The love of my life

Not to embarress Ryan or make him feel uncomfortable, but I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be marrying such an amazing man. Ryan has always been there for me. It doesn't matter if I'm in the best mood or the very worst, he's ALWAYS there showing me love and appreciation. He's so deliberate about doing anything he can to help other people, and he's got the best sense of humor out there! He's so kind and compassionate, and he's such a generous soul. He'd give the clothes off his back to anyone in need. He's so incredibly bright (which I could tell since day 1). He asks such good questions and thinks things through so well. He's such a responsible person and so incredibly dependenable. He's the most amazing man. He always inspires me to appreciate the little things in life and to always stop and smell the roses. He's always trying to better himself and learn new things. He always makes me laugh and his quick wit never ceases to amaze me. He's the most loving, kind, considerate, amazing person I've ever met. I can't believe how lucky I am to be spending the rest of my life with my best friend.
I know this was all really sappy... don't judge me. I just love him a whole bunch!

~ Kelly

Making a house into a home

As stated in my last post, I don't want our place to just be a house; I want it to be a home. Lately, I've been observing what exactly makes a house feel more welcoming and homey (other than the people). What I've found is that it's usually the little things. Family pictures on the walls, indoor plants, home made knick knacks, etc. So, in preparation for our own home, I've been making a lot of things we will use in order to make our place feel more homey. I've been making quilts, afghans, pot holders, christmas ornaments (yes, I know it's early), and things like that. There's something so rewarding to stitch a quilt and think about how one day you'll use this same blanket to wrap your children in on a cold winter night, or perhaps after they've had a bad dream. It's nice to be able to provide for my future family, even if it is small and insignificant. Then again, as I said before, it's the small things that make a house a home.

~Kelly

Hospitality

As we prepare to make the barn into our very first apartment together, I've been thinking a lot about what kind of home I would want us to have. God has been teaching me a lot about the importance and beauty of hospitality over the past few years, and it's really made me think about how I want it incorporated into our home.
I've learned these past few years that having a house that feels like a home to everyone who enters it is a wonderful blessing. I want so badly for everyone who enters our home to feel warm and safe and nurtured. I've had the awesome experience of that in other homes before, and sometimes it is the most refreshing experience you could have. When you feel tired and emotionally spent; when you feel lonely or scared; sometimes all you need is to step into an environment that just seems to reach out and hug you. To sit on someone's cozy couch sipping tea and talking can be the best form of comfort and reassurance. I want to offer that to people so badly. I want our home to be their home-- even if it is for just a few hours. I want it to be a safe haven for the tired and far from home.
I've been given such a gift before, and now it's my turn to give that same hospitality and inspiration to others.

~Kelly