Two months after my trip to California, I was making a second trip. I flew down to spend a little more time with his parents before... 

He Moved Up To Me. 

Yes folks... Christopher packed his bags just over 6 months after we met, and made the drive with his crammed-to-the-top 4runner to a new home, just a 5 minutes drive from me. 

"Pursuing" has reached a whole new level here.

He moved. For me. 

Thinking back as I type those words, it still makes me gasp. 

He packed up his life, he moved his life, to pursue a new life... With Me. 

I cannot grasp it. But I sure am grateful. 

The Wait.

There was no job security, so after a week of settling into the basement he rented, he dove right into the job hunt. I've never in my life seen someone so dedicated to having a well planned out cover letter and intentional resume. 

I was being so impressed by his work ethic... just to find work. So many days of buckling down at coffee shops, surfing the internet for available positions. Resume after resume after resume. No responses. Resume after resume after resume. **Crickets**

He hit about 3 months and finally got a couple interviews. One that even repeatedly called him back for another. But on the final round, they chose someone else. 
**Crowd yells "BOOOO"**

So, resume after resume after resume, he continued faithfully pounding the pavement. 

Then it hit about 5 months of no work. 

We'd been covering this in prayer. Where was a job? Why was nothing panning out?

The Desire.

All the while Chris is job searching, I've been prayerfully waiting. I'm already sure that I love this man, and I know that he loves me. We both entered this relationship on the knowledge that we were dating with the intention to marry, both fully aware God could split us at any time, but that clearly wasn't how it looked after all this answered prayer. I desired to get married, just like I did four years ago when I started praying for my future husband (Wherever he may be).

So, I'd begun to pray for patience. As much as I wanted to be married, I didn't want it to be just in my timing. I wanted God's timing. And I wanted (Lord willing) Chris' timing. 

The Provision.

As people so often say, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." A friend connected Chris with someone Chris had known before he moved. That friend had a friend in a company with a job opening. With a resume, a letter of recommendation, and 3 interviews later, Chris found himself starting a job, 6 months after he'd moved to Oregon. 

What a huge answer to prayer. As we'd thought, "Has the Lord forgotten us?" He responded with providing a job. Thank You God!!!

The Life Change.

Chris started his job the first week in June 2014. If you don't remember. He wrote that first message to me on facebook, June 15 the year before. As the first few weeks of a new job passed, it was quite different. I grew very grateful for the 5 months Chris and I had had together with all his free time. We got to drop things and go on random outings, whenever we wanted. We'd had 5 solid months of spending tons of time together and getting to know each other without silly things like "grown up" schedules. Hahaha. (Yes, I work. But basically right by the coffee shop he parked himself each day and I get off early enough to have quite a bit of the day left.) So this whole both having jobs thing, took some adjusting. 

But it wasn't long until there was a whole new life switch to adjust to. 

Christopher, my boyfriend... Proposed.

Just over a week to the year since we started talking.

And a journey that started a year before became one that would be the change of a lifetime.

I will post soon with the proposal story. But until then... 

I'll just be off wedding planning with just under 2 weeks until wedding day already.

So... Now you can see why it's taken so long to finish the story... I've been plugging away at pulling a wedding together in somewhere around 4 months time. 

Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; 

they shall mount up with wings like eagles; 

they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Fire-In-The-Belly

 The fun things about this outfit:

Scarf - from Basque Country, Sweater - HandMeDown, Pants - Old Navy (gift), Shoes - Target

Have you ever reached one of those moments when you realize something that you used to be passion-as-all-get-out-about somehow lost some steam along the way? Or at least your focus somehow got blurry for a bit? 

I'm not sure about you, but in the seconds when I come to this astonishing shock I generally feel like I'm a failure - like I've let someone down - and like hope is lost to ever have the fire-in-the-belly I used to have about it.

About four and a half years ago I made a commitment to follow named Jesus.

I had a whole new outlook on life. Some strange new view of hope and joy shone a light on everything. I'm not playin people. I had road rage instantly disappear. (I know that's silly, but it was a silly way that He showed me I had hope.) 

But let's be real. Life is busy. Life is hectic. Life is distracting from the fire-in-the-belly.

Recently, as I've been spending time reading the Word and spending time with friends having great conversation, I'm realizing I need to stay focused. The burning love I had for Jesus in response to his burning love for me in 2009 should not fade or be back-burnered because I get busy. It should be the motivation and to my business. It should fuel my interactions with others. And it should be factored into why I put what I put on my calendar. 

Do the activities I choose I'm involved in point others to Jesus? 

I mean... I should ask myself that question every day. Because I might love doing this, or love doing that. I might enjoy this person or that friend. I might pat myself on the back or enjoy having someone else pat me on the back. But did I do it because I love Jesus and want Him to shine?

Jesus is better.

(I love this video. Check it out.)

Philipians 4:19

And my God will supply every need of yours

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Falling for the Scarf

The fun things about this outfit:

Skirt - Thrifted (maxi-dress refashioned), Tank - Target, Skarf - Gift

Ok, So Fall has now arrived. School is about to start for the young-ins. {depending on where you live.} 

So I'm pretty excited that scarves are soon going to be a part of my life again. 

Oh you long lost friend! How I've missed you!

So this is a new one. My mom and I were walking into a store and I ooogled over this scarf.

A few days later my mom tossed it at me when I walked into her house!!

Can I get a woot woot for mother of the year!?!!

Pink Pants & A Quick Talk about Fear

The fun things about this outfit:

Pants - B-Day Gift, Shirt - Hand Me Down, Bracelet - $1 Target, 

Earrings - Old Navy ($2 sale), Shoes - Who Knows?

Just real quick I want to shout out to my lovely mom!

Yay for birthday gifts...aka: these pants!!!

Secondly... This is a long one... So sit back and relax.

------------------

Now down the the "deep" thoughts of my afternoon as I sat in a coffee shop with way to many books and notebooks open in front of me. {Sometimes I can't stick to just one... ya know?}

In general I do not consider myself very easily frightened. Startled...YES. But frightened? Nope.

Did I jump when I saw the thumb sized spider while I showered in a 2ftx2ft box that my basement apartment has? YES. But did I quickly gain my composure and smash that lil sucker with my bare hands?... Also, YES.

See the difference? Being Startled vs. Being Afraid?

People have phobias, right? I suppose I do, too. I mean I'm not super fond of heights, deep murky open water, or fire being right up in my personal bubble. But if I absolutely had to deal with those things, I could. Cross that bridge when we come to it sort of attitude I guess. 

I've been realizing in the past year or so that the intangibles are more where my real fears are held. Things like the what the future holds, or having stability, or if the solid true friendships now will actually last. I suppose though that I've been realizing those fears because I've been learning about the solution to them. You see I used to think I could use sheer will power to think fear away. Or maybe if I plan everything super well, then everything will work out how I hoped that it would. But... That's just not how it works.

You know what is amazing?

To NOT be afraid!

If you've ever read my rambling before, you know that I follow Jesus. And guess what! Because of Jesus, I've found something out. I don't have to be afraid. There are some things that we DO have though. You know... Instead of fear.

{2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and sound mind."}

That's right! when I place my life in the holey {and holy} hands of Jesus He takes away any ounce of fear I had. And in place of it, He empowers me, enables me to love, and develops in me clarity and discernment. Fair trade? Heck no. But I'll take it!

What this means though is that when I am afraid, I can be confident it is not from my Savior. And in that I am also confident that I can run to Him for help, reassurance, and peace. I can rest and know that He is trustworthy and I can without hesitation, let Him do His thing. 

Now some fears are still going to arise, however irrational they may be.

You know... like the time I mistakenly agreed to go to the haunted corn maze and the masked man, revving a chain saw chased me screaming into the arms of some guy...some poor girls boyfriend no doubt...cause she sure gave me the stink eye as I came to my senses. Yep! Sometimes I forget to run into the arms of Christ. 

I suppose it's a long road and not a cul-de-sac. There will be potholes and speed bumps in the form of chain saws or unknown choices, but I know the road keeps going after and there is power, love, and sound mind ready to be taken advantage of!

Here are a few things I was reading today.

Psalm 56: 3-4

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

Isaiah 11:2

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, 

but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

2 Corinthians 2:12

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, 

that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Welcome One & All

The fun things abou this outfit:

Dress - Hand-Me-Down, Vest - Thrifted ($5), Shoes - Thrifted ($8), Necklace - Thrifted ($1)

First of all, I'm feelin' a little flaky this month. I have not had a regular blogging sched after coming back from camp with the girls & it's been super duper hard for me to get back in routine. So here we are another week of no Monday post. I don't really feel bad... I mean... it is my randomness after all, and spacing on a post is absolutely part of that! But here we go with getting back to it! 

Secondly, I was thinking that a good way to kick off what people (who have life together) call planning ahead, would be to say "Welcome!"

Welcome back to bloggin (that one's to me!)

Welcome new readers!

Welcome once again to consistent reading, ya ol' faithful readers!

If you are new to reading or following or whatever you find yourself doing, I have a few easy ways to follow along and stay updated when there's a new post!

Instagram

@patternedlove

Facebook

Bloglovin

So check those out! Click Follow or Like or what have you. 

So glad you're all so gracious in my here and there posting! Get ready! Because I've been sewing and hit up a new thrift shop last week. So there's some newbies headed your way!

Philippians 3:7-9

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith

He is GOOD!

The fun things about this outfit:

Shirt - High School, Jeans - Buckle, Shoes - Ross

Ok, I'm so grateful for the ladies who took over last week here on Patterned Love! 

The week at camp with 16 amazing teenage girls was just that...Amazing! 

I'm excited to say that a few girls made a decision to start following Jesus.

In their decisions it reminded me every moment of the impact Jesus has made in my life.

There is in fact newness after destruction.

There is fresh air and light where darkness once strangled me.

There is never ending hope where bitterness once grew.

There is love that has replaced hatred.

Jesus truely makes me new each day! And while I know that many would rather keep compartmentalized, I cannot. This is, most days, a daily outfit recording blog. But I cannot seperate my loves and my passions into tiny boxes. They need to be interwoven in my life and always overflowing into each other! And Jesus is the first on both of those lists. My first love! My deepest passion!

His love never gives up.

It never runs out.

Ephesians 4:17-24

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding,alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way youlearned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Drink Up! {A Word Picture}

It's been crazy hot around here lately. I found myself thinking on the importance of drinking water for a second and quickly drew a parallel to life, that I'd like to share with you.

While at work I have one of those red/white twisty straw type water bottles always on my desk. (Either you know exactly what I'm talking about... or you have no clue.) 

Sometimes I fill it up and it lasts me all day. Sometimes I fill it up multiple times a day. Sometimes I fill it up and it sits there...full. Who knows why, but I forget to drink it. It might be hidden behind my laptop, or I get busy and forget it's there. Sometimes I drink it all and think I've had plenty. Then it sits for days, empty. The longer it sits there empty, the less frequently I think, "Oh, I should drink water." Funny thing is, the water cooler is only about 10 feet away from my desk. Totally within reach, right? It's not like it's difficult to walk over an fill-er-up. In fact, it's easy, it's simple, it's good for me in the long run to be drinking water.

So, as I gaze out the huge windows across the front office, and look at the beautifully sunny day outside, I started thinking. I better stay hydrated! I'm going to the river later, and what if I DIE of dehydration? Dramatic, I know, but non-the-less the thought entered my mind.

At that thought I went and filled up my bottle!

I sat back down at my desk and my Bible sat on the edge. And my over-active imagination went to work, imagining my life as a water bottle. Although in my mind my Bible looked less like a water cooler and more like a deep fountain of gloriously delish nature water.

I'm sure you're tracking with me by now. There is, once again, a wonderful word picture here.

Imagination, you never fail me!

WATER:

How often do parents say to their kids on summer days, "Drink some water before you go outside." Children whine, "why?" and parents say, "It's good for you." (well, some say, "because I said so.")

When I take high schoolers to camp during the summer, leaders always fill their students cups with water before the students even have a chance to choose a seat. Tricky tricky? No, we just want them to have water before something else to drink, because we know they're in the sun all day. Not only that, leaders fill their glass too as the example. 

Doctors and health coaches preach it all the time. Stay hydrated! It is essential for your body to function to it's fullest potential. We don't ignore them because we know their right. We do, indeed, drink water after we've been reminded by an article we read, a trainer at the gym, or... your mom. And if you're like me, regular reminders are more than welcome, because somehow we forget the importance of this essential liquid.

Sometimes when someone is visiting my house they ask if they can have some water. I sometimes always joke, "Nope, I ran out yesterday." Do they ever question it? No, they laugh and go fill their glass. Everyone knows that there is running water at our disposal whenever we want it. (in our culture anyways.)

So the parallel continues! 

How often do we convince ourselves we don't NEED to spend time in the Bible before we head out into the world for the day, where the enemy clearly is plotting against us? Would you spend the entire day out in the sun without water? It's good for you. It's good for your soul. We fill up before we go, we fill up while we're there with potential harmful heat all around us. 

How often do we encourage others to spend time in the Bible in the middle of all that is going on in life? Do we offer to walk along side them as we both dive into the Word? Some, if not all of us, need an example. Look to someone as your example, and be one to someone else.

How often do we go to church and hear truth from the pulpit only to head home without remembering what we heard? Aren't we beat after having a go at life all week? Didn't we attend church knowing we'd want to hear what was said? Why would we, parched from a day in the heat, go to a well and choose not to drink deeply from it to replenish our body? Would we stare into it and walk away thinking how lovely the well looked today, or how nicely the bucket was moving up and down, but forgetting to drink?

How often do we believe the lies that we aren't learning anything from the Bible? There is always something to learn. The Bible never runs dry. It is a constant source of encouragement, correction, and instruction. It doesn't run out.

So close so far.

So now that I've written this word picture out, I find myself asking: Why does my water bottle sit empty sometimes? The water cooler is so close to me. I guess sometimes I forget the water cooler is there. Sometimes I forget the bottle is there. Sometimes I'm just lazy or busy.

Too frequently in our lives, we find ourselves feeling lost in life. We feel overwhelmed, overworked, and stretched to thin. We're feeling dehydrated (figuratively) We forget where our source of hope lays, and where our saving grace is found. I pray often, asking that I would never forget. That I would always remember.

John 4:13-14

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 7:37-38

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.