7 years as Husband and Wife

Today Chris and I celebrate 7 years of marriage…. we’ve added another year to our love story. The time seems to be just speeding by and the bad days blur into the good ones and another week, month and year go by. But each day I am grateful to this man who picked me to share his life with. And every day I pick him over again. I am happy to choose him as my best friend, my support system and my husband. Still humbled that he chooses me too.

I just want to take this chance to tell him thank you. For trying so hard to really know the real me and love me for who I am. For struggling with me as a team through the hard parts. For doing his best to be my husband. I am so happy by his side…sharing life with him means everything to me.

We have come so far in 7 years together… learning and growing and changing and succeeding and making mistakes and trying again. But the most important thing is that we’re doing it together. That’s the best part…having his hand close by to hold in many different ways: to support, being playful, in prayer, on road trips, while falling asleep, while surrounded by people and while we’re alone, in contentment and in struggle. But always there. I am so in love with this man.

I love you to life, Chris.

My new camera

My sweet husband decided that now was the right time to buy me a new camera. I have a hard time making big purchases like that, but he insisted. He said he didn’t want me to keep him from giving to me. He was right, and so kind. He’s so good to me.

I’ve been rocking all my sessions with my friend Marta’s old old backup camera with 8 megapixels since 2010. It really was time for an upgrade! After a lot of research and back and forth between the full frame Canon 6D and the 70D (which would still work with my current lenses) we went with the 70D. Its my early anniversary present.

I was so excited that we were able to make the purchase of the camera, plus the amazing 85mm lens just before my first wedding shoot of the season. It came in the mail and I was so excited to open it! Chris grabbed my phone and took a picture of me with the box, and then (without me realizing it) kept taking pictures while I opened it.

I guess you could say I was a little bit excited about my new equipment! Using these new tools I’ll be able to further my photography, learn and grow and improve in my skills. So thankful to this husband of mine.

Here is the first picture I took with my camera…my favorite ever-ready subject: Gibson.

This lens is like butter. I can’t wait to utilize this lens in my future portrait work.

What is one of your favorite gifts you’ve been given?
Do you have a favorite piece of equipment you work with?
Yay for good husbands!!

My dearest husband

Chris, I have been thinking a lot lately about our love, and the reasons why it works so dang well and why I love you. There are so many reasons that come to mind, but I wanted to write some down…I wanted to tell you.

I love you because you are my friend first. We genuinely liked each other as people before we became anything romantic, and so in many situations I find myself asking “What would a best friend do in this situation?” A lot of times the answer is “A best friend would let him sleep.” I think we’re both a lot happier when we’ve had enough sleep, and that lets us be better friends and the best marriage mates to each other.

I love you for saying yes to so many of my ideas, and for fully committing to them and helping me see them through. And for supporting me when I get doubts and you have to remind me that I am capable and strong and worthy. You are the best partner, and I love the life that we have created together. I am amazed by the adventures we have and the new things we try and the joy that we find in every day. I love how we make decisions, little ones or big ones. We are so in sync. Its how we choose to see things, and we look at life the same way. I am reminded of a favorite quote of mine: “Love is not to just look at one another, but to look together in the same direction.”

I love you for wanting to get healthy with me and going on this journey together. We have made such amazing progress and I know that its completely changed our feelings about food and that we’ll take the changes we’ve made with us for the rest of our life. Food has been a huge part of our relationship these last 7 years…and you’re the best cook. But now we don’t live to eat anymore; the food we eat fuels the amazing life we get to share. And we feel so much better about ourselves. There is nothing sexier than that!

I love you because of your heart. One of the first things I fell for was your eyes…you have the kindest eyes. And they speak so loudly about your heart and the person that you are. You are kind and giving and hardworking; you are smart and skilled and passionate; you are spontaneous and joyous and full of life. I love who you are. And I love the part of you that you only share with me. It has been such an amazing privilege to truly get to know your heart and cherish it. You gave it to me to care for, and I’m never letting it go. Promise.

So, thank you Chris, for being my best friend, my husband, my support and my inspiration. I love our love and the life we have together. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.

I love you to life.
Your Shai

#blogtember

Day 10 Prompt: Write a public love letter to someone.

Lifestyle shoot with Whitney Lane Photography

My cousin and fellow photographer Whitney of Whitney Lane Photography was kind enough to spend some time with us the day of our 6th anniversary and shoot some special portraits for us. We wanted to capture the moment of our anniversary and also celebrate our progress with our health and the changes we’d made together. I got the images last week and am so pleased with them. I ordered some large prints that just came in and I can not wait to hang them up in our home!

Here are some of our favorites.

I am so grateful to Whitney and glad to have had the opportunity to celebrate in this way…these images capture us so well. Take a peek at Whitney’s blog post here, too. Thanks so much Whit. I love how you captured our love.

How do you celebrate your anniversary or special occasions?
Is photography something you cherish?

Just a little bit less…

A few months ago something clicked inside me…it felt like the body that I inhabit wasn’t really mine. It felt like something I was stuck inside and being weighed down by. I knew it had to change…I knew we had to change. Our bad eating habits and lack of exercise had brought us both to this point. As my health started to become a real issue, and Chris was in constant pain we decided to make a change.

With encouragement from a family member we decided to give the HCG program a try. We had seen good results that others were having and thought this might be just the thing to jumpstart our weight loss and be the catalyst to the healthy lifestyle we were desperate for.

And it was exactly what we needed. Using the HCG program we were able to loose 75lbs together and 17.5” total each. And it has completely changed the way we look at food. We still enjoy food and enjoy cooking together, but its not the focus…it’s the fuel that enables us to do everything else we want to do in life together.

We wanted to share some before and after pictures of our journey so far. These are before and after the HCG program. We’ve still have work to reach our goals…but these progress pictures are so encouraging!

We are headed in the right direction now…making better choices about food and what we put into our bodies. We are conscious of what we take in instead of eating without thinking and just because its easy, like before. It is possible for food to be healthy and convenient…it just takes some pre-planning and better shopping. We have discovered some new amazing recipes that I know will remain our favorite meals for a long time.

And the best part of this has been doing it together. We have always been a great team, but to see that teamwork applied to getting healthy has made me cherish it even more. We encourage each other and care for each other and that’s what going to be the most important thing moving forward. Caring for ourselves and each other. I love Chris so much, and I want us both to be healthy together for a long long time.

This is just the beginning…we still have a ways to go to reach our goals, but the difference this time than any other times we’d tried to loose weight in the past, is that its beyond that. Its not just about the weight…its about life. Living better lives; healthier lives. We have altered our approach to life and it feels so good. I’m taking back my body…claiming it as my own again. Making my body do what I want, not being limited by what my body will let me do. Feeling beautiful in my own skin.

Chris and Shaina 6 years of marriage

We have added another year to our love story… it still blows me away that we have already been married for six years. I love that all of my memories these last few years have included Chris. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are best friends and have so much fun just being together.

This weekend we are up in Summerland, BC Canada. My dad put us up in the Waterfront Resort again…the same he got for us a couple nights on our honeymoon. And its just perfect timing because its is the District Convention in Penticton this weekend, so all of my Canadian family is here. Tonight they had a special steak dinner for us to celebrate. It felt so good to be surrounded by family and friends on this special day.

We woke up early, exchanged cards and started in on our yearly tradition of saying “Happy Anniversary” to each other way more times than is normal for any other couple. Hehe. We had a great day at the convention. Then my cousin Whitney of Whitney Lane Photography did a mini anniversary photoshoot for us on the dock of the lake. It was so fun being in front of her camera together. So glad her and Kel were able to come over for the weekend too. And then we had a special dessert treat to end the evening.

It has been a weekend and anniversary to remember. I can’t wait to spend the next year and the rest of my life with this guy. Being married to Chris means beginning and ending each day with someone I love. It means knowing there is someone who understands and who’s always there for me. I’m really grateful for the life we share…I’m really grateful for him.

It makes me uncomfortable

I was born deaf in my left ear. When I was little my mum realized it when she would go to whisper to me and I’d turn my head all the way around so I could hear her. And all my life I have made adjustments like that…made choices to compensate for not being able to hear.

I would always try to sit near the front of the class and on the left side, then I could hear the teacher and my classmates. Choosing where to sit at the dinner table, especially when going out to eat was always important. I often wonder if I seem rude by staking my claim on a particular chair…but I hate explaining why.

I love going to the movies, but we don’t go that often. I find it hard to justify spending that much money on something I’m only going to get 75% of, if that. Its just easier to wait and watch with captions. Talking on the phone when other people around me are talking is difficult too. My good ear strains to hear their conversations, making it hard to focus on what I’m hearing from the phone. I still keep the habit of sitting near the front at meetings so that I can read lips and catch what I can’t hear.

I didn’t even realize that I was reading lips until about 5 years ago when I had my hearing tested again. In a little box being asked to repeat the words I was hearing…I thought I was rocking it out! Then the lady who was administering the test realized what was going on and put the paper up to cover her mouth. It was drastic the difference it made. Now I make sure to look at people when they are talking so that I can be sure to catch what they say.

But really, I’m not complaining. It is what it is and I have adapted quite well when I stop to think about it. I learned ASL because of my hearing loss and it has been such a gift.

The thing about my disability that makes me uncomfortable is other people’s reactions…

All my life I have been told that I’m too loud. “Shaina you talk too loud.” “God, you laugh so loud!” “Can’t you be quieter?”

And it makes me really uncomfortable. Makes me uneasy sometimes and feel like I can’t just be myself. Makes me wonder what everyone else thinks too.

But I explain it this way: you know when someone is listening to headphones and then they try to talk? They talk way louder than is needed because their perception is skewed. You know what I mean? It’s the same for me…I have no proper gage for what my voice sounds like compared to my surroundings. And that makes others uncomfortable, which makes me uncomfortable. Which is unfortunate.

Perhaps I’m just too sensitive. I don’t know…. I do know that this is one of the reasons why Chris saying he loved my laugh made such an impression on me. He loved me then for who I am, despite my apparent loudness, and he loves me still.

I feel comfortable with him. Isn’t that what love is all about?

“Blog Every Day in May” challenge. Day 3: Things that make you uncomfortable.

The days that make you smile

I have had a some really great ones lately…days that make me smile so hard my cheeks hurt and pray in thanks of the wonderful ways that God makes things happen.

I am grateful for goose bump moments and connections that you never thought you’d make. For phone calls that change the momentum and direction of life and bring everything into perspective. For visits with family and generous gifts that make a hard thing a little bit easier. And for new glasses….they’re not ‘rose-colored’ but things sure do look brighter as I look through them.

Incredible opera productions are making me happy, and time spent with friends, and the beginning of spring, and eating amazing food, and coming home to a little bit of a lawn started in the backyard. I love grandma’s that bring little puppies new toys and work opportunities that speak to my heart. I savor the chance the slow down and take it all in for just a moment and write about it…these days that make me smile, and…

The way he loves me through it all.

Sleep Talking Husband

I’ve been saving up some great new quotes from Chris sleep talking to add to my collection and share with you. Man, he just makes me laugh so hard! Here are a few of the best recent ones.

“A wookie’s favorite store is Pier1 Imports. They love all the baskets.”

“They just can’t be magical if you don’t butter them!”

“They gotta stop that! The cats keep digging up all the potatoes before they’re ready. I’m sure they’re not even that hungry.” 

Too funny, right?! I think he’s a keeper.

We went out for breakfast

Celebrating another beautiful Saturday together.

This is our favorite little café in Soap Lake where we love to go for breakfast. The coffee is great and they have awesome homemade hash browns. We used to come here a lot, but we haven’t been eating out at all lately. We saved up a few pennies here and there this month to have a treat and went out this morning for breakfast. Makes it feel like a special celebration. Love this guy and savor spending time with him. 

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Do you have a special diner that you frequent?
How are you celebrating today?

The highlight of my weekend

The ELEPHANT RIDE!!

I am still just giddy about being able to go for my elephant ride at the Grant County Fair on Friday night. And the coolest part was that we were there so late in the day that I got to ride by myself! My elephant’s name was Debbie and she was a little rascal. She spotted a pop can that was the trainer’s and stole it when he wasn’t looking, then dumped it out and hid it! She was really playful.

And here’s the video that Chris took for me to share with you all!

I have loved elephants since I was 13 and have quite a collection, but I’ve never been this close to one before. Its something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m so glad that we went to the fair and I got a chance.

After visiting the elephants for awhile we headed over to carry on our fair tradition and ride the Farris Wheel. We had our first kiss at a fair after a Farris Wheel ride 6 years ago, so its special to us.

We walked around for awhile together taking in all the sights, watching the other rides and listening to the music. And then Chris treated me to my very first Funnel Cake. We shared its yummy, sugary goodness as we headed to see the animals asleep in there pens. There were some HUGE pigs and the lamas were pretty cute. This is turning into one of the greatest summers we’ve spent together. I’m glad we’re going and doing things together when we can, while still spending as little money as possible. I’m pretty proud of that. I hope you all are enjoying and savoring and celebrating these summer days.

Have you ever rode an elephant?
What’s your favorite part of the fair?
Is there a ride you still love going on?

Sleep Talking Husband

He’s been at it again!! I’ve got a little note in my phone full of the funny things Chris has been saying lately in his sleep. There are some great ones, so I just had to share. See his first round of sleep talking quotes here.

“You can’t just fart and walk away like that. You have to savor your work!”

“We need toilet paper slaves…like little muppets in chains who deliver toilet paper to wherever they are summoned.”

“You’ve got to use the force…it will make your head shrink though. All Jedi have small heads.”

That last one is my favorite!! I laughed so hard I could barely write it in my phone! I took my own advice and started keeping track of the good ones that he comes up with. And then in the morning I tell him what he said and we laugh even harder. It’s a fun way to start the day.

Does your loved one talk in their sleep?
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard someone say?

And since this post is about my guy I thought I’d share a couple pictures we took together last weekend. The first one was a total fluke, as demonstrated by the second, not in focus shot. Its hard to get 2 people in focus with a 50mm lens taking the picture yourself. But I just love them both. I just love him.

What Marriage Teaches

Tonight Chris and I headed to Wentachee to have dinner with his parents for their 32nd wedding anniversary. As we sat around the table at our favorite restaurant I asked a simple, but profound question that had us talking for quite awhile on the subject of marriage and love and what it means to have a partner for life.

I asked: “What have you learned from your years of marriage?”

Mom started things off. She said that in 32 years she had learned that if she wanted to be happy, her husband needed to be happy. And that its important to remember, if you need to lean on your husband, you have to prop him up good too. I loved her reference to the give and take within a partnership.

Dad went next. And in typical Dad fashion (he’s a bit of a booger), he said that he had “learned the importance” of folding his socks. Not that he does. Which indicates the level of importance to him…he knows Mom will fold them for him after she picks them up from the arm rest of his chair. But Mom went on to defend him saying that he is sometimes a good listener and if she asks he will unload the dishwasher and take out the trash. Sounds like they’ve got a system.

And then it was my husband’s turn. We’ve been married only 5 years in comparison to his parent’s 32, but I think we have things of value that we’ve learned too. He took a deep breath, and paused, thinking on the question. His mom started to assume what he was going to say, but I stopped her… I explained that when Chris pauses like that it means he values the topic and wants to think before he answers. Its something I admire greatly about him. He then went on to say that the thing he has learned from our marriage was most importantly to be a good listener followed closely by choosing your words carefully, along with your battles.

We then talked a bit about the words we use with each other and the importance of communication. Mom and Dad quoted Thumper from the movie Bambi saying: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” But I interjected that sometimes, the hard things need to be said. Its better to have those conversations then to let the hurt fester and cause more problems.

And then it was my turn. The thing I have learned from my marriage is that the best thing is always the kind thing. The Bible says that love is kind, so I always try to show my love for Chris through kindness. And sometimes, kind isn’t what the other person wants to hear. Like when Chris says he wants to stop at Dairy Queen…it’s the kind thing to make a different suggestion. It is also the kind thing to give him space when he needs to clear his head and not take it personally. And to buy the type of toothpaste that I know he likes.

We had a lovely evening with them. I value the example they set as a loving husband and wife team. I look forward to celebrating 32 years of marriage with my Chris.

What have you learned from your marriage or relationship?
Is there a piece of advice someone gave you that just stuck with you?

Outfit pictures…yeah, really.

This is the post with pictures taken by kind friends who took a crash course in digital SLR camera photography of me and my husband who was kind enough to pose every morning for pictures to prove how cute we are. Yeah...he's a keeper. And he’s so handsome!

Pictured is my my cute stripped maxi skirt that I was so excited to finally find and the dress that Chris calls my “marble dress.” I got both at Burlington Coat Factory for like $12 each. Seriously. I love that store! And the bottom dress is the one I got last summer for my sister’s wedding from Ruche. It’s pretty much as comfy as wearing my pj’s.

We had a lovely weekend away for the annual District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is a 3-day gathering full of scriptural information. This year's theme was "Safeguard Your Heart" based on Proverbs 4:23. We stayed with friends and ate some terrible food and I wrote so many notes my hand is still cramped. It was a hard few days physically, but the spiritual encouragement we received helped me to focus on the blessings God gives and the right heart condition to move forward facing trials. It was a great 3 days.

So there you have it, my first “outfit post.” I’m looking forward to trying some Vivienne McMaster-inspired self-portraits with my new skirt.

Do you have a favorite skirt or dress?
Where do you like to go shopping?

A summer adventure

This summer Chris and I have created a manifesto so that we remember to do all the things we want to this summer and make new memories together. We came up with a lot of fun things to incorporate. And this week we took one and turned it into an evening adventure.

We decided to go night swimming at the lake! We had dinner, watched a movie and then decided spontaneously to just go. So glad we did.

It was a quiet night on the lake…we watched the sun go down on the drive over and had the swimming section to ourselves. We swam around in the (cold to Chris, I’m Canadian remember ) water and watched the moon rise over the lake. And took some pictures to remember of course.

We’re happy for a new summer memory, and checking something off of our list. Look for upcoming posts sharing more of what we’ve been up to this summer and how our manifesto is looking!

Did you make a summer manifesto this year?
Have you completed anything on it yet?
What is your favorite summer adventure?