Ellie Reed

It's no coincidence that the scriptures talk a lot about weddings.  Jewish tradition speaks a lot about the sacred bond of marriage.  Catholic theology tells us that marriage is a sacrament in the same way that baptism and communion are holy and sacred. Jesus' first miracle was at the wedding at Cana.  Later passages describe the love between God and his people as the bridegroom and the bride on their wedding day.   I think it's safe to say we know a God who loves love- and who loves the celebration of love. When we started dreaming about getting married, dreaming about the wedding day came with it.  People told us from the beginning that we needed to figure out what was important to us and stick with it.  Having ice sculptures or fancy chairs, or even party favors wasn't important to me- and it was easy to leave all of that out. When it really came down to it, we wanted the day to be about Jesus- we wanted to celebrate why we were there and the kind...

People who said planning a wedding in four months isn't easy definitely weren't lying.  But what people won't tell you, is that it may be the most overwhelming four months of your short life. If I had to describe the season of engagement and wedding planning in one word, it would be: overwhelmed. They don't tell you that you will be come overwhelmed by the never ending to do list.  By your "budget" that goes completely out the window as soon as you start to spend any money at all.  They don't tell you that the simplest of decisions will become emotionally charged and nearly impossible to make. That I would cry twice in one day about not having enough money to feed our wedding guests. That I would cry a lot about a lot of different things. That people you love ask about your wedding and when you say, "we want to keep it simple"- they act like you are committing nuptial crime.  (Apparently my relatives don't like simple things) T...

I remember seeing a statistic a few years ago about the unusually large number of people who marry people they met in high school.  I also remember thinking that I was not going to be a part of that group.  It has taken me a long time to come around, but as fate would have it, I belong in that group after all. My fiance and I met in the tenth grade when we both volunteered at Fircreek's spring break camp.  I don't actually remember meeting him there, but he swears he can remember seeing me holding a clipboard (not surprised).  We were acquaintances for several years throughout our high school and college years, and reconnected through mutual friends last Christmas. Our first year together was a busy one.  He took trips to Spokane to see me.  I took trips home to see him.  Last summer, after two full months apart, Nolan drove 7 hours to visit me at summer camp. One night during his visit, we drove down to the river to watch the stars.  Someth...

I feel like I have been in a constant state of movement for the last four years.  I moved into the dorms, I moved out of them, I moved into my college house, I moved to Oregon for the summer.  I moved back to school.  I moved to Oregon again- but this time when my summer job was over, I didn't have anywhere to go, so I moved home. In September, I moved in with my dad and my sisters.  I romanticized the idea of sharing a room with my 14 year old sister, which was good at first, until I remembered I am an introvert and I need ample amounts of alone time.  Quickly after moving home and getting settled, I found myself moving again into my mom's guest room. There are emotional aspects of moving, and these things I know well.  But there is also a physical weight of picking things up and finding them a new home.  Some things are easy to part with, other things I keep.  I keep them in hopes that having them will make the next place feel a little more l...

Last week my   Free Will Horoscope   said this: "I advise you to climb a tall peak and deliver the spicy monologue that has been marinating within you...You simply need to be gazing at the big picture as you declare your big, ripe truths. " While I am a little late to the game, I feel as though a monologue has been marinating and it is ready to be shared. Ever since I was younger, I have had fear I cannot explain. I remember not being able to sleep even when I was really young.  I would stay up worrying about whether or not my kids would be able to make friends at school.  When I learned about adoption, I was afraid that I was adopted and I would never know my real parents.  After 9-11, I had a dream that my mom enlisted in the Army, and I didn't let her out of my sight for weeks, in constant fear that I would be left alone. This same fear came back when I was a senior in high school, and was trying to figure out what in the world I was supposed to ...