Our Story

As I searched my brain for inspiration on a post today it occurred to me that I've never shared our story here. I love our story. To me, it was breathed out by God with an intention to give hope. When I met Cody I was so far from seeing a story like this as a one day reality for myself but here I am.

"Two years ago I was working at the front desk of our local YMCA. They hired a new girl to work across the hall from me. I remember the day I met Nicole I went home and told my mom that the new girl was so sweet and pretty and I wanted to be her friend. Nicole worked with us for a few months before landing a job in teaching but we stayed in touch. Every few weeks we’d meet up for coffee and more often then not we’d end up talking about our mutual desire for a someday family. Nicole ended up meeting a wonderful man named Eric. When they got married last October, Nicole asked me to be her maid of honor. Her family traveled in for the wedding and it was at the rehearsal dinner that I met her brother Cody.

It must have been less than an hour after I met this quiet man that I remember thinking, “Moriah, this is a good guy. You NEVER get asked out by good guys. If he asks you for your number you’re giving it to him.” It was a startlingly decisive thought but I really believe the Lord had something to do with it. I ended up dragging Cody onto the dance floor. He was quiet and respectful and I figured I was much too bubbly and bossy for him. I must have been wrong though because as the wedding was wrapping up he pulled me aside and asked if he could talk to me. “I know this sounds crazy,” he said, “but would you like to go out with me next Sunday.” I was so ecstatic I called my mom right afterward to tell her that, “Cody Schau asked me out!”

We had only been dating three weeks when I knew I was going to marry this amazing man. He was thoughtful, kind, confident, and he loved the Lord. He was so patient with my slowly growing trust. He never pretended to understand my past hurt but he gave me all the time in the world to fully realize that this was something very different.

Five months and three days after we had first met, Cody and I went on a double date with his sister Nicole and her husband to White Pines State Park. It was a gorgeous day. Cody suggested I bring my camera to capture some of the spring gorgeousness. We spent the day hiking and passing the camera around to snap pictures of all the couple and bestie cuteness happening. After lunch and two hours of hiking, we stopped at an overlook to take some pictures. It was on that hiking path several months earlier that Cody first told me he loved me. He took me back to that spot and asked me to be his for forever. It was the best yes of my entire life."

10 months ago today that "yes" turned into vows for forever. I'm so grateful this is us.

*originally published on howtheyasked.com

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How to Stop Falling for the Wrong Guy

EDIT: This is a formerly unpublished post that I wrote back in 2017, the year I would meet my now husband. We all have a journey and a story. This is part of mine. I hope it encourages you to embrace yours and keep moving forward.

Some of us fall for the wrong guy EVERY SINGLE time. It's annoying at best, heartbreaking at worst. We all have a different "wrong guy" too.

Some of us always go for the player. We see it coming from a mile away, he keeps us low profile, acts like our BFF when we're one-on-one but in a crowd, we're just someone he kinda knows. We know he is playing us but for some reason, we're convinced we'll be that girl that entices him into a committed relationship.

Some of us always go for the bad boy. What players hide, bad boys flaunt. Seven "girl friends" - he flaunts them. Drugs - he advertises it. Parties - he attends them all. Rebel - he redefines the term. We know it's all wrong but dang, he sure makes life feel exciting. Somehow his free and easy style makes us think that a new life is right around the corner just waiting for us to embrace it.

Some of us always go for the "almost good enough" guy. It's as if we're addicted to perfection with one glaring fault. We don't care what the flaw is but we can guarantee it will be destructive. Possessive, clingy, needy, immature, rebellious, violent, it might be any one of these or something different altogether. Regardless, it will destroy him or us or both.

We know who our wrong guy is but we don't know how to stop falling for him. We feel helpless like a hamster stuck on a wheel that won't stop spinning. How do we put a stop to the insanity?

1) Identify your wrong guy. When we read through that list above we all nodded a little bit and that one we know we fall for. Call yourself out. Say it out loud. Ask a trusted friend to hold you accountable. The thing is, we can't call a timeout on ourselves unless we know what we're calling a timeout on. Identification is the first key to jumping off the wheel of insanity.

2) Believe the truth about yourself. A lot of times, we go for the wrong guy because we are believing a lie. - we don't deserve better. This is the only type of man we're capable of attracting. This is our only chance at romance. We have to have SOMEONE in order to be happy in life and he's a someone - lies cause us to compromise, truth causes us to grow. The truth is that you are worth standards. You are stronger than your "natural inclination" to go for the wrong guy. You can lead your heart. Your happiness in life is not dependent on a "someone".

3) Create boundaries. Don't even start that conversation with your wrong guy. Don't let that wrong guy have any part of your body or emotions. Create boundaries and then be bold enough and brave enough to believe in them and live by them.

This might be one of the hardest things you will ever do. I would be a hypocrite if I said this was easy for me or that I've even begun to implement it all in my own life. Despite how wrong the wrong guy is somehow he still gives us a sense of belonging and value. It's scary to deny ourselves that present pleasure in exchange for a better life in the long run. It's often the scary things in life, however, that are the very things worth doing. If you're still in doubt, remember this; the good things in life come from God (James 1:17) be brave enough to walk into what is good and leave behind what is not.

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Impossible Dream

I don't remember how old I was when I had this dream of going to college. I remember being young. My mom was facing some huge health struggles that kept me home helping with my younger siblings. Finishing high school seemed a long way off. There was no money for when the time of attending college would roll around.

I had an impossible dream.

Four years after graduating high school I enrolled part time at a community college. I would end up working two to three part-time jobs to pay my way through those first semesters. Every semester I would be amazed that there was actually enough money to pay for that semester's classes. Every class I would be determined to get good grades.

Five semesters of community college and I transferred online. I would end up working full-time and studying at nights. I'm 10 classes from finishing my degree and it still seems like an impossible dream. The classes are harder. The time to study is more scarce. The career wants attention. Important relationships need me. This degree still seems like an impossible dream.

We all have a dream that may never seem possible until it is done. 

I know the journey gets exhausting. You start to question if this is really your dream after all. You wonder if the cost is worth the outcome.

I don't know what your dream is but I'm still working on mine. Despite doubt, set backs and frustration I'm choosing to remember that whatever the outcome, the process is what I make it. The things I learn along the way are most important. The person that this dream shapes me into is what I will walk away with in the end.

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Luke 12:34

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Time To Blossom

It's been quiet on here. In 2017 I had words to write. In 2018 I had lessons to learn. I remember at the beginning of 2018 telling one of my friends that I wasn't going to set many goals for myself this year. I could see that 2018 was going to create many of its own milestones without me writing them down on paper to guarantee their success. It was a whirlwind year. I never imagined meeting and marrying my husband all within 11 months. There was also the promotion to full-time Marketing Director along with moving out on my own for the first time. All the things that made my life look like mine on a day to day biases quickly changed. It was a beautiful transformation but just like cocoons are silent before butterflies emerge I needed to take a break from writing. 

2019 is here and change seems to be its anthem. This year I'm setting goals to make sure the important things don't get lost in the hustle and bustle. I'll be writing more because it's time to get back to finding the words that remind me why I'm doing what I'm doing. I've always tried to keep this an authentic space on the world wide web and that's not going to change. This will continue to be a place of inspiration, encouragement, and motivation for those seeking to get the most out of life. It will continue to be a place for dreams, purpose and hope to grow and thrive because we all need a place where that is possible.

Photography credit: www.kathryngracephotography.com

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