The past months seem to have slipped through my fingers. Work and travel for work certainly consumed most of my fall semester. And now, somehow, it is the end of December - with the holidays past and 2013 right around the corner!
Over the past week, we drove to visit family in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Tennessee for the holidays; it was wonderful to spend time with so many family members, but I am also thankful to be back home. As my post-trip to-do list slowly dwindles, I will be back with more updates!
One Year in the Making
7/2/2012
What an adventure the past year has been.
To celebrate, we had dinner at Baccahanalia. I've been wanting to go since I moved to Atlanta - and now I can finally cross it off the bucket list! It was fabulous! We had a great time thinking back over the past year, discussing the present and considering how to move ahead...we talked about everything from our marriage to careers, family, ministry and vacation ideas.
I am so blessed to have a husband who continues to support and challenge me while being committed to guiding our family.
What an adventure the past year has been.
To celebrate, we had dinner at Baccahanalia. I've been wanting to go since I moved to Atlanta - and now I can finally cross it off the bucket list! It was fabulous! We had a great time thinking back over the past year, discussing the present and considering how to move ahead...we talked about everything from our marriage to careers, family, ministry and vacation ideas.
I am so blessed to have a husband who continues to support and challenge me while being committed to guiding our family.
Pura Vida Costa Rica
A week to remember...almost one year after getting married, we went on our honeymoon! Here are some highlights of our trip:
I apologize in advance for this especially long post (or at least it is long for me) but we had so much fun on the trip and learned so much (hence, 'fun facts') that we did not want to leave anything out! (A big thanks to C for the recap of our fun-filled week and the photo collages...as they are the highlight of this post!)
Friday
Arrived in Costa Rica! Really exciting. Flight left Atlanta at 10am so we arrived in Liberia around 12pm Costa Rica time. Fun fact: Costa Rica is only in one time zone, 2 hours behind EST. We met Mark from Mardigi Tours at the airport and he drove us to Condovac la Costa in Playa Hermosa.
The resort was really nice, simple in many ways. It was wonderful to have our own "villa" though! Playa Hermosa is beautiful. In the evening, we explored some and walked along the beach.
It also happens that the beach is a place where a lot of commerce takes place, we were approached by half of Playa Hermosa trying to sell us something… a trinket, a sundress, a volcano tour, a fishing and snorkeling trip, a massage. Well, that last one sounded great - a massage on the beach, yes please! Thankfully, it was very affordable and oh so peaceful!
After a massage, we hung out at the pool for a few hours tanning. Despite being the “rainy season,” the weather was great. The pool area was really nice, I especially liked the the infinity pool that looks out over the bay.
Sunday: Monteverde
This was our first adventure with Mardigi Tours, and it was awesome. Mark picked us up at 6am because we had a looooooong bus ride to Selvatura Park in Monteverde. Monteverde is about 5000’ above sea level, so we stopped along the way to stretch our legs and take some pictures of Guanacaste.
Some 'fun facts' about Guanacaste: most of the province is pasture for cattle grazing; a lot of the country's beef is produced here; closer to Monteverde however, the cattle are used for dairy.
The first half (by time, not distance) of our ride was on paved road, but as we got deeper into the country (past Tilaran), the roads got nasty. Very bumpy, narrow, and very slow-going for the bus.
More 'fun facts': education is required through 11th grade in Costa Rica; students attend 200 days a year, but only 5 hours a day (young kids in the morning, older kids in the afternoon); their breaks are opposite ours… two month break in December/January, and two weeks in late June. The rainy season is June and July which is their winter, while the dry season (from November to April) is the summer.
We finally arrived at Selvatura, a privately owned reserve, around 10:30am. They had lots of animal exhibits: hummingbirds, butterflies, and reptiles. The purple hummingbird is most rare; there is only one at the park, but C was lucky to get a few good pictures of it.
Top left, clockwise: Owl, Yellow Swallowtail, Crimson Patch, Malachite, Blue Morpho
Who knew I was going to get the entire fish?!… it was really good though!
After lunch, it was time for the mud bath. We went and sat in a sauna hut that was situated over a natural hot spring. Then we covered ourselves in mud from the hot spring (obviously not directly from the hot spring, but it was still VERY hot), let it dry for about 20 minutes, and then rinsed it off. Fun and love the clean skin! As you can see in the picture, C was much more excited about covering himself in mud than I was.
All in all, an adventurous day that was probably my favorite of the trip.
Although definitely more “touristy,” there still was almost nothing to do in Coco (which is definatley not a bad thing!). We walked around Coco for an hour, bought some smoothies, and went back to the resort.
It was another lazy afternoon by the pool, which was fine by me, and then an evening out at a restaurant on the beach.
Thursday: Palo Verde
Tour #3 with Mark and Mardigi Tours today… went to Palo Verde National Park for a morning boat ride on the Tempisque River. Mark and Felix (our boat captain) were ridiculous spotters. I’m sure we saw way more than other the other boats!
However, before we made it to the park, we made a stop to see traditional Costa Rican work… sand cultivation from the river bed. They use the sand in concrete and for some other things, and they’re still “old school” about it; just one man and a bucket, shovel, and pair of oxen:
I apologize in advance for this especially long post (or at least it is long for me) but we had so much fun on the trip and learned so much (hence, 'fun facts') that we did not want to leave anything out! (A big thanks to C for the recap of our fun-filled week and the photo collages...as they are the highlight of this post!)
Friday
Arrived in Costa Rica! Really exciting. Flight left Atlanta at 10am so we arrived in Liberia around 12pm Costa Rica time. Fun fact: Costa Rica is only in one time zone, 2 hours behind EST. We met Mark from Mardigi Tours at the airport and he drove us to Condovac la Costa in Playa Hermosa.
The resort was really nice, simple in many ways. It was wonderful to have our own "villa" though! Playa Hermosa is beautiful. In the evening, we explored some and walked along the beach.
There are lots of restaurants on the beach, but we decided just to eat at the hotel restaurant. In Costa Rica the sun sets around 6:15, so while it was light when we sat down for dinner....by the time the food came it was completely dark! After a travel and exploration filled day, we headed to bed.
Saturday
Thank goodness for vacation! I loved being able to sleep in (8am)! Of course, C woke up early....some ridiculous hour that I will not even mention. We decided to start the day with a walk on the beach.It also happens that the beach is a place where a lot of commerce takes place, we were approached by half of Playa Hermosa trying to sell us something… a trinket, a sundress, a volcano tour, a fishing and snorkeling trip, a massage. Well, that last one sounded great - a massage on the beach, yes please! Thankfully, it was very affordable and oh so peaceful!
After a massage, we hung out at the pool for a few hours tanning. Despite being the “rainy season,” the weather was great. The pool area was really nice, I especially liked the the infinity pool that looks out over the bay.
A couple big iguanas even came to hang out with us by the pool!
Our trip happened to coincide with Euro Cup 2012. Thank goodness Condovac had both internet and TV, otherwise I think C might have gone crazy! Curtis spent afternoons watching soccer and I was at the pool!
We ventured down the beach to Aquasport for dinner, it was nice to eat outside and be so close to the water to watch the sunset.
We ventured down the beach to Aquasport for dinner, it was nice to eat outside and be so close to the water to watch the sunset.
We discovered some awesome Costa Rican TV shows when we got back to the hotel. They have one show where the contestants play musical chairs with a couple twists....when the music stops, the players have to run outside the circle, grab a ball, and then make it back to a chair so that two players are left chair-less, so the host takes a random caller who chooses who gets to keep playing. Sounds exciting...who wants to play?!
This was our first adventure with Mardigi Tours, and it was awesome. Mark picked us up at 6am because we had a looooooong bus ride to Selvatura Park in Monteverde. Monteverde is about 5000’ above sea level, so we stopped along the way to stretch our legs and take some pictures of Guanacaste.
Some 'fun facts' about Guanacaste: most of the province is pasture for cattle grazing; a lot of the country's beef is produced here; closer to Monteverde however, the cattle are used for dairy.
The first half (by time, not distance) of our ride was on paved road, but as we got deeper into the country (past Tilaran), the roads got nasty. Very bumpy, narrow, and very slow-going for the bus.
Our third break was to see a coffee farm. The coffee plants are on steep, steep slopes. I can’t really imagine having to pick beans and hold a bag while balancing. Mostly Nicaraguans work the farms and make about $1/day.
More 'fun facts': education is required through 11th grade in Costa Rica; students attend 200 days a year, but only 5 hours a day (young kids in the morning, older kids in the afternoon); their breaks are opposite ours… two month break in December/January, and two weeks in late June. The rainy season is June and July which is their winter, while the dry season (from November to April) is the summer.
We finally arrived at Selvatura, a privately owned reserve, around 10:30am. They had lots of animal exhibits: hummingbirds, butterflies, and reptiles. The purple hummingbird is most rare; there is only one at the park, but C was lucky to get a few good pictures of it.
The highlight of Selvatura was the SkyWalk, a set of 8 suspension bridges through the jungle canopy. We didn’t see many animals; Mark said basically there’s too many plants for the animals (monkeys, birds, etc) to find space in the trees. We saw lots of cool plants though. Overall the beauty of the cloud forest is hard to find adequate words to describe!
It was a long, but great day!
Monday
A slow day (I think slow days are something to be savored...especially on vacation!). I spent most of the day tanning and C reading. We ate pizza (if you know C, you understand that this is a BIG deal!) at the restaurant and had some pina coladas for lunch while watching Italy v Ireland.
After soccer, we walked around the entire town of Playa Hermosa; it was an interesting mix of “poor” houses and “super rich” houses.
I think the best part of the day was dinner at Aquarium. We both ordered whole snapper… but this was not exactly what I was expecting:
After soccer, we walked around the entire town of Playa Hermosa; it was an interesting mix of “poor” houses and “super rich” houses.
I think the best part of the day was dinner at Aquarium. We both ordered whole snapper… but this was not exactly what I was expecting:
Tuesday: Borinquen Resort @ Rincon de la Vieja
Trip #2 with Mark and Mardigi Tours today… horseback riding, ziplining, and mud bath all promised excitement. We left on the bus a little before 8am. The ride was not nearly as long as Monteverde, and we only went up to about 2500'. This was not all the way up Rincon (which is a volcano); the resort with all the activities is located part of the way up on some hot springs. Still, we stopped on the way to stretch and take some pictures.
First up on arrival was horseback riding. It was not an overly exciting horseback ride, just a slow plod further up the side of the volcano to where we were going to hipline. C' horse was named Mapa and Mapa is apparently a follower and not a leader. No matter how many teeth clicks or infrequent heels to the ribs, Mapa did not move very fast at all (much to C' frustration). My horse didn’t seem to be moving much faster but somehow I ended up out in front most of the trip.
Once we reached the start of the zipline course, the fun began! They don’t start you out on a baby one to get the feel of it, that’s for sure. The first one was the highest and one of the longer ones. C was certain that he was going to pee his pants….or at least that is what he said! He almost didn't go! Thankfully, after watching a couple other people go and letting me go as well, he did it! It was awesome! Definitely the best hour of the whole trip (even for C!).
After lunch, it was time for the mud bath. We went and sat in a sauna hut that was situated over a natural hot spring. Then we covered ourselves in mud from the hot spring (obviously not directly from the hot spring, but it was still VERY hot), let it dry for about 20 minutes, and then rinsed it off. Fun and love the clean skin! As you can see in the picture, C was much more excited about covering himself in mud than I was.
We left Borinquen around 3:30pm. On the way home, we saw a King Vulture. This apparently is a big deal; Mark said that in the 7 years he has been giving tours with Mardigi, this is only the 2nd time he has seen one. And there were actually two of them together! Sorry the picture is small… we made friends with the family from Vancouver that went on this trip with us and they had a super lens so we’re hoping they will email us some of the pictures!
All in all, an adventurous day that was probably my favorite of the trip.
Wednesday
We decided early in the morning to take a taxi and visit Playas del Coco, another, more “touristy” beach town about 10 minutes south of Playa Hermosa.
Although definitely more “touristy,” there still was almost nothing to do in Coco (which is definatley not a bad thing!). We walked around Coco for an hour, bought some smoothies, and went back to the resort.
It was another lazy afternoon by the pool, which was fine by me, and then an evening out at a restaurant on the beach.
Thursday: Palo Verde
Tour #3 with Mark and Mardigi Tours today… went to Palo Verde National Park for a morning boat ride on the Tempisque River. Mark and Felix (our boat captain) were ridiculous spotters. I’m sure we saw way more than other the other boats!
However, before we made it to the park, we made a stop to see traditional Costa Rican work… sand cultivation from the river bed. They use the sand in concrete and for some other things, and they’re still “old school” about it; just one man and a bucket, shovel, and pair of oxen:
So we got to Palo Verde, got on the boat, and basically spent the next 3 hours cruising up and down the river spotting animals. The top left corner is a baby crocodile (a very rare sighting, especially this late in the year; you can see how small it is… those are leaves and twigs with it in the picture!). We also got some good close up experiences with monkeys; the white face monkeys are more social than howler monkeys so we got pictures of them and just listened to the howlers. The picture of the tree with roots was meant to show the crazy erosion on the riverside. The Tempisque flows to the ocean so the water level changes multiple times daily with the tide on the part we saw. We also saw some herons. The one in the middle is a boat-bill heron, I don’t remember what the one on the left is called but it had crazy red eyes, and the one in the bottom right is a tiger heron. Mark said those are rare to see, but this one was even more rare because if you look close, you will notice that he had just caught a baby crocodile and had it dangling from his beak. The picture of the tree with bumps… those are actually bats.
Last picture of the tour… nothing special, except you’ll notice the plastic jug that Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters deposited in the tree branches. Got to be at least 25’ above low tide depth and almost 20’ above standard depth. WOW!
Friday
Travel day, back home....sadly.
Overall, the trip was completely incredible. We saw so much and learned even more on the Mardigi Tours. The weather was perfect; despite being the “rainy season,” it only rained at night when we were already in bed. We had fun in the sun and enjoyed the locals’ “Pura Vida” attitude and the fantastic cuisine. We had lots of great talks and made lots of plans (and even decided our next big trip = summer 2016!).
Thanks for reading this super long post...more adventures (and projects around the house) to come!
Overall, the trip was completely incredible. We saw so much and learned even more on the Mardigi Tours. The weather was perfect; despite being the “rainy season,” it only rained at night when we were already in bed. We had fun in the sun and enjoyed the locals’ “Pura Vida” attitude and the fantastic cuisine. We had lots of great talks and made lots of plans (and even decided our next big trip = summer 2016!).
Thanks for reading this super long post...more adventures (and projects around the house) to come!
Weekends....
I LOVE weekends. Especially in the summer, but really any weekend is wonderful! (Can you tell that I miss "summer vacations"?) In honor of weekends, here are some highlights from the summer weekends so far:
- Marking the end of C' fourth year of teaching at Chamblee HS
- Brookhaven Bolt 5K Race and running into friends
- Buying a leaf blower (so exciting - here is to many more hours in the yard, and an end (?) to pine needles everywhere!)
- The first pool trip of the year hosted by good friends (thank you to the Masi's!)
- A lawn mower and an armoir from friends who are (sadly) moving
- Cleaning the house (yes, this makes me happy)
- A date-night at Coast thanks to the amazing Admission Fellows I worked with this past year
- Watching C coach the DeKalb County All-Star Soccer Game....soccer is a big deal in our house
- LOTS of time relaxing, reading books and catching up!
Tag Sale
Oh, what a day! Post spring cleaning, I realized that we had many unused items in the house - a product of combining two lives. In an effort to make the most of the limited space in our house, I decided to have a tag sale (otherwise known as a yard sale in the south!).
Growing up, we had a tag sale almost every few years; I have great memories of donuts and coffee (for my parents) as we to put out clothes, furniture and other items that we no longer used. While my first tag sale did not include any donuts, I made sure to have the coffee covered! The day started with moving and arranging the following in our front yard:
Growing up, we had a tag sale almost every few years; I have great memories of donuts and coffee (for my parents) as we to put out clothes, furniture and other items that we no longer used. While my first tag sale did not include any donuts, I made sure to have the coffee covered! The day started with moving and arranging the following in our front yard:
- Double cast-iron (white) bed frame with mattresses
- Pier-1 bowl chair
- Small butcher block table
- Vacuum cleaner
- Media table
- Coffee table
- CD tower
- 2 sets of dishes
- Wine Rack
- Set of 3 Jars
- AC window unit
- LOTS of other miscellaneous items
Oreo Dessert
Growing up, I was not especially fond of cake. In lieu of having a birthday cake, I usually requested "Oreo Dessert". I am not sure exactly when this treat was introduced to my family, but I cannot remember a time without it!
The other weekend, we were having a get-together with friends so I made one on Friday night to take with us. It was great to share one of my favorites with friends. You see, it is really quite simple (and maybe that is what makes it so great!): Oreos, butter, cool whip, fluff, and Creme de Mint.
Freeze overnight for weekend dinner-party! (Or any party really.) So good. Enjoy!
The other weekend, we were having a get-together with friends so I made one on Friday night to take with us. It was great to share one of my favorites with friends. You see, it is really quite simple (and maybe that is what makes it so great!): Oreos, butter, cool whip, fluff, and Creme de Mint.
- Crush 1 package of Oreos
- Melt 1/4 cup of butter and pour over the Oreos
- Spread the mixture into a 9x13 pan (glass pyrex works best)
- In another bowl, mix the fluff and cool whip together
- Add less than 1/4 cup of Creme de Mint to the fluff and cool whip (or less depending on how minty you would like it)
- Finally, spread the topping (fluff, cool whip and Creme de Mint) over the Oreos in the pan. (I like to save a few extra Oreo pieces to sprinkle on top!)
Freeze overnight for weekend dinner-party! (Or any party really.) So good. Enjoy!
the Chandelier
When I moved into C' house after the wedding, there were many projects I had in mind to transform the house into our home. One example was the light in the dining room; to be perfectly honest, I did not like the fixture very much…it said standard and boring where I would have preferred some kind of statement. So when the light bulb went out, I was not too sad. Thinking ahead, I asked C just to take the light fixture down. It was going to be replaced sooner or later and I thought…why not jump into that process?
That resulted in 7 months of nothing but wires (sadly) looking like this...a blurry mess:
So much for jumping into the project! I will admit, it was not for a lack of trying to move forward. I searched online for hours, and days…trying to find the right fixture. I looked at the big stores including Lowe's and Home Depot, and all of the little stores Google could find, but couldn't find "the one".
Finding the one is a big deal in our house. Before any major purchase (and often minor too), C would ask if it was what I wanted for the next 10 years. There is something about a long term commitment that makes me pause while shopping. The light fixture was certainly in the category of needing to be the one, hence a 7 month search!
One day I was discussing my disappointment with the search to our wonderful small group leader, and she suggested The Big Chandelier. It was exactly what I was looking for….AMAZING!
It wasn't long before I fell in love with....
and knew it was the one for our dining room. I was so excited about the possibility of having dinner at the table with light (beyond candles)!
At the end of January, the chandelier was finished (new color and wiring) and I thought the wait was finally over. With a whole day cleared on our calendars, we set out to hang the chandelier. We quickly realized that we live in a house with not so great electrical wiring. You see, C did a wonderful job of putting it up and it was beautiful....only it didn't turn OFF. Oops!
So after another week, and some tinkering with the assistance of
and help from my father-in-law over the phone, I am happy to announce we (finally) have a working light in the dining room!
Looking forward to having friends over for dinner parties soon! Who wants to come?
That resulted in 7 months of nothing but wires (sadly) looking like this...a blurry mess:
So much for jumping into the project! I will admit, it was not for a lack of trying to move forward. I searched online for hours, and days…trying to find the right fixture. I looked at the big stores including Lowe's and Home Depot, and all of the little stores Google could find, but couldn't find "the one".
Finding the one is a big deal in our house. Before any major purchase (and often minor too), C would ask if it was what I wanted for the next 10 years. There is something about a long term commitment that makes me pause while shopping. The light fixture was certainly in the category of needing to be the one, hence a 7 month search!
One day I was discussing my disappointment with the search to our wonderful small group leader, and she suggested The Big Chandelier. It was exactly what I was looking for….AMAZING!
It wasn't long before I fell in love with....
and knew it was the one for our dining room. I was so excited about the possibility of having dinner at the table with light (beyond candles)!
At the end of January, the chandelier was finished (new color and wiring) and I thought the wait was finally over. With a whole day cleared on our calendars, we set out to hang the chandelier. We quickly realized that we live in a house with not so great electrical wiring. You see, C did a wonderful job of putting it up and it was beautiful....only it didn't turn OFF. Oops!
So after another week, and some tinkering with the assistance of
and help from my father-in-law over the phone, I am happy to announce we (finally) have a working light in the dining room!
Looking forward to having friends over for dinner parties soon! Who wants to come?
In the Beginning
Spring makes me happy - it just may be my favorite season. The past few weeks have gone by so quickly! Not that we have been up to much, but I must admit that I am LOVING LIFE and that is keeping me busy. It seems that the change of weather has brought me a new perspective, or at least a refreshed outlook…which is gladly welcomed after a long "reading season".
I thought this might be a good time to tell a little bit about us. Is actually quite a long story - going back to 2000, or 2003 depending on how you look at it. To tell you all about the past twelve years (give or take) might take a few hundred posts….honestly! I thought the best introduction might be what C wrote for our wedding website:
We met in Ms. Hathaway's 9th grade English class, but never really talked until E asked C to junior prom. After a few dates, the couple hit it off at prom and their relationship continued through high school and into college. Sailing the waters of a long distance relationship (with E at Fairfield University and C at Georgia Tech) was rocky at times, but the couple made it through the college years with many fond memories of places like Charleston and Gatlinburg. Following graduation, E took the plunge, packing her life into her little 2-door Civic and moving down to Atlanta. Three long years later, C finally came to his senses and both were ready to take their relationship to the next level.
I thought this might be a good time to tell a little bit about us. Is actually quite a long story - going back to 2000, or 2003 depending on how you look at it. To tell you all about the past twelve years (give or take) might take a few hundred posts….honestly! I thought the best introduction might be what C wrote for our wedding website:
We met in Ms. Hathaway's 9th grade English class, but never really talked until E asked C to junior prom. After a few dates, the couple hit it off at prom and their relationship continued through high school and into college. Sailing the waters of a long distance relationship (with E at Fairfield University and C at Georgia Tech) was rocky at times, but the couple made it through the college years with many fond memories of places like Charleston and Gatlinburg. Following graduation, E took the plunge, packing her life into her little 2-door Civic and moving down to Atlanta. Three long years later, C finally came to his senses and both were ready to take their relationship to the next level.
Well, that is it...or at least the basics anyway. Yes, yes - there is so much that has been left out of those sentences…from "Monday night dinners" to date-night adventures, trips and time spent with friends, there are some wonderful memories that I am sure will be remembered through this blog at some point (so stay tuned!).
This spring season will surely bring new chapter(s) to share and we are excited for what is to come as we seek to grow in our relationship with the Lord and each other.
This spring season will surely bring new chapter(s) to share and we are excited for what is to come as we seek to grow in our relationship with the Lord and each other.
A Bucket List of Sorts
It took 2 full years of working full-time and going to school part-time, but this past December I completed my masters degree. So exciting! I have dedicated the "spring semester" to.... NOTHING. I did not add any more meetings or events, no additional commitments were made (not even one that is only monthly) - you can even ask my husband, as this is sort of a big deal. While I have given much of what would have been my free time to work over the past couple of months (reading applications), I also have been crafting a list of considerations. Let me share some ideas on what could/should be next:
Well, that is all I have for now. Anything sound especially fun?
- Train for a marathon (side note: it is my goal to run one before I am 30)
- Read a book, or two....or maybe an entire 'best seller list'?
- Start some projects around the house
- Landscaping, demolition / reinstallation, painting, decorating, etc.
- Take a photography class to be able to use the camera I bought after graduating from Fairfield University (almost 5 years ago!)
- More school?! (certificate in college counseling or perhaps an EdD?)
- Travel - there are friends I haven't seen in what feels like forever, and I would love to catch up! (Virginia, Colorado...and maybe even somewhere abroad)
- Learn Spanish
Well, that is all I have for now. Anything sound especially fun?
Prayer
Today begins the season of Lent, and while I grew up in the tradition of "giving something up" and not eating meat on Fridays, it has come to mean something entirely different as I have developed a relationship with the Lord.
(My story is far too long to a post tonight but I will give you a short summary...I grew up in the Catholic faith but did not really come to understand faith and grace until High School through my involvement in YoungLife).
I have come to see Lent as a period of time dedicated to growing in my relationship with the Lord - really a time of FOCUS. This year being married added a whole new element: namely if or how to incorporate my practices in Lent into our practices. After sharing my thoughts and proposing a few ideas, C decided we should spend time every day in prayer together.
You see, this together piece is an important note. Since completing my master's degree in December, I have been (attempting to) spend more time at home and with C. While I will argue that I am not doing "too much", and really only have a couple of things going on - I will also be honest and admit that I generally love to be busy and involved. The past two months have been a wonderful struggle of patience, and a time of reflection while considering and how I should be using time. In this first year of marriage, I feel blessed to have this opportunity (and a husband who continually reminds me that I am in a season/semester of quiet time)! (Only two more months to go....but then again, we will just have to see what that may, or may not, bring).
In praying together, we will not only be spending time together but also sharing our prayers with God and each other. Just this week, I have been struck by friends' comments on the importance of praying out loud. While I believe that God does hear our thoughts and prayers, even if not spoken - there may be something about voicing our acknowledgements of thanksgiving and petitions that is almost on a different level when said out loud.
So in this 2012 season of Lent, we are committed to a journey of communication with each other and with God as we pray together.
(My story is far too long to a post tonight but I will give you a short summary...I grew up in the Catholic faith but did not really come to understand faith and grace until High School through my involvement in YoungLife).
I have come to see Lent as a period of time dedicated to growing in my relationship with the Lord - really a time of FOCUS. This year being married added a whole new element: namely if or how to incorporate my practices in Lent into our practices. After sharing my thoughts and proposing a few ideas, C decided we should spend time every day in prayer together.
You see, this together piece is an important note. Since completing my master's degree in December, I have been (attempting to) spend more time at home and with C. While I will argue that I am not doing "too much", and really only have a couple of things going on - I will also be honest and admit that I generally love to be busy and involved. The past two months have been a wonderful struggle of patience, and a time of reflection while considering and how I should be using time. In this first year of marriage, I feel blessed to have this opportunity (and a husband who continually reminds me that I am in a season/semester of quiet time)! (Only two more months to go....but then again, we will just have to see what that may, or may not, bring).
In praying together, we will not only be spending time together but also sharing our prayers with God and each other. Just this week, I have been struck by friends' comments on the importance of praying out loud. While I believe that God does hear our thoughts and prayers, even if not spoken - there may be something about voicing our acknowledgements of thanksgiving and petitions that is almost on a different level when said out loud.
So in this 2012 season of Lent, we are committed to a journey of communication with each other and with God as we pray together.
A LOVE kind of week
Valentines Day always makes me think of elementary school and sharing candy cards with classmates and friends....they truly are rather fond memories.
I wanted to share a few special moments from this past week...
And of course, all of the laughter and fun that comes along with these moments.
I wanted to share a few special moments from this past week...
Dinner with friends on Tuesday night
Sharing in the excitement of a kick-off soccer dinner for Curtis' team
Watching Biggest Looser together and taking a moment to relax
Raking leaves - so simple and yet so fun!
New adventures in the rain (I can only stay inside for so long!)
Eating my first ever smores cupcake (yum!)
(PS. smores and cupcakes are probably two of my favorite things, so together they are amazing)
And of course, all of the laughter and fun that comes along with these moments.
the TV
More often than not in the past 7 months, the TV in our house is on. The majority of the time it is sports- watching Arsenal play is a must, but really any soccer, football, basketball or baseball game will do! On Tuesday nights you can often find us watching Biggest Looser (a fun tradition of ours). Any other time, it could be anything from ESPN (to learn more about sports) to A&E, the History Channel, or maybe even HGTV. While sports are obviously a love of ours - there are really so many channels to choose from! I honestly do not even know how many we have...or should I say HAD.
This week we made the decision - no more cable TV. It is a bit scary, but definitely exciting! I am looking forward to focusing on our relationship and making memories through new adventures (no more sitting on the couch). I absolutely love adventures and for me, the weight of lost opportunities was taking a toll. So good-bye cable, you may be missed....
but I am looking forward to what is to come!
PS. I think (read am hoping) this will mean more house projects, dinner parties with friends, hiking with the dogs and experiencing events in the city!
This week we made the decision - no more cable TV. It is a bit scary, but definitely exciting! I am looking forward to focusing on our relationship and making memories through new adventures (no more sitting on the couch). I absolutely love adventures and for me, the weight of lost opportunities was taking a toll. So good-bye cable, you may be missed....
but I am looking forward to what is to come!
PS. I think (read am hoping) this will mean more house projects, dinner parties with friends, hiking with the dogs and experiencing events in the city!
2012
The lack of posts over the past month clearly indicates I am new at this whole writing/blogging adventure. Between working full time and being a newlywed, our story is clearly still evolving and that is the joy of life.
While there may have been a lack of blogging, that does not mean there are no stories to share....including the TV, a chandelier, and an 'Oreo dessert'....so stay tuned!
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