365 Days! Enjoy The Ride!

Today is Anton and Kayla's preversary! (We talked about Rob and Ayla's preversary in the very first post in this blog.) In exactly one year, in 365 days, one orbit of the earth around the sun, Anton and Kayla will be united in marriage right here in Central Alabama before our Father and their family and friends. It will be a special, precious memory on this palindrome date next year (2016's Leap Year will push the 11th to a Saturday next year). And even sweeter, the wedding will happen almost 77 years to the day after Anton's namesake, Great Grandpa Anton and his bride Great Grandma Veronica Zimanek got married on June 10, 1939. How beautiful is that?! We are so excited about this upcoming marriage. How excited is Anton? He commented that when he hears the processional music it will take every bit of strength he has not to run halfway down the aisle to meet Kayla and bring her to the altar. That's a man who is ready to be united with his fiance.

We look forward to having Kayla be the next Mrs. Zimanek. She has been a part of our family for years already. Both couples getting married will be engaged for 15 to 16 months by the time their weddings roll around, so everything should be good and ready for the big day. I know Kayla has much organized already. And with Kayla in Troy and Anton here in Prattville, I know both are anxious to be reunited for good on that wedding date.


Rob and Ayla are coming up to their one year engagement anniversary (engagiversary?) on June 24 and can provide Tone and Kayla with any advice you may need in planning and waiting for the wedding date. We told them the time would go swiftly by and here we are just 127 days from their big day!

But our advice would be this: enjoy the ride. You will only be engaged one time in this lifetime, so make sweet memories throughout this last unmarried year. Enjoy the process of selecting and planning everything. Take your time to make wise and profound decisions. This is your day to truly delight in everything that represents you both, so make it count. It will be here before you know it!

Congratulations Anton and Kayla on your preverary. "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24. We love you both and are so happy for you.

Discussion: Do you think the next year will go quickly? What do you think you will be thinking about on this date next year?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know that every day of our lifetime is a gift and precious moment to serve you. We pray we make the most of every single day. We pray for blessings on both Kayla and Anton throughout this next year and on Rob and Ayla in the few months left before their wedding! In Jesus name, Amen.

Preversary

My dearest daughter and future son-in-law,

Your Daddy and I are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary today ... and 31 years together after meeting in 1983 on the campus of the University of Iowa when we fell in love at just 18 years of age. To be still in love and together after all these years is not just lucky, it's not just a fairytale, it is not just happily ever after, and it's not just expected. It is hard work. But mostly it is faithfulness. It's is being obedient to the One True God and knowing we are together by His grace and for His glory.

We have learned quite a bit about marriage in our 27 years together. We've learned through prayer, experience, countless failures, breathtaking successes and much study. Yes, study. See, our marriage is so important to us, that we strive to always make it better, so that means reading, research and retreats ... all with God and the Bible at the center.

In just 365 days, you will become husband and wife and we are honored you selected this date to do so. On this - your "preversary" as you call it - we would like to gift this blog to you. We want to teach you everything we possibly can about the intricacies of marriage that we've learned in this next year so that we can, with all confidence, say that we've adequately prepared you for this adventure ahead. Not that we can possibly prepare you for everything you will face, but perhaps we can make somethings easier. And maybe, just maybe, you'll skip some of the failures we had and go straight to those breathtaking successes.

In this year we will look at everything from wedding elements to wisdom to family. If you have questions, ask them. If you need more information, dig for it. If you need prayer in a specific area, we'd like to join you in it. We hope that you, together, can read this each day as a devotion, discussion, prayer and worship time. You may not have the chance everyday to read it, but it is our goal to create one as such for you each day to do so. It's that important to us. And more importantly, you are.

We have titled the blog, Betrothed in Faithfulness after a verse in Hosea 2:19-20 which says: "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord." We belief that you are together not just because of the "in love" feelings you have for each other, but because God ordained it as such. And we hope you keep focused on Him. We love you very much. We congratulate you on your engagement - this preparation time for your wedding and marriage. Delight every moment! And in 365 days we look forward to witnessing before our Father as you exchange vows to love, honor and cherish each other till death do you part. God bless you both.

Discussion Question: What are your personal hopes for this day in 2015 and how do you intend to keep God at the center of it?

Prayer: Lord God, we uplift Rob and Ayla this day, one complete orbit of the earth around the sun from the date they have set to wed. May they have open ears to hear all that you have for them to learn in these days leading up to that day of union. And we thank you, Father, for being the center of our marriage. Glory to you, O Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.