5+1=Blissful

Little things that I am applying to our life as a married couple.

One of the first waterfalls we hiked to in Ithaca. 

It was raining cats and dogs, we had just gotten chewed out by the tuxedo rental manager, we lost the directions and number to our yurt that we were renting, and had to call Jared's mom to help us find it---but we didn't care. Our attitudes were not affected by the series of unfortunate events- the giddiness of being just a day married was enough to keep us not caring what happened- so long as it meant we were together.

It's been a little over five years since that glorious first week of being married. We've moved, had two children, Jared's switched jobs a couple times, and life just keeps moving faster...

Quality time often looks like sitting on the couch after the kids have gone to sleep and eating a whole bowl of popcorn. Our conversations are more often than not something like this.

Me: Hey! How was your day? 

Jared: Good, got those reports written.
Me: Cool, Luke peed off the porch today
Jared: Oooohhh
Or on a bad day:
Me: Hey! Today was soooo long, I thought you'd never get home--the kids have been like Moe, Larry and Curly today--and I've cried all day. SAVE ME!! And I think we need to rip the carpet out of our room asap...and the shelves need fixed because the kids kept shaking it...yada yada yada

So yeah, the blissfulness of marriage can get a little, buried in the madness that is life. Lately, I've been trying out a few little things to redeem a little of the bliss that was- and its actually much easier to attain than what you might think. Here are five things that I think make life just a little more fun :)

1. Be ready and waiting for you man at the door.
 I always have done this- but sometimes for the reason of just wanting to DUMP my day on Jared. Sometimes, that is ok- but it's easy to let it become and everyday thing. I think in a way I started to let myself become over dramatic about my day- because I felt like I NEEDED him to understand how HARD it is to be HOME ALL DAY.
Let go of the day when your man walks through the door and just enjoy him being home. He's had a hard day too!

2. Take an actual interest in what he does.
Jared is a metallurgical engineer. It took my months to even learn how to say "metallurgical"--let alone understand what exactly he does. So when I would ask he would go on and on about all this STUFF and I guess I didn't try to understand because I assumed I never would. Which made Jared quit telling me about it, which made me sad. Thankfully, there is GOOGLE. I started looking different things up about what he was working on, reading articles about his company, and then using those things to talk to him about it. Jared doesn't really bring his work home with him, and doesn't necessarily want to discuss work all the time- so thankfully with a little bit of genuine listening on my part and a little extra research- I can have a better conversation with him about his work. Who doesn't like to be understood better?!

3. Make him lemon bars.
Or whatever your guy sees as a treat. Jared loves lemon bars and pies. It's always fun to surprise him with his favorite dessert on an ordinary day. If you're better wife than me, you'll not eat the whole pan the next day while he's at work and he can come home to some. ( I did make another pan to cover up the fact that I ate the first pan...but he figured it out)

4. Find something to do together.For a little while it was playing Word Crack. Sounds kinda lame but it got us through the cold winter with two little kids who cannot yet stay out in the cold long enough to do much. In the summer we like to ride bikes, camp out, watch Master Chef, and our newest thing we are going to attempt is running. Oh heaven help me.

We did A LOT of hiking on our honey moon. Something we can't wait to do more of with our kiddos!

5. Pick one of his annoying chores and do it for him.Even if you don't get it all done- he will appreciate the effort. The kids and I have stacked wood, cleaned and organized his workshop, vacuumed his car. Its always fun to see the shock on his face when we do something he didn't think we could or would do.

*Bonus* Laugh together. I love that we can just look at each other and know what the other is thinking- burst out laughing till we cry.

 Five years is such a short time to be married- I still feel like we just hopped into our little green VW Beetle to drive to Ithaca, NY for our honeymoon. Here's to many more years and many more happy days!

Life is made up of little moments- treasure them!

Called to a Supreme Adventure

"The excitement, the joy, the adventure, the deep inner satisfactions or those who dare to reach sky-high more than make up for any loneliness. For no way can be lonely if it is the way Christ walks...No way can be lonely if it is the way to which He calls you." -Peter Marshall

"It is to difficult for us to believe the truth: that this life is but a preparation for a greater and more glorious one to come...
and that if we would only believe,
if we only had enough faith and the right kind and were seeking the "things above..."
all our real needs- earth's trinkets for which we strive so desperately-would be provided for us.
Once and for all, we must put out of our minds that the purpose of life here is to enjoy ourselves
to have a good time
to be happy
to make money
and to live in ease and comfort.
That is not what life is all about.
You were put here for a purpose, and that purpose is not related to superficial pleasures.

No one owes you a living- not your parents, not your government, not life itself.
you do not have a right to happiness.
You have a right to nothing.

I believe that God wants us to be happy-but it is not a matter of our right, but of His love and mercy.
 The time for drifting
            or sleeping
or wishful thinking
or day dreaming is over.
The state of our world today makes that a very dangerous pastime.

This generation of young people and all of you who are sensitive to what is going on around you, are called to a supreme adventure.
There is a great stirring in society.
The upheavals of life and the revolutions of multitudes across the world in desperate motion are indications that our world can never be the same.

So do not underestimate what you can do. You have the courage to cast off your acrophobia
and to dream big
and to aim high-
if you do it with Gods help"
"Our Father in Heaven, give us the long view of our work and our world.
Help us to see that it is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail...
May thy will be done here, and may Thy program be carried out, above party and personality, beyond time and circumstance, for the good of America and the peace of the world.
This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen"


* This is an excerpt from one of Peter Marshalls sermons titled, "The Risk of Reach" found in his book "The Best of Peter Marshall" find it here