Back in Time: the CrAzY month of May

I know it’s ‘old news’ but I wanted to post about some of the important things that happened before I started this blog – let’s take a look at the crazy month of May 2008.

First off, I graduated from St. John’s School of Theology with my Masters in Theology and Pastoral Ministry – woa!! I did my final presentation of my integration project the first weekend in May, and then walked in graduation on mother's day (I think it was a good gift for Mom, not to mention for myself). It was certainly not an easy journey, but one I loved nonetheless. And look how fun that fancy hood is! :)

Then came the really exciting event - May 24 – a day of celebration of love. Not only was it my parents’ 34th anniversary, but it was also Mike and I's wedding day! It was a day I was looking forward to for the obvious fact that it meant marrying Mi Miguelito - but I was actually not looking forward to the having a wedding side of the day. Thankfully, after months of prayer (and planning ways around the parts of the day that made me the most nervous) and a morning surrounded with a few of the closest and most trusted people in my life, I made it through the day...and now WE'RE MARRIED!!!

I loved all the 'alone time' we had planned into our day. And I love how handsome Mike looks :)

I also loved having my closest friends at my side. My siblings know exactly how to make me laugh, make me cry (in a good way), make me comfortable just being who I am (even amidst the most nervous event of my life thus far), make me feel so blessed....and make me laugh some more! Having them, and other family and best friends at my side or catching my eye throughout the day is what got me through it - and is what has gotten me through life before and after that day too! Have I mentioned that I love my family!?!

I had a lot of special touches with me throughout the day too. My grandma's wedding handkerchief was in my hand the whole morning and at my side during Mass. The garter I wore was made by my Mom out of the fabric and lace of her wedding dress. My wedding ring is a birthstone ring that my parents gave me when I was in high school, and the stone fell out a few years later; I had been saving it ever since, just waiting for the right guy to reset it and give it to me for this special purpose (it symbolizes to me the coming together of my family of the past and family of the future). My bracelet is one of a set that my sisters and I had when we were little and rediscovered a few years ago (Jesi wore a matching one, along with matching jelly shoes that also had nostalgic meaning to us). Everything had meaning - I never felt alone - generations of love and marriages were with me all day!

The Mass was by far my favorite part - it went by so fast, but every second of it just felt like exactly what Liturgy is meant to express - community! I loved having Carl playing for us, and watching all our siblings take part in the different ministries. And it was literally a dream come true to be celebrating this special liturgy at St. John's - my favorite church, and one filled with memories from my childhood as well as special moments with Mike (it's where I first knew I was going to marry Mike, where I gave him my ring, and where he proposed - where else could we possibly celebrate our wedding Mass?!) I loved having the chance to wash Mike's feet, and know that he will always be willing to wash mine in so many ways throughout our lives! My favorite moment of the entire day though was at communion time - Mike and I had made the bread that was used for communion, and we were Eucharistic ministers. I remember looking at the people coming towards me to receive Eucharist and thinking what an honor it was to be able to make and literally share Christ with them; it meant way more to me than any receiving line would have and I hope it expressed my gratitude better than any thank you cards possibly could.

The reception was fun too...my feet sure were dirty by the end! And again, thanks to my amazing family and friends for making it a great end to the day.

You can view other images from our wedding day in a slideshow done by our photographer, Tim Larsen.

Then it was off to the North Shore for our honeymoon and the World's Best Donuts (thanks to the recommendation of our photographer, who we would totally recommend – great to be around on the wedding day, great pictures, and great taste in pastries!)

And now we're getting ready to celebrate our 6 month anniversary next week - wow! Married life, while certainly not easy and always busy, is a huge blessing! I learn more and more about GOD's love for our world every day that I'm with Mike - both the joys and the struggles speak of GOD!