Ashley and Adam asked us to create a custom invitation that spoke to their personalities and their wedding theme of lime green and a nice spring yellow. With the help of photos from Impressions by Sarah, we created a wonderful 3-panel wedding invitation as well as ceremony program that you can check out in our library of designs. 

They officially tied the knot on May 29, 2010 at Hope Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND with a rocking reception at the Courtyard by Marriot in Moorhead, MN.

E is for Enemy

Ty and I went to a marriage conference put on by Family Life after we had been married a little over a year. It was a wonderful experience. After the conference was over we were closer to each other, better at communicating, and had a desire to be better spouses. I honestly do not remember a whole lot of what was said, but there is one thing that really stuck out to us that I will forever remember.

During one of the sessions where the topic was probably conflict resolution the speaker said something very profound. It changed our lives and probably countless others…if they were paying attention.

He said, “Your spouse is not your enemy.” In the midst of conflict sometimes it feels as though we are enemies. We are angry, we are trying to get our point across, frustrations rise, voices rise, one little issue turns into a large conflict.

As I type I am trying to think of a conflict we had that went overboard but I can’t think of an example. Not that we don’t have countless examples…I guess I just have writer’s block. Just as well, no sense in airing out our dirty laundry today.

Once we heard this little statement it really changed our perspective on conflict. It made me realize if Ty did something and it hurt my feelings he did not intentionally hurt my feelings. Perhaps, he was selfish and not thinking of me, but he did not put a plan together to hurt my feelings.

After that conference we looked at our conflicts differently and started saying to one another, “You are not my enemy.” It is a great way to remember we are a team. Ty loves me more than anyone on this earth.

So, am I saying we are perfect? We never fight? We always agree? We never hurt each other’s feelings? Absolutely not, we are human and we can be selfish, but we have learned to be more sensitive to each other’s needs. We have learned to keep life into perspective.

D is for...
Dream

Ty and I are both natural dreamers. When we want something we go after it. It is fun to be able to sit down as a couple and set goals. I have a special ‘Goals Notebook’ where we write the final draft of our goals each year. It is fun to go back and look at past years and see how much things really have changed.

Anyway, every January we sit down together and write out goals for the year ahead of us. Usually, we have a few categories…finances, personal, business, health…and we list a few goals per category. This year we did it a little differently. Ty had found a great goal setting technique from Dan Miller. Dan Miller is a career coach and we have learned a lot from his books and podcasts. He had categories similar to what we had, but he had us look into the goals a little deeper. We first set goals for 5 years from now…and sometimes it was hard to think that far into the future, but it was good. For instance, we know in 5 years we want to have our house paid off. In order to reach that goal we need to start NOW. And that’s exactly how Dan Miller’s plan worked. You set your 5 year goals, then you one year goals, and then you set one week goals. What are you going to start doing immediately to get these goals on track?

After setting the goals you should return to them monthly to see if you are on track…I will admit we have only revisited our goals once since January…it’s something we need to do more often. It made us realize which goals we are working towards and which goals we had forgotten about.

I am a firm believer in the old saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Plan to succeed. Plan to reach your dreams. Plan to surprise people. Plan to surpass expectations.

Molly and Cody were married last weekend in Moorhead, MN at Trinity Lutheran Church, with a rocking reception at The Holiday Inn in Fargo, ND. Patterns of Love wedding invitations was a must have design for Molly and Cody with the sweet monogram on the inside of the invite.

Their lovely engagement photos we're shot by Larry Harrington Photography.

C is for ...
Cleave

A man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
Leave, Cleave and Be One
Abide by
Adhere
Agree
Associate
Attach
Be devoted to
Be tight with
Be true
Cling
Cohere
Combine
Faithful
Hold
Join
Link
Loyal
Remain
Stay put
Stick
Unite
Unwavering

Casey and Brian were married today in Fargo, ND, with a sweet reception at AmericInn in Moorhead, MN. They chose the beautiful Fun Flares wedding invitation from our library collection.

Their sweet engagement photos we're shot by Hadley Photography.

B is for…
Best Friend

When I married Ty I knew that I wanted to spend each day with him
I wanted to have children with him
I wanted to reach our dreams together
I knew that together we could do anything
We could go anywhere

Almost 6 years later best friend has a new meaning then it did the day we were married
We have learned so much together
We have laughed
We have cried
We have fought
We have prayed
We have changed
And we are still best friends
We have accomplished some of our dreams
And we are still dreaming new dreams
We still laugh, cry, fight and pray together

Today it is easier to laugh at one another and… fighting is easier too
My best friend makes life more fun
I can’t imagine life without him

A is for…
Acts of Service
It’s one of the five love languages

It’s doing something for someone else
Washing the car
Cooking dinner
Vacuuming
Making the bed
Taking out the trash
Emptying the dishwasher
Simple tasks that show love
I said simple, not easy

Acts of Service do require thought, effort, time, and sometimes planning
It’s an expression of love

One year ago Fargo, North Dakota was in frenzy. The National Guard was here and the city was in full combat against the rising Red River. Businesses were closed and everyone’s full time job was sand bagging.

I remember the call I got from a dear friend who was to be married the weekend of the crest. Thursday, talk started that it might not happen. Friday, that was made a reality. The church they were scheduled to get married in was being used by the National Guard and their reception was to be held at the NDSU reception center which was an evacuation site.

At this point the city was in wait mode. The sand bagging was complete, the work was done, now the city just had to wait and see if all the dikes and sandbags would hold. In the meantime, Nathan & Brittany were determined to get married. They arranged to rent out a ballroom at the Ramada Plaza & Suites.

Things came together quickly & smoothly. Surrounded by family and close friends, Nathan & Brittany became Mr. and Mrs. on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The Associated Press picked up on their story giving Nathan and Brittany the opportunity to tell their story to the nation.

Not only did we have the privilege of being part of this beautiful wedding we also designed their sweet wedding invitations.

Photos by Mosaic Photography.

When we were first married we were very opposite in many things, but as the years pass by it seems the opposite gap is starting to close. Here are a few ways we have closed the opposite gap in the last 5 years:

Ty thinks books are for decoration-Lindsay loves to read-Today we both love to read.
Ty is a spender-Lindsay is a saver-Today both of us are working hard to be financially free.
Ty is spontaneous-Lindsay is scheduled-Today Lindsay is more open to spontaneity.
Ty doesn’t mind a mess-Lindsay is a clean freak-Today Lindsay is a little more relaxed and Ty is a clean freak.
Ty could eat beef for every meal-Lindsay never eats beef-Today we have beef about twice a week.

We become more and more a like each day and it is fun. I really cannot see where Ty ends and I begin. I never appreciated how much we have changed and truly become one until I started to write this post and realized we are no longer opposites instead we have molded one another. We have conformed, adjusted, given in, given up, understood, loved, and changed.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24