blessings beyond measure

the blessing of marriage is putting some perspective on life before Sept 16. life isn't about me. that i know. but what i have learned is that life is about an us, a feeling of unity. though rob was always there i was constantly missing the unified feeling. now, every day i know i will walk in a house where someone loves me, unconditionally. there is a palpable peace in my life now. what a blessing my husband is.

my resolution is to let him know how perfect he is every day. 

"every good and perfect gift is from above" - James 1:17

happy new year everyone. count your blessings every day.

3 months and counting

three things about the first three months:

1. marriage is a lot of fun and a blessing most days but it can be really challenging too. the thing to remember is that we are on the same team. and sometimes "i'm sorry, i love you" is the only answer.

2. living with the person you love is awesome. it has been approximately 91 days since rob has had to drive me home or i have had to leave him at the end of the night. he loves this and so do i, time is so precious and we get to spend so much together. 

3. jack has been our best decision yet. we are learning to take the responsibility together and split the duties. rob is such a wonderful caretaker, it makes me love him more and more daily.

we also just used my wedding present from rob, tickets to Wicked! it was amazing and we will never forget it!

the story of Jack

this is the story of Jack. 

last saturday the day started off just like any other saturday. we woke up, had some breakfast, cleaned the house and all before noon. during our cleaning spree we got a call from our apartment manager. we had asked in previous weeks if it would be ok to have a dog in our apartment and we had been waiting on an answer. we finally got one. we were able to have a puppy! well, it seemed like awesome news at first but then we were disappointed. we had been waiting weeks for a response and now, three days before rob's interview, we find out that we are able to have a dog. we took a step back and kept cleaning the house, all the while talking about puppies and the logistics of what it would actually be like if we had one right now. we decided to think about it. not be rash. we got ready for the day, started to watch grey's anatomy and felt so anxious. we paused grey's and decided to go to the pet store that we had always known we would likely get our first dog from. it was going to be a one time thing. we had known for a long time the kind of dog that we were looking for and the kinds that we weren't so we decided that we would go in and if there was nothing that was right then it wasn't the time. (awesome decision making skills i know). so we went. we were anxious but we also had a feeling that it would turn out the way it was supposed to. when we got there it was very busy, saturdays are a big day for petland and we were not the only people in the market for a puppy. as we made our way along the rows of cages we didn't see anything that fit into the category of a dog we would like or that would fit our life right now. as we got the end of the row and didn't see anyone that we were interested in we thought "well that's it, it wasn't meant to be". as we were about to walk out we realized that we had missed the first section of puppies due to the overcrowding when we first arrived. when we got up to the glass wall we saw him. a mini australian shepherd was on our preferred list and not only that, he was our number one choice. we played with him for quite a while, got all his information and without looking back decided to take him home. it was so fun and i still can hardly believe that he is ours but we love our little jack. 

jack is a three month old mini australian shepherd with the coolest green grey eyes you have ever seen. he already knows how to sit and is pretty well potty trained... no big accidents in the house in the last couple days (knock on wood) and he loves the car. we take him everywhere we can and we love to have him around other people so that he is well socialized. we love our litte boy.

pardon our mess.

hi there everyone! i just wanted to give you a glimpse into our home. i haven't posted any pictures and so i thought after rearranging today, i would share some!

and as i said earlier - pardon our mess - we are cleaning up today and there are some extra boxes here and there ;) also the pictures are from my iphone and therefore are not the best quality...

these are some of our main living area, dining room and kitchen. i hope you like!

welcome to our home: apartment 101

our newly arranged living room, we are missing our coffee table at the moment

this is my favorite part of our house!

rob is about to play zelda: majora's mask with me on a Saturday afternoon!

for now that is all that i have for you! soon i will post a bit about our life but for now all i can ask is that you pray for Rob as he has an interview this Tuesday at 2:30! YAYYYY

and we just found out we are allowed to have a dog. how awesome. ;)

disasters and successes

as for the first part there are not many to talk about. disasters have not really graced us yet in our short 42 days of marriage. i haven't been the best at some things and i will absolutely try harder. dinner has been pretty shotty around here. when we make dinner it is fun and it tastes delicious. we have a schedule worked out to some extent... haha. i make dinner twice a week, rob makes one night of dinner and then we decide what to do for the other nights. grocery shopping has been somewhat successful for the week that it should last but honestly, we need some work. thankfully we have a great time at meijer together on sundays and though everything always looks and sounds delicious since we are usually very hungry, we do ok HA. our house is also a "failure"... it's not the tidiest place on earth but as rob likes to encourage me, it's "lived in". boy oh boy did i marry a sweet man. i will absolutely get better at cleaning too but work is taking a ton out of me and i am learning to adjust. work is not by any means a failure, in fact i am learning quickly and will succeed, i am sure of it.

now let's talk about the good stuff. and by good i mean great. and honestly, i don't even know if "Successes" is a word because honestly it looks totally weird to me (ok, it is a word) but we are awesome. rob and i are absolutely an awesome married couple. now i am not saying we are "better" or anything like that we are just absolutely awesome in our own right. living together is awesome and has some pretty fantastic perks. and although we do only see each other for about 3-4 hours a day, we have a great life. BEST PART: rob rocks. wanna know what she does before i go to sleep at night? ok, don't fret, i will tell you. i start falling asleep on the couch around 9-930 (lame i know) and so rob comes and cuddles with me in bed and reads to me. yes, yes he reads to me. he's the best. right now we are reading The Hobbit, rob's knowledge of MiddleEarth is staggering, and he loves to slightly narrate the characters. though, i don't really know what is going on except for the main story line i LOVE that he reads to me. what a guy.

so over all, though i have absolutely not even scratched the surface on our day to day life and what we are doing, i am happy to say that we are succeeding far more that we are finding ourselves in failure and we are loving it.

also rob had a phone interview today. it went more than well. he has a face to face interview next week. yet, another reasons why he rocks.

also check out some of our wedding pictures at www.jennanibal/rob-lindsey. they are beautiful.

short

life is crazy. but crazy fun! work has been a really exciting adventure so far and i think i am fairly good at it! hopefully... haha. rob has an interview this week which would be so great if he got what he is going for! being a wife still rocks, and it keeps rocking more and more everyday. haha. rob is just the best.

i don't want to type a lot right now but i just wanted to let everyone that we are awesome and life is going splendidly!

love, linds

being mrs. rebhan

this blog began as a way to remember the time spent preparing for September 16th and that was all, but now i have decided to continue on and present just a small picture into Rob and my everyday life. it will be a way to remember all the little moments in the coming days and months. where we started may be boring or it may be very exciting but it is what it is, life.

so far being a wife has been awesome. i know it may seem cliche but it is actually what i like to do and it makes me very happy to take care of my new husband. Rob is not in any way high maintenance but he certainly does like being taken care of but he is very appreciative. he doesn't take advantage of anything that i do and i love him for it. making dinner is something that i was very excited about doing and it has been very fun to make whatever rob wants! man, i think he may be a lucky guy (haha). the first dinner that i made came about a week after we moved in after the honeymoon and had done some painting and decorating. we had pork tenderloin, garlic green beans and spatzle.

pretty placemats go perfectly with our new "eggplant" colored dining room wall! 

it has been so fun to hang out with rob and do little everyday things together as a married couple. errands, unpacking, painting, and setting up house have all been so much more exciting when rob and i are together. not only do we make mundane tasks fun or nauseating movies entertaining just because we know how to make each other laugh. we went to the Franklin Cider Mill during our "first week" and it was just so precious to be there with a husband instead of a boyfriend or a fiance, as we had done in years past. we have both found it so entertaining to call each other "wife" and "husband". "wife" came easier to rob for some reason and he used it all through our honeymoon. however, i thought it was a little odd and "husband" took a bit longer. now we refer to each other more often as "husband" or "hubby" and "wife". it's a little precious :)

my hubby and i at the Franklin Cider Mill

our everyday is pretty normal, waking up, making meals and working. i just finished at Papa Vino's and start tomorrow (October 4) at Enterprise Rent-a-Car as a Management Trainee. i don't know how i feel about it exactly but i think it is a great opportunity with growth potential and well, it is full-time with benefits and a salary so there isn't too much to complain about. as i begin the process and learn more about it i will let you all know how it is going. pray that i will like it and that it will be a prosperous career. rob is still on the edge of finding something, he is still communicating with a couple of agencies in the area but the way of the advertising world is to take as much time as needed. let's get a move on people :) when rob and i are just here hanging out together we take some time to do our own thing. i knew we were different types of people who liked different things but i guess i didn't realize that those differences were so great. there have been many times when i am setting something up in the house and i find rob here. my gamer hubby in his "cubby room" as we have come to call it.

i have tried to take an interest in the games he plays and so we have started to play "Portal 2" together. it is actually a pretty cute game and he really likes it when we play together. he laughs at my total inability to control the character and "fall" into portals. i just don't get it but i will continue to try. and try. and try. love is a crazy thing :)

being married is really awesome and i would recommend it to those who are interested :)  until next time.

gorgeous flowers from my spontaneous husband.
they look great with our placemats and "eggplant" wall!

a wedding and a honeymoon

hello everyone. it has been quite a while since i last posted, so long in fact that i went and got married in the meantime!

it was the most perfect day. i mean it, perfect. everything was just how i imagined it and better... it was totally amazing. we had the best bridal party and it was just such a fun time to be with friends and family that aren't usually in the same place. some definite friends were made (yes, Taylor and Kelly i am talking about you :) ). it all started the night before at the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner which were quite hilarious and abundantly enjoyable. the dinner was at cafe cortina and was such fun. we had hors d' oeurves out on the patio, complete with twinkling lights in the trees, and dinner was delicious and too much food to say the least haha. we were so blessed by our Rebhan family, thank you thank you thank you! friday morning started early with a 930 arrival time at the hotel to start getting ready, i really thought that was overkill for amount of time to put makeup on and do hair but i was wrong. BRENDA was amazing and never ever knew what she was getting herself into! we sang glee for about three hours and i honestly think she was scared of us. haha. around 400 we were all dressed, we got in the limo after taking some pictures and it was time to start. reality had certainly not sunk in yet, but we were off and Rob and I were about to get married!

this is just a sneak peak at our day, i know it isn't much but these are the bouquets, mine in front and the girls behind!

i never thought that a day could fly by so quickly, i truly only remember little odds and ends of the day, but the memories that i have will last me a lifetime. walking down the aisle, repeating our vows, having a first dance and cutting the cake, listening to speeches, rejoicing with friends and walking table to table with my new husband are the moments i remember most. it may sound like a lot and that i remember "everything" but there are so many times that i forget happened until someone posts a picture and i have to stop and think and then laugh at that moment. it was such a pleasure and really a once in a lifetime experience to get all dressed up, marry the man that i love, and be surrounded by every person that means the world to us. it was magnificent to say the least. the best part, beyond the "normal" things a bride should report, was the fact that everyone there had a marvelous time and told us that it was beautiful. it's really the best thing you could hear when you have spent the better part of year planning for one night. wow i can't wait to show you all pictures.

after the wedding on friday night we spent the morning with the people who had spent the night in the hotel and had brunch. it was nice to be able to see those people the next day because it had been such a whirlwind at the wedding. post-brunch and after saying our thank-you's and good bye's to our parents and family, rob and i headed out on the open road to Chicago.

on our way into chicago

we stayed at the Sheraton downtown and the view was spectacular!

we went to the aquarium, spent a day in the room and ordered room service (awesome), went to some famous restaurants and saw the skydeck of the willis (sears) tower. what an amazing time to just spend with my new husband. we had such a wonderful time being newlyweds and telling everyone that we met... i did at least haha! we were so exhausted after the wedding that we spent a lot of time hanging out and being together, the best part of the whole long-weekend. here are some pictures from our adventures, enjoy!

the chicago skyline in the fog as we waited in line for our tickets at the shedd aquarium

we went and saw the dolphins, very amazing

i am touching a starfish!

the ducks followed our fingers around, very cute!

check out this frog, ready to pounce on his dinner.

Rob likes "turdles"

seahorses are the most awesome creatures, they always remind me of Leah.

dinner at Gino's East with my new hubby

the pizza was very intimidating...

Rob found his future car while walking around downtown

up on the willis (sears) tower - what a view!

they have new "skydecks" made of glass that jut out over the city, you can stand out 103 stories up!

sitting on "skydeck", it is very very creepy to sit down on this glass overhang

103 stories up!

our wedding and honeymoon were unforgettable, thank you so much to everyone for being there and taking a part in our special time - we can't wait to share what comes next!

looking back before moving forward

tonight, mom and dad and rob and i went out to dinner with my mimi. mimi is my dad's mom and she is my only living grandparent and so therefore is even more special than the average "special level" of a grandparent. she is such a wonderful woman and is always so fun to be with - especially in times of celebration like the one we are in now. woo hoo wedding week!

after we had ordered tonight, mimi asked me if i had anything blue for the wedding and i told her that i did indeed have something. i also told her that i was putting my buppa's id bracelet around my bouquet for the night. she hastily opened her purse and handed me a pink envelope. i immediately started to tear up without even knowing what was in the envelope. as i opened it i saw an old handkerchief. after unfolding it i saw a gold pin with a blue stone attached to the end. she told me that it had been my buppa's and his father's before him. this means so much to me, since my buppa and i were so close. though he died when i was only five we were best buds. i spent most days a week perched on his lap at the counter while he read his book or watched the news. he would play with me and push me around on his wheeled chair pretended it was a "horsey". after making it through the rest of dinner mimi brought us all out to the car and gave dad buppa's flag in its frame from 17 years ago when it was presented to her at his funeral. again we all started to cry.

i have been without most of my grandparents for many years now, but for some reason today it hit me very hard that they will not be there to celebrate with me at the wedding on Friday. They all have meant so much to be in my past and i want them to be remembered even now so here are some of my favorite memories in photo form. i take joy in the memories that i had time to share with them, i hope you find joy as well. enjoy!

this is my buppa and me, perched as usual :)

mimi and buppa and i, when i was about 1. i loved mimi's red glasses!

grandma and grandpa fox were the most awesome grandparents. grandma was a typical loud italian woman who always had something fresh coming out of the kitchen and grandpa was the sweetest, most gentle man you have ever met. 

i loved my grandparents as much as a little girl could and i still do. they will be remembered on Friday and i know they would be proud of me and Rob as we take this next step together! 

 

I HAVE THREE DAYS UNTIL IT IS THE WEDDING DAY.

(yet another) bump in the road

we are both a little disappointed right now. a really cool opportunity sprouted in front of us yesterday and we both we so happy and delighted that something might finally happen for us in the area of finding somewhere to live. but alas, it was not so. an offer that was made in haste was sadly misunderstood and therefore we are left with discouraged hearts.

the only thing we can rely on is the Lord. although it looked like we were "there", we are not and we will continue along this path until we find where we are supposed to be.

please pray for our sad hearts. we built ourselves up for this one and the let down is proving an extremely rough way. also pray that we will find not only a place to live and call home but also that this week would come with extremely good news about Rob's recent interview and my new job prospects would open up immensely.

thank you for all your love and support. it means more than you know.

lindsey

time is speeding by

well the time truely is slipping away from me and i can't seem to get everything done that has to be done. Rob and I have been looking at apartments and there are two that we are interested and if all goes well with some leads on jobs that we both have had lately there is a huge hope that we will be able to move in very near to the wedding! we are very excited to start this new chapter of life together and how better to start than by establishing a home together.

the past week has been filled with craziness. things that should never have been said, things that we couldn't be more grateful to hear, seeing and spending time with friends that we love and adding on top of it all, lots and lots to do. We have been in constant prayer together and honestly i am very happy that we have had some of the stress lately because we have started to rely on each other and not only that but lean on the Lord together. it really is a marvelous thing that we are learning and i believe that we both are excited about our new and improved relationship.

we also have started marriage counseling. it is very encouraging to hear about a marraige that has had its ups and downs and yet through it all has withstood everything. it is also nice to hear the husband of that marriage say that is is all because and only because they were so reliant on the Lord together and they always seek Him first. very cool and a really awesome example for Rob and i. we have some homework to do between now and our next meeting and i am excited to see how we will continue to learn and grow together.

i went in for a dress fitting and to see the alterations that we had made to the dress and honestly it is the most BEAUTIFUL dress that i have ever seen. i mean for me at least. i think everyone thinks that about their own dress :) i was feeling so nervous and anxious about the changes we were making and the Lord provided once again. i walked out of the fitting feeling completely calm and worry-free. a very very nice alternative to my previous nerves. all in all i can't wait to wear it on the day of!

the day after my fitting i went in for my hair and makeup trial with the cutest girl ever. Brenda is perfect for us. she is calm yet bubbly and is very good at what she does. my makeup turned out perfectly and though we did not end up going with what i had initially thought with my hair, i love what we decided on and i think that it will be perfect for my dress and my personality. YAY.

what else what else is new? tomorrow is the last day for RSVP's in the mail and we still are waiting to hear from about 130 people. so if you are one of them, here is a gentle reminder haha. please send them my way :) i love getting the RSVP cards out of the mail everyday. what a simple thrill. i am seriously going to have to get a hobby after this wedding ends! haha

tomorrow, mom and i are going to our final flower appointment and i can't wait to see what they have cooked up for us. we get to see all of our arrangements (the different types) and tell her all the final details! wow i can't believe it is getting so so close - only 22 more days. OH MY. that just hit me right now. WOAH.

I AM GETTING MARRIED IN 22 DAYS! thank the Lord!

well for now i think that is all that i have to report. we have some fun things planned for the wedding and we can't wait to share this coming day with everyone that we love! especially each other - the new husband and wife! crazy!

until next time you must listen to this everyday. enjoy!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmvowOnSZWs

36 and counting

well i absolutely cannot believe that in 36 (and 1/2) days i will be mrs. rebhan. i am thrilled every time i think of it, let alone tell someone about it! we have so much to do yet, but little by little we are rounding the corner to the finishing line and making our final decisions. some things that we have to decide on are still quite big but the rest of every thing is more about finding the time to do it in. working as much as i am right now is really limiting my time spent on finishing jobs that i still have to get done. menus, programs, escort cards, table arrangements, etc are just some of the things that are still on my to-do list. wish me luck!

we sent out our invitations on Friday of last week (the 5th) and we have already gotten responses back. i can't believe how on top of things some people are. teach me please! our guest are topping out at a whopping 17 people right now haha. i hope more show!

the Lord has been keeping my heart at peace, though i am starting to feel myself depend more upon my own will and plan which has never worked before so i am trying to dedicate myself to patience and prayer. the Lord will provide for us because He says He will. there is nothing more to it than that.

our biggest life decisions right now are dependent on Rob finding a job, which i am more than confident in, and finding somewhere to live. there are a couple companies that Rob is talking with right now and though that means nothing in the form of a "yes. please work for us" it is certainly encouraging. he is an amazing man and i complete confidence in the way he will lead me and our family in Christ. he is so faithful. please keep him (and us) in your prayers when you think of it. we know that we are surrounded with a wonderful support system of believers and we depend on each and everyone of you.

as a wife-to-be i am becoming desperate for a home to settle into. we have almost everything a young couple could ever wish for. ever. and i can't wait to start building a home that Rob and I can come home to and feel comfortable in. what a great joy it will be to live with him and be able to simply snuggle on our couch and watch some silly movie. that sounds amazing. for now i will wait and it will be even more sweet and exciting when it finally comes to pass!

on Saturday the 6th (just this Saturday past) all of my mom's and dad's family were in town along with some very wonderful and close friends to celebrate with me at a wedding shower. it was a terrible day with weather but it was wonderful in every other way. i even had all of my bridesmaids with me, which has never happened before. it was perfect! my aunts know me so well and it was everything that i could have asked for. how blessed i am to have a family that loves me so much. (i will post pictures from the day at another time.) Rob and i have so much stuff haha. it is all very strategically stored under his lofted bed and in his basement and in my house. it is becoming overwhelming! we can only stop and thank each and every person who was generous enough to support us with a gift for our future life!

life is hectic but i am staying in prayer for peace and joy through every preparation.

Proverbs 16:9 - the mind of a man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.

goodbye for now.

short and sweet

just wanted to leave a note that we are only 44 days away from the most exciting days of our lives so far and i can't believe it! we have so many things to do and the days seems to be flying by but we have such an amazing support system and we can't thank them enough.

our invitations are here and ready to be sent out - WOAH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT- they are so beautiful and the caligrapher did a wonderful job! once our guests get them i will post a picture so everyone can see how pretty they are :)

keep us in your prayers as we finish the preparation for september 16! i will post again when we get down to the nitty-gritty - everyone loves the little details. for now i will leave your for a little of my wedding inspiration.

a shower of love

well i must officially be a bride-to-be because i have experienced my first shower and am actually getting ready for a next one on the 6th of august! it was such a sweet time to spend with the Rebhan family. Oma and some of the aunts put everything together and it was so beautiful, all the way down to my barbie-doll-wedding-cake. i will post a picture later! it was so fun to have both sides of Rob's family together from near and far. we were missing a few but it was such a wonderful time otherwise!

this is the very lovely barbie cake! it was so fun to see the little girls fawn over it :) the kauppila girls borrowed my wedding barbie for the ride home but now she is safely sitting on my shelf! i can't wait to use her for other family showers!

everyone sitting down for a lovely meal - thank you again to everyone who came and also made the whole shower possible!

miss Taylor - my faithful MOH - on duty writing down who everything was from! thanks for everything tay, i am so so blessed to be getting you as sister as part of all of this wedding excitement!

love you more than anything my beautiful sister. even at our worst we are pretty awesome.

well that is all for tonight. i can't wait to share more with you once the whirlwind of the next shower passes! i am so excited but more-so grateful for all the loving family and friends that the Lord has bestowed on Rob and i, especially in this overwhelmingly happy time in our lives!

challenges and blessings

well since Rob and i are so young, we are also freshly out of college. having both graduated from Hope College we are well off on the road to becoming young professionals but the task of finding work is still not easy. currently i am working at Papa Vino's Italian Kitchen and while i have to be grateful that i am working at all, i have to admit that it is not my first choice of employment. Rob is undertaking the task of job-hunting right now; he worked as a ref for a while during the soccer season and he has odd techie jobs that he does now and then. our employment future is currently a mystery to us and that makes me very anxious... but Rob keeps his cool and encourages me to pray and trust the Lord that no matter what, we will be taken care of. after all, the Lord cares about us and is faithful to us in times of need. it is Rob's reaction to problems like this that excites my heart for our life together in the future. his level of care for me and encouragement to me when i need it most is outstanding and i couldn't have asked for a better man in my life. the Lord has been good to me by providing me with such an outstanding future husband.

as for the actual logistics of life beyond September 16... we don't know much right now. we will be married which is an AMAZING thought, (only 54 more days!) but the working, the living, the where and the how are all up in the air and being left only in the hands of God. we have been given this opportunity to trust the Lord especially in a time when neither of us know what is going to happen next and i am starting to see that as a blessing. there could be no better way to start our marriage that with total confidence that we can do nothing on our own. as strange as that sounds, we will always have to know that there is a need for Christ in our relationship at the center of everything we decide and act upon, so why not start off that way!

when we learn something about our life in the future i will let you all know (whoever you are) but for now pray for us, that we may lean on the Lord alone for His guidance and provision.

just a start

hooray for engagement and getting to marry the love of my life. Rob and i have been together since highschool and we will be getting married on our 5 year anniversary. we have been blessed with the opportunity to grow together and learn from each other in the best and worst of times. this blog is a clip of my experience as i prepare for the biggest day of our lives so far and also ready myself for what it means to become the woman and wife that Christ has called me to be.

the basics of wedding planning are behind us and we are now onto the small and intricate details that can at times become overwhelming. together, with our families, we are getting everything done in an expedient and peaceful manner. this planning process has been so smooth and that has truely been the biggest blessing from the Lord. we are in the process of completing planning, sending invitations (which we just got in the mail and i absolutely ADORE), having dress fittings, being showered with love and gifts from the people that mean so much to us, and generally just trying to stay focused on one another and not lose sight of the bigger picture: each other and our new life together.

our biggest concern currently, and equally our greatest request for prayer, is Rob's job search. he is feeling encouraged by a couple companies but is still in need of a concrete offer. please keep him in your prayers. i trust the Lord first but i have so much faith in Rob and his abilities. his commitment to taking care of us for the future is outstanding and i am so proud to soon call him my husband.

i will soon update and give some daily details and wedding tidbits but for now i say goodnight.