Saturday, August 12, 2017

Date Night Ideas // August 2017


💑 Go on a back-to-school shopping spree together & donate the items to an organization that collects for students in need.  Don't forget to spend time praying as a couple for the students + their teachers.

💑 Go out to a favorite eating place from your school/college days & over dinner share your favorite school memories... even the funny embarrassing ones you hope no one remembers!

💑 Watch the wonder of the Solar Eclipse together.  Maybe even plan a picnic for right before so you'll already be outdoors.  Be sure to take proper precautions to protect your eyes!

💑 Wander through a bookstore or library hand-in-hand & see what literature appeals to each of you.  Explore the place together.

💑 Play a trivia game together.  You could make it interesting by having something at stake for the winner &/or loser... like winner gets to choose next date or pick the ice cream place... or  loser gets to do the dishes or sit through the winner's favorite TV show...  Don't forget to be a good sport {win or lose}!

💑 Take a class together.  Whether it's a cooking class, an evening painting group, a pottery lesson, horse back riding, a sport, or whatever interests the both of you... get out & learn something new as a couple.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Gifts // Vol. 16


981. walking + talking
989. saying "no" to things today, 'cause I can't do it all & have to make choices for what matters most - God, Dan, & us {in that order}
993. chicken cooking in the Crockpot & making the house smell yummy
994. how he came in to tell me he loved me during his game night
998. finding rocks
1,000. sending up that lantern into the night sky with a secret wish & a prayer
1,001. a hummingbird
1,008. how he told me I was his "amazing & wonderful" wife
1,010. more hummingbirds
1,012. butterflies on the trails

Friday, August 4, 2017

Little Letters // August 2017


Dear School,

How did you get here so fast?!  I'm going to be a music teacher for the 1st month of you - &, yes, I'm pretty jazzed about that!

XOXO,
Teacher Girl

✉ ⏩

Dear Instagram,

I'm breaking up with you.  Yes, this is your dear John letter.  Sorry.  Even though we weren't really "official," you've still managed to make me feel low + compare my life to cutesy snapshots paired with snappy little clever captions + made me want to buy stuff I totally don't need {except maybe that off the shoulder dress (okay, who am I kidding)}... &, well, that's just not nice of you.  That's not how it's supposed to be.  We're through.

Sincerely,
Enoughs Enough

P.S.: I feel rather free!

✉ ⏩

Dear Arizona,

We are coming to see you next month & I am giddy to see the beautiful way God formed you.  It is going to be stellar!

Love,
The Soon-to-be Traveler #tothewestwego

✉ ⏩

Dear Husband,

You are doing so great keeping up your exercise routine + healthy choices!  I believe in you always!  You are my fave! 😍

Love,
Your Wife

✉ ⏩

Dear Jesus,

Help me be more like You.  I can't do it without You.

Love,
Your Daughter

✉ ⏩

Dear Tummy,

Why is it you want to eat all the Pop Tarts?

Yours Truly,
Me

P.S.: These is why I simply cannot buy you.

✉ ⏩

Dear Pop Tart People,

Why is the serving size 1 Pop Tart, yet you package them in pairs?  You know people can't resist & let 1 little lonely Pop Tart stay behind + the silver packaging isn't resealable, so there's the freshness debacle there, too.

Sincerely,
You Are Scrumptious & I am Perturbed

P.S.: Yes, this is why I cannot let you ride in my cart + come home in my bag!
P.P.S.: I do like you, though.

✉ ⏩

P.S.: Linking up!



Thursday, August 3, 2017

Monthly Recap // July 2017

➴   ➶   ➴   ➶   ➴   ➶   ➴   ➶   ➴

 Celebrated our 1st married 4th of July!  We walked around downtown + by the river & I grilled turkey hot dogs & prepared corn on the cob for lunch.  Dinner found us with even more 4th food + friends + fireworks.  To end our festivities, Dan & I released a patriotic paper lantern into the night sky & watched it until it became a tiny speck of light & then finally disappeared from view.

 Completed another morning summer hike on Pine Mtn.  This time we went 4.3 miles!

 Celebrated with our friends' at their baby shower / anniversary party!

 Started seriously planning an anniversary trip to Arizona!  We have both never been & can't wait to see God's beautiful creation out west!  We're planning for early this fall.

Swam a lot at our apt. pools. {And, side note, my little girl dream of being a mermaid lives on.}

 Celebrated national ice cream day by wearing a blouse with little ice cream cones/treats all over it & enjoying free gelato {&, of course, pizza} at Your Pie.

 Got a washing machine!  Yay!  No more quarters + apt. laundry mat for us!  We have a working dryer {thankfully}, but we've never had a working washer since we said, "I do," until now.

 Had my 8 year old nephew come & stay with us for a long weekend!  It was his longest stay away from his parents + Dan & I got to play parents.  We all had a blast {& it wore me out}!  We got snow cones, visited the Splash Pad downtown, the Columbus Museum, the National Infantry Museum, Oxbow Meadows, went to church, the new Lego store, swam, played the Wii, found lots of painted rocks + painted & hid some of our own, had a Nim's Island movie night-in, & made chocolate "dirt" pudding with gummy snails & worms!

 The very last day of July was the last day of my summer vacation as I'm back to subbing long term again {praising God for a month long position to start off the school year}.  We spent it exploring + taking pictures downtown & kissing on the rocks next to the roaring Columbus rapids of the Chattahoochee {with the Spanish moss in the trees overhead}. {What? 😍 We're married!} We ended with free fudge samples {Who knew there was such a thing as mint chocolate chip fudge?!  Yum!} & a scoop of Kilwins' ice cream.  Cake batter flavor for me, please.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

The Whisper


There are these quiet moments, I remember long -
Wondering & waiting, as if for the perfect song
To come & spell-cast my weary soul
Back to what I know is true -
You are for me - &, I'm - for You. ❤

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

The Gifts in My Marriage


If there's something I've learned in dating, becoming engaged, being wed, & living out married life with my 2nd love {God is 1st}, it's this: everyone's story is different.  Sure, there are some similarities, but there's also loads of sweet uniqueness that make each person's love story their own.  It's so easy, especially for us women, to fall into the compare snare when we look at each other's lives... & the compare trap leads to discontent & envy &, in a word, sin.  I say all that to say, this post maybe written more for my love & I than for anyone else, but I wanted to chronicle the gifts in my marriage, so when the clouds come I don't lose sight of the sunshine we've got hidden right behind 'em, waiting for them to blow by.

If we are together, then there's always a goodnight kiss.

Prayer before we head out the door every weekday. {We didn't really sit down & plan this or really even discuss it prior, it just sorta became our thing.  We prayed for each other that 1st day, then the next, & next, & so on, until now it would feel strange if we didn't.  It's a humongous blessing in our marriage.}

Someone to study the Bible with.  I still have my personal Bible/prayer time daily, but it's so wonderful in the evenings to be able to come together as a couple & read His Word & talk to Him.

An adventure partner.  We both have hearts that crave adventure & we love to share in that together.

I get to live with my best friend.  For this girl whose never had a roommate & is an introvert for sure, I was anxious about sharing a dwelling with another human {I'd been living solo for about 6 years}!  There are challenges & adjustments, but in the end, I wouldn't want to live with anyone else.  He's my BFF, protector {he also wields a light saber with skill}, lover, & safe soul.

Someone to laugh with {& make those special inside jokes only the two of us get}.

Unexpected tokens of love in the forms of cards, flowers, & sometimes pink cookies.

Someone to run to greet at the end of his busy day.

Someone to call me beautiful always.

A hand to hold every place we venture.

A love who prays for me - & I for him, throughout our days.

A strong someone to keep me safe & loved.

My lover's lips to kiss again & again & for as long as we have breath.

Someone to cuddle in front of the TV with {+ kiss during the commercials}!

A man who opens the car door for me + clears away the dishes!

A partner to serve Christ with.

Someone to send all the heart eyes texts to. 😍

Arms to hold me + a lap to sit in.

Someone to know + keep my secrets {& vice-versa}.

A lover + partner + best friend for life!

I love you, Dan!  I know these are just a few of the gifts in our marriage.  You are my gift & I treasure you.