new identities
Right now I write from the Gonzalez home. We are now happily 18 days married. We had a wonderful honeymoon, traversing from Iowa to Kansas City and back, and felt a joyful anticipation the whole time to create our home in Joplin. The first week was a little odd, with boxes heaped up everywhere in an intimidating way, but at least Eddie had spent some time the week before our wedding cleaning the house and bringing in the bulkiest of the furniture. We were pretty scatterbrained until after a few hardworking days that got the house finally looking less like a obstacle course. However, each day was filled with alot of joy in eachother! Now we’re able to live in a home that’s hopefully an expression of ourselves (together)… representing our personalities and hopefully welcoming guests in and creating an atmosphere that we can thrive and be healthy in and glorify the Lord with.
Marriage has been more full than I’d ever imagined… more full of joy, emotions, and things to overcome together. I feel like it’s like baptism in that it represents a time when we die to ourselves and live for someone else. In this way, I feel like a toddler learning how to do basic things all over again. Only this time if one of us “fall” (fault) the other is injured as well, yet the amazing thing is that at the same time the other is also there constantly to help and to heal. I am realizing that being a spouse is all about giving. Giving to them, thinking of them before yourself, sacrificing and loving on them. Eddie is a very thoughtful and loving husband, and is wonderful to consistently “wash me with the Word.” We spent alot of time envisioning how we’d like our life to be like once his work starts. We want to think it all through a bit beforehand so that things don’t just sweep us off our feet and suddenly a schedule is smacked in our lap without being able to be intentional about it. Alot of prayer needed 
I will write back soon. I hope the best for your days – full of joy in the Lord!
His unfinished daughter, Mrs. Gonzalez
