The Winter With The Wehlands

Hello Blog Friends, I apologize that January has been such a lacking month, but I've been extremely busy with (no offense) more important things. 2012 has already started as a very magical year. It began with the winter wedding of my best friend in the entire world Amanda.

Ever since we were young Amanda and I would spend hours on the phone. In high school it was talking about Sonshine and crushes. When we went off to college it was our boyfriends.As long as I can remember we would always imagine what our wedding days would look like. I remember hours of sleepovers telling each other fairy tales of extravagant proposals and amazing wedding days we wished for each other. This winter I got the honor of actually witnessing her wedding day and it was beautiful. Here has been my whimsical and wonderful January so far. It has been such a beautiful blessing.

January 7^th2012: Amanda's Bridal Shower

As the maid of honor I know that this was a part of my job, but I am so very grateful to Amanda's new family in laws for putting together such a beautiful afternoon for us ladies. I am still in my poor college phase of life and with my new job and everyone's conflicting schedules it was difficult to plan such an event. I felt guilty because I imagined when Amanda got married I would be in a better place financially. I had just started a new job and needed to prove myself in order to keep the job beyond seasonal time. However excuses aside, I am again grateful for Sara, Patty, and Jan. They made a delicious meal of salad and lasana for us to enjoy. We played normal shower games and then came gift opening. I had gotten Amanda and Mitch a hot beverage themed gift. It included a tea pot they had registered for, two bride and groom mugs, and some treats to share on cold winter nights together. Sara got a bath basket that included a beautiful puzzle. All in all it was a great start to Wedding Month.

January 14^th, 2012: Amanda's Bachelorette Party! 

Sara Keute gets so much credit. She came up with the idea to go to Psycho Suzie's which is a tiki bar down town. All of us ladies had a great night getting crazy with Amanda her last weekend before becoming a married lady. Sara and I went to Spencers and Party City and got tiki themed leas for the bride as well as ourselves. We each got fun and sexy 'gag' gifts for the bride. That Saturday night was a blast and full of memories of Volcano drinks and fun titled drinks. A wonderful night to cut loose before the Wedding.

January 20^th, 21^st, and 22nd 2012: THE BIG DAY: The Wehland Wedding

Ok... There is so much to explain so I will try not to bore you, but when talking about weddings I tend to get animated so I doubt it will be boring.

Friday we all met up to make flower arrangements and afterwards we went to Osaka for the Groom's dinner. It was such a wonderful night before the wedding and I am grateful to Mitch's mother (whatever motives) for paying for everyone's meals. We did a quick hair test and were off to bed to 'try' and get some rest before THE BIG DAY.

Saturday morning it was up early for Amanda and I as I dropped her off at her nail appointment. I had to stop by my house to pick up a few things (including my speech) and then picked Amanda up to go back to Sara's. Quickly hopped into the shower, got my hair done, and headed to Amanda's house to meet up before heading to the hotel. Picked up Amanda's wedding dress and headed to the Americainn in Chanhassen, MN. Blessing upon blessing it was only five minutes from the Dinner Theater. All of us ladies got ready ate a great lunch of Jimmy Johns and then it was SHOWTIME!

Amanda look beyond beautiful in her wedding dress. Words cannot explain how breathtaking a bride looks the day she gets married and I expected no less of Amanda. Standing with her father I had to stop myself from crying because I was beyond happy for her and I could see in her whole body language how happy she was as well. We all walked down the aisle to Train's “Marry Me.” The wedding was beautiful and personal; every bit a piece of who Mitch and Amanda Wehland are. It was such a magical experience to see two wonderful souls bonded together. We took pictures after the ceremony and then ate dinner. Amanda's dad Pete made such a beautiful toast that I couldn't keep my tears in much longer. I was proud that I my speech came out well. I was slightly nervous that it would be a little long, but it was perfect essence of passing along and giving my best friend away to her new husband (and newest best friend). A part of us will always be best friends, but I knew in that moment that this was a big change. Although she has always took my opinions and thoughts into account it would be Mitch that she would now consult with on her big life decisions. I know that his wishes the best for her and I feel a safe certainty for her now.

Sunday there was an ice storm, but we made it to the gift opening. I got Mitch and Amanda a personalized Welcome Mat.

Well that concludes this post because I don't want it to be too long. I will promise to write more in February. As a little preview I am sure many entries will be about a boy.

Love and Great Wishes to 
Mr. and Mrs. Mitch and Amanda Wehland.

This is the New Year!

“Tell me everything that happened, tell me everything you saw.
They had lights inside their eyes; they had lights inside their eyes.
Did you see the closing window, did you hear the slamming door?
Please, please tell me what they looked like, did they seem afraid of you?
They were kids that I once knew. They were kids that I once knew.”

Hello Fellow Bloggers and Friends. Welcome to 2012!

I spent New Years weekend working and yet even when the days felt super long I was aware of how lucky I am to have a job while so many others do not. After working 8 – 4:30 I was tired and glad to be able to spend the last moments of 2011 in the quiet of my home. As the snow blew all over the place I enjoyed an amazing surf & turf. Then later as the ball dropped some friends came over to drink wine and eat yummy desserts. All in all it was what I needed after this past year. Time to reflect; time to remember all the things I've done and time to think about what learned from this truly inspiring year. A time to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012.

I've lived this entire year single and surprisingly completely happy. Yes there were times when my heart wished for more, but 2011 was about teaching my heart the meaning of true patience. This year there was no crying, no worrying, no wishing for someone to act different and grow up. It was the first year in awhile I didn't have to constantly think about how someone else's bad decisions were going to effect my life. An complete year where I was able to live a very simple and beautiful life. Let us just say I was able to appreciate the simpler things and the amazing people in my life. I enjoyed it. I was able to focus on my happiness; not in a selfish way, but in how my existence can put true joy in others. 2011 was a year of survival for me; I learned how to survive despite everything that had plagued my heart and all the scars 2010 had left me with. I made goals, I crossed things off my bucket list and I met so many people that helped make 2011 one of the better ones.

One of the best things 2011 has taught me is how to truly rely on God's wisdom. How to trust him with my whole heart. I know I can often be like a stubborn child, but this year I've been blessed with a wonderful peace when it comes to God. This year my relationship with God got stronger with each passing day of 2011. I was able to go to Camp Green Lake as the craft manager this summer and share the insightful ways of Jesus with children and teens of all ages. I got to share and remember why God goals for me should be my number one priority. I met others that helped inspire me in so many ways. It is really amazing how much closer I have been able to get to God when there isn't someone to tear me away or become a distraction. I will find the man one day that will encourage my love for God instead of make it seem like a burden. 

2011 was a good year and it makes me believe that 2012 will be even better. I am excited for 2012. I've always enjoyed the freshness that every January brings. I already have so many beautiful plans and if this is any indication I'm blessed beyond anything I can imagine. I'm excited for Amanda and Mitch's wedding. I'm excited to really get into my new job. I'm excited to not know what exactly I'm excited for. However knowing that God is here to protect me, love me, and guide me should make me excited.

So I am going to write another bucket list, adding the tasks I haven't accomplished yet as well:

2012 Bucket List 

Finish 2 classics before 2013

Join a book club

Be a kick ass Maid of Honor and write an amazing speech

Sing Karaoke

Go see Hot Chelle Rae

Save more $

Go to a Nice Dinner By Myself This Summer

Go to MORE Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives

Crash a wedding

Get a tattoo before if not on my 24^th birthday

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Sew a Quilt

Learn to Make Sushi

Read more Non-fiction books

Make dinner at least once a week

Learn to can my own things (such as jams)

Eat new foods (like caviar)

Cook myself around the world

 

An ongoing one that will never stop being on the list

BETTER MYSELF AND THE WORLD

“Another year you made a promise, another chance to turn it all around.

Do not save this for tomorrow; embrace the past and you can live for now.

I will give the world to you !”

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year in 2012! Here's to the goals God has for us. Here's to the now 5000+ songs on my Ipod. To the movies I look forward to seeing (Hunger Games and Breaking Dawn Part 2). Here's to the people that will cross my path, to the way they might effect my life, and here's to keeping my heart pure no matter what dilemmas it will face. Here is to being the best people we can be.

Here's to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Time Has Come

First of all Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope today is a blessing for all of you reading. Today is the day of Jesus's birth and I know I am blessed for his presence in my life.

Last year I made a list. A bucket list of things I wanted to do in my life and I told myself I would try to accomplish as many as I could this year. With the year coming to a close a week from tonight. I thought it would be the perfect moment to chronicle the progress I made throughout the year.

Read the Classics: My first goal was an ambitious one. I assumed that it would also be the easiest, but alas it was one of those things I didn't get to accomplish. I did start reading Anna Karenina at the beginning of the summer, but never finished it. Maybe next year I will read a classic?

Dance/Kiss in the Rain: I wish that I had found someone to kiss me in the rain, but you know what I will settle for falling in love in the rain. This summer I met a boy. One night during a storm soaking wet I realized I loved him. Sadly the love was never reciprocated and one raining day in September as I drove home shortly after my twenty-third birthday I saw that the boy would never love me back and I moved on. The rain had so much to do and I consider this an accomplishment. I hope this isn't a one time thing, I hope that I can find joy in all rainy days whether they are literal or metaphorical.

Start a Bible Study: Although I never did get around to that other blog, my devotion to the bible was not something that fell to the wayside. In fact I spent an entire summer studying it with children of all ages. In recent weeks I have even started getting a verse of the day. It is has been a wonderful guidance to even the most sad of moments. It has really helped with my trust in God's plan for me.

Start a Book Club: Maybe I'm too young for this, maybe I just never found the time, but I hope one day I will get to fulfill this goal.

Sing Karaoke: I wasn't brave enough... someday.

Go to a Random Concert: On September 25^th I got to go see a bunch of local bands including a band called My Lady Four. I had been at Cheepo and kind of in a hurry, but decided to listen to some of the local sounds and heard My Lady Four's new album; In this Life or the Next. I loved it so much that I bought it that day. That September I went to the random concert and it was a blast.

Take a Small Trip: In April I braved my fears of driving long distances and took my first small trip to River Falls to see my best friend Amanda. In May I left for the two hour trip to Willmar to start my journey at Camp Green Lake. Last I finally took the trip to see my Grandmother in Poplar, WI for the first time. Gas station food, load music playing on the radio or through my ipod connecter, and my GPS navigated by Daria. It was fun to be able to drive myself places and remember that I don't need a boy to drive me around in order to survive.

Be a Camp Counselor: I wrote this goal before applying to Camp this summer and it was the best decision I could have made. I was able to meet wonderful people and touch a lot of kids lives. It was amazing!

Go Out and Meet New People: Along with the camp experience I met a lot of new people and made lifelong friends. Another experience was a concert on October 25^th. I went to go see Parachute and Kate Voegele. I met three wonderful fellow fans. I also got to meet Kate Voegele which was wonderful after seeing her on One Tree Hill.

Go our to a Nice Dinner By Myself: I have not done this yet. I was going to go this summer on July 22^nd, 2011. However I was busy that day and didn't get the chance since. One day I will.

Eat at Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives: One day with my friend Shawn we went to Sonic after Pawn America. I love getting hot dogs and the car side Drive In type places. Then I went to a Diner called Fat Nat's Eggs with Kenan in May.

Dye My Hair: This summer when I had a day off I went to Fantastic Sams and I got fuchsia highlights in my hair. It was the first time I've ever dyed my hair and I like the way it grew out and blended into my natural hair color since.

Get a Tattoo: I've been trying to get a tattoo for quite awhile now. First I was going to get one for my 22^nd birthday. Then I needed to wait because I could have tattoos at Camp. I was going to get one on my 23^rd birthday, but it was too chaotic and I needed to save money because I didn't have a job.

Breakfast at Tiffanys: One Day (I need to get to Tiffany's first)

See a Sunrise with Someone Special: When I made this goal I wished for someone special to be a boy that would be by my side. It never happened, the boy never came. However I am blessed because I didn't just get to see it with one special person, but a whole group. The last night of camp the Green Lake Staff all stayed up and talked. Not wanting to go to sleep because then it would be over. The whole summer and the whole nine weeks we had been a family. We saw that last sunrise together. It was better than I imagined it way back last January.

Sew More: I made all sorts of things and I bought materials for many projects. I hope one day I can finish them.

So there it is. I'm glad I made this list as a bucket list, because it gives me the opportunity to live my life embracing it. I have more to add to the list and I hope that I can continue to accomplish them.

Have a Merry Christmas. Talk to you Next Year! (I have always enjoyed that cheesy joke.) Good Night and God Bless.

What I've Learned Thus Far (My 200th Blog)

 It seems so astonishing to me that I have been keeping a blog since I was about fifteen. It started off as this silly little thing and yet it has saved me more than I could have ever imagined. When I have feelings to sort out it has been my online outlet for so many things. From beautiful fleeting memories of youth to frustrating moments of broken hearts and stupid boys. I have thought a lot about what I wanted to say in this monumental entry. I guess I want to share what two-hundred entries have done for my life. I've learned so much about so many things and I want to share those lessons with the blog world.

I am a Survivor: Throughout these years and the past two-hundred blog entries I've learned that broken hearts are just a part of growing up. My first one was at seventeen, my second two within a year at the ripe age of twenty-two. I've learned that it is hard to pick up pieces and put them back together all by yourself. However I know that I'm not alone and that God is the glue that mends all of my heartaches.

Life is NOT Fair: It isn't fair that things happen. People hurt you, betray your trust and leave you with scars while they flee without so much as a scratch. People lie, cheat, steal everyday. People say mean things and sometimes we have to say good bye to things we love in order to grow to love bigger and better things. Sometimes we believe we need so many worthless things, when all we need is to just take a deep breath and think clearly. Life is what you make it. There are times in our lives where we want something so badly and are disappointed when it doesn't happen. Later we realize what small blessings those 'unanswered prayers' really are for us. I am beautiful and couregous: I'm a different kind of girl and sometimes I've allowed myself to forget that the parts of myself that make me different are the ones that also make me truly beautiful. It is because the nerdy parts of myself make me unique and special. The ones that can embrace it deserve to be a part of my life and the ones that take for these traits for granted just simply don't. 

The Best Heart Cure is a Hot Cup of Tea: It doesn't matter what has happened, some days I find myself lost, hurt, alone, and just kind of sad. In these moments I love to sit down and have a nice hot cup of tea. Whether it is because of sickness or heartache a nice hot beverage makes me feel like I'm close and warm in the world. It is kind getting a hug when the world is cold. Tea is one of those things that also makes you feel fancy and European. With a tray a cookies or those cute little cucumber sandwiches you feel like you are in another place; almost like a fairy tale. I high recommend the purity of tea. It does really cleanse the spirit. 

A Year is Only One Year:  I've had some pretty interesting years since I started my blog. In 2006 I had a year where I was bombarded with the stress of a broken heart. 2007 gave me back in hope and a new boyfriend. 2008 – 2009 where years of confusion and feelings of being lost. 2010 a year of so much pain and betrayal. 2011 although not how I imagined it was going to be was fairly good as I see it come to a close. I have great memories of learning who I was as a young women. What I've realized is that you can make promises to yourself, wish on the days of a calendar, but you can never plan how a year is going to go. Some may leave you broken and others may lift you up. However I've learn it is only a year and after 12 months, 52 weeks, and 365 days you get a new one. You get a clean slate and a chance to either sit around moping about the end of the previous year (whether for good or bad reasons) or you get to embrace what the New Years has in store for you. A year is only a year. It might seem like forever, but it really isn't and you should embrace each year as much as you can. Even in the hardest lessons we learn so much and we don't have that many years. So we should enjoy them while they are here.

Music is a Saving Grace: I've written music blogs, I continue to add to a high music collection, and I make playlists for every mood or moment of my life. Music is something I have a deep passionate love for. It is how I worship my Savior and I believe it is his gift. It is his way of getting his messages across to me. I have always been one of those moody people ever since I was a teenager. Whenever I was upset I'd listen to a CD or specifically collection of songs and I'd be able to feel better. I'm the girl that can't help but dance around her living room. I listen to music while I cook. Music is just a presence that I need to have around me. I think I'd cry if I lost my sense of hearing and am blessed every single day that I have it. 

I don't want this to be too long, but those are the six things I've found throughout reading past blogs. Those are the lessons I've learned from being a blogger. These are the things that have always been constant no matter how many blogs I write. 

This is my 200th Blog. Now I'm going to go enjoy a nice hot chai latte. Remember life is about all the little things that will eventually end to be those big moments. Have faith and things will be the way you need them. Just pray and believe in yourself. 

           Good Night: The Girl With The Chocolate Dreams

Trust Me

Trust is something I have often struggled with. From my first broken heart to the broken promises from High School, and finally the biggest betrayal my heart has ever faced. I can honestly say it has not been an easy thing to trust people. I'm exhausted of putting my hopes into things that are uncertain and bitter. I'm tired of fake friends and ladder climbers. I don't want to always wonder about who I can trust. I am ashamed to admit it, but perhaps it is a normal occurrence in your twenties. But in my darkest moments I have lost my trust in God's plan for me. I know when I was at the furthest point from God back in college that it was because of my own selfishness and my hope in a boyfriend that could never earn the trust I gave him. A boy that might have never deserved it in the first place? I put my trust in the wrong people, the wrong things, when instead I should have put more trust in my Heavenly Father.

I am at an interesting point in my life now. I am twenty-three and completely lost, but in God I'm content. I think most people are lost in their early twenties. Trying to balance the thin line between living and paying crippling bills. I'm learning the true meaning of putting my trust in God and not relying on my own understanding. In the back of my mind I've always had a deep sense of trust in God and his existence in my life. However I suppose I have struggled when laying down my own ideas and letting go in order for God to write my plans. I do see more and more each day that God will never give me more than I can handle. I find great peace in the proverbs and solace in many pages of my bible.

One example of God working productively is my new job. I was on the verge of despair in finding a job. Not only did I get a phone call for an interview in my eleventh hour, but also a job offer. I am so grateful to God for this opportunity. It is hard and fast work, but I love it. Eight hours a day seem to go by quickly and I have been reminded of why I fell in love with the baking industry in the first place. Right now I'm just seasonal, but I am hoping that my job performance and positive no-quit attitude will allow me to carry on past the seasonal point. I am trusting that God knows what I want and what I need. The desires inside of my heart.

I have struggled very much with God's plan for my heart when it comes to love. I thought God guided me towards someone this summer, but maybe it was for different reasons than I thought. Maybe I was so concern about the destination that I took for granted the message or journey God was giving me. I'm not going to lie, my heart has been put through so much lately. The types of situations I've had to deal with in the past three years are enough to make any heart collapse, but yet my beautiful heart keeps beating. This is because of God's strength in me and the fact that even on my weakest days I have the ability to get stronger.

It is about faith. That is what faith is: that unwavering trust in God. I need to have more faith with my whole heart that God will find me a love that deserves me someday. I pray that he can remind me I just need to be more patient. I hope In the meantime he can allow me to find happiness in the littlest things and hope in those seemingly hopeless situations. I have a deep sense of hope in the fact that God will allow me to keep this job long term so that I can focus on other things than boys right now. I'm learning about being a woman of independence. It seems kind of silly I know to explain that I want to have a relationship, but want nothing to do with guys right now. I'm lonely and I am not afraid to say it because I know that God didn't mean for my to be alone. I need to appreciate God's love for me in its fullness before I can find that feeling with a person. Maybe that was one thing I can forgive James for, because maybe that is what I need to do right now.

So I'm going to listen, love, hope, wish, pray in God with all of my heart. I can hear it now. God saying to me "Trust me."

O LORD, ... be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.

— Psalm 35:22-23 (NIV)