Labels

I just went through my old blog posts and added labels to every post-153 of them! That took a really long time, but I'm glad to have it done. I've added the labels on the side if you want to see posts on a particular topic. Hopefully this will make it easier to go back and find old posts I like and want to read again.

Wedding Crushes

So there are a couple weddings I found online that I instantly fell in love with...to the point it became a problem. I  haven't looked at either website in a while, but wanted to share with you all so you could see just the  awesomeness of both these weddings.

The colors are what made me swoon over this first wedding! I'm quite obsessed with yellow and gray these days.

http://rebekahwestover.blogspot.com/2009/08/mallory-josh-mj-wedding.html

I hope my wedding resembles this second one quite a bit. It just looks like it's so laid-back and fun and like everyone is having a great time.


http://ruffledblog.com/missouri-farm-wedding-with-handcrafted-details-and-a-rustic-feel-by-katie-day/
http://ruffledblog.com/missouri-farm-wedding-with-diy-details-by-katie-day/

In less than 6 short weeks, it will be my own wedding we're taking pictures of...hooray!!

Marriage

Obviously I've been thinking about marriage a LOT these days. However, I keep coming back to one frustration with marriage and that is...married couples. Married couples who complain about marriage or joke about the ball and chain or just flat out give the world a negative view on marriage.

For every person who congratulates me and is genuinely excited for me, there is another person who has told me they're sorry or asked if I really want to go through with this or told Kory he's throwing his life away...with me standing right beside him. I get that people are usually joking. The thing is, it's not very funny.

I suppose you never really understand the gravity of a lifetime commitment until you're faced with making that decision. It's big. Like bigger than I ever realized. This is serious business folks. Yes, marriage should be fun and isn't a bore, but when I hear the way married people are talking about marriage, it's no wonder young adults and teens would rather just move in together or avoid marriage at all costs.

Pretty much every comedian talks trash about their marriage. They demean their spouse and make fun of them, while everyone else dies laughing at their expense. This is not just non-Christians we're talking about here. Older married Christian men have warned Kory that he better enjoy this time in his life because he's about to become a modern-day slave to my honey-do list. Is that what we're signing up for?

Now, we have also received many positive comments about marriage and have seen some great couples who still delight in each other. However, I can say that most of those comments come from our friends who have all been married 5 years or less. It would be easy to say, Well of course they're happy, they're still in the honeymoon stage, blah blah blah. I prefer to believe it's because we have a new generation standing up to say my marriage isn't just going to be ok. It's going to be awesome because we're going to work on it and never let it get to a point where we're just married because we're Christians and Christians don't divorce.

Kory and I have set a couple standards for our relationship that we hope will help us and others around us in improving our view of marriage. Number 1, we both committed to always speak positively about marriage. That doesn't mean we won't be realistic and honest that it is hard work and it involves struggles, but we vow to show others that deep commitment brings freedom and love, not burden and obligations. Number 2, we have made a decision that we won't use the D-word in our home. No, not that D-word. We won't say the word "Divorce". I don't just mean we won't ever threaten to divorce each other, but that we won't ever say the word in any context. It's a personal choice that we've made and it's only that. It doesn't mean we think other people shouldn't say it, but we believe for us, it is a topic that is not EVER an option and we don't want to even discuss it in our home. We have noticed that it often becomes commonplace and casual to talk about that subject and we don't want any part of that destruction in our family. I know it might seem extreme to some of you, but we think this is something we are willing to go to extreme lengths to honor and protect our marriage.

I can't end this post without thanking Trey Morgan for his positive example and encouraging words about marriage. I am very grateful for the many ways he promotes healthy marriages and for his example in publicly praising his wife. You don't even have to meet the man for him to be a blessing in your life. Thanks Trey!

Lists Make Me Happy

• I love bullets. I hope other people love them as much as I do.
• I think it's funny how everyone apologizes for not updating their blog often enough. I don't expect anyone else to blog every single day or even every few days, so I assume you don't expect the same of me. I blog when I have something I want to write about. You should do the same. It's very freeing.
• I seem to start every single sentence with I...then again, this is a blog about me, so I guess it makes sense.
• Our first wedding shower is this weekend. Sadly, it's in TX and we're in OR so we can't be there.
• How in the world did people plan weddings before the internet? (You don't need to answer this.)
• Modern Family is seriously the most hilarious show on television right now. I love it!
• We just got a Costco membership and have quickly realized that it is the biggest impulse buy store ever! Of course, impulse buys there can cost you $400!
• I want an iPad 2 so badly. Have you seen that cover? Genius!

Blog Reading

I think my lack of posting lately can be attributed to the sheer amount of time I've spent READING blogs rather than keeping up with my own.

Also, my life consists of mostly wedding planning these days which means I can't post on recent events because then you would know everything about my wedding and the surprise is half the fun!

So, that means, that you will continue to get these random thoughts on my mind instead of meaningful posts with pictures and events happing in my life.

If thinking about eating healthy and exercising would produce the same results as actually doing the work, I would be SO fit. I think about it all day long and then I get home from work and eat junk and spend the entire evening on the couch...go to work...repeat cycle the next day.

Get Rid of 50 Things

I took Trey Morgan's "Get Rid of 50 Things" challenge and I am getting rid of 50 things this week! To be honest, this wasn't really too difficult. I did a quick sweep of my apartment and grabbed things I haven't used in the past year and I had probably 35 items right there. Next, I grabbed clothes that were too small, had holes or I just didn't really like. I found lots of little things that I didn't even remember I had, so there were easy to add to the pile. To be honest, I don't feel like this was really much of a sacrifice. I am not sad to get rid of any of these "things" because I didn't use them anyway. Some of these were gifts and I appreciated them at the time, but I don't want to hold onto "stuff" just because someone else gave it to me.

Here are the piles that quickly added up to 50:

Since this was so easy for me, I am planning to do another purge and get rid of 50 more things before Christmas. I'll be combining households with Kory in a few months and this seems like a perfect time to simplify and get rid of some of the stuff that so easily fills up our homes. I don't see a huge difference in my apt, but it feels good to get rid of this stuff. It's even a little addicting so I want to go ahead and start on my next 50 now!

BEANS

Head on over to Trey Morgan's blog today to worship through giving.


http://treymorgan.net/beans-for-hungry-honduran-kids/

Pictures

When I post a picture on my blog, how can I make it where you can click on the picture and enlarge it? It works when I put a picture from the internet on there, but not the pictures from my camera. Does anyone know how to fix that?

Speaking of pictures, here are a few random old pics just for fun:

This was my first time as a bridesmaid back in 2006. Now she is about to have a baby--crazy! I definitely don't feel like we're old enough for that! 

In honor of Mother's Day, here is a picture of my fantastic mom! I had just finished performing Pirates Who Don't Do Anything at my little brother's graduation party at church. He was SO embarrassed by me and I loved it! A lot of people tell me I look just like my mom but I don't really see it.

This was taken in Romania a few years back. I had gone all summer without DP and one of my fellow interns, KT, found one for me. This picture captures the sheer joy I was feeling at that moment!

This is also from Romania. I absolutely adore this kid! His name is Sam and his parents were the mentors for our missionary internship that summer. He and I are coloring on the train in this picture. He was the coolest little guy ever.

I have been going through lots of old pictures lately so I'll continue to post some of the ones I come across that make me smile when I see them.

You should blog too!!

Since I have started my blog, several people have told me they would love to blog, but can't for various reasons. The main excuses I have heard are that they 1)aren't funny/creative/clever enough, 2)their lives aren't interesting enough, 3)they wouldn't know what to write or 4)they don't have enough time. To all of that I say BOLOGNA! I think anyone who has a computer should be blogging and here are the reasons why:

1. While it is initially a little bit intimidating, it is really liberating to be open and vulnerable. Now, you need to act responsibly in this, of course. BUT, you can share feelings or disappointments or frustrations on here that you might not be able to share in person. The beauty of CMC (computer mediated communication) is that it offers a greater degree of freedom for both the sender and recipient. (Whoa! I did learn something in all those Communication classes! How about that?) However, we all know this can be a negative thing also because people feel bold enough to say thing in e-mail that they would NEVER say in person. So, just be smart about what you post. Personally, it has helped me to care less what other people think about me. I can write about embarrassing moments on here and I'm not worried if people are going to judge me for it. It is MY blog. If you come here to judge me, I will never know unless you post a comment. If you post a negative comment, I can just delete it. SO...it is basically a judgement-free zone. I have found that other people are very receptive to my honesty and vulnerability and it actually encourages them to open up with me also. For the most part, the blogging community is very respectful of honesty and sincerity.

2. I know you all love getting Christmas cards to catch up on what has happened over the past year with friends and family. Well, what if you could keep up with them on a regular basis instead of getting a year-end review? Blogging provides the perfect opportunity for that. You might feel awkward sending out regular e-mail updates on your family, but if you blog about it, it is the other person's choice to come read it. You aren't forcing anything on them.

3. Just like keeping a journal, blogging is a great way to gain new perspective on your life. Reflecting on the events of your day can help you recognize blessings and growth in areas you might not have seen otherwise. It is also really fun to go back and read old entries. Especially when you can see what you were struggling with or worried about and how God provided for you and helped you through that time.

4. Although the details of your life might seem boring or uninteresting, you really never know when something you share will be the encouragement someone else needs to get through the day. It can be a great ministry tool, even if you never meet the other person.

So now that I've convinced you to become a blogger, you're probably saying you don't know where to start or that you're not creative enough. Well, those excuses don't fly with me! :) Here are some easy tips to help you get started:

1. Lists make blogging really easy. List your favorite movies, book, travel destinations, stores, food, etc. You can make a list of anything! As you can tell, I am a big fan of them!

2. Post pictures of anything! The flowers blooming in your backyard, your cute kids, your family vacation 10 years ago, your awful haircut, your 80s wedding, etc.

3. Share a favorite quote or scripture that you read lately. Feel free to elaborate on the quote with your thoughts or just leave it at that. Your posts don't have to be ridiculously long like mine...I just can't stop once I get started.

4. Tell a funny or embarrassing story from any time in your life. Tell a joke. Write interesting trivia facts that you know.

5. Describe your day, how you're feeling, what you're doing, what you are excited for, what God is putting on your heart, just write. It is YOUR blog--put anything you want on it.

Finally, if you are worried no one will read your blog, then I can promise you one thing. If you will tell me you have a blog, I promise to read it and comment from time-to-time to let you know at least one person in this world cares about what you have to say.


Now get to blogging! (I am certainly not a blog expert, by any means. I don't know a ton about how to get the coolest, most creative blog, but if you need help with the basics of getting started, I can definitely help you with that. Just let me know!)

Random Thoughts

I am very aware that my blog title is lame. I had wanted to start blogging for a while but couldn't come up with a creative name, so I kept procrastinating. I finally decided I would just start the blog and hopefully I would be inspired one day and can have an awesome blog name. I'm still waiting for that inspiration to hit. Any of you have an idea for me?

One of the things I am REALLY excited for when I return to America is driving my car! I did drive a little bit when I was home for Christmas, but for the most part I have been without a car since August. I think that has made the cold weather much worse for me. Cold weather is much more bearable when you can get into your car and turn on your heater and be warm! That is not really the case when you are walking or relying on public transportation to get everywhere. I am VERY grateful that I have my own car. Each time I have been out of the country and have to rely on public transport, I am reminded again that I am very blessed to own a vehicle. A few other "comforts" from home that I am excited about: clothes dryers, TV, couches/chairs, dish washer, MY bed (or at least one where the springs don't stick out and poke me) and different clothes! I am really tired of the clothes I brought here and have been wearing for the past few months.

Even though I am really excited to be back in America, I still have many exciting adventures in my last few weeks here in London! Rynn's boyfriend, Jeff, will be here tomorrow morning and will be here for his Spring Break hanging out with us...ok, he is coming to see Rynn...but I'll be there too whether he likes it or not! :) Then, our wonderful friends Evan and Jacinda Simmons will be here the next week and we have trips planned to Oxford and Derbyshire and will be going to see Les Mis with them, in addition to seeing LOTS of sights here in London. Also, Rynn and I are going to see Stonehenge and have a quick trip to Rome right before I fly back to Texas. OH YEAH!! I almost forgot! I am SOO stinking pumped because I am going to a Joshua Radin concert this Thursday! I'm going by myself, but that just means I can sing as loud as I want and really enjoy myself. I love his music--can't wait to hear it live in concert!

We definitely live in a very diverse environment. Our neighborhood and even our house includes many different nationalities. The place this is most often expressed is in the kitchen. We have people from the Phillippines, South Africa, America, Pakistan and Holland all in one house. There is almost always some nasty food being cooked. haha Today, we returned from the grocery store to find a pig heart (still sealed in the package, fortunately) sitting on our counter! Every single time I open the mini fridge (which all 8 of us share!!) there is some nasty smell that makes me want to gag. I am VERY excited at the prospect of 1)not living with strangers, 2) not sharing a mini-fridge (which I have done for 8 months now), 3) not sharing a bathroom with complete strangers. I'm not a clean freak by any means, but I don't really like having a public toilet in my own house!

And so it begins...

I have recently decided to enter the world of blogging. I have been sending out updates on my life for the past 8 months or so that I've been in Europe and I have really enjoyed it! So, I think blogging will be much the same for me. I am still working on this page and have a lot of tweaking left to do. It's definitely a work in progress, but I'll be working on it over the next couple days and hopefully get it looking just like I want.

I am currently living in London and will be here for about 3 1/2 more weeks. My time here has been amazing! I am so excited for our friends to come see us in the next couple weeks. We'll get to show them around London and hopefully do some really fun touring with them as well. We're also planning to hit Rome for a few days right before we head back to America.

My plans for the future are really unknown right now, but that doesn't really scare me anymore. I am excited about the wide-open possibilities! I know God has a big plan for me and it's all working itself out so I am just eagerly awaiting the day when He reveals it to me. This trip has most definitely been a faith-building experience for me. It was a huge leap of faith to come here with no job or place to live or anything, and God has taken care of me in every way possible. I have really learned the value of Trusting in Him completely. It is such a freeing way to live--trusting instead of worrying, believing instead of stressing, praying instead of planning.