5 things I'm learning in marriage...

Blessed beyond measure. These are the words that come to mind when I think of my husband and our relationship. Getting to wake up with my best friend, going through our days together, laughing, questioning, struggling and learning. 

I know so many people who have had rough first years of marriage and it makes me wonder why God has blessed us so. And just so you don't think we think life is perfect, there have been other very hard struggles and lessons, both personally and externally.

These are a few of the things I'm learning along the way.

1 // It's okay to be amateur.
Neither of us were ever married before. So that makes two of us on a new adventure. We both have a lot to learn, grow and be redeemed in. But the cool thing is that's okay. We are in this together. We don't have to be perfect (well, I'm learning that too...). We don't even have to know how to do it all right.


2 // Marriage is so much better than you think it will be.
"Be ready for the honeymoon to end" or "make sure you don't have expectations for they will for sure crash" and "it's going to be rough" were the many responses I received over and over when we announced our engagement. That stinks. Why do we have to make marriage sound so depressing? I wanted to ask, "why did you ever get married in the first place?" Sharing dreams, lessons, friendships, food, laughter, adventure and every day life is just good.

 

3  // Marriage is harder than you think it's going to be.
For me the rough thing hasn't been living so much with another person but rather having the reality of who I am be seen! There are times when you realize just how much you and your husband stink at life, love and grace.

4 // Cooking failures are not the greatest disaster.
I don't have many of these but when I do it is about the worse thing in the world! There are still tears when the occasional mistake happens (thankfully most things are edible :) ) but slowly I'm realizing that my husband's approach to seeing reason for  laughter in the disaster is good.

5 // Dating is even more fun when married.
Seriously. Mostly because there's no goodbye at the end. Though it does take more intentional time now in married life, but that's good. In the business of life it can be easy to forget to take the time to just listen and enjoy each other.


all photos credited to the fabulous Amelia Protiva! 

and this week I'm linking up with several great places:
Intentional Tuesdays, #TellHisStory,

an unexpected event

 

Endless to-do lists. Homework assignments. Classes. 

House projects. Unpacking. A new area.

These are the things filling our lives these days. Busyness all around.

Then the unexpected. 

A stomach ache. My husband thought it was the result of low sleep (due to canoe trip with took with fellow students last weekend and other guests we had for a night) and figured it'd soon pass. But as Tuesday went on it continued to get worse with the addition of fever. Shortly after lunch, he about passed out when standing up. Not good. And then we began to think of appendicitis. Was this it? 

A few hours later we decided it would be best to at least check it out. It was getting very severe and seemed to have passed beyond a normal virus. 

The to-dos were forgotten. I was suddenly in the ER with a very sick and hurting man. Oh how hard it was to see my dear husband so worn, so hurting. Now I had to make decisions and choose what was best. Finally after a few hours we got the verdict: acute appendicitis. 

After a heart wrenching, long, night by my husband's side watching him suffer, he went safely through surgery. So many emotions raced through my mind. It was relief when he was finally able to go in, knowing that the chances of it bursting were high.

God's grace has been so good through this time. Grace sustaining us through the fear, the questions, the decisions. The grace to go ahead and go in. And now the grace for us to trust for the twists this has made in the school semester.

{the next day at home}

With a much more grateful heart, I made coffee at home. Savoring being with my husband. Even though he was groggy and in pain, he was with me. He is okay. I can kiss him. I can be with him. And today I can hug him. I know in reality it was minor compared to what so many go through but it still causes you to stop and take a breath.

Then this month we've seen new friends have to walk through the death of two loved ones. It's painful. Don't take life for granted. Kiss the one you love. Give those hugs, that time and love. 

glimspes of grace: {un}intentional blogging break

No internet. A computer that will not cooperate. A move. Travels. Packing up all of one's belongings for a long ride across the country. Starting a new life. No internet. No phone service. More travels. School. A computer crash. Still no internet. Or in a rare chance of it's appearance, a billion things that new to get done, one computer between the two of us and hence no blogging.

Meet the unintentional blogging break. I hope it will be over soon but no guarantees.

Yes, folks that is my life the last few months.

First move in June. No internet and preparing for a cross country life change made blogging start taking a back burner.

Moved to NW PA and since then getting internet has been a rare occurrence. No phone service and no internet has made for feeling rather left in the boonies. It has been a bear trying to get our internet service set up (due to the former renter trying to port their number.)

Then there has been a new home. A new life. New friends. New schedule. New everything.

Can't wait to share more of the God-size dreams He is allowing us to pursue. Some of it is really scary and shaking but at the same time it's good.

Life in the eastern part of the US is sure a change for this Midwestern girl! :) But it's good and full of adventures. 

anniversary getaway: Branson

Living not far from Branson, MO, it was an easy choice for our first anniversary. Branson boasts a large amount of attractions - from Sight & Sound (a theatrical presentation of the Gospel), to singing groups, comedy shows and amusement parks. We had a great weekend - of course since we love being together that wasn't too hard. :)

I'd highly recommend the city for great fun and lots of adventures. Please excuse all the low quality ipod pictures but hopefully you can get a small glimpse into our delightful weekend. 

One way we made the weekend less inespensive was using AirBnB for lodging. This little place was perfect. Clean and close to where we wanted to be. 

Mini golf is a favorite activity of ours and we made good use of the courses there. (and yes, we won 3 free games. We rock! :) ) 

Sight & Sound - Jonah! Having heard great things about this place from my husband and others, I knew I was in for a treat. If you head to Branson be sure to take in a Sight & Sound show. The acting, music, coragraphy, LIVE animals all combine for a excellent experience. 

I love the mission of Sight & Sound to produce quality shows that share the Gospel of Jesus. 

The next evening we went to Shepherd of Hills. A historical story set in the Ozarks that comes to life before your eyes. I'm glad I read the book a few years back as it helped to keep up with the story a little better. This show has been going for 50+ years and should be on your list of must sees.

Adventure, celebration and daily routine all make life with this man a gift!

weekend snapshot {3.30}

We've been having spring weather this week and it is simply gorgeous. Thunderstorms rolling through and refreshing rains. Some days I just want to dance with feeling alive! Spring is such a beautiful reminder of God's living grace and redemption. He makes us alive!

A few snapshots from our weekend....

Icy weather cancelled our Valentine outing weeks ago so we got to celebrate twice! I am blessed to have a man who goes shopping with me (celebrates good deals), takes me to new coffee shops and gets me fro-yo. Yep, it was a good weekend.

taking selfies - or is it twofies? Even if it isn't great lighting and we laugh so hard they're blurry. 

this man lights up my world - his love, his care, his passion for me, life and Jesus - I am so rich!

this handsome guy is the best! 

Together with my favorite man + gorgeous weather + my some of my favorite stores (hello Ross!) + good deals (hello $1.80 shirt from Khols and half price bargains from Goodwill) + new stores + a picnic + coffee = a lovely Saturday.

We found a Home Good while we were out and about and now I have too many things I want for my house. Oh and Pottery Barn too. Seriously why do they have such cool stuff? Feeds my ideas for hunting at thrift stores this summer. 

How was your Saturday? 

a snowy day

perfect for making blueberry muffins...(gluten and sugar free for the win!)

 capturing pictures of the snow draped back yard

journal time, coffee, reading, lots of discussion 

and a hike in the woods with my man

sigh...I love these unexpected days home with my man and I love slowly learning how to use my ipod better for pictures! :)

currently - 2.2015

I've seen these posts on other blogs and while I'm really not trying to copycat, I do love the springboard these ideas give me and the small glimpses of life they let you see of others.

Where did January go? For a month that started out looking calm it turned crazy and full! But it was filled with fun times with friends, planning, work and memories. 

hearting - these gorgeous flowers from my man (to celebrate one year since we got engaged!) #marriedliferocks

pinning - filling it up with all sorts of recipes I want to try. Tried 4 in January and we loved them all. Finding healthy yummy recipes just makes me happy. I'm always looking for crock pot ideas for the days I work. This month I so want to try this.

eating - these cookies. Healthy, full of good fats and oh my!

anticipating - a dear friend coming to visit this weekend. I am so happy! hello coffee, long talks and seeing this beautiful woman! and February travels. There is some fun ahead!

reading - Favorites of Jan were Mended (Angie Smith) and Life is Mostly Edges (Calvin Miller - this guy can write!) Already diving into ones for this month. I have lots of deep books and autobiographies but I'm looking for a few good new novels. Any suggestions?

and an extra - 

planning - my blog redo. So many thoughts and ideas running around and lots of studying to figure out how to do it. It will be a work in progress for sure but I love what I'm learning.

Happy Thursday!

linking up with Jenna and Anne 

4 months ago...

...it's been 4 months since I became a Mrs.

...4 months ago I became His.

And a gift these last 4 months have been! Laughter, adventure, challenges, tears, joy and lots of love and grace have filled the days. I am grateful for this delightful and growing journey so far and can't wait for more days ahead with this man I love. God is good.

As I told my man the other day, "I love being your wife!"

yep, I like this life. :)

snippets of fall

snippets from fall through my ipod camera :)

it's been a beautiful fall...leaves and cool weather...

...pumpkins and adorable candles...

...the coolest coffee shops on rainy afternoons 

...wind blown faces while enjoying the weather - I love this man!