Capturing our China Years

For our goodbye party on Saturday, a friend asked me to put together a slideshow of our memories here. How do you capture 3 years? I did my best but couldn't get it any shorter than 8 minutes. ;)

The songs are "Glorious Unfolding," "Finish What He Started" and "See You in a Little While" by Stephen Curtis Chapman. I practically lived on them our first year here, and they are encouraging as we face a new transition as well.

3 years of Holding Hands

Tuesday marked our engagement anniversary. It's crazy to think about all that has happened since Ryan proposed just 3 years ago!

From that fairy-tale moment when I saw rose petals and knew the guy I'd fallen in love with might be asking me a wonderful question, to the next year pregnant with our first child, to the next living in Shanghai of all places, until now, expecting our 2nd child in a few months... Life has been full. And so so wonderful to walk through it holding hands with my love.

We aren't able to hold hands as often these days. I still remember how amazing it felt when he took my hand in his for the first time that August 18th... We didn't want to let go. It still feels amazing, but more of a less fireworks and more comforting, loving feeling of being connected. We try to remember to still do it, but between hailing taxis and getting in with one of us having the bags and the other the toddler, or trying to manage keeping a toddler supplied with food and preventing her from spilling her water cup while managing to eat ourselves, or one of us carrying a tot or steering a stroller on Shanghai's bumpy sidewalks... The moments we have to hold hands are more momentary! But, we still try to retain that connection.

The words of Steve Green's song "Holding Hands" came to me the night Ryan proposed, and I sang them to him over dinner. A good friend sang them in our wedding, and I'm reminded of them again:

One day, far away, you gently won my heart;
And one night, by candlelight, we made a vow to never part.
And then it seemed just like a dream
When wide eyed, side by side,
We faced the future holding hands. 

Years fly, they hurry by, the simple times are gone
Bills due, a kid or two, a week can feel eight days long
By fading light, let's kiss goodnight
And then we trace God's daily grace
Thankful we're still holding hands. 

There's a hope that won't let go;
There's a truth we know:
God is holding us
In His arms...

The years really do fly, and the days are long. But as long as the dress still fits and isn't worn out, I want to keep dressing up for my husband like I did that day for a "dressy date" that turned into a proposal... Remembering the beauty and wonder of saying "I love you" and holding the hand of the guy who I knew for SURE I was going to marry. It's a day worth celebrating!

Tastes of Memories

It's amazing how one bite can bring back a host of memories. I guess that's why having those familiar foods from home are such a comfort when you're living in another country.

Tonight it was homemade biscuits, the special recipe of a long-time family of friends. The biscuit spread with jam brought me back to their large, open kitchen, sharing fresh biscuits from the oven after a fun sleepover.

Last night it was the mixture of watermelon, honey dew melon, and nectarine in a fruit salad. Somehow that particular combination of sweet and a tad tart (we're still not quite to full nectarine season!) brought me back to my family's table, eating fruit salad for a special meal.

Sometimes it's the taste of taco soup. It brings us back to our first home in Iowa, on cold winter nights playing Carcassone as we enjoyed a steaming bowl. Even to this day, it's almost a law that if we have taco soup, we have to play a game too!

Last week it was our baked potato meal. That is, crockpot potatoes (the easiest new way I've found to do "baked" potatoes!). My mom was famous for her "b" meal - baked potatoes, broccoli (or beans), and bacon. A fresh tomato always had to accompany too, so I couldn't leave it out. We didn't have the bacon (it's super expensive here - think $3 for 6 slices!) but the rest of it brought me back. I was at home in my mind.

Speaking of bacon, I splurged once a few weeks ago, and made our favorite pasta dish. Immediately I was remembering the thrill of finding the recipe and making it for my new husband. Mixed in were each of the friends I'd served that meal to... after church, right before we left Iowa, and with mentor-friends in my parent's guest house as we prepared to come here.

This afternoon with a pregnancy snack attack, it was the mixture of nuts, raisins, and a few of the carefully rationed m&m's a friend surprised us with a care package. Suddenly I was camping again, surrounded by a hundred friends and family memories.

Certain foods are tied to people too. For my sisters, it's strawberry shortcake for Maria and brownies for Miriam. For Lydia it's campfire tinfoils or their home counterpart, pasties, where we'd split the duties of chopping veggies and making crust while getting in sister talk time. I've thought of Jubilee a lot lately, as her food is watermelon... she could eat more in one sitting than anyone. As we've been eating it nearly every day here recently, she's come to mind a lot. :)

Maybe taste and memories is why the pregnancy cravings I can't have over here that have been so fierce and reoccurring...

An Arby's classic roast beef sandwich, bringing back meals after church or on road trips with my family.

A classic Chickfila chicken sandwich with those dill pickles... pretty much every memory at Chickfila has been full of the love of family!

A nicely toasted cinnamon raisin Aldi bagel spread with butter, a pretty common breakfast in our first year of marriage.

It's these that are on my mind, so close I can almost taste them, so often as I try to fall asleep at night. It's just not right!

But, wow. God was pretty amazing when he tied the senses to memories. I am so thankful for the amazing sense of taste He has given us!

Two Years Ago Today...

*warning* I think I'm about to break the record for the most pictures in one blog post...

January 26th, 2013. Has it already been two years?

It's impossible to capture every moment of that day. God blessed us with an amazing one. After all the planning, I was calm and enjoyed every moment, though I felt like I was floating along in a dream. But looking back at the pictures, it all comes back.

 5 months of planning... sewing my dress, ordering my shoes, finding the perfect accessories... Everything was ready.

The day was perfect. We took a risk getting married in January, but Alabama gave us a beautiful day, with blue skies and 50 degree weather.

 The "Anna" roses had come and been arranged... I had my dream of pink roses, with a white rose in the middle to symbolize purity. By God's grace, we had come to this day.

Our wedding bands were made out of the same piece of gold, symbolizing the union we were forming.

 I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and thought, "I'm the bride??"

 After all those years of waiting my prince had come. I knew his name!

 It had been so worth the wait.

  I was surrounded by my sisters - by blood, by marriage, and by heart...

These were the ladies who had been praying with me for years about this day.

His guys were standing with and supporting him.

They were the guys who weren't afraid to have a little fun. They'd also prayed and encouraged him as he'd waited. He'd had to wait 6 years longer than me.

I didn't want him to see me before I came down the aisle...

...but we wanted some moments together before the ceremony. To pray. To say "I love you" a million more times.

We exchanged letters of love then too. And then, later on, in our starry-eyed newly-wedded-ness, we accidentally took them out of the Bible they were in and left them in a restaurant. But, as they spoke of how all the days of restraint were coming to an end, how ready we were for each other, how thankful we were God had brought us to this point... we pray that someone found them who needed to read them and be reminded that true love is out there, and is worth waiting for.

Then it was back to the room, to laugh with my little sister one last time...

To share precious moments with dear friends who had flown for miles to be there...

Music played...

 Dancers warmed up and my flower girl niece twirled...

And I twirled too, for the sheer joy of it all! I was getting married!

The chapel was filling. It was time.

 "My" girls opened the ceremony. The girls I'd spent the last 7 years of my life pouring into. It was an amazing moment, as I was able to watch through a window in the foyer.

 Then it was one last glance over my shoulder, my last moments as a single girl on my father's arm...

 The only things brighter than the lights above us were our smiles.

 He was the happiest groom the wedding coordinator had ever seen, and I was his princess.

We sang in worship, we heard our marriage charge, we held hands during "our" song, we said our vows, and exchanged our rings. But I admit a lot of what I was thinking about was: "I get to kiss you soon!"

And it was sweet.

We were married. Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Wolfe!!

We walked down the aisle amid a surprise shower of rose petals- another gift from "my" girls.

We smiled for many pictures, as we were now a part of each other's family.

And the time it took to arrange everyone onstage allowed for many sweet moments of looking up in wonder. I'm his wife?? I was hardly aware of anyone else.

Our wedding party members were from 10 different states... dedicated friends who made it there no mater what!

They made it lots of fun too :)

 We were husband and wife.

And there was no holding back any longer.

 There are no words to describe the intensity of that love. And in two year's time it hasn't dimmed. It's gotten stronger.

Then it was on to the reception. I was the bride who didn't have any idea of what I wanted. But somehow my amazing decorators (sweet women from my church) made it into something dreams are made of.

There was amazing cake that tasted as good as it looked. Pumpkin spice and chocolate peanut butter cup...

And the food! An amazing friend took some of our favorite things...

...and made them into works of art.

We were surrounded by hundreds - our family and friends, students and church body - and had a steady stream of well wishers. And while I was so happy to see everyone there, Ryan was all I could really see.

We danced our first dance... and have kept dancing. 

"All those dreams and now they're finally here..."

We did one last dance with my students too... the end of an era.

I threw my bouquet...

...and Ryan threw a frisbee, just to keep things interesting. :)

We left under a canopy of bubbles...

...and began our life together as one.

The last two years have been full of immense joys and great challenges. We have laughed a lot and cried a lot... together. I love how Ryan wants to do as much as we can together. It is such a joy to be his bride.

Special thanks to Ann Michelle Photography for taking our photos that day, as well as to family and friends who shared shots they captured!