Faith is a journey...This is mine

Faith is a journey...This is mine

Thursday, August 11, 2016

The Love of my Life...

Hi All-

I would apologize for my lack of blogging this summer but, frankly, I've been so busy. I moved in June but, was prepped and packed in May (shuffling of dates and locations). School wrapped up in a whirlwind, an online class was started before the students were out the door, I adopted a turtle (the Noble Ocelot), and oh yeah, I got engaged. Yes, you read that correctly, the biggest, most wonderful event of my summer is by far my engagement to the love of my life. We have set our wedding date for September 2, 2017. Wedding plans are in full swing. It is exciting, a tad overwhelming and oh so joyful. 

Before I share our engagement pictures with you, I want to gush over my guy. He really is amazing. If you can't stand the mushy stuff feel free to skip to video at the bottom of the post, I promise I won't be offended. 


***Mushy lovey stuff starts here***

Landon is truly the most marvelous man I have ever met. He is remarkably intelligent, kind, loving, happy, sweet and romantic. In addition to all of this, he is incredibly faith-filled. He inspires and challenges me to be a stronger woman of faith each and every day. He is full of God's grace. I have just a few experiences of the grace that flows out of the heart of this dashingly handsome man. 

Over the last year, Landon has become my best friend, my biggest supporter and my happy place. I cannot put into words the amount of love he has showered me with. 

When I left the abusive relationship I had been in for 13 months two and a half years ago, I honestly didn't know if I could trust someone again. My heart was so battered and broken I just didn't know if I could open myself up again. I had worked so hard to heal my heart and rebuild my self-confidence that I was terrified of being hurt again. And then Landon happened. He was, from the beginning, so kind and thoughtful. He has always been very sensitive and respectful of the past hurt I endured. 

In the beginning, I was very cautious with the details I told him about my past. I didn't want to scare him off. Eventually, though, I needed to tell him so that we both knew where we stood. I knew it was a risk and it could make or break our relationship. As scared as I was, I told him anyway. I talked and he listened. I cried and he comforted. He prayed with me. He made me feel safe and loved. I still cannot really describe the effect that his response to my past had on me.

To build a relationship with someone who was abused in the past can be really difficult as Landon and I quickly found out. 

In the summer of 2015, I remember thinking to myself that I was, "all better." 9 months of therapy and hard work in 2014 had fixed me. None of that stuff from my past would ever bother me again. After all, I had explained everything to Landon and he had accepted me and loved me in spite of it. I was healed completely. Think again, girly. As our relationship progressed and we got to know each other more, I was confronted with pain that I didn't know still existed. It got really hard sometimes.  At first, I didn't tell him of the war I was waging within my own heart.

Yet again, there came a point when I just needed to tell him. Once again, I found myself crying, telling him that I didn't understand where he saw beauty in me, he listened and when I was finished, Landon hugged me tight, kissed my forehead and said to me, "Beautiful, don't you know how beautiful you are to me? Body and soul. Always. Your faith in Christ, your devotion to him, your countless prayers for me and all those around you. You. Are. Beautiful." I tear up just writing it. His sincerity, generosity, genuine love, and concern have done more good for me than I can explain. His love of books has helped, of course. 

Landon does so much for me. He puts up with, "my chaos" as I call it. Often I turn to him and say, "I am such a basket case. How on earth do you deal with me?" His response time and time again is, "It's my honor to be beside you. It's not "dealing with you" it's happily loving you." Goodness gracious this man. I tell ya. 

I don't want anyone thinking that I left abuse and found perfection. I didn't. I found human. So did Landon. We are both human. We make mistakes. We sin. We are both works in progress. The beauty of it is, we have a merciful Father in Heaven who knows our faults and gladly forgives us. His mercy is new every morning and for that, we rejoice together. How blessed we are.

Simply put, Landon has changed my life for the better. He is my Prince Charming in the truest sense. I'm blessed to be his princess. While our love story isn't a fairytale, it's ours and we are so proud of it. Courtship can be hard but it is worth it. I cannot wait to marry Landon in 387 days. 

Last winter, I texted Landon Psalm 34:4, "Oh magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together forever..." along with the question, "Will you run after God with me?" He responded "Yes." We talked then about making this verse our mission statement so to speak. We hoped that one day our courtship and God willing, our marriage would be an inspiration to other couples. We had the conversation and then went on. By April, we knew wanted to get married. On Memorial Day, Landon asked my daddy's permission to marry me. As far as I knew, we would be getting engaged in August around the Feast of the Assumption. 

On June 15, 2016 Landon picked me up for Mass and Adoration at St. Robert Bellarmine. This is the place we fell in love. After Mass we walked over to the Adoration Chapel. We walked in, sat down and Landon handed me his Bible. I opened it and then read the paper marking the page. He wrote of his love for me and the hope to never lose me. Then he asked, "Will you magnify the Lord with me? Will you exalt his name forever with me?" I looked up and Landon was on one knee with a ring in his hand. He asked me to marry him and I said, "Yes!" He arranged for a photographer to capture the moment and she was great! I highly recommend Crystal Zamora and Nikki McLeay of Nikki McLeay Photography. I made the video below using the photos that Crystal captured of us. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
***Mushy lovey stuff ends here***


To close, I want you all to know that I hold you in prayer. If you are waiting on the one God has for you, keep the faith. I'm living proof that He is ever faithful. 

84,000 Prayers,

Teresa