Old stories, new insights

Have you ever read a story that you've heard a million times but this time for some reason something totally new pops out that you've never noticed.

Well, that happened to me this week. I started listening to a dramatized reading of the New Testament on my way to work, side note... there's nothing like hearing Morgan Freemen quote God. Well, between the sheep bahhhing (or however you spell their noise) and the noise of the crowd I noticed something in the story of the three wise men I've never thought about.

They were considered pagans compared to the Jewish audience reading the account of Matthew, but when they had a vision, a vision that Christian's might say was from God, they listened and then obeyed it. They were suppose to return to the ruling king of the land and inform him of Baby Jesus' where abouts but the vision instructed them to go a different route, to disobey the king, and to sneak out. Not a smart move to tick off a king when you're a foreigner in his land, this took some serious guts on their part.

The king soon realized theses three guys had skipped town and takes a less delicate approach to removing the so called "king of the Jews" they had come to visit. He simply ordered the death of all the Baby boys in the land.

It may be because the recording I was listening to had screams and dramatization at this point, or because I had just left my own 6 month old son at home, but the part of the King killing the baby boys slapped me in the face.

These three guys obeyed God and because of that baby boys were killed.

I've heard people say doing what's right is tough, but this is nonsense.

Is doing what's right instigating the massacre of innocent lives? Is doing what's right abandoning the helpless? Is doing what's right instigating trouble?

Right and wrong are only determined by the point of view from which you're looking. From the storyline in which you're using to make sense of the moments that string together around you to be called life.

When we read the story of these baby boys from a limited view of the mothers watching them die, this is awful, and, well... a list of other words I can't bring my self to process as I think of this being my own son.  These murders are simply incomprehensible.

But if we can force ourselves to read not only this story, but also our lives, from the larger story of God the incomprehensible action against these boys are caught in the redemptive recusing of not only the brothers and sisters of these boys, but of their parents and neighbors and of the generations to come... and of the guards who carried out such deeds.

The actions done to these boys is unspeakable, but the wise man allowed it to happen so that the baby they visited would one day become a man, a man who could look at the face of evil, the evil that stirred the heart of a king to kill sons not yet walking, and defeat that evil. To say your reign of terror has been marked with an end date. And from this time on people will choose to live against such evil and one day, one blessed and hopeful day, that baby who was spared, grew up, and defeated evil will return and wipe away all the tears, and put all the wrongs right.

So today as I think of the wrongs around me, of the wrongs that shouldn't happen, of the 8th graders who commit suicide, of the oppression and injustice that still live in the world today I squeeze the hands of the mothers of the babies killed in the story, and of the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers who through out history who have watched evil move and joining hands with all of history I look forward to the day that all wrongs are made right and every tear is wiped, and every incomprehensible is no more and when obedience to good seals the tomb to disobedient evil.

To that day I look, come Lord Jesus Come.

Not 20 anymore....

So I'm sitting at the chiropractors listening to some odd 80's music while a sweet older lady talks to customers on the phone. The room looks like most waiting rooms, stacks of magazines, fake plants and people trying their hardest to avoid eye contact.

Lovely I say. Just lovely.

In 1998 I fractured two vertebra in my lower back. This little accident was no little recovery. It put me in the bed, a brace, and pain for months. But I healed and went back to being a normal high school boy.... thinking I was invincible.

Well, after a normal lazy Saturday of activity I found out I'm no longer invincible. I now can't decide to go for a 3 mile run, hike some and play multiple rounds of disc golf. This lite day has now given me some heavy pains, some pains that come with some heavy bills.

During my whining, moaning, and hobbling along my wife kindly stated "you know, you're not 20 anymore you know"

I wanted to punch her... but I'd obviously never do that... so I just didn't talk to her for a few hours (well done Matt, way to pout!)

I realized things happen, and given enough time the bad things we think will never happen may actually happen. We think we'll never need insurance, a backup disk, a back up plan, or in this case back up sick days. We believe, or at least I believe, that people will always do the right thing, the honoring thing, the good thing. But as much as I love living in my optimistic worldview there comes a time to look at reality and say "I'm not 20 any more."

Over the past few weeks I've talked with a husband who was signing his divorce papers, parents who's child was just taken advantage of by someone they never thought would, students whose "extracurricular activities" got them expelled and denied from their dream jobs, people asking how their pants can't button because of the extra pounds, and a slew of other things.

Things happen, things change and many of us will never recognize they have until it's too late.

So as I am now waiting for the doc to snap crackle and pop my spine so the numbness in my butt will go away I'm asking what else is changing in my life.

Where do I need to pause and take an honest look at?

How is my marriage really?

How is my weight, my eating habits?

How's my soul care?

Have I really talked with my family as often as I'd like?

Is my debt and spending heathy?

Are the values I claim to hold actually being lived? How would my wife, co-workers, and friends answer that?

Things change. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad.

I'm not 20 anymore and I can actually throw my back out, but lets be aware and intentional so we don't throw out something that can't be popped back into place.

Ps... I'm now in traction and being stretched like a Medieval torture table, but oh does it feel good.

the passing of time...

The other night I thought I'd try a creative project. You know one of those projects you really don't have time for but you're really not in the mood to do the things you really should be doing so you gladly invite additional work as a short lived aversion to the more important task before you.

Don't act like you don't do this!

Well my project was to try and use HDR (high dynamic range) photography to capture a sunset. HDR photographs take an odd number of pictures (usually 3-7 pictures) and compresses them into one, so you get the best single photograph possible. The images are a couple of examples from this evening.

I climbed out onto the roof, set up a fisheye lens on a tripod, and then let it snap a series of 5 images every 30 seconds. This started as the sun was approaching the horizon and we captured images all the way till it was dark (roughly 4 hours later).

This experiment taught me a few things, first capturing 10 pictures every minute for 4 hours gives you way too many pictures.  Second, compressing these photos into 148 single images takes some serious time, but most importantly even with all this time invested the video is still too short to actually mean anything.

I invested 8 hours or more in the making of this silly thing and at the end of the day I think it's still lame.

I've seen some amazing HDR time lapse videos over the past year. Videos that are jaw dropping and inspiring. But my video, all 8 hours of investment, is not so. I'm realizing the amazing videos are not 8 hours of work, but hundreds of hours of work. Not 1400 photos but a hundred thousand photos.
My 8 hours and 1400 photos produced no movement, or point, or climax, or resolution. It's just clouds moving with some music and nothing happens.

If we're honest life has these moments. Moments where you feel you've given a really good effort to something but what you're getting in return is just junk, just meaningless effort.

I'm realizing our lives need time. Our visions and dreams need time to them, lots of time. They need more then what we think they do for something of meaning, lasting meaning, to really happen.

What would happen to marriages if we all took not a short view but a crazy long view, a view that said this story is gonna develop over decades not years. What would happen to our children if we committed to a story longer then just "this season" of life? What would happen to relationships with co-workers, neighbors, family members if we saw the current tension or stress or aggravation as just part of the big story?

At the end of my creative project I realized it's just not worth it to me to invest what it takes to make an amazing video.

But when I think of my marriage, my son, my work, it is worth the investment, it is worth the years and hours and seasons necessary to make something amazing of it.

So if you feel you've given enough and it's time to cash in your chips to see what you get, Don't! Keep pushing, keep investing, keep on keeping on. Cause the world doesn't need another lame excuse for a video, or more importantly a lame excuse for a marriage, a family, a career.

Your life is capable of something amazing. Don't stop short.

Seth & Liz

Life has an unique way of turning strangers into friends and the funny thing is when you can't remember how you meet in the frist place.

Seth is one of those people for me.

I know that Seth and I knew each other before the summer of 2010, but how or why I can't remember. But I do know that it was in the summer of 2010 he became a friend. That summer I was responsible for launching the Student ministry at our Lancaster city campus, as well as back filling for an empty staff position we had on our student min team, as well as finishing the 22 weddings we had booked for the year, and because we were crazy trying to maintain a full course load in our masters program.

2010 was the year I truly learned how to delegate and how close to insanity I can go without being forced into the fetal postions rocking back and forth while sucking my thumb.

Seth interned that dreaded summer for me and simply knocked it out of the park. His creativity, work ethic and personality was a delightful fit for our team. I had dreams of him interning through the school year but he was determined to leave us and Lancaster for a school in Philly.

Seth would go on to intern 2 more summers with me, but more importantly he would go to Philly and not only discover life in a new way but also discover one he would later call the love of his life.

During one of our random school year breakfasts he shared that there was a girl now in his life. Interesting I thought, as he spoke of her his face couldn't contain the smile and his emotions oozed from his non-verbals.

Liz went from being "a girl I know" to a girl friend, to a fiancee and as of this summer his wife.

Seth and Liz bestowed on me the amazing honor of co-officiating their wedding with Liz's Dad. And as a gift Pearl and I photographed their first look and some formals, while Seth's old LIFE group (or small group leader at church) photographed their ceremony.

Their wedding was beautiful, the colors vibrant, the mood delightful and the love put on display real.

Pearl and I were honored to be a part of their day but more importantly to be a part of their lives.

Seth and Liz now volunteer at LCBC city campus with me and as more time is put into their marriage the more real I see their love and relationship being. They simply are the real thing.

Thank you Seth and Liz for sharing your life and love with Pearl and I, we love you guys.

Here's a few of my favorite pics from the day.

Vision vs. Victim

This past week our LIFE group (our small group from church) started a new book together called “Deadly Viper Character assassins.” It focuses around one’s character and the assassins that can cause one’s character to crumble and fail. I simply LOVE THIS BOOK. The assassin we read about this past week was the assassin of “Character Creep.” This is where nothing major or huge or earth shattering happens to destroy your character but where small tiny unassuming choices slowly erode and weaken ones character to its breaking point. Like termites in a house or a million paper cuts, it’s nothing major but a million minor things that bring you down.

As our group shared and discussed my soul was haunted by the state of exhaustion, frustration, and negativity that has slowly built. As I reflected on the past few months I realized that my character had not fallen, I had no moral issues to address, but that I had slowly allowed myself to move from the place of vision for my life and schedule to the place of victim. 

I have averaged an additional 15+ hours a week for the past 2 months at work getting ready for our fall launch, extra “fun and life giving” responsibilities, and just wanting to be excellent at what I do. All motives where good, my wife was supportive and understanding, I can honestly justify the hours, but it was not right. These hours were minor negative baby steps in my character, my role as a husband, as a father, and as a leader in my own life. 

Some how I had allowed myself to move from the place of Vision in my schedule, of starting my day knowing what I must be about, what I must accomplish, what work must be done, what is most important, to a place of victim. Being victim to the million little request that can come your way. The tiny request from work, friends, family, neighbors, the million little things that in and of themselves are good and holy but cumulative are negative and eroding to one’s most important values. 

After last week’s LIFE group Pearl and I spent most of Saturday morning sitting together. We asked, wrested with, and answered. 

What are the top relationships in our lives? 

What needs to have top priority in our life?

What do we feel we must be about right now? 

We then took these reflections and committed to stop being victims of our calendar and to be visionaries with it. 

Starting with a blank weekly calendar we started blocking out when the most important must occur. - When will I do what only I can do, and play with Zion as his daddy? - When will our family sit down and be together? - Will meal sharing be apart of our family? - When will Pearl have her free time to do whatever she wants? When will I? - How do we want to take care of ourselves? - Our sleep? - Exercise? - Mediations and time with Jesus? - House chores? - Connection with friends? - Play? - Rest? - When must I start work and when must I finish? 

Starting with what must be done the calendar filled. 

So today is day three of this new schedule, of trying to be a visionary for my life and not a victim. 

Of knowing that if you want to have dinner with us or us with you, it’ll be pushed to a Monday night, cause if it creeps to a Tuesday or Thursday you’re becoming more important then my son, my wife, my marriage, my sanity. 

Of knowing that when 4 o’clock hits on Monday I need to leave the office, even if I feel more must be done, cause if I don’t I’m saying that email is more important then showing my son and wife I love and like them.

But also of knowing that when the alarm rings, that snooze, that flippin snooze button must not be hit because if I do I’m saying sleep is more important then my sanity, my family, my life, my personal disciplines.

Knowing what is most important, what the vision of life is, has made this week, this week that still has it’s huge work load, stresses and demands not just bearable, but enjoyable. 

Again, I’m only 3 days in, but at least I’m three days closer to where I know I want to be going. 

I’m three days of exercise, of walking to the library with Pearl and Zi, of eating dinner as a family, of keeping work hours where they belong, of life being what we believe life should be. 

I really do hope we’re able to stay at this, and that you’re able stay with it, cause life is just to short and just too important to simply finish, we must finish well.

Less victims, more vision. 

becoming a pastor

I recently finished listening to The Pastor: a memoir by and of Eugene Peterson, who’s most known for his work with the Message translation of the Bible. 

The words and life of Eugene have been in my ears for over a month now, while in the car, while running on dirt paths and city sidewalks, while playing frisbee golf and while just sitting and being. He’s words captured me and invited me in. 

He’s words also have helped me define myself. Over the years I have searched to discover what’s my niche, my talent, my purpose. Some have said educator, creative, artist, storyteller, pastor, and a few other random things. 

Personally, I have always felt uncontrollably drawn towards the Church. Drawn when my eyes are full of wonder and amazement, drawn while my eyes are fully of disdain and rage, drawn when I believe in her and when I fear and loath her. I’ve tried other mistresses, retail for Apple, non-profit for our city, artist for an esteemed studio and yet during them all my attention, my creativity, my energy, my dreams, my heart was lulled back to the Church. 

Back to being a creator of communities known as churches. 

Back to being a creative for expressions of love. 

Back to being an educator of life. 

Back to being a storyteller of an ancient story. 

Back to being a pastor. 

A pastor. 

Never really saw myself as simply a pastor. A communicator, yeah saw that. A creative, yeah saw that one too, but a pastor, no, not that one. 

I’m still wrestling with it. 

Wrestling if I’ll own it, believe it, live it, accept it. 

There’s something glamorous about other jobs, other careers,and something so lowly, humble and hodgepodge about being “Just a pastor.” 

But today was a day of emotions. Of highs and lows and expectations and disappointments. 

In the past 24 hours I’ve: 

Celebrated with a dear friend over the job opportunity of a life time, and the blessing of the salary that comes with it.

And yet simultaneously struggled with my own jealously as we pack up an apartment we love so we can move to into a finically more responsible place. 

While packing a mom called and I listened to her cry for help in finding a home for the last of her 5 little kids. She’s being evicted soon and does not want to take her children to the local shelter. I told her I could do nothing. I then returned to packing for my move. 

Pearl and I passed Zion, our 4 month old, back and forth while dancing to our packing music to be interrupted with the news from dear friends that they had just discovered they had miscarried. We stopped dancing. We held Zi close. 

The clock ticked, boxes filled. 

As evening came I closed one part of my life and opened another. I entered a pool party  for 4th-8th graders. A world of inflatable ducks, swans, dolphins, cotton candy, grills, gaga pits, ice cream and raffles. A world of splashes, giggles, squeals, hyperactivity and play. 

I swam, splashed, laughed, ran, ate, conducted water competitions, handed out prizes, thanked volunteers, cleaned, and crashed on my coach. 

I crashed to the place I now write from. 

Yes, I’m finding myself to be a pastor. 

A pastor who in 24 hours wrestles with joys, pains, expectations, internal pride, and life. 

A pastor who shares the most common of days, has his own pride to contend, who’s invited into the darkest of life, who plays in pools, who picks up trash, who comes home and kisses his sleeping wife on the forehead, tucks in his sleeping son, takes out the dog and crashes on the couch. 

Yes, I’m finding myself becoming a pastor. 

From Haiti to Hospital

This past Sunday I found myself in the mountains of Aux Cadet Haiti in a tin roof building that resembled a chicken house more then a church. A small group of adults and students sweated, sung, and enjoyed a Sunday service together as our team of 12 learned from and experienced the beauty of this Haitian village. The rest of the day included bouncing along on rocky dirt roads, exploring primitive School houses, playing round after round of duck duck goose, smiling, laughing, and enjoying a perfect cross cultural day.

As we rolled into our host home for the evening my cell phone was turned on for the nightly round of updating text to families back in the states. But much to my surprise my phone light up with messages, missed phone calls, voicemails and the overwhelming sense that something big was happening back home.

Something big to MY FAMILY!

Over the previous days we had heard of the horrible child slavery issues for Rastevak children, we had visited Cholera clinics were epidemic sickness was battled for those who were carried (literally) over mountains (also a literal statement), where many would die due to lack of access to appropriate treatment, we assisted a community in building a water cistern in the attempt to provide a clean water source, and was generally exposed to the horrors of systemic poverty.

The only thing separating this life from being my life was that I happened to be born to a middle class, majority family in a nation where opportunities flourished.

The only difference was birth, a difference I had absolutely no control over.

It was with these vivid lessons in my mind as I talked to Mom across an ocean hearing that my father was en route to receive a treatment considered rare even for the most privileged in the world. My dad was being given a rare chance for a renewed life, a renewed life in a world that many never receive a descent first one to begin with.

As my emotions whirled from excited to guilt to anxiety to elation my cell whirled text and calls to parents, support staff, airline companies and family.

Due to the nature and potential volatility of our trip the choice was made for me to stay in Haiti until our students were out of all potential harm. My flight home was set for Tuesday at 3pm.

As our team returned to our host home for their last night of debriefing and packing I raced down the Haitian mountainside and through the energetic streets of a third world country. We whizzed by trucks overflowing with packed pedestrians, others with goats, past motorcycles, dump trucks and a world of faces in between. My driver was a master of the mountain and made a trip that should have taken 2 hours in just over one. As I gathered my bags to check in for my flight I said thank you both to him and to God for my safe arrive to the airport.

A quick flight up the Atlantic to Miami, a not so quick drive up the coast of Florida with a uncle who graciously picked me up (thank you again Rodney, ps it was great seeing you again) and I found myself stepping into the halls of a place I had heard of many times, thanked God for in my prayers and knew was now playing a special role in the story of my family, Mayo Clinic.

As my dusty hiking pack plopped to the floor family members throw loving arms around my neck. Jen walked me back to see my dad, who was now the proud and thankful protector of a new set of lungs and lease on life.

Dad looked amazing, well as amazing as one can after having body parts exchanged.

As he snored loud and long, something I asked if they forgot to fix while swapping out lungs, his nurse gentle stirred him a wake.

His eyes gentle opened and as they recognized his son before him grew wide and wet. We hugged, laughed, shared silly stories and simply marveled at the rare and precious gift our family had been given.

Today has been a sweet day. Uncle Ron and Aunt Connie helped to finalize housing for dad’s recovery, which is something we’re trusting God to help provide the resources for.  Jen, Pearl and I enjoyed our reunion by laughing and telling stories. Mom loved holding Zi, and Dad shared more stories about God’s amazing provision and chased hallucinations of bugs around the room, which is apparently a side effect of his anti-rejection drugs.

Being with family today has made my heart full, very full.

But as I write this I’m reminded that what we have experienced here is rare, very rare. It is not because of our planning, pedigree, our privilege, or us, it simply because of God’s provision and grace. Provision and grace that I don’t understand full why we’ve received so much of and others have not. Provision and grace that we do not what to take for granted or misplace.

Jesus, we don’t understand why you have been so good to us, we can’t rationalize or explain it, but we can simply say thank you for it. 

Fathers day… first and 29th

Today is my very first father’s day as a Dad but also my 29^th with my dad. 
So to honor this day of being a father and of having a father I would love to share 29 lessons learned with my dad that I might possibly one day share with my own son. 

So in no particular order, and there’s many more lessons to share, these are just the first ones to come to mind:

1 - Always Play! Dad would grab my sleeping bag while I was in it and sling me around and around, It was such a silly thing but I loved it! I felt like my dad was a super hero and super spontaneous, you never knew when the fun would hit. 

2 - Don’t avoid, meet. Instead of us avoiding the “crazy-lady-who-lives-in-a-school-bus-by-the-river” Dad became her friend and she became mine. Don’t get me wrong, the lady was different then most but I learned more from her then I did most people. 

3 - Model Learning. Dad has a love of learning that I find rare. He modeled reading veraciously, learning continually, and always asking questions, lots and lots of questions. 

4 - Invite your kids into projects. Dad was always starting something new. Let’s build a barn, turn a hot tub into a fish pond, use telephone poles to craft a pagoda. We didn’t know what we were often doing, but we’d figure it out together.  

5 - Go some where new. Different countries, the backroad you’ve never been down, that restaurant or the long way somewhere. Dad loved getting out of life’s ruts and seeing what’s around.  

6 - Work hard. We have spent hundred of hours sweating together, muscles aching, pushing through the point of everything in you wanting to stop. I hated it then, but its silly how much those lessons apply now.  

7 - Take time off. Dad worked hard, but he also stopped.

8 - Whatever your kids are into, do your best to be into it as well. Even if it’s the very thing you hate doing. 

9 - Give loans not money. Dad has been gracious in helping Pearl and I start life together, but he also has held us accountable. 

10 - Create time to be together. Dad owned his own pharmacy while I was at home. He created ways for us to be together even if he had to be at the store. So it might be breakfast before school or a hidden Nintendo under the counter. 

11 - Make business time family time. As I said Dad had his own store, but instead of being away from us he turned business trips into family trips. He’d sneak away in the morning but explore with us in the afternoon. Best business expense ever!

12 - Be different. Dad has always been a hippy, literally and also in his heart. So perm your hair, lay down at the lincoln monument, buy a yellow jeep. Be Different, be you. 

13 - Buy an old car. My first car was a beater, but it was amazing and I deeply miss it (oh the dream to buy it back!). The reason I loved it was not only because it was my first car but it was a father-son project we spent hours together on. 

14 - Go to late night movies. When I was in college dad would call me up and spontaneously say “meet me at the movies.”

15 - Say the hard things. Dad has a way of knowing what needs to be said, even if it’s hard. He’d say it, I’d be angry, but then I’d know he was right. 

16 - Hold accountable. If I broke the rules, Dad would break me.

17 - Model forgiveness. Dad’s been hurt by people in his life, but instead of modeling bitterness, he modeled forgiveness. 

18 - Be willing to start something. Whether it’s a food panty, a business, a second degree, a project, a family, something just start. 

19 - Take risk. Dad not only started stuff, he risked stuff. He started a business, sold a business, moved, traveled, spoke up, lead…. All very risky 

20 - Serve others. Dad started a “honey-do” group with our church to help elderly / single ladies who didn’t have a “Honey to do” their chores. He served them, the community, people he liked, people he didn’t, nice people, mean people… you get the point. 

21 - Take vacations. Stay-cation, go-cation, just take time to get away from the normal and be a family. 

 

22 - Kids home, you’re home. When I come home now, Dad stops everything to be with me. When we’re home, he’s home. He shows his love by clearing his schedule. 

23 - Be willing to change… even if your angry. Not to boost or anything but I was an awesome kid, sort of, but there was times I really made dad mad and rightfully so (aka, peeing in the vent, wrecking his car, getting speeding tickets). I knew what the punishment should be, he knew I knew, but he showed grace and changed his mind and spared my life. 

24 - It’s ok to screw up. Dad is pretty awesome, he was a great dad growing up, but he made mistakes, but that’s cool, I still love him. I will make mistakes with Zi, but it’s ok, I don’t have to freak out about it, he’ll more then likely love me to. 

25 - Never give up on your marriage. Mom and dad have been married for like forever (haha, I just called them old!) They’ve had lots of sweet times, but also some really tough times. Tough times that most would bail out in. But they stuck it out, they never gave up. 

26 - The world is too big to stay in one place. Go see what you haven’t. 

27 - Tell stories and value the past. I love hearing his stories, stories of who he is, what he’s done, his great moments and his not so great. 

28 - Follow Jesus, even when you can’t explain why. Yeah, exactly that. 

29 - Love. Dad has always loved us kids, loved our mom, loved our family, our God, our community, our lives. 

Dad, thanks for 29 great years, you truly are one of the worlds best dads. 

Love ya. 

Lesson's learned and truths reminded

Life is full of truths, wisdom, stupidity and ignorance I’m realizing it just up to us to slow down enough to realize what is what.

Here’s some lessons from this week, in no particular order. 

• Old men like to talk... and I should listen (no Dad this isn’t about you!)

• When your wife cries your brilliant logic doesn’t mean a hill of beans at that moment, she wants your emotions not your wisdom.  Hug first... talk second.

• Security is an illusion. We fight to keep somethings we really can't. We cannot guarantee our future but we can choose to slow down, identify what matters most to us, and not let today’s present crisis steal from what matters most. 

• Take time to be play. We did as kids, and who said we should grow out of that?

• Sometimes the best culinary creations are discovered the day you realize you either cook it or trash it.

• Shots hurt... especially as a kid, but you get much cooler bandaids.

• There’s a million worse way to start your morning then by standing next to a major highway in your pajamas, holding a cup of coffee, watching your dog poop knowing that in just a few seconds you’ll be picking that up... so go ahead and wave.

• Under-committing doesn’t cause your blood pressure to spike and your hair to turn white or turn loose, but it also doesn’t change much. Balance is hard but worth it. 

• Stop complaining about your work and just do it. It gets done much faster that way. 

• Enjoy today, this moment, this inconvenience, this laugh, this smile, this hardship cause there’s something beautiful in it.

Megan & Andy

There's always something about every wedding you'll remember. Sometimes it's not exactly what you'd hope to remember like ripping your pants wide open 3 hours into an 8 hour commitment, mistaking the father for the grandfather, or hilarious drunken dancing and singing to "don't stop believing" (a new favorite for Pearl and I, the song that is), but other times it's exactly what you hoped for. 

Megan and Andy's wedding was one of these times. 

Our first interaction with Megan was so delightful. We sat at Prince St. Cafe, we laughed, we talked, we laughed some more. Then as we got closer to her wedding we meet Andy. He immediately made Pearl feel fabulous (which was perfect as she was 8.5 months pregnant!) and made me secretly want to be his best friend.  

They both are wonderful people who make you feel like rock stars and cause you're inner fear of being a huge nerd to be overshadowed by renewed awesomeness. 

Their wedding was perfect. Rain was on the forecast, and rain it did, but you would have never known. Spirits were high, groom and groomsmen looked sharp, bride and bridesmaids looked dazzling, mom's looked proud and happy and Dad's looked relieved and engaged. 

It was simply perfect. 

Things I loved about their day!

Megan's Mermaid dress! It was my first mermaid cut and I simply loved it!

Andy's glasses... their just cool

The reception was filled with dancing, laughter, families hugging, and a spirit that said everyone belonged and everyone was happy. 

The fact that the groom had Lucha Libre figure to hold his rings!

and when the groomsman on the cake and took a dive off just moments before everyone entered Megan simply laughed and went with it.

Below are a few of our other favorites. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed their day!

Thank you again Megan and Andy for inviting us to be a part of your wedding. 

We Simply Loved It!