What I am loving right now

In the midst of all the stress surrounding TAKs testing and teacher cuts, let me share with you ten things that I am loving right now:

1. Tapioca pudding--my grandpa used to call it "fish eyes." I try to smash those little things with my tongue while I eat it. What are those things anyway??? For that matter, what flavor is tapioca??

2. Spring air as written by L.M Montgomery, " chatting together near the open door that led to the veranda, through which a cool, delicious breeze was blowing, bringing whiffs of phantom perfume from the garden, and charming gay echoes from the vine hung corner"

3. Reading the Anne of Green Gables series as mentioned above. I am already on book 8! I need good recommendations for reading material after I am finished.

4. Being at financial peace and on the same page as my husband in regard to OUR money. We were both raised to handle money very, very, very differently. Let me clarify, that neither one of us think that either one of our parents did it the "right" or "wrong" way. Blending two different ideas about any subject is going to take work. We have always known that finances would be our testing point. Thankfully, our financial advisor is a wonderful man of God and understands the importance of being at peace with our financial decisions. Peace, for us, meant that we paid off our debt. He helped us set up a payment plan to be out of debt (from college loans) in April 2012. We are so excited about working toward this goal!!

5. My best friend is going to have a baby!!! She will be a great mom because she has always been a loving, caring, sacrificial friend. I love you, Brittany!

6. My brother and sister-in-law are expecting another bundle of joy, too! I love being an aunt so so so much!

7. Playing volleyball at school.

8. Getting Anthony's car fixed completely for no more than our tax return! Thank you, Lord!

9. Playing practical jokes on Anthony. Last week when he was in the shower, I poured a glass of ice cold water on him. I thought it was really funny, but he initially got so mad that I will for sure think twice before I do that again.

10. The pictures on the right: McDonald's egg bacon cheese biscuits, magazines, and snorkeling. Currently I am not doing any of those, but I love them!

Valentine's Day

As Valentine's Day rolls around, it is fun to remember all the Valentine's dates that Anthony and I have gone in the past. We tend to do this with any holiday, but I also find myself doing it with my good and longtime friends. Even though we do this every year, it seems we have the most difficult time remembering what we did. Imagine how hard it is going to be when we have to remember more than 5 years!

This last week my family and I spent a lot of time "remembering when." Last Sunday my grandmother on my dad's side passed away. We knew her time was coming to an end. I saw her in October at my bridal shower in Michigan, and I knew it would be the last time I saw her. She was 91, and she was ready to go home.

I was really dreading going to Michigan for the visitation and funeral. The last funeral I went to was my great grandfather's, about 12 years ago. I think this one hit me harder because it affects me more because it affects me dad. And I am my daddy's little girl.

It wasn't as difficult as I anticipated; it was actually a good time to hang out with cousins and relatives I don't get to see very often. Thank God for my grandmother's life and the sweet memories she made with us. Thank God also for reassuring me that He is enough to sustain me in this rough time.

10 things Part 2

6. Like a week or so after we got back from our honeymoon, Anthony's car starts having trouble--like major, $2500 transmission overhaul, trouble. Turns out that wasn't what it was and fortunately, the car is still drivable. However, it was kinda like God asking us if we thought He was big enough to take care of and provide for us. I have been slowly (slllllllllllowwwly) making my way through The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. In the section of what wives need to know about God she says, "He considers all the possible ramifications. There is no limit to his understanding. This enables Him to determine what is best for you and how you can glorify Him the most." Anthony's car needing repairs was NOT in our financial plans. I mean, we knew we were going to need one eventually, but we didn't want to fork over the money now. We were faced with an adversity. Martha Peace continues by saying, "One example of good that comes from adversity is changes in your character as you become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Another example of good that comes from adversity is that God is tremendously honored if you respond biblically." What an awesome thought that God could use a lowly sinner like me to bring Him glory?!?!


7. Hello DVR!!! I had been living without a TV for the last year and a half. Now, I am being spoiled rotten. Cable...a gazzillion channels...DVR...Could I ask for more? I have made sure to keep Anthony up to date on The Real Housewives of Alanta and Beverly Hills, Millionaire Matchmaker, and Keeping up with the Kardashians. He gets so agitated with each show--it is amusing to watch (both him and the shows!).


8. We finish our first couple's project (snaps and claps for us!!). We had purchase some vinyl wall art last weekend. The kind that you press on to the wall and then when you move it (hopefully) comes off. We got the phrase "The fondest memories are made when gathered round the table." I love this phrase! and I hope that it is true for my family as it was true for me growing up. Getting that phrase straight was a big huge ordeal. Getting it to unstick from the paper was another ordeal. I was worried that certain letters would be stuck to the wall and others to the paper. Long story short: we got it up, we didn't kill each other...SUCCESS!!


9. Before we got married, Anthony said that he would help write half of the thank you notes for the wedding gifts. I finally nagged him enough to finish his thank you notes for his shower gifts. His shower was like 3 months ago. SO, if you are waiting on your thank you note, it is taken long than intended because I am having to write them all. Lesson learned: nagging works occasionally and it was dumb of me to believe that Anthony would write thank you notes. Here is an example of his thank you note: Dear_____________, Thank you for the ___________. I like it. Thank you, Anthony. hahaha I love you, dear!



10. Oh apartment living:) I naively assumed that once I moved away from my drunken neighbors on fry street that I would no longer need to hear my neighbors. But apartments are way worse\better. Worse in that you hear people from all sides. Better that it is like eavesdropping without all the effort or guilt. I mean, I am the one sitting in my home. They are the ones being loud. Unfortunately, nothing of interest has developed on either side of my apartment. Updates to follow....

10 Things I have learned in the 1st month Part 1

1. Married life is not as different as I expected it to be. I often times look at Anthony and am like, "We are married!" (He then looks at me like I am crazy!) I spent enough time getting to know Anthony before we got married, that nothing really major has surprised me...yet.

2. I really enjoy cooking. My mom was a great meal planner, and I have incorporated a lot of her techniques. I use a calendar and plan my meals by week, then once a week we go shopping once a week. I have never been a big fan of going to the grocery store more than once a week. Plus, all grocery stores in Denton want me to poke my eyes out. They are so busy and never ever have enough check out lines open!

3. It is really great to be married to an Office Depot kinda guy.

4. It is always cold in the apartment because he is always hot. I would say that this is the area where I have compromised. I do have an electric blanket on my half of the bed. Check out #5 for an area where Anthony compromised.

5. I knew that Anthony was a snoozer--meaning he hits the snooze like 3 times before he gets up. I know this because while we were dating he often slept through his alarm and then was super upset when he missed going to the gym or was late to work. He often blamed it on the alarm not going off. This morning procedure is clearly inferior and ineffective. I, on the other hand, set my alarm for the time I want to get up, and then...look out...I GET UP. Novel thought, I know. I had been warning Anthony that this behavior would not be tolerated. True to my word, he has now learned how to get up right after the alarm goes off. So nice! The only thing that would be better would be if I didn't have to wake up when his alarm goes off.

December Duzzy

So, I didn't get a chance to blog in December at all. My wedding planning and job were kinda all consuming. I will blog more about that latter. Today, I wanted to blog about going to the Denton Tree Lighting Festival in the square.

It seems like every time Denton is hosting something in the square I find out about it as Anthony and I drive by on our way to an already scheduled event. And every time I get so super frustrated because I think I would really love to go do those things. They are free events and fun entertainment. What could be better? Every time we drive by, I think nothing could be greater and I vow that next time the square hosts an event, "We will be there!" Well, this conversation has gone on for several years, but in December 2010 I actually made it to the Tree Lighting Festival. Here is what happened:

Originally, I was planning on going with my then fiance, but he had to work late. His disappointment in missing these events is similar to the disappointment he feels when we forget to DVR the Bachelor--which really isn't disappointment at all. But I was not to be deterred! I invited Carrie, a sweet girl from my high school group at Church. She had no idea what I was dragging her into.

We met up at a coffee shop near the square. The only notable thing that happened there was that when we were leaving, she saw this guy from student ministries and starting waving at him. This guy hasn't the slightest idea who I am (I know, super disheartening that all the high school boys don't know me by name). It was like a good full minute of Carrie waving and this guy awkwardly starring at us trying to figure out who we were. He never did figure it out, but thankfully the parking lot was short, and we were able to pull away.

In my head, I knew exactly where we were going to park. This always happens. For example, the first day of college. I knew of exactly one parking lot at TWU where commuters where allowed to park. And in my head, that was where I was going to park. The lot had plenty of room; no big deal. Wrong! Not only was that lot full, but every lot I passed by as well. I ended up parking at the Denton Public Library and walking what felt like a mile to class. You would think I would learn my lesson about parking lots, but no. Same thing happened that night. We ended up parking in this grass lot forever away from the square. I wanted to be sure that I could find the car when we left, so I made sure I read the street name where we were at. "Elm, I told Carrie, "remember Elm."

We made it to the square just in time to watching Natalie, another sweet, talented girl in my small group, dance. Then we went Wassailing. Wassail is like hot cider. A few days earlier, I found out that most of the stores participate in a wassail contest. You get free wassail and then get to vote on your fav. It was a good thing that I did not know about this part of the Festival in years past because my disappointment in missing it would be tenfold.

So Carrie and I traveled around tasting wassail. I definitely burned my tongue quite severely on the first cup. We only sampled about four glasses. One can only have so many cups of wassail.

Fortunately we had ended back up on Elm, so I decided that we should just head back to the car. Well, we walked a really long ways in the cold and dark. Nothing looked really familiar, but I was positive that we had parked somewhere on Elm. To make a long story short, I apparently can't read. We had parked on Bell. I guess on got confused because both words were short and had the letters E and L. Whatever, I guess next time I will have to take a picture of the street sign.

Transitions

Transitions are difficult. I think, for me, it is the fear of the unknown. Why change when right now is so wonderful? I think that is why I approach my wedding day different than most giddy, over-the-top excited girls. I have been dating Anthony for almost four years, and it has been wonderful! He loves taking care of me and showing me how much he loves me. And I LOVE being the recipient of his affection. He knows when I need space and is very supportive of my time that I spend with my girlfriends because he knows I need it desperately! He has spoiled me rotten. For years he has been telling me that he does this because he likes to see me happy. I think, finally, I am starting to believe him.

My old youth pastor once said that the only reason the first year of marriage is hard is if one or both of the people are being selfish. As I think about our wedding day, it really is just the start of a commitment that is to be lived out daily. And that is where I am going to have to start working on myself. It is never fun to really delve deep inside yourself and really figure out what your true motivations are. It's not fun because usually our motivations are selfish. In order for Anthony to fulfill his God-given role in marriage as the leader, I need to be pursuing my role as a submissive, respectful wife. Men crave respect. Women need love. That's why God commanded men to love their wives. He didn't command women to love their husbands because He knew it would come naturally to the woman if the man was loving her. However, God did command wives to submit to their husbands. Because if the husband is feeling respected, he will in turn love his wife. It is an endless cycle for good or for bad depending on how the "players" choose to "play." If the wife does not respect the husband, he will not show her love, if the wife is not loved, she will not show her husband respect. MMMMMM.....Isn't it great that God created us each with specific desires and roles, and that they fit so perfectly together if we just obey??

Anyway, back to transitions, me and Anthony's relationship will be changing greatly. And a lot of the change needs to happen internally before it can happen externally. So, as I approach marriage, I am humbled by the great responsibility I will soon have as a wife. Selfishly, it would be easier to stay dating because than I wouldn't have to do a self-analysis. However, I love Anthony very much, and he deserves all the respect I can show and give him. But more importantly, I love God. More than anything I would love for our marriage to be a picture of Christ redeeming His church, the bride. A picture that points others to Christ. I just want to be a tool that brings shows others the love of Christ.

PS We are starting a new book called Love and Respect. That is where I stole the love and respect stuff, but good stuff, right? More to come with that latter...

Pitch the Tent

Every summer when I was younger my family and I used to go camping. Sometimes we would go more than once, but we always made sure we made it to Lake Murray, Oklahoma, every year. The day before we went camping, my dad and brothers would load the station wagon and the trailer. We didn't always have the trailer. Before that, we would have to stuff everything into the back of the station wagon and stuff the six of us in the front half of the station wagon. Getting the trailer was definitely a good thing. It gave us a lot more space and saved my poor mother from hearing, "Mom, he's touching me!" My mom was very organized in the packing. She had a very long list of camping must haves that she saved from year to year. I think that one year we forgot something critical like tent stakes or something, hence the list. We were authentic campers, so we brought all of our food. I think I helped my mom get all of this stuff ready.

On the way to Lake Murray, we would play car bingo. You know, the little board with pictures of a tractor or a railroad crossing sign and once you found it you got to cover it up. Sometimes my mom would have taped books for us to listen to, like Hank the Cow dog. It was only a two and half hour drive, but that was like an eternity for us because we were used to flying everywhere.

We usually went to the same campsite every year. It was on a little peninsula, jetting out into the lake. It was right across from a large dock where we went fishing occasionally. Most importantly, however, it was a good distance from the bathrooms.

We would spend our days swimming in front of our campsite or making clay figurines that we always would want to take back home with us, but my mom wisely refused because they just turned back into dirt. Sometimes it would be just so hot that we would just lay in the water all day.

One of my favorite memories of camping was the meals. We had the best dinners around the campfire. We made pizzas and fruit pies in cast iron skillets. We made hobo dinners--take meatballs, potatoes, and corn, put in tin foil, set on the coals. My dad would popcorn. We would make s'mores. O, breakfast was always really good, too. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, mmmm boy!

I hope that when I have a family we will take fun camping trips like this. Even though it was super hot most of the time, the parts I remember the most was spending time with my siblings, playing games, and being together. Toward the end of high school it became a lot harder for us to schedule trips because everyone had a job, but more recently we have been able to go camping in Tyler with Eric, Sheryl, and Emily. We usually spend a lot of time reminiscing about old camp trips or poking fun of my dad and his very specific ways. I hope I never forget the fun times we have had camping:)