Pulling Weeds.

Being an adult is funny.

My husband left early this morning to go to a softball tournament and I had nothing on my agenda today except buy groceries. And maybe pull some weeds in our backyard.  Because we all know when you own a home and you don't do something productive on your day off, you feel guilty.  So if you go outside and pull a few weeds, you're good for like a week. 

 So many weeds of obligation in that rock wall. 

 

Anyways, so this morning Josh was up by 6am and my alarm was set for 9am.  I could have easily and guiltlessly slept in for 3 more hours and yet here I now sit, coffee by my side, computer in my lap, wide awake, blogging about myself again. (You're so self-centered, Kirsten. Yes. I'm working on it. Keep reading.)

I thought by the time I was 27 and/or married, I would have some sort of set rhythm to my day-to-day life. 

But moving 11 times in the past 9 years between 3 different states can really mess up a girl's routine over the years!

Throw in there the most recent major life overhaul of getting married. Sprinkle in buying and moving into a new house.  Oh, and a total career change.  And here I sit, feeling like a cartoon character that wakes up in a whole new world, not recognizing myself or my surroundings, with question marks floating above my head. 

But also a big smile upon my face.

I honestly think I am the most content, excited, and optimistic about my life right now than I ever have been.  Sure, I'm still probably on the newlywed high, and I know there will also be lots of lows to come in life as well, but really....life is just full of happys and low of worries right now.

But I'm also quickly learning that settling into what feels like a brand new life with brand new routines, surroundings, career title and even a new last name, you really have to fight to remain rooted.  You have to keep your disciplines. 

As a true introvert I know I need my alone time.  I am constantly analyzing every conversation, situation, and feeling I have, so when I don't get time to rest and process, I start to just shut down. 

But I love how much time we have now that we are married and live in the same house.  No more running around figuring out where to meet, leave a car, get groceries then stop at one apartment then the other to drop off the groceries, say goodnight then drive 30 minutes home..etc.

Sidenote: I'm also SO appreciative that neither of us ever considered it an option to move in together before getting married.  I'm going to put myself out there with the challenge that if you are dating someone and feel that you need to live with them before getting married because you're afraid you might learn some annoying habit about them that becomes a deal breaker....you're missing the point of marriage.  And also maybe the point of dating?  I know everyone's relationship is different and there are different circumstances for everyone, but for me I know if we had lived together and then gotten married, marriage really wouldn't have felt any different.   Knowing that Josh has made a covenant to me and God that he will love me and stand by me through thick and thin has made living together feel so secure, and in turn has made our marriage that much more of a bigger deal to us.  And I love that.

Okay, back to disciplines.  I know that when life gets crazy, or even when it's very simple and laid back like it surprisingly is right now for us, I have to keep certain routines in my day to stay grounded.  I love waking up and drinking my coffee while doing my devotions (I know I'm late to the party, but She Reads Truth is an awesome daily devotional I just discovered--look it up if you haven't already!).

Another must-have discipline in my life (especially now that I have a desk job) is fitness. I love that even when "I do, but I don't.." feel like working out, Josh helps push me out the door.  And then I get to check out my hott husband at the gym, so that's awesome. 

But these disciplines, which are good, healthy, and needed, are really focused on "me".  So I've been once again convicted that I really need to be using this gift of free time and extra energy in my life to also bless others. To be more encouraging, to use my natural gifts and talents to serve others in a way I haven't thought of before.  Maybe even to give up some of my free time to help someone else who needs it WAY more than I do.

Out of these thoughts, my latest discipline challenge to myself is first journaling what kind of life I want to live and the character traits I want to strengthen

I'm a processor. I  have to write it down.

But then more importantly followed by practical steps to actually carry it out. Because....again, I'm a processor.  I can easily write things down, but then never actually do anything about it. GUILTY.

I don't want to look back at my life in 10 years and wish I would have done more with my free time during this season.  I need some intentionality in my life to keep me from just zoning out and going through the motions. (It happens more often than I'd like to admit).

I am not a lover of schedules because I don't really like to have set plans.  So being intentional, disciplined, and planning things out is not at all easy or natural for me.  To be perfectly honest, seeing a calendar full of events and to-dos in my personal life sort of gives me hives.

So anyways, here's to intentionality, pulling weeds, loving marriage, and Quincy on his tip-toes eating scrambled eggs out of a bowl!!

Cheers!

The Creepy and the Cozy.

There are just some things about the Christmas season...that freak me out.

Can I say that?

Like the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Christmas Special. I'm sorry if that's your beloved family tradition to watch--that's great, enjoy it for me. Because I think it's terrifying. 

I mean like...

Maybe it's the felt, I don't know. Just...creepy.

Now, please don't stop reading and label me a Scrooge or Christmas hater. 

I treasure the true meaning of Christmas--remembering Christ's birth. I also love the cozy part of Christmas and being with family.  I love the twinkly lights and the warm homes and the good food and the traditions. 

Oh, and Christmas trees! 

I love them.  But when I think of them I'm always reminded of this story, which I've always felt bad about to this day: I was in high school and I was coming home one night after babysitting for a family who had just put up a huge, beautiful Christmas tree. I came home and looked briefly at the one my parents had just put up while I was gone and said, "Why do we always have to put up our dinky little fake tree, I wish we would get a better one." And my mom saying to me, "Kirsten....we wanted to surprise you...look closer we actually got a real one this year like you wanted!"

Ouch.

My dad and I always joke that although I was spoiled growing up...I was never a brat. But at that moment, I felt like a huge spoiled brat.  And I hated that. 

I think of that story often. But maybe that's okay. It has made me step back and prevent myself from getting caught up in the commercialism of the season. It made me appreciate going tree hunting with my parents once they moved to the Black Hills and always trying to find a decent, but sort of skimpy Charlie Brown tree---and loving it.  The more humble and straggly the tree, the better. We would laugh endearingly at it, but we honestly loved it. 

I'm now also learning how marriage does a funny thing to traditions.  They are forced to be evaluated, talked about, combined and/or dropped. Old traditions must be intentionally fought for to stay a tradition. 

This year I wasn't able to tree hunt with my parents, and it didn't work out for us to go tree hunting in the mountains with our group of friends like last year either. But we did get to spoil ourselves and get a big, beautiful, full tree from a U-Cut it lot..which I've never been to before! The best part was we got to go with our little Godkids and their parents :) We were blessed to join in on THEIR family tradition! 

Oh also, we're hosting Christmas dinner this year for Josh's family.  I'm super excited, but yikes. If you know me, you know my hostess skills are minimal at best.  I love the idea of hosting and cooking and having a house full of people, but I just haven't had much practice! Just cooking now for 2 people has kept me on my toes!  I hope I don't ruin Christmas ;) Luckily I've already put it out there that I'll make Swedish meatballs and the mashed potatoes, and everything else will be potluck style. 

We still aren't quite sure what traditions we will carry on. However, I hope our traditions are centered more around the things we do and people we spend time with than on the "stuff" we put up (Minimalist alert: I'm hoping to keep our decorations to just a tree, stockings, and maybe a string of lights outside--we will see how long that lasts ha) or the presents we buy or get. I'm excited to see what traditions we keep and merge as our own (new?) family tradition :) 

One thing is for sure.  No matter how much kids (and parents) may love it, or how clever and fun you can be with it, our house will never, ever partake in the creepy Christmas tradition that is....the Elf on the Shelf.

No....way.