Our honeymoon

It. Was. Perfect.

We spent our wedding night in our new house (rental), our first together. We were married on a Friday so the next day we had a cookout and close friends and family came over to watch us open presents. Then on Sunday, after Mass, we hit the road for a drive from north central Illinois to northern LP Michigan. We went to Mackinaw Island. Well actually we stayed in Mackinaw city because, well, we are cheap. I don't remember why we decided to go there even, but it was a great decision. We stayed in a nice suite right on the beach. It was beautiful! We had very rigid plans on our honeymoon and it went something like this. Sleep. Be intimate. Eat. Relax! Repeat. We basically just took it easy which was so nice because we worked hard the week of our wedding. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Did I mention our room had a giant jacuzzi?! It was 5 days of fun and relaxation with my new husband and best friend. We went swimming, ate out, went for walks, hiked, enjoyed nature, prayed, napped, and explored Mackinaw Island during Lilac Fest. I loved the old Catholic mission Church on the Island. And of course, because we are such big fans of the American Revolution, Fort Mackinac was awesome; we spent most of our day on the Island there.

The whole Island was like stepping back to a simpler time, and the scenery was breathtaking. One of my favorite parts of the trip though, was actually the time we spent in the car. We drove through Indiana and up Michigan on the way there, and just for fun, we drove a different route home. We took the ferry to the Upper Peninsula and drove down Wisconsin. It was beautiful and we had a great time (8 hours?) chatting, discussing our wedding day, and being silly.

I actually can't find like any pictures from our trip, but we did take lots of video. I have this awesome video I want to share. This was the first day of our honeymoon (other than the day driving before). I love it because it is just us enjoying each other and our surroundings. But mostly I like it because of what happens at 3:49. It's kind of long and maybe boring to those of you who aren't Geoff and Dacia, so if you don't want to watch the whole thing, just start at like 3:45, and listen.

Did you here something? That was my new husband's sacramental wedding ring falling into Lake Michigan! This was our fourth day of marriage, and the second time it was almost lost. The first time was on our wedding night in our bathroom sink. It was a little too big. Woops! Thankfully it didn't get washed away and we found it and promptly broke out into laughter over the hilariosity of it all.

Looking back, I was reflecting on what our Honeymoon meant to our marriage. The Honeymoon now-a-days (yep I'm 28 and just said now-a-days) is often just an expensive vacation. For us, it was so much more. We both lived with our parent's until our wedding night, and though we had our own jobs and were pretty self-sufficient in ways, we largely relied on our parents. This was our first trip on our own, our first hotel room, just the two of us. We made all the decisions together-where to eat, what roads to take, how late to sleep, how far to hike- as husband and wife. It allowed us, though we had been dating for 10 years, to get away from our usual town and surroundings, and to get to know each other in a brand new way. We were the same Geoff and Dacia, but somehow, we were very different. Joined as a covenant by and with our Heavenly Father, two become one flesh. It was a simple and humble honeymoon, a perfect start to our marriage.

Finally, I would be remiss not to say that this trip was funded completely by our friends and family via the dollar dance at our wedding. Not kidding, they were SO generous it paid for the whole thing. Thanks everyone!

I shared this as part of a linky-link. For other great honeymoon stories, check out one of my favorite blogs- Betty Beguiles.

The Real Feminist Revolution

It's NFP (Natural Family Planning) Awareness Week

so how I could I resist talking about it just a little.

I've talked before about why we don't use birth control.

You know, the carcinogens.

NFP has liberated many women from the chains of the pill,

but there are many like me, who through no grace of my own,

thankfully never started.

I am so grateful to be Catholic and have a Church who in Her wisdom spoke about this topic way before it was ever a widespread issue.

Because the Church says so, is really why I used NFP to start.

It was the only reason I needed.

The cost and the safety, though no small thing, were just happy side effects.

One thing I really didn't anticipate though, was how aware of my body I became.

For a culture that is all about the women's body, we are so clueless.

When I started learning how to use NFP I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard all this stuff before.

I mean, I attended public high school where we spent a whole semester in health class.

Sex ed at it's best right?

Why hadn't I learned about the fertility cycle and its signs?

Seems pretty basic.

We certainly learned about artificial contraception.

My only conclusion is the teachers and/or the people who make the curriculum either simply don't know, or don't care and are trying to push their agenda.

But I fear the problem is worse than this.

People in the medical field don't even know this stuff.

I will never forget when I realized I was pregnant (the second time).

I called the  women's clinic I was going to, to schedule an appointment.

 The conversation with the nurse went something like this:

"Hi I would like to make an appointment. I am pregnant!"

Nurse: "Okay when did you take your pregnancy test?"

Me: "I haven't taken one."

Nurse: "Well then how do you know you are pregnant?"

Me: "Well we practice NFP and after my fertile time my temperature stayed elevated for two weeks which of course means I am pregnant and also I am never late, actually my cycles are always 28 days and..."

Nurse: "Um, perhaps you should go get a pregnancy test."

Me: "No thanks, I know my body and I know I'm pregnant."

Nurse: "Okay I guess we can just do a pregnancy test when you come in."

Really?

Have we really come so far in medicine and technology that the most basic human functions and instincts don't matter any more? It's the same with childbirth (stay on topic Dacia, that's a rant for another day).

The truth of the matter is, the women's body is AWESOME.

The way everything works, the fertility cycle, hormones, labor and childbirth, breastfeeding, etc simply make me marvel

at the magnificence of the Divine Creator.

So my question is, why don't know people know about NFP?

If our society's teachers and doctors don't know (or care)

how are people going to learn?

For me, it was a Church crying out in the wilderness.

For others, it is an effort to "go green"

and remove harmful chemicals from their lives.

But one thing I do know, is that those of us who NFP need to speak about it.

Yes it is personal, but it is literally a matter of life and death here.

If you haven't heard of NFP before, look it up.

It may seem daunting, but it really is quite easy if you are dedicated.

Trust me, there is even an app for it.



Four Years Ago Today

Four years ago today,

I slept in nice and late

I did a morning offering

I ate a big breakfast

I took a long shower

I ran around town trying to find some white flats

I went to the church

I got all dolled up

I even wore makeup

and got my hair done

I laughed with my sisters, mom, and best friend

I did ninja moves in the dress

I prayed

I posed

I hugged my dad

I walked down the aisle

I was given away to a wonderful man

I stood before the altar and the priest

I prayed some more

I listened to God's Word

I knelt

I looked loving and longingly into his eyes

I said "I Do" to God

and "I Do" to my bethrothed

I said yes God's blessings

I received Jesus in the most holy Eucharist

I was married.

Before God.

Before friends and family.

I vowed my love, my life, my actions, my thoughts and my words

to serve this man whom God has chosen for me.

To serve him however he needs me.

To help him get to Heaven.

To help him be a strong man of God.

To help him be a wonderful father.

To help him grow in virtues.

I am blessed.

Truly.

Date Night

The husband came home for his lunch break today,

which Dominic and I love!

On said lunch break he informed me that instead of his usual nerd night,

(well really every night is nerd night in our house cause we are two big nerds,

but specifically I refer to Friday night board game nights with his guy friends,)

he will be taking me out on a date.

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!!

Dont get me wrong, we are both homebodies and are perfectly content with staying home and watching a good show or playing a good video game after Doc is in bed.

I have never felt like I needed "a break" or to "get away" from our sweet son.

But dinner and a movie just me and the hubs, sounds awesome!

Our 4 year anniversary is the 8th (Wednesday).

What an amazing 4 yrs it has been!

I pray God blesses us all the more in the years to come.

Now, what to wear for my date??

I think I know just the dress...

Happy Monday!