12 Months. 12 Truths.

My first year as a Mrs. feels like it has flown by and crept along, all at the same time! I have learned so many things over the past year as a new wife. Here are 12 things that I’ve come to believe since getting married. Many of these things/ideas are ones that I have known for a while or were shared with me throughout my “single years”. But now, having personally experienced them, I BELIEVE them to be true. I know that I have a plethora of things to learn in regards to marriage; I am by no means an expert. These are just a few things I’ve come to believe over the past 12 months (and some pics to show you what we’ve been up to these past months).

April 2014 - We spent our honeymoon in a lovely cabin in the middle of nowhere...peaceful. 

1. The wedding is just a day. It’s the marriage that really matters.

May - I had my first experience swing dancing with my new hubby. 

2. Maintaining the separate friendships you had before getting married is important and challenging.

June - We visited B's family in Houston and had fun on the boardwalk. 

3. Getting a new family (and culture in my case) is a gift.

July - A road trip to Austin was just what we needed and we tried a local favorite spot!

4. Marriage is hard work. Harder work than I ever could have anticipated. It is not for wimps. 

August - We went to Africa and had the opportunity to ride a camel together. 

5. Marriage is like constantly peeling an onion: there are so many layers and sometimes those layers make you cry. 

September - We hopped a plane to the Jersey Shore with friends.

6. Traveling with your hubby is a blessing.

October - We celebrated our 6 month wedding anniversary in Downtown Ft. Worth.

7. It’s imperative to laugh with your spouse.

November - We rested, saw movies, and spent time with family on Thanksgiving Break.

8. Selfishness is the quickest way to start a fight.

December - What a fun night we had at our sweet friends' wedding!

9. I don’t always have to be right.

January - A super tasty and laughter-filled evening celebrating new marriages with friends.

10. You need the support and truth of community. 

February - Lots of fun memories from February, but it's the everyday things I love most, like running errands together. 

11. Your spouse is a mirror that shows you the depravity of your flesh. 

March - Spring Break gave us the chance to spend some time in nature. 

12. Your spouse is ever-changing. And to be fair, so are you.

April 2015 - We had a fabulous and relaxing weekend celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary!!! We made it! And for all you people who have told us it gets easier after the first year, you had better be right. ;) 

Oh, What Joy!

God has blessed me with a precious church in which the pastor is God-fearing and preaches the truth, even when it's not popular. The Village Church has been a saving grace in my life and I cannot imagine being a part of any other body of believers. It challenges my thinking, gives me a place to serve, allows me to hold sweet babies while their parents hear the Gospel preached, introduced me to profound community through home groups, brings me life-lasting friendships, and provided the avenue in which my eyes were opened to God's love for the African people. It is simply home. 

Tonight my pastor, Matt Chandler, concluded our Advent series and I was overwhelmed by a specific text he read. He read from many texts in the Bible and said lots of convicting things, but this is what my heart held on to. 

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He willdwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment."     ~Revelation 21:1-6 (ESV)

I don't know about you, but I am weary of the trivial things of this world. I am tired of the evil. I am sick of the sorrow and pain. I am worn down by the injustice. I am ready to be with my Lord. 

I am overwhelmed at how amazing the new heaven and new earth, that the Father talks about, are going to be. Can you even imagine? Well, neither can I because our finite human minds just aren't capable of imagining such glory. To be honest, that's okay with me. 

I am anxiously awaiting the day when He makes all things new. Oh, what joy! 

New Looks, New Books

Yay! I got a new position this year! We are now departmentalized and I get to teach JUST Reading/Writing! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

So, with that great change I knew my classroom needed a great change as well. I pretty much live in my classroom so I wanted it to feel a little bit like "home". 

I moved things around, got a reading nook (duh, I'm a Reading teacher, we need somewhere comfy to sit), and changed some of my organization to accommodate 5 classes. 

Old...

 

New...

 

Old...

New...

(Not much difference.)

Old...

New...

 

 

Old...

New...

Reading Nook

Old "Welcome" Bulletin Board...

New "Welcome" Bulletin Board...

I must wonder aloud, "How in the heck did teachers make it before Pinterest???". Seriously. It is where I find many ideas for decorating, organizing, and lesson planning. This is one of my favorite ideas that I found this summer via Pinterest. 

Inspiration: Left......Real Deal: Right

This is a board that helps me keep track of where my students are located. I know that sounds crazy, but let me tell you, when a million people (okay, so twenty, but it feels like a million) ask you to go "here" and "there" while you answer a parent email, look at the lesson plans, think through what child is leaving early and what work they'll need, tell another child not to lean back in his chair, and stand on your head (okay, maybe not the last one) it can be difficult to remember who went to the Library ten minutes ago. Haha! This board is the solution to my problem and I love it!!! The kids love using the magnets and I "remember" everything I said "yes" to. ;)

Praying for a great year in a new position! 

 

Kenya: Round 2

Today is the day!!!! I get to return for TWO full weeks to the place that captivated my heart last summer! God is SO good to let me go back to Africa only five weeks after returning. He knows how my heart has been yearning to return from the moment I drove away from Naomi's Village. I love how intimately God knows us and cares about the little things that matter to His children! What an amazing God we serve!!!! 

Please pray for me as I'm there that the Spirit will speak to me and I will be obedient to His call! 

Much love,

The Wanna be Kenyan ;)

Quincy Cuteness

Need a smile today? Well have I got the sweetest video for you! 

One of my fellow Kenya trippers caught Quincy practicing "Happy Birthday" for that afternoon's "Bathday" festivities. He is seriously one of the cutest kids EVER and then to hear him sing this.......oh my gosh, melt your heart!!! 

I wasn't lying, was I? ADORABLE. You're welcome. 

I watch this almost every day because it just makes me that happy. Love.

Probably the Craziest Thing I Have EVER Done!

It's pretty obvious that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Africa. And I LOVED my trip to Kenya last month. I miss the sweet people of Naomi's Village every day. So, when an opportunity came up for me to go back to NV in Kenya, I of course jumped right on it. 

I am going back at the end of July for 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell I'm only slightly excited?!?! ;) Please pray that the Lord will graciously provide the money as He has done in the past. If the Lord lays it on your heart to give you can contact me here or through facebook.

I am waaaaaay into planning so this going-last-minute-thing is totally against my personality but I know I'm supposed to go, so I'm going! I know that He is going to do big things through this trip as he did a few weeks ago when I was there.

I am most looking forward to seeing the precious children and hugging them because I feel like I could never get enough time with them. Wouldn't you want to jump on a plane to see these beautiful faces?

Keeping It Kenyan: 1

My friends and I are all about traditions. So, naturally, I wanted them to eat with me and take me to the airport again this year. We decided on Chick-fil-a because I had to be at the airport at 9:30 in the morning. I got up at an un-godly hour (which I hadn't seen since school let out), finished packing, and was off on my Kenyan adventure. 

Me, Daniella, Kristy, and Deanna enjoying a Chick-fil-a breakfast! Yum! It was the perfect last American meal. :)

Then we swung by my parent's house and picked up my momma so that she could see me off also. 

We were each allowed two 50 lb. bags - one contained our stuff and one was STUFFED with supplies for Naomi's Village. With all of those bags plus carry-on bags, our group had about SIXTY bags!!!! And amazingly enough they ALL arrived in Kenya with us! Thank you Jesus! 

Side note: When packing I highly, highly recommend using eBags! I used them this year and last and seriously will never take a trip without them. While everyone else's stuff was everywhere, mine was neatly rolled in these handy bags. It made repacking when we left a breeze! Click HERE for a link to their website.

P.S. I am not a salesperson for this company, but I think I totally could be! ;)

My sweet friends (and mom) stayed with me as I checked my bags, got my tickets, and waited. It is SOOOO nice to have people "sending you off"!!!!! 

And then I was off to what turned out to be one of the best adventures of my life! Stay tuned for details of my time loving on the Kenyan people (and a few transplants too)! 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded of you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."   

~Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)