{because sometimes God decides to give you so much more than you could imagine}

At the request of my dear friend, Lyndsay, I am writing my final blog post as Miss Katherine Roland (don't worry--I'm not quitting my blog). After Saturday, I will have the honor of bearing a brand new last name. So, as my final post as a single lady, of course I will be reflecting on the past 5 years and the future that's ahead.

An Aside: You may have noticed that I sort of fell off the face of the earth about 3 months ago. It's been a very busy summer for me, full of emotional ups and downs, lots of studying, lots of coffee, and lots of tears (good and bad). I'm so thankful for all of the joys and trials this summer has brought to my life, and although it's been very difficult at times, I have felt God's presence and seen His work in ways I could never have imagined. Because of that, I wouldn't trade a single moment of it. I won't bore you with the details of my summer, but I will say that I'm so thankful for everyone's encouragement, prayers and patience as I tried to graduate, take the Bar exam and plan a wedding all at the same time. You guys are the best!

Now, on to the good stuff...some reflection time :)

This coming weekend is a very exciting occasion for me. I get to be joined as one to my very best friend in the entire world. I have never known someone {besides my daddy :)} so patient, encouraging, loving, hard-working, self-sacrificing, funny, joyful, and content as the man I get to stand next to on Saturday. He works hard every single day of his life and (unlike me) never complains. God has blessed him with a unique ability to grasp the concept that I believe is graspable only by the very wise--the concept of contentment. It is described by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian people. He says, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." I am so thankful that God thought it good to provide me with a man who can lead me with a heart that is content, no matter what our station in life. When I stop and think about what an honor it is that God gave that gift to me, all I can do is stand in awe of Him. I know that as I walk down that aisle toward Adrian this weekend, I can do it in confidence, knowing that this is exactly where God wants me to be, that He has made no mistake in the design of either of us, and that because of his love and his love alone, I never have to worry about whether He will provide for us in our marriage.

When I look back on the last 5 years with Adrian, I can see the changes God has already made within us for His glory, and I am so encouraged by that. God has used Adrian in my life to help me become more patient and less selfish. He has made my heart more aware of others' feelings. He has made me more aware of how my words and actions affect others. He has taught me to love more deeply, to care more passionately and to work more diligently for His glory. And most importantly, through Adrian, He has made me bolder and more willing to share my faith with people and to take steps each day to look different from the world. I watch Adrian's life and the way he serves our Father and it makes my heart desire to know Him better.

A few months before Adrian and I started dating, I spent 6 weeks in Moscow, Russia. My heart was forever changed by my experience there and I gained a maturity about my walk with God that I previously had seen in other believers I admired but hadn't really yet possessed myself. I gained a greater confidence about who I was in Him, and I now know that that summer laid the foundation for my relationship with Adrian. After I returned from Russia, I felt for the first time a peace with simply "being." I was content being single, I was content being a student who was unsure about her future, I was content with being exactly who God made me to be. I was excited to see what God would do in my life during my last full year in college, and I was so excited to just live my life as a single woman for God. I had no idea that God would lead me so quickly to the man He wanted me to spend my life with. When Adrian and I began dating, I would always say a prayer before we hung out, asking God simply to reign over our time together and provide both of us with wisdom with regard to our relationship. I had more fun and more encouraging conversations with this man than I ever could have imagined having with a person. Some of our favorite moments were sitting on the lawn in the North Oval, reading scriptures together or just talking about what we wanted to do with our lives in the future, going bowling, and just being silly. I just knew this relationship was different.

Adrian graduated from college only two months after we began dating and that moment marked our first lesson in learning to trust God through all stages of life. Over the next 4 years, we had spurts of long-distance dating that I now can look back on and be really thankful for, even if it was extremely difficult at the time.

We are so excited to finally be starting our married life together, to be in the same city for good, and to let God use us for his glory. It's been a long time coming, but I know that God's time is the only time that's right, and so I delight in His plan and thank Him for bringing us to this very day as the day we get to be joined in marriage. I truly look forward to seeing God's work through all the hard times in our lives as well as all the good ones. We hope you'll continue to join us as we blog our journey at our new joint blog called The Milton Life.

I hope you all have a fantastic week!