You & Me Forever

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I started this book on Monday after my sweet Mother In Love gave it to us Sunday.  It is doing some major work on my "need to be the perfect wife" heart. 

The first chapter deals with our own personal relationships and fear of God.  Marriage cannot flourish if our own, personal relationships are floundering.   Fear... Now that's something I don't spend a lot of time thinking about. Francis Chan talks about and references scripture as a reminder of that moment when we will see God's face. Revelation 4 and 5 talk about what the throne will be like, and I don't know that I've ever spent a whole lot of time pondering what that will actually look like. Read it one verse, one image at a time, and picture it. It gave me chills and this overwhelming feeling of awe. Who can imagine what he or she will experience when seeing the face of God? I surely don't even know where to begin. Chan prompted his readers to spend some time staring at God and just being with Him. In the business of everyday life, I don't take time to sit and be and stare at the glory that is my Father. I say my prayers where I ask God for a lot of things, thank Him for a lot of things, but rarely get to the point where I am just sitting and gleaning from the beauty of the Lord.  It also touched on something that, since getting married, I struggle with thinking about.  My marriage to Jackson will not exist in Heaven. I spent so much of my life (almost half, to be exact) looking forward to marrying him, I can't wait to spend my earthly life with him, and I just can't imagine not having that in Heaven. Now. Does that mean that I would trade being the bride of Christ for eternity? Not one bit. But it is a bit heartbreaking.  It's a lot heartbreaking, if I'm honest.   Have you read this book? How did it work in your heart and in your marriage? I am loving it so far and can't wait to let God work! 

Weekending!

Our weekend was one for the books for sure, mostly thanks to the weather I hated so much last week!  I got off work early on Friday because of the incoming snow. It didn't look bad, so I decided to go to Dad's.  Bad call. I got most of the way there before I started sliding on the ice that hadn't melted.  The traction control in my new car (and this being the first winter I've had it) scared me to death.  It starting beeping and flashing and my car came to a complete stop. I finally found the clear road again and got all the way to Dad's before getting stuck in the ice on their street. My car wouldn't drive, it wouldn't reverse, and it was awful. I finally found the yard and was able to park there. I was there for an hour or so and for some reason I decided to look out the window. I couldn't tell where there was street and where the ice was, so I went ahead and came home before it got worse. Jackson's best man came over and we decided to sled down our awesome hills in our apartment complex. 

You can see our tracks from our sledding.
Look how small the jungle gym is for reference on how high up we were.

 Aside from the awesome bruise on my hip and hitting a bump that made me flip and fall on my head (and Jackson's awful back pain), it was the coolest thing I've ever done! Jackson and Byron got some pretty awesome air, too.  Byron got stuck here because of the ice and snow, so he stayed over! Can we just talk about how much more fun sleepovers are when you're adults and it's your best friend? They're the bomb, in case you've never tried it.  Saturday, I got up early because it was Byron's birthday and made bacon, omelettes, and cinnamon rolls! He stayed long enough to watch the Vanderbilt basketball game which was enough time for the rain to turn the ice to sludge.  I ventured out to the grocery after he left because we were out of everything (milk, eggs, bread... snow essentials, you know!). I also ran into my first set of Girl Scouts and scored some Trefoils. After being caught in a tsunami, I made it home to watch Despicable Me and Wreck It Ralph. 

Sunday, church was delayed because the parking lot was still an ice rink. We went to church at 11, went to Jackson's parents' house, then came home. We scored free pizza for dinner, and let's be real, that's the best kind of pizza. We settled in to watch The Walking Dead and The Oscars and then turned in early. 
Schools are out again today, so I'm rolling into work late (because it's our company policy... not because I have little'ns). Here's to kicking this week in the butt! 

Friday!

Our week has been less than eventful. Being iced in for two days straight didn't help anything. But hey, there were enough perks to make a well-rounded week 1.  As mentioned, I may have done a lot of online shopping while cooped up.  1-5 were ThredUP gold; 6 and 7 were Target finds!! 

2. A little Baby Step 1 and 2 win: After using our tax return to pay a huge chunk of Jackson's tools, We paid off the credit card and were finally able to sock back some money for our savings!! There's no better feeling than seeing more than $26 in your savings account. 3. My most favorite part of this week was getting to spend some quality time with my groom.  He took Monday and Tuesday and we stayed home, watched movies, and had fun. It was good for our marriag to have a staycation away from the busy work week

  4. I've been making an effort to meet some new bloggers lately. I love networking and have found some great blogs recently. Check out the "Blogs I Love" for updates! 5. Can we talk about How to get Away With Murder? It's like my blood pressure is sky high through the whole episode. If you haven't watched it, you're missing out.  
 

20 Things to do When You're Iced in for Days

I'm sure those of you who live in the south-ish have felt the woes of Icemageddon that hit early
 Monday morning.  I was already out for Presidents' Day, but was stuck home on Tuesday. Jackson was stuck home on Monday (without pay! Yay!) and Tuesday.  How in the world did we pass time in 631 square feet for days?!   Here, let me tell you. Watched Horns on Netflix (totally weird, but great movie) Pretended we're figure skaters on the ice outside Did all of our laundry Painted my fingernails and toenails. Twice. Scraped all the ice off of both of our cars.

Went through clothes and gave away what I didn't wear Did a lot of online shopping Painted with my Valentines watercolors Organized every drawer in our home Uploaded the rest of all of my pictures to Shutterfly Cleaned out the pantry Fed the birds bread from our balcony

Took pictures of all of the ice around our complex Caught up on all of our shows like How to get Away With Murder and Better Call Saul Cooked dinner together Searched for haircuts on Pinterest and decided on one Ordered the cutest ankle boots ... and a really cute dress Cleaned every appliance in the kitchen Made a list of things to put in a care box for my best friend.  All in all, I realized being stuck is what you make it.  How have you all fared this winter weather?! 

Life Lately

I have been absent, again, as life has entered whirlwind mode.... again. 
Being under audit and without a file person leaves my days full and my evenings full of exhaustion. So, since I've had three glorious days away, I'm back, well rested to recap life as of late.
We finally hired someone to do my old job at work which will relieve some major stress. Of course, they only hired her after the whole HR department spent days in the file room. days. But hey, better late than never. And she happens to be a friend of mine from school, so that's awesome.
We spent a glorious weekend (two weeks ago) porch sitting and soaking up some sun.

I have cleaned out everything from our closets that doesn't fit and doesn't get worn anymore. I've found some awesome deals and am building that back. My favorites have, of course, been from ThredUP. 

We have one debt (our pesky credit card) paid off 100% and are debt snowballing into paying off Jackson's tools. The feeling of freedom that comes with that is just.... an incredible relief.

I taught my dad the awesomeness that is Siri. That created an hour of fun. "What does the fox say?" try it. 

We celebrated Valentines Day with the most delicious dinner at Carrabbas, and Jackson totally struck gold with his gift

We have figured out where Little Hiney Home numero dos will be in October, and we are stoked. We can't afford to stay here and move into a 2 bedroom, but we aren't looking for a house until we have a big chunk saved. 

And then that ice nonsense hit Nashville and we had Monday off. Not like I didn't have it for Presidents' Day, but Jackson tried to go in and couldn't get on the interstate so he came home. 

Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things as life slows down a bit.  I'm working on catching up on all of your Valentines Day shenanigans!! 

Recipe: Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is one of my all time favorites, and it is super easy. It's not the quickest recipe, but it's one you can pop in the oven, go do something else for 45 minutes, and come back.  
Ingredients: 1 bag of hash browns 1 pack of cubed ham (or bacon bits or chunks of bacon. or all of it!) 8 eggs 1 4cup bag of shredded cheese 1 can of crescents nonstick spray

Kitchen Tools: 13x9 glass casserole dish Wisk Aluminum foil
Instructions: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
Spray the bottom and sides of your dish with non-stick spray and unroll the crescents like so:

Next, layer ham chunks (and other add-ins), hashbrowns, cheese and repeat two more times, finishing with cheese. It will look something like this:

You'll then crack eight eggs and wisk to break the yolks. Feel free to use the equivalent measurements of egg beaters, egg whites, etc. Pour evenly on top of the casserole. While it bakes, it will seep into the casserole and cause it to all bake together. With the egg, it will look like so:

Lastly, cover it and cook it for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, slice it so the egg inside is exposed and switch your oven to broil. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-20 minutes, as long as it takes to get the egg to be "non-jiggly" and the cheese all melty. 

I never get a chance to take pictures of the finished product because it gets eaten so quickly, but I assure you it's delicious. Let me know what spins you add. I know of some people who add a layer of cooked bell peppers and onions, where some use chunk potatoes. I'd love to see what you make of it! 

Our First Anniversary

We spent our anniversary in Chattanooga, TN.  We wanted to go somewhere, didn't want to go far, and didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. It was an incredible weekend full of wandering, hot chocolate, and sweet quality time. 

Saturday, we left Nashville and got to Chattanooga about 1pm. We went to get lunch with my sister, and then headed to downtown. We parked and set out, on foot, for ten miles. We spent a lot of time in the art district.

All in all, we walked 10 miles on Saturday, and we were feeling it on Sunday.  We woke up at 7:30 (6:30 our time ... on a Sunday ... ) and headed down to the lobby for breakfast! I love hotel breakfasts... and just hotels in general. After breakfast, we headed up Lookout Mountain to see everything we could see. We saw multi-million dollar homes, spectacular views, and then headed back down to board the Incline Railway.

When we came home on Sunday, after watching the Super Bowl, we got our thawed out wedding cake out of the fridge. It. Was. Delicious. No lie. Dad wrapped it in so much saran wrap and put it in a container that it was perfect. I'm still snacking on it today. 

I will never forget how perfect our first anniversary was.  I can't wait to see what awesome adventures our second year brings!! 

Happy Anniversary

Well, here we are one year later. Still married and still loving it.  We beat both Kim and Britney, so hey, there's that.    One year ago, we said our vows, we exchanged our rings, and we promised each other forever.  

  The last year of my life has been both the slowest year and the fastest year all at the same time.  It was full of learning and living, of arguing and grace, of growing pains and the bandaids that help them heal.  Some days have been impossible, some days have been so full of life that I wish they'd last forever.    I'm so blessed to have known Jackson almost half of my entire life, and to have loved him for just as long.  I am blessed to have a man who loves me unconditionally and with whom I can share every bit of life... the good, the bad, the ugly.  He is my past, my present, and my future. 

  I have learned that he does not eat mayonnaise and he hates sour cream.  He will eat all of the Oreos if you don't hide them, and can tell the difference in regular and off-brand Cheerios.  He loves new gadgets and loves being surprised with gifts, even as small as socks.  Speaking of, he can put a hole in the toe of a sock faster than anyone I know.  He works his tail off and still makes a point to conquer his honey do list at home.  He watches everything I do and loves my quirks. He picks up on the little things I say and usually comes through for my "I wish we could/had/did _____". I fall more in love with his crows feet and his laugh every day, and I even love his scruffy face.  He is my heart and soul and I'm so blessed to be his wife. 
Happy Anniversary, Jackson. I look forward to what this year has for us. I am loving being your wife, and I love sharing my life with you.   

Newlywed Lessons

Our first year has flown. Time wise, it seems like we got married a few months ago. Our first year of marriage has been so incredibly full.  I can count the number of weekends we had down time on one hand, but I can't count the blessings on all of my fingers and toes combined.   Our year has been full of learning. Learning how to share, learning how to coexist, learning how to mesh our lives. I won't lie. Some days were hard.  Some days were full of fights about money and babies and our home and quality time. Some days were full of tickle fights, homemade waffles, and giggles. All of our days have been so filled with love.   I've learned some really hard lessons this year.   What we have is enough - We don't need the million dollar mansion, we don't need fancy cars or expensive gifts for Christmas.  What we have is plenty.  I have learned how to be appreciative and happy and thankful for the things we have right now, because in the blink of an eye, it could all be gone. 

    The here and now won't be here and now forever - I have, in the 27 days so far this year, learned to live more in the moment than I ever have. Heck, I'm leaving my planner places because I don't use it as often.  I'm learning to live on a whim, to pick up and go, and to live in the here and now.  We planned our anniversary trip on a whim at a week's notice. We go to concerts. We are going to 10:30pm movies just because. We are throwing a little of our caution to the wind, and I love it. It just so happens, it has cured my current baby fever, which is an added perk! ;) I won't always get this time to spend with Jackson, so I'm soaking it up one moment at a time.

    Sharing is caring, but it's not always fun - I didn't grow up with skills in sharing. My sister and I went to different high schools so we wouldn't have to share friends, teachers, etc. That was not such a good thing for my marriage. We love hanging out with our friends, but being a quality time person, I don't always like to share time with my husband with everyone else.  I also don't like sharing the spotlight. When my brother in law and his new wife came home for Christmas, I hated sharing my "first married Christmas" spotlight.  As for sharing the TV, I have been known to throw a "I don't want to watch this hunting show anymore" fit.  I'm not proud, but I'm learning.     Sometimes not saying everything you think is okay - In an argument, not everything is something worthy of being said.  Sometimes, whatever it is may make matters worse.  It's okay to ask for a minute to collect your thoughts. The smartest thing I've ever done is ask for a pause. It's a pause in whatever argument is going on so I can think.  When I'm upset, my filter goes out the window, so things that aren't so encouraging are said before I have a chance to think about them. Taking that pause is crucial to my arguing.   What was your biggest newlywed lesson? 

Life Lately

Life is in whirlwind mode once again, and it's been days since I've been here!    Here's what I've been up to:   We had an epic weekend last weekend full of dates with one of our best friends   Traveled to Middle of Nowhere, TN last week for a work trip and scored over $100 in mileage!   We booked our anniversary trip and can't wait to just get away from life with my sweet husband. And eat our wedding cake. :)

    I've got two bags of clothes to go to Goodwill, and I'm attempting to rebuild my wardrobe. Of course, it doesn't help when I often let my cart full of really cute things expire.

    I'm 100% cured from this bout of baby fever I've been battling. (It all started here)   I'm exhausted and I feel like I'm running on empty because I'm trying to keep up with my promotion, I'm not being trained very well, and I'm trying desperately to find someone to fill my old job. There is just not enough coffee, yall. I would give anything for a slow day.

  I'm working on filing our taxes. Did anyone else get screwed the first year after they got married, or is it just us?

  I'm also working on a savings strategy to get our Baby Step 1 built back up. And pay off our debt at the same time.  I may have to call My bff Dave and chit chat 1 on 1.   I'm catching up on your lives one post at a time! I plan to do a lot of "In our first year..." posts this week since we're rounding the corner of our first anniversary!