What 2 years can do ... Happy Anniversary!

A little blast from the past, as we celebrate our 2 year anniversary!

One of my very favorite things about planning our wedding was designing our invitations with my husband. This is what the outside looked like, except at the opening it was tied together with a ribbon. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of the inside, but you get the idea.

This last weekend we celebrated our anniversary in Palm Springs, while Tatum hung with Grandma and Grandpa Wilson. It was simple, fun, and very much US. As we reflected on our short 2 years together, we concluded this ...

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL, WILL ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL, AND IS FAITHFUL WHEN WE HAVE BEEN FAITHLESS.

5 things that have made year 2 of marriage even better than the first ...

1. Tatum ... need I say much more than that???

2. My better overall health. Being able to experience life together more actively.

3. Having a place to live that is larger than one room!

4. Gaining a greater understanding and love for our parents, due to becoming parents ourselves.

5. Dying to ourselfs double the duty with a child and a spouse, and seeing the Lords faithfullness through it all.

These are the only pictures we got of ourselfs over the weekend. Enjoying a little desert together after ruturning back to our baby after a day long date.

Had to post a pic of Tatum during her time with the grandparents. Such a goober!

Heres to many more years! I love you babe!

25 facts you may not know about ME!

(I feel like there are a few certain things I talk about quite often on my blog, my health, my faith, my husband, and my baby ... obviously these are the most important topics, but I thought I would share some unknown facts about myself. Here are 25 things most of you MAY not know about me.)

1. I have 2 brothers ... yes this is often an unknown fact. Most people think I'm an only child. Brother Kole, who is 32, lives in San Francisco and a brother Doug who is 30, currently stationed in Washington, flies planes in the airforce, and deploys next week, has 3 kids and a wife.

2. I went to Oregon State University. GO beavers. I was there for 2 years making a lot of friends, and not going to a lot of classes. It was there that I went to my first Calvary Chapel church and fell in Love with the word of God!

3. I have uncles named Bert and Ernie. Same side of the family, though one is an in-law.

4. I did NOT grow up in a Christian home. Everybody assumes I did. Quite opposite actually. I grew up in a sterile Catholic church where I didn't understand a word. My parents had a rough divorce when I was 6 and I didn't start going to church again till I was in middle school. Only because my best friends parents said if I spent the night at their house on Saturday, I had to go to church on Sunday. Accepted the Lord in 9th grade.

5. My brother Kole was a magician when we were young. Him and I would do shows at fairs and at schools, and I was his little assistant. I thought I was the coolest kid in the world because we could fool the crowds into thinking I had disapeared. Still to this day I won't tell his secrets.

6. Contradictory to the fact that a majority of my life I have had a deep glowing suntan, I actually I have a very hard time being in the sun. It makes me very sick to be in hot climates.

go figure right? After becoming a momma, tans don't exist anymore.

7. When I was little, I always had a feeling that I would get sick at a young age. When I fell ill back in 2006. I KNEW that that "age"had come.

8. I was introduced to Facebook back in 2004, when a close friend of mine from Harvard told me that a guy from his school had started a new social network. (Mark Zuckerberg), and that it had just gone public to college universities, after just being at the ivey league schools. I was a skeptic, but I eventually got it. At the time facebook didnt even have profile pics, no pictures at all actually, and it was called "The Facebook." It was like living in the stone age.

9. I play guitar, and dabble in piano, and have written hundreds of half songs. Yet only 4 have ever been completed or heard. (Also, I use to be a worship leader at CCBC until I got sick)

10. I got kicked out of the presbyterian church for 6 months when I was a sophomore in college, after a few other camp counselors and I during a highschool winter camp, snuck our cabin of girls out in the middle of the night to do "bonding" games. A few girls ended up streaking across camp at their own will. Some parents found out, and myself and a few counselors got the boot. I still think its the funniest thing ever.

11. I dont drink coffee, ever.

12. I once had a sore throat that lasted 2 years. I took so much medicine, that I should have just built a pharmacy in my house. Sometimes I think this is what led to my current illness.

13. I have been rafting and kyaking rivers since I was 6. My stepdad is a river guide and my grandpa was one of the few men who helped make the blueprints for the first white water raft. My grandpa was also a river guide and took the beautiful miss Shirley Temple on a rafting trip when he was young. In his mid 80s he still spends time on the river. My grandpa is a stud.

14. Ask my husband, I am the most high-maintenicce sleeper you will ever meet. I have at least 20 things I need, or have to have done before I get in bed. I need an hour and half to wind down, I take medicine to sleep, and STILL I have insomnia and hardly ever get good rest.

15. I have had 6 concussions. All from soccer ... One time after blacking out, my coach asked what my name was, and I said "Tuesday". It was Saturday.

16. I wear sunglasses on my head almost all the time because my eyes are VERY senstive to light, and I never know when I might need them.

17. I draw ... mostly portraits. This is something a few of Jeremey's family members just discovered, and have been giving me a hard time about it ever since finding out.

18. I sang in the choir in highschool, and still to this day think it was one of the most fun experiences of my life, I would do it over again a million times if I could. I started as a first saprano, the highest female voice, today I am a second alto, the lowest female voice. Strange.

19. I am not a runner, I never will be, or desire to be. But I played highly competative soccer for 10 years of my life. What an oxymoron.

20. I don't have a drivers license. Never got one in highschool, never wanted to. Didn't need one in college, cuz most people dont brings cars, and the campus' are usually small enough to not need it. I don't have a license now, because well ... obviously it wouldn't be safe with chronic vertigo, too sick to drive, and you wouldn't want me on the road. What will I do when Tatum gets older and I HAVE to drive ... pray I get better soon.

21. My mom is the shyest person in the world, and my husband is the most outgoing. Just imagine them together ... I Love it!

22. When growing up I had a healthy obsession with the group Hanson. I still listen to them today, and they still rock! On that note, I really enjoy Justin Beiber. Scoff if you want, he is incredibly talented and I have no shame.

23. I am not a big fan of movies, AT ALL. Funny cuz my husband makes movies, haha. But if I had to choose a favorite, it would be highschool musical. We own all 3, and watch at least one every 4 months or so. Go WILDCATS!

24. My grandpa Jack lived 3 extra months while dying from cancer to see me be born. He called me angelface while in my moms womb. Before I was born though, without anyone knowing, he left the hospital one day to go to the "Hodgen" rose garden where all the family members names are put on plaques when they are born. My family didn't know this till after he had already passed away and they visited the garden, and there was a plaque with the name "angelface" on it. My real name never replaced it.

25. I LOVE to dance. Our family (the 3 of us) have a dance party in our house at least every other day. Tatum joins right in. She is a natural.

An extra #26- I think my husband and my baby are the most wonderful humans I know. But I guess you all know that!

-Hope you all feel like you know the person behind this blog a little better now.

It is finished! (wedding videography)

If you read my blog, I assume you know that my husband works here at the bible college (also where we live) and serves in the Audio/visual department, recording classes, and making videos for the school. On the side though, he is also a wedding videographer. This is something that he has done for several years now, and hopes to soon set up a more official business and website for his growing clients. Right now he has some videos on vimeo, check out the video below to link to it (Wilson Weddings). Really, we are just so blessed that the Lord has given him the skills to do these weddings to bring in more income for our family. It will really help as Tatum grows older, and has more needs. This season, like most falls, has been a season of many beautiful weddings, but we are happy to announce that the season IS OVER, PHEW, we just finished our last wedding this weekend, and now we are clear for months and months of endless editing.

In an earlier post, I wrote about our friends Eleazar and Bekah Ruiz who got married in Oregon this september, and wanted to follow up by showing you a CLIP of their now finished wedding video (a little preview for the bride and groom). I may be biased, but I really don't think I'm stretching the truth one bit when I say that I think my husband does beautiful filming and editing. (babe, if you are reading this, you have mad skills).

(Check out the "outro" video too. It should pop up in the video options, when this video is over. It was shot at a pre wedding photography shoot, with a few shots from the actual wedding.)

(One final picture of us at the Wing/Falk wedding. The last of the season, dancing to Justin Bieber! For those that know Lu Wing, just imagine him walking his daughter down the isle, doing a choreographed father daughter dance, and then getting everyone at the wedding out on the dance floor at one time. He is still as crazy/funny as ever!)

WE ARE DONE!!!

Flus and Pumpkins oh my!

These were the words uttered by my husband and I this weekend ...

1. "this is hands down the worst day of my life." - Jeremey

2. "this is the hardest day we've had since getting married." -Me

GET YOUR FLU SHOTS, go now, if you haven't ...

I wrote a big long post about the horrific weekend we had with our family having the stomach flu ... but in the end ... decided I rather not look back on my blog in a year and rehash the nightmare. All I know, is that I was never warned before I became a mom as to how hard a bout of the flu ripping through a household could be, especially with a baby, and ESPECIALLY when you are already chronically ill. I'm still trying to recover from the over exhaustion on my body from no sleep, a bad vertigo flare up and taking care of 2 individuals while my own body was a wreck. The Lord saved us from this pit of dispair, and we are all alive to see another day. That is all that needs to be said.

In other news, we went to the pumpkin patch yesterday. I know everybody says it, so I will join right in and say it too. FALL is the best season BY FAR! Fall in California though is not quite the same as it is in Oregon. Never have I been to a pumpkin patch in shorts and a t shirt before in nearly 100 degree weather, and there be a snow cone shack open. I'm use to rain, and freezing cold weather and a hot chocolate in hand. Oh well. FALL is FALL, and pumpkins are pumpkins!

Making a house a home in a year!

A year ago TODAY, my husband and I finished packing up, and moved our humble little belongings a quarter of a mile down the street to our new home .. (link to the post 1 year ago). http://thewilsons3.blogspot.com/2010/10/were-moving.html

(The year before we had spent living in dorm rooms, the first one was a half dorm room, the size of, or smaller than most peoples master BATHrooms. It had a bed ,one dresser, and a small restroom. That is all it fit, and at the time it was ALL we needed.)

October 6th of last year, was a new start for us, as I wobbled my way up the stairs with a growing pregnant belly, to the wonderful smell of fresh paint. I checked out an empty bedroom that would soon be occupied by the gymnast inside my belly, and never could have imagined how my life would have transformed in just one year.

Now, that once empty house is furnished and lived in, and filled with so many baby toys, that most days its hard to see the ground. The Lord never fails us, no matter how dire the situation may have seemed. Truly, we didn't deserve to be blessed with a condo, we still don't deserve it.

My view from the deck this morning! The house was a little too messy to snap pictures.

Fashion what??? A northwest girl in a So Cal world. (Baby fashion)

I must admit something, I am NOT a fan of shopping. Seriously. I have hated it since I was very young and malls have always made me sick, even before I was chronically ill. When I was young I often found myself having to leave shopping trips early because the wide array of smells and chaos at malls made my stomach churn, literally. Yes, I know, so odd for a girl to say, but it is just how I have always been. Don't get me wrong I like new clothes like rest of the female world, if someone gave me a shopping spree I would totally take it, and think that those that CAN pull off the latest fashion trends definitely have a GIFT, but I haven't a clue about fashion. No clue whats in, or whats out, or what is up and coming. My husband often makes fun of me for the fact that I chose what I'm wearing everyday based soley on its "comfort level. Maybe I have that mentality because I'm from Oregon and their style is more columbia sportswear/Northface hiking type clothes, (though I have many portland friends who are fashionistas and dress so cal) Or perhaps it's because I grew up playing soccer everyday, or spending my summers rafting, seeing as my family are river guides. Whatever it is. Southern California is the wrong place for me to be, when it comes to fashion. Its just really not something that is important to me. I will always be a t-shirt, jeans and hooded sweatshirt type of girl, with an occational out of the box clothing option, usually picked out by my husband. (I do love jackets though. That is my one clothing obsession, shout out to Jeremey's dad, who also is jacket obsessed!). At the end of the day though, When all the new fashions come sweeping through, I often find myself saying "I could never pull that off" and end up just sticking to what I know. The interesting thing is how one of my favorite shows to watch is Project Runway, hahaha. weird.

BUT ... wanna know what the funny thing is ... I Love dressing my daughter ...

Even funnier. I had always dreaded having to dress a girl someday ... I didn't dread the girl, I Love my GIRL, but the clothes ...

... Pink, frills, bows, tutus, loud colorful dresses, with animal chararters, or hearts or stars on every corner, oh my. I have found though, that it is possible to dress a girl cute without it making your eyes hurt. Neutral/ earth tones, solid colors, soft pinks, tastefull design, and no cartoony side art. This is all just a basis of opinion, so if you like these things, please don't be offended. You may not like elements that I like, and that is perfectly fine. Now, not that we have a lot of money to buy super nice clothes for a baby, but for us the more simple the better, and simple usually means cheaper, "usually", while still allowing her to look like a girl of course, and making sure she is comfortable ;) Really, we are just thankful that the Lord has provided for us to provide for our daughter, and have a little fun with it. I may not know anything about fashion but I do know that there is just something so fun about dressing a little girl in skinny jeans. A statement that I thought I would NEVER live to say. I hope I don't ruin Tatums sense of style because of my lack of it, but it will only be a matter of time before she can choose to wear whatever she wants, modestly of course ...

Here are a few pictures of items Tatum has, or the type of things I like.

Got these jeans for her receantly, and am in love with them. I want a pair for myself. Love the belt.

Dont have this but i think it is so pretty and muted and simple.

Got a jacket similiar to this for her, but without the fur. Love it. Bought it with a pen mark on the front, so we got it for cheap. We don't really care as long as she is warm in the oregon snow.

Love the softness of this pink, and the style. Maybe I'll get it on clearance someday.

Tatum has these boots and Loves them. They never fall off and keep her nice and cozy!

Tatum has several of these little shirts. They are so simple, colorful and clean and go with anything. My type of style!

Baby Jeggings. One of my favorite buys so far. They slip on so easily and look great!

I use to have a little obsession with hats and beanies. Hope Tatum like them too. Beanies are the cutest on babies! If they can manage to keep them on.

A simple sandle, that stays on for the most part and is super cute. Tatum is a fan.

We have this sweatshirt, and really love it. I am a huge fan of anything that has a hood, for myself or for my baby.

little gal in her jeans and sandles.

View of the belt. Love.

It's good to be feeling good: An update on my health.

I realized, as I look back on many past blogposts, that I have forgotten to let you guys know how it is that I have being doing health wise lately. You may be asking ...

"Are you healed? cuz it sure looks like you have been doing a lot of "up and about" activities lately." The answer: No, I'm not healed.

or you may be asking. "Have you been exaggerating in the past as to how sick you are?" The answer: No, no exaggeration.

or, you may be thinking "Has anything changed at all?" The answer: Yes, it has, let me tell you about it.

In the past 5 months or so, I have been feeling BETTER. All Glory to the Lord, it was nothing I did. At the beginning of the summer, I started to feel like the the physical pressure that constantly wracks my head with dizziness and disorientation began to lighten a bit. I no longer consistantly feel like I have been drugged and beaten over the head while traveling on a small boat in the ocean while sitting on a marry-go-round. Sounds drastic, but this was an everyday, every moment type of feeling. In this new season I have been more capable and able to go out and do "normal" people things. This is something I have prayed for for years! There have even been moments or days where my sickness was not even thought about. THAT IS HUGE!!! I am rarely in my wheelchair anymore, I take a lot more walks, am able to hold normal to semi normal conversations with people, haha, and don't ALWAYS have to be sitting down to ensure I don't fall over. Most importantly, I am am able to spend time with my family doing more fun activities outside the house, I can play with daughter, go on dates with my husband, and you get the picture. It really has been a very VERY blessed and cherished season. Jeremey and I have to remind ourselfs daily to thank the Lord for each moment that I am feeling well. Believe it or not, it is EASY to forget how bad things really were.

Now before you get ahead of yourself and think that everything is all fine and dandy over here, I must tell you, that I am still very much sick. I can do the above mentioned activities, yes, for the most part, BUT I still take medication daily, and still have to take things very slow. My days are very OFF and ON. Some will be great, and the next day I will feel like I need to be in the hospital. And somedays I just have to take it hour by hour. My symptoms can change THAT fast. But all things considered, having good days AND bad days is better than just always having BAD days, right? If this is just a season, then praise the Lord for the season of good/better health, but if it is a definite turning point in my illness towards an overall healthier body, then praise the Lord for that too. No matter what happens, I want to remain thankful.