A picnic, a proposal, and a whole lot of lanterns :]

wellwellwell… :]

Would you believe that I had no intention of blogging this week because I didn’t think anything new or exciting was going to happen…?? Well, boyyy was I wrong! In fact, I don’t think I have ever been more wrong about anything in my entire life!!

On August 25^th, 2012, Eric Floberg asked me to be his wife...

…and without hesitation, I whispered, “yeeeaah!”  :]

That night was by far, without-a-doubt, the best night of my entire life! I have never felt more loved or been more joyful. For the next 24 hours after Eric proposed, I had a splitting headache because I could not stop smiling! I probably looked like a total weirdo to anyone who saw me that day… “Who is that girl sitting by herself, and why does she have such a big, dorky smile on her face?” Hahah, but I didn’t care a bit! I had a beautiful ring on my finger and an amazing future to look forward to with the best man in the whole wide world.

So now to answer the burning question…How did he do it!? Well, first let me say that he did it in the best way that there is to do it! He gathered family and friends, people who we love and who love us, and set up a truly magical night that still seems like a dream.

I should preface that I did not see it coming. Yeeaaah, I had suspicions, but I didn’t want them to turn into expectations. However, the clues that led me to believe that something fishy was going on were these…

…First, Eric “visited” my parents at Lake Geneva while they were at camp because “he and his dad were fishing and they thought they’d stop by.” Now, this story is very believable. I actually didn’t doubt that that is what happened at all, but I did think it was weird that Eric didn’t tell me, and that he called Daka to get my dad’s number instead of me…

…Next, my dad so casually asked me my ring size one day. He said, “You have hands just like your mother, you know that?” I said, “Yep! Fat knuckles and skinny fingers, haha!” Then he asked, “…What size ring do you wear anyways?” I replied, “The ring I always wear is a 5.5.” He nodded his head and walked away. Then I thought to myself, wait… that was weird.

…Finally, my best girlfriend in the entire world and I really bond over our love for organization. Jane had just gotten a new planner, something that we geek out about, and she was dying to show me! So we went to her house and she flipped through the pages, showing me her daily reminders and her crazy schedule. Well, as she was turning the pages, I caught a glimpse of what looked like “Eric and Sabriah <3” and immediately said, “Jane… what is that!?” She frantically flipped past that page and said, “Nothing!” I didn’t want to press the matter because clearly I wasn’t supposed to see it, but I will admit, it drove me crazy for like, 3 weeks. Luckily, I didn’t see the date or anything; I just figured I had something to look forward to.

So! Despite the fact that some of you might be shaking your head, thinking, “Golly, Sabriah. Get a clue! How did you not put the pieces together!?” You have to know that my mindset was to not get my hopes up. I typically try to keep a level head. I didn’t want to be disappointed. I figured that if Eric was planning something special for me, it would be best for me to not think that it was a proposal. Otherwise, even if it was something super sweet and thoughtful, I’d be disappointed, and I didn’t think that would be fair to him at all. And the biggest reason that I just knew Eric wasn’t going to propose anytime soon was that he was being SO normal…

…Well he sure had me fooled!

Anyways, back to the big day!! Eric had told me before we went on this date that he had really wanted to make a video about how we had both grown in our relationship and been sanctified. I thought this was a really sweet idea! So I prepared what I was going to say because I don’t think I do well enough in front of a camera to just wing it!

I couldn’t waaaaiiittt to finally spend time with him one-on-one since we had been away from each other for a week at this point. I know that isn’t a very long time, but when you’re used to seeing someone you love really often and that luxury is taken away, it is just hard. I had a ton of free time and Eric didn’t. So naturally I was thinking about him all of the time, wondering if he was thinking of me, and sure that he probably wasn’t. Wrong again!

The two days leading up to Saturday were tense between Eric and me at times. We were frustrated with one another because we weren’t communicating well, we both had hurt feelings, and on top of it all, we couldn’t even talk it out in person. So when Saturday rolled around, I knew everything would be okay between us, but I was anxious to hash it out. I just wanted it to be over and I was desperate to be in his arms and have him tell me that everything was going to be ok. Things did turn out alright. We both apologized and were forgiven. Eric reminded me that God had his hand in our relationship and though it didn’t seem like it at the time, He was using it for our good. That was just what I needed to hear. And I ended up getting that hug. :]

After that, we were able to be our silly, crazy selves again. We wanted to have a picnic, so we went to Shnucks and got all of the supplies! Here’s the recipe for our pasta salad…

• Awesome noodles that look like flowers
• LOTS of Italian dressing
• Cucumbers
• Grape tomatoes
• Carrot slivers
• Yummy grilled chicken strips
• LOL and LOL (lots of laughs and lots of looooove! Hahahaha I just had to say that!)

We also visited the local Goodwill store and goofed around there for a while. You find the funniest things there. I could’ve bought my wedding dress had I only known… There was a long sleeve white lace dress, and I’m pretty sure the skirt was made of plastic. Ahh… too bad, it would’ve been a real winner…. ;)

Eric was documenting the whole night. We took videos of each other in the car, in the store, in my apartment. But I didn’t think that was weird because I knew we were planning to make a video that day anyways.

Finally, we drove to Roanoke, parked on the side of the road by a corn field in the middle of nowhere, and set up the camera. The whole night, Eric was so excited about the weather and the sky being so clear, and while I was right there, excited with him, I had never seen him so excited about weather conditions before… so I thought that was a little strange! Little did I know he was excited about it for more reasons than our video…

It was so wonderful to talk about how God has changed my life through Eric, and to hear how He has changed Eric through me. When Eric was sharing about how he had been experiencing sanctification, my heart felt so warm and fuzzzzzyyyy, all the way down to my toes! #sweatytoes hehehe!

After we were finished videotaping, we set up a picnic on top of his car! We got out our delicious pasta salad, our large cans of Arizona, and chowed down. Eric didn’t have much of an appetite. He told me later that he had to force every bite of that pasta salad down so I wouldn’t ask why he wasn’t eating. Smart.

When we finished, we took out a couple pillows and lay on top of his car looking at the stars. We had a really good conversation. Gosh, I love those moments. Then Eric said that we should get going, but we decided to dance like weirdos in the street first, because that’s just what we do. My goodness, we’re going to have so much fun together all of the time when we’re MARRIED!! :D

When we got into the car, I said, “Do you want me to type my address into the GPS?” and Eric said, “Actually, there is one more thing I want to do… and you have to put on this blind fold.” I did what he told me to, but I did ask why in the world I had to wear a blind fold. Thinking on the spot, he quickly said that we were going to play a game! That was pretty much the perfect thing to distract me from thinking anything unusual was going on because in my mind I thought, ohhh challenge accepted! He told me that he was going to drive and I had to keep track of the right and left turns and tell him how many there were and what order they were in. I thought: I totally got this. Then, he told me I had to put in earphones! I said, “What the heck? Why?! Is it so I’ll be distracted?” And he just said… “Uhh, yes!” So I get the earphones in, and a song that I showed Eric a long time ago starts playing. Then I hear his voice over the song in the recording saying something about how he put together a playlist of songs that we have good memories to, and he hoped I would enjoy it. At that point I said, “Eric, you are TOTALLY trying to distract me!” I was really worried that I would not be able to focus and successfully keep track of the right and left turns. So cheap! Trying to distract me with his sweet words… ;)

Each song on the playlist lasted about 20-30 seconds and over every song Eric’s voice was in my ears, telling me how special each song was and why. Then he would talk about how he had grown to love me and care about me tremendously.

I still didn’t really suspect that Eric was going to propose. Eric is really creative and sweet. I wouldn’t have been surprised if this just was a really special date idea, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking, but… this is reeeally special… and I got the feeling that it was serious too.

Eventually, the UP theme song comes on, and in the earphones, Eric tells me that he’s going to pull over, stop the car, help me get out, walk me over somewhere, pick me up, set me down, and I just had to trust him. So I unbuckle my seatbelt and Eric helps me out of the car. We walk a short distance and then I feel sand in between my toes. I thought where in the world are we?! He then picks me up and set me down. I’m blind folded, the music from Tangled, where Eugene and Rapunzel are in the boat with lanterns, is playing loudly in my ears, and I have absolutely no bearings, so I literally start to tip over! Thankfully a pair of hands caught me, set me back up, and then I realize I am on a boat!

If you know the song from Tangled, you know it is so beautiful and heart wrenching. Eric knows that I love that song and it makes me cry almost every time I watch that scene. The crazy thing is, I posted a status about how much I love that song a week before this night, and Eric had planned this months ago, so everyone was freaking out and saying how perfect it was going to be.

We had been rowing for quite a while, probably the longest minute of my life. Then Eric tells me that I can take off my blindfold and look right at him. As I nervously take off the blindfold, I catch a glimpse of a light in my peripheral. I start turning my head and Eric gently turns me back towards him. Ok. So this is when I knew things were really serious. We were in the middle of a pond and Eric had my face in his hands and he was telling me how much he loved me. He said I was such a godly woman and I had helped him become more of a godly man. He said that he wanted to cherish this moment and recognize how special it was. And the whole time, I was focused. My eyes were locked with his and I didn’t want to miss a word. He smiled and said, “So…” as he reached for the ring box and got on one knee… and the rest his history.

We hugged and I think I said “oh my gosh” at least 15 times. All of the sudden Eric shouts, “SHE SAID YES!” and I hear a loud cheer coming from behind me! I jumped! Turned around, and saw around 75 people on the shore holding lanterns and releasing them into the sky. It completely took my breath away. I ask Eric, “Who are those people!?” and he says, “It’s everyone! It’s our friends!” We row back to shore and get out of the boat. There were so many people waiting to greet us, but first I had to hug my fiancé. He looked at me and said, “Now do you see why I was a little more distant and weird this week?” Bah! It clicked.

The next hour and a half was pure bliss. My family was there, his family was there, and my beloved friends were there. I still cannot believe how many people showed up to be there for that amazing moment. I felt like the most blessed and happy woman in the world.

So! That was how it happened! :] We eventually drove back to my apartment and got to talk about everything! I had a million questions for him as you can imagine, and we could finally talk about things that we couldn’t before… like, when do you want the wedding to be?! Where do you want to live? How many kids do you want to have?!?

It has been a few days since Eric proposed, but I officially have an unhealthy obsession with looking at my left hand and that beautiful ring. My heart still flutters when I think about it, and it leaps inside my chest when I get to say I’m going to marry that man. I seriously can’t wait.

I know this was a long post! And I hope I didn’t bore you with too many details. But I had to tell it as I remembered it, and give it all the recognition it deserves.

Friends and family, thank you again for your love and support. As Eric and I enter into this new phase of life, please pray that the Lord prepares us for marriage. May we grow closer to one another and grow closer to Him. Pray that God receives all the glory and honor as we become one, and that together, we are able to advance His kingdom and shine brightly for all to see that Jesus is King, and he deserves all of the praise.

Every good gift comes from above…
…and what a good gift getting to marry Eric is.
Thank you, Lord. :] 

Some pictures :]

 Here is the ring! He did a wonderful job picking it out. Simple and elegant. 

So beautiful--I love it!

 Our best friends in the whole wide world! 

So special that we had so many loved ones there to celebrate with us!! 

A sneak peak of the night! 

To see more pictures, go to Rositsa Frey Photography on facebook

(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rositsa-Frey-Photography/304909666215523)

Hopefully I will be able to post a video of the night in the near future. Stay posted :]

"...It matters and so do you"

“The place that God calls us is that place where the world’s deep hunger and our desires meet.”
-Fredrick Buechner-

I love this quote! I am someone who is passionate about passions. (This quote says “desires,” but I’m going to go ahead and say that passions and desires might be interchangeable here.) When I hear people talk about things that get them fired up, it fires me up! I feel like passions are a precious gift from God. God asks us to love and serve Him, but he doesn’t want it to be a chore. He is a loving God who wants us to enjoy loving and serving Him. This is why I think passions are such a gift. There is need all over the world. So when people wonder what their calling is, or what they are supposed to do with their lives, to me, it seems less complicated than some make it out to be. What are your passions/desires, and where in the world could you best use that to further advance God’s Kingdom?

Now, I’m not trying to minimize the stress of hard decisions. Sometimes it isn’t super obvious. Some people have yet to discover their passion, and others may have obstacles standing in their way of living them out. But don’t forget that God is loving, and I think he is right by your side anxiously waiting for you to be able to do what you love to do for him. God delights in us when we experience joy doing what he created us to do, and I firmly believe that we will be most joyful when we are doing what we love and feel passionately for. Just a thought. :]

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Since my last post, not much has changed regarding my apartment, job duties, financial situation, or friend count ;) I did get to upload pictures of my apartment though, so hopefully you’ll get a better idea of what my place looks like now! Also, while I have not made any new bosom friends in the past week, I feel as if God has really been strengthening the relationships that I already have. I do have one “soul sister” here, and she is such a blessing to me! I literally could not stop thanking God for her last night. This woman is my boss, Amanda Relph. She and I connect like we have known each other for years. We are able to be honest and open with one another on such a deep level, and we are also able to be certifiably weird and crazy. We laugh so much! Seriously, she shows me God’s love and goodness because she is so loving and good to me, and because God is so loving and good to put her in my life.  :]

One of my prayer requests was to be more intentional in keeping up with friends, and because I have had so much time recently, I am constantly thinking of who I can call and catch up with! It is starting to become more natural for me, and I pretty much never thought I would say that. So praise the Lord! Also, I want to say a huge thank you to the friends who have continued to seek me out and pursue me. I am so thankful for you. Gosh, it just blows my mind the way that people can make you feel so loved. Please continue to pray that when my schedule gets busier, I would remain a faithful, constant, and reliable friend.

Now, a huge theme for me this week has been, show yourself grace. I’m so hard on myself. So many people are. But what I’m realizing is that I struggle so much with being real about my feelings because I don’t want it to seem as if I am trusting God any less. For example, I do not like the fact that I am too broke to decorate my apartment. I also kind of hate that I live 45 minutes away from Eric and we’ll be too busy to see each other very often. And when I am honest about it, I feel as if I’m a heathen because I’m not content. I want to be content. I want It to have faith that this situation is perfect because God knows what is best for me. And deep down, I do know that everything is going to be alright. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I just don’t like it very much. I guess it seems kind of silly, but this really affects me. I try to “keep it together”. I avoid crying. I convince people that I’m alright when I’m really not. Clearly, it is hard for me to be vulnerable. I see now, that this isn’t what Jesus would do. Isaiah 53:3 says that Jesus was a man of sorrow, well acquainted with grief. So, no, it isn’t sinful for me to be honest and acknowledge sadness and discontent.So, praise God for the friends who have told me to show myself grace this week (you know who you are!).  

In Captivating, these quotes really hit me hard,

“We need not be ashamed that our hearts ache; that we need and thirst and hunger for much more. All of our hearts ache… It is our insatiable need for more that drives us to our God.”

&

“Grief validates… it matters and so do you.”

Amen to that! May I learn to not be ashamed of heart ache or discontentment, but instead, be driven to God through it.

Apartment photos...

 My quaint little bathroom with the best shower curtain in the world...

 Bedroom...

 Walk in closet... yea, it's the bomb.com!

 Entrance is on the right, living room on the left, and bathroom and bedroom down the hall...

Kitchen...

Empty (with the exception of a tv and sound system) living room...

RANDOM! PINTEREST CRAFT! Nail polish on keys! Genius! ;)

                                                                                                                                 

A New Chapter...

Well, I can hardly believe it, but almost one full week has gone by since I moved into my very own apartment! I have unpacked every box and organized all of my stuff, so I feel extremely accomplished. While I still have about 50 things on my “to buy” list, this place is starting to feel like home. Each day I think of at least 5 more things that I would never have thought to buy before moving here, like a pizza cutter, a clock, chip clips, lamps, batteries… but I soon realize that it is going to take quite a while before I will be able to say that my apartment has all that it needs. Being the slightly obsessive compulsive girl that I am, I cannot wait until this place is comfy, cozy, fully furnished, and well supplied! So anyways, that’s the update on the apartment… I hope to post some pictures soon!


Aside from moving into a new place, I have been busy with work! Since the studio doesn’t open until September 10th, my job currently consists of creating class syllabuses, calling parents whose children indicated interest in taking classes to confirm and assist them with registration, setting up appointments with potential funders, performing at local events, as well as babysitting for my boss’ children ;) This kind of work beats homework any day… yes, it is still work, but when you are part of a team, and there is purpose behind what you are doing, it is so much easier to be motivated and disciplined.


Last Sunday I visited Richwoods Christian Church, and really liked it. The preaching was solid and clearly bible based, the worship was crazy good, and the people that I met were so welcoming and nice! I am looking to get involved in a small group, as well as learn more about the church through classes that they will be offering throughout the next couple of months. So far, it is looking promising! And on a side note, I can’t wait to have friends here…! ;)


I can’t wait to write about more about what God is doing in lives here in Peoria as well as what he is doing in mine... In the meantime, there are so many things to be praying for!!

• City Dance is a nonprofit organization, meaning all of our funding comes from donations and grants. Please pray that over these next few months, people will be more than willing to come alongside us and give funds. While we are at an okay place right now, we could still use so much more money! God is providing for us already, as yesterday the owner had two very successful meetings with important people in Peoria. So let’s pray that there will be many more of those meetings to come! 

• I mentioned earlier that I really can’t wait to make friends, and it’s true! Now that I’m pretty much settled and learning how to get my work done efficiently, I have a lot of free time. Pray that God will give me a great community and some “soul sisters”… you know, the girl friends that you can be totally comfortable around, hang out with at any time, and share everything with. I have girls like that back home, but I’d love to make some here too. However, that leads me to my next prayer request… 

• Last year I really struggled with keeping in touch with people. As I meditated on that this summer, trying to figure out why I can be such a horrible friend, I discovered that it stems from insecurity. It is hard for me to initiate phone calls, skype dates, or get-togethers, because I want to be the one who is pursued. That way, I know that my friends really want to hang out with me, and I feel loved. This summer, I read an amazing book called Captivating, and I seriously recommend it to every woman. Seriously, if you are a woman and you haven’t read it….READ IT! The Lord drew me closer to Him through it, taught me so much about myself, and it was honestly therapeutic. I learned that I wasn’t crazy for having a strong desire to be pursued, but I also learned that when I wait to be pursued, I am withholding what I have to offer to others. It isn’t conceited… I do have something to offer. Not because I’m amazing or anything, but because God is working in my life and he wants to use me to unveil his beauty and love. So let me encourage anyone who is reading this right now who struggles with feelings of insecurity or low self-esteem… You have so much to offer! God wants to use you. He pursues you daily, so feel loved and satisfied in that… Now go out and unveil the beauty and love that you have to offer. You will have no idea how many people will be blessed by you if you don’t take that risk. :] Be praying that I will remember this truth! 

• I’m on a really tight, tight budget right now. If the first prayer request is answered, this one will be answered too! ;) I read Crazy Love, by Francis Chan this past summer, and I think that it really prepared me for what I’m facing now. I was convicted that I never wanted to live comfortably, and well, God hears our prayers because I’m not exactly living “comfortably” right now. ;) At one point in the book, Francis Chan asks, “What is one thing in your life that is requiring you to live by faith alone?” At the time that I read that, I was really stumped! But, right now, I will probably be living paycheck to paycheck for a while, and I really have to have faith and trust that the Lord will provide for my needs. I’m ok with the fact that it is going to be a while before I can afford to buy anything other than frozen pizzas and pb&j, but eventually, it would be nice to know that I’m not in danger of over drafting from my account every month! ;) So if anything, pray that God grows me in faith and trust. I know that I am supposed to be here… I haven’t second guessed that once. I feel like he has put me here for a very specific reason, and I know He’s got my back. I also realize that I am here for a way bigger purpose than making money. I have the opportunity to bring God’s Kingdom to Peoria, to underprivileged children, and to co-workers. I get to do what I love for the One that I love. Money is so temporary, but God’s Kingdom is forever! Pray that I don’t ever lose sight of that. 

I would love to be praying for you in any way that I can, so please let me know how I can do that. Thank you for reading and praying for me. Your love and support is invaluable. :] God bless!