...3 beautiful years...

On this day 3 years ago, I married that man of my dreams!

It is crazy to think that it has been 3 years already...it seems like it was just yesterday!

The day began as a pretty crazy one when we realized the reception place wasn't set up the way we had specified, but thankfully our family took care of that so I could go get ready for the big day! My dad surprised me by picking me up at the hair salon in a white stretch Hummer..it was supposed to just take us to the church but we convinced the driver to drive us around town for a little while ;) We got all prettied up, and got our pictures taken. Then it was time for the ceremony--which only lasted 21 minutes! (I had already determined we would have a short ceremony after sitting through one that lasted an hour). The ceremony was perfect...the bridesmaids ALL cried...and our Heavenly Father was glorified through it all--an answer to months of prayer!

As I sit here with my morning coffee, reflecting on that beautiful day and the many adventures since that day, I am so thankful for what God has done over the past 3 years! Each anniversary has been so very different--the first we went out to a very fancy dinner, the second was homemade dinner in a hut in Uganda (along with a Safari), and tonight will be a dinner for 2 at Olive Garden while our newest edition stays home with Mawmaw. It is amazing how life changes in 3 short years, and the places that God brings us to! Sometimes change is hard to accept, but if we aren't changing then we most definitely aren't growing...so to that I say, "Bring on the change and whatever the next 3, 4, 5, 10, 20 years will hold!"

Michael James, I love you more than I can express in words and I am excited to continue spending the rest of my life with you!

confessions

Ever feeling like you just need to get your thoughts out there, but afraid of what people will think of your thoughts? Sounds funny doesn't it, but so many times that's how I feel! I am fighting those feelings today and just putting myself out there. I desire honesty and genuineness in others, so I should practice that myself, right??

Lately I have been really struggling with being content...not just being content, but truly loving the season of life that God has me in right now. Life with Eliyah has been a huge adjustment. Life is not my own (I guess it never really was...I just thought it was). Most days my "to-do" list grows rather than shrinks. My home is never quite as neat and clean as I'd like it to be.

Are you a people watcher?? I am! There is nothing inherently wrong with people-watching, but sometimes it really causes me to struggle. So many times it seems that every has it all or at least has it all together. I find it hard to even get a shower before 3:00 in the afternoon most days! I am really tired of school...I just want to be finished. I am also really tired of the restriction I feel because of our tight finances. Living on one income isn't easy, but we know that God wants me home with Eliyah, so we are doing it...it can just be frustrating sometimes. I told Mike last night that I wish we could just be free from money...whether it be the lack of it or the abundance of it...I wish it didn't bind us like it does many times. I guess it can only keep us in bondage as much as we let it--there's another confession for today! I worry too much about finances and I allow them to rule over me many times. AHH! As I type this, my simple confession of discontentment seems to be growing!

So here's the bottom line--I'm a sinner! I don't have it all together (thats for sure). I need God's grace in my life every day!

I hope to encourage you by my honesty.

I am so thankful for the time I've had alone this morning to write, think, and process! That amazing man of mine is at home with Eliyah while I took some time to go out for coffee--alone! It was definitely what I needed! Now, off to finish the rest of my day and love on my family a little bit!

Oh, and its day 3 of the 31 Days to Clean Challenge and I'm loving it! <--that's just an extra tid-bit!

Have a Happy Wednesday!

31 Days to Clean

You may have noticed the new button over on the right side bar of this page--the one with the lady in the pink dress.

I just downloaded this e-book and read the first day's reading and I am loving it! I already purchased the book Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider and am in love with it as well!

I don't know about you, but I ALWAYS feel much better when my home is clean. It seems to bring so much peace and that is what I love about it! BUT I tend to have a hard time really keeping it clean. The other tasks in life (like taking care of my husband, raising a baby, and just doing things I enjoy) sometimes take the place of the time I have set aside for cleaning...or I just get lazy (I'm just being honest here...and if you were too you'd have to admit that you do get lazy every once in a while...or maybe like me--more often than that)!

Recognizing the purpose of cleaning and lining that up with my family's purpose statement has been a huge help in keeping me motivated!

"I do it all for the sake of the gospel..." 1 Corinthians 9:23

That, is the purpose statement for our family. If we are doing anything it needs to be to further the kingdom and to live out the gospel of Christ. It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but that is our goal! How does this pertain to keeping a well maintained home? We believe that a home filled with peace rather than chaos exemplifies the gospel to all who walk through our door. We pray that our home is a refuge of peace from the chaos of this world. We also know that when our home is well kept it is much easier to find things we need (thus keeping peace) and less work when we want to invite people into our home. If we keep it cleaned and organized, we can better minister to others by having them into our home and not worrying about what it looks like or wondering if the bathroom is clean!

Living simply is what we are working toward...it is difficult in this culture that tells you "more is better" when really stuff entangles and traps you (at least that is how I feel).

I encourage you to take a look at both of the books I mentioned...hopefully they will be of help to you!