Our Wedding Day

As a teenager, I remember praying so many times for the man I would marry. I remember being specific about little things but my main goal was to find someone that loved Jesus.

When Ben and I would talk wedding details, which was quite often, we wanted the main focus  of the day to be Jesus. We wanted the message, the worship, and our marriage to represent Him.

I was so thankful for the people who reminded me that the day won't be perfect. I went into the day with a "it is what it is" mindset but it was far beyond our expectations. There is nothing I regret from the day, just a few hiccups, but that is ok. My marriage is way more important that just one day.

Ben and I would like to keep our wedding photos off social media, but I just want to share a few of my favorites... 

I had the best flower girl ever. She wanted to be a part of everything all day and I loved how involved she was! She did her hair and make up with all the girls and didn't miss a beat when it came to photos. One shot that I really wanted, was her in my dress. Someday when she meets the one that we are praying for, I want to give her this photo and for her to know that she was always fit to be a bride.The ring bearer did his job all day and danced ALL night. Thank goodness that his best friend, Don, was there! He was a blast!

 If you know anything about Ben, you'll know that he knows everyone. When we talked about how big of a wedding party, I wanted 3 bridesmaids, maybe 4. Well he really wanted all of his buddies to be there and guess what, they all were. Thankfully he has three sisters or I would have had to rent friends for a day. Looking back on the day, I'm so glad that I had each and every one of my bridesmaids. I couldn't imagine the day without them but yes, I know, we had a huge wedding party.

When planning the wedding, I was dreading the cost of flowers. In high school, my Mom made my flowers for prom one year and I loved them. So, why can't we make our flowers for the wedding? I love lilies and I really wanted them to be the flower for the wedding but they are very expensive and they are not in season in January... Thanks to a creative Mom and a very patient maid of honor, we were able to make over 50 boutonnieres and over 10 bouquets out of old hymnals.

I grew up planning my wedding on Pinterest and if you looked on my wedding board, you would see very simple wedding rings. I always wanted a plain band with a single stone. Well when I got engaged and it was exactly what I wanted! My Pinterest dream came true! I was so happy. For my wedding band, I wanted just a plain band. However, my Mom and Ben had a different plan. My great grandmother gave my mom diamond earring and my Mom said I can have them when I get my ears pierced. Well I'm 24 and still don't have them pierced and don't plan to anytime soon. So, my Mom asked Ben if he would like to use them as the stones around my engagement stone. So the picture of the hands is 4 generations of Young, Werelius, Bursell, and now Boettcher marriages. I didn't want anything fancy but I will always treasure having my Great Grandmothers stones on my hand.

The last photo is one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Ben and I were very honored and thankful that all of our Grandparents could be at our wedding. Thanks to these eight individuals and four marriages, Ben and I were born. They raised amazing sons and daughters who raised us. They raised all of us in a church, to love Jesus, and always live for him. We couldn't be more thankful for this photo.

At then end of the day, it was all about Jesus and it always should be. If you want to see the rest of the photos, come over for dinner and Ben and I would love to show them all to you.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

1 Peter 4:8

A letter to my Husband

Today we become one.

God says in Genesis 2:24, "This is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they come one." Today we start a new journey as the Boettcher Family.

I can't say that I knew from day one, maybe day 4 or 5, that you were it, but God knew. He took our stubborn personalities and made sure that we kept pursuing each other.

With all my heart, I believe that at DQ that night, He did it, not me. I remember that night I put a quote on Twitter from We Bought a Zoo. I seriously wonder what would have happened if I wouldn't have said anything.

On days when I doubt, I just have to think about the time that we spent apart and the moment when we reunited, it all became worth it. You are worth it. 

The craziest thing that has even happened to me is happening today. We aren't just getting married, we are displaying a marriage that was worth every mile, every minute, every prayer. 

Before you, I didn't understand love. I didn't understand how you can love one person so much. You are the most caring, passionate, and joyful person and you bring out the absolute best in me. I love your smile, the warmth of your hands, your laugh, the way you always make me feel special, the way you fry bacon (it's the best), and the way you love Jesus. 

Since I was little girl, I prayed for the man that I was going to marry. I knew he would have to love Jesus and always strive to put Him first. I pray that through marriage, we are able to grow closer to each other, but also that we grow closer to God. I pray that in the rough times, we are reminded that the same person who created us made the mountains and knows how many drops of water are in the oceans. 

You are my best friend.

I trust you.

I'm praying for you.

I have loved you for 970 days and this is just the beginning. 

I love you.

(the almost) 

Mrs. Deanna Boettcher

Satan

When I wake up in the morning I sometimes have a very pessimistic view of how my day is going to go. This last Sunday proved true but it was because I was focused on the negative and not the positive. The verse "find joy in all circumstances" has been a struggle for me lately. However, when I think about that verse it always gives me a reason to be thankful for the day.

Sunday, January 8th, 2017. 19 days until the wedding.

5:30am Our youth pastor gets a text from our lead pastor that he is sick and that he won't be able to preach today. Our youth pastor had just over an hour to prepare a sermon, get all of his notes into computers at two different campuses, and then prepare to preach at 8:45, 9:30, 10:15, and 11:00. Satan tried hard to ruin this Sunday but nothing was going to stop us. Our youth pastor nailed the sermon and was on time to all 4 services!

6:00am My close friend was on her way to work and she decided to stop for coffee. As she pulled onto the highway, her window wouldn't shut. She either had to drive 45 minutes in -7 degrees or go home and risk being late for work. She opted to go home and was 1 minute late for work. Once again Satan tried, but she made it to work safe and warm.

8:00am Eggs are not my favorite food. They tend to make my stomach all wonky and they just don't sit well with me. Well, for breakfast I made an egg and I like it scrambled, no runny yolk. I made my bagel with mustard and sausage and finished it with my egg. My first bite, yolk went everywhere... now there is yolk running down my arm and into my lap. However, I had a meal in front of me and I left the house with a full belly. I have nothing to complain about.

9:30am Ben and I decided to attend first service at the new campus so that we could serve second service. We sat down and began to worship. Between the first and second song our worship leader talked about how Satan has no hold on us. He started the second song and bam, one of his guitar strings broke. He managed to play the whole music set (4 songs) without a string and not even show a single sign of panic. Satan tried but we didn't let him in. We were there to worship God and we did. That room was so filled with the Spirit, nothing stopped us.

11:00am Ben and I served second service in the children's area. We started with 1 girl who was quiet but slowly opened up and was a blast by the end of the hour. By the time service started we had 4 girls, Ben was very out numbered. There was one young girl that started to drive me a little crazy. She wouldn't let go of her stuffed animal. It wasn't a big deal until we started coloring with markers and it was everywhere. I wasn't sure how to go about telling her to put her animal away because I understood that at her age it was probably a security blanket. However, this little animal was driving me nuts. It was being thrown around the room, being chewed on, and was a huge distraction to the rest of the class. After taking a deep breath and preparing for the next activity, I asked her to put the animal in the her box so that it doesn't get ruined and she can use both hands for the activity. Without hesitating, she flung it into her box and we went about our morning.

Something as small as a stuffed animal or guitar string could have ruined a moment or situation. But there was someone on our side all morning, God. Satan is real. He is out to seek and destroy, but with God all things are possible. In the end, the morning was beautiful and Satan didn't win. God did.