JANUARY
Early January, Jeffrey's family came over and we finished the Hmong wedding. I felt like a total noob the entire time when trying to offer fruits and such, but it was such a smooth and easy process. My dad made it so easy and we ended up just talking about life. Later, we took our engagement photos with Mindy (I always look back and think about our engagement). I remember it being the coldest day ever, but we still managed to get out there to take some photos.
Jeffrey ended up staying for an extra week and we continued our wedding planning. We found our wedding venue which was the cheapest price of all the ones we looked at and it fit our needs, so we decided to take it and move on because here's a tip, you just can't be picky when it comes to planning a wedding. One thing Jeffrey continued to remind me of was that this wedding was ultimately not about us.
Okay, not gonna lie, the start of the new school year was .... interesting. That's because, if y'all can recall, I decided that I wasn't going to student teach anymore and I was walking away from teaching in my last semester of college. To be honest, I felt like a quitter and I hate feeling like I gave up on something simply because "I wasn't able to do it". Bottom line - this was a decision that I don't regret.
I can go on and on, but you can read all about it here: Why I Decided to Stop My Student Teaching
FEBRUARY
I loved all the free time I was getting now that I wasn't a part of teacher ed. anymore. I got to hang out more and have actual relationships with the girls at school which was something I totally wanted to do more of.
MARCH
Hello, Spring break! This year, we went to Madison, Wisconsin for Spring Tour and it snowed! I didn't get to go the last two times because I was busy with something else, but I so enjoyed Spring Tour this year. At the end of the week, I was left feeling encouraged and refreshed to be a part of a community.I visited Jeffrey who was my fiancé at the time. A part of me felt uncomfortable, but I was so comfortable at the same time - weird. Maiya and I just hung out with his family for the remainder of our Spring break. We also traveled down to Kentucky (the most random of trips) with Xf. McYoung/Debbie because that's where he attended school at the time. Fun, spontaneous trip.
APRIL
Just a few more things to check off the list before I could walk across that stage and say bye to undergrad forever. I was ready to go since .... two years ago. Ha! Needless to say, April was one of those months that just come and go in the blink of an eye. I was so focused on just getting through that I think I missed out on a lot ofMAY
The final push to the end was the hardest. Not sure why I didn't learn from previous years, but up until the last minute, I was still working my butt off to finish assignments last minute. I can still remember so clearly how I sat so lifeless on the couch in my living room just waiting for my assignments to finish themselves up. I motivated myself through trap music or any music with a nice bass drop. Ha!
And hallelujah, I finally got to walk across the stage and graduated. Tbh, there was a moment I didn't think I'd make it. Crazy how little faith I have ..... haha. All of a sudden, the fours years I spent in college felt more like four seconds. When you no longer have something, I think that's when you find yourself most thankful ... at least for me. When I was in college, I was just waiting to get out, but then when I graduated, that's when I looked back and was actually thankful for the time that I got to spend there. It's just part of life, I guess.
Also, having my family there to support me felt like a dream! They were happy. I was happy. We were all happy.
And finally, full-on wedding planning mode! Jeffrey came down a few weeks early and we planned every detail together. Every. Single. Detail. For the rest of the month, we planned and planned, then made sure we were able to execute them well. Lucky for me, he thinks everything out through and through. He's someone who thinks one step ahead, so I didn't have much to worry about. He carried the wedding planning, y'all.
JUNE
Whoa - wedding mooooonth. The most exciting of months evvvvver. While I was super excited for all the wedding things to take place, I found myself feeling insecure about my weight. It was always in the back of my mind and I realized that I didn't have a healthy relationship with food. It sounds weird, but it was truth.
The week before, my bridesmaids and I spent a few nights in Atlanta for my Bach. Super fun and chill and just what I wanted. My favorite was riding our bikes through Atlanta. I felt like I was in a movie amid the humid as ever weather.
And wedding day. I wish I could say everything about how I felt on my wedding day, but that would be forever long. My bridesmaids were the best; they took care of my every need (which was hopefully not that much...) and the groomsmen ... they were a fun group. Every one got along so well and I just feel that both sides of the parties complemented each other very nicely.
I was so happy to have all of our loved ones in the same place and if there's one thing I've really started to enjoy, it's reunions. This was totally a reunion with the company of sweets friends and a whole ton of family. It was my first time getting to meet some of Jeffrey's side, too, so that was really fun (and kinda nerve-wracking).
When we left for our honeymoon, I had to say bye to my parents and family. It was the hardest thing to do and even as I'm writing this, I still get teary eyed. This was when I realized how much of a baby I really am. I always thought that college eased it up for me and that I'd be alright when it was time for me to say bye, but nah. I probably cried half-way to our honeymoon.
When we got to Indy, I cried again because Pang sent me a letter and I made the mistake of reading it right away. Rivers and rivers of tears because I missed my family and the fact the that I wouldn't be able to be with them ever again made me so darn sad and so .... more tears.
JULY
Now, enter all the traveling. I kid you not when I say that we traveled so much. Right after our honeymoon, we stayed here in Indy for a day and then made our way to Colorado where we stayed for two weeks. You can read more about our Colorado trip here: Our Trip In Colorado
We then traveled over to Kansas where we stayed for one night. Visited some friends and played some volleyball. Then took off the next day.
Next, we went to SALT 2017. Thankfully, we're only three hours out form Wheaton! We volunteered this year (lil' nerve-wracking since they were like all my age!) and got to see Shane and Shane. Very talented worship artists! Always love their gospel-centered worship.
Lots of job applying days happened as well. I took unemployment season as a blessing. I've worked since high school, so having some time off wasn't all that bad, but boy, did we need an income quick. Ha! Jeffrey and I started budgeting and doing more adult things as well.
AUGUST
By this time, I was feeling a little more lonely than usual. All the road trips occupied me for a long time, but when we were done traveling, it felt .... just lonely. One thing I prayed for was a community here (despite how little the community already is) I just didn't have girls to talk to, ya know?
Anyway, one more trip for the summer! Late August, we went to the Heart Conference which was a regional conference. To be honest, I actually felt super out of place and I knew like ... no one. However, I was encouraged because it didn't matter who I did or didn't know, but we were all united in Christ.
That same week, I got offered a job to work with kids at a daycare/after school program. I worked specifically with 2-3 year olds and they are the cutest bunch! I loved the place and the people, but didn't plan on being there for long. In fact, I decided that I'd give it a year before I started looking elsewhere (that was until I found out we'd be moving soon).
SEPTEMBER
I was finally getting comfortable with my new fam! We'd finally established a routine, I'd help to cook at a certain time, Wednesday nights were prayer nights, and everything is feeling normal. It did take me a while to get used to a new family and one of the hardest things I had to stop doing was comparing my own family to my new one or vice versa.We also got to see John Mayer in concert! It was like a fun wedding gift turned date night idea! This was our first concert together and we always listen to his songs to think back on this memory. He's also just as good live as he is recorded. So beautiful, raw, and just pure talent.
OCTOBER
Another trip! Our family traveled down to Georgia for Mai Kao's wedding where we helped take photos. Fun opportunity and Mai Kao made such a beautiful bride!
NOVEMBER
This month, we made yet another trip, but to Wisconsin to visit a church. I got to speak with the N. Tsev and wow, what an interesting thing. This is what it looked like to feel like a baby and share with women who are twice my age, but they were so kind. While preparing for this trip, I felt a lot of things ... of course, I felt incapable, but was encouraged by friends who ensured me that focusing on our God who is capable was so much more worth it. A continuing theme that I keep on seeing even today is that when God opens these doors for us, we need to be walking through them with the understanding that He's already equipped us for it.
DECEMBER
Oh December. I've long awaited this month for all things Christmas. A lot of things happened ... including more trips! Early December, we were very sad to have heard about Yawm Say Chu's passing and road tripped down for the funeral. Even under the circumstances, it was good and refreshing to be with Jeffrey's side of the family.
A few months ago, we purchased plane tickets to go back to GA for Christmas, so just three days after the funeral, we made yet another trip back down to GA and enjoyed the holidays with my family (a freakin' dream!)
Then, Jeffrey and I made our last trip of the year and traveled to the mid-west. More mid-west, I guess. We got our own apartment and made it all nice and cozy. Pastor gave us a table and a couch - we are so thankful.
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