A Busy, Busy Weekend

I have a lot of things I need to unpack after this weekend. Nothing too gigantic or life-changing; just little decisions here and there, some weightier than others, that are on my mind and heart. I won't go into too much detail, as some things don't need to be put out on the internet for all to see!

One big thing comes after attending the Love and Respect conference. We were invited by our mentors. Honestly, we wouldn't have gone if they hadn't invited us. It's not that we think we have this marriage thing down perfectly. And it's not that we think we know it all or don't have areas we can improve in. When I said "yes" to Jim, we started getting ready for the big day almost immediately. An important thing was getting pre-marital counseling.  We had EXCELLENT pre-marital counseling. They sat us down for weeks in a row, gave us books to read, things to think about, asked us hard questions that sometimes made us uncomfortable, and even more importantly modeled for us what they preached. As the anniversaries come, I grow more and more grateful for their wisdom and their faithfulness to share it with us because I know we are better for it. I know that not everyone gets the kind of equipping we did going into marriage. All of that being said, there is ALWAYS room to learn and grow. I can't speak for Jim, but I know there were things that I was convicted over and am challenged and want to change to better our marriage. In the grand scheme of things, Jim and I have a great marriage; at the end of the day, I know he loves me and is on my side and I'm confident that he knows I respect him and will stand by him till death do us part. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says it best, though:   "Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence." (MSG) God designed marriage, he designed the inner workings of marriage and has a purpose bigger than procreation and pleasure. Marriage is a refining fire, a work in our lives to make us aware of just how much we need Christ. My youth pastor in high school always told us that "who you are at home is who you really are." There is great truth in that. I left the weekend encouraged, thankful, convicted, and energized to ask God for strength to do better. An unexpected take-away from the weekend came as I thought not only how I relate to Jim, but also in parenting and understanding Jacob.

After the conference, we celebrated my Grandfather's birthday and then Jim, Jacob, and I went for a run. I'm doing the Couch to 5K thing (I'm only on Day 2) but we went 1.5 miles at about a 12:30 pace (it has you walk and run at intervals which is less daunting to me than going out and running a mile and a half outright). After Jacob went down, we finished Season 2 of Downton Abbey. If Season 2 hadn't ended the way it did, I'm afraid I would have had to read ahead about the seasons to see if I wanted to invest anymore time in this. BUT, since Matthew proposed to Mary and she said "yes" and Mr. Bates got his punishment moved to only life in prison, I will continue on. But things are going along too well, I'm afraid, so I am a little nervous about what is going to happen. NO SPOILERS PLEASE.

Sunday, Jacob woke up a little earlier than usual, so Jim went to our 8 am service and I went to the 930 service so that Jacob wouldn't have to be at church until noon and could get his nap in. We tried an afternoon nap after church, but that never happened. We headed out grocery shopping, to Bahama Bucks (Jacob wasn't a huge fan of snow cones, but he did like Jim's smoothie!) and then I cleaned the Cube. Janey (our "good" house trained dog that hasn't had an accident in YEARS) peed on the carpet RIGHT in front of me twice yesterday evening. It was like she was trying to prove a point or get my attention. This was after two small run-ins with some neighbor dogs and Jacob pooping in the tub. Anyone who knows me knows that I love animals, especially dogs, and especially my dogs; but I would be lying if I didn't say that there are some days that I wonder if we might need to find them new homes because they aren't cut out for apartment living. : (

BUT Monday is here- a new week, a new start, the end of the month. What did you do this weekend??

March is a Fresh Start

I don't remember where I heard it, but in a past conversation, the thought came up that God was a God of fresh starts. In Him we are a NEW creation, the old has gone (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). And that new self? Well, it's constantly being renewed in the image of our Creator (see Colossians 5:10). God is the God of "new." He has structured our time around that fact: Friday was a new month; yesterday (or today, depending on how your brain works) is a new week. Today is a new day. We've been given another shot at it, a fresh start, a clean slate.

March for me is going to be about "fresh." It's s-l-o-w-l-y starting to feel like spring. The days are getting longer. I love this time of year. Jim and I are also going to commit to eating more "fresh" foods (even if they were meals we made from fresh ingredients and froze them for convenience) and less fast food. With the spring-like weather comes a desire to freshen up the house. And, Jacob and I are getting a fresh start into the next chapter of our relationship as he transitions out of always having to have momma around to becoming a boy and not a baby anymore.

It's easy to get weighed down by stuff of life. Today, I'm laying it aside. Some of it needs to be dealt with, some of it let go, some of it bathed in prayer as I search for wisdom in knowing what to do. I am thankful for fresh starts and new mercies, every morning.

Getting Older Makes You Grateful

This thought crossed my mind last week while laying in bed trying not to cough and wake Jacob up. I was furiously sucking on cough drops in an attempt to stifle the coughs that wouldn't go away, no matter what I did. We were visiting family for Christmas so Jacob was sleeping in our room, right next to us. I'm so grateful we put him in his own bed from the first night home. Hearing his every whimper and movement is not ideal.

But, I was laying there thinking about all the gifts our family had gotten. Christmas is big in our family. But I think for the first time, Christmas was more about what we were doing and not what we got. I am so thankful for the gifts: after having kept my Christmas budget under control, I'm so thankful for those that spent their hard earned money on things for me. It made me think twice about the things I "wish" for. 

I had gotten word that one of my siblings said that all he got for Christmas was "stupid clothes." It was a good thing I was 4 hours away because I immediately wanted to pound him. How could he be so ungrateful? Kids everywhere would have done a lot for those "stupid clothes." We also had to delay our travel home because of bad weather. I was heartbroken because I wanted so badly to be with my family. 

After really thinking about it all and praying about it all, I came to this conclusion. Christmas will be what you make it. If it's all about the gifts, disappointment can be sure to be found somewhere. We aren't perfect gift givers, after all. I want to make it a priority to raise Jacob to be grateful. I want to make it a priority to make the Christmas season about Christ and the perfect gift He was to the world that so desperately needed him, that still desperately needs Him, today. Sure, I'll still make my Amazon wish list every year; there is nothing wrong with giving and getting gifts. It's one of my favorite things to do, actually! It will not, however, be the focus. The focus will be Christ, gathering my family around me, even if it means multiple trips across town or across the state, and spending time with the ones I love.

Day 9 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for the wise encouragement of a great friend in helping me deal with Jacob's completely unpredictable schedule these last couple of days. It's such a blessing to have people to walk this road of motherhood with.

Day 9 :: Something Small

Day 8 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful that I was able to find a sitter (thanks, Tiffany!) to come sit with Jacob while I taught dance. Growing up, babysitting was such an easy job for me and I always felt like people over-payed me for what I actually did, but now I completely understand the peace of mind you have when you leave your child with someone you trust. I would hate to not have ANY other choice and have to leave Jacob somewhere I didn't feel comfortable.

Photo A Day 8 :: Something I do everyday is drive a car.

Day 7 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today, I'm thankful for the means to be able to seek out healthcare (specifically dental care, as I went and had my teeth cleaned!) and to be able to have a role in deciding who we see for our medical care. I'm also thankful for the nurses in my family (Mom, Aunt, Cousin and my late Grandmother) who always give us their honest opinion with a dose of love!

Day 7 Photo A Day: Reflection
I didn't want to take a picture of myself, so I tried to think of other ways to interpret the word reflection and decided to do a search on YouVersion.

Day 6 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 6: Today I am thankful to live in the United States. We have the privilege and right to vote and take part in our governmental process. We have many freedoms that were bought with a high price that others in the world don't enjoy. I really have no reason to ever complain about anything because I'm better off than like 90% of the world. While all the debating sometimes annoys me, I remember that there are few places in the world that people could openly debate such things and I'm thankful.

Photo A Day: A Favorite Thing
I always prefer to right with Sharpie Pens

Day 5 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 5: Today, I'm thankful that we did the hard work of making Jacob learn to put himself to sleep. Sure, he still wakes up in the night to eat, but putting him down at nap times and bed times are most of the time stress free. We do it about the same time every day, following his cues as well. We went through some hard weeks of letting him cry a while. He still fusses a bit, but puts himself to sleep.

Photo A Day: 5 o clock
I was at my nanny job and this is what it looked like at 5...

Day 4 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

For today's 30 Days of Thankfulness, I'm going to lump my family in together. If I took a day to be thankful for each member of just me immediate family, well, that'd take up the whole month. I'm the oldest of 11 kids. That doesn't count parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, cousins....you get my point. Sometimes, family members are difficult to deal with, but I know I'm difficult to deal with sometimes, too, so it all evens out. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. Marriage is a beautiful thing for a lot of reasons, but one important one is the expansion of family. I have twice the love, friends, encouragement and support! Jacob is well loved by them all, and so are we.

Photo A Day 4 :: TV
Most every Sunday, we watch NFL on TV and watch our Fantasy Teams.

Day 3:: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Something I'm Thankful For:

It probably goes without saying, but I'm crazy thankful for my closet ally in the world, Jim. Sure, it goes without saying for me, but sometimes those things are the most important. I was just reading on Facebook last night about someone going through a difficult divorce and it hurt my heart. 

Jim is my best friend. There's no one I'd rather spend a free day with than him. He speaks truth to my confusing emotions and helps me sort out my thoughts. He is an amazing Dad and loves us both so well. He is the man of the house, the leader that I look to for guidance and I know Jacob will do the same. 

Day 3 :: Breakfast

Today was a picture of breakfast! This is what I eat EVERY MORNING.

Day 2 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 2 of Something I'm Thankful for: So thankful for a healthy, happy little boy! He is the most challenging and yet at the same time the best part of my days! His smile and giggle make me smile, and when he shakes his fists at me because he wants me, even though it means he's probably a little bit spoiled, my heart is full because he loves his momma! I'm so thankful God chose us as stewards of his life; we seek His wisdom daily in doing our part the best that we can.

Day 2 of Photo A Day: Color
The Autumn color palette is by far my favorite of the year!

I realize the link may not be working from yesterday's post, so here's the list from her website (Fat Mum Slim).

Day 1 :: Photo A Day and 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm going to jump on two bandwagons for the month of November.

NOVEMBER

The first is Photo A Day. I've tried this a few times, but it was before I got my new iPhone and so it's much easier to share pictures now. I'll be doing this Photo A Day Challenge!

The other thing is 30 days of Thankfulness!

Being thankful and focusing on the things you have and not the things you don't can do WONDERS to your attitude and perspective on life. It's pretty much a guarantee! Join with me?

This means I'll occasionally be posting twice a day, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want!

Day 1 :: Something That Starts With "C"

Day 1 :: A fitting place to start for being thankful is the beginning. For me, that's my Heavenly Father's love. All the rest of the good gifts (i.e. things I'm thankful for) are from Him through the work of Christ on the cross! Without it, I am dead in my sin, doomed to a life of hopelessness.