Last night I kept my promise to Leah and we started watching the original Pride and Prejudice. We only got through the first two parts. Normally we would have seen one full movie in that amount of time, but in this case we're only a third of the way there. So with the fate of five sisters hanging in the balance, here goes.
What I'm Hoping is About to Happen: Mr. Darcy is actually a 007 working for British secret intelligence. He is on a top secret mission, trying to get close to Elizabeth Bennet so that he can investigate her sister Jane Bennet, who is a double agent with the KGB. The 27th ball of the movie turns ugly when Mr. Collins gets dehydrated and faints because of sweating too much. It is just the distraction Darcy needs to take Jane into custody right before she blows up her two youngest sisters, their officer friends, and their most-annoying mother.
But I'm trying not to get my hopes up, because...
This is What Is Probably More Likely to Happen: The sisters continue to learn about life and love. Some of them get married. Some of them don't. Mr. Darcy turns out to be nicer than Elizabeth thinks. Mr. Collins ends up marrying one of his cousins. They attend some more balls. The end.
Hard to believe that tomorrow will be six months since my wedding day! Other than a few extra pounds that I need to lose, these six months have been filled with so many unforgettable memories.
To celebrate I promised Leah that I would watch all six hours of the original Pride and Prejudice with her next week. It's all a part of my learning curve as a new husband. Lesson #133: Never agree to a bet with your wife, because even if you win, you lose:)
Once the Red Wings finished off the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup, I let out a sigh of relief. That's when Leah calmly remarked, "Now it will be even better. You can watch it with me simply because you love me!"
But the truth is, I would watch 24 hours of it if it would make my bride happy (typed with confidence since I'm pretty sure Jane Austin have any 24 hour movies out there):
It is my joy to see Leah continue to become the gifted, selfless, woman of God that I knew I was marrying. She still surprises me with her ability to listen to me when I'm processing, celebrate with me when I'm rejoicing, comfort me when I'm hurting, and challenge me when I'm missing it. She is keeping every word that she vowed to me six months ago.
Thanks babe! Let's get this movie started!
In May Leah and I had the opportunity to have lunch with Ed Stetzer. She shared with him a dream she's had to write a book encouraging twenty-somethings who are experiencing a "quarter-life crisis." Ed encouraged her to submit some of her writing to the publishing company he works with.
She did it, and Threads (the young adult division of Lifeway), just posted her article on their website. Check it out!
Way to go baby! I'm proud of you:)
Well, it's official. The Penguins are in. And now the Red Wings are in. It's a Pittsburgh vs. Detroit Stanley Cup Finals. And Leah and I are poised for a little matrimonial matchup.
That's where you come in. We need your help thinking of the ideal wager that we can settle on in order to properly spice things up. So far we've got a variety of ideas.
Fun Ideas: Brad Winner gets to write about the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Wings his/her team on Leah's the other person's blog for a week.
Over the Top Ideas: Winner gets the rights of telling our kids which teams to root for.
Scary Ideas: Something about watching all seven hours of Pride and Prejudice.
So what do you think?
Also, will you please say a prayer for Leah. I'm concerned about her emotional well-being. After moving to a new city, I'm not sure if she can handle the emotional turmoil of watching her hometown team go down in defeat.
...Why everyone in Hawaii grimaced when Leah and I told them we live in Michigan. I forgot how cold it is here! We arrived back in Pittsburgh Thursday night and spent some time with Leah's family. Yesterday we drove home together (feels great to type that!) just in time to shovel the driveway. Then married life sunk in as I spent the night in my house with a girl!
I'm back in the office today sifting through email and writing my sermon for tomorrow. And I have the strangest feeling. I can't wait to finish and go home. I wonder why that is:)
Tomorrow will be four weeks since I last preached a sermon. I'm so grateful Leah and I got to take an extended honeymoon. Our leaders did an incredible job leading ministry at the church. And Leah and I got to take a long, deep breath.
I'll follow up next week with some pictures and stories. In the meantime I've got to finish working so I can get home in time for dinner!
And so it begins...
