Celebrating Baby Branch: Our love is multiplying!

It's been a while since I blogged. 

We have been busy with really exciting news! 

Our little baby boy will soon be arriving! He is truly a gift from God 

and we are so excited to be at this point! 

Our little miracle will be here next month! 

Here are some pics of our baby shower <3 

It was great to celebrate our joy with friends from near and far.

These are some of the details from our shower. 

The front door welcome wreath

The favor/advice/Baby Elijah table at the entrance

Shower favors... Milk chocolate $ :)

The gift table :)

The pumpkin card holder

One of the centerpieces

The gift table sign

My favorite table!

 Daddy, Baby, Mommy pics

and onesie guestbook

 

Food table all set up

  Our little "Branch" plates

The food table stocked with yummy chickfila and gourmet cupcakes

 The game/prize table...

 Close up of the poster on the prize table. We will hang it in his room.
 Love it!


Confetti and an "it's a boy" pumpkin from main table

A shot of the whole room

 The centerpieces on the main table

Another centerpiece on the main table

  The favor table and baby advice basket

                                     

 Week 34 Belly Shot

 Mommy and Daddy <3

 We love our little sweetheart.

Favorite shot of the pumpkins. Spanish of course!

So loved this table! 

We had an awesome time at our baby "Branch" shower! :)

So Happy Together- 5 :)

So Happy to be celebrating 5 years of marriage! 

LOVE NEVER FAILS! 1 Cor. 13 :)

I decorated our room with pictures and memories of anniversaries past.

This is the collage that I made and printed :)

I made a 5 from our original "branch" wedding logo.  

We took it everywhere we went like a "flat stanley" or a gnome. 

It was a fun way to commemorate the occasion. 

We just might have to do this every anniversary... especially on our 7th :) 

Side by Side: Life Lessons on love

"Through all kinds of weather, what if the sky should fall, just as long as we're together, it doesn't matter at all...

Just travelin' along singing a song side by side"

The picture above is of me and my husband Chester. It captures us side by side with the ocean rolling in the back. No matter what waves have crashed onto the shores of our life, we have got through it together-side by side :). As the latest storm of shingles has come our way we are managing with grace and help from the Lord.

I have been battling with a very painful bout of shingles (adult chicken pox that burns like crazy) on my face for the last week. It is on my scalp, forehead and eye lid. For awhile, they were scared it would go in my eye because that could causes blindness.

Thankfully we are past that point. It never went in my eye and praying that it all ends quickly.Oddly enough, it's dealing with this nasty, oozing, excruciating sickness (that makes me unable to wear makeup or hair products) that has me thinking about love and romance.

Not only have I been thinking about love in my life today, but also what I used to think it meant when I was younger. It started as a facebook status and then I realized that I had a note on my hands. I kept mulling over it in my heart and adding more and more until I realized I had a blog post on my hands. I titled it side by side because I have actually been singing that silly song several today. Looking at the lyrics, I can see why it's appropriate :)

I learned that song when I was a kid at First Baptist in Mrs. Bean's music class, but I won't go back that far. I was thinking more about when I was a teenager and what I thought of love then. I wondered how my future husband would be. I had all these plans and hopes of how our future life would be like. I prayed for the day that God would bring us together. I dreamed about these grand romantic gestures that he would make.

My future husband would make sure I had the best. He would send me flowers, teddy bears, and candy. He would plan get-away trips, write heart felt notes, go with me to church things... and of course one day I would get a wonderfully romantic proposal.

I got into my twenties and while I was thought to make a list. A list of character qualities that I wanted my future husband to have. I didn't want to put God in a box, but I wanted my future husband to have a heart like Jesus.

I eventually met my future husband at grad school. We were best friends and suddenly we were more than friends. We laughed together, took classes together, sat next to each other and had a great time.

It turns out that he had been praying for his future wife too. He says that when he met me he knew I was the one. It took me a little bit longer to recognize it, but I am glad I finally did :)

Long story short, he got to know my heart and gave me the greatest engagement story I could have asked for. He asked for hand in marriage in the most romantic way and made my dreams come true.

I got to experience an amazing proposal that would change my story forever. (http://branchlovestory.blogspot.com/2006/10/engagement-details.html ) It was so incredibly romantic and intricate and perfect for me. If you have never read it, I encourage you to click the link. It was awesome! :)

On my engagement day, I was totally overwhelmed by God's love for me through Chester. It was better than I hoped for and beyond my prayers and dreams. I was in awe of God's goodness and at the same time floored by the creativity and awesomeness of such a grand gesture of love on the part of my future husband.

Till this day, our engagement day was one of the best days I have ever experienced. I was totally wowed by the romance of it all. Whenever I get to re-tell it, I still get all giddy and bubbly inside just thinking about it. That day,I didn't know how Chester could ever top such a cool day, but I knew he would keep trying :)

After almost five years of marriage, strangers still wonder if we are dating because we look so madly in love. Being married has been better than I imagined, and it has help expand my view of love. I have seen that while those things my heart longed for when I was younger are wonderful, exciting and welcome...the grandest romantic gesture my husband has made and continues to make is that of SelfLESSness.

To say that we have been through several trials with my health these last 6 years would be an understatement. Together we have dealt with the pain of miscarriage, the dangerous brain threatening eye infection, blood issues and almost dying from scary bout with sepsis, the 3 days in I spent icu and a week in the hospital, surgery in my upper arms and the difficult recovery, facial paralysis, what seems like infinite check ups and now shingles... phew... and my husband has been by my side through it all. In case you were wondering, the health stuff has been all me... my hubby is part wolverine :)

Chester really meant it when he said in sickness and in health. When we made our vows, we had no idea what was coming our way, but God did. He gave me the perfect person to walk through these things with. Chester has loved me at my sickest and weakest and what I felt like was my ugliest, point. When I couldn't even bear to look at mirrors for myself, he would lovingly look me in the eyes and say: "Do you know how beautiful you are" and it would hit me in the soul. He loves me for me and will do anything for me.

My husband has tenderly taken care of me every time an unexpected sickness has come. He has laid down his life again and again. He has done things for me that I just could not do for myself and has kept a great attitude the whole time.

Now that I sit back and reflect, I can see that THAT is true love... not just the grand "romantic" gestures but the little everyday acts of selfless love.

"Greater love has no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15:3

My husband is a true reflection of Christ's heart and lives that verse out every day.

<3

I hope my story inspires you to believe in a good God who gives good gifts to His children. I hope that it encourages you to know that true love DOES exist. First and foremost it exists in the way that God loves us, then it exists in the way his children love each other.

Love is not only in the extravagant displays of affection, but when we choose others before ourselves. Christ died to reconcile us to God in an extravagant way and everyday he pursues relationship with you.

May God romance your heart and share His incredible love with you. Just as He saw my teenage heart, He sees your heart and your dreams. What He has planned for you is exceedingly, abundantly above what you could ask, think or even dream.

Don't be scared to ask... just ask Him how to pray prayers that agree with His heart. He will answer you. He will show you and desires that you would know the goodness of His heart in a deeper way.

May you know what it is to love selfLESSly and choose others above yourself. Blessings to you wherever you may find yourself.

In Jesus’ name :)

The engagement details...

Welcome to BRANCH LOVE STORY...

This is the story of how Chester and I got engaged.

Whenever I read it or tell it,

I am overwhelmed with both

God's love and faithfulness towards me

and touched by tenderness and creativity in my future spouse's heart.

I hope that your heart is touched to know that:

TRUE LOVE IS REAL, TOTALLY POSSIBLE AND WORTH WAITING FOR!

and that a man that loves God first

will know how to treat you very well :)

Here are:

OUR ENGAGEMENT DETAILS!!!!! :)

On Friday, October 6th (My grandparent's wedding anniversary),

I received a special gift from my friend Monica (8).

She gave me a special fortune cookie that had 3 fortunes inside:

"you are pretty",

"golden hours are coming to you"

and "be ready @ 5pm".

Chester had let me know that the proposal would not be a total surprise...

that he would be kind enough to give me some sort of advanced warning,

so that I could be ready in whatever way I chose

(and stop freaking out that I would not be dressed right for the occasion) :)

So when I got the cookie, I was very excited!!!

I knew that my "golden ring" hours were coming soon :)

Because he knows me so well, Chester told me to be ready @ 5

when he really wanted to start @ 7 pm.

October 7th was also our 23 month anniversary or 1.11 years :)

I knew that he wanted to celebrate us.

Because I was so excited about possibly getting proposed to

I was actually ready pretty early...

@ 5:30 ;)

Because Chester was all set to start at 7 pm,

he sent some of my best friends in case I was ready too early...

They said that they needed girl time (to distract me) and we went shopping :)

Finally on our way

My friends brought me back home right around 7 pm and

Chester was waiting for me with an umbrella in hand.

It reminded me of when he used to wait for me at work on rainy days.

I was so happy that it was our anniversary and

I knew Chester had a good surprise in store for me.

Our First Stop: JAVA JUNCTION

(Coffee shop where we first went out as friends)

We get to Java Junction and inside are some of our friends.

I was under the impression that they might be a couple...

We greeted them and they let us know that they were

working on school stuff...

(which made me smile since that is what Chester and I used to do)

Chester asked me to listen in on what they were saying...

It turns out that they were saying

specific things that Chester and I used to say to each other!

Chester wrote a script that had highlights of our relationship conversations

and had our friends perform it!!!

At the end of their performance, he asked her to get married and she replied that "he would

find out later on tonight".

Then Chester turns to me and gives me a white box.

Inside was a beautiful sapphire "eternity"

pendant.

He told me that he wanted to give me something that I could always keep close to my heart.

A Kiss to Remember: Stop 2

Then Chester drove me to the kid's park where we first kissed.

Surrounded by swings, see-saws and trees he hands me a beautiful platinum rose

(in full bloom).

It was a real rose dipped it platinum so that it will live forever... "like our love" he said.

Then he talks about how it can be hard for some people to remember their first kiss, but

since we have only kissed each other, we will always remember...

Then he said that since we don't know where life will take us

and how often we will be able to visit this spot...

He dug up dirt from the spot where we first kissed

(and placed it in the pot with the platinum rose)

so that we can always have a piece of that spot with us,

no matter where life takes us.

I was moved to tears and was touched by his thoughtfulness.

Where we became more than friends:

Stop 3: The "what are we?" lake

Chester then drove me to the lake where we first told each other that we liked each other

and that we wanted to be more than friends.

He then tells me to close my eyes because he has a surprise...

He was eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich!!!

He had been a vegetarian for the last 12 years!

He knew that I loved Chick-fil-A

and that I had always wanted him to know what it tastes like

and share it with me...

So he finally did!

and told me that he would do anything for me!

This made me sob... I was so overwhelmed by his gesture of love...

He broke a 12 year fast!!!

and all so that he could know what I was talking about when I said I

loved Chick-fil-A.

(and now he loves it too!) :)

Then before I knew it he took out a white box... I was so excited!!! and inside I find:

a very beautiful ring with a pink stone in the center.

I didn't know what to make of it... he didn't ask me anything... he just smiled... so then I

asked... "Is this a right-hand ring or a left-hand ring?"

(Maybe he wanted to be different, so I

had to make sure!)

It's a right-hand ring made out of sapphires he replied... (another present wow!!!)

He told me that sapphires historically symbolize faithfulness. :)

Are you ready? -The FINAL COUNTDOWN

We get back in the car and head back to the student apartments.

When we arrive, he asks

me... "Are you ready?"

YES!!!

We make our way into his apartment and

his living room is covered in lit tealight candles...

In the center of the room, is a table covered with flowers

and candles and pictures of us as kids,

and together in the photo booth and at the Christmas ball :)

I noticed a guitar out of the corner of my eye

and before I have time to wonder if he bought

me a new guitar (since he doesn't play)

He grabs it from the case and begins to play (he had secretly been learning how)

and he sings a song that he wrote especially for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am floored!!!!!

and at the end of the song he sang:

"Melissa, will you marry me?"

I am overcome with emotion and before I can say yes,

He reaches for a blue velvet box.

Inside is a beautiful glass slipper.

Engraved on the slipper are the words:

" Te quieres casar conmigo?" (Will you marry me? in Spanish)

On his knee he reaches out to me and holds out a beautiful ring

And says: " Melissa, te quieres casar conmigo?"

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,

I replied

He then yells out: SHE SAID YES!!!!

and then

all of these wonderful people that love us

and have supported our relationship

(and helped with the proposal)

came flooding out of His room!!!

and they all had little bunches of flowers which they gave to me as they hugged and

congratulated me... so I had a beautiful bouquet at the end:)

and they put up these bright decorated signs in Spanish and English

and brought cake and punch and Papa John's BBQ pizza... YUM! :)

So as of October 7th, 2006... Chester and I are officially engaged!

We have our parents blessing and plan to get married Summer of 2007.

I can now proudly introduce him as my fiancee or "mi prometido".

YAY!!!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)