We did it, and we continue to do it.

Well, this is our first post as a married couple. There is so much to write about that has happened in the past couple of months, but we've already gotten so lame that it's 9:45 p.m. and we can hardly stay awake for another minute; we have turned into our parents already. 

For everyone who was at our wedding; hopefully you know as well as us what an amazing experience that was. All of our friends and family worked so hard and stuck by us through every moment to make that day really special and memorable for everyone. For anyone reading this who was not at our wedding; it kicked butt, you should have been there. We had so many crazy things that we wanted to incorporate but we weren't quite sure how they would work out, but somehow everything came together into a beautiful expression of how much we love each other and how much God loves all of us. It was exactly what we hoped for, and yet it was far beyond what we could have planned out or imagined on our own. 

We are still hearing stories about how good the food was that my (Zach's) mom and sisters made, how beautiful the decorations were that the rest of our parents created, and how moved and touched everyone was by the symbolism, uniqueness and depth in the ceremony. Since it was very important to us to be more casual and simple, everyone seemed to feel more free to be themselves and that is what we really wanted. We are certain that most of all the amazing things that happened that day were not about us; it was about the people we love coming together to celebrate life and relationships together. God was there. 

We were just talking the other day with Hope's parents about how grateful we are that so many people helped out behind the scenes and at the end when we were just blissfully running off together. We know that everyone gave so much to us on that day, and it allowed us to be free to enjoy the ultimate significance of what we were doing. It was a great way to start our new life together and now our hope is that we can continuously bless all of th

ose people in return through our marriage. We are taking time now to settle into our new routines and learning how to put each other first every day. But our ultimate goal is to be a blessing to the people around us. We want to love our friends and families better as a couple than we could have as two separate individuals. 

Our honeymoon was like a dream come true. We cruised around the island of Kauai eating gourmet ice cream and playing in the waves every day. It was so relaxing and adventurous. We are so grateful to everyone (especially Zach's grandpa and grandma Stephens) for contributing to our trip and allowing us to go to such an amazing place to experience the first week of marriage together. 

Fortunately I (Zach) came across a G.K. Chesterton book, when we were buying our wedding party gifts before the wedding, that I picked up and started reading when we got back from the honeymoon. It is called "ManAlive", and it was a perfect book for me to read right at this time as we are finishing up with the most exciting parts of our relationship and settling in to more routine types of things that will take up most of our time from here on out. Here is the main thing that I got from reading this short book: "I will refuse to die while I am still alive". This book inspired me to not let go of the excitement and joy that life provides, regardless of what my circumstances are. There is real joy in life. My new bride is lying next to me right now as I write this, and she is beautiful in every way that I can think of. Any guy who is reading this should look at his wife the next time she falls asleep next to him and remember what she looked like when you married her. Remember what it felt like to commit your entire life to treasuring and protecting and sacrificing for this person that can make you feel the way that no one else can. Remember it and do whatever it takes to never forget it. In this book, the main character, through a series of real life games, re-proposes to his wife time and time again just to run off with her on another honeymoon. He did this to remind himself that he was married. He would climb trees and jump over fences to remind himself that he had legs. He would break into his own house and steal his own things to remind himself that he had things. He left his wife and kids and traveled all the way around the world just to come back to them and know that he really had a wife and kids. He shot a pistol at his friends to remind them that they have reasons to keep living...... ok the book gives some pretty crazy and extreme examples but the point is: life is worth living. Don't get so trapped in doing things the way that everyone tells you to do them. Find creative ways of reminding yourself that you're alive, and it's for a reason.

If the increasing coldness this time of year seems like too much to bear, and the dull grey colors make your heart sad. Then rediscover good books, conversations, warm drinks and board games. Before you know it, the sun and warm air will return. 

Zach and Hope.