Him...

I'm in love with this guy...

Ya Him.

He makes my heart swell with love.

I'm so thankful we can work together on our marriage.

I'm so thankful we can walk this journey together.

I love being married to him!

Father,
I said till
Death do us part
I want to mean it
With all of my heart
Help me to love you
More than I love him
Then I know I can
Love him more
Than anyone else
And bring him in
Your presence today
Make him what
You want him to be

Keep Falling In Love

In this new phase of our lives, I want to intentionally build habits that will strengthen our marriage and keep the passion alive. I've found some great ideas at the following links, and I'm going to be implementing them immediately.

25 ways to communicate respect to your husband / 25 ways to show your wife you love her

100 ways to make your marriage rock

30 day husband encouragement challenge

Memory Bank #1

{I'm going to create and electronic "memory bank" where I blog about random memories as they come to mind. That way I don't forget!}

In highschool when Jason and I were dating, I would leave notes for him EVERYWHERE! In his locker...on his car... After school his car would typically be parked at Fort Missoula for soccer practice and I would drive by it on my way home from cross-country practice. Usually I stopped and left a note and/or a treat in the car (because it was a junker he never locked it!). One weekend I was going hunting with Meaghan and would have no cell service the whole time. Friday night before we left we'd all been hanging out a friend's house. On my way back home I saw Jason's car parked at Rosaures (cause he had car pooled to the party) and I really wanted to stop and fill it with notes and treats, but it was late at night and I was expected home. When I got home and started to pack, my mom had the idea to take the popcorn you can pop over a campfire. But did we have any at home?? NO. So my mom sends me to...Rosaures. YES!! I was able to fill Jason's car with notes, oatmeal cream pies, laffy taffy, and sweethearts. He would find them the next morning...long after I was out of cell service.

A Forever Kinda Love

"Marriage is a taste of heaven on earth"

Eric & Leslie Ludy

Being married to Jason is the best! God has blessed me and us so much. I can't believe I married such a handsome and wonderful, godly man. We have all the furniture we need, all the appliances and dishes and decorations. We have groceries. I have a job. Jason has a job. We have a great job and a forever love. We are so blessed!

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect! I loved every minute of it! And the whole week was definitely the second best week of my life, like I hoped! I will post pictures of it all soon, but I can't get on the internet much and my laptop won't get on at all, I'm using Jason's. Plus I don't have our wedding pictures yet, although I can offer you a sneak peak!

This is a summary of our wedding week and all the days since, when you haven't heard from me:

Monday, July 25: My best friend Monica arrived to town, so she did errands with me and we got to talk and hang out.

Wednesday, July 27: Spa night with my bridesmaids and friends. This night was a blast! Mel, one of my close college friends, and Kate, my college roommates, arrived for the party. I got to be with Hannah, Monica, and Heidi too! My good friend from work, Britten, who is a rockstar at painting nails came to do the bridesmaids and Mel's nails. Another lady I work with, Brandi, did a MaryKay spa treatment on our feet! Kate, Mel, Josie and I spent the night in my room, which was a lot of fun!

Thursday, July 28: My grandmom hosted a beautiful bridal breakfast at the Ranch Club for us! The food was soo delicious, the view was spectacular, and the fellowship will be cherished! This was also the first day we could be at Butler Creek Lodge, our wedding site. So we moved a bunch of stuff up there, started setting up rentals and other stuff. Thursday night the girls spoiled me with a lovely Bachelorette Party! Meaghan and Kate Gillett were there too, it was so good to all be together!

Friday, July 29: This was more setting up at Butler Creek! Jason and I were able to steal away for quiet moments at the creek or walking down the road. The rehearsal and dinner was a good time. Most of our family arrived in time for dinner and we got to spend time with them. My college friends Courtney, Amy, and Jen arrived after dinner and we spent the evening as a big group of girls hanging out in the loft of the Lodge! I love all my friends so much! Heidi, Josie and I slept in a queen bed together. I didn't get much sleep, but it was worth it to spend the night with my sisters!

Saturday, July 30: Was THE BIG DAY! The girls and I went to get our hair done in town at Burtons. We got there super early so I bought us all coffee at Florence Coffee Co and we went to Ft Missoula for a bit. Burtons did a marvelous job on our hair! We all looked soo pretty! Once we got back we all got ready with our dresses and make-up. Then there were pictures and lots of hanging out and laughing. Our bridal party was the absolute best! Our ceremony started a little after 3. From here on out you will have to wait until I post the pictures with the details of everything else that happened! =) For our wedding night we went to a secret location that held special memories for us.

Monday, August 1: We arrived back in Missoula and opened gifts. We also just hung out with my family and went to Mackenzie River pizza. We stayed the night at Red Lion on Broadway, because in the morning we were flying to....MAUI!!

Monday, August 8: At midnight my mom picked us back up from the airport and we spent the night in a TWIN bed at my house!

The rest of the week was spent with our families, playing baseball with Josie, and shopping and packing for WYOMING! Heidi got back from Germany on Friday, so we spent some time with her too.

Saturday, August 13: Jason in his Honda led my mom in her Yukon plus trailer and me in my Ford on the 13 hour drive to La Grange, Wyoming! We did stop at Goodwill in Billings, that's why it took a couple extra hours.

My mom stayed till Tuesday morning and we all worked hard to clean, unpack, and set up our new apartment! We have a cute apartment on campus, an 8-plex with 7 other married couples/families (Yes, half of them have kids/babies!) as neighbors. Our apartment has two bedrooms, a kitchen/laundry room, a dining/living room, and one and a half bathrooms. It's perfect too! All our furniture is from Jason's mom...either her old stuff, her mom's stuff, or garage sale stuff. The only thing Jason and I paid for is our desk, which was like $15 at an auction! We are soo blessed!

Jason started classes and work at a ranch yesterday. I started work yesterday as a veterinary assistant at a vet clinic that is about 47 miles away in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Yes, the drive is long, but the job is a blessing. I will work 40 hours in 4 days, then get three days off, although I will work every other weekend.

We are loving married life and aiming to keep Christ the center so that our love will be the forever kind.

I will post more about each event mentioned above, including adding pictures, as I can. It's a bit tricky with working so much and with our internet being sketchy, but I will get it done eventually!

THE week

I love Jason. And it was meant to be! God even wrote it on this sandstone rock for me at the beach! (Yes, I just found the rock this way!!)

I'm still getting used to the idea that my wedding is within sight. It's not that I thought we wouldn't get married or anything. It's just that our wedding has always been so far off... Remember when I had a celebration cause our countdown was finally out of triple digits? Now I'm so close I could start counting the hours...which would be approximately 159. That's how close I am to taking on the married status, becoming a "Mrs.", being called a "wife", sharing a bed, paying bills, buying groceries, and cooking meals. And you know what? I'm crazy excited! It's going to be such an honor to be Mrs. Koemans, to be Jason's wife, and to share life with him. The thought of being a wife absolutely thrills me!

On a slight rabbit trail... My ring finger is kinda sad now, because I've gone back to wearing my old purity/promise ring - the matching band to Jason's. Now don't get me wrong, I love the meaning of my purity/promise ring, but I miss this pretty thing:

(Pretend my nail polish isn't chipping off...)

This beautiful ring is at the jewelry shop getting soldered with its gorgeous partner--the wedding band!! And in 159 hours Jason will place it on my finger as a symbol of forever--we will be soldered together!

This brings us back from the rabbit trail to the main topic-- I'm see my marriage to Jason as "limitless." Many people have been asking me questions like, "Lauren are you nervous?" or "Lauren are you ready for the big change in your life?" Yes, I wasn't born yesterday. I realize marriage is one of the biggest choices you make in your life and that it takes work. But I'm completely thrilled to be married and to work at it! I'm looking forward to these changes! These changes mean Jason doesn't go home at the end of the night. These changes mean I have the opportunity to love, bless, serve and satisfy Jason in a way that no other earthly person can. These changes mean we can embrace life together. These changes mean we can grow old together. The best is yet to be!

**All pictures by the great Mel Haidle, taken at Lincoln City beach in Oregon on a very fun trip with the distance girls! Someday I hope to post more of the pictures with the girls!

For Better or Worse

I am so excited and at peace about marrying my best friend Jason Koemans and for spending the rest of my life with him! I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jason is the one God picked just for me. He is perfect for me. And he is so wonderful. I know that for better or worse, he will always love me and be by my side. How do I know this? Many many examples...but one specific one happened over the course of the last three days of this week.

You see, on Wednesday, Jason and I could not get on the same page about anything. Due to both of us being very tired and not seeing much of each other this week, we let down our guard and that's where small, simple things turned into big, complicated things and caused conflict. Needless to say this carried into Thursday as well. Talking things over by phone and text only wasn't helping either. Neither one of us made big efforts to respect or love each other, although small glimpses kept coming through. Yes, you would call this conflict. But to clarify, it was not a fight...no name calling, screaming, etc. Just lots of miscommunication, frustration, rash statements, and tears (on my part). But hey, these things are part of life...part of "what lovers do."*

Finally late Thursday night, we finally got to see each other. We held hands and talked it all out, face to face. (Solving conflict is much easier when you're together and can hold hands!) It was really rather simple to resolve! We both acknowledged how we'd wronged each other and apologized specifically for what we had done. We then talked about how to learn and grow from this. We are working on the love-respect cycle. Jason has to show love to me, even in conflict, and I have to show respect to him, even in conflict.

Now why does this situation of conflict let me know that Jason will be there for better or worse? Well, I would put conflict on the "worse" side of the line. But at the end of our conflicts (which are few, by the way), things are always better than before the conflict. None of our conflicts have torn us apart or left things damaged. I always find myself more in love with Jason and even closer to him after a conflict. We both are taking active steps to learn the best ways to resolve conflict and to stay loving and respectful in conflict.

Conflict is part of life and marriage. It's how you handle conflict that makes it "good" or "bad." I know that there is no one else on earth that I want to battle these conflicts and "for worse" with. Jason will always fight for me and for us, and his heart has the best intentions. We are both imperfect people, and we must learn how to live and love inspite of our mistakes. I don't fear mistakes or conflict within our relationship, because he is loving and forgiving, and we learn together.

Jason Paul Koemans, I promise to love you for better or worse. And I promise to work on respecting you, even in "the worse." I love you more than ever before.

*a line from my favorite song, "Crazy Girl"

Cake Smear

Over Memorial Day weekend Jason and I traveled to California with his parents and brother for their Grandma's memorial. I had such a wonderful time there and am so blessed to be marrying into his family! They are so loving and incredible people! I only met his grandma once, but after being at his memorial I myself was even impacted by the legacy of love she left behind. She was an incredible woman. After her memorial service, they held a surprise bridal shower for Jason and I! I again felt so blessed! They even had a cake for us, so we got to practice cutting the cake and feeding each other. I smeared his face sooooo bad. ;) (Sorry the photos are in reverse order!)

Special Girl

I am marrying the most wonderful man in the world!

On Monday, after being in Oregon all weekend, I wasn't expecting to see Jason until our 4pm pre-marital counseling session. But surpise, surprise! Here I am at work, and in walks my very handsome fiance, and yes, he makes my heart flip. He is carrying these flowers (below) and has brought me lunch! He is such a sweetheart!

Then the very next day, I'm busy in the back at work, and in walks Jason - with flowers!! He brought me the very very pretty bouquet (below) and he brought a different bouquet, "To all the ladies at Missoula Vet Clinic!" Wow. He is a gentlemen and a sweetheart. He sure knows how to make me feel special! By the way, peonies have become my new favorite flower! And they were in my bouquet!! Love love love them.

Not only did Jason give me flowers yesterday, but after work he came to my house and cooked dinner (with a bit of my mom's help) for my whole family!! He made delicous tostadas and homemade salsa! He sure looks good in the kitchen =)

I love him so much!

My Favorite

This is my (current) all-time favorite song! Jason could totally sing this song to me...cause I see myself in the girl being sung to! I love this song. It's such a good reminder to me - that no matter what, he loves me like crazy! For some reason that can be the last thing I think of when things get tough...

Crazy Girl

Eli Young Band

Baby why you wanna cry?
You really oughta know that I
Just have to walk away sometimes
We’re gonna do what lovers do
We’re gonna have a fight or two
But I ain’t ever changin’ my mind

Crazy girl, don’t you know that I love you?
And I wouldn’t dream of goin’ nowhere
Silly woman, come here, let me hold you
Have I told you lately?
I love you like crazy, girl

Wouldn’t miss a single day
I’d probably just fade away
Without you, I’d lose my mind
Before you ever came along
I was livin’ life all wrong
Smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine

Crazy girl, don’t you know that I love you?
And I wouldn’t dream of goin’ nowhere
Silly woman, come here, let me hold you
Have I told you lately?
I love you like crazy, girl

Crazy girl

Crazy girl, don’t you know that I love you?
And I wouldn’t dream of goin’ nowhere
Silly woman, come here, let me hold you
Have I told you lately,
I love you like

Crazy, girl, don’t you know that I love you?
And I wouldn’t dream of goin’ nowhere
Silly woman, come here, let me hold you
Have I told you lately?
I love you like crazy, girl

Like crazy
Crazy girl
Like crazy
Crazy girl
Like crazy

PS: I really don't like the music video though...it almost ruined the song!

First Kiss

This video is precious! Pay close attention to the boy's face and reaction after their first kiss! It makes me wonder what Jason will do after our first kiss =) Haha. Someone had better video!

What's the story of your first kiss?

Everybody's Doing It

Ok...I know that practically every blog, magazine, tabloid, and home is talking about the Royal Wedding...but why not? Weddings are great, and I love love, so I'm gonna talk about it too! Or rather show you a few pics that I found so precious. Enjoy!

Photos 1-3 & 5; Photo 4

And the Bishop of London preached a great sermon, beginning with these words, "'Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.' So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves."

Did you follow the Royal Wedding at all? Or did you not even know it was happening?

99

So, I meant to post this YESTERDAY! But time got away from me!! Anyway. Pretend this is yesterday. Friday, April 22, 2011, is 99 days until our wedding!!! Finally in double digits!! So I had a mini celebration with some of my girl friends last night! We had dinner together, went to a great Good Friday service, then got frozen yogurt and watched Life as We Know It (good movie!) It was fun! To honor Jason, the soon-to-be best husband ever, I wanted to write 99 things I love about him!! (In no particular order, except the first one.) Ok here goes:

1. Definitely first and foremost, I love his relationship with God. He always seeks to know God more and more and to live for God, in everything He does. His relationship with God dictates everything he does. God is first in His life!

2. The way he tells stories.

3. His competitive-ness.

4. When he plays guitar.

5. When he leads worship.

6. The way he sings.

7. His pure, natural athleticism. He's one of those studs that is good at everything he doe

8. The two little scars on his face (above eyebrow and above lip). And especially the story behind the eyebrow one...lol.

9. His hands. Especially when they are holding mine! They are big and strong!

10. That he is left handed...but shoots and golfs right handed!

11. His boldness to evangelize.

12. His ability to remember things, especially scripture and theological things. (He's gonna be a great pastor!)

13. His heart for youth ministry and missions.

14. His laid-back way of planning (it compliments me well!)

15. That he finds joy in his ranch work!

16. His hair color...the perfect shade of brown.

17. His clothing style!

18. His tenderness towards me.

19. They way he relates to my family.

20. His ability to admit to mistakes and even ask for guidance.

21. His complete honesty.

22. His protection of me.

23. His leadership in our relationship.

24. When he wants to pray with me.

25. His support of my gifts and dreams.

26. The way he cares for others.

27. The way he makes friends so easy, and often with the kids who wouldn't normally make lots of friends.

28. His laugh

29. His smile.

30. His silly smiles

31. That look.

32. His desire to learn.

33. The way he treats me.

34. The way he talks to me.

35. The way he talks about me.

36. The silly things he says.

37. His ability to make people laugh.

38. That he is a hard, committed worker.

39. That he is involved in planning our wedding and planning our whole honeymoon!

40. That he is extremely faithful!

41. That he is getting to know me very well.

42. That he makes note of my needs and tries to meet them.

43. That he spoils me!

44. His ability to not let small things become big things.

45. That at the end of a long, kinda "blah" day, he can be super loving to me.

46. That he is patient and understanding of my stress.

47. When he texts me "little" things just so I know he's thinking about me and loves me.

48. His servant heart.

49. His relationship with his mom and dad.

50. His love for his birth dad.

51. The emphasis he puts on his schoolwork and learning.

52. That he builds relationships with his professors.

53. That he wants me to finish school.

54. That he is saving his first kiss for me!

55. His integrity.

56. His testimony.

57. His passion for doing God's will.

58. His enjoyment of outdoors and activities!

59. The way he enjoys life!

60. His desire to go to Poland.

61. That he thinks I'm the most beautiful girl in the world, just the way I am! And he tells me this at least once every day!

62. That he thinks I'm amazing!

63. When he hugs me!

64. When he calls me "Els". (It's because my initials are LC, like the name Elsie, so he calls me that sometimes too, but sometimes shortens it just to "Els")

65. That he first called me "Babe" was on accident. But it was perfect timing!

66. That he gets way more tan than me!!

67. That he values me.

68. That he looks for my opinion, guidance, and advice.

69. That I can encourage him.

70. That he prays for twin girls!

71. That he respects me.

72. That he likes to be clean and organized.

73. That the first time he told me I was beautiful, was on one of those days when I wasn't even trying...

74. That he worked hard and saved all summer just to buy me a gorgeous diamond engagement ring, which is just what I wanted!

75. That he likes to surprise me!

76. That he'll do anything for me!

77. That I told him "I love you" first!

78. The silly things he does with the boys.

79. His promise to eat whatever I cook! (I'll try not to take advantage of that!! *Wink)

80. That he's my best friend.

81. That he's beyond my wildest dreams!

82. His last name, Koemans. It'll soon be mine!!!

83. That he's a teeny bit more emotional and tender-hearted than most guys.

84. His grace and forgiveness.

85. That he's not perfect.

86. That he loves me so much that I can be imperfect.

87. That he will go running with me even though running is not his favorite thing to do.

88. That he is learning how to be a good listener.

89. That he wants our marriage to honor and glorify God and be the absolute best it can be.

90. That in everything he does he seeks to honor God.

91. His integrity with music and movie choices.

92. Our memories!

93. The way he proposed!!

94. When he takes me on dates!

95. How he loves to bless me!

96. His heart for the homeless and broken.

97. That he encourages me.

98. That he is going to be an incredible husband and father.

99. That he is always growing.

I love Jason Paul Koemans so much. He is absolutely perfect for me, and I can't picture spending the rest of my life with anyone else! God is so good, to give me such a treasure!

Now I challenge you to "Join the 99 club" and see if you can write 99 things (or as many as you can!) you love about your significant other, mom/dad, friend, sibling, etc. Then give it to them! Comment here and tell me how it goes!

I have found the one my soul loves.

"When I found him whom my soul loves,

I held him and would not let him go."

Song of Solomon 3:4

Love and Marriage

"Marriage is not just spiritual communion and passionate embraces; marriage is also three meals a day, sharing the workload and remembering to carry out the trash." Joyce Brothers


"You can create love every day by acting in a loving way and not worrying about whether you are feeling loving." Ellen Kreidman


"Love never thinks in terms of 'how little' but always in terms of 'how much.' Love gives, love knows, and love lasts." Joni Erickson Tada


And finally, a love story that you better read!! It's so precious! I think they should make a movie out of it!!

He Loves Me!

"Thanks for being such a blessing in my life! I love you =) 

- Jason"

Jase had to head back to school before I did, and so the day before he left he surprised me at work at brought me flowers! It was funny because after he dropped them off and left, the receptionists came running back to the office where I was and both agreed that they wanted clones of him! And then another tech came in, and when she saw the flowers was like, "Oh, now what did he do?" I smiled and said, "Nothing! They're just because!" And she was like, "I wish I got flowers for that reason!"

He's so good at loving me! 

The Art of a Good Marriage

excerpt from 

“The Art of a Good Marriage”

by Wilferd Arlan Peterson

"A good marriage must be created.

In marriage the "little" things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say, ”I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is having a mutual sense of values, and common objectives.

It is standing together and facing the world.

It is forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.

It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right person -- it is being the right partner."

Date Nights!

Jason and I decided that we want to celebrate our anniversaries every month! Luckily they all fall consecutively. The 28th (the day we got engaged - July 28, 2010), the 29th (our beginning - March 29, 2008) and the 30th, (our wedding day- July 30, 2011). The 28th, because it's the day he proposed, is his day to do something special for me. The 29th is my day to do something for him, and the 30th is our day to pick something special together (but we won't start celebrating this yet obviously! 204 days!!) We realize that we'll be poor college students so we don't want this habit to break the bank...but it doesn't have to be something extravagant or expensive. It can be as simple as a special letter or as much as a weekend get-away (when we're actually rich)!

Our pre-marital counseling book, Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts, talks about three ways to keep your marriage alive and passionate through all years and circumstances. It involves cultivating passion, commitment, and intimacy. To do this, each category has specific things to aim for:

Cultivating Passion:

* practice meaningful touch

* plan mutually enjoyable experiences

* compliment your partner daily

Cultivating Commitment:

* assess the high value of commitment

* meet your partner's needs

* honor your partner's promise

* make your commitment part of your being

Cultivating Intimacy:

* spend time together

* listen with a third ear (aka: actually listen)

* practice unconditional acceptance

* focus on commonalities

* explore spiritual terrain together

This is part of why Jason and I want to celebrate our anniversaries every month, as a way to "cultivate" our relationship and future marriage!

On the 28th Jason brought the ingredients for making his mom's famous tostadas and cooked me dinner!! It was so yummy and such a special treat! He even learned how to make homemade salsa! Then he sweetly turned it into a "family date" and took my mom, Nathan, Josie & I to ice-cream at Cold Stones. We also rented the movie - Josie's choice - Ice Age the Meltdown.

On the 29th I took him to a Griz game vs. Northern Arizona. Heidi and Coty came too. Then we all went to City Life Center to play basketball and came back here for dinner! I had a card for him as well as the "Letters to my Future Husband" I'd written in junior high! Most of them were cheesy "I'm sitting in math class right now and I have basketball tonight" but a couple we really really special!

Rest of the Best

All photographs by Kate Gillett! Thanks Kate!

Black and White

More engagement photos! 

*All photos by Kate Gillett

...if you like it then you better put a ring on it...*

*slightly adapted lyrics from "Single Ladies" by Beyonce

**photography by Kate Gillett. She is awesome!

***My ring is absolutely stunning and sparkly.