July 4, 2015

The Fourth of July has grown to one of my favorite holidays over the years. Growing up we would spend it mostly with my mom's family and then when we got older we used to spend it at the beach. For me, it is a day to be with my family. Now that I'm married I don't spend it at the beach anymore with my parents but I spend it with Tim and his family. Since I've moved this year's Fourth was by far the best one. Every year our city has a parade. Its one of the perks of living in a smaller city. It truly is nothing huge and we basically see the same things every year, but it is tradition. This year we got to sit basically front row because Tim's brother owns a business this year. I took a lot of pictures but I picked some of my favorite ones to share. Enjoy!

 This year we got front row seats. My brother-in-law has a shop and we sat out front and handed out free hot dogs!

This year the this was the BEST float. That O spun around. I mean that set the bar for next year.

Our parade does have interesting floats like this one for instance. I do believe that it was called Pup and Princess Pageant.

And... roller derby!

The military portion is always my favorite.

 And to end the parade the trucks come through. We are the Truckers after all!

It got sorta hot so we moved alllllllll the way back to the building. It was a great day!

The one where Tim got a big boy job.

As most of you know Timothy and I both spent our first year of marriage in school. Boo!!!! I know! But Timothy and I are both hard workers, and I am so happy for the straight A's we received during our two semesters. Timothy got awards for is grades and I must say that when he graduated  I was one proud wife. And I want to say amazingly, but let's be honest when you're faithful to God you know that He will provide for all your needs. So Timothy landed his first big boy job basically right out of college. And even though we had to cancel our vacation we got blessed with a huge opportunity for Tim. So here's to a new season in our lives.

Enjoy these pictures of Tim on his first day!

 So handsome!

Here's to a year!

This past year has flown by! Everyone said that it would and I thought that it would move slower. Has it been a fun year? Yes. Has it been a hard year? Yes. Tim keeps saying "The hardest year is behind us". I truly feel as if each year is going to have its own hardships, but it has been interesting learning how to live with a boy! So here are a few things that Tim and I have learned in our first year:

* Being roommates is tough. I thought learning to live with three girls was tough. Nope, I was wrong. Learning to live with Tim was harder. Boys have a different idea than girls about what clean is. Boys also have a different idea about how dishes should be washed and loaded into the dishwasher.

* Just because you now live together doesn't mean you will see each other ALL the time.

Our first year of marriage has been super busy. We were both in school. Tim was finishing his degree and I was pursuing a new teaching license. Now that we are both done Tim has been interviewing for jobs and I am now on summer vacation. Whew! Thank you LORD for getting us through all this.

* Money, Money, Money! It is amazing how money has become a huge priority since we've been married. I can honestly say that I did not worry about money so much when I was single. But now, money has become much more important. Learning how to not become so consumed by it is a struggle. Tim and I do enjoy ourselves, but we have started to plan for the future (babies!).

* Date nights are the best! Just because we got married doesn't mean that the romance stops. Tim and I thoroughly enjoy getting dressed up to go out and enjoy each other's company. In all honesty, we only get to dress up for church and date nights and we take getting fancy seriously!

* Fight to keep your marriage. I remember growing up and hearing my parents disagree sometimes and thinking to myself that I would NEVER argue with my husband. My parents are coming upon their 30th year of marriage and you know how they made it there? Arguing! Tim and I don't argue or fight about much, but I can tell you that arguing is a way of communication. Do we say some things that hurt? Sometimes. Do we fight a lot? NO. Tim is a very easygoing guy ;) But after a fight is always the best to me because I feel like I understand a little more about him. There is a closeness after a fight and after each misunderstanding we seek to understand each other a little bit more.

Scroll down for some pictures of our year one!

Dinner with the fam!

 Tim after graduation. So proud of this man of mine :)

 We're awkward kissers. It doesn't help that Tim wasn't being serious...

Anniversary dinner :D

So here's to year two!

Sweetly Broken

There are some times where it just seems like this life is a joke. Some things happen and they just make you laugh. Not because of humor but disbelief. That is basically how the last couple of months have been. I laugh, I cry, I smile, and with the Lord's help I pick myself back up again. Throughout all of the chaos that has been happening I've had the support of my sweet husband, my family, and my sweet co-worker who has become a great friend. The other day I laid in bed crying because I felt as if I didn't know who I was anymore. I don't cry randomly, my spirit isn't easily broken, and I've always been able to know my emotions. As I was crying to Tim in the kitchen tonight he kindly reminded me of the story of Job (Job 1-3) and how his faith was tested. He amazes me sometimes. Tim is pretty quiet when I vent and when he does talk its always truth!
There have been specific times that I can remember where circumstances have humbled me and I held my faith. This time has been different. This time I was broken differently.I was broken sweetly. The Lord took all my plans that I had for my life yet again, and showed me, slowly, that He is in control and no matter how much I try to handle things alone. He is the only one who ultimately lays the plans. This past year has been a struggle for me and I am so happy that my husband has been so patient. You see I've always had a plan and if I didn't I always had something for backup. I take comfort in knowing that the Lord will not place anything in my life that He knows I can't handle.

I snapped this picture last week when we got home from the gym. The grass has made an appearance!! Thank the LORD!!! But just like this how the grass has made an appearance God has definitely done the same with me these past couple of months. Sometimes I believe that we need struggles or to be sweetly broken to be reminded of God's love and that His plan is better than anything that we could even imagine.

I hope this post gives you hope and I hope that this song encourages you as much as it has for me.

Click the words below for the song

sweetly Broken

New year, new post

I haven't done one of these in a good while. New year, new goals. What's awesome is that Tim and I are about to hit the 8 months of marriage mark! I must say that I have learned a few things in this short or long time (depending on how you look at it).

1) a joke can make an argument end
Timothy is infamous for cracking a joke right in the middle of an argument. I on the other hand will try and get my point across and here goes Tim *joke. Anyways, I can't stay mad at him after that and he knows it.

2) monthly date nights are a necessity
One things we have tried to do each month is get all dressed up and have a nice dinner somewhere, usually Red Robin (best garden burger ever!). Date night gives us something to look forward to.

3) having one tv has made us closer
We got advice from one of my best friends and her husband about only having one tv and not putting a tv in our bedroom. It is interesting because it kind of forces us to be together, but over the past months I have come to look forward to our tv time because it is cuddle time for me!

4) you are your spouses cheerleader
One thing that I have been struggling with has been my perception of my body. Tim has done such a good job at cheering me on with my fitness journey. I also have been cheering him on throughout his last year of school. I mean he got straight A's!!!! The thing is we realized that we are a team and when one of us is down, the both of us are down.

Here's a quickie

Wow...this school year so far has shown me that I will NEVER have it all together, and that there is no such thing as having it all "together". Boy, I wish I did. With that being said, I have been beating myself up about having not posted to my blog for a while. I know most people do not follow me on instagram. So I am just writing  quick post to update everybody.

I started my new teaching position as a preschool special needs teacher. I love it. I have 9 boys in my morning class and let me tell you. As much as I love children, I am struggling. Boys are a whole different ball game than girls. Boys push, take, grab, hit, and touch everything!! I would not trade them for the world because I know by the end of the year they will have the hang of going to school, and they are my babies. Work has been awesome. I was not official staff last year because I was just a sub, but this year just feels like a continuation of last year. My preschool team has been great to work with. Regardless of how hard some of the days seem, my para and I spend most of the day laughing. Our motto has been "if we can not find humor in everything this will be a long year".

This year has been a busy one for Tim and I. We are both in school. I'm pursuing an endorsement and Tim is finishing up his degree (can't wait for May!). We are so thankful for the summer we just had because we were able to spend a lot of time together just getting to know each other more. Unfortunately, our schools schedules are crazy and there are some days where I only see him for maybe 20 minutes the whole day. I am attending a school that is an hour and twenty minutes away from where we live, and I go after work. It has been rough!!! Your prayers are appreciated :) By the grace of God we will both be done with school in May!

Married life has been awesome! I could not have imagined a better husband. We purchased a house the week of our wedding and we love our home. Its the perfect size and in the perfect location. God has truly blessed us with the opportunity to have our own house. It has been taking longer than I thought it would to get everything decorated. I just bought a decorative pillow for our bed and we have been here for about three months! Little by little it is coming along.

Living on love

There are just some times where I could just scream. You know full out kid temper tantrum screaming. Like why do I have to be a grown up and act like it all the time??? Well, sometimes life gets me like that. For instance, this afternoon was like that. The day was going to well and then bam! Badness!

One thing I told myself I wanted to make a habit was working out. So Tim and I went to the gym today and I killed it. We ran some errands and ate with family. But the last part of the day was what got to us. So we just ask for your prayers as we continue to deal with some things.

On to this shirt. I picked this up from Target (my favorite store) last summer because I loved the saying. Its cheesy but I liked it. And you know, even though it is cheesy I like to get lost in love. Because when I was on the verge of tears today Tim's love for me got me through. Also his sense of humor. I have noticed that since we have gotten married we have become so much more loving and understanding towards each other. But I also enjoy getting lost in God's love, because even though bad things happen I know that He loves me and knows best. So...go get lost in love today!