Hit counter

We've just added a hit counter to Polish version of this blog. And even though it started to run today (i.e. 30th April), it's good to know, that for the last three days since the official opening, there has been about one hundred hits - it impressed us ;-) especially since our blog wasn't advertised anywhere but on our instant messengers and so called recommendations.

Our blog was visited by Poland, Great Britain, Sweden and Slovakia. We are very happy, because it's just the very beginning of this blog :) We hope that every day more and more people will visit us. So, if you know someone, whom you could recommend our site - do it! Invite then! We are counting on you!

Our counter starts counting today (on 30th April) - from this time on we have officially started to count your visits :)

Premarital preparation course

Last Tuesday - i.e. 24th April - we began the premarital preparation course :) Meetings take place in the lower church of St Lawrence Parish in 51 Bujwida Street, Wrocław. It's conducted by Fr Stanisław Orzechowski - called "Orzech" – a known and esteemed priest in Wrocław, specialising in preparing academic youth to marriage. More information about him you can find on D.A. Wawrzyny and Wikipedia.

On the first meeting there were about 100 couples. We meet every Tuesday at 8 P.M. - after Eucharist. The course finishes on the second half of June with dialogues for engaged couples - it's required to complete the course.

The first meeting was titled: "Your ability to love"; this ability is an absolute foundation and base to grow in a marriage. We learned how not to make a mistake at the very beginning, and what threatens and favours a proper development in our relationship.

We learned also that the way we're choosing could be called "Marital Order" ;-) and its role is one of the most austere – even the Carmelite monks have a less difficult one ;-)

During the meeting, we discovered we do not have to actually do anything! We don't even have to be together - I don't have to be with you, and you don't have to be with me. We don't have to be married, we don't have to do anything! ... so it makes us search ourselves: Do we want to? Do I want to be with you? Do we want to be together in every situation, for better or for worse? Am I able to tell the other person: I don't have to marry you, but I want to!

When we came back from the meeting, we asked each other that question. How do you think - what was the answer? ;-);-);-) ...

Date of wedding

After a long time of going out with each other, we decided that we wanted to spend our whole life together :) That is really fantastic, because deep in our hearts we know that we feel good together - even in a crisis.

In 2005, we started to think about the time when we could get married. On one hand, we wanted to do it as soon as possible, on the other, we listened to reason and wanted to wait, so we could get to know each other better. We've sensed the wedding wouldn't take place earlier than two years time - maybe three.

A search was going on for the date of the wedding and we considered many different options, but the date of 7th July 2007 – i.e. 07.07.07 - took our fancy. So, long before it became famous in the media - many couples chose this day as a wedding day - we already got accustomed to it :)

2007 seemed to us very distant, but time has passed very quickly. Today we see things in retrospect: we could know each other much better, deepen our relationship, and love each other more. We didn't hurry, but got to know each other gradually in many difficult, as well as beautiful situations, when we could learn to laugh and to cry, to have an argument and to reconcile with one another. We believe this is the time for laying the foundations of a future marriage. We also believe, that it's only the beginning, and the most important moments of our love are waiting for us after our marriage :)

07.07.07 took our fancy :):):) because it's characteristic and original as well. We don't connect it with any magical meaning. We don't avoid marrying in a month without the letter R either. We just don't believe in that kind of thing.

Seven has a symbolic meaning for us - it's used many times in the Bible: seven years of abundance, God rested on the seventh day, there are seven requests in the Lord's Prayer, seven wisps of hair ensured Samson strength; but more about the symbolic meaning of the number seven we are going to write later on...

Official opening of our blog!

We welcome you all on our site! Today, after long waiting, we announce the official opening of our web log matthew-natalie.blogspot.com

The blog you're reading is created for our closest relatives, our dear friends in Poland and abroad, and also for everyone who wants to get to know us and accompany us in our preparations for marriage.

Nowadays, in the age of the Internet, there is no need to persuade anyone that it's the perfect way for fast information exchange. We know that many of you would like to participate in our preparations on-line, so we're going to post all of the related news. Some of the most important past events and interesting and funny situations that happened while building our relationship will be described. We'll also share with you what we are going to do in the nearest future.

The sacrament of holy matrimony is an issue for us, because the marriage ceremony and wedding reception will take place in Jerusalem, Israel. It's an enormous challenge for us, but we want to be equal, because one who hesitates is lost. We believe that dreams, even those at heart, can be fulfilled.

How can you help us? First you can pray for us and the whole undertaking. Second visit our blog often! Why? Because it's our communication platform, so you could support us, keep us company, and help if needed.

We already want to thank the people who have been involved in the preparations - without your support and help, it would be much harder!