The Proposal

Well, after nearly 1 year of dating, the day I arrived for my vacation, Rob proposed! We are officially engaged, and here is the story of the perfect proposal.

After I landed in Buffalo, Rob and his parents were waiting for me at the airport. I was a bit surprised as I didn't expect his parents to be there. We went out for lunch, then when we got back in the car Kim (his mom) was like Well, Steph, I know you are tired, but we went to Niagara Falls back in April and there was a ton of ice and snow, and we really want to see what it looks like now. Okay, now I didn't sleep the night before because I was up celebrating my birthday with the girls in my house. But I was actually quite excited to go back to Niagara Falls, so I happily obliged.

When we get there, Kim mentioned that it's pretty chilly at the falls and we should bring jackets...it was hot, and humid, and sticky, so I was thinking, how cold could it possibly be? But I chalked it up to her being a thoughtful Mom, so no big deal (little did I know Rob was actually using his jacket to hide the ring box because he obviously couldn't fit it in his jeans pocket!)

So we were just walking around the falls on the American side, then they said there was a bridge we should walk to because you could get a really good few of the American falls and the horseshoe falls (on the Canadian side). So we had to get our passports for this bridge, because it actually crosses the border in the middle. So we are on the bridge, and his parents are way behind us, which I thought a bit odd, but I guessed they just wanted alone time. At the same time, Rob is walking way ahead of me, and by now I'm just so exhausted! I was like gosh Rob why are you walking so fast?? Guess he was getting a little anxious :-)

Then, we get to the middle of the bridge, and Rob points to a plaque there on the bridge. It's the exact dividing line between the US and Canada. So I get all excited and I'm taking pictures, perfect view of the falls in the background. And Rob is like yeah, look I'm standing in Canada, and you are in the United States! Which I thought was the neatest thing. And then, I'm looking over the bridge at the falls and Rob goes Well, Stephanie...and my heart just stopped! I KNEW he was about to do it, and I begin to freak out realizing this is really about to happen. So I turn, and there he is down on one knee, in Canada, while I'm standing in the US, and he pulls out the most beautiful ring (c'mon now, this is the moment every girls wonders and dreams of...what is the ring going to look like?! :-)), and asks me to marry him...and of course, I said YES! Well, actually, I think I said "Yes, yes, yes, oh my gosh, yeeeesssss!!!!!" Then commenced much jumping and screaming on my end :-) I was shaking, and didn't really know what to do with myself, and all of these people are walking by on the bridge and congratulating us, and I'm just laughing and smiling and saying Oh my gosh we're engaged, we're engaged!!

It was THE most romantic, perfect moment, and I could not have dreamed of a better way to do it. In all honesty, I did not see it coming at that moment! I kind of felt like he probably would propose while I was here for vacation, but I was seriously so surprised! He definitely did very good, as my dad said, very classy.

I am so thankful for God bringing this man into my life. He is everything and more that I've ever dreamed of, and I can't get over how blessed I am. I can't wait to begin my life with him November 13, 2010!

Through the Seasons with Nancy Delgadillo

My old roommate/housemate/friend, Nancy Delgadillo is in town right now before she head's off to Panama for a mission's trip. What a perfectly timed divine encounter from God! I'm just going to share a bit of encouragement from this wonderful woman.

Nancy, since graduating the Honor Academy in December, has been able to remain fervent and steadfast in her relationship with God. One of the biggest things is this: at the HA, we are constantly going, going, doing, doing, being spiritually developed, praised by leadership, and while in leadership we are looked up to and encouraged - all the time! When you leave the HA, people don't care about your accomplishments and success here - most of them don't even know where in the world Tyler Texas is. So when we leave, all of what we were used to at the HA virtually disappears. But my identity cannot be found in the praise of man, but only in Jesus Christ. Though there is almost guaranteed a lonely season after leaving, God wants to fill us and satisfy us in the deepest possible ways during that season. We are most desperate for him when we are stripped of everything else this world can offer. And this season is just that - a season! What an encouragement to me, to know that despite the initial loneliness of leaving, that I can be satisfied in God!

Another point that Nancy reminded me of, is the complacency of the world, and how many after leaving the HA can easily slip back into that. What a waste to forget The Plan, to forget that this life is more than making money, getting married, having babies, and living comfortably. What a waste to just be satisfied with going to church once or twice a week. Life is so much more! I never, ever, ever want to fall back into the complacent Christianity that I lived before the HA. I have been given SO MUCH, therefore much is required of me. Any abundance in my life is meant to be shared, meant to be given, meant to bring glory to God. May I never grow stale, nor selfish, nor forget that this life is not my own.

So in my current season of questioning the foggy and unknown, this was a timely treasure from the Lord to see Nancy. He truly knows and cares about the longings of our hearts.

Mountain LTE? Nope - Bus LTE

Well after every bus but mine suffering a total breakdown, days without showering, and climbing thousands of feet above the earth's surface, I am back, I am showered, I smell good again, and as you can see, I survived the Bus, er, Mountain LTE. Seeing the Rockies for the first time was quite remarkable, and worth the endless bus trip to get there. The climb up the mountain was quite treacherous. Most of the trails were packed with snow, which at this point was actually like solid ice making it a slow and difficult climb. I've got many bruises from multiple falls. But here are a few highlights to show you from the weekend~

This was the view from our campsite just outside of Estes Park

This is Bierstadt Lake...we got lost on the trail and accidentally stumbled upon it. I'm glad we got lost, because this was my favorite part of the entire hike :-)

This is Bear Lake, it's totally frozen! This shows you just how stinkin cold it was on that mountain!!

Standing in front of Alberta Falls - it cascaded down into a rapid river that ran through the mountains. Gorgeous!

This is the view from the top of Alberta Falls. Look how close we are to the clouds! It was hard to breath up there!

It was beautiful, it was hard, it was breathtaking, it was worth it. I look forward to doing adventurous stuff like this with Rob in the future.

Outdoor Camping for Girlie Girls

Tonight I head to Colorado where I'll embark on an outdoor camping experience and endeavor to climb Hallet's peak. I think this is going to be a much more challenging experience than running a half marathon, mostly due to the opportunity to brave the outdoors without showering for 5 days. Yuck! (Glad Rob won't have to see me like that!) While I love adventure, I love being a woman, and being clean, and showering every day.

I'm excited to spend a few days in Estes Park and see the Rockies for the first time. I don't want to miss out on such a cool opportunity because I'm so focused on staying clean. I'm trying to understand the mind of a man, and think like one would, in regards to enjoying this whole camping thing.

I'll be back Monday, hopefully with some incredible updates on the weekend :-)

I Didn't Cry Saying Goodbye

Well, here it is the Monday after a visit (black Monday as we like to call it). Strangely though, I've not been in too sour of a mood. Usually after a visit, the following day or two is extremely difficult, not wanting to get back into the routine of things. Even though our time together was short (he arrived Friday afternoon and left Sunday evening), it was quite sweet. This little life interruption mixed with knowing I'll be there again in less than 3 weeks has made this particular black Monday the most bearable one I've experienced.

Just a few things that made this weekend sweet ~ my wonderful, loving, and kind Canadian boyfriend isn't too particularly fond of "tex-mex" food. Unfortunately that's what I grew up eating living in the south, and unfortunately for him, that's what I know how to cook best. But much to my surprise, he rather enjoyed my homemade chicken enchilada casserole! We also ventured into the creative world of making homemade spanish flan. And again, much to my surprise, turned out quite well for a first try. You ought to look up a recipe just to see how tedious it is to make :-)

Saturday we spent the morning hitting up garage sales where I found a treasure of a cookbook. That afternoon we picnicked at Hideaway Lake and enjoyed some good ole' Texas sun. No worries, sunscreen was purchased for Rob and he was spared from the lobster effect that tends to happen in Texas. Me? Ahh, I was blessed with a greeeaaat tan!

That evening we tried out Villa Montez in Tyler - I highly recommend the place! It's in an old beautiful home and they serve Latin food - different but extremely good.

Sunday we went to Gateway Church together once again. Goodness we love that church - Pastor Robert's teaching and his personal testimony has greatly effected both of our lives, and it's such a blessing to worship God together. Afterwards I took him shopping for some summer clothes, then we spent some time at Starbucks, and ended the day at the airport.

Sounds like a short time, and though it was, we prayed it would draaaag on. And hey, God is faithful even in the small things, and we definitely felt like it was much longer than it actually was. It was a wonderful gift, the perfect little life interruption. I must say though, I seriously can't wait until June 12th - it will be a glorious 8 days together :-)

*the picture is us being cute at the airport before saying goodbye*

The Countdown

The day before Rob and I reunite is always pretty odd. Today has proved nothing less. Work seems to be unusually hectic, which is problematic when you don't feel like working because you know he'll be here in a matter of hours. And actually, here it is almost 8 pm and I'm considering going back to the office soon...yikes! After work I nearly forgot that I needed to go feed Mr. Hasz's cat, so ensued an interesting dilemma. Couldn't figure out the garage door, the little rascal kept running all over the place and couldn't catch him, tried shutting the garage door so he wouldn't escape, couldn't figure out how to shut the garage door (lame I know). Then I head inside to feed the fish, and I was mesmerized by the motion censor lights on the stairs, so I kid you not I maybe ran up and down the stairs three times because I thought it was so cool. Fish fed, cat fed, mission accomplished...now to get the garage door shut. It took me almost 5 minutes - I almost called Mr. Hasz while he was on vacation. Yeah, pretty sure it doesn't get much sadder than that!

Alright, mission accomplished. So I drive to Lindale and I'm sitting at the stoplight by Walmart and a man dressed in a gorilla suit is standing on the street corner advertising for pizza. Lucky me would get to be stuck right there next to him as he pranced around waving a pizza sign in my face...as I'm on my way to the gym. That's inspiring. I ignored his pleas and resisted the desire, and braved the testosterone zone of Anytime Fitness. The men seemed to be acting especially...manly...today. I could hear men grunting quite loudly as they lifted weights clearly too difficult for them to lift, and the manager grunting back at him from his office. All the while I'm wondering where in the world the other women are at!


















Alas, now I am home, peacefully eating my dinner and chopping away at my frozen smoothie. Some of my girls are watching a rather loud movie in the background and popping popcorn. I'm downloading the sounds of Randy Travis's "Forever and Ever, Amen" to my iTunes and dreaming of the future like a giddy little girl. Though a more quiet evening would be my preference, I know I'm going to miss this. I'm reminded of parents who wish they would have enjoyed the hectic days of their children being toddlers and how they just grow up so fast. Yeah, it's kinda like that. I'm so incredibly thankful for the time God has given me here in east Texas, in this house, with these women..."they grow up so fast."

-Steph

Learning to be a Mary in a Martha World

Luke 10:38-42, the story of Mary and Martha. Check it out, though you are most likely already familiar with the story.

~As women, it's a natural inclination for us to see a need and want to meet it. We see a need, we find ways to help. In this story, Martha is much the same way. Jesus came into the home where Mary and Martha were, and Martha saw Jesus, tired and worn from his journey. She wanted to help him, feed him, serve him, etc. A key verse in this passage says, however, that she was distracted with much serving. The problem was, she was so distracted with serving that she couldn't see Jesus for who He was. This was the Christ, the Son of God, in her very home. HE was the one who had much to offer her. Mary saw this. She looked beyond the outward appearance of a tired man, and KNEW Him. She took the time to sit at her Savior's feet in expectation.

My house vision this year, and life vision for that matter really, is Selfless. It's all about laying down our lives, serving one another in love, surrendering our will and desires to meet the needs of others. I've not realized until now that one facet of being selfless is laying down our will and desires so that we may just sit at the feet of Jesus. So today, I pause from all of my serving, I breathe, and I rest at the feet of Jesus. I pray for a Mary spirit to replace my Martha mindset. Jesus is never too tired or too busy to fill me and sustain me.