Tag Archives: Colorado

November 5, 2011

In Case You Didn’t Know, We Miss You

By rnbwilson

There are a lot of emotions that come with moving half way across the world.  We have experienced excitement, nervousness, frustration, joy, confusion, and most recently, sadness.  I suppose sadness isn’t really the appropriate word.  We feel melancholy.  Very, very melancholy.

You see, our one year anniversary of moving here occured about a month ago.  Since that time, it has been like a switch was flipped.  The miss home like crazy switch.  Throughout our time here, we have missed things like food and driving, large grocery stores, and customer service, but those aren’t the things we are missing right now.  Those are all great things, but right now we miss people.  Friends from church, Talbot, work, Oklahoma, and Colorado consume our conversations.  God has blessed us with so many amazing friends and mentors and it has been hard to be so far away from all of them.  We miss dinner dates with our friends the Van Schoicks, brunch sunday at Grace, family night with the Klinks, praying with our small group, and so many other people and experiences.

I miss shopping with Ashley (even though we never had any money to spend!), my Esther Bible study girls, starbucks runs with Dani on breaks we weren’t supposed to take, Talbot Wives prayer groups and ALL of the amazing friends I met there, eating hot dogs and burgers on the patio with the Polks, and coffee dates with my mentor, Teri.  There are so many more people we could mention that have impacted and blessed our lives, but this is a blog, not a book (though I know some of my posts could make one think I don’t know the difference).

At the end of the day, Chick-Fil-A and real milk shakes just don’t fill the void that we feel right now.  When you miss people, everything else just kind of fades in comparison.  And when those people are your family, the comparison is even more stark.  I woke up this morning and read a facebook messge from Ben’s sister, and I just started crying.  The message was nothing more than a simple question about something, but I was just overwhelmed with sadness.

I miss my mom’s amazing chocolate fudge and the way she makes every holiday and every visit so special.  I miss my dad and all his crazy childhood stories and the constant sound of a bass that accompanies him.  I miss my brother who is always bursting with energy and drumming his fingers on every surface.  I miss his beautiful new wife Stephanie who always seeks to serve others and her love for Zach just touches my heart.  I miss Ben’s mom and her fits of giggles when she is with her sisters and the way she dotes on her beloved Oscar (her dachshund).  I miss Ben’s dad and his wonderful smile that blesses your heart because it is so sincere in its love.  I miss Ben’s sister and the way she is always itching to go on walks and just spend quality time with people.  I miss her husband Alex and his witty comments and excitement over amazing books we all equally love.  I wish I could wrap my arms around each of them right now.

It isn’t that we miss America all that much right now, beause we love it here.  We just miss connecting with people that have meant so much to us.  It feels like we are living over here in this kind of pretend world because we haven’t really gotten to share it with anyone from home (minus Cassie of course).  We have come to realize that if you can’t share your world with people, it just lacks the fullness that it would otherwise have.  This exeperience isn’t just something for me and Ben, it is something we want to share with those we love (and even those we barely know would be ok at this point!).  We want to build precious memories with friends from home even now.  We don’t want to wait two years to continue to do that.

I don’t mean for any of this to make anyone feel guilty or sad for us, but along with the exciting and new things that we encounter here, I also want to document the difficult times we face.  Right now is one of those times.  We love people.  We have spent the last six years of our marriage meeting incredible people and building the kind of friendships that just warm your soul.  You don’t leave those people and not feel the loss.  Our hearts are a little heavy right now, but just know that to all of our friends and family out there scattered across the US, we think of you all the time. We love you.  We cherish you. We miss you.  xox

 

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August 22, 2011

Mr. & Mrs. Games…YAY!!!

By rnbwilson

The wedding season has officially ended for me and Ben which means that I can finally stop working out every day, panicking over how my arms will look in photos!  Bring on the chocolate my friends.  After Rachel and Alex’s wedding we had about two weeks before my little brother got married.  He was married on July 11th to his beautiful bride Stephanie.  Zach has been a husband for nearly two months now…crazy!  I feel like it was just last week that we were building forts and laughing at picture books together.  I feel old saying this, but it is amazing how quickly the years go by.

The wedding week got started early as family and friends started flying in days before the big day.  Since the wedding was on a Monday, we got to have a long weekend with those that were closest to Zach and Steph.  It was great.  Days before the wedding we prepared Zach’s house (the house we grew up in that my parents are trying to sell…but until then Zach and Steph are living in) for the 20 odd people who would be staying there.  Not odd people mind you, but the number was so large and kept fluctuating that the exact number escapes me.  It was A LOT of people though.  Every available room was taken.  There were air mattresses, suitcases, clothes, gifts, and food everywhere.  No counter space or corner went unused.  It was cluttered to say the least.  It was entertaining though.  There was a constant flow of activity.  From basketball to baking, program designing to favor box assembly lines, the house swarmed with people and the buzz of chatter could be heard from nearly every room.

In the days leading up to the wedding we had several events that will forever be burned into my memory.  One involves me and several of Stephanie’s girlfriends dressed in eighties attire, nearly getting kicked out of Dave and Busters because we were “bumping” the game that has coins precariously dangling over an edge (ahem…Tiana!).  And just in case you were wondering, those games do have alarms if bumped.   I haven’t laughed so hard in years!  The second memory involves Stephanie in a grown up onsie, dancing blindfolded to “I’m too sexy for my shirt!” The last memory is of my brother dressed in leather chaps, matching vest (over his recently waxed chest, courtesy of his groomsmen and close friends), waiting to head out to the next phase of his bachelor party which included serenading strangers with a guitar outside the local frozen yogurt shop.  Ahh, the memories.

There were so many memorable moments that week.  The rehearsal was probably one of my favorite days.  We all headed to the wedding venue which was called The Pinery, and let me just say, this site was A-mazing!  The chapel and ballroom where the reception would be held were beautiful.  The chapel was simply decorated but it was incredibly elegant and romantic.  It fit Zach and Stephanie perfectly.  There were candles in every windowsill and beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.  The front had one long rustic wood table that had more candles on it but the centerpiece of the room was a rustic looking wooden cross that hung on the wall.  Just as this was the centerpiece of the room, so it is a symbol of the centrality of Christ in Zach and Stephanie’s marriage.  It was perfect.

The morning of the rehearsal was filled with laughter as the wedding party at different points provided the background music necessary for the wedding.  At one point the guys started singing my favorite song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and for those of you who know me, know that I can’t resist not singing that song.  So when the boys started faltering with the words, I picked it up and belted out the lines.  Yes, belted, because singing does not adequately portray the sound that I make.  Screeching, might even be a more appropriate word.  Anyhow, I humiliated myself for the sake of the song and well, because I love to sing, even though I can’t.  I have no shame.  All in all, we had a great time.  Zach and Stephanie’s wedding party (plus their super fun spouses) made the days leading up to the wedding so fun.

That night we all headed to the rehearsal dinner which was at BJ’s…yes, my all time favorite pizza restaurant!!  All you can eat pizza and pizookie!  Oh, yeah, there was salad as well but who cares about all you can eat salad when there is pizza and pizookie to be had?!  The food was amazing and the conversation lively, but it was when my dad lead the 50 or so people there to sing “Lean On Me” to Zach and Stephanie, that the evening was labeled a success in my mind.  I kept waiting for everyone around us to join in, but apparently that only happens in the movies.

We (all 22 of us) headed to the house that night only to find that the electricity in the house had been knocked out by a rain storm that had occurred earlier in the afternoon.  This had actually occurred earlier in the day but Ben and I had been out running errands.  Not only was there no electricity but there was no water because, well, I can’t remember why, but there wasn’t any water.  This had already been going on for nearly six hours.  We couldn’t light candles because my dad is a severe asthmatic and smoke really bothers him,  so we stood in the kitchen (all of us) around the lone flash light that had been produced.  No one knew what to do.  We called the electric company and of course couldn’t get through to anyone since it was late Sunday evening.  My uncle who is an electrician said we couldn’t do anything until the company arrived as the problem was with the pole up the street that had been hit.  Wonderful news.  How were all of us going to get ready tomorrow morning without hair dryers and showers?  What were we going to do about bathrooms people?!  Twenty-two people can’t hold it for fifteen hours!  Zach still had laundry he needed to do for his honeymoon for goodness sake.  At first we all joked about it, thinking the electricity would come on any second.  Then the seconds and minutes ticked by.  The atmosphere slowly started to change to one of, seriously, what are we going to do?

Somewhere around the time that people started calling hotels, and I called my in-laws to see if me and Ben and some of the other members of the wedding party could stay at their house, the electricity came on.  There was a collective cheer followed by a sigh of relief from everyone in the house.   It was nearly eleven at night, but we had electricity!  As excited as everyone was, we headed to bed pretty quickly.  Afterall, we had a wedding to attend the next day!

The next day all the bridesmaids met early in the morning to begin our beautification process.  We had a fun day filled with smiles and hairspray, quick lunches and cameras snapping away.  Stephanie glowed.  We arrived at the wedding site and were quickly ushered into the bridal room where we all put the finishing touches on our hair and makeup.  As we waited we posed for “candid” photos, danced like idiots (or monkeys in Haley’s case!), snacked on the random cookies and fruits lying around, and in my case, jokingly led Stephanie through some yoga poses…in her wedding dress!

We were scheduled to take bridal party photos before the wedding but we had to make sure our timing was perfect as Zach and Stephanie were not seeing each other before the wedding.  We had just stepped out of the bridal suite, Stephanie included, when Zach walked in.  Ben, being the super hero he is quickly stepped in front of Stephanie and thrust the curtain in the doorway in front of her while yelling for Zach to leave!  That’s my man…saving the day!  After our close call with the groom we headed out for photos and then retired to our suite one last time.  The buzz outside our room started to grow as guests started to arrive.  This was when the emotion started kicking in.  As I looked at Stephanie, this gorgeous bride, laughing and smiling with all her closest friends, I couldn’t help but get choked up.  This beautiful, sweet-spirited woman was about to marry my equally amazing brother.  She was going to become my sister in just a few minutes.  As we lined up, and I stood next to Ben who looked so handsome, the emotion inside me started to well up from deep inside my heart.  It filled me to the point that tears started to fill my eyes.

The music started and the wedding party made their way down the aisle.  When it was our turn I took a deep breath, and felt my smile grow bigger and bigger as we walked up the aisle.  It wasn’t until I reached the end of the aisle and my sweet, handsome brother looked and me and smiled, that my tears spilled over.  I looked at him through my tears and just beamed.  As is his usual custom with me, he gave me a crooked smile and winked.  I walked up the stage and took my place and tried to gain composure.  I managed to do so, for about a minute and a half.  Then the doors opened to reveal my brother’s bride and I peeked over at him and saw him struggling to keep the tears from coming, and I knew I was a lost cause.  The tears leaked out the side of my eyes and didn’t stop the whole wedding.  This was the first wedding in my life where I cried the whole time.  The room was charged with emotion and I just couldn’t do anything but let the tears slid.  I was so proud of my brother.  So excited for him.  Who wouldn’t be?

The wedding was beautiful and very intimate.  The energy in the room seemed to gain momentum as the wedding neared the last lap.  Zach and Stephanie had never kissed up until this day.  They had kissed each other’s faces (a hundred times a day it seemed!), but they had saved their first actual kiss for their wedding day.  You cannot imagine the building suspense and excitement in the room.  Nathan, their officiant, was brilliant, he dragged out the pronouncement as long as humanly possible while laughter spread throughout the room.  Finally he said the magical words, “Zach, you may kiss your bride!”  He did not have to be asked twice!  It was beautiful!  Cheers broke out everywhere and there wasn’t a face in the room that wasn’t smiling from ear to ear.  The couple beamed as they made their way down the aisle and the wedding party gathered around the new couple and showered them in enormous hugs and loud exclamations of congratulations.

We all snuck away while the guests left, and then we headed back to the chapel for more photos.  We had so much fun encouraging the newly married couple to kiss every chance we got.  Ben was feeling the romantic atmosphere and decided that this was the opportune time to grab me and go for a kiss of his own…in front of everyone!  You’ve never heard so may men encourage a man!  This of course led Zach to give it another go to try for more cheers…mission accomplished!  What can we say?  Love was in the air!

After pictures we all headed to the reception which was stunning.  The ballroom was beautifully decorated and lit to create just the right atmosphere.  The reception was unique in that more people cried there than at the wedding.  This was all due to Stephanie’s two dances.  The dance she shared with her father was one that no one will ever forget as they cried in each other’s arms and held each other close.  Then Stephanie surprised her mom, and asked her to dance.  Again, more tears to be had by all.  The dances left not a dry eye in the place, well except the boys I suppose.  After this we all headed to dance floor to get the party started.  It was a great night where I naturally didn’t stop dancing until the bride and groom left.

The night flew by way too quickly and before I knew it, Zach and Stephanie had re-entered the room in their going away attire.  Zach in a white button down shirt with a bright red tie, and Stephanie in a saucy little red dress.  They looked good.  I was admiring how overjoyed they looked when it hit me that this meant they were leaving.  This meant that I was going to have to say goodbye to my little brother and I wouldn’t see him again before I left to go back to Cambridge.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if I knew when we were coming back, but I didn’t.  Before they officially left, they started hugging friends and family and when they came to me I held on for dear life.  I was sobbing uncontrollably and I just felt so sad saying goodbye to them like this.  I don’t know why, but parting at their wedding for an indefinite amount of time was just really difficult.  After I nearly choked Zach and Stephanie to death, I headed over to my dad and cried on his shoulder while he just hugged me tight.

After a while, we all headed to the main entrance and formed a line to the getaway car.  Bubbles were flying everywhere and laughter and tears flowed freely.  It was such a beautiful night and when Zach and Stephanie came strutting down the aisle to all the catcalls and cheers, I just felt so blessed.  My brother looked so, so excited (naturally, we all know why he was excited LEAVING the wedding!), and Stephanie just glowed.

They climbed into the car that was decked out in shoe polish and waved goodbye.  We all stood there cheering and waving until they turned the corner.  The last of the bubbles floated into the air and everyone that was left smiled and lazily meandered back inside.  I love the feeling after a wedding.  It is one of camaraderie and love.  Everyone is the closest of friends.  Zach and Stephanie’s wedding was no different.  It was an incredible night.  My little brother had just joined the ranks of married men everywhere.  He will make an incredible husband, and know that he will cherish and adore Stephanie just as God has called him to.

Zach and Stephanie, I pray that God blesses you two in your marriage.  I love you both so much and feel so privileged to have been a part of your wedding day.  Thank you for all the memories and I can’t wait to make even more with you!

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July 29, 2011

Beckwith wedding photos extravaganza

By rnbwilson

In yesterday’s post I didn’t get to properly thank those who provided photos, so thank you Mom, Karen Cowger, Jessica Christiansen, and Michael Haymaker for capturing such great photos and then passing them along to me.

I also wanted to share a link to photographer, Kathryn Bacalis’ blog where she just posted an entry on Rachel and Alex’s wedding.  She is an incredibly gifted photographer, and I would highly recommend her to anyone in Colorado (or elsewhere for that matter) who is looking for a phenomenal wedding photographer.  Here is the link! Enjoy.

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June 30, 2011

Mr. and Mrs. Beckwith…wahoo!!!

By rnbwilson

The wedding season has officially started for me and Ben.  We arrived in Colorado a week ago Saturday and we jumped into the whirlwind that was his sister’s wedding.  Ben’s sister Rachel, married her college sweetheart Alex this past Friday.  Ben was both the officiant and a groomsman and I was the maid of honor (I prefer to nix the title of matron as it just makes me feel so old!) so needless to say, we were a bit busy.

As this was Ben’s first wedding to officiate, he worked hard on his sermon and made sure he knew the ins and outs of wedding rehearsals.  I was busy planning a bachelorette party and a bridal shower that were scheduled just a few days before the wedding and just a few days after we arrived.  The days leading up to the wedding were filled with the usual chaos and errands that always ensue before any wedding, but we had so much fun.  The day of the wedding arrived and for the first time that week, I woke up after four am.  Naturally the only day I needed to wake up early, I actually overslept!  Thankfully things got back on track pretty quickly.

We enjoyed a fairly peaceful morning of getting ready at my in-laws house and then we headed up to Perry Park Country Club where the wedding was taking place.  You cannot imagine how beautiful the setting was…it was incredible.  I helped Rachel in planning her wedding and I have to say, we did an amazing job!  Everything was absolutely beautiful.  We went for a vintage chic look and we pulled it off amazingly…if I do say so myself!  Every detail was perfectly attended to and Rachel made the most exquisite bride.  Her dress was an absolute show stopper and she just glowed the whole night.

I tried to make it through the wedding without crying, and I almost made it, but there was a point where Ben got slightly choked up and I nearly lost it.  I knew if I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.  Thankfully Ben didn’t shed any tears, so I was able to stop the tears before they really got out of control!  Rach has become the sister I never had, and after nine years of knowing each other, it truly was like watching my little sister get married.  I could not have been more happy.  I found myself smiling and tearing up the whole day.  It was just such a precious, precious day.

The wedding ceremony was amazing, though I was slightly shocked that Ben outed me and my love of Harry Potter and Twilight.  Yes, he somehow managed to weave that info into the wedding ceremony…don’t ask me how he did it!  I was a closet fan until he announced it to 150 of our closest friends and family…guess I can admit it freely now.  I love Twilight and I love Harry Potter even more.  It’s true.  Thankfully I share in this love with Rachel and her new husband.  That sounds so crazy.  Her husband!

Despite how it sounds, the ceremony was beautiful and truly touching.  Ben’s sermon was perfect for Rachel and Alex and it was a wonderful explanation of Ephesians 5.  I loved the intimate time that Rachel and Alex shared with Ben while he served them communion, and Alex prayed for his new marriage.  It was so special to watch.  Alex and Rachel are such a special couple and everything about their wedding was a testimony to that.

Once the ceremony was over, we headed out on golf carts for the funnest wedding party photos I have been a part of!  We had so much fun despite some couples colliding head on with other couples in the golf carts!  The guys rocked their suspenders and gave us their best urkel impression while us girls hoisted Rach into the air for a pretty impressive cheerleading stunt.  Yeah, I am pretty sure that has never been done in a dress as tight as hers…or any dress for that matter!  We had so much fun and that just continued as we headed to the reception where the party really got started.

The ceremony site was transformed into a huge dance floor surrounded by tables that glowed under strings of bulblights that gave the atmosphere a lighthearted and romantic feel.  It was perfect.  Dinner was fantastic and I have to say that the maid of honor’s speech was amazing.  No seriously though, I was so nervous!  I practiced twice in the bathroom where I was naturally caught by four seperate people…awkward!  Thankfully once my speech was over, I was able to really enjoy myself.  Cake was great and the dancing was even better.  I totally got my grove on and didn’t stop until the bride pulled me aside and said she was ready to change into her going away dress.

I shared so many special moments with Rachel that day, and I felt so, so blessed to be her maid of honor.  I felt truly blessed to get to stand beside my sister as she pledged herself to Alex for the rest of her life.  I can’t wait to share in the rest of their love story.  Rachel, Alex, I love you both so, so much and I am so happy for you.  Congratulations and I can’t wait to see where God leads you two…I know it will be an exciting and adventurous path, that’s for sure!

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