Yesterday Daniel and I celebrated a whole year of marriage. Not only did it blaze by like a run away train, but it was full of all sorts of unexpected turns that got us off track more than once. Not necessarily with each other, but when you go into marriage it’s hard not to go in with expectations and goals. Daniel and I had all of these big dreams of ministry opportunities and things we’d get to do together. Some of them happened, but most had to be put on the back burner until a later date.
The first half of last year was more a time for others pouring into us. It was a strange place to be in. When life comes at you hard and you’re so use to be there for others, it’s strange to be the one taken care of. Thank you to everyone who did just that! Daniel and I felt overwhelmed all the time, life just seemed out of control. We tried our hardest to reel it back in, but God wanted to teach us a few lessons before moving forward again. Thankfully, we did learn those lessons and did move forward and life started to make sense again. Big things started happening and Daniel and I found ourselves making steps together that we didn’t even dream of doing in our first year!
Highlights of the year:
– We watched prayers answered regarding my father’s health!
– Daniel joined the MLP team as an assistant and quickly moved to 2nd shooter! He’s a natural!
– We traveled to Arizona, San Francisco, St. Thomas as a married photo shooting duo! It was so fun exploring new places!
– We added 4 fur babies to our family and nursed 2 of them from 2 days old. A challenge and a joy all in one.
– We bought a house in Statesville, NC!
Yesterday Daniel surprised me with a trip to Grandfather Mountain and the Inn at Crestwood for dinner. During the drive up we spent some time reminiscing over our wedding day and everything that had happened since. We talked about things that we loved and things we know we could do better. We set new goals and took joy in the gorgeous autumn leaves and epic mountains surrounding us!
A few goals to look forward to:
– Be aware and more intentional with each other and others.
– Take a mini mountain vacation every year.
– Look for opportunities to serve others together.
– Make our health as a priority.
– Have more “adventure” days where we have no set plans, just be together.
– Take one day a week to learn & study together for our marriage.
– Save and plan for our future.
– Create Youtube videos together.
We also took a few pictures. Daniel knows how much I love to take pictures WITH him, but he’d rather stay behind the camera. He was gracious enough to accommodate my need for selfies & timer photos and even setup a few himself!
As I mentioned before, we ended our evening at The Inn at Crestwood where Daniel and I started this married adventure a year ago. We sat in the dining room at 6pm, the exact time of our wedding ceremony. It was a beautiful way to remember and pay honor to that special day. I can’t wait to spend many many more years learning, growing, and loving with my Mountain of a Man, Daniel.
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
Cell Phone adventures:
We then busted out the real cameras.
Daniel has grown so quickly in his craft! I LOVE these shots he captured of me for our website.
Daniel’s got his biker vibe going on for these next few shots
New website headshots!
Sometimes the wind just didn’t cooporate
What a year we’ve had, but I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to do it with!
