10 Things Tuesday

I had every intention of blogging last week and never got around to it! So...here is my best attempt to sum up the past two weeks and all the Lord's been revealing to me.

1) Mary vs. Martha

The other day, I was scurrying around the house, writing up a "to do" list, and feeling like there was just so much I wanted to do and never enough time to do it! Well...news flash... I don't have a job therefore, I have all the time in the world, therefore I don't need to be stressing over what I want to accomplish because hey, I have more free time now than I've ever had before! Seriously, what in the world am I doing stressing over the littlest of things?! The story from Luke 10 about Mary and Martha popped in my mind and God reminded me that I don't always have to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off! I so often find myself being more like Martha in this story, the one "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made" when really, I need to be so much more like Mary and focus my attention on the things that really truly matter, like spending time with Jesus and helping people who are in need. I don't want to be worried about tomorrow and all the things I want to get done but instead, I need to make time to let the Lord orchestrate each day and lead me into the conversations and interactions He wants me to have.

2) Control

Another area I've seen God at work is my desire to be in control. I know I've shared on this before but this is really something I've been struggling with and need the Lord's help DAILY to get me through. You see, I like to be in control and to know what's happening. I like to have a plan, a routine, and some structure to my day. I like the predictable (call me boring) and I like what's familiar and comfortable. Well, God's really working on me here and teaching me to loosen my grip and let Him be the one in the driver's seat. Honestly, this season of life has had so many changes and I've really struggled (and am still struggling) with all the adjustments. Graduating college and leaving the town, friends, church, and community I'd spent the past 4 years of my life in was no small change. Getting married to my best friend and leaving my parent's home was no small change. Moving to Louisville and adjusting to a new apartment in a new city was no small change. All of these things are wonderful and I wouldn't have it any other way. But even still, they are all changes and the Lord has been forcing me to step out of my comfort zone A LOT and trust Him through all the change!

The other day, I was talking with my best friend, Olivia, about all the changes and how I've noticed a new habit of being particularly anal/OCD about things. Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I'm extremely organized and like everything in it's place. The thing I've recently been finding, however, is that this Type-A personality of mine has taken things to a whole new level in my attempt to be in control. You see, I was bothered by the fact that I was being so particular and although I wasn't proud of it, I also couldn't seem to stop being that way. It was driving me crazy and I began to feel like I was almost trapping myself. After talking to Olivia and thinking more about this, I realized that this is one area of my life that I can have control over when everything else around me seems to be out of my control. Much like someone struggling with an eating disorder, we cling to the things we feel like we have control over. For me, it's organizing and keeping things where they belong. For some, it's controlling every bite of food they put in their mouth. For others still, it may be the money they spend shopping. I'm not sure what it is for you but I'm sure I'm not alone in my desire to be the one in control. Lucky for me, God is softening my heart to reveal that He is in control and at work in ALL things, even when I feel like things are in constant flux and I have no idea what's going on haha.

3) Olivia

I got to spend some time with my best friend, Olivia, this past weekend and oh my goodness, what a blessing she is! We hadn't been able to get together since our wedding and we were both starving for some best friend/girl time. We got to exchange birthday presents (mine was last month and her's is next Monday), talk a whole bunch, and bake our annual summer cake! It was so good spending time with Olivia and I'm so thankful our friendship isn't dependent upon the number of times we get to see one another each year. I sure do wish we lived closer and got to hang out more but like to dream about one day being able to fulfill our childhood dream of living next door to one another :)

4) Friendships

Speaking of friends, I'm also learning about the importance of friendships within the context of marriage. Having been married just 100 days now, this is one area where I feel like Jeremy and I are learning a lot and trying our best to figure out. You see, he explained to me the other day that most guys just need their wives to satisfy their need for friendship. Granted, guys totally need good, Christian community and should definitely seek that out and make time for it! Girls, on the other hand, NEED other girls (as well as their spouse) to satisfy their need for friendship. For me, I need time to spend in conversation with my girl friends and have found that after having that time, I can be a much better wife to Jeremy because I'm satisfied in my other relationships. The same is true in my relationships with my family. When I spend quality time with my mom, dad, or sister, and am able to "fill up" my love tank with them, I am happier and more fun to be with when I'm with Jeremy. Friendships are huge and being married doesn't mean your relationships with those you love need to be put on hold. In fact, you'll probably be a better wife/husband because of them!

5) Grandmas

One of the best things about being in Louisville is being close to both of my grandmas! It is so much fun living close to them and I love the ability to stop by and spend an afternoon with them. Never before have I a) live close enough or b) had the free time to just stop over and hangout for a while. Now, I get to visit with them every few weeks and always have the best time. Both Nana and Nanny are so wise and I love talking to them and hearing what they have to say. They always encourage me and I leave them feeling so incredibly blessed. Just yesterday, I had the chance to visit with Nana and had the best time talking, eating, and feeling pretty with her (we spoiled ourselves with a pedicure!). I'm already looking forward to my next visit and am so happy to have such wonderful, healthy, and Godly women in my life :)

6) Job Update

At this point, you're a champ if you're still reading along! This blog is definitely my online diary and I'm thankful for anyone who spends time reading what I write. As for the job update, my days as a nanny are over and you could say I'm back to square one haha. Last week, I found out that there was someone else interested in watching the kids full-time who was willing to commit to doing it for the next year. At this stage in the game, I have no idea what the next year might hold and was afraid to commit to one year because that would rule out the potential for anything else...now, what that is, you might ask? I have no idea haha! The thing is, I talked to Jeremy and my parents, and collectively, we all decided that this was just the Lord closing one door so He could open up another one. I have no idea what God has in store but I trust that He will lead me exactly where He wants me and that He is orchestrating something far greater than I can dream up on my own. Again, I'd appreciate your prayers as I navigate through this time of loosing control and letting God take the reigns. I hate not having a plan and like to know what's coming. Yet even still, God has granted me such peace about things that I know He is preparing me for something else...I just don't know what that is quite yet haha!

7) Family

I just can't help but take a second and brag about my family. We got to spend this past weekend with them and I was reminded, yet again, how seriously great they are. I love them so much!

I'm so proud of Emi for making the transition to NKU and though it's hard at the moment, I know each day is going to get better and better! I'm excited for her to get in the schools and know that as she gets to know her teachers and classmates, she is going to bless them with her silly jokes, sweet smile, and genuine spirit.

Daddy's awesome and I love his adventurous spirit so much! We spent much of this past weekend talking about next summer's family vacation to Hawaii! We've been researching countless condos and even mapped out a rough itinerary for our trip. I love that he loves to travel as much as I do and blame him for my constant desire to be off somewhere new...seriously, it's all his fault ha!

Momma's pretty much a rock star and is seriously the hardest worker I know. She had her big teacher training this past Sunday and put SO much work into it! Everything looked amazing and it was awesome to see her "in her element" and doing what she loves to do! She always gives 110% and serves others relentlessly. I love the way she never does anything "half way"...even to the point that the Cheese-It bags needed to be laying just right on each table...the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, eh? ;)

8) UK & CSF

Freshmen moved onto UK's campus on Friday and classes start tomorrow! It's super weird not being down there and I must admit, I'm a little sad to be missing out on all the K-Week craziness. My cousin, Kellie, is a freshmen this year and I'm so excited for her and this new adventure she just began...I know she is going to LOVE it!

For me, the absolute best thing about UK was CSF (the Christian Student Fellowship). If you're at UK and don't know about CSF, hurry up and find out because it is hands down the greatest community in the entire world! Tomorrow night, they're packing 100,000 meals for Haiti! How cool is that?! Check out their website (ukcsf.org) for more info and find out how you can help partner with CSF to spread the love and light of Jesus across UK's campus!

9) Kentucky State Fair

Last week, Jeremy and I got to go to the Kentucky State Fair with our sweet friends, Brian and Callie. I don't know what it is about the State Fair, but something about it is just plain awesome to me. Jeremy laughs at me for liking it so much and when I really stop to think about it, it's not all that great. I mean, the food is terrible for you, the people are interesting (to put it nicely), and the animals don't exactly smell like roses ha! You could also say the opposite is true, however. The food, though it's terrible for you, is delicious! I just had to get a corn dog and would have gotten a lot more had it not been so expensive! Likewise, people watching is highly entertaining and you get to see all kinds of fun things! And though the animals are stinky, they're also super cute and fun to look at!

We had a great time at the fair and I'm really glad we got to go. To me, it's just one of those summer things that you have to do each year and I'm so happy we got to enjoy a beautiful evening with our precious friends!

10) 100 Days

Last night, Jeremy and I celebrated our first 100 days of marriage! I want to live a life that celebrates even the littlest of things and want regular, ordinary things to be special. So...we took our 100th day as the perfect opportunity to celebrate and went to Vincenzo's Italian restaurant downtown. The restaurant is super fancy (we kind of felt uncomfortable being served so much haha) and the food was delicious! We used a Groupon so we could afford it and tried our best to practice proper etiquette...now which fork are you supposed to use haha?!

We had such a fun time and I can't believe we've already been married 100 days! Jeremy is such a blessing and I'm so honored to be his bride. Here's to 100x100 more days of living, learning, and loving together!

Hits and Misses as Mr. & Mrs.

Since having Jeremy back home, we've shared some rather hilarious times! We've had several hits and also a few misses...hey, you live and learn right?! Here's what I'm talking about...

Our Hits:

We made the BEST Reese's cupcakes for Jill's birthday! We bought the mix at Kroger and it was basically just chocolate cake mix with a special peanut butter filling. We decided to get fancy and iced them using Jeremy's icing gun then decided to chop up some Reese's Pieces in our food processor to use as sprinkles! They tasted great and looked super fun...we were quite proud ha!

The other night, we had success in the kitchen again! This time...it was in the form of upside-down chicken pot pie! I saved the recipe from the back of a Chicken Pasta Sides package several months ago. I'm always a fan of chicken pot pie but the dish isn't one of Jeremy's favorites. Lucky for me, he really loved this one and we made enough to feed an army! Seriously, I think we could eat off of this for an entire week (it's good but I couldn't do that haha). Lesson learned: Next time we want to make this yummy dish, invite some family or friends over for supper!

Last night was our weekly "date night" and it was a major hit, if I do say so myself! We used a Groupon for Tom + Chee (if you don't know what Groupon is, you're seriously missing out! Look it up because it's awesome). Jeremy tried the grilled cheese doughnut (it was super interesting and quite tasty) and I got the BBQ + Bacon grilled cheese. We also got caprese salads which have quickly become my favorite food of the summer (well, aside from watermelon ;)). After a great supper, we went to Cherokee Park and enjoyed the picture-perfect weather! We finished off our evening with a trip to Orange Leaf where we found they finally got dividers for their frozen yogurt! I was so excited, as this is something I've said they needed to do for years! If only I had the means to have invented it first...we'd be rolling in the $$$! Oh well...at least we get to enjoy our fruity and sweet flavors without mixing them haha!

Our Misses:

Being a newlywed is all about living and learning, right? Well...Jeremy and I are learning quickly about getting a "good deal" on a travel website! You see, right before he left for Detroit, we decided we would reward ourselves with little get-away trip to Nashville when Jeremy got home. We stayed up late one night scouring the web and looking for the best hotel we could find for a good price. We settled on the Opryland Hotel (or so we thought) and couldn't believe what a great deal we'd found. We were so excited to stay at such a swanky resort and decided that since we were celebrating, we'd even splurge and pay a little extra for a room with an "Atrium View," as well as, breakfast the next morning. I mean, we were celebrating so we might as well go big, right?!

We played all day in downtown Nashville and had the best time eating at Demos' (my favorite restaurant), going in and out of all the little shops, and riding bikes through the streets. The weather was perfect and we had so much fun! After spending some more time downtown then driving through Brentwood and Franklin, we decided it was time to head towards our "deluxe" hotel. We pulled into the Opryland Hotel and couldn't get over how gorgeous the grounds were! I've been several times as a kid (especially at Christmas time...oh my goodness, it's so beautiful with all the lights) but Jeremy had never been. We circled the building then parked in the 15-minute parking. Walking in, we were like kids in a candy store and just couldn't believe we'd snagged such a great deal! The lobby was so beautiful and we could hear the roar from the fountains in the atrium as we stood in line to check in. After waiting in line for several minutes, we were finally assisted by the lady behind the desk. We told her our last name and that we were here to check in. Well, as luck would have it, she couldn't seem to find our name in the computer. You guessed it, folks...we were at the wrong hotel! Oh my, how hard we have laughed about this!!! We quickly pulled up our confirmation e-mail and found that we had a reservation at the Opryland Inn, a Gaylord Hotel (aka...the not so deluxe hotel across the street/the one we made fun of when we passed by...yep, thanks for that humble pie)! Once we realized we wouldn't be staying at the Opryland Hotel, we decided to maximize our free 15-minute parking and take a quick, self-guided tour of the pretty resort. This was both a blessing and a curse, as we got to enjoy the beauty of this place for just a short time before it was time to face the reality of our less-than-stellar hotel across the street hahaha.

What we thought we were getting!

What we actually got...check out our deluxe "Atrium View" hahaha!

After cracking up laughing at our mistake (make sure you read the fine print, people...we're learning that real fast), we headed across the street to our hotel, checked in, and continued laughing at our ridiculousness. The truth is, our hotel was more than adequate...it was very clean, neat, and nice. The problem was, we had such high expectations that it was hard to get past what we thought we were getting versus what we actually got. Our room with an "Atrium View" turned out to have a lovely view of the elevator (hahaha) and our breakfast consisted of two $10 meal vouchers to use at the express cafe at the center of the hotel (mmmm microwaved sandwiches). So yeah, you could say we were a little deceived by the travel website and they definitely pulled a fast one on us. Yet even still, we had the best time and have laughed so hard at our naivety! Although the Inn at Opryland Hotel was a little different than the actual Opryland Hotel, we had a wonderful time and I'm so thankful for our little get-away to just spend some time together, enjoy some yummy food, and take a nice little break from our typical routine. And you know what? We're going back to Nashville and are going to stay at THE Opryland Hotel one of these days...it just may have to be our first anniversary or some other special occasion ha! :)

Another "miss" so to speak was a Groupon fail! Typically, we pride ourselves on being pros at finding the best deals for the best places. Jeremy always researches the restaurants and makes sure they're legitimate (this too is the result of living and learning a bit haha). Well, by always, I mean more like he almost always does his research. In this particular instance, Jeremy's "research" was a bit misleading and in his own words, "What they showed [the food] was not what we got. It's like they used Google Images of pizza and slapped the first picture of a delicious-looking pizza onto their Groupon page." We actually tried to eat at this restaurant much earlier in the summer but we changed our minds once we discovered it was more of a bar than a family-friendly pizza joint. At the time, we had our friend's baby with us and very quickly decided this was no place for a baby. After seeing it, I decided I'd like to never go back, however, Jeremy was resolute on using our Groupon and not wasting the $10 we'd spent on it. So...after a little convincing from him, we decided to try again and eat there after church on Sunday. We concluded that it couldn't be too bad on a Sunday afternoon, right? Well...it turns out they're closed on Sunday's so we just had to go to Raising Cane's instead ("Oh darn!" I thought to myself haha ;)). Long story short, we gave it one last shot on Monday night (our Groupon expired on Wednesday so we were about to lose it) and let me use one word to describe the restaurant: janky. I asked Jeremy for other words to describe it but that one seems to sum it up best. The menus were in binders (like the 1" black binders you use for school) with a couple poorly laminated pages inside. All of the pizzas were considered to be "specialty" pizzas if they had anything on them other than cheese. And most notably, the other people at the restaurant were so rough that I was a little worried about being there for too long. Towards the end of our meal, the patrons were arguing with the poor teenage employee about the price of alcohol and it seemed to us that a scuffle was ensuing! So yeah, WORST Groupon experience EVER. Even still, we got to experience it together, ate some decent pizza, and the best part? We used our Groupon and don't ever have to go back there again! Yipee! :)

That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure we'll have plenty more hits and misses to come!!!

Not Now.

I'm currently sitting outside on our little balcony in my jammies with the curliest, crazy hair you've ever seen. It's an absolutely glorious morning and the blue skies, abundant sunshine, and first taste of fall are so very refreshing. I've got my cup of milk (with ice, I might add ;)), my favorite worship music playing, and several good books sitting right next to me. My morning has been relaxing and peaceful, just me, Jesus, and a little Kathy Lee and Hoda haha. Yet, this morning is so much different than I would have expected a couple of months ago. You see, today is the first day of school for Fayette and Boone Co., thus, I feel like summer is officially over for the majority of families and a new school year has begun. I know several little kiddos beginning their school career today (oh sweet little Kindergarteners) and many more starting their last first day of high school (enjoy it, friends, because Senior year is going to FLY by)! Even more than the number of students having their first day today, I know quite a few teachers beginning their first day of school AS A TEACHER! Oh my, how I can't even imagine the first day jitters, excitement, and many other emotions that they must be experiencing today! I'm praying for them and know they are going to do such a great job! I can only imagine the stories they'll have to share and look forward to hearing about their adventures as a first year teacher.

To be honest, part of me feels like I should be having my first day today too. As I sit here and write this blog, part of me feels like a failure for not being in a school this morning, not welcoming my first class of students, and not being worn out the second the last student leaves! Seeing everyone's "1st Day of School" posts has been fun to look at but hasn't helped with my human-tendency to compare myself and my circumstances to those around me. And that's exactly where the Lord has been working on me this morning...and recently, to be real. He's been teaching me that my plans aren't always in line with His plans and that though I may not understand what's going on, He is ALWAYS at work. Last night, my husband, Jeremy, and I read a chapter from Mark Batterson's book, "Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge." (Side-note: I would highly recommend this book to anyone! Darin gave it to the Toronto team for us to read on our mission trip and I've enjoyed it so much!) The chapter was called "Not Now"and just as the Lord likes to do, He reminded me of this promise at the perfect time. In it, Batterson shares that "When God says no to a prayer, it doesn't always mean no; sometimes it means not yet. It's the right request but the wrong time." He goes on to share that "Sometimes we have to be willing to give something up to God in order to get it back from God." This really resonated with me as I try to seek out God's will for my life in this current stage. All throughout this summer, I've prayed (and so have Jeremy and my parents) that the Lord would put me exactly where He wants me to be with regards to a job. I've gone on interviews with total peace, knowing that wherever God wants me to be, He'll put me there so I have nothing to fear. I trust God, I really do. I know He has a plan and that He will use me no matter where I am, so long as I am willing. So here's the part that's really hard...not just saying I trust Him but REALLY, deep down in my bones, trusting that He is perfect, His plan is perfect, and His timing is perfect...even when I don't have a job and things aren't going according to MY plan! I'm learning that waiting is part of praying and praying is a form of waiting. Batterson suggests that "Prayer will sanctify our waiting, so we wait with holy expectancy. And waiting doesn't delay God's plans and purposes. It always expedites them. Waiting is the fast track to whatever it is that God wants to do in our lives. And we'll discover that on God's timeline, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day." I need to be patient and trust that this time of waiting isn't for nothing. God is at work and what may feel like a long time of waiting is really just a short little bump in the road. It kind of makes me think back to the days of liking Jeremy, actually! I waited and prayed for a relationship with him for an entire YEAR before the Lord aligned our hearts. Looking back, though that time was excruciatingly painful, I wouldn't change it for the world and can say with absolute certainty that the wait was worth it! I'm sure this season will be just the same and I know I'll be able to look back one day and see God's faithfulness through it all.

So while I feel kind of like a failure, I know that in God's eyes, I am not a failure at all. I know He is using this time without a teaching job to make me more dependent on Him and to draw me closer to Him. I know that with my free time, I can be more intentional about spending daily quiet time with Him and I am SO thankful for the lack of stress, anxiety, and sleep-deprivation I just know He is so graciously protecting me from. Thank you, Jesus! I know that this is just a short season in my life and that I'll look back on these quiet, peaceful mornings and long to have them back! And so, my current prayer is that I will not waste this precious time, this unique season, these rare moments when I can simply sit back and let the day unfold. I want to be patient in my waiting and be reminded that "Sometimes God's no simply means not yet." I really want to make the most of this time and am praying the Lord will reveal to me the specific people He wants me to love. As Batterson suggests, "Maybe it's time to rest as though the world revolves around and relies on the Creator who hangs the stars and spins the planets." Who am I to think I have to be busy all the time? I blame it on our busybody culture. But then again, that makes me think of Dam Hamel's sermon this past week in which he dared us to be different and go against what our culture says to do! Yeah, I'm gonna work on that!

Anyways, thanks for letting me process through all of this and let the Lord speak to me through writing. I love the way He works :) Check out my latest favorite song by "All Sons and Daughters"...we've been singing it at church recently and I'm loving it!

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace its various forms." -1 Peter 4:10

July!

He's almost home:

Today's the day I've been waiting for for quite some time! You could say I've been waiting for this day for the past 4 weeks and that would be completely accurate. But truth be told, I've been waiting for this day for much longer than that. You see, Jeremy and I knew he'd be leaving for "Junior Bootcamp" over a year ago and though I'd like to claim I didn't think much about him being gone, the truth is, this month apart loomed over our heads like a big ol' dark cloud! Needless to say, I am SO relieved we have made it through and can't wait to squeeze my man when he walks through our door tonight around midnight! (Now no promises I'm ever letting him out of my sight again haha ;)).

What God's been teaching me:

As I wait for Jeremy to get in late tonight, I want to take a few minutes to reflect on this month and what the Lord has revealed to me during our time apart. It's definitely not been easy living on my own and having to adjust to life without Jeremy just 7 weeks into our marriage. I've cried more than I thought possible and have not enjoyed spending time away from the man I love. Yet bigger still, this time apart has brought us closer to one another and even more so, closer to God. I have absolutely had to rely on His strength to carry me through and have called upon His Great Name so many times. More often than not, it's so easy for us to go along life with Jesus and just thank Him and praise Him when everything is going great and life is easy. Fortunately, God has blessed me SO richly and many times, I find myself caught up in this state. This month, however, things haven't been so easy and I've learned to praise God even in the storm, even when things are hard, and even when I wish my circumstances were different. He has proven His faithfulness to me time and time again and I love the way He orchestrates everything so much better than we can ever imagine. His timing seriously is incredible and His provision is amazing. He has surrounded me with an amazing family (I couldn't have made it this month without them) and wonderful friends (Erin, Auburn, Lauren, Macie, Sadie, Truett, and Callie...your texts and encouragement have meant the world). This month has forced me to grow and stretch myself far beyond my comfort zone but overall, the gain has been worth the pain and I know I'm stronger because of it! I've even managed to navigate my way all over Louisville (those of you who know me know I'm not a super fan of driving so this is big news haha).

Detroit:

In addition to what the Lord's been teaching me apart from Jeremy, He also opened my eyes to a country in GREAT need of Jesus. Just last week, I had the opportunity to go to Canada on a mission trip with First Church of Christ. The timing was incredible (thank you, Jesus!) and I actually got to spend the weekend with Jeremy in Detroit before making our way North to Mississauga, Ontario (a city just outside of Toronto). We had a blast exploring all this newly bankrupt city has to offer and stayed away from downtown (hide yo' kids, hide yo' wives haha!)! We walked through the streets of Ann Arbor and enjoyed a beautiful art fair at the University of Michigan. We ate a lot of delicious food, went shopping a bit, walked around some parks, and just enjoyed one another's company. It was a wonderful weekend and really refreshed and encouraged our hearts!

Canada: 

After spending time with him in Detroit, it was time to head to a new country (I'd never been to Canada) and seek out what the Lord wanted to use us for during our time there. The trip was quite different than any of us was expecting but even still, I know we were there for a reason. More than anything else, I learned that Canada needs Jesus desperately. You see, before going on this trip, I almost sneered at the idea of going to Canada on a mission trip. To me, going to Canada was like going on the Ritz-Carlton of mission trips...it seemed so much less significant and glamorous than a trip to Kenya or Ghana! Truth be told, Canada is lacking as much or more spiritually than many of these countries in Africa. While we were there, we learned that Toronto is the most diverse city in all of North America (including LA and NYC)! Because the city is so diverse, it is filled with people of every nation and every kind of religion you can think of, predominately Buddhism and Hinduism. The country is a 1st world nation economically but spiritually speaking, they are 3rd world! While we were there, we had the opportunity to tour both a Buddhist and a Hindu temple and learned so much about these religions. It is absolutely heart-wrenching to learn that SO many people believe in these religions and don't know about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They worship idols and make offerings to statues. They bow and chant. They believe in reincarnation and don't try to understand creation itself. I wish they knew that we have a LIVING God, a God who came to seek and to save, a God who will fight for us, who is with us, who died for us, and who loves us NO MATTER WHAT. I wish they knew about Jesus. Oh, I wish they knew!!!! It really was eye-opening and heart-breaking.

While we were in Canada, we also had the chance to see a few "touristy" things including the CN Tower in downtown Toronto and Niagara Falls! The view from the top of the tower was gorgeous and the weather that night couldn't have been any better...70's, blue skies, and sunny! I loved Niagara Falls and am so happy to have seen them! My favorite part was riding the Maid of the Mist! We loved rocking the blue ponchos and at one point when we were right by the Falls, we got completely pelted with water...it felt like someone was dumping buckets on our heads haha. I told mom "I'm not sure if I'm having fun right now or not?!" because it was so neat and so uncomfortable all at the same time haha!

23:

I spent my 23rd birthday in the car all day coming home from Canada. You could say it wasn't the most fun of birthdays but my best present came when we stopped in Detroit on the way home. I got to have supper with Jeremy and then enjoyed a long car ride home with some one-on-one time with my amazing Mom! Though it was a little less than exciting, the day was still good and Mom made the next day as special as she could...she always goes so far above and beyond to make me feel loved and special. Thank you for everything, Mom. You really are the best! :) Ohhh and Jeremy said that August can be declared "Birthday Month" to make up for our time apart so you better believe I'm going to milk that one for as long as I can haha ;)

Quick update on the job situation:

Many have asked and are praying for me with regards to a teaching job! I appreciate your prayers SO much and treasure every one of them. As far as the job search goes, it looks like God doesn't want me to be a teacher at this exact point in time. I haven't been able to get a teaching job for this school year, however, I'm nannying 20 hours a week and am absolutely loving it! The babies are just the sweetest and we have so much fun together. I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing for the time being and trust that when God wants me somewhere else, He'll make it clear. I'm planning to do some subbing to "get my foot in the door" at some local schools and will continue to bathe my entire future in prayer. Honestly, I'm not sure where God wants me or what He wants me to do but I'm open. I'm open to His leading and just want to walk according to His ways. Whether that means I have a classroom of my own someday or He wants me to use my teaching degree for something entirely different, I don't have the slightest idea at the moment. But I know that He has everything under control and will put me exactly where He wants me to be!

Hillsong:

When I find something amazing, I feel like it's my duty to share it with everyone haha! Soooo...I must share that the new Hillsong CD, "Glorious Ruins," is absolutely incredible! I got it for my birthday and haven't stopped listening to it for a solid week! My favorite song is "Man of Sorrows" but they are all amazing. Seriously, check it out because the worship is just so authentic and wonderful. I absolutely LOVE it!

Jeremy's blog:

If you get a chance, check out Jeremy's reflection on this past month here...remyeaton.blogspot.com :) I always love reading my hubby's reflections and am so proud to be his wife!

That's all folks! Thanks for bearing me with as a process...I'm totally an "out-loud" thinker ha ;)