Moved in... well, sorta.

Over the weekend, Justin and I moved into our own apartment. For those of you who know how borderline OCD I am, I was concerned about the move. The notion of not having everything packed, in the living room and ready to go made me nervous. Especially with the idea of starting the move after the MART Quarterly conference... which was great, in my opinion by the way...

So, after staying up for many late nights during the week into the weekend. J and I are finally into our space. We're still sorting through some things, trying to figure out where things are going to go, etc. But, it's nice because we both know where things are. We created a system that works for us and we can begin to learn each other a bit better as a married couple. Today we get cable and internet, which is a big deal since I haven't had cable since July of 2009. And tomorrow we host dinner for our mothers who are coming into town. It's only been a few days but, I'm sure great memories will be created in our little slice of Laurel on Holly Creek Dr.

Be on the look out for a game night... as soon as we move the games from the place in College Park.

Much Needed Vacation...

I need a vacation! After waking up frantically this morning because my "beloved" <-- can you hear/read/see the sarcasm --> blackberry was in this weird state of not working, so my AM alarm didn't go off! As I drove into work, I realized that I would just like a few days to sleep in.. more importantly, I would like to sleep in without getting up and feeling guilty for sleeping in because of the amount of work that I need to get done.

Since July 25, 2010, I feel like I've been going and going and going, and I'm convinced that look is ONLY cute on that energizer bunny. I feel fatigued, worn out and I'm sure the redness of my eyes isn't sexy. I'm sure all of this will calm down once I get into a routine. But, I feel like I need the week off to organize my life, move into our new place, plan for a month of the school year, so I can just have my evenings to get to know my husband rather than falling asleep before he even gets home from class :'(

I just need to make it to winter break!

Today was a good day!

The past few weeks have been a bit helter-skelter to say the least. The trips to and from NJ, trying to get my classroom together for the start of the school year, and finally meeting my students this week. Despite all that has been going on, I had a wonderful day today with my husband. I was able to sleep in, finish reading a book, took my first eco-friendly shower, had chipotle and watched a redbox film... and periodically, I graded papers with Justin's help.

Today was a good day. Helped the environment, enjoyed some time with my husband, got some work done and had some good eats! Happy almost Friday....

Simply put...

I love my husband. I love my in-laws. But, more importantly I love my God... He's taught me so much about myself, being a wife, and truly being a woman of prayer in my 24 days of marriage.

Today, I lost my father-in-law, but I praise God for the moments we shared, for his strength to walk my mother-in-law down the aisle without his oxygen tank in order to make his son's wedding everything he'd dreamed, for greeting me our first time home after the honeymoon as the newest Mrs. Davis, for making an effort to try my lasagna that I cooked while in NJ despite not having an appetite.

I was proud before to be the latest Mrs. Davis because of the woman in the family who already hold the title, but, as I stand next to my husband during this time my heart swells with his strength, his loyalty, and his love.

I'm getting married. But you know what... I'm tired of waiting for the "big" day, I'm tired of talking about it, and I'm tired of folks asking me if I'm ready.

The days aren't dragging by just because I have so much to do with finishing up this last class for my summer session and mentally prepping what I can move out of my closet so Justin will have space for his clothes. My Matron of Honor would tell me to simply enjoy the moment, she's been telling me that since my Thursday Night dates with J (check the story at www.mywedding.com/diayleandjustin), but I can't seem to enjoy it because I'm so busy. I was talking to a sister the other day who is in the midst of planning her wedding about how ready I am just for the nitty-gritty of the marriage. I would have loved a destination wedding, white sand, Caribbean breeze and coco bread on the dinner menu. I understand that marriage will be hard work, I understand that blending two families will be difficult, but I'm ready for the practical application. I'm ready to learn new elements of Justin: the rhythm of his breathing as he sleeps, if he leaves his clothes on the bathroom floor, will he dust because he knows that I don't like to. And I'm sure we're both in for a learning curve, but I'm ready for that part. I'm ready to learn about myself, will I adjust quickly to having a for real roommate (yeah, yeah, yeah, Jamiel lived with me, but at times I only new he was there because food would go missing) or will I become frustrated because someone is taking up half my bed? Will I try and hide things that I do for fear that Justin will look at me funny... or will he just suck it up because he's my husband and I'm his wife?

I'm ready for the wedding day to be over, and ready for my marriage to begin!

I love my...

natural hair. While combing out my wrap this morning I flashbacked to a conversation I had a week before my senior prom. For those who don't know, I didn't go natural until November of 2001. During the conversation with a former close friend, I was trying to talk her into perming her hair again for prom instead of risking a ruined 'do due to rain that was in the forecast. The thought of that conversation made me giggle. I was so adamant that she just perm it, why would she want to deal with the mess of being natural.

After 8 years of being natural, I went back to the life of the perm. But, after the 2nd month of a perm I was done with the whole concept. I missed my 'fro, I missed the volume that comes with being natural, I missed being able to just wash and go. So, after only about 7 months I cut all my hair off again. Well, after 7 months my hair is growing back nicely ...which would have been a DISASTER with the wedding in 23 days, huh... and I love it. I recently got it pressed to do a test run for the wedding and I love the versatility that my hair provides.

I love my natural, my crazy wavy-curly pattern, I even love the crazy straight piece that remained after my last press. The natural style fits me well and it only helps me to embrace all that God took the time to knit together to make me!

Brain Dump

So over the past few weeks a lot of different things have been running through my head that I've been wanting to blog about, but haven't had the time between running errands, trying to tackle school work and just being lazy. But, three main things have been floating through my head, so this blog may seem all over the place and longer than normal, but I had to get it out...

Topic #1... I'm getting married.
yeah, yeah, yeah... I know I've already sorta talked about that. I've talked about how great my bridal party is, I've talked about the proposal, but as it gets closer and the butterflies flutter around faster in my stomach I don't think about the ceremony or the reception. I think of how my status with God will change. I will no longer be the single woman Paul talks about who has the ability to devote all her time to the things of God. Nope, after July 25th my attention will be divided between the things of God and the things of my household. That part makes me both nervous and excited. Nervous because I'm not sure how that will change my own personal style of seeking God and resting in His presence, granted I'm sure J could lead worship in our home at any given moment since he sings all the time. How will my new responsibilities impact my level of involvement at the new church we join as a couple? And in the years to come, how will these things change again once we start thinking about having children? See... this can make you a bit nervous. But, I'm sooo excited about what God could do through us as a married couple. C.Denard gave us this title of "power couple", at first it made me a bit uncomfortable because I didn't think we were any different from any other couple, especially when you spend time with other great couples. But, after attending a session at the UCCFS conference in '09, we were challenged with the question of "what is the purpose of your marriage?" At this time, this rocked my world, I'd never thought about it, so I had no clue. But, throughout the rest of that conference and since then, Justin and I have talked about how our gifts compliment, how we saw God moving in our relationship, as well as how we saw how God could use us in the future. So, as the days get closer my nervousness increases, but my excitement for what's to come in the future far outweighs that!

Topic #2... Justin is a great guy!
Justin is an awesome guy. I've known that for quite some time, but over the past few months I've grown to love him more and more. It seems that many people just see him, or get to know how more on a business/professional level, but I'm glad that each day I get to spend with him (which is few and far between with this long distance thing) I get to see new sides of him. I appreciate the man God has made him to be right now and bless God for who He intends for Justin to be. Since our meetings with various ministers to discuss the wedding, I've been thinking more about our relationship, one thing in particular... I'm glad I didn't settle! If you would have asked me 8-10 ago, I could have potentially told you two different guys that I saw myself getting married to, because they thought I was the "one". I'm glad I didn't settle for those guys, not that they aren't great guys and not that they won't be great husbands, but not really for me. Justin is just want I wanted and needed. I feel safe with him, he challenges me, he makes me laugh and tells me no. At first I didn't like that last point, but I've learned to appreciate it. He won't cater to me just because he feels he must to keep me. I love him for that. But, a recent thing that helped reinforce my ever-growing appreciation for the man he is, was our evening at Afram. After standing for about 30-45 minutes, I opted to sit on the pavement, while watching the performers on the big screen. Justin stood over me like a body guard, positioned himself so I could rest on him to be comfortable, he covered me in a way that most people wouldn't even think about. Thanks God, my gift of a husband rocks!!!

Topic #3... I don't seem to remember and this post is long enough... If it's important or comes to mind again, I'll do another post ;-).