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We are so excited about life!! Jeremiah 29:11 God bless you all!

Love,
Renee

Goin' to the chapel courthouse...

On the morning of October 18th, 2003, I woke up at my uncle's condominium where I was living and I put on a yellow dress.  I grabbed the bouquet of yellow roses I'd put together the night before and I got in the car with my friend, Elizabeth. We drove to my parents' house where my fiancé was waiting. 



He was pretty excited to see me 

even though we gave attitude to the photographer my sister

because that day

after pictures were taken

we went to the courthouse to get married. 

With papers in hand and five friends and family by our sides, we walked in

and stood in line to get married.  It was all very romantic. 

Ok, well, except for the part about standing in line. 

Then we stood before a judge. 

She asked us if we were ready and we said, "Yep!"

And before we knew it, we were married!  The ceremony went so fast that we even missed a picture of the first kiss!  This is a shot my sister caught just afterward.   

I don't remember the ceremony itself or what exactly we said. We (obviously) didn't put much time into planning that day.  We saved the planning for our church wedding ceremony held eight months later.  But what I do remember, in the moment I said, "I do," was the deep-down-in-my-gut absolutely totally sure understanding that I was now joined to this man. 

In mind, in body and in spirit, we were then - in that very moment - one.  It's a mystery of marriage that awes and stills me when I think of the serverity of it.  Severity in a really wonderful absolutely amazing sort of way. 

I say often that marriage to the right man is incredibly wonderful and marriage to the wrong man can be hell on earth.  So choose wisely. 

I have been blessed with a whole lotta' heaven on earth.  Alejandro is God's best gift to me. 

After the papers were signed

and hugs were given

we decided a little celebration was in order.  So we headed back to my parents' house for lunch and a little cake. 

Literally. 

It was a cupcake with two kisses on top angled like wedding bells.

Then we went outside for more pictures before heading to the beach for a nice long stroll with our toes in the sand.

This is Chad, Alejandro's American exchange student (when they were in Costa Rica together) and host family (when they were in Kansas together).  He's sorta' responsible for Alejandro's love of the U.S.  So I kinda' like him.  Oh, and he also has a heart of gold. 

No, she's not my sister.  Elizabeth and I grew up together as neighbors. 

No, she's not my sister.  She's my mom. 

Yep.  She's my sister. 

And then

we lived happily ever after. 

Ok, maybe with a whole lot of Grace and refining by Holy Fire as we continue to figure this marriage-thing out.  But for the most part, we've lived happily and thankfully ever after. 

First Kiss

Written on April 20, 2011

Nine years ago on Tuesday of Holy Week, my husband and I started dating.

We had been head-over-heels in love with each other for a good two months by then, and pretty much everyone else knew it but me.

I was a missionary in Costa Rica, teaching English at a local Christian elementary school, renting a room from Alejandro's neighbor's house.  We listened to the same sirens, the same dogs, the same hollering neighbors, and the same rain on two separate tin roofs.  We met two months earlier when I got lost downtown and he rescued me and helped me get back home, but that's another story for another day.  After we got to know each other on the bus ride home, we looked for every excuse under the sun to spend time together.

He took me out on dates.  He walked on the street-side of the sidewalk and held my elbow as we walked across the street.  He even asked me if he could court me.  Twice.  He explained he would ask my Costa Rican host parents' permission and call on me at appointed times of the week regularly as it is custom to do in Costa Rica.  But I was not having any of it.

We were from two different countries and I was not gonna missionary date (literally).

So we hung out.  A lot.

Until one evening, the night before we were going to leave early the following morning to go to his uncle's ranch for the remainder of Holy Week.  This ranch was in a tiny town called Rincón, which means corner. That's pretty appropriate, because the tiny town of Rincón is in the corner of Costa Rica, practically in Panama on the west coast.  The ranch was right on a bay inlet of the Pacific Ocean, had a horse, fishing boats and (that particular weekend) about half a dozen aunts and uncles and twice as many cousins.

Anyway, it was the night before we were going to get on a bus to get there, at about 10 p.m. and we were starry-eyed and in-love, trying not to act like it.  Suddenly, Alejandro looked at me in the eyes and said, "I really feel like kissing you right now."

My heart flopped.

"No."  I said, in my eloquent Spanish. (Ha!)

"Are you sure?" he asked begged pleaded.

"Yes, I'm sure," I said in disappointment.

No, I'm not sure! My mind revolted.  I DO SO VERY MUCH want you to kiss me!  But I can't!  We're from different countries!  We speak different languages!  I'm a MISSIONARY for heaven's sake!  Ugh!


So I tried to explain.

"Well, no, I'm not sure...." I started.

And in my pause to figure out how to say the next phrase in Spanish...

SMOOCH!!

And then I sort of decided not to finish my sentence.  :-D  Yeah, he totally rushed in and capitalized on the moment.  I'm SO VERY GLAD he did!

So that's the story of how Alejandro stole a kiss from me, how he stole my heart for his own and how our dating days began!

Memory Lane Monday - Me at 10 months old

ORIGINAL POST WRITTEN APRIL 19, 2010:

This weekend we've been spending time with my Dad and his new wife, Jeanne, getting to know eachother better and hangin' out with our little bundle-of-energy almost-10-month-old.  It's been lots of fun and of course, as it goes when grandparents and grandbabies get together, a walk down memory lane is bound to occur.  There have been several such "strolls" this weekend, so I was inspired to start a new series of posts.  It's called Memory Lane Monday.  A chance for me to post and electronically scrap-book some photos from the past.  You'll get to read stories from our dating era, our childhood, and in between... and of course, embarrassing baby photos are sure to appear... 

Like this one! 

Yep, that's me on the right.  And the star on the left?  Well, I'll let her decide if she wants to stake her claim to fame.  ;)  And don't any of you who know her go ruining it for her!  Ha! 

But isn't she just so darn cute?! 

Oh, just another reason why I can't wait for summer... 

This one takes the cake!

Each week I'll post Memory Lane Monday under its chronological date, and then let you know at the top of my blog with a link that a new Memory Lane Monday has posted.  

If anyone's interested in joining in the fun, let me know in the comments' section and I'll put up a MckLinky so you can post your own Memory Lane Monday. 

Thanks, Mom, for finding this one for me! 

I'll be back before too long with photos from this weekend! 

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Memorias - Renee a los 10 meses de edad

Este fin de semana, hemos estado pasando tiempo con mi padre y la nueva esposa - Jeanne.  Hemos podido conocernos más y pasar mucho tiempo con Danilo.  Hemos disfrutado mucho y por supuesto, como es cuando estamos con abuelos y nietos, hablamos de memorias de cuando era niña.