Jill Victoria

Today marks one month of marriage. I can honestly say that being a wife is wonderful, but that could also be because David is a wonderful husband. If every woman had a husband as loving, caring, supportive, hard working
and devoted as David is, then all marriages would be easy. Though I will admit, I’m a lucky woman to have married a Cole man. They are a rare and wonderful breed of men. Its not often you find guys like them anymore. Kind, considerate, polite, loving, generous, family and God centered gentlemen. They are great examples of who men should be.

Now I’m glad to know that I will soon have two sister-in-laws! My brother proposed to his girlfriend, Susan. They will get married this month while she is on a 30 day leave from her Army station in South Korea. I’m so happy for them! Susan is a great girl and my brother is a wonderful guy.

My brother-in-law John also proposed to Yoly last week. They plan to get married in July of 2010. It seems that wedding planning didn’t stop at my own! I can’t wait to see what kind of wedding John and Yoly have. If its anything like Yoly was talking about, then it will be fantastic!

Matthew and Susan will have a “real” wedding when Matthew gets back from Iraq. He leaves December 27th for a year. I’m sad he’s going, but proud of his service to this country.

I can’t believe its been a month since I married David! It seems years ago and also like it hasn’t even happened yet.

Creating a home with David has been a great experience. We still have a lot to do, and we’ve had some great help from Lauren and Mandy’s boyfriend, Charlie. Our guest bathroom is done minus a window treatment and a new shower curtain rod. The main living room is done. We just need new furniture to complete the makeover. I want to work on our bedroom and bathroom next. The dining room and kitchen will follow. I’m not sure what to do with the other living room or the guest bedroom and office. We’ll get it figured out though. We have a lifetime to do it.

Recently I saw where someone I know was saying on Facebook and Twitter how she wanted to be pursued by a guy, not her pursue him. She stated overall that it was how God wanted things to be. I have to disagree with her.

In a perfect world, a man would chase and woe a woman till he romantically wins her heart. Then I suppose they would live happily ever after with no hardships, a house in the burbs, have 2.5 children and drive hybrids off into the sunset.

While in many cases a man will pursue a woman, if he is the chaser type. Not every man is bold enough to approach a woman, let alone chase after her for as long as it takes to win her affections. Yes, women like to be chased overall. Everyone wants to be wanted, and everyone has a need to feel that they are valued. But sometimes things are switched up. Not every man is a chaser and not every woman is going to sit around and just hope a man finds her at home.

My story of course involves me having to pursue David. If I hadn’t decided he was worth shaking up the “rules” for, I wouldn’t be married right now.

David had never had a girlfriend before me, and he had no idea what being in a relationship involved. And even though he was shy and felt like he would “mess up”, he was worth me going after.

I had tried the whole lady in waiting for the majority of my adult life with no good results. As with any situation, you can’t expect to sit around, not put any effort into something and get a desired result.

The girl I mentioned before used Proverbs 18:22 as a verse that backs up her view that the only way a relationship can come to be is by a man pursuing a woman. I don’t think that when the writer of this verse said “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD”. What this verse really means is more complicated than just a man finding a good wife.

This verse simply put means that when a man, who is of a both mentally and spiritually mature age realizes what love really is (an agape kind of love) for a particular woman, he will find favor in the Lord in his marriage to her. Same goes for the woman. A good wife is more than a woman who knows how to cook, clean, raise children and any other wifely/womanly tasks. She is a woman who is also of mental and spiritual maturity and is able to accept the love of a man as well as return it.

That verse has such a deeper meaning than just thinking it proves a point for wanting to be a woman pursued by a man.

David and I love each other and we are both the right mental and spiritual maturity to handle both the love we have and the marriage we entered in to. I pursued him, but now he pursues me more. Its what works for us. I don’t believe God thinks how we got together is wrong if His ultimate plan for our lives was to be married to each other.

That’s just my take on the whole thing.

If you want a Biblical example of a godly woman pursuing a man, check out the book of Ruth.

Fall is my favorite time of year. The crisp, cool air paired with the beautiful array of colors in the changing leaves is just the most lovely thing to me.

I especially love the things that also come with this time of year. Events like fall festivals, pumpkin carving, brewfest and Halloween are just a few things that make October and this season great to me. Add in David’s birthday and now our anniversary and this time of year is even better!

The fashions are great too. Warm colors in the clothes, coats, boots and scarves! Love it!

This past Saturday David and I went with Krista and Spencer on a historic tour of Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. It was very interesting. Actors portrayed different people of interest buried in the cemetery. Before that, we all ate at Six Feet Under. It is across from the cemetery and has some pretty good food. The terrace view of Oakland was lovely, too. The fall colors really made the garden cemetery look beautiful in the setting sun.

As Halloween is this coming Saturday, David and I are hosting a costume party at our house. It should be a great time. We’re going to have an opertunity to use our new firepit we received as a wedding gift. I just wish we had the patio and furniture ready.

The house is coming together. Its an overwhelming task. There are so many boxes to unpack and go through. Its hard to know where to start or even where to put everything. I never knew I had so much stuff! And the fact that there are still other people’s things are still at the house doesn’t help.

It will all work out. We have a lifetime to get the house fixed. Hopefully one project will be done this weekend! Yay!

People keep asking me, “How is married life?”. Well, I’m never sure what to tell them. David and I have only been married 12 days, and I don’t think that is a long enough period of time to assess married life.

Of course married life is good. So far we have been on a honeymoon and settling into a routine. We also have been organizing our house and unpacking my stuff. Sometimes that seems like such an overwhelming task I just want to throw up my hands in frustration.

David and I have made a few “married friends” plans with other couples, such as Krista and Spencer, and Lauren and Carlos. I’m curious to see what these married couple plans are like. Though I don’t see how they would be different than plans I made as a single girl, or even an in a relationship or engaged girl.

I always swore I wouldn’t be like a few couples I know. As soon as they got married, they seemed to cut off their friends. The one phrase I’d hear most from these particular couples is: “You don’t understand, you’re not married”. I promise, my level of understanding anything about life, love and bills hasn’t increased because of a ring on my finger and a change in last names. I’m not sure what there is to understand as a married woman that a single person wouldn’t understand.

Maybe I need to be married longer. But I swear that I will never treat my un-married friends like they’re stupid, or somehow less important now.

Married life. Its good stuff. The “perks” are great ::wink wink:: ::nudge nudge::

Well, David and I are back from our honeymoon and settling into our “normal” life now. I put normal in quotation marks because I’m not sure what normal is now. My life will never be the same in most ways. I’m in the midst of creating new version of normal with passing day.

The honeymoon was great. We left on our Carnival Cruise on Monday afternoon. Our two ports of call were Key West and Nassua in the Bahamas. I really enjoyed being in Key West more than the Bahamas. I’d really like to drive down and stay a while in the Keys.

In the Bahamas, we took a ride in a taxi cab of DEATH! Stop signs and traffic lights are just a suggestion down there. I was never so happy to be out of a vehicle! The sights were cool and the water was beautiful. Other than that, I don’t see why the Bahamas are such a big draw for people.

I enjoyed being on the cruise ship. David and I spent lazy times together, just enjoying each other and the ability to do nothing at all. We both kept journals the whole trip, some of which I may end up transcribing onto here.

Saturday we left the ship and drove back to the condo in Fernandina. We hung out on the beach and in downtown all day. I did some shopping while David checked out the classic car show going on for the fall festival.

Sunday we packed up and headed for home. We stopped in Savannah to have lunch at The Pirate House. David had never been before, and I love the food, history and the ghosts! After lunch, we stopped at the Savannah Candy Kitchen to get our parents (and ourselves!) some fudge and other sweet treats.

My mom and dad met us at our house and brought my car as well as our wedding gifts. After we got things settled at the house, the four of us went to David’s parents’ house for dinner. We visited with them, GrandMom, John and Yoly. It was nice to get home.

Last night David and I started unpacking my boxes and wedding gifts. We started putting things in their proper places. So far we’ve tackled the guest bathroom and the kitchen. Its starting to look more like our home.

I started making plans for our annual Halloween party. Anyone can come, just let me or David know!

My mom called me yesterday and told me that Sunday night she thought I looked the most beautiful she had seen me look in a long time. She said I looked relaxed, happy and had a glow about me. I guess married life suits me.

This weather suits me, too! I love the autumn! I get to wear lovely fall colors and fashions, like boots, scarves and coats. I got out my scarves last night and wore one today.

Life is the same in some ways. I still have school to do, and I’m still watching the kids in the afternoon. I’m also still making plans with friends and playing World of Warcraft. All that is a comfort to me. Makes this transition a bit easier.

Stuff like this weekend’s outting with Krista and Spencer to Oakland Cemetery for the ghost tour, and our Halloween party are just a couple of fun things coming up. Krista and I talked about a couples weekend retreat to Charleston in the next couple of months, too. That should be fun!

I’m pretty sure I’ve covered everything. I’m going to enjoy the autumn weather now. Later!

I wanted to write about our wedding day while its still fresh in my mind.

The day was PERFECT! That 60 – 80% chance of rain that haunted us for almost two weeks never even happened! How awesome is God for doing that?! I want to thank everyone who prayed for the gorgeous weather we had for the whole day.

David and I couldn’t have been happier! Everything was beyond what we could have ever hoped for and more than we deserve. All that we planned went exactly as we wanted. I successfully avoided David seeing me (Though I accidentally saw him out of the bridal suite window. Oops!) and we both got the moment we hoped for as I walked down the aisle. David told me that when he saw me that it was like his heart sped up and stopped at the same time. I knew exactly how he felt.

It was so great to see all the people we did. I scanned the faces as my dad walked me down the aisle (”Moon River by 101 Strings Orchestra, composed by Johnny Mercer) and couldn’t help but have my heart swell with so much love that I literally felt my skin tingle.

I wish I knew how to describe what the moment felt like when I reached David. Everything in my life, the good, the bad, the wise choices and the not so wise choices all fell into place. My dad gave me away on behalf of himself and my mom, and they left me in very safe and loving hands.

Rick Statham, the pastor, did a wonderful job. He didn’t over embellish love by reading Song of Solomon or 1 Corinthians 13, but talked of how David and I are to yield to each other and work as a partnership. If we both live for each other and for God, then we are living in a Christian marriage.

David was so sweet. I knew he was nervous because he was shaking as we held hands and said our vows. During the last prayer, before we kissed our first husband and wife kiss, David started to make what I call his “happy noises”. He basically sighs very content and happy sighs. I knew he was totally overjoyed that we were finally married.

My Aunt Donna served as our MC instead of the DJ. She did a great job. She announced us as we came in and went into our first dance (”At Last” by Etta James). My dad and I had our father/daughter dance (”True Love Waits” by Buddy Holly, which has been stuck in my head all day) and David and Ms. Deb danced their mother/son (”Life Story” by Grant Wilson).

The food was great. Marmalade chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans. Our wedding cake was strawberry short cake and was delicious!

There was lots of dancing. I danced with Matthew, Emily, Lauren and kinda with Jonathan.

I wish we had more time at the reception. It was a great send off though. David and I walked out in a cascade of tiny bubbles and were driven off in a Model A classic car! I had always imagined leaving in a classic car, but never thought it would happen.

All my girls looked so beautiful. They were a great help and I was so honored they were able to be a part of the day. The groomsmen were handsome as well, especially my brother in his Army dress uniform. I thought my mom looked beautiful in her red dress, and Ms. Deb was lovely in hers as well.

David and I made it safely to the beach condo. I can’t believe I’m laying next to my husband! Its such a sweet yet still foreign word, but I love saying it!

I can’t wait to see pictures from today. Its hard to realize that today is still my wedding day. It was like two days wrapped in one. Though most brides have told me that they didn’t have time to enjoy anything, David and I can both safely say that we enjoyed and savored every second. We had the best day of our lives!

I’m sending out lots of love to our families and our friends. You all made this day very special and we were so blessed to have you as part of our wedding day.

And thus ends my wedding day and my first blog as Mrs. Jill Cole! <3

Why yes, I am blogging on my wedding day! Emily, Krista and Lauren can rip me a new one later, but I want to capture the moment.

So far, so good for everything, including the weather! Please keep praying that the rain holds off till after 12:00.

My mom, Rachel, Emily, Lucie and I all just finished getting hair and makeup done. Now we’re heading to pick up shoes, then on to the Hazlehurst House to finish getting ready!

I’m so excited! I’m getting married! I love David so much and I can’t wait to be his wife! An hour and a half from now, I will be Mrs. Jill Cole.

Holy crap!!!

Here I am, the day before my wedding! I’ve already had my bridesmaid brunch and my rehearsal. Now I’m getting my nails done with Emily, Lauren, Rachel, Kris and Lucie.

Its hard to believe its tomorrow! Doing the rehearsal seemed so surreal, like it was a dream. Maybe its because I’ve had so many bad dreams about the wedding that now it seems weird to actually be living it. I know there were definitely enough pictures taken!

Soon I’ll be heading to our rehearsal dinner. I’m going on two hours of sleep and I’m going on pure adrenaline. I’m seriously not tired and so exhausted at the same time.

Its so exciting! I’m so excited!

Here we are, only three days left till I marry my best friend. There’s still stuff left to do, but its getting done.

This past Saturday, October 3rd, I had my slumber bachelorette party. I really had a great time just hanging out at the house with Emily, Krista, Laura, Lauren, Beth and Yoly. We had fattening foods and great drinks. We watched Sex and the City and had girl talk.

Over the weekend we did some improvements to the house. Lauren was awesome enough to bring over her steam vacuum and clean the nasty carpet. Its looks soooo great now! The difference is so big that Ms. Deb walked in and thought we had gotten new carpet.

Slowly, the house is becoming ours. Mark moved out Saturday before the bachelor and bachelorette parties. We also moved in a new queen sized bed and frame into the bedroom that will be mine and David’s. It looks great in there too. Now we just need to clean the other carpeted rooms and the hardwood, as well as paint.

I’ve been working on my school assignments for both this week and next week. I obviously can’t do class from the ship next week, not without paying dearly for it. So far I’ve finished everything but two assignments.

My Aunt Ellen arrived safely. Other family starts to arrive on Friday, and maybe Thursday. I still a bit bummed that I won’t have much time to spend with everyone. Chandra and I still have a standing date to get sushi.

Its exciting to think I will soon be Mrs. Jill Cole. Even writing that gives me a thrill!

The wedding countdown is now at 10 days and a few hours. Its so hard to believe that in only 10 days I will be David’s wife! Its totally mind boggeling! And still, I haven’t finished what I needed to do before now.

This Saturday is my bachelorette party. Just a good old fashioned sleep over with some close girl friends. We’ll be going to eat Mexican before the sleep over commences. I really need to get the Goza Road house clean before then. Especially the carpet.

Tomorrow I have an appointment for a haircut and highlights. I’ve never had highlights before, so I’m nervous and excited. TheKnot.com recommended that autumn brides get some highlights to make their hair look fresh, and not dull. So, fingers crossed it turns out good!

I’m so loving the fall weather! Its my favorite time of year, and the cool in the air makes my heart race, because it means its time to get married.

I started my new block of classes. With all I have to do, school is giving me a hard time. Its hard to focus and learn, but I’m doing it. I had to tell my new teachers that I will be missing a week of class, but that I’ll be turning in my assignments the week before. Not sure how I will meet attendance though. I guess i’ll figure out a way around it.

The house is another thing that has my attention. We need to clean and paint and move furniture… but we have no time left. All the stuff I wanted to try and do before this late in time didn’t happen, so now its all bunched up with everything else going on!

Yeah, I’m a bit stressed. Everyone keeps asking how they can help, but how do you ask someone to come and help you move things, or paint, or scrub a carpet that just gets dirty again because no one bothers to care. Plus, when I do ask for help, no one responds. At least David wants to help me. He said he wants to help me as less stressed as possible. He’s wonderful like that.

I so can’t wait for the honeymoon! I plan to relax. At least someone finally have us something on our honeymoonwishes.com registry. Seemed like everyone was scared to do anything on there.

Still, with all the stress, I’m savoring every moment. I’m especially looking forward to seeing family coming into town next week! It will be fun, and I’m kinda bummed that I won’t be around after the wedding to hang out with them.

Please keep David, myself, and our families in your prayers. This is an exciting and stressful time, and it takes a toll on you after awhile. Part of me wants this over with, the other part doesn’t want it to ever end! This is the biggest event in my life, and I don’t want it to also be the biggest stress either.