Anniversary Retreat October 15, 2008
We finally went on our anniversary getaway! We were so blessed to be gifted by family and friends with a stay at the Alderbrook Resort & Spa for our first year anniversary and 30th birthdays. It was wonderful! The weather was a little chilly – perfect for cozying up next to the window and soaking in the beautiful sky and water.
Rustic-chic
Strolling on the pier
Parents be warned…
We had a refreshing time of reconnecting and talking/praying about our goals for the next year. Thank you family and friends for pampering us!
Ta Dah!!! September 21, 2008
Well its about time you heard from the other half of the Rubio Rambles duo. Ahem…the not so pretty half. Though my wife has done a superb job holding down the fort, I thought it might be nice to share the burden of the blogosphere with her. Since this is the first post I’ve done, I should probably share some lessons I learned in our first year of marriage.
I think this picture sums it up pretty well, and in true Rubio Rambles fashion…the reasons why come on a list:
Lesson 1: It’s not always easy to see eye to eye. In fact the Lord has done such a good job in making people one-of-a-kind, with different temperaments and preferences, that more often than not we won’t see eye to eye. Olive and I are no exception to this. Our perspectives, sometimes, are very different but we have been learning that we can still be at peace with each other even when our ideas and thoughts are polar opposites.
Lesson 2: Marriage really does change your outlook. If you noticed in the picture I’m looking through a telescope. And if you look through a telescope, things tend to look a lot bigger. No duh, right? Well I’ve noticed that since I’ve gotten married, my tendency is to look at certain situations and make them bigger than they really are. Perhaps it’s the needless pressure that I put on myself to carry all of the responsibility for the successes and failures that come our way. While it sounds silly even as I am writing this down, this process seems impossible to escape sometimes. Olive definitely does her part in trying to divert my intense focus on trying to “fix” titanic problems and to see things at their correct proportions.
Lesson 3: Sometimes a gentle touch is all you need. With my hectic schedule of work, school, and husbanding, yes I know it’s not a true word, I find myself literally spent by the end of each night. Olive’s gentle hug or rub on the back are more than enough to ease the tension…at least until the next morning.
Lesson 4: The Lord is good and always there. When times get pretty dim, it is so comforting to know that the Lord is there to provide enough light for us to find our way even when we are not mindful of it. Like the Coit Tower behind us, the Lord provides a constant guiding light, not too dim and not too bright, for us to benefit from.
Lesson 5: I need to lose weight! Dude I look good in that picture, as does my wife. That was a little more than a year ago, and about 20 pounds ago.
Well, overall the Lord has been very gracious to us. He has blessed us with His provision (thank you to all that have helped us). He has blessed us with our family in the Bay and a new, growing, family here in Portland. And He has blessed me with an awesome wife.
