The view from my window

...and beyond!!

We received around 30 inches of snow last weekend...and had a blast! Getting snowed in, sipping hot chocolate and playing games; we had a marvelous time!

(The little speck showing is the rear view mirror of a car...)
I have never seen so much snow come in one storm!

Now the sun is shining, the snow is beginning to melt, and people are digging themselves out.


The snow covered countryside!

And yes, we had to get out and play in it a little bit...
[smile]

Money Matters

...The normal image of wealth in our society is someone with a surplus of money, large cars, maybe a large business, certainly a large home. That is what we typically visualize. But when God's Word describes a wealthy person, it never makes reference to the amount of money he has.

...Money is never going to make you happy!!

...The way we handle our money is the best outside reflection of our true inner values. You can tell more about the spiritual lives of a couple by looking at their checkbook than by anything else. People can say anything they think others want to hear, and many people are great at faking their true attitudes, but the way they handle their finances is usually a dead giveaway to what is really going on. The way we handle our money is nothing more than the outward expression of what's going on spiritually inside.

...GOD OWNS EVERYTHING.

And once you accept the fact that God owns everything, its important to manage all you have according to His rules. It's how you manage money that determines how you will manage great things.

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"

Luke 16:10-11

Just a few excerpts from:
The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples

by Larry Burkett

Cooking for two

...has been a fun adjustment!

A gallon of milk lasts us more than 1 meal [grin].
A quart of yogurt lasts a whole week.
Bake a batch of banana bread and instead of it all getting devoured for supper, half of it has to go in the freezer so it doesn't spoil before we can eat it!
One pizza provides us with supper and a lunch for Dan.
The trash only needs taken out once a week -- imagine that!
And laundry -- two batches a week keeps us all caught up.

I'm halving recipes like crazy, learning lots, and having fun while doing it!

The last few weeks I've been working at organizing my kitchen and now I'm working at organizing my meal plans. My goal is to write out the menu every week and since I finally succeeded this week, I thought I'd share with you what we'll be eating!

Breakfast:
baked oatmeal (2x)
waffles
malt o'meal
eggs and banana bread

w/ fruit and milk or yogurt

Lunch: (Typically its leftovers from last week - works great for packing lunches!)
chili
BBQ chicken sandwiches
beef enchiladas
homemade pizza
taco stew

Dinner:
chicken tetrazinni, cooked carrots, bread
Mexican lasagna and salad
chicken, mashed potatoes, beets
stir-fry veggies and chicken with rice
roast beef, baked sweet potatoes, beans, rolls

Snacks: muffins, yogurt, Hershey kisses, pears, carrot sticks

Letters

...are visits when friends are apart...

My family will be driving through Virginia the first part of March (visiting us for a few days -- which I am so totally thrilled about!!!) but in the meantime, my precious little sisters have done an amazing job at writing. I love finding letters from them in my mailbox!

Our wedding

A month ago today was our wedding day.

December 19, 2009

How does one describe the emotions of their wedding morning? To wake up and realize: "Today is THE DAY!" A day long-dreamed about as a brown-eyed girl in pigtails... [smile]

And now it is all a beautiful memory! There are so many precious moments I will never forget...

Having my quiet time in God's Word before the hustle and bustle of the day began...

Spending a few hours getting ready...curling irons, hairspray, make up, bobby pins galore...all the while giggling with my sisters and friends!

Enjoying being excited...

and seeing the excitement in others beaming faces, too!

All those little details that made the day wonderful!

My shoes fit so comfortably and my feet didn't seem to notice or think to complain with all I put them through!

Fun pictures!

Being surrounded by the best family and friends in the world!

...being Dan's bride.

Seeing joy on so many faces!

Pondering the awe-inspiring marriage covenant.

Smiling for the camera!

Savoring the details of the day -- and feeling so overwhelmed and grateful for all the friends who pitched in, helping so many ways. They truly added to the beauty of our day.

Gorgeous harp music...

Praying before the ceremony.

Walking down the aisle with my Daddy.

When Daddy first saw me, he thought I was gorgeous --

"Just as beautiful as your mother was on our wedding day."

My parents are more in love than ever and I've been so blessed by their incredible relationship with each other!

Exchanging our vows

which we had written a few months earlier...

In the presence of God, our family and friends,
I, Daniel Trust, take you,

Bethany Lynne, to be my wife;
to cherish, protect, and provide for you
from this day forward.
I will seek God’s face

and lead you as He directs,
purposing to glorify Him with our lives.
Bethany, I will love you with all of my heart.
Gladly forsaking all others,
I vow to be faithful to you
as long as we both shall live.

As a sign and token of this covenant,
I give you this ring.



In the presence of God, our family and friends,
I, Bethany Lynne, take you,

Daniel Trust, to be my husband;
to cherish, support, and respect you
from this day forward.
I will follow, honor, and submit to you as unto the Lord,
purposing to glorify Him with our lives.
Daniel, I will love you with all of my heart.
Gladly forsaking all others,
I vow to be faithful to you
as long as we both shall live.

As a sign and token of this covenant,
I give you this ring.

Our wedding passage:
"Two are better than one...for if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up...a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Pronounced:

husband and wife!!

My hero swept me off my feet...

Loving hearing my new name:

Mrs. Dan Beasley!

My man makes me feel so cherished and loved...

with each passing day I find myself falling more and more in love with him!

There were definitely some lighter moments, too...

The jeep was decorated with 'bride' and 'groom' written on the windows, and you can't see it very well, but the driver's window said 'single!' [grin]

MARRIED!!

The cake

...and the cutting of it.

Toasts!

Thrilled not to need them anymore, Dan threw Rama noodles for all the bachelors to try and catch!

Driving away...to live happily ever after!

Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men.
Psalms 107:8

Four years ago...

I entered the world of blogging!!!

And now I sit here, knowing I should post something to commemorate the fact. But -- I don't know what to say...

...so I'll let YOU say it in the comment box!

Seriously -- I would love to hear from you and find out who visits my little home here on the web. It can be as simple as just leaving your name (or nickname if you prefer!)

Feeling long-winded and talkative?! Tell me how you found me! Or, if you prefer something humorous, tell me what color of toothbrush you have. Surely you've gotten a new one sometime in the last two years!! (If only I could be original and think of something creative like that again...)
smile

Blessings to you all!! I'm looking forward to what 2010 holds-- and continue praying that God will magnify His name!

"May all who seek YOU rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation always say,
"The Lord be exalted!"
Psalms 40:15

We'll Walk Together

For all my life I prayed and wondered
how this day would be --

When God would give such priceless treasure,

a helpmate for me!

And now I see you standing here,

my radiant darling bride!

My wildest dreams have been fulfilled
with you standing by my side.

I see your smile and feel your pleasure,

delighting in me

A love so strong so pure and holy

such great mystery

and all the prayers I prayed for you,

my handsome faithful man

Have more than come to realization

our love was in His plan!

Now we'll walk together hand in hand
rejoicing in the love that our Maker planned

Our pathways joined, a new life begun --
and we'll walk together
united as one.

Words and music by Rachel Wissmann
written for our wedding ceremony

Pictures by Christopher Maxwell

Greetings from Virginia!

We made it home safely!! And my days have been filled with unpacking boxes, kissing, settling in, kissing, cooking, and...I think you get the idea?!?!? [grin] I am thoroughly enjoying married life and making our apartment home, sweet home!

We got our wedding pictures in the mail on Saturday and I've been enjoying looking through them. I'm so very excited about sharing some of them with you!!! Our photographer took over 2,000 pictures! And did such an incredible job. I'm continually amazed as I look back on December 19 and reflect on all God did. Wow.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits--

He crowns you with love."
Psalms 103:1, 4

And many thanks to my parents who gave me a camera remote for Christmas! Not only did it enable me to capture this picture last night -- but it was also very useful in capturing some honeymoon pics as well!

Mr. & Mrs. Dan Beasley

More pictures can be seen on our photographer's webpage!

my t-shirt says it all!

I stand in awe of what God has done --

tomorrow I will marry my best friend

and the man who is more than my every dream come true!!

Merry Christmas to you all

(and stay tuned for pictures!)

Girl time!

Years ago...
as young girls...
my sisters and I teased each other...
wondering WHO would be the first to get married.

My cousin Nicole
got in on these conversations
and we'd sit around talking
about what our men would be like.

And "before the first one got married"
we told ourselves,
"we'd have one BIG bachelorette party."

Now my cousin had been to Branson before
but none of the rest of us
had ever been.

So, after hearing Nicole's stories about this marvelous place
we decided the party would be there!!

Now years later
I am getting married.

And guess where I've been the two months before the wedding?
BRANSON!!

So -- fulfilling our girlhood plans
and crazy dreams
we had our party.

Isaiah 25:1

O Lord, You are my God;

I will exalt You and praise YOUR name,

for in perfect faithfulness

You have done MARVELOUS things.

Guess who was at the top of my Thanksgiving list this year?!?

On my shelf

Most of my blog posts (and life!) has been centered around Dan and wedding plans recently, (and I'm lovin' it!!) and in the midst of everything I have managed to continue reading...a little, anyway! It is taking me much longer to get through a book, but I'm still thoroughly enjoying reading. Currently in my book bag, I'm working through:


Set Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy

The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples by Larry Burkett

Trevor's Song by T. A. Beam

As I read, I keep a pen and paper handy to make notes of things that stand out to me, and maybe, just maybe, one of these days I'll get excerpts typed up of what I'm learning! [smile]

How about you? Reading any good books?

Our wedding invitations

For those asking for more posts about wedding details...

Here is what our wedding invitations look like! I didn't go the traditional route, but with Rachel's amazing expertise, came up with an elegant double sided invite that used lots of pictures and was exactly what I was wishing for! THANK YOU, Rachel!!

I hope it uploaded big enough for you to read!

One week from today...

Dan flies in to spend Thanksgiving weekend in Branson!!

And exactly one month from today is our wedding day!!

OH!

I'm just slightly excited!!

[big grin]