A Word for 2023

I've been seeking things like we all do.  (Did you realize the fact that we're all seeking?)  We're all seekers of something - typically always somethings plural.  But, what are you seeking first?  What are you seeking the most?  

Lately, this has been hitting me hard.  I feel like I've been seeking things - a tidy home, a better marriage, to be a better mama, to be more beautiful inside & out, to find the perfect wallpaper for baby girl's nursery, to find the peace amidst the crazy pain of this broken place called our world, to find the best pregnancy safe face serum for this now over 35 mama...  The list could go on pretty much into infinity.  But what about Jesus?

This verse is it for me right now.  "But seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well." -Matthew 6:33 NIV.  The words that feel most important to me are first & His (His referring to the Lord).  Am I seeking Him first, or has His spot been jumbled somehow by the cares of this world & my own selfish sinfulness?  Am I seeking His kingdom, or trying to build one of my own design?  Honestly, I'm not happy with my answers, & honestly (again), it explains much of the anxiety I feel.  The desire to be in control, to be safe, to have what I want when I want it, to be what the world says is best.  I feel as if in this mess, I have lost my first Love (like the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2).  And, well, these other "loves" just don't compare & always end in disappointment, & yet I chase them.  Seek them.  

Lord, forgive me.  Lord, bring me back to You, my first & truest Love.  You are what I want to be seeking first & most & hardest.  You, & you alone, are the one to satisfy the longings of my heart.  May I fall deeper in love with you each & every day.  Help me, Lord, to seek You first & Your kingdom & Your righteousness.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"You will seek Me & find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13

Things I Want To Do This January

1. Listen to 1 {or more} Revive Our Hearts podcasts daily.  These are around 25 minutes of solid Biblical teaching, wisdom, & hope designed for women by women.  These bless my soul & there are tons you can listen to for free or download for free on reviveourhearts.com.  You can also search lots of topics to find the podcast that speaks most to you in your current season.  I think my January 1st one will be this followed by this.

2. Read 1 book {at least}.

3. Clean + declutter our apartment.  It needs it.  Desperately.

4. Take a 15 minute walk daily {either outside, at a store/mall, or on the treadmill at our apartment's community gym}.

5. Journal more.  At least once a week.

These are the things I want to accomplish this January.  Some of them, like listening to Revive Our Hearts, reading, walking, journaling, etc. I may just want to carry through to other months or even the whole year, but this is my start.  There are also things I've been doing that I want to continue in 2020 {& do better with more intentionality}, like reading my Bible daily, drinking lots of water {#pregnancylife}, & others.  I can't wait to see how God works in this year & in my heart.

What are some of your goals for this new decade?

Our 1 Year Bucket List // 2019

So I typically put this up early in the new year, but that just didn't happen this time around.  I'm giving myself some grace & sharing it now.  Yes, I know it's almost Labor Day! 

{Insert all the little sheepish faces here, my dear.}

Laura & Dan's Big Adventure: 2019

☐ Find new ways to serve Christ together.

☑ Become debt free!!!

☐ Go camping in the great outdoors together.

☐ Prayerfully try to start our family.

☐ Lose weight & eat healthier.

☐ Make fun travel memories together.

10 Photos that Shaped My Year // 2018

Find a photo from the year's greatest adventure - big or small.

We traveled to Williamsburg, VA + D.C. in November during my birthday week!

Find a photo of a significant moment.

I staged this photo last year {with the Clearblue ovulation tests I'd been using} for a blog post about things to do before you're expecting.  The next month I found out for the first time that I had PCOS {polycystic ovarian syndrome}.  We don't say this flippantly or as a cliche, but we still have hope & trust in Christ about all our hopes & dreams.

What photo makes you feel most alive?

There's nothing like those salty waves!  In February we took our 1st weekend getaway to the beach!

Pick your favorite photo of you & the people you love.

On this day in 2018 we turned 2 years married!

Search for a photo of a morning you want to remember.

It was January 17, 2018 when I woke up to the first epic snow day I've ever experienced way down here in Georgia.

Find a photo that represents joy.

Happiness is a swing set just waiting for you!

Locate a photo of the people who shaped your year.

This guy + me + Jesus {& ice cream}.

Find a photo of you trying something new.

I applied for a pre-k teacher position on a whim in late July & surprisingly got it!  Having taught mostly the upper elementary grades before this, pre-k has definitely been a learning process + major adjustment.  It wears me out on the regular, but my kids {for the most part} are sweet!

Identify an image of something you are proud of.

In September we participated in a relationship building {super fun} competition held annually in our city called "The Amazing Marriage Chase."  While we didn't win, we successfully found & completed all the challenges before the allotted time - & our backsides landed in the paper!  That's us in the front far left.

What is a photo you'll want to pass down to future generations?

'Cause love.

View last years' 10 here!

New Year's Day at Callaway

Our New Year's day was a wet & gray one, but that didn't stop us from getting out & adventuring.  We headed to one of my favorite places - the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Coming here has become a January tradition for us, but this was the first time we came on New Year's day.

I say this a lot, but isn't God the best artist ever?!

It was the perfect day for rubber boots!

There's something about the butterfly & its miraculous metamorphosis that seems perfect paired with the unfurling of a brand new year.  Change can bring beauty & refreshing & new life.  Just think what it did for the caterpillar.  I want 2019 to be my butterfly year.

We spied a spot on the map we hadn't explored before & decided to give it a try.  Visiting this little chapel tucked away in the woods was actually my unexpected favorite part of the day.

We didn't know if it would even be open, but it was.  Inside we found a man who played this fantastic fancy organ.  He asked if we had any requests.  We did & had our own private concert in this special space as he played "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" & "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."  It was truly stirring.  The musician shared some of his story, telling us how he had grown up playing music & in his younger life played rock & roll, & yet always felt God reeling him back in to use his talents for Him in worship.  The man said he still played rock & roll now & again, but that he had found something more meaningful in using what he could do for Christ.  This brother-in-Christ's music & words ended up in my thankfulness journal that night.

The blessing of being in this quaint little place of worship was a beautiful ending to our day at Callaway & the perfect start to 2019!

Outfit Details: dress - Topshop {thrifted} ● over-the-knee socks {I scrunched down to mid-calf} -  Richer Poorer ● rubber boots {these are actually from the garden department, but I use 'em as rain boots mostly} - Target

A Word for 2019...

Restore.  That's my word this year.  Last year I wasn't so into doing the whole "word for the year" thing, but this 2019 I'm praying this word sticks down like super glue into my very being.  I need restoration & all its sweet re- synonyms... renew, refresh, rejuvenate, renovate.  I've been feeling it for a long while now - the dark depression that has settled over my heart & felt like quicksand to my bones.  This 2019 I want to be restored - inside & out, upside down & over - by the only one who can do it, my Savior & Lord, Jesus.

Lord, I pray You'd restore my heart & soul.  I pray You would restore my hope & my love for You, & forgive me for all the moments I fell into sin & despair.  Please restore my marriage, my joy, my strength, my body, my faith.  Lord, please restore my soul.  Thank you, dear Father, for hearing my cry.  I wait in expectation upon You and all that You have planned for me this year.  Your will be done in my heart and in my life this 2019.  

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Psalm 90:12 {+ Free Printable}

Let's face it, sometimes in this crazy/hectic world our days roll together like the Tasmanian Devil let loose from Looney Tunes {complete with all his disturbing incoherent noises + spittle}.  We don't mean for it to happen, but it does.  Enter Psalm 90:12, a verse that seems to be asking us to slow it down a bit & make our days count, after all, tomorrow today will be gone.

It may look like revisiting the calendar & planner & saying "no" to a few things.  It may look like putting your phone away & plugging instead into your people.  It may look like making time daily to dig into the Bible & talk to your Maker.  It may look like a lot of things that the world just won't "get," but if it gets you & me closer to Him & closer to living out Psalm 90:12, then I am certain beyond certain it will be so beautifully worth it - for what's more beautiful than someone living out their faith in this crazy in between place where we've been instructed to make good use of all our days?

Anybody else ready to "number our days" & make our days count this year?

P.S.: To snag the free printable {perfect for a planner or as wall art}, simply click on the verse, right click & save to your computer {or copy & paste it into a Word document}, resize it if you wish, & print it out as a daily reminder.

CONDITIONS OF USE:

My printables are free for personal use only.  Feel free to share them via Pinterest provided you link back to the blog {The Wildflower Journals @ http://thewildflowerjournals.blogspot.com}.  If you want to blog about this printable, or share a project you created using it, that would be amazing, just be sure to credit + link back to the blog {The Wildflower Journals @ http://thewildflowerjournals.blogspot.com}.  Please don't share the actual printable on your site - just add a link to it.  Thanks & enjoy!

10 Photos that Shaped My Year // 2017

NOTE: I 1st saw this idea from Amanda's blog {who actually snagged it from Beka - at least I think it was Beka.}  Hmmm, it's beginning to feel like an old fashioned game of telephone here.  Anyhow, whoever had this amazing idea, I thank you.

Find a photo from the year's greatest adventure - big or small.

Our greatest adventure {outside of marriage itself}, was celebrating our 1st anniversary out in Arizona.  Here we are at the Grand Canyon {with a grand kiss}!

Find a photo of a significant moment.

We sent up a patriotic floating lantern for our 1st 4th of July + I prayed in my heart for a secret wish as it floated out of sight.

What photo makes you feel most alive?

This was our 1st full day in Arizona {not too mention our actual anniversary date}, & we had been driving around when we decided to stop & breathe in the beauty of God's creation... it took my breath away + {incidentally} I've never felt more alive.

Pick your favorite photo of you & the people you love.

You + Me

Search for a photo of a morning you want to remember.

Summer found us out early, trying to beat the heat, as we hiked for miles & miles on Pine Mountain.  Our longest hike was over 4 miles!

Find a photo that represents joy.

It had been over a year since I had worn this dress when I finally put it on again & went down to that magical piece of railroad track & captured the memories I'd always been hoping to.

Locate a photo of the people who shaped your year.

Me + You

Find a photo of you trying something new.

Our 1st married summer together was full of 1sts.  This was our 1st trip to Oxbow Meadows + our 1st time on their treetop walk.

Identify an image of something you are proud of.

How we've stuck together {like an Oreo cookie (which was our costume this fall)} through the challenges & adjustments of newlywed life & bringing our 2 lives together into 1 is definitely a  God thing.  Without Him, we just couldn't have done it. {I love you to  the moon, Dan.} {And back.} {Times infinity.} {Okay, there.  I said it.} ❤

What is a photo you'll want to pass down to future generations?

I want our children to see the love in their mom & dad's marriage + Jesus, always 1st & foremost.

Our 1 Year Bucket List // 2018

Last January, Dan & I started the tradition of creating a 1 year bucket list of things we wanted to accomplish as a couple during the next 365... & we're doing it again this year!  We were actually able to accomplish all our 2017 goals {even though our "camping" trip ended up being in a tent in our living room in late December}.  Here's what's on our list this year...

Laura & Dan's Big Adventure: 2018
☐ Find new ways to serve Christ together.
☑ Pay off the last of our credit card debt!
☐ Go camping in the great outdoors together.
☐ Check off at least one item from each of our personal bucket lists.
☑ Have a yard sale + sell stuff on eBay.
☐ Be more intentional with our date nights + have at least 3 a month.
☑ Visit a new state. {We're counting Washington D.C.}
☑ Go to the beach for the 1st time together! {We went to Panama City Beach, FL in February.}

A Word for 2018 {& Beyond}...

I have to admit, I haven't really jumped on the whole "Word for the Year" bandwagon like most bloggers.  Something about settling down on one solitary word - when I know sooo many "words" will flood the next 365 {or however many God sees fit to bless me with} - seems, I don't know... not my cup of tea.

But, you know what?  I've been mulling it over again.  And I think I've settled on a word for my whole life, not just this new year...

It sums it all up, doesn't it?  Love.  I want it to define my life.  I want my very life to speak it - to speak love fluently & real & not just in word, but in deed.  Because I'm here to testify that love is a verb, & not just a word to speak.

So, I've settled on my word, & it's not just for this year.  I know it will take a lifetime. And while I may be loving imperfectly from this side of heaven, I know I can grow my love & strengthen it & make it more beautiful & more like His {for as many days as He gives me} through His perfect strength + my imperfect weakness.  Love is what I'm claiming.  To love my God better & my husband & my family & my neighbors & my enemies & my self.  I'm loving this year & all the years after.

❤

" 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'  Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind.  This is the first & greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.' " -Matthew 22:36-39

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ 

laid down His life for us.  And we ought to 

lay down our lives for our brothers." -1 John 3:16

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us & His love is made complete in us." -1 John 4:10-12

"We love because He first loved us." -1 John 4:19

"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres... And now these 3 remain: faith, hope, & love.  But the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 13

"God is love.  Whoever lives in love 

lives in God, & God in him... Perfect 

love drives out fear." -1 John 4:16; 18

"Let no debt remain outstanding, 

except the continuing debt to 

love one another." -Romans 13:8

"Let us not love with words or tongue

but with actions & in truth." -1 John 3:18

"By this all men will know 

that you are my disciples, if 

you love one another." -John 13:35

2017: A Year in Review

2017.  It's end is almost here, & I'm looking forward to the new.  But 1st here's a peek at what happened this year...

January - February:
▼ We celebrate our 1st New Year's together + our 1st New Year's kiss.

▼ We visit lovely Callaway Gardens.

▼ Our 1st married Valentine's Day arrives + my 1st time ever bowling!

March:
▼ I surprise Dan with a picnic at the "Secret Garden" for our 1/2 year anniversary.

▼ We celebrate our 1st St. Patrick's Day together.

▼ I go to my 1st ever hockey game + I love it!

▼ We hike at the "Little Grand Canyon" in Georgia.

April:
▼ We hike 4+ miles on the Pine Mtn. trail + then visit the "Little White House" in nearby Warm Springs, GA!

▼ We visit the world's largest Lunchbox Museum + have an impromptu arcade date night.

▼ Help hide hundreds {& I do mean hundreds} of eggs at our church's Easter egg hunt.

▼ I have the in-laws over for Easter lunch {+ it goes well}!

May:
▼ Finish up my last day as a school librarian.  This unexpected long term sub job lasts almost an entire year & is such a blessing from God!

▼ Summer break begins for me & we celebrate by heading to the Georgia Aquarium + Atlanta's World of Coke {my 1st time to both of these}!

▼ Explore a couple of cemeteries this month + other unusual places around town.

▼ Have our 1st of many snow cone summer dates.

▼ Teach the children's Wednesday night Bible study at our church together this month.  {With help from the kids, Dan puts on the armor of God one night, which in this case, is represented by aluminum foil!}

June:
▼ Go on our 1st married double date with sweet friends.

▼ Dress up as Bible characters to help with our church's VBS.

▼ Explore the most epic + sprawling antique store I have ever seen.  Ever.

▼ Swim at our apartment pools {pretty much all the summer months + once on an unusually warm February day}.

▼ Celebrate my nephew's 2nd b-day up in Chattanooga.

▼ Explore old abandoned bunkers in Chattanooga + make all the funny echo noises we can think of in them.

July:
▼ Celebrate our 1st married Fourth of July + send up a patriotic Chinese lantern {which I make a secret wish + prayer on as it disappears from sight} + celebrate with friends.

▼ More long hikes!

▼ Finally get a washing machine!  Yay!  No more trips to the laundry mat for us!

▼ My nephew comes & stays with us for a long weekend of summer fun!

August:
▼ Lots of doctor visits after Dan has an eye scare.  {While it is better (Praise God!), he still has some problems with it.}

▼ I start the school year off with a long term sub position as a music teacher, of all things!

September:

▼ We go out west for an Arizona anniversary adventure + make countless memories there!

▼ We celebrate our 1st year of marriage!

▼ Take a day trip to Macon, GA to explore the Ocmulgee National Monument.

▼ Start a Star Wars movie night tradition with new church friends.

October:
▼ I accept a long term sub position at a rough school {it was only in 1st grade + the teacher assured me she had no major behavior problems}, but I last 6 days... & let me tell you those 6 days were full of prayers + tears + 1 screaming/cursing parent on just the 2nd day.

▼ Visit family back in TN + explore Prater's Mill Country Fair + kiss on a tractor + view stunning Cloudland Canyon + stay a night in my mom's cabin.

▼ Host Star Wars movie night at our place {+ I cook dinner - which seems miraculous for this girl who was afraid to turn on her oven for over a year when she got her 1st apartment}!

▼ Dan & I help out with a game station at our church's fall festival + we dress up for the 1st time together {we're an Oreo cookie}!

▼ We celebrate Dan's birthday with a fancy dress-up date at a new restaurant downtown.

November:
▼ We celebrate my birthday with a day trip to Pine Mountain.

▼ Finally take the wedding pics I had been dreaming of for over a year + we make memories I won't soon forget.

▼ I start yet another long term sub position {this time at a great school (Thank You, Jesus!)} as a 5th grade reading / language arts teacher.

▼ Enjoy our annual 2 Thanksgivings - 1st with Dan's parents & then with my family.

▼ Continue our tradition of going to see the lights twinkle & glow at Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights.

December:
▼ Dan & I attend a holiday brass concert + a beautifully magical luminary walk at our city's Botanical Gardens.

▼ We get the call that my littlest nephew is in the children's hospital in Chattanooga with a major health scare.  This is one of the hardest things about not living where the rest of your family does, because I so wanted to be right there.  I cry so many tears + pray so many prayers for this sweet little boy of mine.  It felt like we literally asked everyone we could think of to pray for him, & I'm here to testify that prayer changes things & that our God is good & mighty!  Little Miles is now home + healthy!

▼ Dan & I get our tree + decorate it all up.

▼ We continue our annual tradition & ride the Jolly Trolley to see all the sparkle/shine at Callaway Garden's Fantasy in Lights.

▼ Host our 2nd annual Christmas Open House get-together.

▼ Turn the giant elk statue at our apartment complex into a red-nosed reindeer for the 2nd year running!

▼ Enjoy Christmas a little early with Dan's parents & then head up to TN to spend time with my family.

▼ Put up a tent in our living room {next to our now undecorated real Christmas tree for a little authenticity} & "camp" in so we can check the last thing off our 1 year bucket list.

My Top Favorite Posts of 2017:

In Which I Find a Secret Garden

Our Love Story {In 5+ Parts}

How I Said "Yes" to my {eBay} Wedding Dress!

Our Honeymoon Adventures

Our Arizona Anniversary Adventure

DIY Vacation Memory Jar

The Day the Eggs Made Me Smile

The Gifts in My Marriage

This is Just for Me {& Just Maybe You}

Little Letters // November 2017

Once Upon an Autumn Day

When Baby Fever Hits & You Don't Have a Baby

Thanks for being a reader!  Happy New Year's Eve!

Happy 2017!

It's a brand new start, that's what they say about New Year's.  The countdown reaches 1 & the glittery light ball descends & the ticker counter of all our past year's mistakes seems to reset as soon as Auld Lang Syne reaches our ears.  The page flips to a new chapter & it's a bright white page of possibilities ready for the writing.  I used to think of New Year's as this magical wiping clean of the slate & the nervous anticipation of the mess up that would soon follow when my imperfect self can't hold to the resolutions I've made to be perfect.  Here's a reminder to all my fellow humans: we are human & imperfect & sinful & messed up in general.  That's why there's Jesus - & boy do we/I need Him!  He gives us the hope, strength, joy, forgiveness, & daily fresh starts that you don't have to wait another 365 for.  If you ask me, that's more legit than any phony fresh feeling that this ideal of New Year's could bring any day!

Let's live this 2017 seeking His face daily with our imperfect hearts.  It certainly won't be perfection, but it will definitely be grace-filled progress.

Thank You, Lord, for this New Year!  May we each live out fully the adventures you have for us.

Happy New Year everyone!

2016: A Year in Review

2016 was one of those years for me.  It was a pulling & stretching year full of new things, surprises {or almost surprises}, & deep changes that, if I'm totally transparent, are still pretty tough for me.  There were tears upon tears & also laughter upon laughter.  Both joy & heartache deeper than I'd felt in many a year.  There was also doubt & insecurity - way too much, I admit - & I feel I almost drowned in it at times.  Looking back, I know God was with me through every single moment of that now past 365, because I know I couldn't have made it on my own.  I still know that, by the way.  It's a daily truth I feel deep.  Here's a few highlights from 2016...

January:

🔻 Dan asks me for my ring size!  He tries to play it off like it's for the possible/maybe far off future - if it comes to that - he'll have it tucked away kinda thing.  Every girl knows if the ring size is asked, it's pretty serious stuff.  We were at a restaurant at the time, & a few moments after the asking was done, I quietly excused myself to the restroom to do the crazy what-just-happened prayer & silly uncontrollable grinning, slightly hyperventilating scared-out-of-my-wits thing.

🔻 I get a month long sub job as a librarian at a school deep in the hood.  P.S.: It was rough & tough at times, but I survive just fine!

February:

🔻 Dan & I celebrate our 1st boyfriend/girlfriend Valentine's Day!  We have a fancy dress-up dinner date {I wear the most amazing red dress I snagged at a consignment sale for next to nothing}, & then we go star gazing on the mountain where he carved our names the previous Oct. {note this mountain is important later on in the year, too}.

March:

🔻 Dan & I serve together packaging up bags of rice {to send overseas} at my church, & I feel like I could serve Christ with this man my whole life.

April:

🔻 I get my braces off & enjoy my crowd-free straight smile!  Oh, I didn't mention I had braces this whole time?  I did.  I was one of those get braces as an adult people.  It does make you take care of them better when it's your own $ paying for it, by the way.  Dan took probably over a half hour to even notice they were off when I visited next, but maybe he was nervous because...

🔻 Dan proposes for our 1 year boyfriend/girlfriend anniversary on the mountain in front of the tree where he carved our names encompassed by the heart!  {I said yes, but I guess you knew that by now.}

🔻 This was the start of a very rough season where my doubts, anxiety, & insecurities nearly drove me from those I loved most.

🔻 I kill my sweet car in a wreck.  Thankfully no one else was hurt.

May - June:
🔻 Wedding planning with intermittent hyperventilating & such.

July:
🔻 Packing up to move to Georgia & to an apartment I'd only seen in photos.

🔻 Dan drove through the night to come on an unplanned visit because I needed him.  I knew after that visit that he would protect my heart always.

August:
🔻 I make the big move south with 2 cars + a U-haul.

🔻 I join a church down here & become a member.

🔻 We explore an abandoned house together.  Pretty creepy {& so fun}!  Pretty thankful nobody got arrested!

September:
🔻 I marry my best friend outside while butterflies flit past us.

🔻 We honeymoon in Orlando & visit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, & Hollywood Studios!

October - December:
🔻 We work on this amazing & hard adventure called "marriage."

🔻 I land a long term sub position as an elementary school's librarian - &, oh man, do I thank God for it!

🔻 We enjoy our 1st "married" holidays {because we were dating long distance, we hadn't been together on any actual fall/winter holidays before}!  We pass out candy on Halloween & watch nostalgic Halloween specials, enjoy 2 Thanksgiving dinners, & Christmas with his family then mine.

🔻 We start new Christmas traditions, put up my 1st real tree, visit both Rock City's & Callaway Garden's light shows, eat Kilwin's ice cream on Christmas Eve, & go see the broadway version of The Little Mermaid {it was one of my Christmas gifts}!

Whoa, what a year!  Really & truly it has been a mad whirlwind of change/growth, craziness, & countless blessings.  Thank You, Lord, for your patience & limitless love You bestowed again & again on your mess of a daughter this year!  I can't wait to see what adventures You have in store for us in 2017!

Happy {almost} New Year's!