My 22nd Birthday

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday and what a day to remember. *happy sigh* My Love stayed home from work just so he could celebrate with me and make my day even more special. Personally, him taking off of work was the best birthday present I got that day. 

Throughout the day I kept having to remind myself that I am now 22 years old... I haven't quite wrapped my mind around it yet. Well anyway, here are some pictures that sorta describe the wonderful day I had. Enjoy!

The first present I opened that day was my, now named Orange Blossom, teddy bear. I have been asking Justin for a bear since we first got married and I was very happy to find he got me one for my birthday.

 

The second, and most beautiful, gift he gave me was this heart-shaped locket with our pictures in it. From now on you will hardly see me without it on. I love wearing it!

Here is a picture of the gift my Hubby got me just a couple days before my actual birthday; our sweet, well behaved little Pip. I have wanted our own dog since before Justin and I got married. But our Landlords were going to make us pay a ridiculous amount of money to keep him here. So we waited until I couldn't take it any longer and sent the Landlords a letter saying how we would like to own a dog without having to pay their high price. They wrote back saying that since we were such good tenant's and they trusted us that we could get a dog. Yay! And here the adorable little guy is telling me happy birthday. :D   

Right before lunch time Justin and I headed up to Peoria to get my engagement ring cleaned. We have to do that every 6 months and it seemed a perfect time to get it done cause then he could take me out to eat. For lunch my Man took me to Culvers for a delicious cheeseburger.  

     

After lunch Justin took me down Grandview Drive in Peoria. They have a bunch of different lookouts you can stop at and see most of Peoria from the higher point of view. It was absolutely beautiful!!

My Handsome Chauffeur. 

My iPhone really didn't do this beautiful view justice. But it was the only camera we brought along so it will have to suffice. 

Stopping at all of the lookouts reminded us of our honeymoon in Tennessee where we did almost the same thing. 

Also on Grandview Drive is a bunch of ritzy houses. Again, my phone did a horrid job of capturing the beauty of all these homes. 

This one really caught my eye because of the beautiful turrets it has. I seriously cannot believe people live in these houses!! I'm sorry you cannot really see this house very well because I took the picture right as we were passing a tree... But you still get the idea. :)

I think this one was the third biggest house on the block. As you can see this one is ginormous and oh so pretty!

 When we got back from our outing to Peoria Justin needed to mow the lawn before it rains this weekend. So here is the gorgeous man I get to call my own, mowing the lawn.

Pip was very interested in watching Justin mow.  Just look at that adorable face of his!

Before Justin started mowing he bought me a yummy Blue Raspberry Slushy. Nice and cool for a hot Summer day.  

That evening I asked Justin if he would play the Settlers of Catan two player card game with me. We have so much fun when we play this game together! He always beats me but I enjoy trying my best to win. This time I only lost by ONE point so I'm getting better. ;)

Pip enjoys sleeping with my Orange Blossom Bear. 

 

Justin said it was a rule to have cake on my birthday but since I am having a party with my family on Saturday and I had to get two cookie cakes I decided that I didn't really need a regular sized cake for my birthday. I found this adorable piece of cake for 2 bucks and I got it just so Justin couldn't fuss. ;) It was the perfect size for the two of us and he even fit 22 candles on it! My man has got some skills!

 

Here are all the cards and gifts I got on my actual birthday (minus Pip). 

For dinner we had some pizza pockets and watched "Run Away Bride" together. Justin was SO sweet to watch the whole movie with me. :)

My birthday could not have been a better day. *smiles* I already have everything I want and need so what more could a girl ask for? I am so thankful for the love of my life asking me to marry him exactly one year ago yesterday.

It was August 30, 2011-  And here we are just moments before he proposed...



Who would have thought that exactly one year later we are still happy if not happier than we were that day? *smiles*

Life is good and I am blessed beyond measure. Even if I still cannot get over the fact that I am now 22 years old! ;D

Until next time! 

~Melinda

A Guinea Pigster Photo-shoot

I hope you had a fabulous day celebrating the 4th of July yesterday! I know that we did, but alas we didn't get any pictures so you'll just have to take my word for it. O:-)  

For the past couple days Justin and I have had to get up super duper early with his job. Since he works outside and it's insanely hot out there (staying near to and in the 100's) he has to go to work when the sun isn't up yet. But then he gets to come home super early too so that's a plus.  

 Let's see, *thinks* other than that we haven't done much that is blog worthy... Terrible, isn't it?  

 Well, I know you've been waiting for forever to see these little guys and it's been so long since the last time I posted about them. So I decided to post a couple pictures of them in their bright blue bedding. :D

Until the Lord decides to bless Justin and I with a child of our own, these two keep me company and entertain me when they are in playful moods. :) They are no where near to filling the void I have in my heart without children in the house, but they make enough noise that I don't feel totally alone when Justin's at work.  

Caramel, the leader of the two.

Mocha really likes his log home.

Peeking in to see if there is enough room for him to join his brother. When they get frightened by loud noises they both run into their log and surprisingly they both actually fit together. lol

This picture cracks me up! Look at Mocha's hair! :D

Such a pretty boy. 

Taking his treat from me. These boys love some carrots. 

 

Most people really don't care about my little guys but who cares what they think? I love my piggies and that's all that matters. *nods* :)

Next time I post I will try to do it on something more interesting. ;D *smirky grin* 

Until next time! 

~Melinda

Blowing a tire on the Interstate....

It's hard to believe but tomorrow is our 5th annual Ladies Tea! I have so many memories attached to each year's event- all the learning, meeting new friends, singing, and having a blessed day with other like-minded women. But I think this year will stand out in my mind for a couple reasons. #1- This is my first year attending the Tea after being married. I think it will change my whole perspective on the talks and the lessons. #2- I will always associate this years Tea with me blowing out my first tire. lol I went to church on Thursday morning to help out with food prep for this weekend. I had a lovely time talking, laughing, and cutting up veggies with all the ladies who came to help. Around 1:30 Justin calls and says he is home from work but the door is locked so he can't get in. Of course this happens on the hottest day of the year when it's 100 degrees outside. :P So anyway, I left the church heading home when all the sudden the truck starts to make funny noises, lean towards the left, and gets really hard to drive. I pull to the shoulder thinking, "I think I just blew a tire... joy". lol I called Justin who had no way of getting to me since we only have the truck. So he called the guy from work who had just dropped him off at the house. They both came to my rescue and saved the day! :) 

Here are some pictures of the event...

Doesn't the tire look like it was shredded? Well at least the rims didn't bend.

Dan Wagenbach, who we all call Boone, and Justin arrived shortly after I called. Here Justin is trying to get the itty bitty jack they give you in the back of the truck to prop the truck up. After awhile of trying to get it to work we realized that it was no way near big enough to even lift the truck an inch.

Shortly after Justin and Boone got there the Chief of Tremont Police stopped by to make sure we were okay and to park his car out a little on the road to protect the guys as they worked. I had a lovely time talking with him while the guys did all the work. :) 

Here the guys are still trying to figure out if it will get higher or not.

Getting the spare out from under the truck. Turns out the spare we had under there was nicer than the other tires already on the truck. lol

After deciding the jack we had wasn't going to work at all. We took the company truck back to where Justin works to get a much nicer jack that their mechanic uses. Once at the shop, Boone had to leave so Justin and I took the truck back to ours and fixed the tire in record timing. The Chief kept trying to get out of the way when I was getting pictures but I finally got one when he wasn't paying attention and he just laughed saying I had "caught him".

All-in-all it was a neat experience for me to witness, although Justin isn't too happy about having to look into getting new tires really soon. lol

 I had full confidence in my husband and I was proud of the way he just went to work on fixing the tire. I'm also thankful for Boone being so willing to help us out and for the sweetest police man ever who stayed the whole time and even gave us an escort to the gas station to put some more air in the spare/new tire. I'm also thankful that no one was hurt and that the Lord protected everyone even while we were on the side of a busy highway. :)

In other news: Josh, Jen, and Jael have finally moved into their new home!! After six months of them living with my parents they are ready to have their own space. Josh is happy to have his own place after spending 6 years in the Air Force. Jen is happy cause she grew up in a Air Force family which means she moved a lot, now she can put down some roots and stay in one spot for awhile. I'm happy because they only live about 25ish minutes from me now! *grins* It's a nice change after having them in Italy and then Oklahoma. 

Here Jael and I are playing in her new playroom while the guys brought in all their moving boxes and furniture.

 

And that's all for now! 

Until next time,

~Melinda

Courtship - A Year Gone By

It all started on June 19, 2011...

At this time last year my Daddy was asked by a very respectable man at church if he could start a courtship with his daughter. My Dad knew my heart on this subject, and after their nice long talk about intentions and boundaries, he gave his approval and said he would talk with my Mom and me to see if I wanted the relationship to begin -- although he pretty much already knew my answer. Later that day my Dad asked if he could see me in the Deacon's office at church (my mom came too). I personally thought I was in trouble for something and had no idea what was going on. When Dad told me someone has asked to court me he didn't even have to say who it was. I could see the excitement in his eyes as he watched my reaction. I had spent years wondering if the Lord would ever bring the right guy along and three years of being eligible and yet not finding the right man. On top of that I had spent a year praying that the Lord would either take the feelings I had for this same man away or make him feel the same towards me. It was a no-brain-er for me and I answered my Dad's question with a "HECK YEAH!"  I admit...*sheepish smile*... my choice in words was not the best but I think it shows my excitement and that I was still in shock that he had actually asked. :) 

That evening my parents and I sat down and discussed some things together. One of the main things we did was come up with a short list of some unanswered questions we had for this man. We emailed them to him and he answered within the hour. If I were to rate his answers as if it were a test he would have passed with an A+. ;) And so our courtship started... *happy sigh* 

 (Since it's no surprise who this secret man is I guess I can just go ahead and call him by his name- Justin. lol) The next morning was a rainy day and since Justin can't do his job in the rain- being in construction and all- we had his whole family over for a little get-together to discuss the purpose of this courtship. Even at that first meeting there was no misunderstanding of where we all saw this relationship going; aka. Marriage. 

Here is the first picture we ever got while courting and seeing it brings back so many memories.

I mean just look at how far apart we were sitting! *laughs*  I think it's safe to say that we were on cloud 9 in this moment though. He was happy that I said 'yes' and didn't act awkward after knowing he was interested and I was happy that he was interested. *grin* 

We have come such a long way since then. I seriously cannot believe it's already been a year since our whole relationship started. But I think it's good to look back and see how far we have come in such a short amount of time. *smiles* We're still so happy together and so blessed to have each other. 

Until next time!

Here are some more pictures from my love's birthday. 

In my opinion his work day as way too long! I think his boss should allow him a paid day off for his birthday next year. *grins* But anyway, once Justin got home he showered and then started up the grill with the new grilling stuff Mom and Dad Sanford got him for his birthday. He really enjoyed using the charcoal grill for the first time. 

Since the charcoal grill takes awhile to get warm, I asked Justin if we could get some pictures together. Thanks to our porch railing and the long self timer on the camera, we were able to get some really nice pictures together!   

 Like this one, and a couple more at the bottom of the post...

You know you cannot have a birthday party without ballons and presents, right? Well there's a funny story behind those ballons you see in this picture. I bought them without Justin knowing and I tried to blow them up before he got home that day to surprise him with the decorations. As it turns out, I don't have enough hot air or big enough lungs to blow those things up! *nervous laugh* So I sheepishly told that to Justin and he just laughed and blow them up for me when he got home. He did each one in practically one breathe too! lol But all is well that ends well, and in the end he got his ballons. :)

Here he is using the grill that Grandpa Fennema gave him the last time we were up their way. It worked like a charm and the Italian sausages he made were absolutely delicious! 

After dinner he opened his gifts from me...

...and we had some cake together. 

 

I even sang happy birthday to him all by myself just so he would be able to say he got it sung to him. *proud grin*

Here are two more of the pictures we got before dinner... Enjoy!

 

Oh how I love this strong man the Lord has given me. *happy sigh* 

Until next time!

Adios!

Happy birthday to my love

                                     Happy Birthday Justin!!!

Babe, you are the most gorgeous, sweet, kind, strong, funny, and loving husband a girl could ask for. You made all my dreams come true when you asked to court me exactly one year ago. I never imagined married life would be so easy to slip into and yet here we are. I'm am so blessed that God gave me you to spend the rest of my life with. *loving smile* 

 

♥ ♥ ♥

 

If I had the opportunity to sit here and write down all the wonderful things you mean to me it would take me years. ♥ You're the best man a girl could ask for and I thank God for you every day. 

In your arms is where I always want to be! It's where I feel the safest and most loved. 

I miss you and cannot wait till you get home from work today! *blows a huge kiss your way* I love you so so much, baby!! ♥ ♥ ♥ 

 

Love, 

Yours forever and ever amen

Jadon Honor Ryken

The day dawned dark and early... Dad (Ryken) called Justin around 5:30am to let us know Mom's water had broken and she was in labor. After dropping Justin off at work I headed over to my in-laws to help out and witness the birth. I don't think words could describe how beautiful giving birth is. Of course it's painful but the amazing thing is to watch as the pain washes away from the Mother's face as she holds her new born baby just seconds after he enters the world. That, my friends, is what true love looks like and I was blessed to see it firsthand. The labor is never easy but the joy of having a new little one in the house overrides it all. 

Jadon Honor Ryken was born at 9:00am weighing in at 10 lbs. 6oz. and 21 inches long. 

 Isn't he just the cutest little guy ever? And not to mention a little chunk! lol I think we all fell in love with Jadon the moment he made his entrance into this world. *happy sigh*

Here's the proud new Dad holding his son. This is the man on God who will teach little Jadon all about how to be a man in the Lord. It's a pretty neat thought, right?

My first time getting to hold the gorgeous baby. Like I said, it's hard not to fall in love when he snuggles right up to you and those beautiful eyes stare up at you.




When Jadon got his first bath he cried for all of three seconds and promptly fell asleep! I think that's why Mom looks like she's laughing in this picture cause we all couldn't believe it. :)

 

Getting to hold him for the second time. After this picture was taken Mom and I just sat on the bed and talked for a bit. I got to hold him the whole time which totally made my day. Thanks, Mom! 

It was so sweet to watch Justin hold his newborn baby brother once he got off work. In this picture he looks like he is making... well, I don't know what face he is making, but I think this picture was taken while Justin was shifting the baby. My husband is one of the most relaxed and comfortable looking guys I know when he holds a small child.

One of the things we learned really fast about Jadon is he doesn't like to be moved. As soon as he gets comfortable he wants to stay that way. lol SO cute. :)

 

Sara kept asking if it was her turn to hold Jadon again. She would even try to hurry everyone up so that it could be her turn. Here she stole a couple more minutes before the next persons turn. She is going to be such a huge help to Mom because she is always ready and willing to help out with the baby. 



 All of the Ryken kids together at last. <3

I pray that Jadon is a huge blessing to my in-laws, that he will grow big and strong, and that he will trust in the Lord with all his heart for the rest of his long full life. 

As you can probably tell, I am one blessed girl to be a part of the amazing family I have.

Until next time!

~Melinda