Day Trip to Salado!

I've been so busy with my grad class and preparing for camp, that we haven't had a chance to really get out of the house and go somewhere together. This past weekend the weather was gorgeous and in the 70's so I decided to put off working for one day and hit the road. We headed down south to Salado--it's a little bitty town with a lot of charm. We were actually expecting it to be bigger than it was based on their t.v. commercials, but the weather was great and the people were sweet so we had a great time.

      

Not bad for a low-key Valentine's Day--and I got this excellent bottle of Parmesan Garlic Olive Oil. Best Valentine's present ever!!!!

Weekend Happenings

From the top: The EPIC (3) cheese Grilled Cheese that the Hubs made us for lunch, finally checking out what all the talk was about (McClane Stadium @ Baylor), taking advantage of the 70 degree January weather (Thank-you Texas), found love on the Walking Bridge, the difference between Him and Me, more cheezin at the Park, getting tired of taking pictures after Church, and finishing it all off with some homemade Stir-Fry.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend because mine was Incredible!!! Just give me a sunny day and I can do anything!

#MakeItHappen

I meant to do this sooner, but because of the goals I've sent it has already been a busy year for me! I
don't like resolutions. They are so finite and often single-minded that it is so easy to break them in a such a short amount of time. Instead, I prefer to set goals for myself because they allow you some wiggle room to be human and make mistakes. They are organic and allow for tweaking when you need to make adjustments. It is also encouraging that there is no real end to my goals; they are areas in my life that I want to improve and that can continue on for years to come. I have deemed 2015 the year of the 'S': Spirituality, Safety, and Success. I have also another 's' in there that has to do with my marriage relationship, but I'll let you guess what that word is because I don't want creepies coming here by mistake :)

Spirituality: I chose this goal because you can never be too close to God. Since becoming a full-fledged adult, I have let my faith waiver significantly due to anxiety and lack of effort. I've determined to study and reflect on my Bible every day and already it feels so good. I've been participating in the Good Morning Girls study and I love it. It's a chapter a day and I use the SOAK method to pick out the hidden pearls written there for me. I can already feel a change in myself and I can't wait to keep learning.

Safety: This has been a struggle for me since getting married. When I was young and my parents provided for me, I always felt safe and never questioned a thing. Becoming a grown-up and taking care of yourself changes your perspective. You realize there are these horrible life-suckers called bills and you owe everyone but yourself. It's scary finding a place to live and hoping that no crazy people live beside you and then your car keeps finding parts to break. I thought I was worried kid but I never truly knew worry until the last few years. My husband takes good care of us, but we have our struggles. It is my goal this year to let a lot of worry go and trust. Thankfully, my spiritual goal is already helping this.

Success: The last couple of years I have felt stuck. I'm not growing or learning and I have been lazy and comfortable doing nothing. This year, I have determined to succeed, or rather start planning to succeed. I realize that success isn't an overnight occurrence so as a goal it makes sense because it may not be this year that anything major happens but I at least have a framework and an end goal in sight. I am taking my first class for my Masters in Reading and I am reading a spectacular book by Lara Casey called Make It Happen: Surrender Your Fear, Take the Leap, Live on Purpose. I want to speak more on this book later because I'm only in chapter 3 and it's already changing my life. This book is mind-blowing.

Sssshhh: The last category is a strengthener for my marriage. I was dealt an unexpected blow and it made me realize that although we spend a lot of time together, we are severely lacking in true intimate time. I honestly feel that this is crucial for every Godly marriage and we could feel the lack of bond between us. We've made a lot of headway already and we have an action plan that makes my heart glad. Today we spent time together in our reading nook, sitting in our recliner together reading comic book and let me tell, it was like magic. The sun was shining in, the windows were open and letting in the sound of birds, and we were huddled together in a chair made for one. I just sat there and smiled like a goob the whole time.....I think it's what life is supposed to feel like.

I can tell it's going to be a big year for us and I am overjoyed. I've felt so stagnant for a long while and for the first time, I'm excited again. I can't wait to see what's next and I'm not afraid. If anyone stumbles across this blog post out there, I would love to hear what goals you've set for yourself in the new year and I wish you the best!

On Having Children(Someday)

I know I haven't taken the time to list them here yet, but one of my 2015 goals is to be more Spiritual. As a child of God, I haven't spent enough time in His word and that makes me feel ashamed. I have to determined to carve out some time in the mornings to spend reflecting on a chapter, a passage, or evn just a verse. Because having children is on my mind lately, I've chosen Psalm 127:3-5 which says:

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Growing up watching my mom take care of children, I knew I wanted to be just like her. Loving, kind, and warm all describe how she made and still makes me feel. Having kids was always a given for me. That is, until I actually grew up and knew what it was like to take care of yourself. Sometimes I wonder if we are responsible enough to raise a child; we both still feel so very young and we enjoy having time to ourselves to be selfish and do whatever we want to do. Many of our friends are having children and the older I get, the more pressure I feel to not 'run out of time.' Insert slightly inappropriate quote from my favorite show ever, New Girl:

What if all that's left are the weird eggs and the evil eggs? I can feel them, they're turning. They watched their brothers and sisters die and now they want to be birthed. I need to be fertilized!

Kidding aside, the Bible says that children are a true blessing and reward to those that have them. My biggest fear is that we will get pregnant and not have the means to take care of him or her. My mom has always told me that 'if people waited until they could afford children, no one would ever have them.' I hear that and I believe that, but anyone who knows me well knows that I am a worrier and a planner. If I don't have an exact plan for taking care of my child, my world will come to end(at least it will feel like it). Babies aren't like super expensive shoes that you can regret and take back to the store for a refund, they are with you forever. And while I would like the company now and then, it scares me to think that I will hold another person's life in my hands. I will shape them, mold them, and hopefully help them become something great. This must be what God feels like every time He creates, nervously waiting for the outcome even though He already knows.

I don't think I will ever get over my fear of having children; I know my mother still worries every day despite the fact that we are all grown-ups now. Fear comes with the territory. But with the fear, comes the joy. The last sentence of the passage says 'He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.' I don't know about you, but to me that verse is describing a Proud Father. He has beautiful, loving, obedient children that he is blessed to brag about in front of everyone, even people he may not like as much. Children are a glory to their parents and though I am afraid, it is the fear that will help me to try my very best to raise them well. Hopefully, one day soon, I will be making some blessings of my own! (And yes, that precious little person down there is me!)

Happy 2K15!!!!

If anyone out there in the big, wide internet sees this--Happy New Year!!!! The Holidays were fast and incredible and I'm looking forward to something new.

2015 has a very special sound to it and my heart tells me it's going to be a good one! I want to sit down and write out a few goals for the year, but for now I'll leave you with a photo. It's from camp this summer and it's from one of the happiest times I can remember for awhile. I resolve to be as happy as the girl in this picture:

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! We are wishing you all the best and many blessings in the year to come!

An Unceremonious Christmas Tree Lighting

It only took 22 days into the Holiday season, but we finally put up our little Christmas Tree. I don't know about anyone else, but to me it feels like the Holiday season is going by faster than usual. I love Christmas, but for some reason I feel like I can barely catch my breath this year; we're not even halfway done shopping for gifts and Christmas is less than a week away!

This has been a great December so far and will continue to be the busiest one yet: my best friend had her baby shower for baby #1, we traveling to Oklahoma to see my Dad's family, and right after Christmas, my college roommate is getting married! We are definitely in that stage of life where everything is on the upward slope; life is really just beginning and I can't wait to see what happens in 2015!