The Greatest of These

We all know the verse, “ …Faith, Hope , and Love….but the greatest of these is Love.” This specific passage took a whole new meaning the summer before my sophomore year of high school. I had just turned 16 so of course boys and love were pretty high on my list of priorities since I was now allowed to date. One night after church, my dad and I went to Marie Calendar’s for dessert. After some casual talking over our cheesecake ( yum!) my dad pulled out two packages. I opened the card to find a picture of a father kneeling over his sleeping child, in prayer , with an angel outside the window with his arms reached out to protect both the father and the child from whatever evil the world may bring.

While just that picture alone moved me, it was what my dad wrote on the inside that made me realize how special love really is. My dad reminded me that he has been praying for me every day of my life, especially that I would grow and mature in the light of the Lord. He then told me that of all the gifts God has given us- faith, hope and love- the greatest is love. How true it that? It reminds me of the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:2, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move all moutains, but have not love, I am nothing." It’s like the song from the musical RENT, Seasons of Love. Part of the song goes, “ 525,600 minutes…how do you measure the year in the life?...How about LOVE?...Measure in LOVE.” After all, love conquers all right?

Ok, I went on a tangent. Back to that night with my dad at Marie Calendars. He then encouraged me to seek a life pure in thought, word and deed. It was his hope that the gifts he had for me would help me do so and to remind me that true love is special. Little did I know at that time how special true love really was. At that point in my life I knew of love in many forms…an everlasting love from my Savior, a never-ending or changing love from my parents, a sisterly love that could never be broken, and a love from life-long friendships. I had no idea what else would be in store though nor did I know I would only have to wait patiently for 3 years until God would show me this new kind of love.

I opened the first gift to find a picture frame. On the frame was written,

“ LOVE is life’s most BEAUTIFUL mystery. It often comes as a surprise, filling the heart with sudden JOY. Selfless and giving, LOVE places the happiness of another before one’s own, It inspires with it’s PASSION, nutures with its GENEROSITY, and enriches with its SPIRIT. There is not limit to its magic. LOVE is ETERNAL.”

The words inscribed on the frame are so powerful to me. I kept reading it over and over and I knew that this is just what I wanted. I also knew that this frame would only hold one picture….of the man I would one day love, the life-long, selfless, and eternal sort of love. The frame sat empty on my desk for years… until I met Trav. I didn’t put his picture in there right away… for some reason I always felt like I would know just the right time to fill the frame. And one day, I just knew.

The other box my dad had for me was a little box. The kind every girl likes to see. What was inside that box would soon be my most prized possession. I opened it to find a ring engraved with a cross. A purity ring. It has never left my finger since that night. When talking with my dad he told me he knew that one day that ring would be replaced with a ring from another man in my life. I wore the ring on my left ring finger and all through high school people always asked what it was for. The ring was not only a remembrance of my promise to my dad, my Savior, and my future husband but it also was a huge witness to those around me. I still wear the ring but on my right hand now. And every time I look at it I am reminded of that night with my dad. It was after this night, there was a new addition to my nightly prayers. A prayer for my future husband, the one I had yet to meet. I prayed that God would prepare him for me, that he would help him grow in his faith and to remain pure in all he did. I prayed that God would prepare me in the same way and when God felt that we were both ready, he would bring us together. Whenever I say Trav really is an answer to prayer and the greatest gift, I truly mean it.

Trav and I feel so blessed to have grown up with parents who had faith as the center of the household and who showed us what true love really is. My parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary tomorrow and I can’t believe how incredible that is. In a world where there is so much wrong, faith and love can still persevere. Our parents have taught us both so much and because of them I know our home and our lives will be built on a firm foundation of faith and overflowing with love.

1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

...In Sickness and In Health....

Would you believe me if I told you that in the past 3 1/2 years that we have been dating we have now been to the ER 16 times? Would you believe me if I told you that we will have each had surgery while dating by the time we get married? Would you believe me if I said we have had one ambulance ride and 2 spinal taps? Would you believe me if I told you that combined we have been in 5 car accidents? It's all true. :)

I have a feeling that when that phrase, " in sickness and in health" comes up in the vows, you will hear snkickering throughout the church. Probably from our families the most! Who knew that the two of us would be so accident proned but it has now turned into our trade mark. We have grown accustomed to hearing, " Hey, you guys should open up your own ER that way you will just be there in case something goes wrong." or " Why don't you just get married in the ER....it probably has the most meaning." On our defense though...everything that has happened as been a great story...and we have a huge collection of hospital bands!

Now, I know most of you are wondering how we find ourselves at the front door of the ER or in the OR or without a car ( I didn't mean for that to sound like Dr. Seuss) so many times. I'll fill you in with some of the highlights...

Let's start back at Concordia, our first year of dating...Trav had no idea at this point about my medical history of asthma and neither of us knew that my heart would start acting up. I was still blinded by the fact that Trav really is not a good driver but this would all soon change...

* Our first ER visit was when I had a massive asthma attack at CUI and my dad had to rush to school to pick me up and take me to the ER because I literally could not breathe. I remember sitting in the car, I couldn't feel my hands, and Trav kept texting me thinking I could text him back but I couldn't...I don't really think he knew what was going on but when he saw me, he figured it out pretty quick. For the next couple of days he wouldn't let me do anything or go anywhere and when we would hang he would just stare at me to make sure I was breathing. I knew right then that this guy would stick by my side forever. :)

* Soon after Trav split open the middle of his nose in basketball and we both should have known this would be the beginning of 3 years of basketball injuries to come our way!

* Next comes the "famous" car accident. It was a rainy morning and Trav and I were driving to work an event in Huntington Beach. I have no clue why we were in seperate cars but we were. Trav was following me and we were driving down this hill, headed towards the beach...well, the roads were slick, I lost control and slammed into the center divider....wait, I shouldn't say slammed...my car jumped up onto the center divided as if it was trying jump over a hurdle...but failed. Now this gets good. See Trav was still behind me when this happened and instead of slamming on his breaks or swerving into the other lane and pulling up next to me, he did the unthinkable. He jumped the divided and slammed into the back of me! I would like to think he did it because we stick together and he figured, " Hey, if she is going in...then I am too." But to this day I can't figure out why he followed my car! I would have loved to been in his head while he made that mental decision...."ok, I'm going in!: Yeah, try calling our parents to tell them this story. They didn't laugh at first like we did.

* 2 weeks after this accident, Trav was driving again in the rain on the 405 and a car hit him from the side, sending him spinning in circles across the freeway till he smashed into the side wall. Yup, his car was totalled after that. That civic held up untill the end. Trav was fine with no injuries but, neither of us like driving in the rain anymore!

* Ok, last car accident for a few years. The day after I got my car back from being fixed I was at the bank waiting for a parking spot. This SUV begins to pull out of the spot and I was waiting to pull in but the car never stopped pulling backwards. I start laying on my horn and the next thing I know, he slams right into me! Oh man...how in the world am I going to explain this to my dad after I just got the car back! Luckily, this was not my fault so it made the call a lil bit easier!

* Ok...we will skip thru some events and head to probably the scariest one we have had. Trav had been really sick, gone to the ER and had a spinal tap for meningitis. HE came to CUI with my parents to watch me perform in a show. I was getting ready and about 30 min before going n stage, I receive a text from him telling me he is going home because he doesn't feel good. He explained what was happening and I rushed out to his car to find him collapsed over the side. I realized his shirt was soaked from sweat and he had no color in his face. he draped himself over me as we walked down the hill to get him inside. When I laid him down on the phone he started talking randomly and I realized something was seriously wrong. I called everyone in my family and his to ask what to do but no one answered! Finally, I got a hold of Heidi and she called 911. The paramedics came and Trav told them he was wearing new white underwear his mom bought him....they were cracking up and Trav had no clue he was saying what he was saying. Well, I then watched them put him in the ambulance and drive off and I had to go step on stage and perform...not knowing what was happening to Trav! It was the longest 45 min of my life! Well, Trav ended up being ok...after his spinal tap his CSF was leaking from the site, causing a whole bunch of complications. But the put a patch to close up the hole and Trav was good to go after that! Now whenever he gets awful headaches I freak out that something is wrong again!

* The next few times at the ER would be for my breathing again. Followed by a sprained ankle for Trav in basketball practice. It seemed that every few weeks, one of us would end up in the ER.

* Let's jump ahead to Trav's eyebrow! He was hit in basketball practice and called me to meet him in the ER. When I showed up I found that his eyebrow was hanging half off! I know...gross...but being a nursing student I was a little intrigued. Trav had to get it sewn back in place with a good amount of stitches and now his eyebrow looks like nothing ever happened!

* One night Trav was at my apartment and was getting a water bottle and asked if I wanted one. It was dark in the TV room because we were watching a movie, so when he threw it to me I didn't even see it coming! The bottle hit me right in the nose/eye and the shock of it sent me into an asthma attack! I was crying...Trav was laughing...then he realized I couldn't breath! I went to use my inhaler and it was empty...great. But I drank some caffeine and I was fine....just had a minor black eye!

* 2 more car accidents happened...along with ER visits. The next big issue would be my heart. I was having these episodes where my heart would race really fast, I couldn't breather, I had chest pain and my arms would go numb. After many dr's visits, tests run, heart monitors worn for a month...I ended up in the ER. It was after my nieces birthday party and I was driving to Trav's house. I was feeling funny at the party but ignored it. On the freeway my heart started racing uncontrollably and it was getting harder to breathe. My arms went from sharp pain to feeling numb and my vision was getting blurry...I thought I was going to black out while driving. I picked up my phone and hit send so it would call the last number I dialed and that person could help me. Well, it was Trav and somehow he got me to pull off the freeway to this ditch by the gas station and wait for him. ( luckily his house was only 5 min away). When he picked me up I was collapsed in my car and he took me to the ER where my dad was there to meet us. After some IV meds and them monitoring my heart for awhile I was good to go!

* After that we went quite awhile away from the ER. Trav proposed and a month later I had my heart surgery. After they gave me a sedative some nurse made a joke and apparently I laughed. They later told me that he said, " at least someone laughs at my jokes!" which I replied with, " it's ok, it was just a pity laugh!" Don't give me sedatives...I guess I speak the truth! My cardiologist inserted catheters into my veins and traced them up into my heart. I woke up during surgery ( I was supposed to be awake during this) to see on the machine that my heart was racing at 260 beats for minute! I thought I was going to jump off the operating table...it felt like my body was slamming against the table but I had no control. I spent 85% of a 2 1/2 hour surgery awake but everyone in there was comforting and explained everything they were doing to me. I wouldn't do it again though.

* I thought we were in the clear until last Tues night. Trav was in the second half of his game against Concordia when a player from their team came down on his nose. At first we just thought he had a bloody nose, but I sent Trent to the sidelines where Trav was getting looked at by the trainer to take pics and Trent came back to say his nose was broken. Now, you couldn't tell from far away but after the game when he walked up it was very obvious that his nose was completely to the left. Let me tell you...it was hard to keep a straight face when talking to him but Trav has such a great personality he was still able to laugh through the whole thing We sat at the ER for a little bit and they took some x-rays only to tell him that they could not fix it there because they didn't want to mess it up. Trav was referred to an ENT ( Ear, Nose Throat) and we saw him on Thurs. Trav was told that the Dr would insert bars into his nose and push it back over and if for some reason his bones have started fusing back together, he will re-break it first. The Dr gave Trav the choice of having this in the office with local anesthetic or in the OR and be completely sedated. At first, Trav chose the local anesthetic untill he talked with some friends who said it was the most awful pain they ever experienced. Trav quick made a phone call and changed it to surgery which will take place this Wed. He has some pretty sweet black eyes right now and we are both just thankful this happened 5 months before the wedding as opposed to the week of.

So, those are pretty much the high lights of our accicent-prone relationship! I think our parents are happy to have us off of their health insurance! Trav and I always joke that even if we don't have a place to live we better have good health insurance, because for us that's what we really need! Keep your fingers crossed that from now until July there aren't any car accidents, surgery, or ER visits from the 2 of us! Lost his eyebrow...


Crooked?

The squiggly things are the catheters in my heart

S/P heart Catherization...He never left my side :)

27 Dresses??? Nope...Only 15!

I know...15 dresses. :) Well, there are 11 bridesmaids and then you can't forget our 4 adorable flower girls! In a way I was slightly dreading Bridesmaid dress shopping because I was so worried that none of the girls would like anything we found and we had only 1 weekend for my sisters to choose the styles....but we found great dresses that look stunning on everyone! Pictures are going to look good! The day after the shower my mom, sisters, and Trav's sisters headed to Ferndales to find the dresses! I had told my sisters that they could each choose a style and then we would divide them amongst the other 8! The styles we found were super cute....they are all a little different but look really good next to each other. My mom and I made the decision to go with black dresses. Originally I was thinking hot pink...yes, I have an obsession with pink if you haven't noticed. But once we saw what the pink looked like in the material we were getting we quickly changed our minds! Plus, black looks classy and it will make the flowers stand out! After the 5 sisters had picked their dress it was time for the flower girls to start trying some on. Oh how they loved wearing princess dresses! It probably was the highlight of their year, standing in a poofy Belle type dress in front of all those mirrors! Well, we found precious dresses for them and they are all going to look darling! After shopping, we grabbed lunch at Island's before dropping Kristel off at the airport. Dress shopping was the perfect way to end our girl's weekend!

A few weekends later, the rest of the Bridesmaids ( minus Sara who was missed greatly!) headed back to Ferndales to get the rest of the dresses. It was another fun filled shopping trip because these girls make me laugh so much! They, as well, look incredible in the dresses they chose and we even did a dress "photo shoot" to show them off. :) Afterwards we went down to The District for some lunch and of course a stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory...Yum!!!! And of course, I have pics to document the 2 shopping trips! :-)

Add 6 and you will have my side of the wedding party :)

Hanging out!

3 of the Flower Girls!

Dad came and met his 9 girls for lunch!



Love Islands!

They are pretty amazing!

Best Friends!

Roomies!!!!

The District

Rocky Mountain.....Mmmmmm!!!!

( Sorry the last pics are so small...I'm not sure why and I couldn't figure out how to fix it!)

Punta Cana Here We Come!

I realize that right now you are all thinking, " Punta Cana? Where the heck is that and what is she talking about?!?" Well, as of last night we are officailly going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for our Honeymoon!!! Trav's parents gave us our honeymoon and his mom and Heidi has been searching for the past week or so for the perfect spot! Well, they found it! Edenh, in Punta Cana, is a brand new resort in the DR. We will leave late Monday night, the day after the wedding, to fly to Miami which we will then catch a plane to the DR. I have a feeling that a Tylenol PM or two will be taken before the all night flight! We will then spend the next 6 days relaxing in the Caribbean. Our week will be spent by the beach and pools, participating in water recreational activities, taking advantage of the 24 hr, all you can eat plan, and relaxing before "real life" sets in. The resort will be opening a bowling alley and casino this spring which will be so much fun! I have a feeling that while I am soaking in those UV rays, Trav will be winning the big bucks at the casino! We are so thankful to Trav's parents for giving us this trip and we can't wait to travel together out of the country for the first time! ( of many, I hope!) Hurry up July 20th! :)

Here are a few pics from Edenh... Fountains!

So pretty!

Overview of the resort

On the rooftop

The beach is already calling our names :)

I think I will take a nap or 2 here

A Wonderful Evening!

I am blessed to have 3 amazing sisters whom I call my best friends. Although we are spread out across the country, nothing could break the bond that we share. When Trav and I got engaged it was not even a second thought for me on who would be my Maid of Honor...all 3 of them!!!! ( Technically, they are "Matrons of Honor" but they prefer "maid" :) ) The day after we got engaged, Lea was already on the phone with Lyns and Kris about planning a wedding shower! They take their jobs as Maids of Honor very seriously....little do they know that when they come out this summer before the wedding they will be put to work right up to the big day! j/k ;) They decided that the best time to hold the shower would be over Christmas vacation since it would be the only time we would all 4 be together until the wedding. It turned out to be such a fun girls trip! And the shower was stunning! My sisters....My Best Friends

A family friend, Kelley Sparacino, opened up her home to host the shower. My sisters thought everything through so well. The primary color for the wedding is bright pink...( could you picture me getting married with no pink?? No way!) However, the bridesmaids dresses are black, so the color scheme for the shower was black and hot pink! Everything looked incredible! Their was a chocolate fountain, a carmel fountain, this amazing raspberry sherbet punch, pink everywhere, and best of all....family and close friends all together for one massive girl's night!

Now I have 5!!!!

With Kelley!

It had polka dots!

Wasn't it beautiful?!?!

Yum!!!!!

Cousins!

My Mom and Mother-in-law...we didn't plan to match!

I'm getting great sister-in-laws!

Sara and Shauna! Great friends and bridesmaids!

It was fun seeing my family and Trav's family all getting to know each otehr! That is one of the greatest blessings about marriage...the joining of two families! The decorations were classic contemporary...totally my style and I wish I could go back to the evening all over again. My sisters made sure that everything was just perfect and they brought so much energy to the night! We played a couple of games...one being a trivia game about Travis and me....I think my mom found out some things that she didn't know...for instance, how I really got that black eye and almost broken nose! Hopefully I didn't embaress her too much by telling the crowd it was from spitting something at Trav and then jumping out of the car so he would not recipricate it! Oh well, I figured if she can handle my burping that it wasn't any worse! My nieces were the "helpers" for the evening. They were so precious and such a big help!

The Helpers!

After the games and everyone had enjoyed the delicious food, it was time to open the generous gifts that were brought. Now, if you know me, you know that opening gifts is nerve racking for me! Even on Christmas morning I don't like opening with everyone eatching me! My face turns a reddish purpleish color from everyone staring and my hands shake...I know, totally lame....but attention like that freaks me out!!! I need to practice for the wedding because there will be tons of eyes right on Travis and I!Even though I was nervous it did not take away from the fun of opening everything! It was exciting to thinkg that everything would one day be used in our home...ok, our tent...which we received by the way and the joke of the evening was that Trav and I will probably live there for our first year! :) Everyone was so kind and generous...we were truly thankful for everything that we received. ( I have a confession...everything is still in the living room at my parents and I find myself looking thru it and picturing Travis and I cooking....or playing games.....or entertaining guests...I can't wait!!!!!) The mixer...now I can bake!

The tent = our home ;)

Gifts from Mozambique!

I was so sad to see everyone leave...I wish it could have lasted a whole weekend! I felt like the night flew by...I have a feeling the wedding is going to feel the same way! One of the neatest things that my sisters did was collect a recipe from everyone who came. They then made a recipe book for me with a whole bunch of recipes from family and friends to get me started out! How fun will it be to cool and think, " Hey, I'm making Shauna's pie" or "Heidi's burritos." It makes it so personal! I loved it! Best of all though....I finally got my Mom/Grandma's Christmas cookie recipe! To us Kahlers, these cookies are a pretty big deal! We all wait all year for them and to help make them....we still sneak each other pieces of the dough to eat...it's the best part! But the thing is, you don't get the recipe untill you get married and you can never give it out to anyone but your kids! Well, I finally got it and next year I can try making them!!!! A reunion with my Mom and God-Mom!

We've been best friends since we were 2...

One of the ribbon bouqets!

High School Girls :)

Although it feels as if it came and went so fast...it was a night I will always remember! And it was such a great preview to the big day, having all our loved ones together! I have 3 pretty amazing sisters and I am so thankful for them. I can't wait to have them standing next to me when I say "I do." I love you guys. :)

Out Last Christmas Apart

I absolutely LOVE Christmas! It means that my whole family is all together in one house and although it can be crazy, it is so much fun! Trav and I spent Christmas with our families this year apart. I flew to AZ on Christmas Eve while he stayed in California with his. It was the last time that we would be apart on Christmas! Next year, we will be married and sharing the day with both families! It will be amazing to finally spend Christmas morning together with our families! Before flying out to AZ, I was able to make it to Trav's family Christmas at his AUnt Letty's. It was fun getting to see everyone again and of course, eating delicious food! I had a blast playing hide and seek as well as tag with all his little cousins!(One of these days I will involve myself in the grown-up conversations...but how can I resist a good game of tag?!?!) ( If i hadn't been in a dress I would have climbed that tree too)

( Trav and his cousin Michael)

( Trav's little cousins)

On Christmas Eve, my kids choir perfomed in church and afterwards, Trav and I ate dinner with his family before rushing to the airport.My sisters were waiting for me when I landed in AZ and it finally felt like Christmas when we were all together! We stayed up till all hours of the night finishing last minute wrapping, cooking, and getting ready for the next day. I woke up, bright and early, to my nieces and nephews talking ( very loudly of course to let their parents know that they were indeed awake and ready to go downstairs) and I felt the excitement that I used to as a kid! Opening presents took awhile with all of us there. I always hate it when everyone has opened the gifts I gave them. I love giving gifts...I have been told it's one of my love languages ....and I anxiously wait for Christmas morning for everyone to open them! My sisters and mom made and amazing breakfast! We wait all year long for my mom's Christmas egg dish!I'm salivating just thinking about it! ( The sisters on Christmas Day)

( Parker loves his Papa)

( Sammy was pumped for his remote control car)

( Savi loved her tea set)

( Savi and Kody taking a rest with their Mimi)

Aside from all the gifts and talk of Santa, my parents have made sure that we never forget the true reason for the season....the birth of Christ. I was sad to miss it this year but on every Christmas Eve we take turns reading the Christmas story from Luke. With my whole family joined together, it truly is a magical moment.
I'm sad that this season is over but excited for the new memories to come from next year!