Dear Reader,

April 25th

Maybe this is for you, reader, but maybe this letter is more for me. An early attempt at wrapping my head around the wild and wonderful recent twist in the plot of my life story.

One month ago I had just gotten married and we were honeymooning in a last-minute God-provided luxury destination. Two months ago I had announced the wedding on social media and our communities erupted. Three months ago we were just friends, and I was thankful that we were that, but it was becoming apparent that he still was interested in being more and he was starting to realize that I was finally open to that. Four months ago I had just rejected his open declaration of interest in pursuing me. Five months ago we got coffee for the first time, after which he asked to do so again soon and I declined. Six months ago I shared a prophetic word I'd received for him, breaking the respectful distance of silence he'd given me. Seven months ago we ran into each other at a birthday party in Eau Claire -- the second time we'd ever seen each other, our introduction a few weeks before being the first -- and not long after he called me in MKE to see if we could meet up while he was in town visiting a friend and I turned him down. Eight months ago neither of us was looking for anyone or knew that each other existed. Today we're happily married to each other, learning the art of marriage, growing in unity, and pursuing Jesus together -- which includes flowing with His leading, going after what He's purposed us for, and hilarious generosity through us everyday, to name a few.

I love stories, particularly stories of God's faithfulness, as Im sure you do. You'd probably like to know all the details of this crazy unfolding. It will come in time. Trust me! For now I just wanted to share answers to some frequently asked questions, encourage you to ask us more, and invite you to not just follow along with our life but to be part of it.

FAQ
1. How did you and Luke meet? 
My soul sister, Kelsey, who I originally met in Windsor, CO in 2010 and have been best friends with ever since -- from her single years through to marriage and cross-country moves, missions and motherhood -- introduced us in September '15 at church on a Sunday when I was visiting my family in Eau Claire, WI.

An hour before Luke proposed.

2. How is married life?
Everything -- I mean everything -- changes when you join two separate lives together as one. That's wild. So is the grace that enables us to transition seamlessly, communicate with transparency, love each other well, and take the time to laugh (and sob as well) as we learn all the newness. At the same time, being married is the most natural thing Ive done in life. Strong words, but really. I was made for this. We're just getting to know each other and there are so many surreal moments where I look at him -- a man I hoped at best just to be friends with for life and follow along with his journey -- and soak in the fact that not only do I get to see Luke Osicka everyday, I'm MRS Osicka. Its wonderful. While I don't know him inside and out yet, I DO know him. Kels said of us after only seeing he and I in the same room two times, "I just cant picture him with anyone else, or you with anyone else. Give him a chance." Each day I am more honored, humbled, and humored by how accurate and prophetic her words were. Married life is very normal, quite special, beautifully refining, and uniquely fun. We were definitely ready, never question that we made the right choice, and we don't know what we are doing. We're enjoying it all.

3. Do you have any wedding pictures?
Not on me usually! Maybe I should change that. Our friend Ryan Lucas (ryanlucasphoto.com) took incredible photos of our wedding day. I'll be blogging gobs of them very soon. We also have a gorgeous video of the day to share in the near future by the gifted Mr and Mrs Chitwood (vimeo.com/chitwoodmedia). Stay tuned!

4. Did I hear you're moving? To New York?
Haha! Its amazing how word travels. Yes, we are moving to Brooklyn, New York on June 1st.

5. What's in Brooklyn?
We have no idea. Luke and I are called to the world. There are certainly cities and countries we already know specifically we will go to and live in in Jesus' perfectly planned timing. This is just the first. What happened is we found out our landlord wasn't offering a renewal on our lease when it was up at the end of May. We asked Daddy God what to do with that -- either way it'd mean moving but whether to stay in Milwaukee or go somewhere else was our question. In freedom, we dreamed together about pursuing a move to California. We didn't have peace about it though and just as we were tucking that away I mentioned New York. Luke had instant peace about that. He'd been in Brooklyn when he visited before. That sounded good to me. We both want to live in the 'hood. Why? Daddy God loves the people there. We love it there. The light of the world, which we are, wants to shine bright and that's best done in the darker places of the world. We don't have a place to live or jobs lined up. We have counted the cost of this major move and lifestyle change. We are rejoicing in the face of leaving our comfort zones and being pruned to produce more fruit. We have a lot of peace and almost no idea of what we are doing. This won't be the last time we move somewhere not knowing why before we get there. God is good. If you're moved to be involved, let us know.

6. Is Barley coming?
Oh, yes!

As life's rhythm ebbs and flows Luke and I are finding time once again to take pictures, write, and grab coffee to chat with you guys. We enjoy it so much. In May we will be back and forth between Milwaukee, Eau Claire, and Minneapolis -- celebrating life with family and friends, recording our album, finishing up work and packing -- so give us a shout, snag some time with us. We'd sincerely like to see you. We aren't on Snapchat or Twitter. We might not be on LinkedIN or Facebook for long. You can count on finding us on Instagram though: @lukeborek + @chelsea_pea
P.S. Luke likes to email and I prefer to text. We also really enjoy snail mail and drop-by house visitors. Don't be a stranger.

This is a fabulous story, a grand adventure, and a most reasonable service -- simply two united, laid-down lovers of Jesus not settling for 'just ok'. Thanks for coming along side of us through it all. #thebestisyettocome #thisisjustthebeginning #glorytoglory #JesusisKing #putloveondisplay