Wow, I can't believe how quickly this year went by, Carl and I have been married one year!!
This year we have been on so many adventures; Honeymooning up in the North West, partying it up in Las Vegas with my sister and soon to be brother in law, stayed in a cabin at June Lake, beach camping in San Clemente, family vacation in Temecula, a weekend away in San Diego, a day at Disneyland, and spending Christmas & NY in Edinburgh. We have celebrated many marriages, my sister's and dear friend's engagements, births, milestone birthdays, best friends moving away and unfortunately a few deaths.What a fantastic year we have had, I couldn't have asked for it to be any better. I wanted to share a little of Carl and I's romantic story in celebration that we have been married for one year.
Carl and I have known each other for six years, we became fast friends and went from having mutual friends to best friends in months. Ask any of our friends we were an odd pair, after a year of being friends Carl told me how he really felt about me and I told him we were just friends. There is a three year difference in our age and at the time I was 23 and he was almost 20, I just wasn't ready for a relationship and thought he was too young. We continued to be best friends and argued all the time about why I wouldn't date him but surprisingly stayed very close. Then in the summer of 2012 our young adult group at our church went on a camping trip to Silent Valley. Carl and I got in a huge fight and did not speak the whole time which ended with Carl leaving early with a few others, but before they all left we had a time as a group to worship, and someone told their testimony. This next part of our story not many people know. During the worship set I was really distracted, I was furious with him but I couldn't stop staring at him. Trying to ignore it I closed my eyes and almost immediately physically felt some smack me across the back of my head, opening my eyes and looking behind me to see who had smacked me, there was no one there. I turned back around and once again drawn to Carl when I felt God say to me "You love him, what are you doing? This is who I have for you". WOW!!! In my stubbornness I let Carl leave without talking to him and spent the next few weeks thinking and strategizing on how to win him over after I had just spent the last year and half shutting him down. Mean while Carl on the same night frustrated, confided in a friend that he needed to get over me once and for all and asked him to pray and help him do it. God has crazy timing, about a month later Carl and I started dating.
This year we have been on so many adventures; Honeymooning up in the North West, partying it up in Las Vegas with my sister and soon to be brother in law, stayed in a cabin at June Lake, beach camping in San Clemente, family vacation in Temecula, a weekend away in San Diego, a day at Disneyland, and spending Christmas & NY in Edinburgh. We have celebrated many marriages, my sister's and dear friend's engagements, births, milestone birthdays, best friends moving away and unfortunately a few deaths.What a fantastic year we have had, I couldn't have asked for it to be any better. I wanted to share a little of Carl and I's romantic story in celebration that we have been married for one year.
Carl and I have known each other for six years, we became fast friends and went from having mutual friends to best friends in months. Ask any of our friends we were an odd pair, after a year of being friends Carl told me how he really felt about me and I told him we were just friends. There is a three year difference in our age and at the time I was 23 and he was almost 20, I just wasn't ready for a relationship and thought he was too young. We continued to be best friends and argued all the time about why I wouldn't date him but surprisingly stayed very close. Then in the summer of 2012 our young adult group at our church went on a camping trip to Silent Valley. Carl and I got in a huge fight and did not speak the whole time which ended with Carl leaving early with a few others, but before they all left we had a time as a group to worship, and someone told their testimony. This next part of our story not many people know. During the worship set I was really distracted, I was furious with him but I couldn't stop staring at him. Trying to ignore it I closed my eyes and almost immediately physically felt some smack me across the back of my head, opening my eyes and looking behind me to see who had smacked me, there was no one there. I turned back around and once again drawn to Carl when I felt God say to me "You love him, what are you doing? This is who I have for you". WOW!!! In my stubbornness I let Carl leave without talking to him and spent the next few weeks thinking and strategizing on how to win him over after I had just spent the last year and half shutting him down. Mean while Carl on the same night frustrated, confided in a friend that he needed to get over me once and for all and asked him to pray and help him do it. God has crazy timing, about a month later Carl and I started dating.
On May 17th we went on a camping trip with Carl's dad, step-mum and
sister. Carl decided we should go up a day earlier so he could show me all his favorite spots. We got up at 1am in the morning and started our drive up to the Sierras arriving in Bishop around 7am. Without hesitation we went to Carl's favourite childhood bakery, Schattz, for some much needed coffee and
donuts then hopped back in the car to find our camping spot just a little ways up the mountain. We hung out
there for a bit after setting up camp, walking down to the creek and enjoying the quietness. Carl wanted to drive around and show me some favourite places that he grew up going to since he was 3yrs old. First stop, food for our picnic then we drove up and around June loop making our way to Mono Lake. They have these incredibly beautiful tufas which are minerals
and salt build up which makes them look like mini icebergs. The beach looks like it is covered in snow the only down side is that it is pretty stinky so we didn't stay too long. Second stop, Aspen campgrounds in Lee Vining where Carl caught his first fish at three years old. We parked, grabbed our picnic basket and walked up on
top of a little waterfall. On to our third stop, up Tioga pass
towards Yosemite National Park. The mountains were covered in
snow and right as we hit the top of the pass it started snowing, it was magical. Continuing on
to our final destination, Tuolumne Meadows. We pulled over to the side of the road, changed our shoes, Carl grabbed his backpack and we headed up to the
natural Soda springs (where carbonated water bubbles up from the earth, super
cool but tastes nasty). We crossed this amazing wooden bridge over a creek on the other side we were warned by a man who told
us that he'd just seen a big mama black bear and cub over the hill. Of course I decided to go find her, but Carl being the smart one reigned me in. We cautiously walked up the hill but they were already gone. After tasting the natural soda springs, watching some deer prance around we realized it was getting dark
and a storm was rolling in. So we started to head back to the car, as we crossed the bridge Carl suggested we take one more photo on the bridge as I had commented on how cool I thought it was, no one was around so we sat on the
bridge and took a selfie. Checking that the photo was a good one I looked over at Carl who had his hand in the back
pack and was just staring at me. I was worried something had happened to him because he looked frozen, I was like “um are you okay babe?” then within a split second he pulled out a shiny mahogany box, swings down on one knee and grabs my hand. I freaked
out as I had no idea he had been planning this the whole time, he
waited for me to calm down (as I almost toppled off the bridge in excitement). Carl spoke whole heartedly telling me some of the amazing and sweet things about our love and asked me to marry
him, I said yes and without a breathe between jumped into his arms grinning ear to ear. We sat on a big fallen tree and I grilled him about how he gotten the ring, asked for my dads permission and how I'd thwarted his original plans unknowingly several times. We had a very nice couple take some photos of us then headed back to camp where we toasted to our future with a glass of wine.
Fast forward 9 months later on April 5th 2014. We had an outdoor wedding in dear friends backyard and became the Hanson's surrounded in celebration by family and friends. Words can't describe our day but here are some photos to help show you how we celebrated our love.
I won't go into great detail about our wedding day as it will be like five blogs long but here is a snapshot. The girls spent the morning being pampered while the boys ate Stephano's and messed around. At four oclock my dad and I made our grand entrance the Carl and I read our personal vows to each other and promised each other our everything, took our first communion together, took the most ridiculous wedding party photos, drank good wine and a few mixed whiskey drinks, listen to some of the most previous words from our family and friends, ate a tower of donuts, crowd surfed, danced the night away (with a few visits from the police for being too loud, whoops), and we had the best day of our lives.
This day marked the new beginning of our life together.
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