Blogging From Bolivia: A Photography Blog

Wedding Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:59:00 +0000

I'm back!!

After a long blog hiatus, I've decided it's time to come back. I have many things that I'm excited to post about, starting with our wedding! I've written out a "recap" with a few (small) photos for today. I will be posting many more photos in the days to come...

Our Wedding

July 7, 2012 has been permanently engraved onto my heart. The day that my love and I made a covenant before God and our families. The day that dreams came true.

While my wedding day was not "the best day of my life", it will forever be one of my most treasured memories. As weeks and months have passed, I've found that the beautiful and perfect moments from that day have become clear and focused at the forefront of my memories, while those stressful, less-than-perfect moments have become blurs in the background.
We had a number of "stressful, less-than-perfect" moments on our big day, but who doesn't, right?

Looking back, we achieved exactly what we set out to accomplish: we joined our lives in the name of God and surrounded by family. The beautiful setting, delicious food, and fabulous party were just the icing on the cake.

The day started with a moment I'll never forget. I gleefully woke up and got a big hug from mom and enjoyed everyone's excitement over it finally being "the day"! Those things were delightful, but expected. But as I stood in the doorway of my family's hotel room trying to figure out what to do first, my handsome groom suddenly appeared from behind and gave me a huge "wedding day hug".

It caught me entirely off guard and washed away all the nerves that had begun building in my stomach. (He and his family were staying in the same hotel just down the hall and we had always planned to see each other the morning of the wedding, just not once we started getting ready.)

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. I remember getting lots done in a short amount of time and then enjoying a quick soak in the bathtub while trying to ignore the chaos right outside the bathroom door.

I headed to the beauty salon pretty early for some forced relaxation as I laid back and let someone work on my nails while someone else began curling my hair. After a few hours my mom and my sister arrived to the salon with my dress and the countdown began.

We experienced several of those "stressful, less-than-perfect" moments at the beauty salon, but I'll just let those continue slipping into the dark, deep crevices of my memories. :)

I'll never forget seeing my mom and sister come up the stairs of the salon, hair freshly done and dresses on. They both looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Once we were back at the hotel, with less than an hour to go, the "real" nerves set in. I remember walking up and down the hall of our hotel room in a frenzy and having water bottles thrust at me. My dad finally took me downstairs to wait just outside of the room where the wedding would take place.

I will never forget those moments with my daddy. As we listened to the ring bearer and flower girls make their way down the aisle, my dad said all the right things to keep me calm, excited, and confident.

Finally, the big moment arrived. We got our cue and began the walk down the aisle.

For months I had been telling myself to remember to look at the groom as soon as we entered. I was desperate not to miss the look on his face when he first saw me. And it was a look I will never, ever forget. In that moment I knew, once again, that this was truly the man for me. A man that loves me and cherishes me, much more than I deserve.

After being given away by our parents, the ceremony began. We are extremely blessed that our pastor is my husband's uncle and a very special person in our lives. Having him marry us was a dream come true. The personal touches he brought to our ceremony were cherished and special.

Reciting our vows was one of the best moments of my life. It was a moment that I wished would never end. Our vows (and entire ceremony) were in Spanish, but I've translated them to English...

His vows to me:
Laura, on this special day for us I want to tell you how important you are to me.
From the first time I met you, you found a place deep in my heart.
As we began getting to know each other more, I began to realize that you were the one for me.
And from today on, you're going to be my wife - the most important person in my life.
I hope that our future is blessed by God and that we always follow His path.
Thank you for being mi preciosa. I love you.
Laura, today I receive you as my wife. Before God and our families, I promise to be at your side from today on, to support you, to respect you, and to love you, in the good and in the bad, in richness and in poorness, in health and in sickness, and to be faithful to you forever, according to the holy ordinance of God. I love you.

My vows to him:
Mauricio, when I was thinking about what to say to you today, the most important day of my life, my mind filled with many wonderful memories.
I remember the first day we met. You were laughing at something and I felt that I would give anything to hear you laugh again.
I remember the times that we stayed up all night talking on the phone. And when we used up all of our phone credit because we fell asleep without hanging up.
I remember our first kiss. In the least expected place, but it was a perfect and unforgettable moment.
Today I remember a wonderful past that allows me to dream of an even better future, with you at my side and the Lord uniting us and guiding us.
You are the great love of my life. My first love and my last love. Thank you for filling my life with happiness, love, and many more laughs.
Mauricio, today I receive you as my husband. Before God and our families, I promise to be at your side from today on, to support you, to respect you, and to love you, in the good and in the bad, in richness and in poorness, in health and in sickness, and to be faithful to you forever, according to the holy ordinance of God. I love you.

After the vows, our uncle asked us to kneel and he prayed for us. This was one of the most important parts of the wedding and very special to us. And with that, we kissed, received congratulations, and rushed off to get photos taken.

The rest of the night was a joyous celebration with our family and friends. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, danced until our feet ached, and basked in the joy of being surrounded by family that loves us.

Despite the (numerous) hiccups, it was a magical night that I will never forget. The candlelight gently illuminated the tables and conversation, just as I had dreamed. The crystals hanging above our heads bounced shimmery lighting throughout the room, just as I had hoped. And the entire room seemed to softly glow and sparkle, just as I had imagined. Laughter and dance music filled the air and people filled the dance floor.

Of the many comments I've received about our wedding, one sticks out to me. I confided in a cousin about some of my disappointments and concerns and asked for her take on it, as a guest. She told me that the wedding was beautiful and perfect and that there was only one thing wrong with it - it had to end. She told me that the only thing she would have changed would have been to be able to stay longer and keep celebrating and dancing and laughing.

The wedding is over. Gifts have been opened, thank-you notes sent, and new weddings are being planned and taking place. But our marriage is just beginning. And THAT is the true dream come true. :)

More photos to come soon...

Checking In

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:05:00 +0000

Hi all! It's been awhile! I hope everyone had a blessed and happy Easter! (In Bolivia we celebrate the whole week - "Holy Week").

We've officially started handing out wedding invitations so I thought I'd share some photos on the blog! I did these 100% on my own and couldn't be happier with that decision. Aside from saving some money, it feels great knowing that my hands touched each and everyone one of the invitations and they were assembled with great care and love.

Aside from invites, I've been working on my 'wedding oufit' - jewelry, tiara, etc. I can't say much about that here, though, because Mauricio does look at my blog from time to time! :)

The biggest thing on my list is decorations. That's another thing I decided to take on myself rather than hiring out. I've got some pretty high expectations so it's turning out to be a big job! I ended up moving it to the very bottom of the list so I can get give it my sole attention once everything else is complete.

I've managed to avoid looking at/thinking about immigration stuff. I've stopped scouring the internet for stories, advice, etc. and have just checked our status on the government website a few times a month. No changes yet. On the list of recently approved petitions are many November/December/January applications. We're a mid-December application, so hopefully our time is coming soon!

In closing, the verse we put on our wedding invitations. Significant not only due to its relevance to our situation (my living in a foreign country!), but also because my parents used it at their wedding :)

Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

Ruth 1:16

Change of Pace

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I love this girl! :D Her mama's one of my best friends and her brother is my godson. She came to my house the other afternoon to receive her new butterfly shirt that my Mom sent and her new pink sunglasses that I couldn't resist buying her. It was a much needed distraction!

In His Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:19:00 +0000

I knew I wouldn't stay away for long! :) I'm here for a few minutes this morning to write a post about something that is weighing heavily on my heart. This actually started out as a Facebook post, but I quickly realized it was too long and in-depth to put on Facebook.

After having been denied the Tourist Visa twice, Mauricio is currently an applicant for the Fiancé Visa. This is considered an "immigrant visa", so it involves a much more complicated and lengthy process.

I started this whole process pretty quickly after our engagement on November 16th. It took several late nights, at least an entire package of printer paper, and a generous portion of my sanity to get our package ready to mail. On December 12, we finally received confirmation that our application was received and officially at the bottom of the pile for processing. For the first week or two, I checked the immigration tracking website obsessively, waiting for any changes or signs of movement. Fortunately, Christmas and New Year arrived and kept me busy with other things, so I eventually stopped thinking about immigration constantly. And I did really well not checking the website or obsessing for a number of weeks. Sure, I've had to continue preparing documents and evidence for when our Embassy Interview is scheduled, but it hasn't been an all-consuming thing.

Until sometime last week.

Long story short, some innocent research turned into hours of reading which turned into sleepless nights of worrying. This whole immigration process is really scary. You're essentially putting your life in the hands of a few immigration officials who probably see you as 'just one more applicant.'

Since then, I haven't been able to get this out of my mind and heart. I've tried to distract myself with other things, but as soon as I'm alone and all is quiet, the immigration thoughts are back. I go through scenarios in my mind over and over again - being denied the visa, being subject to a stokes interview*, receiving a lifelong ban on applying for visas, etc. This process is, quite frankly, terrifying.

*A 'stokes interview' is an extremely personal and invasive interview done of the applicant and his/her fiance/spouse separately. They can take hours and get into really personal territory. They then compare the answers to look for inconsistencies.

I keep thinking how much I don't want to place something as important as my marriage in the hands of the U.S. government.

So today I'm choosing not to.

I've deleted all of the immigration links from my favorites folder and printed the only information I NEED to look at between now and our visa approval. I'm taking this entire matter OUT of the hands of government officials and placing it in the hands of God. Someone who truly does care about our future, our lives, and our hearts.

I've done all I can. Whatever happens, no one could say that I didn't try. I've probably researched, read, and prepared enough to constitute a semester-long college class. Or two. But I've reached the point where continuing would be more harmful to my health and well-being than its worth. So I'm done.

From this day forward, I'm going to do the best I can to remove immigration from my mind entirely. When the day comes, immigration will contact us about our interview. That'll be a great day! But until then, I'm putting this in the hands of God and doing nothing more than trusting him. It intimidates me that a random set of immigration officials have the ultimate say on whether Mauricio can travel to the States or not. It comforts me that the God of the Universe has the ultimate say on the decision of those immigration officials.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Dear Readers

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Okay, a lot of a perfectionist. It's hard for me to admit failure or give up at things. I have a tendency to take on too much and then convince myself that I cannot walk away from any of it. That the world will stop spinning if I do. Which is why I'm suddenly finding myself far too overwhelmed with what I need to get done each day.

As I've become increasingly tired and burdened down, I've known that something (or many things!) has to give. I sat down to prioritize and schedule and I'm sorry to say that my beloved blog just didn't make the cut.

I won't be shutting this blog down - no way! But I'm not going to commit to posting regularly, either. There will be no more Macro Friday posts. After nearly 100 weeks of loving this blog hop, I'm sad to see it go. But it's just something that has to be done. Thank you to all the faithful posters that came back week after week. It's been great!

For the next several months I'm going to focus as much as possible on wedding planning. To enjoy the details and completely immerse myself in this season of life that I will only experience once. I'm even going to take joy in the stressful parts: The worries about how to safely get my wedding dress from Minnesota to Bolivia, because afterall, a wedding dress is EXCITING! The endless paperwork needed for Mauricio's U.S. Visa application, because it will be so worth it in the end and serves as a reminder that we're making a real, big commitment to each other. And the late nights spent budgeting, because we're learning something that will last a lifetime.

I'm looking at my other priorities as well and sifting through what stays and what goes. It's hard to determine what to sacrifice, but I know that everything has a time and place. So I'm figuring out what has a time and place right now, for the next few months, and likely until the end of 2012.

Over the next few months I won't completely disappear. You will see me around this blog as often as I feel inspired. When I have photos that I can't wait to share or an experience I'm dying to write down this blog isn't a burden. It's when I'm overwhelmed with other things and posting out of obligation, not inspiration, that it becomes something it shouldn't be. I'm certain that those of you that choose to stick around or check in occasionally will be seeing lots of wedding planning photography in the coming months. :)

Thanks for reading,
Laura

Macro Friday: Week 89

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday and welcome back to Macro!

Mauricio's Birthday was this week, so I thought a balloon would be an appropriate Macro Friday photo :)

Have a great weekend, all!

Macro Friday: Week 88

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:18:00 +0000

Happy Friday and welcome back to Macro! I'm sorry to say I won't be participating with a photo this week, but I wanted to put the Linky up anyway. It's been a busy week and I'm getting ready to travel tonight.

Have a great weekend, all! :)

Macro Friday: Week 87

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Hi all! Welcome back to Macro Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week.

I have a sweet photo this week. :)

It's honeycomb! The other day Mauricio and I noticed someone selling fresh honey in the market and he bought a jar of honeycomb to eat. I've never tried it, but according to him it's delicious! I'd be afraid to take a bite and find a bee inside. :)

Have a great weekend!

A Day at the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:56:00 +0000

Disclaimer: These photos are quite a few months old now, but I never got around to posting them.

I enjoyed looking back at them today and thought I'd share! :)

Nothing like a grown man playing in the sprinkler with the boys! :)

This last photo is of my two closest friends in Bolivia - a treasure of a photo for me.

Macro Friday: Week 86

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Hi all! Welcome back to Macro Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week.

I have another bug photo this week.

This time I found it on the towel I had left outside to dry! Good thing I'm not too grossed out by bugs! :)

Have a great weekend!

Macro Friday: Week 85

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:25:00 +0000

Hi all! Welcome back to Macro Friday! I hope everyone's 2012 is off to a great start!

I found this bug on my sheets yesterday! Kind of icky to have in bed, but a good photography subject! :)

Have a great weekend, all!

Macro Friday: Week 84

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Hi all! Welcome back to Macro Friday!

As much as I love Bolivian food, there are certain foods from the States that I do miss! I was absolutely delighted to find one such food in the market a few days ago....

...cherries!!!!

Bolivia has lots of citrus and yummy fruits, but berries aren't too common here. Blueberries, raspberries, cherries, etc. are hard to find. These were super expensive so I just bought a tiny bag, but I've been enjoying savoring them the past few days.

Happy New Year!!

Macro Friday: Week 83

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:04:00 +0000

Hi all! Sorry this is going up so late! This morning when I turned on my computer I realized it was scheduled for a disk check which ended up taking over two hours! So I'm behind on everything today.

Because I'm so behind, I'm just going to get straight to the point and throw up the Linky! Have a great Christmas, everyone! :)

Macro Friday: Week 82

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Hello all and welcome back to Macro Friday!

Here in Bolivia it's actually summer, not winter, and we're in the rainy seasons. So that's mean no white Christmas, but rather a humid, damp Holiday Season.

It makes for some 'different' holiday photos, like raindrops on Christmas lights! :)

Your turn! Have a great weekend all!

Macro Friday: Week 81

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:04:00 +0000

Welcome back to Macro Friday! I'm excited to share a photo I'm actually pleased with today! I woke up to rain this morning and opened my door to extra lush, green leaves covered in raindrops. I grabbed my camera and must have taken photos for 30 minutes! It felt good after being busy and forced to neglect my camera for so long.

Have a great weekend, all!

Macro Friday: Week 80

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday! And welcome back to Macro Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week. Thanks for all of your comments on last week's Macro Friday post! :)

I have another sparkly photo today.

A beautiful new pair of earrings!

Looking forward to your photos! :)

Macro Friday: Week 79

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Good morning! Welcome back to Macro Friday and Happy Thanksgiving! As promised last week, I have some news this week. But rather than tell you, I'll show you!

...I'm engaged!!!! Mauricio proposed a little over a week ago on my Birthday and it was absolutely perfect! We're so excited to start our life together!

Have a great weekend, all! :)

Macro Friday: Week 78

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Good morning! I'm rather ashamed to admit that I don't have a brand new photo AGAIN this week! But I'm recycling an old one! I don't think I ever actually posted the photo from the Macro Photo button, so that's what I'm sharing today.

I promise to have a photo next week! In fact, I already have a photo, but am just waiting a week to share. Next week will be a special edition with some exciting news :)

Have a great weekend! :)

Macro Friday: Week 77

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Hi all, welcome back to Macro Friday! I'm sorry to say that I didn't have time to take a macro photo this week, so I won't be participating today. I'm still putting up the linky for all of you though!

Have a great weekend! :)

Macro Friday: Week 76

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to Macro Friday! I hope everyone had a great week and is looking forward to the weekend!

A few days ago Mauricio plucked a pretty blossom from a flowering tree for me to put in a vase on my kitchen table. It wasn't until we begin walking home that I noticed it had a bug on it. I almost brushed it off before realizing there was something else...

...little bug eggs! I'm not sure if this is cool or gross! For now, I put the bug on a flowering plant I have on my balcony. I noticed when I got up this morning the bug was gone but the eggs were still there. By lunch time, the bug was back, perched atop the eggs.

Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Macro Friday: Week 75

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to Macro Friday! I, for one, am thrilled the weekend is here! I'm travelling to another city in Bolivia for a relaxing weekend of no work, cooking, or cleaning!

My macro shot this week is of the sprinkles on the cupcakes I made for my godson's Birthday! :)

Your turn! Have a great weekend!

Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:54:00 +0000

Monday was my godson's 8th Birthday!

So we took him cupcakes after lunch and managed to snap a quick photo before he had to leave for school.

Happy Birthday, Andresito!

Come back tomorrow to see the macro cupcake photo (of course!) :)

Macro Friday: Week 74

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to Macro Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week!

My photo this week:

I love when I can squeeze some great bokeh out of my point-and-shoot!! :D

Your turn! Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Caiman Alligators

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:00:00 +0000

This is a bit of a random post, but I thought it might interest some of you.

A few weeks ago we went to the huge fair that happens every September in Santa Cruz. I didn't take many photos because it was night time and I was too busy enjoying myself, but I did take one of the caiman alligators:

Kind of freaky, huh!

These alligators are common in the wild in Bolivia and are usually MUCH larger when you come across them in their natural habitat!