Hot Sabbath

 Today we went to the beach after church.  Being Mormons, we tend to avoid recreation on Sundays, in order to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  That being said, it is lovely to spend time as a family together enjoying one of God's creations: the ocean.  It was so nice to lay in the sand next to Mr. Nederhand and read our book.  We love reading together.  I loved hearing his gentle voice mix with the sound of the waves as they caressed the shore.

A nice and shady little hut we found on the beach.

After reading, Anthonie asked me if I thought we were romantic.  "Of course we are!" I replied. What could be more romantic than sitting in the sand reading a good book?  Then we tried to list a few of our favorite romantic moments together.  Our favorite memory was of the Rosarito, Mexico beach where we went for a walk in the middle of the night.  I still remember the smell of the ocean and the feel of the cold air on my face as he kissed me.  That was over six years ago.  Whenever I think of the miracle that we are together--through all the time and trials--I am filled with the sweet knowledge of God's love for me.  We never would have made it without His help and His love guiding us.

Inside the hut

When we came home from the beach, it was still so hot in our little house.  (Not over 80 degrees, but we have no AC here!)  So I decided to run through the sprinklers.  Mr. Nederhand came running with me.  We played freely, like children, screaming at the cold water and teasing each other.  I hope our days can stay this carefree for a while.  It is a luxury to have so few worries.

View from the hut

Handsome husband reading

In other news, my friend, Caroline, came to visit our church with her son Eli today!  I feel so blessed to share my love for the gospel with such a dear friend.  I hope she felt the same joy that I did, listening to the members' testimonies.  It is a personal thing to share our beliefs, usually held so closely to our hearts, with others.  The best gift that one friend can give to another is to share a core belief, a kernal of truth, and hope that they feel similarly.

Happy Sabbath!

1st Month Anniversary

Today is our First Month Anniversary!

I posted this picture on Instagram saying, "Yay, baby!  We made it!"  Of course, this is only the first of many anniversaries, but we still wanted to make it special.  I made sure to capture the most important things in our home right now -- our wedding rings.  (Of course, I had no table to put them on, so they're resting on the TV for now, but THINGS don't matter!)

Before I could even get my picture posted, Anthonie wrote me a sweet love note before leaving for work.  Of course, it made me cry. The best line was, "Thank you so much for making this place a home. I love what you have done with it."  I am so blessed to have an appreciative husband who loves to compliment me.  I am so grateful for everything he is doing and how hard he works to provide for us.

Right after the inagural anniversary post, I opened the front door and found this:

My diploma!! I feel so honored to finally have a piece of paper showing my sacrifice and accomplishment in college.  Yay!!

Later, Anthonie took me on a special date.  We hiked to the highest spot on Whidbey Island.

Panorama of Goose Rock, near Deception Pass

We ate a little picnic of summer sausage, cheese, and "Mormon Wine" (aka. sparkling apple cider) as we basked in the spectacular view and enjoyed holding each other.  We also finished the book we've been reading together, "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss.  I highly recommend it; the main character, Kvothe, is so interesting.  All in all, it was a very monumental, romantic and memorable day.  I'm so happy to be married to my love, for time and all eternity!

Crossing the Threshold

We did it!  We finally crossed the threshold (literally) into married life!  Here's the proof:

Thanks to Claudia and Doug for the photos!

But before we could ceremoniously cross the threshold, we had to drive for a long, long time.  Leaving Utah was harder than I anticipated.  I cried as we waved good-bye to grandpa, worried that I may not see him again.  After Grandma passed three years ago, we are all painfully aware of how short life is and how quickly it can pass before we even think it has begun.

Speaking of beginnings, Anthonie and I began our marriage with a drive from Utah to Washington.  We stopped to take some photos at a beautiful look out.

Somewhere in Idaho.  Maybe Oregon.  Not exactly sure to be honest.

How I looked to my husband

How he looked to me

How we looked together

It was sunny the whole way. We had fun talking, kissing, sleeping, listening to music, relaxing and talking about our hopes and dreams for our life together. (Yes, we kiss in the car!)  When we got to Washington, it was surprisingly sunny, which exceeded our expectations and made for a good day to unpack our trailer.  We're so thankful that Aunt Claudia and Uncle Doug drove our trailer all the way to Washington.  They were so kind to help us pack it all up and unpack it too!  After we unpacked, it was time to open all the wedding presents!

Thank you to everyone who came to the wedding and for the many people who have sent cards, cash, and gifts! It's been so fun to open up the mailbox every day and see a new treat!  (We're working hard to get all the thank-you cards written, and if you haven't gotten yours yet, just hold on!)

Married life is great!  Anthonie and I are feeling so loved and blessed.  Our very first FHE was on eternal marriage, which we feel so blessed to be a part of.   It's so wonderful to see how Anthonie has grown into a strong priesthood holder.  He sets such a good example to me and I know that he will set one for our children in the future.  I am already dreading Anthonie going back to work.  I'm in denial that I don't have a job yet and am hoping to find one very quickly!

Well, I've got to go because my husband is getting ready to take me to the temple in Seattle!  Yay! I love going to the temple and am so happy that my husband loves taking me for our date days!