Colten & Lady K - Our Story 7/2/22

Good morning! 

Today is a very special day - Colten and I’s 2-year wedding anniversary! We were able to spend the past weekend in Taos, NM, for an anniversary getaway! It was a great way to recharge and spend quality time with one another! Here are a few photos of our adventures: 

I have mentioned before that this blog is a diary of sorts documenting the little things that “fill my cup.” It’s a memory jar of all the little moments in my life, and I find great joy in sharing them with you! I find it fitting to recap “Our Story” on the blog since I share my favorite things in my writings.  

Our story as a married couple is a striking masterpiece created by the divine artist—Jesus. He commissioned this piece long ago, and I wanted to share how we have seen His handiwork from the very beginning! 

I am awestruck by the Lord’s providence and how He is always at work. I created this collage of Pinterest images on July 3, 2012. 12 whole years ago! (Are there any other Pinterest collage-making friends out there?) 

(Love that super filtered selfie... perfectly on brand for 2012)

And sure enough, I married my best friend on July 2, 2022! This was just one of the many ways Jesus was present in the early stages and paved the way for our eventual wedding day! 

I distinctly remember being in the 5th or 6th grade when the Sisters at St. Anthony’s Catholic School in Dalhart did a workshop with all the young women in our class. They instructed us on how to pray for our future vocation. They encouraged us to understand that discerning God’s will is a skill we can learn at any age. And while praying for our future vocation, to be sure to pray for our future spouse. Their message resonated with me, and I will always be grateful for the wise prayer teachings from Sr. Mary Pia and Sr. Katharine. From that day on, I was sure to incorporate a prayer for my future spouse at the end of all my nighttime prayers. It’s amazing to recognize those prayerful little seeds planted long ago and how they grow and manifest into beautifully answered prayers on down the road! For we have a good, good Father. 

If you also share a love of reading about real-life love stories… keep reading on! I share "Our Story" below!

Looking back at my conversations with my closest family and friends; my expectations were always set high regarding the man I would marry and build a life with. 

I had some criteria, known as the 3 “C’s:” Catholic/Christian, Cute, and Country.

3 solid hopes and goals, right? 

It’s safe to say Colten has exceeded every expectation I ever had and compliments me as my husband in every way. He is the leader of our relationship and sets our eyes toward Christ. Colten is a selfless and incredibly hard-working person. He sets big goals for himself, for me, and our relationship. He calls me higher and what could be more important than that? I admire his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build a mission-focused life together. 

How We Met

Colten and I were both active in the Texas 4-H Program. He may not have known who I was, but I definitely knew who he was. I admired him when he was president of Texas 4-H and actually stole…well, borrowed a line from his speech: "It's been said that good things come to those who wait, but I believe greater things come to those who go out and get them." We briefly met in Rudder Tower in College Station, Texas, but our mutual love for America’s Brightest Orange (Oklahoma State University) is what really brought us together. When I got to OSU freshman year, Colten and I were in many of the same groups in college. Colten offered to help me with my application for a leadership club on campus and took me to Braum's for ice cream. (I convinced myself this what not a date - just a nice guy helping me, even though he did pay for my ice cream!) We talked about school, and before long we were sitting in a booth talking for two hours! From this date forward, we spent a lot of time together and started officially dating on January 22, 2018.

The Proposal

Colten planned a very thoughtful proposal that was very “us.” It was a Saturday afternoon on October 2, 2021, and we had plans to attend mass at 5:00 PM. Colten had planned a sweet proposal on the front steps of my house. He placed the ring in my mailbox and came inside my front door. As Colten set the scene to get me out the door...the mailman showed up on my porch! With a quick pivot and change of plans, Colten went back outside to grab the ring and set the proposal up in my backyard instead. (At this point in time, I am still completely clueless and have no idea what Colten is doing). We walk outside, and before I fully register what is happening, Colten is on one knee with a ring in his hand! I said YES! We sit together in the moment and then realize we must get on the road to make it to church at 5:00 PM! The Lord certainly had His hand in our special day. That evening at Mass, the Gospel reading was the Genesis story of how God made Adam and Eve.

Genesis 2: 18-24

The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.

So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name.

The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

The LORD God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said:

“This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;

This one shall be called ‘woman,’

for out of man this one has been taken.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.

After church, Colten pulled off the greatest surprise ever - all of our loved ones waiting at Bar Z Winery to celebrate us!

 Wedding Weekend Memories

(Kelsey Peeples Photography)

My final thoughts are little snippets of memories and happy moments from the wedding weekend.

• Spending time with my dad in the chapel before he walked me down the aisle was "our special time" together. 

• Being handed the vibrant bouquet adorned with a rosary created by the very talented florist at Cultivating Kindness brought tears to my eyes! All of the special women in my life had prayed a rosary for Colten and I and our marriage.

• The beauty of the wedding mass and sharing that with all the people we love! 

• Fr. Scott's homily reflected on our mission in life. Top Gun Maverick had just come out and made some parallel connections to the movie. Unknowingly to us, he polled our bridal party and the two of us to find out what our “pilot call signal” would be. Colten's was Cocoa (a special childhood nickname), and mine was The Planner. Pretty fitting if you ask me! Fr. said, "A mission is something we embark on that is usually good, noble, and true…We meet Jesus in today's Gospel calling his Disciples to go out on mission…Jesus calls you to go out two-by-two…he reminds you that to truly go out and live marriage in His name, according to His plan, it won't be easy…so strap on the helmet and know it is buckled. You will know what direction to head as it is the way Christ points out throughout your journey."

• You think of nervousness and anxious anticipation for such a big day, but truly, once the mass started, we were at complete peace. As Fr. led us through our vows, I vividly remember feeling joyful and confident. It seemed as if time had stood still.

• Our bridal party was filled with amazing people who made our wedding celebration that much more special. Friends that you consider family are a great gift! We were honored to have each of them stand as witnesses to our marriage.

• IYKYK - Being introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Colten Bezner – the whole room laughed. Fr. knew teasing us the night before would "bite him," but it was another good memory before we were re-announced as Mr. and Mrs. Colten Bison, and we kissed as newlyweds.

• The best way to summarize the goal of our wedding reception was to make it an event/experience for our guests. We wanted live music rolling and fun to commence as soon as you arrived, and we certainly had that!

•  My mom and Nana each gifted me a classic, intricately stitched handkerchief for the wedding. Many years ago, when I was a toddler, my mom was on a girls' trip - she was shopping at a store and had me in the stroller. The store lady said, "If you love those handkerchiefs, you better purchase one for your beautiful daughter; she's little now, but one day, she will need it for her wedding day." Yes, cue the tears! My Nana gave me the handkerchief she had for my parents’ wedding.

• Rolling into our first dances was awesome – the Grand March was better than I could have imagined. We had the best leaders and directors of the Grand March to make it a success and to have all our guests join in to dance! 

• Dancing with Colten to "I Think I'm in Love" (William Beckmann) was everything I dreamed of. I’m pretty sure I swooned! I loved every dip and turn.

• My Dad and I danced to the first few seconds of Tim McGraw's My Little Girl and then picked up the tempo to switch to Jason Boland's Pearl Snaps. The songs perfectly fit us and described our relationship to a T!

• Colten and his mom shared a special dance to Amarillo by Morning by George Strait. It brought me great joy to see them dance together.

• We had a generational photo table of our extended family and loved ones who were there in spirit on our wedding day. It was an extra special tribute to our loved ones that we were proud to have on display. After all, without them - we would not exist! 

• Our wedding cake was delicious. The cake knife was our "something borrowed." The knife belongs to my parents and is engraved with their wedding date. 

• We had many sweet kids at our wedding reception, so I was thrilled to put together a kid's corner with coloring books, balls, balloons, and toys for all the littles to enjoy! 

• It takes an army to coordinate, plan, and decorate a wedding! We were and are overwhelmingly appreciative of all the family members and friends who made every little aspect of our wedding day that much more sweet. The support and love we received from both our families did not go unnoticed! 

The “yes” we made on 7/2/2022 was a very special day that we will never forget. We look forward to all the yeses to come and the continuation of our masterpiece painting - whatever the Lord wills!  

Here's to our Forever and following Christ's mission for our lives as Husband and wife! Cheers to 2 years! 

Lady K’s One Thing: 

I love having my nails done, but I despise going to the nail salon! I am tough on my nails, and dipped manicures make them frail and weak. Also, the feeling of the nail drill when it hits my cuticle sends flames of fire through my whole body!  You know what I mean? It's the worst! I have found a great store-bought alternative called Dashing Diva! They are damage-free nail stickers that you cut to the shape of your nail and file down. I was so SURPRISED by the results - my first set lasted 16 days! I love their color options, from fun and festive to neutral chic. The affordable cost of $7.99 and easy application (took no more than 5 minutes) is two thumbs up from me! You simply use nail polish remover to remove the stickers, and they easily peel off without damage. You can find them on Amazon, Walmart, or Target! 

Wishing you a Blessed 4th of July Holiday with your loved ones. Home of the Free because of the Brave! 

Lots of Love,