A Bstyle Journey

Thursday, December 28, 2017

2017 Reflections

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Lord brought those verses to me at the beginning of 2017, and I clung to them through the whirlwind of the year. 2017 has not been a quiet year in the life-altering events way. From the moving plans which drastically altered to getting married and starting our first year of marriage, God has graciously guided and provided.

January 2017
Jacob and I started to discuss getting married in 2018.

February 2017

Jacob and I celebrated one year of dating.

March 2017
Early March, Jacob and I traveled to Indiana to visit family over my spring break. Through the course of the trip, Jacob and I decided to look at getting married in 2017 instead of 2018.

March 31, 2017 Jacob surprised me at school over my lunch break and asked me to be his wife.

April 2017
My roommate moved to Wyoming and I submited my resignation at the school up North to move closer to Jacob. Wedding planning and pre-marital counseling began.

May 2017
Close to the end of my May, I rescinded my resignation to the school Up North, and Jacob submitted his resignation as we made preparations for Jacob to move North.

June 2017
Year 4 of teaching finished. I got to see Hamilton with the siblings. Jacob finished his job and moved North to start job hunting. The Ledgerwood's all reunited to celebrate Dad Ledgerwood finishing his doctorate. Engagement pictures were taken.

July 2017
I wrapped up all my graduate work and graduated with my Masters of Education. Then proceeded to go camping totally by myself for the first time in my life. Also, sister and mother bachelorette party in the best way possible with play, music, and picnics.

August 2017
Jacob and I completed many wedding preparations through the month. We vacationed with his family as we swam and watched the stars. A visit to Rib Mountain had to happen to reminisce where it all started.

September 2017
Fifth year of teaching began. We enjoyed some canoeing adventures as an engaged couple as we wrapped up the final wedding details and finished pre-marital counseling.

October 2017
October 7, 2017, we got married. Then a week off of work to honeymoon and start settling into married life. Worked to change everything under the sun to my new last name.

November 2017
After thank you cards were done, things started to slow down and get more into a groove. Hosted for the first time as a couple as my parents came to visit. We delighted in the Bayerl thanksgiving.

December 2017
Our first Christmas together as a newly married couple. Traveled between both families for Christmas and New Years.

The year took many unexpected twists and turns, and through it all God provided the peace and guidance in those situations. As the Psalmist says, "My cup runs over."

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Saturday Nights

Saturday nights in college, writing here on this blog was part of what kept me sane. Today, I realized this is my last Saturday before I get married. My last night to blog as a single woman. So now I reminisce back over those Saturday nights, the determinations, and my fast closing chapter of singleness.

I would sit in my bed at Mrs. Behm's and plug in my headphones, and Muse would start playing as the first track on my "late night music" playlist. By the time I got to "Over the Rainbow," I had written out my problems, processed, and figured life out for that night whether in my notebook or on this blog.

Some nights I needed to share about Ginevra de' Benci other times it was to talk about a meltdown, my car breaking down, or Praxis 2. Many of the posts came early Sunday morning instead of late Saturday evening. Many posts were written in frustration of all the garbage I heard and needed to filter through. But most of all the posts tended to be late at night because everything else had to be done before I could let myself the freedom to write for myself. I would be exhausted and yet stay up until midnight writing and listening to my music. It was my homemade therapy and soothing of the wearied and battered soul.

Though my blogging has diminished over the years, my need to write to think has not changed. Maybe that means I think less now or I can process quicker or have more time to write in my notebooks or maybe I have less to process. All could be right except the less information to process.

Changes are part of life, and with any change comes the processing. As I talked to Joanna today, she brought up how grateful I must be in God's sovereignty in knowing the exact time to bring Jacob into my life. That I could figure out who I was in Christ and to build and strengthen my relationship with the Lord, and to find ways to serve and minister in my local church. I would not change one moment of those years. Looking back, even when I couldn't understand why so many seemed to be able to date and build a relationship with a significant other, and I never could, all those years showed me what is most important. It kept me away from messed up relationships and being sucked in when I hadn't built a solid relationship with my Lord and Savior. Joanna's wisdom reiterated what I had been thinking; I am so thankful for those years of growth and change God allowed me to have.

This blog is called A B Style Journey because I desire to write about my journey through life. I've done that to this point through all my years of singleness, and now I will continue to through all my years of marriage. God knows the future and the path of my life, and I trust Him to continue to take me through each journey and step along the way in His perfect sovereignty.

Goodbye Singleness

I've talked long and hard on this blog about never putting marriage on a pedestal or the pinnacle of life. I've discussed how scriptures shows singleness is a blessing from God and marriage is a blessing from God, but none is better than the other.

As overjoyed as I am to marry Jacob in less than a week, I will miss my singleness and the opportunities it allowed me. I know God would not give me marriage if that was not the next step for my life and what will change and grow me even more like Christ.

The Lord blessed me with incredible opportunities as a single woman. I think of the relationships He enabled me to build with the various teen girls. I think of the conversations and travels I've been able to have with my extra freedom.

Now, it is time for a new journey and chapter of life. To start exploring and figuring out what marriage means and living out my married life to its fullest as God allowed me to live my single life.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Engaged

I'm getting married in two-and-half months. Friday, March 31, 2017, Jacob (as he likes to go by now) surprised me during my lunch break at school and proposed. I answered "Absolutely!" to his question, "Will you marry me?"

I've always struggled to not wish a time away and engagement is another one of those times to learn to appreciate what God has given me now. The learning and growth which has happened over these past months of engagement, I would never wish away. Through our premarital counseling sessions, God brought to the forefront many things we needed to discuss and communicate about. Over the past month, we have had the opportunity to live in the same city, and it has been marvelous to no longer be long distance.

Time always continues to march on. It waits for no man. Though I look forward to joining my life with Jacob before God, family, and friends in October, I'm glad for these final days of singleness. These moments of quiet reflection and thinking before the next chapter on my life opens. God may call be back to the life of singleness in the future, but for now, that chapter of my life is closing.

During the engagement time, I have been praying for our relationship and marriage. I thank God for the man He has brought into my life, and I pray Jacob and I can honor God with our marriage. I pray we will be an example of Christ's love, mercy, and graciousness to one another, and thereby a testimony of God to those who are around us. I pray God will always be the foundation of every part of our life; the center and core of every decision, action, and word. I pray we will honestly, graciously, and lovingly communicate as we become a family. If God chooses to bless us with children, I pray we would model Our Father as we parent. I pray our lives and marriage will be used by God to bring those who do not know Him to Him. I pray all that God takes us through and allows us to do would honor and bless His name.

To God be the glory forever and ever.

Friday, December 30, 2016

July 2016 ~ England

Before this year comes to a close, I must take the time to discuss the incredible trip I took to England this past summer. Being able to travel with some of the greatest people on our bucket list trip together was beyond words. Seeing history, incredible arts, and breathtaking scenery are moments I will never forget.

My travel companions