FAMILY/ Featured

My Favorite Necklace & Why I Get One Every Year

{this post is was written for my one word of 2015. Stay tuned for an upcoming post with my one word for this year!}

Every year I choose one word to keep close to my heart throughout the year. This year my word is ‘COMPLETE,’ and I literally keep it close to my heart by wearing it on a special necklace. I have a tradition of getting a one word necklace each year with my ‘word’ on it from our dear Krafty Kash, and it is always so special to me.

Let me tell you why I chose the word ‘COMPLETE.’

Almost 1 year ago I was at a conference called Refresh My Heart that was put on here in Nebraska by my friend Lelia Chealey. I was looking forward to the retreat for so many reasons. My sweet pink sister Karen, whom I met through this blog, was coming all the way from California to be with me and attend the retreat. She was there to support, for I was speaking on “How To Fully Live While Facing Death.” I am a two-time cancer survivor, one whose chances of living a long life has been cut short by cancer.

When we arrived to the conference, at the sign in table there were tiny little boxes that had each of our names on them. We were to carry them with us and NOT to open them until we were told. The anticipation was super fun and I wondered what was in the box…

…I’m writing about my one word choice from last year over at Krafty Kash today. Join me for the rest of the story of how I am living ‘complete’ & to see how the necklace looks on me over there?

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Want your own one-word necklace? There is a great deal going on now. Use olw2016 for to receive 20% off your order. The offer is good through 1/18/16.

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Marriage/ Sponsored

Reclaiming Date Night

Todd and I have had date nights as long as we have been married, which is going on almost 20 years! We were super faithful with date nights before the kids were born, going out once a week and having at least one elaborate date once a month. We lived in the Chicago during our first 2 years of marriage, so there were plenty of places to go to & choose from for date night. Once we started having kids, we moved back to Nebraska and date night turned into every other week, as paying babysitters got expensive. Grandparents were awesome with helping watch the kids, so some months we got to go every week. Whether it was every week or every other week, it was a priority for us.

The past year or so we have found it more of a struggle to get out on a date night on a regular basis. Having teenagers keep us very busy on the weekends, and my health issues this past year really kept us from going out much.

Now that I am feeling more like myself, we have started going out on date nights on a more regular basis. It is still hard with teenagers, but keeping our dates short so we can run them around town is better than no date at all!

We keep our date nights pretty simple. We both are foodies so we always go out to eat.

Here are reasons date night is important to us:

~It allows us to really ‘see’ each other. There is something quite romantic about sitting across from my man and seeing the one I committed to spending my whole life with. Life can pass so quickly, so slowing down to really look my Todd in the eyes, connect with him, and listen to him with no distractions is important and time very well spent.

~It causes us to pause and ‘be’ instead of ‘do.’ We are together every day doing all that life brings our way. It is so important to just be together and slow the hustle that life brings.

~It is fun. Life can bring some pretty heavy things along the way, so taking the time to have some fun is important to us. Fun for us means connecting emotionally & of course, eating great food!

We love LOVE food. My Todd especially loves sea food, so recently I initiated a date night and took my man out to Red Lobster for their Endless Shrimp. He is usually the one who initiates and takes me out, so this was quite fun to change things up a bit and take him out. We had the BEST time.

The evening really was perfect. The weather was in the upper 70’s and the sun was just starting to set as we drove to dinner. I wore some new booties that I just got and threw on some jewelry to add a little sparkle to my casual outfit. Gotta look good for my man!

We were surprised at how busy Red Lobster was, and worried that the wait would be long, but despite all of the people who were there excited to eat some sea food, we were seated within minutes.

Red Lobster is the world’s largest seafood restaurant company, headquartered in Orlando Florida, with over 700 restaurants in the United States and Canada. Red Lobster is focused on delivering freshly prepared seafood at reasonable prices. It was obvious on this night that Red Lobster is where their guests come to satisfy their craving for great seafood!

Our waitress was super sweet and immediately took our drink orders. We ordered two of their new beer-based cocktails, that are available exclusively during Endless Shrimp & paired perfectly with our Endless Shrimp dishes. One was called the Seaside Shandy and the other was the Angry Lobster. Hands down my favorite was the Angry Lobster. Bold and spicy, the Angry Lobster features Anger Orchard Crisp Apple Cider, tropical fruit juices and a kick of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey. I had no idea I was about to taste a drink that was so good that I would be thinking about it a week later. It was so good I had to text my sister to tell her to go to Red Lobster and order one ASAP. It was like tasting fall in a drink — the cinnamon apple flavor was so delicious! To. Die. For.

Both cocktails are served in a beer can-shaped commemorative glass with the Red Lobster logo & are sold with the purchase of a cocktail.

When it was time to take our order, the waitress was really great at her job and answered my questions before I even asked them! We knew we were going to order their Endless Shrimp, which is going on now and for a limited time at Red Lobster. This year, you can choose two out of 5 shrimp preparations for your initial order, and then you can enjoy as much shrimp as you would like, any way you want it, and can mix-and match different preparations.

These are the dishes that are only available during Endless Shrimp:

~NEW! Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites — coconut shrimp bites tossed in pineapple habanero sauce

~Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp — classic guest favorite and back by popular demand, grilled shrimp brushed with soy-ginger glaze

~Hand-Breaded Shrimp– Hand-breaded shrimp friend to a golden brown.

~Garlic Shrimp Scampi — Oven-broiled shrimp in garlic, white wine and butter

~Shrimp Linguini Alfredo— tender shrimp in a garlic Parmesan cream sauce on a bed of linguine

I started out with the Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites, and the Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp. I loved the sound of the Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites, but was worried it would be too spicy for my wimpy palate. Our waitress told me they could put the sauce on the side, but that it was not overly spicy. It ended up being my favorite of all, and it did have a bite, but boy, was it good with the sweetness of the coconut shrimp. I also loved the Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp. My first 2 choices ended up being my favorite.

Todd started with Shrimp Linguini Alfredo and the Hand-Breaded Shrimp. He got a refill of the Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites, and I got a refill of Hand-Breaded Shrimp, but I was getting super full by this time. We had already enjoyed the Cheddar Bay Biscuits that Red Lobster is known for. I also had a salad which was really fresh and green, topped with their Blueberry Balsamic dressing–yes, it was as good as it sounds.

Todd and I were enjoying conversation when a couple of familiar faces walked up and greeted us. My Todd is Programs Director at a non-profit organization called City Impact. He works with young people and 2 of the students we have worked with were there working the room as host and hostess. They were so professional–they were dressed sharply in all black and were communicating discretely with other team members through their headsets. They were busy with things like setting up tables, seating people in a timely manner, & bringing a high chair to a family with little ones. Todd and I were so happy that they stopped by to say hi and we beamed with pride at the way they owned the room and made service flow so wonderfully. That was a fun surprise.

We did save room for dessert and ordered the Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie as suggested by one of Todd’s students. It was really yummy. I can’t ever have dessert with out a cup of coffee, so I ordered a cup of decaf and it was delicious paired with our dessert.

It was so nice to just sit and enjoy great food with my husband. We had great conversation, just catching up on life and even setting a few goals for our family in the future. We ended up super satisfied and headed home to snuggle up and watch some of our favorite television that we had recorded earlier in the week. I love finishing date night curled up together in our cozy home!

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What about you?

Have you ever eaten at Red Lobster during Endless Shrimp? If you do go during Endless Shrimp, use the hashtag #EndlessReasonsContest on social media to share your reasons for loving Endless Shrimp and be entered to win daily prizes throughout the event.

What about date night? Do you need to reclaim date night? How often do you and your significant other go out on a date? What do you like to do on dates?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Marriage/ Spiritual

Using Scripture To Fight Fairly In Marriage

Marriage is something to fight for these days, and calling it quits is rarely the answer. Learning how to fight fairly is key in fighting for your marriage.

I am about to turn 40 next month and I find myself a bit frustrated with how immature I can be in this area. I am an emotional and sensitive being, which can be a beautiful thing, but it also has a few negatives. When fighting in marriage, emotional & sensitive can often translate into being defensive.

Despite my frustration, God has been faithful in showing me how He is the answer & my defense, so I don’t have to be defensive. When I put down my defenses, I can finally, truly, hear my Todd instead of being preoccupied with my own feelings.

Putting down defenses takes a humility & grace. It takes compassion for the other person. It takes a trust in knowing that I am fully loved by the best of Defenders.

I have an app on my phone that sends daily readings in Psalms and Proverbs. This week I was Proverbs 18 & Psalms 18. Both gave me insight into how to fight fairly in marriage, and I am thanking God for his provision, as my Todd & I were able to talk through some issues that had been sending spinning, around and around in circles. You know what I mean, don’t you? Talking in circles and getting nowhere.

These verses caused me to rest in God’s provision, reminding me I am fully loved, quieting me so that I could truly listen. This and my husbands’ humble response back to me got us off the crazy spinning wheel.

Proverbs 18

{some words from the Message version}

~Do not run off at the mouth v2

~Do not use many words v4

~Do not come down hard on the innocent v5

~Do not be like a fool & start fights v7

~Run to & say the name of God, for it is a place of protection v10

~Remember that pride causes you to crash v12

~With humility comes honor v12

~It is wise to listen & always seek to learn v15

~It is ok to agree to disagree v18

~Words can kill or give life, they are either poison or fruit–you choose v21

~When you find a good spouse, you find a good life & the favor of God v22

~Humbly speak in soft supplications v23

~Do not bark out answers v24

~A true friend sticks close like family v24

……….

Ah, such good advice, huh?

And then there is this, words inspired from Psalm 18 & from God who is my Defender, so I do not have to be defensive, and a realization of who the true enemy is–who we are TRULY fighting.

Psalm 18

{Message version, paraphrased by me}

I love you God, you make me strong, I live in your castle and you are my rescuing knight.

I run for dear life to you, I hide in you, I am safe in your hideout.

I sing to you & find myself safe and saved.

I cry to God to help me, He hears my call.

My cry brings me right into His presence–a private audience of just me and God!

You catch me, reaching all the way from sky to sea, pulling me out of enemy chaos where I was drowning, the enemy who hit me when I was down.

But You God, stuck by me.

You take me to wide open spaces, I stand safe & saved, surprised to be loved.

God completes my life when I place all my life pieces before Him.

I bring my act to Him & He gives me a fresh start.

Oh God, keep me alert to your ways & help me not to take you for granted.

Keep me in you, everyday reviewing your ways, watching my step.

Piece by piece you put me back together. I open my heart to you and you see me.

I taste your goodness–I am good.

I taste your health–I am whole.

I taste your truth–I am true.

When I am down and out you are on my side. Take me down a notch when I am stuck up or stuck on myself.

Floodlight my life, in the lightroom you reveal and show me your glory–you are blazing with glory!

Your road stretches straight & smooth. I run in God direction, a road tested, and I make it just as you promised.

You prepared me & pointed me in the right direction, You show me how to fight

You protect me and hold me with a firm hand.

You caress me and your gentle ways clear the ruble so I will not stumble

You have surrounded me well

Keep rescuing me from squabbles, Oh Lord, rescue us!

Bring your revival.

I thank you God. I praise your name with songs

You rule & win over all!

You chose me as your beloved, for my name means beloved.

…………

The meaning of my name, Amy, REALLY IS beloved. Oh to remember this at all times, that I am fully known & fully loved by Creator God. Knowing & believing this brings the spinning to an abrupt and peaceful stop. Yay God!

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Love/ Marriage

24 Ways To Be A Helper To Your Husband

Helper: One who gives assistance or support to another, making life more pleasant or bearable.

“It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him. I will make him a helper.”– God Genesis 2:18 (emphasis added)

So, how do you feel about being a helper? I’ve always been okay with the term, as on of my gifts is acts of service, so helping people is something I love to do, but I know many women who struggle with feeling like this title is ‘less than’ or inferior. My struggle is different. My struggle is remembering who I am called to be and putting the energy into it.

If you do struggle with this word, it might help to remember that the word Helper, is actually a precious word that God uses to describe himself!

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. Isaiah 41:10

In this verse God is assuring His people, telling them not to worry, because He will be their helper. He considers it a worthy calling, so I do to.

I’ve recently had a reawakening when it comes to wanting to be the wife God has called me to be. This has come along my heart for a couple of reasons.

I am just coming out of a season where I was quite sick for a long period of time. It has taken months to get back to myself, of which I really will write about soon, (let me reassure you that I am still in remission, much of the sickness has come from ongoing hormone treatment and side effects from that treatment) but I was so sick that I went inward, and really could only focus on getting through everyday. It was quite a selfish period…not really… but kind of. I did my best to give as much as I could each day, but physical and emotional illness caused me to not be able to give like I was used to.

The second reason is an amazing couple I know and who I wrote about, that recently went to Heaven. They had the marriage I think we all long to have. They were best friends and just did marriage so well! Here is a quote from Terri…I must share as it just hit me so hard how beautiful her thinking and way of living was.

“‘You become what the most important person in your life thinks that you are. “At the end of Ty’s life, I want him to be able to say, ‘Terri was the greatest earthly blessing in my life – the best thing that ever happened to me – and that I’m a better man because of how she loved me. And that’s the goal that I live with every day. That’s how I want to love this man.‘”

Now that I am able to focus more on others, and I have a very tangible example of what a great marriage looks like, I am very excited to start by focusing on my own and the one that is most important to me…my Todd.

In doing that, I have been reading a book and the beginning chapter talks about being a helper.

It is not really doing something, but being someone. An identity that I want to keep in the forefront of my mind. It is a worthy calling.

I ask myself: Do I make my husband’s life more pleasant and bearable? Does he depend on me? Can he now that I am feeling better? Have I communicated this to him? Does he feel my support? How do I react when he asks me to do things for him? What are things I do or can do to accomplish this?

Lately I have been able to practice the answers to these questions as it is my Todd’s most busy time of year. He works for a non-profit organization as a programs director and also as an after school reading center director. This week and next he is just swamped and has needed me to step up and take care of things he normally would take care of. This plays out practically in lots more time in the car for me…rides for our 3 girls in the evenings that he would usually give. It also looks like me going to teachers meetings alone and being quite proactive in being the main parenting figure right now, at least during the week. I hope he is starting to feel the unconditional support as my attitude in doing this purposefully and cheerfully is still pretty new. It’s not that I was unwilling before, it is just that now I want to do it in a way that makes him feel confident that the house can be run well even when he is working extra hours; and that he has a wife who is capable of picking up where he needs to let go.

Honestly, the past 2 months this would have been really, really hard to do as my health was so precarious, but thank our sweet Lord I am stronger now and able to really be proactive in my new convictions. I am so thankful for better health!

I must admit, not only did it take a change of health, but also a change of heart. It is so easy to become apathetic and not want to change. My motivation came from seeing the beauty of a marriage done God’s way, and I will forever be grateful for such a beautiful example.

My new attitude will not always come easy. I know there is an enemy of our souls that wants to bring fear, disobedience, scorekeeping, contentiousness and cause me stumble over pride. I will not let him win.

So what does being a supportive, pleasant, bearable, dependable helpmate look like for me? How am I going to live this out practically?

Well, I plan on asking Todd specifically what is most helpful for him. But in the meantime, I know him well enough to know where to start.

………………

A few steps I’m taking in being a supportive, pleasant, & dependable “Helper”:

I will soften my face when I look at my husband.

I will smile at him, even if only with my eyes.

I will be attentive, acknowledging when he walks in the room.

I will be attentive, without putting pressure or expectation on him to be attentive back.

I will hug/kiss him hello and goodbye.

I will give him time to decompress and do ‘Todd’ things when he gets home.

I will do my best to make him feel special to me, like I’m his biggest fan.

I will exude warmth.

I will not share with him all that has gone wrong with my day the minute he walks in the door.

I will pray “Lord, please help me be willing to be willing.”

I will have my closest friends ask me about how I am doing in being “helper”

I will continue give my heart only to him and no other, with protective barriers up against all others.

I will not compare him unfavorably with others

I will work on making our marriage bed the warmest place known to the both of us.

I will use words like “good morning” “have a good day” “I love you” “how are you?” “need anything?”

I will look for ways to make him feel special in my presence

I will find ways to let him know he is of great worth to me

I will figure out how to best communicate how much I respect what he does and who he is

I will be committed to all of this even when I don’t feel like he might deserve it at times.

I will love and treat him as the man I know he can be even if he is having an off day.

I will choose to see the good.

I will make “deposits” into our marriage, more than “withdraws.”

I will pick myself up and try again, even if I ‘drop the ball’ in these goals.

I will do all of this through Christ, who is the only one who can fully and perfectly love me in the way I long to be loved. As I grasp how very head over heals in love God is with me, I can then love others in the same way.

…………….

What about you? Does this list resonate with you? Does it make you fearful or nervous? Are you already doing most of these things? What are your experiences? What are your thoughts?

FAMILY/ Leaving A Legacy/ Spiritual

Remembering The Schenzels – I Can’t Find My Words So I Will Share Theirs

{photo via Hope Jewell}

Love.

It is something I have begged God to help me understand just how deep and wide and BIG His love for me is. You see, if I can just grasp, it will rescue me from fear, show me who really am and what true self worth is, and connect me to my sweet Maker in the deepest of ways. I long to know and feel His love in deeper and deeper ways.

God is granting my request, but in His mysterious way, is doing it in a way I never dreamed He would. He has done it through tragedy.

I don’t understand His ways. But I do know that He is pure love and only good, so I trust His way.

I have experienced His promise of working all things for the good of those who love Him, even the most tragic of things. I’m seeing it right before my eyes, as I read story after story on a Facebook Memorial page dedicated to 2 of the most influential people I have ever met.

Ty & Terri Schenzel went to Heaven 2 weeks ago today. They died in a horrendous, fiery car accident, while on their way to a vacation with a younger couple they mentored.

Ty & Terri both had a huge impact on my life, in person when I was young and vulnerable. I just soaked up their love and words of wisdom. I recent years, I’ve soaked their love in via social media, especially Ty, who was such a cheerleader to me with all his “likes” and “hearts” and comments when I would post. I’ve wanted to share them with you all week, but have not been able to find my words, and still don’t have adequate words to do justice to the amazing people that they were.

Instead, I’m going to share photos, videos, links & quotes to give you a glimpse of what God’s love looks like when fully lived by His people. This post really is as much for me as it is for you, a place to come back to for words and resources from my sweet friends. It is a privilege to share them with you.

{photo via Hope Jewell}

{Ty & Terri in their own words}

{Their 4 Children Speak At The Funeral-so raw, beautiful.}

Ty & Terri were:

Hilariously Holy
Optimistically Open
Prayerful Pioneers
Exalted Everyone

{Pastor Murdoch’s Words From The Funeral}

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MARRIAGE

Ty & Terri had the most beautiful marriage, and were more in love the day they died than they were the day they met. They left behind so much priceless marriage advice, and I am ingesting it all and finding myself so influenced by their words.

The following podcasts are so very good and capture the love they had for each other. I’ve listened to them twice and took notes the second time. Be sure to make time to listen to them, you won’t regret it.

{How they met, in their own words, and amazing marriage advice}

“‘You become what the most important person in your life thinks that you are. “At the end of Ty’s life, I want him to be able to say, ‘Terri was the greatest earthly blessing in my life – the best thing that ever happened to me – and that I’m a better man because of how she loved me. And that’s the goal that I live with every day. That’s how I want to love this man.‘”

-Loveumentary podcast episode 36.

{more marriage advice, part 2}

Hope Filled Marriage — This was Ty & Terri’s new venture. Encouraging other couples in their marriages through videos, a website, and workshops. Oh, how I wish I would have attended one! The videos alone are so great.

“Love is like a bank account. Every interaction you create is either a deposit or a withdrawal. If you keep making deposits, your love always overflows. You never go bankrupt.”

Videos on Marriage From Ty & Terri

“I think “BFF” means “Best Friends Forever”. When it comes to my marriage to the former Terri Alexander, she is for sure my best friend…forever.

How great is that?! My wife is my best friend. Like, I can’t get enough of hanging out with her. I’m pretty sure she feels the same way about me…at least I hope so.

When we’re together, which is a lot, we: laugh, eat, process our thoughts, feelings and emotions…go to movies, get a cone at McDonald’s, walk around at the mall, drive through neighborhoods looking at homes, eat, laugh, call our kids, work at the Hope Center, carpool as much as possible…to name a few.

With each passing year, our love, joy and friendship continues to grow and go deeper. I love my best friend the former Terri Alexander. I’ll love her forever…till the day I die…and when I get to Heaven and see her there, we’ll have forever to continue our friendship…because our friendship is forever.” –February 14, 2012 Ty Schnezel

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TY SCHENZEL

The Hope Center -Ty was founding executive director, and a pastor in Omaha, NE

“Comma before the exclamation point” Ty Last Sermon at Waypoint Church

The graveside burial is a comma and not a period. For the believer, the lover of Jesus, this is not the end. This is not the ultimate, this is not the goodbye, this is the “we’ll see you” — eternally speaking — soon. The graveside, for the believer, is a comma before the exclamation point. / Pastor Ty #‎commanotaperiod

Ty’s Last Tweet

I want the gap between how much God loves and how much I experience His love to be narrowed. #Love — Ty Schenzel (@tyschenzel) August 17, 2015

Ty’s Book “A Thousand Screaming Mules: The Story of Stubborn Hope and One Dad’s Dream To Transform Kids’ Lives”

Wordz From The Hood — A weekly podcast hosted by Pastor Ty Schenzel and former Hope Center for Kids youth Frank Lucas, Wordz from the Hood hopes to provide a window into the heart of life in the inner city.

Ty’s Tumblr Blog

Step Up To Life Booklet – The Little Booklet That Led Ty To God

Ty Sermon Please Be Seated on 1 Thessalonians 1. His teaching was unbelievably moving! Watch it here…..He starts his teaching at 14:24.

“God loves me more than everyone else, not really, but kind of.” –Ty Schenzel

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TERRI SCHENZEL

{Terri’s Favorite Song}

Top 10 Impacts Terri Had On My Life – a great post full of Terri’s words of wisdom

Terri’s Famous Spaghetti Sauce Recipe – just made this yesterday. Oh. My. It makes a ton and is simply delicious. I will be blogging about my experience soon!

Terri’s Blog

………………..

{A song played at the funeral, my new favorite. It is a beautiful reminder of how loved we are.

‘We Dance’ by Steffany Frizzell Gretzinger}

Ty & Terri’s Memorial –attended by 3,000 people in person, and at 7,000-8,000 more by satellite.

Ty & Terri’s Memorial Youtube Channel

Ty & Terri’s Memorial Facebook Page – thousands of stories and tributes made here. It’s been such a place of comfort reading about them!

Take The Baton T-Shirts – to benefit the Schenzel Family Legacy Fund – I’m ordering mine today!

Acts 20:24, “My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” May the mantle Ty & Terri carried be passed down to many. With the mantle on our shoulders and their baton in hand, may this scripture describe us all.
– Pastor Lincoln Murdoch

………………

Thank you for taking the time to read about and learn about these super special people in my life.

I will see you again, Ty & Terri. Until them, thank you for living loved and sharing the love. Thank you for faithfully holding the baton. I will grasp it, hold on to it and always remember your example.

Oh…and Ty? God loves ME most, not really… but kind of.

FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Surviving Summer

{My Middle Girl-Colsie}

My 3 girls are now 15, 14 & 12, and boy does life feel suddenly different. Well, really not so sudden, but definitely the past year since my oldest started high school. I noticed it during the school year, but we still had structure to our days which made the change a bit easier.

This summer though? I feel like we are just sort of surviving. At least I’M feeling that way. I think my girls are having a good summer. I’ve struggled though. Mostly because of health issues I’ve been having, but also because I find myself thinking back to the days of 3 little lovelies who were quite easy to entertain and loved going to the library, the park, the zoo, & swimming every chance they could get. I remember our summers being clear and each day a chance to explore or do a craft or have a lemonade stand with their neighbor friends, or swim all day.

Now that they are teenagers and pre-teens, life is so different! I know you Mom’s of teens know what I mean. Gone are the days of cheap fun at the zoo or park. Now their activities involve rides. Drop off’s and pick up’s. And money! Teenagers are expensive! I have found it has been quite an adjustment, one that I’m trying to embrace.

{My Teagan, Driving!}

My oldest started the summer off with driver’s education. She had to be there for 3 hours a morning, 5 days a week for 2 weeks, then one more week of driving with an instructor. She now has tennis every afternoon for an hour 1/2, 5 days a week. She is also a cross-country runner and needs rides to the trail for practice several times a week. These are just her activities and does not include her church life and social life. She’s a busy girl and I’m a pretty proud Mom.

{My sweet husband and my soccer player, Avery}

My middle girl and youngest also have their own set of activities. Violin lessons, tutoring, soccer, & swimming.

I’ve struggled this summer with juggling all of the things they are involved in and want to do, and trying not to neglect one while running another around.

If you add all of the doctor’s appointments and tests that I have had lately, and a kitchen remodel going on right now (our office is a makeshift kitchen) life can feel pretty unsettled and busy!

I know I am not alone in this feeling and that our schedule is pretty typical of most family’s. I also know that I am very blessed to be at home and be the one to run my girls around.

Speaking of being blessed, this is my solution to surviving this busy summer. To count my blessings.

Blessings:

It is amazing that we are actually, finally, getting our kitchen upgraded! New countertops, cabinets, sink, faucet, refrigerator and flooring! My brother-in-law is doing it for us and he is an awesome presence to have around.

It is amazing that my girls are all healthy and doing well this summer. Emotional and physical health is a huge blessing.

It is amazing that I have access to all of the doctors and tests that I do, and that we have insurance, and that so far my tests results have been negative and normal.

It is amazing that my husband works so hard and allows me to be at home to take care of our girls and my health.

………………..

“Contentment doesn’t mean you are happy in the hard times. It means you are satisfied with life because you know that God has things in control. “

Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His steadfast love endures forever. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13

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How is your summer? Are you a parent of teens? Can you relate to all of the rides it requires?

Marriage

How To Have A Bit Of Romance When Life Is Not Perfect

I’m so over perfect…how about you?

Life is so beautiful, but so not perfect. I’m learning how to fully live even in the imperfect. I’ve learned if I wait for the most ideal situation before fully living, then I will never fully live.

Here is a picture of our quaint but very imperfect back yard. Now that winter is over and beautiful spring evenings are here, I’ve been wanting to invite my Todd out there on the patio. I have had the perfect bottles of wine just waiting for some beautiful moments out there with my Love. Life kept getting in the way, with the busyness of 3 teenagers and me not feeling my best, the days just kept passing.

I decided one night that I was tired of waiting for the perfect weekend, where the grass is mowed and I felt good and where we were not busy. I decided to take action and embrace the imperfect.

So I did. I put together a fun little ‘cutting board’ snack in the middle of the week –it just took me a bit of thought when I grocery shopped, and then 5 minutes to put together– and invited my Todd out for snack and a glass of wine, and for some perfectly imperfect moments with him.

You know what? Doing it in the most unexpected of time — even though yard work was not yet done and even though it was not the weekend –this is what made the moments special. How to have romance when life is not perfect? Just do it anyway. Just move forward and toward.

I know personally I can wait for the most ideal and then miss out on so much! If all of life was perfect, there would be no character to it, and we would not appreciate the good. Notice the rust on the shed in the above picture. I think it adds character. It shows there has been years of weather and yet the shed still stands. That is a beautiful picture of our marriage. Boy, have we been through some storms together, and honestly can feel quite rusty at times, yet we have weathered the storms together. THAT friends, is romantic.

You know what else is romantic? These little round string lights. They are one of the things in our little back yard that makes me very happy. They are a ten dollar string of lights and I think they are quite perfect.

Another thing that I think is quite perfect that we have in our back yard is the sound of water. It is hard to see in the above picture, but if you look in the lower right corner, you can see our water feature bubbling up between the 3 large rocks. It adds just the perfect background sound and let me tell you, when the sun goes down and the string lights dance in the breeze and the water fountain is our background music, THAT is romantic.

Don’t miss the imperfection in the picture. See the dandelions under the ‘grow’ sign? Yep, I see them too, and I can’t wait to pull them! As much as I’m trying to embrace the imperfect, I still don’t like pesky dandelions in my rock beds!

Here is our cutting board snack. It was quite perfect. We had amazing wine from Ribera Y Rueda that went perfectly with our little snack. A little salty with pita crackers, a little savory with bruschetta and hummus, and a little sweet with the tomatoes, grapes and chocolate. I think the perfect snack has elements of salty, savory and sweet and also lots of crunchy and soft texture. I think we nailed it with our little cutting board snack and my Todd agreed.

The perfect touch to our imperfect romantic backyard date was most definitely the wine. Let me tell you a little bit about Ribera Y Rueda wines. For 2,000+ years, winemakers from Ribera and Rueda have cultivated what’s new and what’s next in every vineyard and vintage they produce. They’re located in northwest Spain and only about an hour away from Madrid. It has to be awesome!

Back to that perfect wine that tempted me try and make everything else perfect. When I first started planning this little romantic backyard escape in my mind, I wanted little tapas to go with my wine from Spain. Even though that seems like the perfect pairing, Ribera Y Rueda wines say “Si” to all types of cuisine pairings, which gave me the freedom to pair them with whatever my heart desired.

Todd had Rueda Verdejo, which was of the white grape varietal and was bright and crisp. This bottle is best served chilled. I fell hard in love with the red Ribera Tempranillo varietal which was bold, rugged & ripe. It is best to open this bottle and allow it to breath for 10-15 minutes. It. Was. Amazing.

To learn more about Rueda regions of origin, wine varietals, wine pairings, a product locator and even a wine-themed playlist, click on through to the Rueda y Rueda Tumblr page feature

I had to snap a few photos of our time together. I had imperfect hair. Todd would say he had his imperfect workout shoes on, and even my silly smooch looked a bit manic, but we didn’t care. We loved every second of it. It didn’t last long, as the weather didn’t cooperate and it cooled down quickly, but even short and sweet and perfectly imperfect.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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