A Birthday Post

Yesterday morning I was reminded by my darling fiance' that I had not updated the blog in a while.... so, here I am!
  I actually have a couple blog posts that I could write, if only I could find the time to translate the words from my quiet time journal to the computer.  I will work on getting everything together and writing some updates within the next month or so! 

But on to more important things!

I secretly think that Joe reminded me about the blog because he wanted his own special post but little did he know I already had one in the works.  

So, my words today are for my best friend, the birthday boy.  

So many times this past week I have found myself repeatedly thanking the Lord for another year with my precious fiance'.  So often we get into a daily routine and never realize that we are taking so many things for granted until one day it is like a slap in the face and we realize God is "shaking" us saying "Hello! Wake up!" Or at least that is how it is for me.  But one thing that I truly try not to take for granted is the love that Joseph shows me.  Each time I pray and thank the Lord for him I am constantly reminded of the million and one reasons that I fell in love with him.  He is gentle with me and so lovingly tells me when I need to get myself together when I am in a tizzy.  He has the most perfect, forgiving heart.  He calms me like no one else can.  He is open and honest with me about what is going on in his life.  He has a sense of humor that could make a brick wall laugh.  His passion for the things he loves is intoxicating- if only I could bring myself to love hunting and fishing.  And his good looks are only an added bonus.  

I was blessed with the complete package. 

Joseph, 
You, my love, are truly a gift from God and I can only pray that I imitate your Christ-like actions day in and day out.  I am so thankful for another year, a thousand memories made, and trillions of laughs with you.  21 proved to be an awesome year, but I believe that 22 may be the best yet!  I wouldn't choose to spend this crazy and exciting life with anyone else.  
Thank you for being my perfect companion and continuing to choose me after all these years.  I am honored to live life with you and to be able to call you my husband in a month and a half.  I hope today, and this year, is everything you wish for it to be. 

Happy Birthday my love! I cannot wait to celebrate YOU all day!!

(These are pictures on Joe's birthday over the past few years!)

Hope

Hello, sweet friends. 

It has been a while since I have sat down and poured my thoughts into a blog but as my thoughts are beginning to overflow out of my tattered notebook I realize that it is time to share once again. 

Each day I sit down and spend time growing in the word.  Some days I simply dwell on bible verses that are applicable to what I am going through in life and other days I focus on my daily devotional.  But no matter what, each day, I write down the things that I am learning about myself and my walk with Christ. 

However, lately I have found myself caught up in a whirlwind of emotions that I cannot begin to explain.  Some days I feel like darkness has encompassed my life and other days I experience pure bliss.  Every day people are telling me that this should be the happiest time in my life; after all, I am planning a wedding and nearing the end of my undergraduate degree, but that is not necessarily the case.  When I allow worry and anxiety to creep into my life, my whole demeanor changes.  I have learned a lot about my walk as a Christian through these personal trials which has shown me how to appropriately face each day with a positive attitude.  

Seven years ago if you would have told me that this is the dream I would be living I would have told you that you are crazy.  

At that time in my life Joseph was only an acquaintance, albeit a cute one.  We were only friends and had no idea where the high school/college years would take us.  I surely didn't think I would be getting married at the ripe 'ole age of 21 (but SO thankful I am!) 

Also at that time in my life, anything and everything about hospitals absolutely freaked me out.  I did not do throw up (still do not do throw up), I did not do blood, and I definitely did not do dirty diapers.  Funny how when we say NO, God says YES-- look where I am today.  I am dealing with each of those things every time I step foot in the hospital.  

It is extraordinary how much change has taken place in my life over the past years, but the one thing that remains in me and the one thing I encourage you to hold on to is H O P E. 

But for me, holding onto the gift of hope also means dealing with a lot of the dreaded anxiety.  How does that work?  I am hopeful that God is using me and doing a work in my life every single day, but I am also anxious about the things that have yet to come.  I think that this has something everything to do with my OCD/having to plan everything/controlling personality. But as a Christian, God commands me not to be anxious.  

1 Peter 5:7 clearly tells me to "cast my anxiety on Him because He cares for me".

Jeremiah 29:11 is also an everlasting promise that I cling to, tightly. 

However, if I'm being honest, I would tell you that the anxiety and fear of the unknown has encompassed more of my life than the HOPE that I should be searching for. BUT every time I turn to my Heavenly Father I get a glimpse of that HOPE that I long for every day of my life.  That HOPE graces me with thoughts of the life ahead of me: my Christianity and the privilege that I have to share that with anyone and everyone, the nearing of the end of my undergraduate degree and the hope that this time next year I will be a nurse, and the most wonderful thoughts of the life that my fiance' and I will begin to share on January 3rd, 2015. 

If I'm being honest again I would tell you that although I am a little bit nervous for this next phase in my life, I am also a whole lot excited for the things to come.  I am excited for my Christian walk and my faith to grow.  Joseph and I have talked multiple times about how we feel a calling of some type of ministry on our lives.  We do not know what, where, or why we feel this way but I do know that together we will be faithful and serve wherever the Lord leads us.  The thought of sharing the gospel and reaching out to others while standing beside the man I love brings pure joy to my life.  I am also excited for the career that I have been working on for the past 3 years.  I can't wait to be a nurse and to reach out to people every single day.  I am excited to be a part of their care and to help give them HOPE about their future.  Lastly,  I am extremely excited and overjoyed about becoming one flesh with the man who knows and loves me more than I ever thought I needed.  I pray over our marriage every single day.  I know that there is no true way to ever prepare myself for what is to come, but I like to think that I am doing the best that I can.  What I do know is that our marriage is going to take work, but I also know that it will be worth every second, every dispute, every miscommunication, and every tear that we share.  We have been together for six years, and we both agree that we know each other pretty well.  But we also know that marriage will teach us things about each other that we have never known.  We know there will be hard days (we are two sinners who are beginning a life together), but we also have HOPE that there will be quadruple the amount of happy days that there are hard days.  In the last few months of our "singleness" I have HOPE that we will strengthen each other for what is to come.  I trust that we will grow a little more together in our faith and continue to have boundaries set to deter any temptations that we may face.  I have HOPE that this life we will create together will be the most wonderful thing we will ever experience aside from the day we found our salvation in Christ.  

I have HOPE that no matter the amount of worry and anxiety I let Satan bring upon my life, the amount of joy that I will receive from Christ will be tenfold.  As Christians it is our responsibility to declare Satan out of our lives.  If we are living for Christ then there is no room for Satan.  

Turn your face to the Lord and allow him to show you his mercies every single day.  Even when your life seems dark (as mine has been at times) find time to present yourself to the Lord and he will greatly bless you.  

When you are not spending time with the Lord, find time to do something that brings comfort to you.  For me, writing is the second best thing to help me get rid of the stress in my life.  The first, of course, is talking and sharing my feelings with Joe.  Find someone who will listen to you and love you no matter what you say.  Find someone who encourages you in your darkest times of life.  Find someone who will hold you accountable and tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.  If you have that one person you can turn to then you have a true friend.  

PS- I am always here to talk to anyone who needs encouragement, support, and prayer. 

Thank you for taking time to read this blurb about HOPE.  This is real people.  Although I do live a very blessed and happy life, this is the raw and unedited side of things.  I struggle each and every day to make the right decisions but I also serve a Father who is full of forgiveness and love.  

You are loved, 

Chaselyn 

God is GOOD.

As I sit here and write this post, which has been in the making for a while, I am filled with overwhelming joy. Joy that no one but my Heavenly Father could bring me. 

These past few weeks have been tough I tell ya, really tough. At times I honestly had no clue how I could make it through. But I made it and you will be happy to know that this is my last blog about nursing school until at least August because this girl is done!! 

I am a SENIOR in college!

How does that even happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was so excited because I was a senior in high school? At that time I thought being a senior in high school was the greatest thing, but here I am. One year away from graduating college and being thrown into the real world. And now, to me, this is the most exciting thing. I'm sure there will be many more exciting things down the line, such as: a wedding :), hopefully a master's degree, hopefully some Parsons babies.. and many other things. But for right now I am living in the moment. I am soaking it all in because I know this time in my life is going to pass very quickly. 

I have had seven nursing exams within the past two weeks, some passes and some fails. When it comes down to having a test back-to-back every day, studying just doesn't happen. And although now that I have my grades back I am wishing I would have studied more, I am pleased with the work I have done and there is nothing I can do to change it now. It feels so very good to say that I passed all three of my nursing finals, and I passed all three with fairly good grades. All I can say is, God is GOOD. 

Going into my Pediatrics exam last Thursday I knew the exact number I needed on the final to pass the class. And although I wasn't failing the class, my test average was below a 77%. (In our program we have to have a 77% class average and a 77% test average to pass). I was doing fairly well in the class, it was just my test scores that were yucky. 

So, I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. Literally, I took the phrase "pray without ceasing" and I did it. Every second of every single day. I had friends praying for me and I know that many of you reading this were praying for me, and for that I am so BEYOND thankful. My mama and daddy were covering me with support and that wonderful fiance' of mine was backing me the whole way. 

Well, I took the exam last Thursday and we got our grades back today and let me tell you that I got the exact amount of points that I needed to pass the class. I needed 120 points and I got exactly 120 points. 

I will say it again, God is GOOD. 

I couldn't have done it without him. 

I couldn't have made it through this year without him. But He was faithful, just as he promised and he saw me through. I am so grateful. I have thanked Him constantly today. It has been such a great day. 

Oh, and by the way. Did I mention how great it feels to come home and not have a single thing to do? I don't have to open a book and I don't have to read and re-write my notes. I actually get to come home and clean and cook and actually lay in my bed and enjoy it! It has been fabulous. 

So here we are. Summertime once again, and this summer I am NOT in school! I know that in December, when a lot of my friends are graduating, I will be a little jealous. But honestly, I don't know if I could make it through summer school. I need a break! I have a wedding to plan and a full time job to work and I am so excited about it!

It feels so good to say that I have made it through the most academically challenging years of nursing school. I'm one step closer to my dream. One step closer to stepping out on the floor and saving lives. And I couldn't be more excited about it. There are no words that anyone could have used to prepare me for this year. And there are no words I could give to anyone else. It has been hard, there have been tears, and there have been laughs, but it has been extremely brutal. I am thankful that I had this opportunity and I'm thankful that I passed my junior year, but I may be more thankful that it is OVER. 

I was able to make so many new friendships this year and become close with so many new people that I will cherish forever. I have been with my clinical group almost every Friday night since August and there are so many things that I could have never done if they wouldn't have pushed me. I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to work with them and grow with them. 

And, to my best friends who have endured this challenge with me (you know who you are).. I am so proud of you. So proud of your hard work and determination throughout this year. I couldn't have made it without any of you!

I have grown so much this year. In my faith, in my knowledge, and in my clinical skills. And I know that I am only going to grow even more in each of those areas. 

On the first day of class, back in August, our professors told us.. "C=RN".

And I am sticking to it. My ability to be a nurse is not measured by the grades that I make on a multiple choice test. My ability to be a nurse is not measured by the grades I receive on my 20+ page papers. My ability to be a nurse is measured by the lives that I touch and by the lives that I am able to share the love of Christ with. I am sticking to that promise and trusting that God will hold my hand the entire way. 

I am so thankful for this calling He has placed in my life. 

I truly could not see myself doing anything else. 

So, thank you to everyone who has watched me grow on this journey. Thank you for the support and the prayers and the love. I couldn't have done it without you. Especially my family, my sweet fiance', and my best friends. They were my saving grace many late nights when I thought I couldn't do it anymore. But I did, and for that I am forever thankful. 

Until the beginning of next semester... this is the end of my junior year of nursing school. 

Thank you, Lord!!

(Here are a few pictures to re-cap the year with some of the ones who helped me make it through)(Best clinical group there ever was)

(My sweet mama & daddy) 

                       (Joe's family) 

(Part of our clinical group with one of our wonderful instructors, Mrs. Rivera)

(And last but not least.. my sweet, sweet family)

Psalm 84:12

nursing school has allowed me to believe that i am adapted to *somewhat* handle any medical situation that arises until more advanced help arrives. and that may be true in some cases; however, that is NOT true when it is your fiance' who is doubled over the sink in pain.

joe had to work a 14 hour shift today (tuesday) because of the snow, so i did not see him at all until he showed up at my door at 1130 begging for something to make his pain go away. when he called and told me he was coming i was thinking that he would just get the medicine and leave, but when i opened the door i knew that he wouldn't be leaving for a while. his face was white and he could hardly talk to me. so i set out in my over dramatic panic trying to decide what to do. he attributed his pain to heartburn and indigestion, but when someone tells me they are having pain in their chest i am not taking that lightly. so i gave him some tums, some alka seltzer... whatever i could find in my cabinet to help him. in the meantime i was asking my roommate for advice, texting my best friend all the symptoms, and praying nonstop. 

at this point every nursing instinct i had was out the door. i felt so lost. joe was bent over my sink cringing in pain and i couldn't do anything about it. what kind of nurse am i if i can't even take care of some simple pain? judge all you want, but he was scarin' me. 

30 minutes passed and there was no signs of improvement. he was still breathing hard and he was holding his chest tightly while i was frantically running around. i had a quick nursing instinct to take his blood pressure, so that's what i did. a little elevated, but nothing to be too worried about. i made him sit down at the table and drink some water while asking the best nursing questions i knew how. it is amazing how fast you can react to a patient who you just met in the hospital.. but caring for someone you love who is in pain? that is a whole different story. so here we are, sitting at the kitchen table... he is bent over trying to breathe through the pain and i'm asking him questions to fight back the tears. i felt so helpless in this moment. he kept insisting that he would be okay but i wasn't buying it. 

i should have mentioned that he had just gotten off work at 9pm and he has to be back at work at 4am. so he really needed to be in bed, asleep at this point. 

after 45 minutes of pep talking and trying to decide whether to go to the ED or not.. he insisted that he go home and go to bed. so i packed him a goody bag of tums and alka seltzers and sent him on his way. 

when he got home he so sweetly thanked me and said goodnight, then sent me a text that said "psalm 84:12". 

of course i looked it up and in that moment i felt so much peace. 

psalm 84:12 says, "Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you." (NIV)

this was just another lesson that taught me that i need not worry about any situation that is thrown my way. god is going to send us trials that we may not know how to solve, but in those trials i believe that he is also trying to teach us to have a solid foundation of trust in him. 

so, here i sit at almost 1 in the morning just staring at my phone and wanting to be awake in case joe were to need me and i am spending precious time with god. i should be studying for my test tomorrow, but right now this quiet time is helping me clear my mind. i am constantly reminded that our savior has an everlasting love for us. no matter the situation, no matter the lack of trust; he loves us through and through. but knowing that different blessings comes from trust in god makes me long to have a stronger trust in him. 

the next time you find yourself in a situation that has you in a tizzy remind yourself that you are a child of the king. he has his hands around you and he is protecting you. 

remember these bible verses: 

joshua 1:9

psalm 13:5

psalm 31:14

psalm 56:3

and definitely, psalm 84:12. 

god is so so good, and i know he has a hand of protection on us. 

if you get a second today, remember joe in your prayers. i know he will be tired at work and i'm sure he won't be feeling very well. 

also remember that god loves you, no matter what. 

have a blessed day my pretties!

C

last week was one week that i had been looking forward to for a long time...

SPRING BREAK!

otherwise known as the first week i had been home since Christmas.

it was so nice to be able to go home and just enjoy time with my family. it was just me and them. joe started a full time job this semester so he had to work until wednesday, which gave me a bunch of time at home. 

it was great!

on my first sunday home, mackenzie had a dance competition so i went with mom, dad, and thompson to watch her dance. it was so nice to be able to sit there and watch and not have to get caught in the hustle and bustle of changing costumes every 5 minutes. although, i do miss it. i just enjoyed watching mack do her thing. (she did fabulous, by the way!)

after the dance competition there was a bridal expo in town that mom wanted me to go to. however, mom was still at the dance competition with my sister. which left me with the problem of 'who in the world am i gonna go with?!'

literally- i texted every person in my contacts that i thought would be in town who might go with me and not one single person could go. my poor daddy was so selfless and offered to drive me, but he wasn't about to get out of the car. so i put on my big girl panties and i went.... alll alone. i guess it was meant for me to go alone and just soak in everything since no one else could go with me. 

and i think that is exactly what i needed- some alone time to take a deep breath and get all my thoughts together for this wedding of the century that we are planning. 

so, i got some really good ideas from the bridal expo and mom and i began to call and make appointments with florists, photographers, etc. she took off of work on monday and tuesday to spend the day with me so that we could get some wedding stuff done. that woman is great. she went into our appointments with all these questions that i had never even thought of. i don't know what i would do without her. she has helped me so much while i have been away at school and i truly wish that there was some way that i could repay her for all of her hard work. i know one day she will receive her crown because she is a true queen. 

the one challenge about wedding planning during spring break was that joe was not at home. although he could absolutely care less about wedding planning, it is still nice to have his input and know that this is going to be our wedding, not just my wedding. i would call him after each appointment and give him the spill and i could just see his smile through the phone as he replied "that's great babe!" after everything i said. 

sometimes it is nice to have him just agree and not say anything else- but this is our wedding and i want him to have a say! i guess that's a man thing, and something that i will have to get used to for the rest of my life. 

by the way- i'm not sure if i have ever officially announced the wedding date. we will be sending out 'save the dates' as soon as the groom decides that his beard is in good enough shape to have engagement pictures taken, but until then this announcement will have to work! 

nine months and two weeks from today is....

january 3rd, 2015

we spent months trying to set a final date. it changed at least three times before mama laid down the law and told us to pick a date. there are many different reasons why we chose a winter wedding, but we wanted something very classy and formal and we felt that a winter wedding was our best bet. also, who wants to wait 6 more months to get married to someone who you have been with for at that point almost 7 years?? NOT ME! 

we have gotten a lot of negative comments on a winter wedding but we have also gotten a lot of positive comments. either way, we felt like this was the best decision for US and we are very excited about it! we will try to make it a very enjoyable night for everyone! 

anyways, back to the spring break recap. 

by wednesday i was missin' my man! i had lunch that day with his sweet cousins, morgan and taylor. it was so great to be able to have lunch with them and catch up! (love you both!) 

also, on wednesday i had the privilege to ask the cutest 4 year olds in the entire world to be our ring bearer and flower girl. 

i swear, it doesn't get any cuter. they may steal the show from us on our big day, but that is perfectly fine with us! 

on wednesday night my man finally came home to me! we were able to spend some time with his dad and grandparents that night before we hit the road to the beach the next morning. 

i debated on whether or not to go to the beach because i wanted some extra time with my family. but honestly, i am really glad i decided to go. 

(this is my sweet boy fishing) 

those days that i sat on the beach while the guys fished was so special to me. i was able to really spend time with god and ask for total clarity of my life. i was able to reflect on where i had been and where i am going in life. it was bliss. sometimes i get so caught up in life i forget that i have to stop and just spend time with god so that i can continue to stay in his will. every day i allow different sins to gain control of my life, some, bigger than others, but they always seem to weigh me down and i feel as if the devil is telling me i will never be good enough. not for god, not for joe, not for my mom and dad, and not for my friends and family. it is a true battle. one of my downfalls is that i am always trying to be the absolute best i can be and most times i forget that i am going to make mistakes. and when i do make a mistake i feel as if the world is weighing on my shoulders. 

i always have to remind myself of the verse 1 john 1:9. 

i will be the first person to admit that i do make mistakes, and sometimes i fall short of asking for forgiveness. but i know that god has made these special promises because he loves us. he loves us with an everlasting love and there is nothing that can separate us from him. we only have to repent and ask for forgiveness. so why is that so hard sometimes?! because i'm selfish? because i want to keep sinning? all i know is that i am so thankful for a savior who guides me and directs me when my path begins to detour from him. i want need that. 

its like god is always there to grab me when i'm on the edge. 

for those of you who know me you know that i am very type A personality. i like to have a plan. i like to know what's going to happen before it happens. and for those of you who know joe, you know that he is the complete opposite of that. actually, we are complete opposites in almost every way possible. he is so laid back. all of the time. never really cares what happens. as long as he has a fishing rod and some mountain dew he is good. sometimes, this is absolutely wonderful. sometimes, it is nice to relax and not have a worry in the world. but, most of the time, that is not my reality. and this is where we clash. sometimes it is really hard. and in the moment when i begin to get frustrated... THAT is where god grabs me before i go over the edge. THAT is what i'm thankful for. he protects me from making mistakes i will regret and he protects joe from my frustration. it is in those times that i remind myself of the verse james 1:19. that is powerful stuff! and i am so grateful for it. i am continuously learning how to be a better christian and just a better person all around. 

i am also grateful for this season of engagement. we are closer than we were when we were dating, but we don't share the closeness of a marriage, yet. it is a time of spiritual and emotional growth. we are learning new things about each other every day. our lives aren't perfect. we aren't perfect. we make mistakes. we disagree. and we argue. but at the end of the day one thing stands- we love each other and we love our savior. 

i pray that is how it is in whatever situation you are going through. there will be battles and you will make mistakes. but know that at the end of the day someone loves you. god definitely loves you. and that is something that you will never change. trust in him. put your faith in him. ask for forgiveness from him. "he is faithful and just to forgive your sins". 

understand that many times when you face hardships in life it is god trying to strengthen you and build you for the next task he has prepared for your life. trust that he will send you something greater than you could ever imagine. he will never show you your final plans because he wants you to have that trust and faith in him. 

i pray that each of you will find this trust that you should have in god. i am praying for myself, that i would find the trust in god that i need. it is hard, i know that. but it is so worth it! 

so, i leave you with a prayer request and a challenge. 

the prayer request- pray for joe and i to make the right decision on where to move when we graduate from college. we thought we had everything planned out.. until.. god threw us a curve ball this week. we aren't very worried about it because we trust that he will place us where we can better serve him but it is still nice to have spiritual support. 

the challenge- spend at least 10 minutes every day with the lord. the time spent with him will be so worthwhile. it will strengthen your relationship with him and it will make your days much more joyful. 

this is a challenge for me as well, because i fall short in this area. i try to spend time in my devotion each day, but some days it just doesn't happen. so i am taking this challenge with you. 

i am praying for you, but if there is anything specific i can pray for please let me know. 

xoxo, 

C

An Update of Encouragement

Well, it has been a while since I was last here so I figured it was time for me to follow up. The last post was probably one of the happiest I have ever written. And since that day, not one bit of happiness has faded. I (we) are still on cloud nine. We refer to each other as fiance' now and that makes my heart happy. I find myself looking at him while he is working or playing ball and I catch myself smiling thinking about how totally blessed I am. 

I couldn't imagine anyone more perfect for me and I am so excited to start our lives as Mr.&Mrs. 

We have been making forward progress in the wedding planning, although it is at a halt right now because it vitally important that I make it through nursing school. BUT, we have gotten a few things done! First and foremost, I HAVE A DRESS! A dress that every girl dreams of, the kind of dress that truly makes me feel like a princess and I cannot wait to wear it and meet my handsome soon-to-be husband at the alter. 

We have decided on a venue. But our struggle right now is a date! We thought we had one, then we change. Then we set it, then we change. It's a never-ending process. We would get married this weekend if we could but with both of us being in school it is hard trying to figure out how we want to go about the wedding. So hang tight- as soon as we know for sure I will make it public! 

We both just want to express our utmost gratitude for all of the phone calls, texts, messages, and just words of kindness about the engagement. We are elated to have such an awesome group of family and friends that we know will always be there for us and we cannot wait to share our special day with each and every one of you! 

So from the bottom of our hearts, we truly thank you!

This post is really a post that stems from me putting off studying for a few minutes. Tomorrow kicks off the actual brutal beginning of the semester. Starting tomorrow I have a test every week until Spring Break. That's a lot of tests! Nursing school is one of the toughest challenges that I have faced thus far in my 21 years, but it has taught me so many things. It has taught me how to be thankful for everything that I have been blessed with, it has taught me to love deeper, and it has taught me to care for people that I don't even know. It has humbled me in so many ways. I am so thankful for every single patient that I come into contact with on Monday's and Friday's and my prayer is that I am a blessing in their lives. I pray that some way, some how that I am showing the love of God and allowing them to see the special love that He has for them. I always make it a point to pray with my patients before leaving for the day and in doing that I hope that they can take away the love of God and see that He has a greater plan for their lives. I love nursing school, and without a doubt I know that this is my calling in life, I just pray that I can be the best nurse I know how to be so that I can touch the lives of others each and every day. 

I am also thankful for some of the best friends in the E N T I R E world that stand by my side day to day and do this nursing journey with me. They are a true blessing to me and I love each of them so dearly. 

While we're on the subject of school I have to give credit and praise to Joe. He is working a full time job to prepare to support us as a married couple and he is going to school full time. I'm tellin' y'all, I am one blessed woman! He doesn't complain or fuss, he just goes to work at 7 am and constantly tells me how thankful he is to have a job. And for that, I am thankful!

I want to leave you with this bit of encouragement. 

God n e v e r calls you to a place that you cannot handle. There is a reason behind every situation you face in life, and I want to challenge you to take those situations and be thankful for them. Thank God for leading you in different directions so that you can learn to trust him more. Thank God for giving you different opportunities in life to turn to him and seek guidance. After all, that is why He is there. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a go-to passage for me. Those few words get me through some of my toughest times. 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."

He is there to guide us in every situation, all we have to do is trust. He is a mighty God and he loves you more than you will ever know. 

Seek more of his face today, reach deeper to receive his love, and put all of your trust in him. 

You are loved, 

Chaselyn 

We're getting married!!

I was going to wait a few days to type this blog but SO many people have asked me about all the little details and how it happened. I can't type this out on my phone and text it to everyone so blogging it seems most fitting. I will just start off by saying this was by far the best Christmas I have ever experienced, not because of the presents but because of the love that was evident throughout mine and Joe's entire family. It was absolutely wonderful. And, well.... the gifts were wonderful, too. Thank you to everyone who has texted, called, messaged us, come to see us, and everything else! You will never know how much we truly appreciate the love and support from our friends and family. 

Sooo.. lets get to the good stuff! 

Every year on Christmas eve Joe and I let each other open one gift from each other so last night (Christmas eve) we exchanged gifts and he gave me the most beautiful, custom made pearl bracelet. It is absolutely beautiful. He told me he had three presents for me and this was the first thing he gave me. I am in love with it! I was really confused at how he was going to give me a better present than the bracelet, but I didn't say a word. Anyways, he left my house and went home and I went to bed. 

Well, this morning (Christmas morning) my brother was up and at 'em at 7 o'clock and by 8 o'clock all of our presents were opened. There was a present to me from Joe under our tree that was supposed to be my third gift but Mom accidentally gave it to me and I opened it while Joe wasn't there. *BIG mistake* But, I loved the gift! It was a pair of hot pink and white golf shoes to match the hot pink golf clubs that I got from "Santa". They are perfect! But when I opened them and said, "Are these golf shoes?", mom freaked out and re-wrapped them and made everyone promise that Joe wouldn't find out. Funny, because somehow Joe found out!

Every year on Christmas morning I always open presents with my family and eat breakfast with them and then go to Joe's and *try* to eat again and open presents with them. Well this morning Joe got up to go hunting so he had been texting me and right after we finished breakfast he texted me and said....

I asked him if he was lying because earlier in the week he told me he shot a buck when he really didn't. And he asked me to come help because I am the one who found the blood trail for the deer we shot on Monday night. I am now known as the professional "deer tracker". He texted me this around 9:30 and I wasn't able to get to his house until around 10:30. In that hour he probably called me 20 times wanting to know where I was and when I was going to be there. So when all the presents were finally opened I was rushing out the door to go find a "huge buck"! 

Mom took a picture of me leaving because apparently everyone knew what was going on but me!

So I got to Joe's house and we take off to the woods looking for this "huge buck". All I remember was that it was FREEZING! 

We get down in the woods and start looking for this blood trail and Joe continuously keeps saying how mad he is because he can't find the trail and he was so upset because he just knew he missed the deer. He only told me that he was going to throw up a million times. I thought it was because he was so upset over the deer, but he was really just nervous! So we walked around the woods for a good 20 minutes looking for this "deer" and finally Joe says, "well I guess I missed it and I don't want to be a scrooge this Christmas so lets go eat & open gifts!" I totally agreed with him because I was so cold and I just wanted to get out of the woods! 

Well we got back to where the car was parked in the field which just so happened to be right next to his trail camera that was strapped to a tree. When we walked by the trail camera he said, "Hey, smile, you're on camera!" He messed around with the trail camera for a minute and then he came up to me. At this point he had told me he loved me probably 30 times in a 5 minute span. He kept telling me how excited he was to be married in a few years and kept talking about all of our "dreams". I honestly was just confused. His mom was cooking breakfast, I knew she wanted us to hurry and I couldn't understand why he was talking about all of our dreams in the middle of the woods on Christmas morning. Welll... now I know! 

He got me right in front of the trail camera and he hugged me for the longest time. The next thing he said was, "Do you want your next present?" Of course I said yes and I asked him to go get it out of the car. He told me it wasn't in the car and I asked where the big buck was and he told me..... there was no buck!! At this point I started laughing. I just hiked through the freezing cold woods looking for a blood trail that didn't exist? On Christmas morning?! WHAT?! 

But then he pulled me closer and started telling me how much he loves me and how he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone else. 

**If you look closely, he is holding the ring box behind his back in this picture**

To be honest, I don't remember exactly what he said. Multiple times today we both tried to remember what he said but we just couldn't. When he started with the "I love you so much" speech I knew something was about to happen. Before he got down on his knee he said, "I'm really doing this!" He was so excited! 

He then got down on one knee and all I remember was, "Chaselyn Alyse Duncan, will you marry me?" 

I didn't even look at the ring. I just fell on both of my knees with him! 

We were both crying. Actually I was more like bawling, but whatever. It was the happiest moment of my life. We both sat on the ground and just hugged and laughed and cried and he eventually put the ring on my finger. It was so perfect. I never wanted that moment to end. I could have sat in the freezing cold with him all day. 

But, the moment had to end and we had to go to his house where his mom and sister were waiting. It was absolutely perfect. 

When we got back to his house there was a bunch of screaming, crying, laughing, and smiling. It was wonderful. And about 10 minutes later my WHOLE family walks in. Mom, dad, grandma, brother, sister, cousins.... I was, and still am, on cloud 9. We screamed a little more, a little louder, and we all just celebrated. 

Truly the most awesome thing I've ever experienced and I couldn't have asked for it to be done any more perfectly. 

Sooo... about the ring. 

For a while now Joe and I have talked about getting married but we never really talked much about how we would get engaged or what the ring would be like. Honestly, Joe never asked me what kind of rings I liked, he never let me show him what I liked, and he never liked talking about it. He always told me that he would take care of me and I completely trusted him. He has been working on creating this ring specifically for me since July. It is absolutely p e r f e c t. The pictures don't do it justice at all. I have been flashing it all day! But can you blame me?! 

Needless to say, today has been a total celebration. But so many times Joe and I just stopped to pray and thank God for all his many blessings. We both prayed all morning and we have prayed multiple times since then. I don't even know what to say to God though. "Thank you" has come out of my mouth many, many times. I am so thankful first and foremost for the most perfect gift that was born on Christmas day many, many years ago, for the true reason that we celebrate Christmas. Secondly, I am thankful for the man of God that I have been blessed with. I am beyond excited for our life as husband and wife to begin. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him. He is something special and I wouldn't take all of the money in the world over him. He teaches me every day how to love stronger, laugh harder, and trust deeper and for that I am so thankful. He pushes me towards Christ and holds me accountable for so many things. God has given me a better gift than I could have ever dreamed of, and for that I will be forever thankful. 

I love you, Joe Parsons and I cannot wait to be your wife!!!

Once again, thank you to all of our friends and family for the sweet words and encouragement. It means the world to us. We are so thankful for such wonderful people in our lives. We cannot wait to celebrate on our special day with the ones who mean the most.

 Joe and I have not had a single second alone since the big moment so a date has not even been talked about. We will let you know as soon as we decide. Until then.... let the wedding planning commence! 

We hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas with your families!