Galactic Explosion

Long Overdue Update

2010-03-18T20:25:00.001-07:00

So its been a ridiculous amount of time since our last posting. For those that read this and don't regularly see us, I assure you - we are alive and well! We apologize for not writing - life is definitely full of fullness. Last Sunday marked our 9 month anniversary, which is absolutely incredible. Time definitely flies!

Since our last posting, we've celebrated our monumental first Christmas together - which included plenty of family and humor. Marriage, we've found, provides for a unique blessing of discovering and becoming a part of a new family. I experienced my first sweet potatoes (which were quite the surprise for me) and David got to enjoy the wild Christmas eve festivities of my family. Its been very interesting growing more in learning each other through our families. Really gives greater understanding of how/why we are the way we are!

David has reached some big stepping stones in life. He has a new job at Novellus, which cut his Americorps year shorter than expected, but was definitely a blessing from the Father. Despite the lengthy commute to Tualatin, he hasn't complained a bit. He also celebrated his 23rd birthday on Mt. Hood. We had an epic time snow-shoeing on White River Canyon, jumping over streams with friends.

We are both entering unique points in our educational lives. David will be doing his final term at PSU and I will be resuming after my rather large break. Somehow we were able to make it work so that we will be taking a class together as well as a weekend seminar for credit.

We are also falling more and more in love with our neighbors. With the arrival of Spring-like weather in Portland, we had fun planting flowers with neighbors. Also, it is a joy seeing kids we know learning to ride bikes for the first time, hear birds chirping, and share in other's life joys and transitions.

All of these wonderful blessings in life we have been experiencing - the joy, peace, love, and ultimate fulfillment is definitely only possible because of the prayers others are praying for us. Thank you if you are praying for us! Please keep praying! As we continue to seek to be more like Christ - it is amazing feeling the presence of the spirit in our lives. Our prayer is that Christ will always be the rock in our relationship - the foundation on which we build our lives. We are thankful to all the people that pour into our lives and encourage us in our journey.

Until we write again, may the peace of God be with you!

Mice, Flu, and Laughter

2009-11-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

October and now November has been a busy time filled with many challenges and discoveries.

First, David and I got hit with the flu - which was definitely not any fun. David had the worst end of it, which led to severe back pain for a few days, until we discovered Advil. It was indeed a blessed discovery because David is allergic to Acetaminophen, which is in Tylenol and many other pain killers. Now life's aches will be made a lot simpler!

For me, the flu wasn't as severe until afterwards when the post flu fatigue hit. That was the biggest challenge because it is extremely frustrating to be super tired and not know why. This also happened to hit when David was facing mid-terms.

All in all, this special experience of the flu (it is our first experience having the flu as a married couple) we learned how to take care of each other, even as we are not feeling well ourselves. It is a beautiful thing, to sacrifice self needs for the other, and it is a blessing to be taken care of.

We've laughed through our first mouse infestation, which David observed while he was stranded at home with the flu. There were three adorable little mice (not sure if they were blind) that each had a unique personality and level of difficulty to catch. It was quite the entertainment for a couple days.

Finally, we have been able to take many opportunities to enjoy each other - through life's simple things, like walks through the nature park, dinner with family, and just hanging out at home reading and snuggling. Regardless of the activity, and despite all the illness, I think we have truly laughed more this past month than at any point in our relationship.

5 months into it, and we are loving it!

Summer Conclusion

2009-10-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

A quick recap of the summer: Summer Setting On The Horizon

September

2009-09-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

3.5 months of marriage and counting! Its been an incredible blessing waking up to each other every morning and enjoying abundant time together! We have been blessed to work in the same agency and share a cubicle wall. These circumstances have allowed us to commute to work together and eat lunch together almost everyday - and honestly, we are not sick of each other yet. :)

We've come across several great milestones and exciting news...

We are officially debt free! Praises to God for providing and guiding us through this process. It is truly liberating.

David only has 2 classes left at PSU and he will graduate! God has also been revealing to David directions for his future professional goals. It is definitely exciting to have a direction in life, especially so close to graduation. Please pray so God will continue making a clearer picture for us.

Amidst the chaos of work and school, we are going to make it a priority to eat healthy and exercise. We bought a rubber exercise ball and David has found some fun workouts to go with it online. Hopefully, we will be able to avoid any major flus or sicknesses this Fall by staying healthy :)

And finally, we are excited to take Fall evening walks and step on crunchy leaves!

Happy Autumn friends! :D

Home Sweet Home

2009-08-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

As promised, we have finally taken some pictures of our home to share with you. We hope that someday we would have you as a guest in our home, but until then, thanks to technology, we can at least share what it looks like.

In the living room, we are very proud of our entry table, (a garage sale find that was quite a steal) and all the sentimental things on there:

This couch is a favorite for lounging and lazy afternoons. Very comfortable. Looking forward to adding the perfect artwork to supplement the comfort and peace this couch provides (David has thoughts of a Lamb with Christian banner painting...we have yet to find the perfect one).

A college student's niche is not complete without the intellectual corner - a place to study and expand those brain cells. Our studying has paid off, especially with the vintage desk from the 50's we found at a garage sale for $1! The picture of MLK Jr. and the bookshelf are also finds we are quite proud of.

Of course you can't study too much without proper nourishment. Not too far away is our dining area. We are thankful for the dining table, a gift from David's parents, and prayerfully enjoy most of our meals here.

And finally, after a day of school, work, love, and life, we snuggle together in our peaceful bedroom and reflect. Humbly we realize just how blessed we are.

Wedding Pictures Galore!

2009-07-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

THEY ARE HERE!

Thanks a ton Scott!

One Month of Marriage Already?!

2009-07-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that an entire month has passed since our joyous wedding on June 14th! Of course we would like to thank all the friends and family who made the day so beautiful and wonderful - THANK YOU!

A month of marriage, and things are finally settling in to the point that we are finding ourselves with free time. It feels great! Most of our apartment is organized and suited to our tastes. We've had the pleasure of having several friends and family over - entertaining company is something we really enjoy and are looking forward to more of!

We've also received our wedding pictures, which we love! I am excited to develop them and begin working on our wedding scrapbook. In the meantime, here are some we'd like to share with you:

A New Home In The Making

2009-06-08T23:58:00.001-07:00

We started moving things into our new apartment over the last week. Our hope was to have everything in order so that we can return to our "home" after the honeymoon instead of a bunch of boxes. We are excited to say things are really coming along beautifully! So excited! You can anticipate a thorough photo blog of our apartment in the near future, including the obligatory garage sale stories that go along with much of its contents.

Engagement Pics II

2009-04-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we spent a wonderful morning taking some more pictures!

Pictures were taken in Woodburn and Molalla by RSD Photography.

Engagement Photos

2009-04-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Some our favorites from our photo shoot :)

They were taken by our friend Scott and his friend Riley of RS Digital Imagery

The Invite

2009-03-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Elena and I have been diligently working through our list of tasks in preparation for the wedding day. There are many updates on life to be told but for now you will have to content admiring our accomplishments on the wedding invitations.

We are both in agreement that our marriage is of greater value then the wedding day and are not willing to go in debt for that reason. It has proved to be an excellent exercise in penny pinching and soul searching for the deeper meaning and purpose of the wedding day.

We didn't like the idea of buying in whole sale to the wedding industry (which has the tendency to affirm and propel cultural tradition and ritual for profit while doing nothing to reveal the deeper significance and sacredness of the event). Instead we bounced around ideas on how to creatively (and cost/time efficiently) demonstrate "us" through our wedding invitations. I am quite proud of how our from scratch designs worked out.

These handcrafted invite comes in three variations (can you collect them all!?) with a handful Velvet Ribbon Limited Editions (not pictured):

Which design do you like best?

117 days and counting!

2009-02-16T22:44:00.000-08:00

The past few months have been pretty intense for David and I. Juggling work, school, ministry, and wedding plans has been quite the adventure for us! But even amidst the busy-ness of life, the Lord has never stopped to continue showing us his mercy and blessings. He has given us good health - despite the minor sniffles, David and I have managed to stay healthy (even though David works at an elementary school, and we both probably don't get an adequate amount of sleep), our grades have been strong (David has 100% in Psychology!), and our wedding plans have been going smoother than silk. For all these things, we thank God - without His renewing strength and guidance, we would be a wreck.

We are both very excited and eager for these days to pass and for our love to be complete on June 14th (117 days and counting!!!) This past Valentine's Day we attended my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary, which was a thought-provoking experience. It is definitely amazing being in the stage of love that we are in now, of growing and knowing each other more each day, of supporting each other, and finding better ways of loving each other. But we know that what we know now about each other and about the 'love' we share is so miniscule compared to what will be in 5, 15,25, 60 years. It is exciting to even try to comprehend what kind of love that would be!!

As you can tell, there is a lot of excitement, and this excitement really helps us get through the fullness of our days.

I am definitely beginning to understand the significance of: "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion." -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Snowed In But Not Apart

2008-12-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

As everyone in Portland knows, the snow has fallen and the city is frozen. With over 14 inches of snow on the ground, and no chains getting from one place to another by car is a nearly impossible task.

But not for love.

On Saturday, David and I were not able to see each other because of the snow. I was pretty bummed because I knew this snow wasn't going anywhere. Saturday night, David sent me a text message saying that if the snow was bad and he would not be able to drive, he had a surprise for me he would reveal on Sunday. He made it sound like he hid something in my room or somewhere in the house. I was excited and anxious to find out what this was.

Sunday, the snow was out of control and there was no way anyone was going to come or go anywhere. I went next door to spend some time with my cousin when I received a phone call. David said he was ready to tell me where the surprise was!

I practically ran home and started following his directions.

I went upstairs to my room. He said to look at the desk. I looked and he said, just kidding. He said to go towards the window. I walked towards the window, thinking maybe it was a note hidden behind the blinds. He said look out the window. I looked.

And there he was!!!

David walked 6 miles in the snow, ice, and wind to come over. Not only did he face the conditions of the weather but also hiked up the steep hill that I live on.

I melted.

It was the best surprise I could imagine - to see my darling!

I love you David!

Never alone

2008-12-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

Today, I was sitting on my laptop going through some wedding planning details when my little 7 year old brother runs in begging to play with him. He is a musical boy, so he suggested we go to the room with the piano so I could still work on the computer while he plays and sings for me. So the darling started singing about how I would be getting married to David and that he would miss me. This inevitably made my heart melt. Then he started jumping on the bed and saying how he would miss me and then he said, in a matter of fact way, to "give me a hug because I'm going to miss you."

I couldn't help myself - I started bawling. He looked at me and said reassuringly, "Elena, don't cry. You will never be alone because you have David and God."

It was the most beautiful thing that gave way to more tears. But out of the mouths of babes, the words are true. <3

A Sweet Surprise

2008-12-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

This past week has been sacramental to our relationship..on Thursday December 11th we got engaged!

Little did I know, but for the past several months, David has been planning and scheming on when and how this amazing moment would happen. I wont lie, I've had my suspicions - but never did I think it would happen on what used to be an ordinary Thursday.

We were planning on celebrating the end of the term (I finished my last final that evening). The night before, we were hanging out and David wanted me to see the outfit he was going to wear on Thursday. I thought that was a little random, not thinking the end of the term was as special of a moment to dress up for, but that was a clever move on his part. He showed me his outfit, giving me a hint to dress up as well :P

So then came Thursday and after my final I met up with David and we started strolling downtown towards Pioneer Square. I thought that because we were dressed up, we would at least go somewhere nice to eat, but alas, David was thinking the food court at Pioneer Place. I won't lie, that was a bit dissapointing. So we had dinner at the mall and set out to buy David some jeans. We found some sweet ones at the Gap on sale.

After shopping for a while, David suggested coffee at Starbuck's since we had gift cards and to take pictures by the big ol' tree at the Square. David had his favorite, Americano, and I had the Peppermint Twist. Then we took some picture by the tree.

I started getting cold (it was around 9pm at this point) and thought maybe we should go home or inside or something. David suggested we get some dessert...at Habibi's..

Habibi's. If you remember from previous posts, that was where we had our first date. Suspicious?

We walked to Habibi's and it looked like they were closing up for the night. A few customers were finishing up their dinners. I said, "Are you sure they will let us in?"

Of course they did! The owner opened the door for us and gestured us to go upstairs. I was confused but slowly walked upstairs, thoughts turning in my head, what is going on?! Could this be it?

Then, when I got to the top of the stairs, in the dark room, in the corner, was a light, three candles were lit, with beautiful roses and a dessert. Before I could process what I was seeing, David got on his knee and behold.

Even though I suspected something to happen, this moment still took me by surprise, and I was overwhelmed with joy. I said yes and laughed from surprise and happiness for a while. Then I noticed our music was playing in the background. When the Weepie's - Gotta Have You came on, I cried from joy.

It was a beautiful moment.

And then, of course, Josh appeared and took pictures!!

And now, the galactic explosion expands - we are engaged and are planning to get married in June!

Clear Night Sky

2008-11-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

I am taking a brief divergence to the present from the chronological account that is our tale of galactic explosions.

After spending 48 hours straight (with a mere 4 hour nap) with each other (a historic landmark indeed) this Thanksgiving weekend (this is a story in and of itself, including a mountain of delicious Russian food, chilling with Elena's massive family, and an epic 10 hour journey of shopping from 10:00pm to 8:00am - yes we partook in the black Friday madness) we needed to buckle down and do some homework today.

After being semi-productive I walked Elena out to her car. After shutting the door I spun around taking three steps, a deep breath, and turning my gaze to the night sky I was struck by the gorgeous clarity of the vibrant shining stars.

I relished the beauty as Elena turned her engine.

"The only thing that could make this more beautiful is enjoying it with Elena". I spun around and flung her door open. "Isn't the sky gorgeous!?". We gazed through the clearing in the trees at the big dipper.

The slowest second in the history of the world passed when a giant shooting star ripped through the ring of the dipper. With cries of excitement we ripped our eyes from the black canvas and turned towards each other with smiles across our faces.

Beautiful.

Lucky

2008-11-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

As cliche as it is, people find songs for any moment -- songs that remind us of our friends, family, special moments, and of course couples stumble across songs that seem to capture their feelings, emotions, and love for each other. David and I are no exception. We've resisted labeling a song as "our" song for a long time, but to no avail.. we came across one that in fact became, our song.

So here it is, Lucky by Colbie Caillat & Jason Mraz.

Japanese Gardens

2008-11-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

For those that know us (why else would you be reading our blog? lol) David and I live very busy lives. On top of taking school full-time, we both work and are actively involved in the activities of Barberry. I have my family, and he has ACI. We are fortunate enough to get to see eachother for at least a moment on most days, but quality time is rare. David and I are both fluent in quality time as our prime love language, so such moments are treasured.

On Veteran's Day, we found ourselves with a day off from work and school and decided to spend it wisely. We went to the Japanese Gardens (they had free admission that day!) and enjoyed the gorgeous nature our Lord created. It was beautiful!

The game of attraction continues...

2008-10-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

So after David confirmed me on Facebook to be his friend, he left a very general comment on my wall. It was very basic and did not warrant anything significant. I responded with very little expectation, although slightly hopeful for something (I couldn't help being intrigued, as the game of attraction was beckoning my name). He responded in a message and our conversations continued. Turned out he was really interested in Russian history and culture, and had already read a bunch of Russian literature and was taking a Soviet Union class. Being Russian, I was impressed although I have to admit, he definitely knows more about Russian history than every person in my family combined. It was great. I invited him to come to my church (because it is Russian) and we made plans do that in several weeks.

But before he came to my church, we had to meet in person, a first interaction outside of Night Strike or any online communication. We realized we went to the same school and he casually asked if I wanted to grab lunch. I casually agreed. Strategically, this warranted I give him my number, which he called the day before. I had no idea what this initial meeting would entail, or what his thoughts were at all. I had no expectations except that I would meet this guy who seemed kind of cool. In reality, a few months leading up to this, I've gone on several dates that were pretty average and did not spark any special interest, so I was skeptical. But there was something about him...

And so the day arrived. We agreed to meet for lunch on Wednesday in Park Blocks. It was a typical Portland Spring day, grey and ominous to rain. So we awkwardly recognized each other and started walking to a place to eat...he asked what I was feeling, offered several suggestions, but it was clear he had an idea and I was in the mood for a little adventure. We went to Habib's, a lebanese joint in downtown Portland. The food was really good, and we spent the hour or so talking about America, consumerism, God, and all of the above. We had an obvious connection and seemed to agree on some very key philsophical points that were not so common (in other words, I haven't really met anyone before who was as excited as me for the "end of the world"). It was a grand time, and we were not ready to have it end. We walked back to campus, laughing and discussing deep spiritual truths when we saw the Aids Stand put on by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. It has a pictures of kids who you could sponsor who were affected by aids. We engaged with that and after a while, upon conversation discovered we both liked the Office. At this point, sparks multiplied. . . . .

Relationships are a Patchwork of the Human Experience

2008-10-09T23:55:00.000-07:00

Over the course of a life there are countless numbers of interpersonal relationships that form. The web work of humanity is constantly being knitted together. A patchwork of relationships is formed through different circumstances and different experiences. Even the tiniest encounters - a conversation with the waiter, someone underneath the Burnside Bridge on Friday night, a fellow commuter on MAX, a peer in class, or a friend of a friend while bowling – combine to create the human experience.

When you fuse this to living with gospel intentionality and God’s transformational love these encounters have new purpose and depth. The encounters become divine. Not only is there a new love for people, as your heart and mind become permeated, your life is set on a new path.

When I reflect on the 3 years that led to the evening of March 29 I am in awe at the steps taken in my life resulting from my relationship with God. I am piece of the Potters clay, thankful for every moment of spend being shaped and molded in His hand. I am a work perpetually in progress being prepared for the Potters purpose.

I had been prepared for one of those frequent divine encounters so common to the human experience. Only this encounter exploded into a relationship that sent shock waves resonating through every fiber of my galaxy.

A New Leg of Lifes Journey

2008-10-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

A young man who wasn’t looking for a relationship, who was content with whatever God had for him in life, was entrusted with what he never could have found searching for, what he never could have conceived of in his wildest dreams. Now he finds himself on a new leg of his journey, one filled with the sparks and fiery passion of a galactic explosion.

The game of attraction

2008-10-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

It is always interesting to hear stories of how people met, fell in love, and came to the place where they are now. Such stories are often filled with a lot of anticipation, anxiety, suspense, and of course the deep emotions that come along with starting to fall for someone, holding back, and then releasing it all into the ultimate manifestation of love. We, of course, are no exception.

I remember our first conversation. I saw David at Night Strike and immediately shrugged off any feelings that may have initially hit, reasoning with myself thinking those type of guys are always taken. I didn't talk to him that night, but the next day, Kevin invited my friends and I to bowling with friends, where, lo and behold, our first conversation took place. It was nothing glamourous, just a simple "How do you like Night Strike? How long have you been doing it?" "It's an amazing ministry, I think its absolutely wonderful." Nothing profound. A simple 2-3 minute conversation in between picking up the ball and bowling. The day ended, and I thought nothing of it.

The next day, I did what I normally do, and logged onto Facebook. There, I casually was looking through my friends profiles and stumbled across David's profile. Without even thinking I invited him to be my friend. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of what is today. . . .

The True Galactic Explosion

2008-10-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

On March 29th, a group of people were bowling at the Rose Bowl, where two single individuals exchanged a small handful of words. These words were brief and very basic, but they spawned into what is now known as the Galactic Explosion.

The Galactic Explosion is what I call the love between David and I. It started off very small, and rapidly grew into what it is today, and will continue to expand until the end of time.

Call me sappy? Okay fine. But there is no denying that many of you have been stalking our facebook statuses and have kept a close eye on the evolution of this relationship, appreciating it, and curious to find out more. So, to quench that curiosity (and to give you something inspiring to read while you are supposed to be doing research on invasive plant species), we have decided to begin a blog about our relationship -- the things we discover about love, communication, each other, and also report on many of our wonderful adventures. Our sincere hope is to share the many things we've learned along the way and hope that you could relate with it and glorify God with us for His wonderful blessings.

Prepare to be edified. :)