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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Reception invitations are out!

Hello friends and family! We started mailing invitations out on Saturday... but still have more to get out! We wanted to have a website online for people to keep up with us and our plans, especially with knowing our story which I will get to posting soon I promise! For now, here are the snip-it information on our wedding/ reception!
Craig Wright and I (Karissa Renaud) will be getting married March 28th in western Massachusetts at a covered bridge with our family. Our friend, Rich Clegg will be performing the ceremony. Lots of pictures will be taken and we plan on recording it as well!
Two weeks later, April 11th, we will celebrate with everyone at The Coffee Factory in Derry, NH in the Hood Plaza at an open house coffee and dessert reception from 6:30-9:30pm. All are welcome. We want to share in this with everyone, whether we talk to you regularly or haven't in years. People from the past and present all mean a lot to us and we would love to share our joy of marriage with you! :) If you could for planning purposes, just send us a quick email of how many will be attending so we can feed you (thealwayswrights@gmail.com)
About our e-mail and blog... My middle name is Anne and Craig thought it would be hilarious if I changed my middle name to Always. It's just fun and a little joke, we aren't always so arrogant... just occasionally and generally for kicks ;)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

You could say it started when Craig moved home in the beginning of May 2008 after graduating from Cedarville University in Ohio. Or you could say it began when I was 15 and when we first met at a church picnic where I welcomed him and he introduced himself saying "I'm Craig Wright, it's the right last name to have." Cheezy, but I liked it!

But really, it all changed Wednesday night on October 1, 2008. The lingering question and hope, the anticipation, finally just came out when he asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him. I was driving south on Elm Street in Manchester, just passing the Bank of America when he pop this question. My thought was "What are you bored? We hang out all of the time!" I somehow confidently stated that he needed to ask my Dad. I wasn't going to date a long time friend just to loose him. Also, I was 21 and unfortunatly already sick of dating and pointless relationships.

So he asked and my Dad said yes. I wasn't sure what to think of all of this. Yes it had crossed my mind, but for some reason I just felt caught of guard. 10 days later as we sat at his parents house, he patiently but eagerly asked if I had thought any more about us dating. I remember asking him two things in response to that 1) are you a calvanist and 2) what are you intentions with me. For those of you who don't know me so well, I'll only talk about his answer to #2. He said something along the lines of " Well, eventually you say yes to dating me, I ask you to marry me and by this spring you will be my wife." Seriously, those were his words. While that is the last thing most of my friends would ever want to hear, I sighed with relief. He actually had intentions with me! It also makes for a fun story now!

Now for those of you who haven't been involved with our every day life, this wasn't a huge shock, just hearing it out loud was. We have always communicated so well with each other and share interests that make our "hanging out" time a blast! This summer when we would go biking in the woods, out for walks, or even to dinner, there always seemed to be a moment of silent wonder and we would both feel it. It's fun to talk about those times now when I wanted to know what he was thinking then!

My heart was hurting this summer and he knew, so he waited and prayed. His patience was evident to me as he waited over two weeks for my response to dating him. I knew that dating him wasn't just about having a boyfriend, I knew that he was the man I was going to marry before he even suggested it, I just didn't let him know.

So I said yes to letting him lead our relationship beyond friendship as I let him become a priority in my life. Neither of us were lonely or looking before we were started dating and that was my opposition that I openly voiced to him, "but I'm happy being single!" With that he sweetly answered, " Me too, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't be even better together."

It's been a journey of learning love, and letting love in. There have been bumps in the road and throughout the rest of our lives that we will be committing to one another, we will face many more and much bigger challenges. We have such supportive families and friends and our Church who all play a big role in our lives. Biggest of all is our commitment to our God who is our ultimate accounabilty and support, the foundation of our relationship as we have been intentional about where our relationship is heading and how it impacts those around us.

Now here we are, two kids who met 7 years ago, let God grow us and fell in love. To me, one of the best parts is how my father was involved. When I made that phone call to let him know Craig would be calling, he asked "why this one Karissa?" I had dated previously and never had my family play a role in that, so why now? I knew in my heart, a year before Craig had asked me, that this was the best way for me to go about a relationship because I don't really know myself like my parents do. Having them so involved with the launch of our love story gives me a peace and a joy beyond what I ever imagined.

So here we go... March 28th we will vow to each other, our families and God to serve and love one another until the day we die. Scary?... I couldn't be more thrilled to love and serve the man that God has brought into my life, the one whom I have chosen to share in life with. And we are thrilled to have you all join us in this journey. Your words of wisdom, joy and prayers are what we are eager to hear, for we know we cannot do this on our own. And this is what community is to us, sharing in life with love.