Monday, December 20, 2010

Costa Rica

Our Resort-Riu Guanacaste

Zip Line through the rain forest

View from our hotel
Aaron searched and searched for the perfect honeymoon destination.  He gets great discounts on resorts with his job at Delta Airlines, and he finally landed on Costa Rica.  It had everything I was hoping for: beaches, mountains, and warm weather!!  Aaron's parents gave it to us for a wedding present.

Being a missionary who just got done with grad school, I typically spend most of my travel money on missions trips.  I really didn't think I would ever be able to go to one of those fancy resorts you see on TV and in magazines, but our loving heavenly Father and my loving husband had other plans!

The resort was gorgeous, and we enjoyed snorkeling, a zip-line tour through the rainforest, walks a long the beach, kayaking, the Asian restaurant in our resort, the hot tub, and non-alchoholic fruit slushes that were out of this world!

Our Wedding Day: Oct. 23

Aaron and Rach, my little sis in Christ, and wedding planner extraordinaire!
My niece Annie, the beautiful flower girl!
Mr. and Mrs. Addicks

The night before our wedding, I will never forget my quiet time with the Lord.  I had checked the weather forecast and we had a 70% chance of rain on our big day.  We had hoped and planned for a beautiful outdoor wedding, so as you can guess, my bride heart was somewhat sad.

However, as I spent time praying to the Lord and reading my Bible, I kept going back to my greatest prayer for our wedding, which was that that people would see the Lord in our wedding service.  Some people coming weren't Christians, and others had been turned off to the church or Christianity, and we were hoping God would use our wedding service to touch their hearts.  As I was praying and reading the Bible, I felt God letting me know in a soft, loving manner that He would accomplish His plans His way.

The morning of the wedding, I was getting my hair done, and we had a major down-pour.  Aaron was at the mansion already to set up chairs, when he suggested a wedding on the porch of the mansion.  I loved this idea, considering the tables on the inside of the mansion had already been set up, and we were going to pack the inside of the place.

We had a dreamy wedding day.  The rain helped get everyone together to chat and create a quaint atmosphere both inside the house and on the porch.  The minister said it the best, that it was definitely a missionary wedding, as the Lord changed our plans but couldn't stop our joy or love for Him and each other!

After the lunch, we were able to go outside and get some great shots from our photographer, who didn't let the rain stop him from getting some awesome shots of our porch wedding.  Two of my favorite moments were leading 2 worship songs with Aaron and serving everyone communion.  God blessed our day, and continues to bless our lives and carry out His plans His way....I'm so thankful He always has the best plan for children as a loving Father would.