I realized I haven't posted in a very long time, which is since the proposal! I guess a lot has happened since then, and I won't go into details but will kind of highlight how things are going right now.
After the proposal, Iris stayed for about another week in California. We went to Napa Valley for some wine tasting the day after, and then did some grocery shopping to buy food for the week. During the week I had to work, but since I don't live that far away, I came home for lunch every day to eat with Iris and then went back to work afterward. Iris would then make dinner for us when I got back from work and we spent the rest of the night just hanging out. Actually, for a few nights we worked on a little project and made a stop motion "Save the Date" video also! It was a lot of fun and took a lot of work, but the video turned out great! We will be emailing the video to our guests once we get the list finalized and everyone's email addresses.
Iris left the following Monday and I took her to the train station that goes to the SFO airport. I was left pretty sad and distraught, especially since I had to go back to work afterward, but eventually I was comforted in the fact that I would see her again in just a couple weeks. The next few weeks in California I was actually able to spend a lot of time with my co-workers, played golf a few times in addition to playing in a company wide golf outing called the "Lone Star Tournament" where I won a free wedge at the raffle!
Most recently, I just came back from visiting Iris in NJ this past weekend. I took 2 vacation days and took a red-eye flight (overnight flight which arrives in the morning) Wednesday night and arrived in NJ Thursday morning. I had just an amazing time with Iris and also with her parents, who are really encouraging and loving toward me. I just felt really blessed and I felt it was also a spiritual blessing to be around Iris' parents (who are Christians) as well as her friends in NJ and at her church. It was almost a reminder to me to keep pressing on even though it's extremely difficult while I'm here by myself in California and to keep trusting in God and having faith in him. It was a great reminder that I can't rely on myself, and I need to depend on God.
So now I'm back in California for a couple weeks before heading off to Michigan for Labor Day weekend. I have to say that after getting engaged and spending time with Iris this past weekend has really affirmed in my heart that Iris and I are meant to be together. It's really hard being apart and to be here by myself, but I'm encouraged to know that we are moving closer and closer to one day being together forever. It's also an encouragement to me to continue to grow in my faith, because being with Iris has really pushed me to continue to seek God and not be complacent about where I am spiritually. It has helped me to continually ask myself where I lack faith and lack Jesus in my life, and how I can learn to trust and rely on him more, and to hopefully one day become a loving husband who pursues holiness and righteousness. I would definitely say that without our relationship, I would not be as spiritually in tune and would probably be a lot lazier and lack self-discipline. The amazing thing about marriage is that it's God's primary method of sanctification, using our differences to expose our weaknesses, and so we can use each other to continually press on toward the prize in Jesus Christ.
Hopefully if you're reading this and going back to Ann Arbor soon, I will see you either 8/31 or 9/1 when I am in Ann Arbor!
Blessings,
James
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