So what do I DO all day?! Easy. I follow my heart's desire and that is to take care of my husband! Obviously that can look a million different ways for a million different people. For me, I enjoy planning, creating, preparing, and administrating our home.
A friend gave me this awesome calendar and I write out chores, meals, activities, our schedules and fun stuff on there. Then during the week I pretty much follow the calendar. I love To-Do lists! I love keeping our home organized, cleaned and feeling homey. I love having every thing in it's place so that when Chuck comes home from work he feels that he can sit down, relax and enjoy our home.
During the day I get to spend time with God, journal, read, study, prepare lessons (Youth Group Shepherd group I'll be leading), and pray! I work out as well, which is amazing since last year I often was not able to. I enjoy planning meals, preparing dinner, making treats, you name it! It's especially fun when we have family or friends over, which we love! I've been able to help friends, volunteer at events, and tomorrow I even get to go lobbying in DC!
And now, just this week, I started watching my friend's baby! It's only 2 days a week and I still get to stay home! God continues to provide! I am deeply grateful. I'm living the life of my dreams.
Stay-at-home-What?! Part II
It has been one of the biggest joys of my life to be Chuck's wife, and to stay at home. I was greatly reminded of this passion the other day when a good friend of mine announced, "I just want to be a wife and a mom!" (This coming from a woman with an amazing career!) She uttered the EXACT sentence I have said for countless years. And now ladies and gentlemen, I am a wife! I keep announcing it because it's still hard to fathom.
Staying home hasn't come without difficulty though. I did not expect the intangible pressure that is out there for a young married woman to be working. I did not expect the funny looks, the confused glances, or the silence that would follow. I can understand though in our Nation's Capitol, with hard-working women driven in their careers all over the place, I am not the norm (any more).
Staying home hasn't come without sacrifice either. It is not easy financially. I'm certainly not a Desperate Housewife of DC. Because my husband is firm in his support of me desiring to stay home, we have both accepted certain sacrifices that have to be made in order for me to be able to do this. Interestingly enough, this has been that part that has been most exciting!
GOD PROVIDES. Obviously God provides, but saying it and living it are two completely different entities. It would take hours to read my blog if I were to recount all the crazy ways God has provided for us. I can just feel God's support and encouragement of this decision that Chuck and I have made! After all, God is the one who has given me the desire to be a wife!
Whether it was through a "random" bill that we ended up not having to pay, money showing up in strange places around our apartment (No lie! This has happened more then once!), being taken out to eat, being given food, "late" wedding gifts, or a small raise for Chuck= GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES in wonderful, incredible, mysterious ways! I was so excited about God's provisions last night that I could hardly fall asleep! But it's true! God has blessed us and we are humbled. It never ceases to blow my mind how intricately God works.
Don't get me wrong. If God leads me to go back to work, then work I will. I understand sometimes that is how he provides. But for now, I am marveling and wondering at this gift I have to be HOME for my husband!
And the answer to the ever-popular question, "What do you DO all day?" Well, you'll just have to wait and see for Part III!
Staying home hasn't come without difficulty though. I did not expect the intangible pressure that is out there for a young married woman to be working. I did not expect the funny looks, the confused glances, or the silence that would follow. I can understand though in our Nation's Capitol, with hard-working women driven in their careers all over the place, I am not the norm (any more).
Staying home hasn't come without sacrifice either. It is not easy financially. I'm certainly not a Desperate Housewife of DC. Because my husband is firm in his support of me desiring to stay home, we have both accepted certain sacrifices that have to be made in order for me to be able to do this. Interestingly enough, this has been that part that has been most exciting!
GOD PROVIDES. Obviously God provides, but saying it and living it are two completely different entities. It would take hours to read my blog if I were to recount all the crazy ways God has provided for us. I can just feel God's support and encouragement of this decision that Chuck and I have made! After all, God is the one who has given me the desire to be a wife!
Whether it was through a "random" bill that we ended up not having to pay, money showing up in strange places around our apartment (No lie! This has happened more then once!), being taken out to eat, being given food, "late" wedding gifts, or a small raise for Chuck= GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES in wonderful, incredible, mysterious ways! I was so excited about God's provisions last night that I could hardly fall asleep! But it's true! God has blessed us and we are humbled. It never ceases to blow my mind how intricately God works.
Don't get me wrong. If God leads me to go back to work, then work I will. I understand sometimes that is how he provides. But for now, I am marveling and wondering at this gift I have to be HOME for my husband!
And the answer to the ever-popular question, "What do you DO all day?" Well, you'll just have to wait and see for Part III!
Stay-at-home-What?!
This Sunday marks 3 months of marriage for us! I do believe it's been the fastest 3 months of my life. Though in some ways, our wedding still feels like yesterday. At any rate, I now have 3 months as being a wife under my belt. Not a day goes by where I am not in wonder at my new life.
Chuck and I have been surrounded by brand new people and situations. We've officially joined a new church together. We had prayed very specifically about what we believe a church should be and this church has certainly proved to be God's answer.
Through our new church, we've joined a shepherd group (small group) that meets in a home. It's a multi-generational group that we both have come to thoroughly love. We're also volunteering in the youth group together. I've already attended my first Girl's Night Out event. It made me excited to continue volunteering!
On top of a new church, Chuck has a new job. Seems every where we turn, new people are around the corner. Because of this, the same old introductions have been repeated countless times. "Where are you from? Have you lived here long? How long of you been married?" and the most popular question to be asked,
"What do you do?"
I'm pretty sure I have the most unique answer for my age. It almost always catches people off guard. Especially in this area.
"I am a stay at home wife!" =)
To Be Continued....
Chuck and I have been surrounded by brand new people and situations. We've officially joined a new church together. We had prayed very specifically about what we believe a church should be and this church has certainly proved to be God's answer.
Through our new church, we've joined a shepherd group (small group) that meets in a home. It's a multi-generational group that we both have come to thoroughly love. We're also volunteering in the youth group together. I've already attended my first Girl's Night Out event. It made me excited to continue volunteering!
On top of a new church, Chuck has a new job. Seems every where we turn, new people are around the corner. Because of this, the same old introductions have been repeated countless times. "Where are you from? Have you lived here long? How long of you been married?" and the most popular question to be asked,
"What do you do?"
I'm pretty sure I have the most unique answer for my age. It almost always catches people off guard. Especially in this area.
"I am a stay at home wife!" =)
To Be Continued....
Jamaican me Crazy!
I've been missing our Jamaican honeymoon lately! We visited The Grand Palladium Resort and Spa near Montego Bay. Our honeymoon vacation was a gift from God. People ask us if we would go back and we always say, "We'd recommend YOU go, but if we're gonna travel like that again, it would be fun to try something new!" I do think we had the best trip either of us has ever taken! We went for 8 nights and 9 days of bliss morning, noon, and night! The resort was all inclusive which made us feel like royalty! We went on a "date" for every single meal! In between meals, we lived in the sun- either next to their enormous pool, or right on the beach!
I think we could have spent our honeymoon in a paper sack and still had a phenomenal time together, but God had other plans! We are so blessed that our trip was such a gorgeous, tropic, dream-come-true vacation of a lifetime!
This is our very own balcony off of our fabulous room! We were on the third floor of a Villa. You can see the other Villas in the background, along with one of the pools.
Ocean magic! This was our view from the majority of the scrumptious restaurants. We loved hanging out on the very top balcony.
Welcome to paradise!
Mmmm...tans glowing after a day of fun in the sun!
We're so MFEO! (Sleepless in Seattle anyone?? =)
I think we could have spent our honeymoon in a paper sack and still had a phenomenal time together, but God had other plans! We are so blessed that our trip was such a gorgeous, tropic, dream-come-true vacation of a lifetime!
