happy birthday to my mama.

She is a woman of strength. 

She is a woman of wisdom.

She is a woman with a servants heart.

She is a strong woman.

She is a loyal friend and mother. 

She has the gift of hospitality. 

She is creative. 

She can cook some amazing food!

That's my mom!

 

I've learned a lot over the years from my mom, like how to work hard, how to stick to something even when it wasn't fun or I didn't feel like it, how to score a good deal, how to serve others, how to be a fiercely loyal friend and wife.

My mama is no stranger to loss, as a young bride she lost her mama to cancer, some years later her brother and then later in life 2 children. She could have become bitter and angry at God. But I admire the fact that she didn't. She kept on walking, even when the pain was almost unbearable.  I admire that about my mom! The strength and courage she shows when life throws hard horrible things our way! The faith and trust in God that doesn't waver.

I am so thankful for my for my mom and I hope someday I can be half the mom that she has been to me and my siblings. Happy Birthday Mom!

Inspiring Reads

Yes yes.. A good book, a cup of coffee and well I'll be the happiest person around for days. I love to read and you could quickly figure that out if you saw the stacks of books laying beside my bed or the books laying on our coffee table. I also have boxes of books in storage-- which makes me really sad, but we just simply don't have any room to put up bookshelves right now. Someday I'll have a reading room with unlimited amounts of room for my books.  Recently I've been reading..

                               Breaking Free                                                   Made to Crave

Maybe when I am finished with these reads I'll come back with a review, but for now I'll just say I am liking what I've read so far, only a few chapters in. 

And some good inspiring reads from blog world recently. 

Letting Go of My Insecurity

People Aren't Following You Because You Aren't Being Clear.

Party of Five-- Adoption Journey  

The Key to Making Strong Friendships  

What have you been reading? I would love to hear! 

lately on instagram.

Its been a busy past few weekends with a trip to the state fair with friends and then a camping trip with more friends this past weekend. Summer is winding down and that just makes me sad. It always comes and goes so fast.

 

1st anniversary trip.

 We spend a couple days in the lovely Canadian Rockies last week celebrating our 1st anniversary and what a lovely, relaxing time it was! When Nate suggested we visit there a couple months back I was totally not sure about the idea. I am much more of big city girl and well spending time in the mountains doesn't always sound so appealing, my husband on the other hand is all about the mountains.

 I quickly changed my mind after the drive up through the rockies and seeing how beautiful and peaceful it was! There was so much to do and see in Banff. The food was amazing and the resort we stayed at was out of this world amazing! My husband has some mad hotel picking skills!

And another favorite of our time in Canada was Tim Horton's. It was my first time having Tim's and wow its some of the best coffee I've ever had! Its a good thing we don't have any close to our house or we would be there like every day.

hello wide open road.

We have been in the Canadian Rockies for the past few days celebrating our anniversary and just doing a whole lot of nothing but relaxing. It was amazing! We are starting the 1100 mile trip back home tonight and I cant say I am looking forward to all the miles that need to be covered between now and tomorrow night. Thankfully we have plans to attend the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, so that should help motive us to get on home!

 Happy Weekend!  

5 things I've learned in my first year of marriage.

1. Take care of yourself.

Your aim should be to please your husband, so just because your married now doesn't mean you should stop caring about how you look! It will enrich your marriage! Promise!

2. Live life with order and structure. 

My husband is huge on living our lives in an orderly fashion. For me that means keeping our home in an orderly fashion, having a plan for my day and just living our lives with intention. It's amazing how chaos in our home actually affects our marriage in a not so good way! 

3. When you throw away something really important like a title to husbands semi. Ask forgiveness like 500 times and don't get mad. It wont help the situation! (It was a total accident and thank you Jesus for a gracious husband) 

4. Invest into your marriage! 

Read books on marriage or attend a marriage conference. Our personal favorite so far has been the Real Marriage Conference. And we are excited to attend a Weekend to Remember Conference this fall.

5. Have fun as a couple. 

Because of the nature of our business and the time we spend apart we make it a priority to get away, have fun and unplug from the craziness of life. It's refreshing for our marriage and for us as individual's.   

1 year.

             One year ago today before family and friends I promised to love and cherish my best friend till death do us part.  It was a magical day and it will always be a day I will cherish with fond memories.

 

Honestly the last year has been the best year of my life, yes we have had moments of struggle and plenty of times were we just get annoyed with each other. When I got married I expected it to be hard, because well in today's world marriage is often put out as something hard. And let me just say it doesn't have to be that way. I feel so blessed to be married to a guy who is so gracious and kind, who loves unconditionally and always brings me back to the truth when I get all caught up in feelings and emotions. 

        Nate is more then I ever dreamed or imagined I would have in a husband. I treasure every day we have together and look forward to growing old with each other! 

Identity.

 Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become oneself, to get an identity, apart from God. -Soren Kierkegaard 

 Oh ouch. That simple word can strike so much emotion. As women we all place our identity in something. Maybe its our desire to be a wife and mom or maybe its in our profession and achievements. We want to be known, we want to be heard. We want to have a voice in this world!  

Often I find myself running around doing things I not even called to just to be recognized, just to be heard. I try so hard to make relationships work, because well of course I'll be cooler if I am friends with the the popular ladies. Its just a never ending battle it seems.

                                               [she] will have no fear of bad news;
                                      [her] heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
                                         [her] hearts is secure, [she] will have no fear;
                                                in the end [she] will look in triumph on [her] foes. Psalms 112 7-8

I dont know about you, but that makes my heart leap.

She will have no fear of bad news 

Her heart is steadfast. 

Her heart is secure.

Wow! That's the kind of women I desire to be.. secure, steadfast, trusting in the lord!