May 2013...

A year ago I would not have imagined my life to be going in the direction that it is going in now. Last year, May 2013, I was preparing to begin my practicum for grad school. I was getting so close to the end of grad school and was so ready to graduate in December 2013. I was also working on myself. I was still healing from a broken heart so I wanted nothing to do with men at that time and I just wanted to work on me!

I was content in my solitude and really enjoyed spending time with God. Praying and meditating on God's word everyday became a relaxing (and much needed) time for me. I was growing spiritually and was looking forward to where He was taking me. I knew that He would help me to graduate in December and I knew that he would help me on my way to becoming a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Really, I was expecting to be single for a few more years and just focus on my career. However, God had other plans.

Late August 2013, I reconnected with an old friend that I met when I was 18 yrs old and he was 20 yrs old. Not thinking anything of it, we started to hang out more, talk on the phone everyday, and started to get closer. I didn't want to get hurt again so I started to question whether he was "the one" because I prayed and asked God not to send another man my way unless he is the one that I am going to marry. I also prayed that God would allow me to recognize him whenever I did meet him.

Could this old friend that has disappeared for a few years then recently showed up as this heavy presence in my life be the one that I would marry? We began dating for a few months and briefly talked about marriage so I felt comfortable continuing the relationship with him. Well, fast forward to January 2014, we find out that we are expecting and we're both excited. I never thought that I would be pregnant before getting married, but honestly, it was bound to happen soon. Since our relationship was still new (according to most people), I was still trying to figure out if our relationship was heading in the right direction, even though it felt right. Then on Valentine's Day 2014, my sweetheart surprised me with a proposal to spend the rest of my life with him.

The proposal at 024 Grille Restaurant at Westin Hotel. What a surprise!

In December 2013, I declared that 2014 was going to be a great year and so far God has surprised me with blessing after blessing. I've been promoted twice on my new job, I passed the CRC exam, I'm 6 months pregnant, and my fiance and I continue to grow closer to one another. I'm so thankful for God's faithfulness even when I'm unfaithful.

I have my share of days when I feel overwhelmed, upset, stressed, annoyed...and the list goes on. Those days, however, are over shadowed by the things that I am grateful for and I try to focus on that rather than dwell on what's not going right. It's been a bit of a roller coaster this past year with all of these changes (expected and unexpected) happening in my life. I'm glad to say that I am happy where I am today and I'm looking forward to what God has in store for my future.


~Mel