The Final Countdown

Hello everyone,

I am starting Line Camp two in North Carolina. Blogging from the 1
bar of reception on the iPhone 3GS. I am looking forward to this
trip. NC is beautiful this time of year.

However, I long to be in Waco with my bride to be. I received a care
package from Kenda today. She seems to know what I need at the right
time. I guess that is part of the reason I love her so much. She
gets me. And I hope that we can smell each other soon :). Less than a
month woohoo!

Sent from my iPhone

getting into my dress....

Today I got to pick up my wedding dress. It's perfect. Funny, but I couldn't try it on today because I have to have help getting into it. I hope that with my new job as a Fitness Director, I won't gain weight! Yikes!  When we found the pattern for my dress, it stated on the package that it was for stretchy fabric, not...linen. But, we made do. After numerous fittings and challenging tasks to get the dress to fit me just right, we finally got it. However, because there is no zipper or buttons into the dress, I have to simply pull it over my head. And with it fitted just perfectly, I can't get into it alone. It's actually a funny sight and with humorous comments while we tug it over my shoulders.

Yes, I did get a job and I LOVE IT!! It's a perfect fit for me. I am working as the Fitness Director at the Gatesville Fitness Center. Gatesville is a town about 30 miles west of Waco. It's known as the 'spur capital of Texas' or home of the last great drive in. On Weekend nights, you can drive your car up to a screen and watch a movie, often a double feature. It's great!  The Fitness Center is home to a weight room area, aerobic/cardio area, cardio machines, racquetball courts, indoor pool and I am also in charge of the City Pool. It's a HUGE job, but I love it. My undergrad in business and grad degree in Health Education make me a perfect fit. I work with amazing people who work really hard. I am so grateful for them.

Tomorrow morning, my mom and I are going to look at flowers. I'm not sure what kind of flowers I want but I bet I will know by the end of tomorrow! I am planning on doing the flowers myself...don't freak out. I plan on keeping it simple. of course!

Mark comes home in one week! Yay!!! I am so excited to see him, hear his voice, and smell him. Yes, that's right. I don't care what capacity I have him, I just want to be with him!

Well, less than one month to go. Stay with us. We have a busy month and we want you to be a part of it!

Live well!
Kenda..soon to be Mrs. Mullert.

A few moments...

I have a few moments between Line Camps and wanted to blog. This is my first time blogging by the way. After a week of canoeing and rock climbing in Arkansas, I am heading East to North Carolina for another freshmen wilderness orientation. We had a fantastic time and the students learned a ton about themselves and made a bunch of new friends. I do hope there will be cooler temps and less ticks in NC though.

It is 33 days until I get married, and 12 until I see my bride to be, again. I have spent much of my adult life trying to find the perfect woman that would let me be away in the woods for months at a time and always feared losing my freedom. With Kenda, my heart longs to be near her. I know that she wants for me to follow my dreams and affirms my career in working with college students in the outdoors. This just makes me more attracted to her and excited to see her next. I feel at home when I am with her.

You can probably tell that I miss Kenda by now. Things are coming together for the wedding. My groomsmen are getting their attire squared away, the honeymoon is planned, and I am ready to help in any way that I can. I feel bad that I am not around too much because of work. At this point we are not too stressed about the planning things, as I believe most everything is on its way to being done. Life is exciting with many unknowns ahead, but now someone to share those moments with. I am so grateful that God provided a job for Kenda that she loves, at just the right time, and are flexible with our wedding schedule.

We are looking forward to seeing you all soon! Please RSVP one way or the other, so we can plan the food accordingly.

Blessings,

Mark

One month to go....on Thursday

Mark has been out of town for the past few days on a trip and I have been busy! Everything is starting to feel a bit more real: I have moved a few boxes out of my house and into Mark's and have picked out the paint to paint our bedroom, and am working on the small details for the week of the wedding. Mark will return on July 3, hopefully to a newly painted bedroom and bathroom. We leave on July 7 for Colorado for a family reunion and of course mountain biking. We can't go all the way to Colorado and not bring our bikes!

On Friday, I pick up my wedding dress and on Saturday we will be visiting the florist to finalize our flowers and greenery. Then comes the daunting task of organizing the week of the wedding: who is where, what airport are we going to now, packing for our honeymoon, cooking meals for guests here, and so much more!

Mark finally confessed that we won't be honeymooning in Bellmead. Much to my disappointment, he convinced me that Big Sur, California is a better location for our week long get-a-way. We will be spending a few days in Big Sur, then driving back down to San Diego for a reception hosted by Mark and Dad's mom. I think we may also sneak in a few touristy things while we are there (San Diego Zoo).

Thanks for journeying with us as we get married! We are so grateful for you and your friendship with us!

Much love,

Kenda

46

Forty-six days and counting! That's all we have left until the big moment when the I do's will be said. The planning is coming along and there isn't too much left to do, honestly. Of course, this is my first time ever planning a wedding so who knows what the week before we get married will look like! I am sure there will be lots of "oh, i didn't think of that" and "I forgot to..." and "did you...no, I thought you..." will be said. But honestly, it will go perfectly. Life isn't about the imperfections, it's about the journey and I have had the best journey ever planning our wedding.
The most recent thing that I have done is try on my wedding dress. When Mark and I started talking about getting married, specifically, the date at which we were looking, I realized that I probably should start looking for a dress. So, I began looking before we even got engaged! After looking for a very simple and affordable dress (without any lace, silk, or chiffon) I contacted a local seamstress to help create my dress. I took a picture of a dress that I really liked and showed her what I wanted. Amazingly, she found a pattern and met me at the local fabric shop. We talked about fabric, fit, length, and what I wanted out of the dress. I told her these things:1. it had to be simple2. it had to either be able to modify it or dye it (I want to be able to wear it again!)3. it had to be under $300.
After a few fittings, she has let me try on the full length gown. When I put it on, I couldn't stop smiling. In that moment, love, simplicity, beauty, and gratefulness merged together and overwhelmed me. It was such a beautiful moment that I will remember forever. This dress is a perfect match for me. And when you see it, you'll know why.
-Kenda