Wedding Recap

Dear Friends and Family,

The air has turned autumn cool, but these two hearts are still basking in the glow of the summer heat – August 12th, to be exact. This "collision" (love story), which initially took place this week least year, continues to keep us brimming with anticipation for what this journey holds for us.

We just wanted to take an opportunity to share how we are doing, and to thank you for generously being part of our beautiful wedding and all the events surrounding this exciting new chapter.

As a senior in high school, the BQ (Big Question) is always, "Where are you planning to go for college?" Just before college graduation, the typical BQ is, "Where will you work next year?" Fortunately, since Jeromy and I experienced a whirlwind romance with a relatively short engagement, we didn't get too many of the, "So when are you guys tying the knot?" Thankfully, we haven't even experienced the classic newlywed BQ, "When are you planning on having kids?" Bless you ALL for that! We're not telling. However, the BQ we ARE getting lately, is, natch, "How's married life?"

Where to start?!

When we told one man in our church we were getting married he said, "The sooner, the better. It frees you up." So we took his advice! He's wasn't kidding. Being married has freed us up in so many ways. The best part is not having to go to separate houses at night, that was such a hassle! It's nice to have everything we need in one location. We have our apartment organized as well as we can with what we've got. We haven't really decorated yet, as it's difficult to come up with a "theme" in a 2-bedroom apartment. Plus it's expensive. But we love our little home, even if all we have are picture frames and candles. What more does an American couple really need, anyway?! Our condo is set in a quiet, woodsy neighborhood and is a perfect place for starting a life together.

Lately we've been having wonderful Sunday School and Bible study groups, very challenging and great for fellowship. We couldn't wait to spend more time getting to know other Christian couples around here, now that we're no longer hermit wedding planners! We've also gotten involved in the church's missions & evangelism ministry, and we're very excited about that. We'd like to develop some life-long friendships, and I think we're finding that at our church!

If we're going to invite any of our friends and family into our home for dinner, I (Tara) better learn how to cook! Our good friend Joe gave us a Rachel Ray cookbook that we're beginning to wear out. We both like to eat fairly healthy and are having fun trying out new recipes. We usually cook together, which has been enjoyable quality time. I don't know a whole lot of husbands who actually like to spend time in the kitchen (unless it's to raid the fridge!). I'm more of a natural baker than a natural cook, which isn't good in the fact that we both have a terrible sweet tooth, but I love making desserts for Jeromy. If you'd like to come over, though, we can now make some killer spanikopita turkey burgers, and the oriental chili we made the other day was amazing! So, if you're up for a good dose of heartburn, come visit us!

For those of you who missed the actual wedding, here is an overview of the day:

The wedding in and of itself was perfect. 70 degrees and blue skies set the tone, and everybody was smiling! The music was amazing. Dan Harney wrote us a song that was us to a "T", and the congregation joined us in singing "In Christ Alone" and "How Great Is Our God". Jeromy and I wrote our own vows. The flowers and sanctuary decorations were beautiful. There were no glitches. By God's grace, we were relatively calm and able to enjoy all of the events!

We just want you to know that the most important thing to us was not the flowers or dresses or cake, but our sacred ceremony, our vows to one another. Also, the offer to all our friends, family, and even acquaintances an invitation to rejoice and celebrate along with us. A wedding and all the events that surround it only happen once in a lifetime, and we are so blessed and grateful to have received so much love and support of this union. God has been present in our relationship from day one, and we have found Him continuing to bless us as husband and wife. Married life is wonderful.

I am still amazed at how naturally we fell into becoming husband and wife. There was no "transition" of sorts; it was as if we were always married and as if this is how it has always been - even though that was not the case! We are amazed at the growth in our sanctification even in the last two months, and that has evidenced to us that we were brought together, hugely in part, to learn to more clearly reflect Christ. We both will freely admit that we each play an instrumental spiritual role in the life of the other. There is truly a sweetness in this love that is entirely God-breathed. It is a beautiful thing to follow God's plan.

Enclosed are a few pictures we thought you might enjoy. We especially wanted those who did not get to attend the wedding to see the joy on our faces and the beauty of the day. We skittered off to Seattle the next day after staying at a Victorian B&B in Annapolis. Seattle was Jeromy's idea, and it was a good one! We spent half of our stay in the city, experiencing Pugit Sound and the Space Needle while enjoying a cup of joe at the first Starbucks. The last leg of our trip was spent at Mount Rainier! We stayed in a perfect, cozy little cabin at the base of the mountain and took hiking trips during the day! The best part of the whole week was that we didn't get a drop of rain! In fact, we got a bit sunburned! God gave us amazing weather while we were out West. We would HIGHLY recommend adding Washington State to your list of places to visit. To view our wedding and honeymoon photos, click here:

Wedding & Honeymoon (technical difficulties, sorry. Our pictures disappeared!)

Again, we thank you so much for embracing this marriage, for your prayers and tokens of love. They are all eternal investments.

Blessings,

Jeromy and Tara