Wedding Photos!

Posted on January 6th, 2009

Wedding Photos!

Sorry about the long delay! We are still alive and well and simply have been enjoying married life. This winter has been great — we had our first Christmas together as a married couple and we just got cross-country skis and are thoroughly enjoying our big “backyard”.

And here they are, the long-awaited wedding pictures! I (Elijah) did the editing, and as something I do professionally, I had to finish three other weddings before beginning my own…but now it’s finally done! We had a several great photographers for the wedding: Chelsa Kallis, Chantel Hanson, Alisha Wicklund, and Bethani Montgomery. Thank you all for capturing the beauty of that day! We are so grateful and LOVE the pictures!

Wedding Photos

Honeymoon Photos


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We’re MARRIED & address change!!

Posted on October 13th, 2008

Hey all!

Well, we’ve just returned from a wonderful honeymoon to the Nicaraguan Caribbean~ Imagine: waking up each morning to a real-as-life rooster alarm~ strolling on white sandy beaches and spotting an eagle ray, whipping up a delicious breakfast of freshly picked plantains, freshly laid eggs and freshly squeezed lime juice; adventuring through the little island’s coconut forests, being served coconut juice from a local who climbed a tree right before our eyes, being followed around for days by our “adopted” dog, snorkeling in the crystal clear waters, getting caught in torrential rain storms, galloping horseback along the sandy beaches (and Jackie getting bucked off!)~

It was a a great way to start the marriage off! :)

We’re now in the process of moving into our place in Bloomington, MN. Important to note ** For those who got our address from our wedding program, it has changed. We are living in Apt. 105, not the mistaken number we had thought… Looks like we’ll have to become friends with the mistaken apartment to receive mis-directed mail!

Thanks to all who made it to our wedding! We thoroughly LOVED the day~ it was Jackie’s dreams come true. Thanks for being a part of it all! We hope to see or hear from you all soon! Email us if you need our mailing address or want to stop on by!

love

Jackie and Elijah Parker

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Life…

Posted on September 17th, 2008

Hello again!

Tomorrow marks the 10 day count-down til our wedding. We are excited and can’t believe how long a week and a half can seem! :) Everything should be in order for that day and if not, we’ll still be getting married so it’s all okay…

This week has been hard. A friend of mine passed away in a freak car crash and a loved one was diagnosed with cancer~ Suddenly the brevity of life has come into crystal clear focus and true priorites are now obvious~ In the face of murky wedding details the week has truly proven to be a good teacher of perspective. The days we have on this Earth are limited and what we choose to do with each day really counts! We can love people and bless them each day…or the opposite..

Now that I’m not teaching full-time I have recently questioned my purpose in life… it seems so vague without 20 beaming (and scowling) faces looking up at me expectantly each day… Today I visited the school where I taught last year… I got to see some of my students and the teachers that I worked with and I miss them! But I also realize that I am in a different season right now…a season of preparation…

Just as an actress cannot take the stage without months of vigorous practice, so I cannot perform the task that God has for me without the quiet and unseen preparation of my mind and heart… That is what this season is for me… along with the intense/wonderful role of being a wife!!

Thank you for visiting our site and for being a part of our lives, even if it’s just for a few minutes of browsing~ We hope God blesses you through our story.

~Jackie

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Keeping our eyes on the prize…

Posted on September 3rd, 2008

So, there’s less than a month until we get married!!!! Who can believe that it’s true?!? (not me, but it’s slowly dawning on me!)

I have moved back home for a month of scurrying around, extensive detailed decoration work and trying to remain calm… Now I finally understand the term, “Bridezilla”!! The other night my parents and I watched the movie “Father of the Bride” just to reassure ourselves that we’re not the only ones in the world who have experienced the madness of wedding planning! :) Laughter truly is stress-relieving.

As crazy as it all seems and as hard as it is to imagine it all coming together, I know that it will, just as the pieces of a puzzle really do fit together~ As I write this my beautiful wedding gown is in transit across the Pacific Ocean, heading to my front door… the bridesmaid dresses are also in transit, somewhere in our country’s vast mailing system….my beloved fiance is in Colombia, picking up our custom designed wedding rings and I… I am here, trying to comprehend the approaching reality of covenental love…

Today, as I vigorously rode my bike along a goldenrod lined path, God reminded me of the golden truth of keeping my eyes on the Prize~ The prize being Jesus, himself. Despite all of the storms that come with wedding planning, He is the one who is lovely and who calms the storms! Pray that Elijah and I can keep our focus on him!

We absolutely cannot wait to see all of you sooon!

love* Jackie*

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Not alone anymore

Posted on August 7th, 2008

No one should be alone. we’re not meant to be, not for long, anyways.

I used to perform life as a solo act~ me, myself and I~ it felt best that way. There was no one to answer to, no one to chastise me, no one to critique. I could view the world collectedly~from the outside…as if peering into a snow globe world and writing poetically about its contents, but then cooly setting it down again to move on to the next thing.

Then I met Elijah. He excels in large life productions: doing life together. This way of life is a bit more cramped. messier. scarier. In-your-face relationships. Seeing all~ the good, the bad, the ugly. Working through problems. Working through deeper problems…I wasn’t used to such a hands-on-life and its rawness made me cringe.

…

now, though, I’m beginning to see…

the intimacy of crying in someone’s arms, not just into a pillow; seeing a dirt and sweat-streaked face as beautiful, not just embarrassing; being accepted “as is” and not just “as appears.” Being forgiven and moving on, not just getting stuck in a problem.

Sometimes he has to remind me, and I pause to soak it in:

“You’re not alone anymore…”

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2 months…

Posted on July 28th, 2008

Hello!

As of today, July 28th, there are two months until the big wedding day! Elijah and I talk often about the mystery of time during an engagement period. On one hand, things seem to move sllloowly~ it’s as if time stands still as we will it to fast forward. But time is deceiving and truly moves quickly~we’ve already been engaged for 4 months and still have a ton of work to do for the wedding celebration!

Currently, many things are in the works:

Our rings are being made in Colombia~each design a secret surprise for the other :); my wedding dress is being created in Indonesia.. I’ve actually had a phone conversation with the designer! What a treat! ; Invitations are being thought out; flowers and linens are being chosen this week; apartment-seeking has begun; decorations and logistics are also being hammered out to a gleaming perfection (okay, not perfection, and if you come to the wedding, don’t hold me to that!!)

Ultimately, we love being creative and love the people coming to our wedding. So it should be good.

2 months= near.far

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Letterbox

Posted on July 23rd, 2008

Yesterday, Elijah and I went to Letterbox- a cool, quaint paper shop tucked in a corner of Uptown- in order to gain insight and inspiration for our upcoming wedding invites~

We sat down with Zach, the laid-back and artistic co-owner of the shop, to peruse the art of print. Colors, hues, paper, texture, thermography, calligraphy, font, engraving, ribbon, punch outs, prints~ It was all there for us to see and touch and experience.

Itís a really fun place and if anyone enjoys Tres Leche cupcakes and cool stationary, you should definitely make the trip!

Hereís the link:

www.letterboxcreative.com

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Going to the Chapel…er, farm!

Posted on April 8th, 2008

We have now finished clicking away at our gift registries! Oh how I loved that little scanner gun! :) Neither of us realized what a big undertaking a gift registry is: who knew there’d be a consultation, a guided tour through the store and oh so many choices?! At times I think I looked a little lost amongst the 20 different styles of toasters and blenders and spatulas…

Despite the immensity of the task, we had a LOT of fun and did make some choices about colors and styles and necessities. To find out where we registered for common (and not so common) essentials, view our “Wedding” page.

Thank you!!!

Proverbs 30:18-19
There are three things that amaze meó
no, four things that I donít understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman.

ìTwo are better than one,
Because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!î

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Song of Solomon 8:7

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a and 13


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