Thinking back on our first four years

Last Wednesday, Kathryn and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage. A part of me is saying 'I can't believe four years has already gone by,' yet another part of me is saying, 'It feels like we have always been.' I mean, I can hardly remember a time when there was a Colby without the Kathryn. I am the biggest fan of my wife of four years.

Over the last couple of days I have been reflecting on our years of marriage and have come to realize just how much we need God's grace in our lives. Something that I have learned and want to pass on to others is the primary purpose of marriage. I wish that I would have known this before I asked Kathryn to marry me but remember, God's grace has been evident in our lives. Well, what is the primary purpose of marriage?

The primary and beautiful purpose of marriage is to showcase the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 that wives are to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Jesus. He also teaches that, as the wives are to submit, husbands are to love their wives as Jesus loves His church. What a calling we have been given! What that means is that when people look at my marriage they should be able to see a picture of Jesus Christ and His Church. I am to love Kathryn as Jesus Himself loved the church and gave Himself for her. It is my prayer that I will love my wife in that way.

Thank you Father for your overflowing grace in my marriage and thank you Kathryn for loving me.

Charleston: Day 2

Meet Sam, our horse. He took us around town.

Sam took us to the church house...

Sam took us to the graveyard...

Sam took us to eat shrimp and ham stuffed collards....

Sam took us to eat Jelly Belly Beans...

Sam took us to get a throwback pack of Big League Chew...

Sam, thanks for the memories. We love you.

Destination #3: Charleston, SC

Tuesday afternoon we arrived in the city of Charleston, SC, a place full of rich history and beauty. I love this place! 

After we arrived and checked into our third B & B of the week, we headed out the door to explore Charleston and find us something to eat. Here is a shot of us as we enjoy each other as well as the beautiful landscape.

  

After searching for a restaurant we landed here at S.N.O.B. My beautiful bride got the crab cakes and I went with the fresh swordfish. 

Here is my swordfish...........

Someone stole my swordfish! Okay, I really ate it.

After we devoured our meals we took a stroll to this romantic venue. I was totally feeling the swings on the pier. It was so relaxing here and the people were oddly friendly. Guess a nice pier will do that to you? 

Here are some friendly pier people. 

Check out rule #5. Pooping or Puking in fountains is bad. Remember this if you ever feel a rumbly tummy in Charleston.

This morning I got up and went for a jog and, as you can imagine, it was amazing. Here are a couple of early morning shots.

Well, it is almost time for lunch and we are about to head out to do some touring. I will post more from Charleston later.  

Destination #2: Asheville, NC

Until I get some pictures posted I am going to avoid giving bland details about our every move, but I do want to give you the highlights. Our Asheville highlight may seem a bit unexpected--it was not the beautiful landscape of the Great Smokey Mountains reaching as far as the eye could see, or the splendor of the Biltmore estate; nor was it the incredible dinner we had at The Early Girl Eatery.  Instead the highlight of our time in Asheville was the time spent with the owners of our little B & B, Larry and Nancy Merrill.   

 

The Merrills are truly one of the friendliest couples I have ever met and are excellent at what they do. What I love most about staying in a bed and breakfast is the awkward, spontaneous conversation that you have with random people who you have never met and will never see again. I mean it is quite humorous to wake up, roll out of bed, and come to the breakfast table with complete strangers. Some people might even feel a little sick at their stomach just thinking about the awkwardness of this setting, but I believe this is a situation we should place ourselves in more often. In fact, I would say that as believers we should be on the lookout for times of unplanned conversation with people that we don't even know. How else will we ever learn about people enough to reach them with the good news of the gospel? The more I think about it the more I'm amazed at how isolated my life as a minister really is from the world. I mean sure I go to Starbucks and Panara a lot but typically I find myself, even in those settings, surrounded by a normal circle of friends. I believe that I can learn a lot from my new friends Larry and Nancy, people who truly just love other people.    

Destination #1: Chattanooga, Tennessee

On Saturday afternoon Kathryn and I arrived in the great city of Chattanooga, TN. If you have never been to Chattanooga there's a lot to do there including visiting the Tennessee Aquarium, taking a stroll across the pedestrian bridge, hearing some music from locals on the street, or eating at one of many amazing restaurants in the city. What I find most appealing about the city is its walkability. I don't know if that is a real word, but I love a city that's easy to navigate on foot. Usually cities like these have an assortment of family-friendly parks to hang out in and Chattanooga has no shortage--in fact, the main downtown area is a park. 

This trip to Chattanooga, we really only stayed for one night and didn't do a whole lot in the city. Saturday night we ate at The Blue Plate, which rocks face, and then went hand-in-hand to the art district. After a short walk we headed back to our B & B for a night of Harry Potter watching. Sunday morning, we ate breakfast and went to Brainerd Baptist Church. I was quite encouraged to find Brainerd Baptist a place of friendly people and Christ-centered worship. Well, that pretty much sums up our time in Tennessee.... off to North Carolina we go. 

Vacation! Woo-Hoo!

I realize that it has been nearly two months since I last posted anything on the blogosphere, and I just want to make it known that I have made a resolution to put away my laziness and begin to write again. My goal is to post at least 2-3 entries every week. Anyway, enough about me and my laziness, let's move on to better things...like me and my vacation. 

This week Kathryn and I have taken off on a spontaneous trip around the southeast as we celebrate our 4th year of marriage. We have made stops in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina, and tomorrow we are heading to Charleston, South Carolina. Over the next few days I am going to write about my favorite parts of our vacation. Hope you enjoy!