{Wildflower Wedding}

Ours is a Long Distance Love Story...

We met online by total randomness, dropped in a chat room together by a clever dating site on Facebook.

He, from Naples, I, from Fort Myers, Florida.

After many email exchanges, our first date was to The Beaches of Sanibel.

Our second date began at the Naples Beach and Pier.

We were determined to make this long distance thing work.

It is not easy. You have to be intentional.

You have to be committed.

You have to be crazy!

 Crazy In Love!

I fell first..they say you can't help who you love...I believe it!

I could not tell you what it was, but I just knew....

He, on the other hand, would have a" Love Comes Softly" experience!

I will admit..the thing that attracted me to a long distance relationship at first, was the independence I could still enjoy.

Not answering to someone every day appealed to me at that season of my life.

Where it got tricky for me, was when the long distance was no longer an issue.

Yet, oddly, this is when he started to fall for me.

He said he realized how much I was sacrificing, moving away from family, work, school.

Strange...ironic...but true nevertheless.

I liken it to the ultimate sacrifice. True commitment displayed on a tree!

Ours is a story of Redemptive Love and Grace.

We tried love long distance...then we tried it up close...

then we tried it God's way...

and by His Grace we have grown closer to each other and a Loving Creator!

After I accepted his marriage proposal it took 1 1/2 years for us to be wed.

True commitment displayed under a tree!

My brother and My Dad (the other men of my life) give me away...I just love my son, Josh, hands in pockets here!

The wedding was held at my sister Leah's home, in her backyard, with her husband , my bro-in-law officiating. We selected the candle lighting ceremony...it was challenging keeping the flame lit.. the sand ceremony may have been a better choice...but I believe the Lord was showing us how the flame of Love needs to be kept lit, intentionally protected, and guarded.

The Kiss....after Mike started crying, I remained dry- eyed, until my grandmother came up to me and, well, lets just say.... the tears came like a river. Her presence at my wedding was truly a miracle! The Lord had told us to postpone the day! We obeyed, and when she called out of the blue, after years of not being in touch, we knew why he had prompted us to put it off.

My Grandparents are the most in love couple that I know, both with the Lord, and each other. They have served at the same church for 40 years, both teaching classes and leading others in to the kingdom. I have learned, and continue to learn so much from these two. Did I mention they are in their eighties?

Our daughter Zoe was our Flower Girl..Her name means Life ..her middle name is the name of my mother, whom I lost, when I was four...Charmaine..which means ...Song!

She is our "Life Song"....and she does sing like a songbird! Did I mention she is a huge daddy's girl ...and big fan of tractors and construction vehicles?

Our cake toppers are cherub angels, given to me by my Grandma Straley! I have an angel collection that continues to grow! I especially love vintage angels!

Some of the guests, including my brother, Scott, whose life is a miracle...He is a leader in AAA, on fire for the Lord, raising his boys in the Lord. I couldn't be more proud of him!