Engaged: Ian & Melissa
Sometimes you find love.
Other times love finds you.
Ian & Melissa met on a city bus.
On a day like any other day, a series of circumstances landed them on the same bus, and when the person seated behind Melissa insisted on giving Ian their seat - they met.
Just goes to show you - sometimes it’s okay to trust that everything will work out. ♥️
A slight change in edit on these final photos - but I couldn’t resist a little warm and romantic softness.
Tell me your love story! Leave me a comment with how you and your significant other met.
Book Review: What We Talk About When We Talk About God by Rob Bell
“How we think about God is directly connected to how we think about the world we’re living in.”
This was the first book that I both started and finished in 2019.
(You can find my full reading list here.)
Within the first couple pages of this book I remembered that I had read it before. Right after I moved to Niagara Falls a few years ago, but I decided to just go ahead and reread it. I love the premise of the book - reframing God as the God who is with us and for us. Not a God that is somewhere far away waiting to punish people, but rather someone who loves us and in the midst of good times and hard times and messy times, he’s right there in the middle of it with us and he is on our side, calling us to the next step of being the best version of ourselves.
Quotes & Notes
Holism is the reality that emerges only when all the parts are put together but can’t be individually located at smaller levels. (AKA: You are only you when you are you. Your elbow isn’t you, but it is you. Your foot isn’t you, but it is you. One atom of you is not you, but when all the atoms of you are together suddenly together they are you.)
The intellect has a way of building a fence around the heart, cutting us off from what we know to be true in a way that is hard to prove according to the categories in which proof matters.
The story of Moses seeing God’s back - one commentary says it like this: Moses got to see a glimpse of where God just was. I want to spend my life chasing glimpses of God.
Faith and doubt aren’t opposites. They are it turns out, excellent dance partners. You can understand something with so much conviction that you would die for that belief, and yet in the same moment say, ‘I could be wrong.’ Conviction and humility are not opposites.
In giving life to everything, God also gives creation the freedom to be whatever it’s going to be with all the possibilities and potentials for good and bad and beauty and chaos and love and loss that freedom might lead to.
All of life is sacred and holy. Interactions. Events. Tasks. Conversation. Work. Words.
The ground doesn’t become holy. Moses takes his sandals off because he realizes the ground has always been holy. You are already on holy ground - wherever you are.
We don’t transform our shadow side by denial but by entering into it, embracing it, naming it, because we believe that God is with us and for us.
What the modern world did in its fascination with parts and pieces is teach us that we are individual, isolated human units, talking and conversing and interacting, but not more than that. But we intuitively know there’s more than that.
We need reminders of who we are and how things actually are.
“And now I see God everywhere.”
2018 In Review
Weight
An ongoing goal in my life is to lose weight. I have a mental finish line for where I would like to be eventually, but from day-to-day it’s putting one foot in front of the other as I slowly inch my way forward. With such a big, life changing goal it’s hard to see any change from one day to the next, or some times even one month to the next, but this year I am happy to be able to look back and see change.
In 2018 I lost exactly 15 pounds! And dropped one pant size.
This means that I’ve lost 35.6 pounds in total over the last couple years!
I’m stepping into 2019 with the hope and plan of doubling my weight loss from 2018. :)
Books
I started 2018 with the idea that I wanted to read more.
Growing up I was a voracious reader - sometimes it didn’t even matter what I was reading, the act of reading in and of itself is something I enjoyed. But over the years with the accessibility of the internet, Netflix and binge watching - as well as a little bit of college reading burn out, reading got pushed out of my life.
I didn’t set an exact goal, but I knew I wanted to read more. So, I signed up for a library card and started bringing a book to work with me to read at lunch.
I tried to keep a blend of both fiction and non-fiction, and even read a couple of autobiographies that I really enjoyed. Some that stick out to me are Martin Short’s I Must Say, and Scott Harrison’s Thirst. I also ended up discovering two fiction series that I really loved - the Heather Wells comedic murder mysteries by Meg Cabot and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Myers - a futuristic fairytale.
In the end I managed to read 29 books in 2018, with 2 more books started but not yet completed. :)
(You can find a complete list of the books I’ve read here.
Debt
In 2018 I have successfully paid $4,862 off the principal of my student loans!
It’s so exciting to login each month and see the amount I owe go down.
I hope that in 2019 I am able to continue to pay this down, and hope to do so at a higher rate.
Events
2018 was a big year with trying new things, going on adventures and showing up for moments of big life change in the lives of my friends & family.
My Grandmother, Helga Wiedemann, passed away. Early in January of last year my grandmother was admitted into the hospital and after a routine angiogram experienced complications and passed away on January 8th.
My sister, Eve, got married on February 24th at a beautiful outdoor ceremony.
In March through a series of surprising events, I had my heart broken. It took me a long time to put the pieces together - maybe I’m still working at it - but because of this I started seeing my counsellor regularly. Seeing a counsellor has been a really, really great experience for me, and our monthly chats are something I always look forward to. Speaking with her makes me feel spacious and balanced, as if the world has more than enough for me.
It also led me to start meditating on a regular basis, take up yoga more seriously and begin reading my Bible, praying and journalling more regularly - all things that help me manage my anxiety.I participated in my first (and second!) vocal recital, and felt proud of the way my voice has grown and expanded since I started taking lessons a year and a half ago.
I photographed my 3rd wedding, and was so happy to have my sister Allysin as my second shooter.
I attended a few weddings. And I loved it! Wedding dance parties are one of the most wonderful highlights of life.
My niece, Acacia, was born.
I turned 30! And my best friends - Allysin & Brittany - planned me the most wonderful 80’s themed birthday party. It especially made me happy that all my friends came dressed to match the theme.
Went on my very first work trip with my boss Brady, and Kyle. Brady was speaking at That Church Conference in Atlanta and I was able to go along. It was so fun to get out and speak with members of our community in person. I love meeting people, connecting with them, hearing their stories.
Celebrated autumn with a chilly corn field adventure - one of my favourite days of the year.
Visited my cottage with my family for Thanksgiving and we took our family photos.
Review
As always, I’m so lucky! I have incredible, wonderful people in my life - family and friends who truly care about me and seem to enjoy my company and want the best for me. They hope for me and hold me up on the days that feel heavy. They believe in me and try to help me accomplish the goals I choose for myself, and support me in even the smallest victories.
Looking Forward
I hope 2019 is a year that feels lighter.
That in the coming year I’ll be able to see more of the things I already have in my life, and less of the things that I think are missing.
I hope 2019 holds a love story for me.
And more realized goals.
That in the next 365 days I will be proud of the way I spend my time. That I will continue to lose weight (and eat and move healthier) and read books and learn to be a more consistent, self-disciplined person.
That my faith will continue to weave itself seamlessly into every area of my life, and that the way I exchange my moments and hours and days will be intentional, and less by accident.
What is something you’re thankful for from 2018?
What is something you’re hoping for 2019?
Let me know! Leave me a comment.
The Wiedemann Family || 2018
Getting my entire family together for family photos is always a challenge.
The last couple of years we’ve managed to do so over Thanksgiving weekend.
You can find last year’s photos here: The Wiedemann Family 2017.
Everybody In!
Over the past couple years our family has grown as two of my sisters have gotten married, one had a child, and another adopted a dog. Fitting a large number of people - especially a large number of people who are similar heights, into a photo comes with challenges - but with the help of some chairs and a few volunteers willing to sit on the ground - we were able to get everyone arranged quite nicely.
Biological
Then we grabbed a couple photos of just the biological family.
The Grandkids
My mom specifically requested that she get some photos of her and my dad with her “grandkids” - my niece Acacia and my sister’s chihuahua-pug mix, Chevy.
The Martins
I wanted to make sure we finished all of the pictures with Acacia as quickly as possible. It was a little chilly out, and of course working with children is always a bit unpredictable. But she did great! She remained content to the very last shot. :)
The Van Ysseldyks
Next I took photos of my sister, Allysin, and her husband Kyle - and of course their puppy, Chevy.
Portraits
Finally we finished off with some headshots. My mom keeps a collage of headshots on her wall - one of each of us from each year. So now a yearly headshot is mandatory. :)
