Refresh, Renew, Recharge: Here We Go!

Ok, so I really do love to write & blog & journal...
Well, sorta!

Are you one to think a lot to yourself but never end up writing things out for yourself or even other people to read?  I am.  I have been told before that I'm a thinker.  Maybe I think too much.  I don't know but since this is true of me, I have decided to find a way to put my thoughts, findings, learnings into a simple, fun format.

And I just don't want to share with myself.  That is boring.  =P
So here's my new challenge/adventure:  Starting today, I am planning to blog everyday. 

On Sundays, I will be writing about something to help kickstart the week off to refresh, renew or recharge myself for the week.  My hope is that it will be beneficial to some of you as well.

Day 1: Sunday
This is my way to recharge one of my passions.  Starting this blog.  Today's post is meant to be simple & short.  So here ya go! 

Going to start somewhere!

I took this picture from the Red Rock Mountains that we live close by

Love. How deep is it? What do we do with it?

Ok, I consider myself a person with the ability to write.  Yet, most times I have writers block.  It's odd because my brain runs a mile a minute but when I try to sit down and write/type, it all comes out messy...

So with that in mind, here it goes!

Thursday, Mark & I celebrated 10 years of marriage.  Now, let me tell you when we first were engaged & then in the honeymoon stage, I thought everything was always going to be easy.  Haha!

Not true!

Engagement pictures

I have grown more in the past 10 years than I EVER thought was possible. (Random Side note: this coming from a person who, as a kid, never thought a basic countertop microwave could be updated/improved. ha!)  Anyway, marriage is tough stuff people.  Mark was wise enough from the very beginning to let me know and I quote, "This is going to be tough, Lori."  He knew what I didn't know from the start & he wasn't afraid to say it up front.  At the time, I thought he was crazy...haha!  Now, I know exactly what he was talking about.  I had to slowly come out of my fantasy world to realize the truth about what marriage really is.  So here's a glimpse of our journey over the past 10 years:

 

Marriage.  Love.  Selflessness.  Growth. There have been times when I didn't "like" my hubby.  It's not because I have ever felt that I didn't love Mark.  It's all the insecurities, immaturity and idiosyncrasies.  You take two people who have those different things (which we ALL do) & have them live together for the rest of their lives, well, let's just say LOVE better flourish!!

Here I am reminded of the bible verse on love.  Don't check out on me now.  I truly believe this verse sets the bar to a level where we can build an understanding of how to truly Love in this life.

"Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but love rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Take a moment to honestly think about all of these ways to love.  As I go down each one, I'm either thinking...umm, I'm horrible at that OR I'm ok on that one OR hmm, I wonder how Mark thinks I do because I think I could definitely do better.

I have to admit, I've lost my patience more times than I care to count and said many unkind things that I didn't mean but I let my emotions take over.  At times for me, it's what I don't say that gets me in trouble  ;)

When it says love bears all things, I really believe it means you let go & allow yourself to grow.  You let go & allow your spouse to grow.  There will be plenty of times when you won't agree on something.  So when that moment comes, a decision one way or the other will be made.  Now, whether that decision was correct or not, well, that's when you have to figure out how to move forward.  And you bear, hope, believe and endure through it.

Memories! 

2004

 

2013

After 10 years + 2 days of marriage, I can truly say that this verse speaks volumes to me.  It reminds me that I don't have it all together.  But at the same time, I'm not shutting myself off from learning the truth behind it.

Life continues to challenge us.  Seasons change.  At the end of the day, I am very glad that I get to share my days with my hubby, Mark.  He gets me.  He allows me to grow.  He encourages me to grow & vice versa!

~Lori

My Newest Adventure

DRAWING & CRAFTS
I recently saw a quote that said something like Crafting is therapy.  It has proven true for me.  It's a release of tension, a moment of calm when life is so busy with being crazy.  Ha!  What makes it even more worth-while is a crafting buddy! 

DRAWING
Mark has always enjoyed drawing so, when I decided to create the Arendalle castle for Violet's birthday party, I knew Mark would really like to draw Elsa's North Mountain Castle to complement it.  Over two weeks ago, as I was prepping for Violet's birthday party, I found some joy in drawing.  The funny thing is I'm not a big fan of drawing, especially on a large scale.  Yet, somehow I have found great pleasure in starting to draw more.

We definitely had a great time creating these two pieces.  Maybe Disney will hire us.  ;) 


CRAFTING
Now, my crafting buddy is my amazing sister, Jodi!   This lady can craft and make awesome things all day long.  Plus its a bonus that I get to tag along with her and craft as well.  I might be the annoying little sister but we have tons of fun together.  Recently, we discovered a new wood store in town that is full of many goodies!  Pre-cut wood that just needs some paint, bling & crafty sisters to make such cute things.  Here is a look at my latest project:

SIMPLICITY is my favorite!

The remaining blocks above are still waiting to be completed & I can't wait.  Simple crafting projects is where it's at for me.  Release. Calm. Fun. Easy. Bonding. 

This is just the beginning of many things to come.

 Look for more of our projects later.

~Lori

My Desire to Write

For some time, I have really wanted to get back to writing on my blog.  It has been a difficult task to do because so many other things compete for my time & attention.  I am starting this venture again because I know it is a tool in my toolbelt that needs to be brushed off & used.

For years now, I have wanted to write on different topics.  Maybe even get something published.  God has taken me down a certain path to understand how to appreciate this.  I very excitedly have followed & gone with the flow (some times much harder than others).  I am constantly flooded with different thoughts on many topics from day to day. 

My life is a mix of many exciting things: 
**Topics of passion:
Walking out my life for God's kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
My adoring husband & 2 precious kiddos
Life as a stay-at-home mom
Marriage
Parenting
Education
Health & fitness

**Hobbies/Interests
Couponing
Crafting
Writing 
Traveling
Drawing (newest)

My life is unique from yours.  We are all different.  We all have the opportunity to grow, learn & find our purpose.  I don't believe anyone is exempt from this.  So, if you choose to, I would love for you to follow me through this blog or send me a message through Facebook social media. 

Remember, we are able to grow, enjoy life more & push through even the toughest of circumstances.

Constructive dialog welcome.  =)

Grace,

Lori

Wanting to Blog

It has been one year since I last blogged.  Wow, that is not such a good record.  Oh well!  Suppose there are much worse things to be behind in in life.  This blog will be short in hopes that I can start to remember to blog just as a good habit to form...

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

What a great day!  (Minus the rainy weather.)  Our subdivision had its 1st annual Cookies with Santa today!  Milk, cookies, hot cider, warm fireplace, beautiful Christmas tree, wonderful people and, of course, Santa!...What else could make for a fun fall morning?!  The whole event turned out really well!  The decorations were gorgeous, the treats were yummy, and Violet had an absolute blast playing with all the older kids!  She thought the kids were soo much fun!  Ever since she could recognize kids (probably around 4 or 5 months old) she has watched them intently, studying every move.  Well, today with so many children running around, she was in playtime heaven!!  Haha!  She just made herself at home with them by waving to them, trying to follow and keep up with them.  I can definitely tell she won't have any problems making friends as she gets older.

Not Enough Time

So, here I am blogging for the first time in several days.  I'm not typically a "bloggy/journaly" type person but it's pretty neat to sit down and type.  Of course, when do I ever have time to write a blog?!  Good question.  Between being a full-time wife, mommy, and intervention specialist, its definitely challenging to balance it all.  But I often remind myself to take it day by day and to get done what I can...anything to take the pressure off is best.  It works pretty well for me.  The best part of all my daily roles is that it is building more character, experience and love for my family.  God won't give me more than I can handle.  HE has blessed Mark and me very very much.  We want to be the best stewards of what HE has given us presently and in the future.

Here it is a lovely Saturday afternoon and so much has been accomplished already but yet still so much to do before 3pm!!!!!  We are headed out in a couple hours to get our family Christmas pictures done.  So I'm stressing that in my ever challenging time-management skills, will I be able to pull of what I need to get done in the next couple hours.  Well, it boils down to priorities.  What is really important to get done before we leave and what can wait until tonight after Violet goes to bed?  The answer would probably be A LOT of tasks could wait.  But eating lunch, giving Violet a bath, and putting on makeup should be top priority.  So, I better gooooooooo otherwise my priority list will be shot.