Two.

Photo Credit: Devin Hayward Photography

Tuesday was our anniversary. We have been married for two years now! Yay! I would marvel, "I can't believe it's been that long," but actually, I can believe it. These two years have been long and full in the very best sense. We have traveled a lot, finished college, worked several different jobs and even moved to a new place. It's been busy! I love doing life with Josh. He is generous and spontaneous, always looking ahead with optimism and creativity.

Josh also builds me up. This past year, he's encouraged me to grow in confidence and to keep on singing. He even bought me a beautiful little guitar for our anniversary! I was floored! (I tried to teach myself during high school, but gave up after learning a handful of chords.) Last night, I sat in the bedroom and spent over an hour on this website, practicing chord changes and singing made-up melodies until my fingers ached and my heart was full.

I have no idea what this coming year will bring, but I'm excited to take it on with my best friend. To year three!

Back to my roots

My childhood best friend got married this weekend! I flew home to North Carolina and had the honor of standing up as one of her bridesmaids. I can't wait to share the official photographs later on! Her wedding was gorgeous, and the reception was so much fun!

I stayed with my family for the weekend, sleeping in a twin bed in my old bedroom. I'm not going to lie... it felt a little surreal! Despite the busyness of the rehearsal and the wedding day, I was able to sing at my home church on Sunday and spend a quiet afternoon with my parents and younger siblings. It was fun, it was restful, and it was restorative.

I was able to revisit who I was and who I am. I spent the majority of my adolescence attending that church and school, growing up in that house, living amongst those faces. Although Josh and I spent the first few years of our dating relationship in North Carolina, that season now feels distant. Chicago is an entirely different world. I love it here and I thrive here, but I cannot sever my identity from the places I have been, the places where my spiritual mind was developed, my heart stolen, enduring friendships made. North Carolina holds my affections in an irreplaceable way.

I have to admit, though... at the end of the weekend, when I looked out the airplane window and beheld the Chicago skyline glittering in the sun, my heart leapt and I smiled. I was almost home.

Caaaake!

We got married in North Carolina last year. After the honeymoon in Tennessee, we drove straight back to our little home in Chicago. The drive made it impossible to carry the top layer of our wedding cake, but my mom saved the day by wrapping it up perfectly, freezing it, and bringing it to us in her suitcase this past May! (Our cake has literally flown across state lines!) Last night, we dug in.

The best part? We don't have to share.

One.

Our wedding was one year ago.  Time flies, doesn't it?  We celebrated by eating dinner at our favorite little café on the Gold Coast, taking cheesecake to go, exchanging letters and opening mail from loved ones, and completely forgetting to cut into our frozen wedding cake... hehe.  (Tonight, it is!)  Our first year as husband and wife was phenomenal, packed with travels and time with friends, new jobs, a new car, a college graduation, and so much more.  Everyone said that our first year would be hard.  Really, though... it was a breeze.  We are blessed, we are in love, and as we toasted in the lamplight last night...

"To year two!"

A wedding in the country

Two of our dear friends got married in southern Illinois this weekend!  The ceremony was just beautiful, and though there were a few scares with the rain, the day was truly a success.

One of the highlights of the reception was a live bluegrass band and square dancing!  It was simply exhilarating to spin round and round, barefoot in the grass, linking arms with so many smiling people.  My calves are still sore!  :)

Did you attend any weddings this weekend, friends?

This feels normal.

Josh and I have been married for nearly three months now.

Our wedding feels like a long time ago.  The engagement, even longer (thankfully).

Puffy eyes and morning breath.  Lazy meals of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs.  Sweatpants and television.  Some days, lively chatter, other days, quiet contentment.  The apartment isn't always clean, but there is always hot coffee in the French press and several cartons of ice cream in the freezer. 

We have heard over and over, "Your first year will be really tough."  Sure, we've had a few tense conversations, but we've never gone to bed angry.  Living with your best friend is "really tough"?  It seems pretty easy!  I suppose we could argue about how to fold laundry, or how to arrange the furniture, or how much money to spend on groceries, but those things don't matter too much.  I think the "really tough" aspect of marriage is the absolute transparency.  My husband and I know each other intimately.  Our selfishness, laziness, and general quirks are on display to each other!  If we were to wield this knowledge selfishly, stacking next to it our own expectations, we would easily become critical, manipulative, or malcontent.   However, if we use this knowledge with wisdom and gentleness, then we strengthen and encourage each other.  So far, I think we are.

Married life is now the norm for us.  Normal is good, morning breath and all.

Love is in the air!

Four of our dear friends got married within the last month, and both weddings were beautiful!

Weddings are the best, aren't they?

Wedding Pictures!

Special thanks to Devin Hayward Photography!

It's the little things...

Air conditioning.
French press coffee.
Coworkers who make me laugh.
Cozy sweatpants.
New Age wine.
Sunny apartment.
Cutting up strawberries.
NCIS.

Also, a road trip to Iowa with my husband and two dear friends.

Hy-Vee.
Casey's General Store.
A creepy billboard.
Cornfields.
More cornfields.
Cornfields everywhere.
And a wedding!
Congratulations, Matt and Lauren!

No más silencio

I'm back, bloggers!  It's been almost two months since I updated Sojourn of Faith.  Have some of you given up on me?  I wouldn't blame you!  After the spring semester ended, life became a blur of full-time work, then a flight home, then wedding preparations, then an amazing wedding!  It was busy and sometimes stressful, but absolutely wonderful.  Now, I am married to the man that I started dating over 5 years ago.  The wait was difficult, but now we live together as husband and wife, and it is just... right.

We honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  The weather and scenery were gorgeous, and we had a great time!

I will post more updates soon!  It's good to be back!

Wouldn't it be nice if we were married...

Remember Devin Dunn, my college friend who just happens to be an outstanding photographer?  He took our engagement pictures on Sunday afternoon!  They turned out beautifully, and I am exceedingly excited to share them with you!

The weather was cheerfully sunny and comfortably warm.  Guided by our artistic photographer, we posed inside the courtyard of Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue and around the lovely corners of Lincoln Park.

 Devin did a wonderful job!  These are only a handful of the shots!

Only 275 more days until I get to marry this man!