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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Dear 17 Year Old Me...

Dear 17 year old me,
It's been awhile hasn't it? I know it's hard to believe now but things will change. God's got your back, don't worry.

Dear 17 year old me,
Don't ever let anyone make you feel like you are worthless, ugly, and unlovable. If you only knew that those people's words and stares don't matter as much as you think they do. And guess what? Believe it or not you will lose the weight! :) Don't give up.

Dear 17 year old me,
That guy that you like in your chemistry class? He's bad news. Don't settle. Your prince charming is so much closer than you realize!

Dear 17 year old me,
I know that you feel invisible most of the time but God sees you. He is with you always, He will never leave you or forsake you. Don't forget that.

Dear 17 year old me,
I know you're sad that you don't have a date to prom. And you're all stressed out because you still haven't had your first kiss. But trust me when I say that your first kiss will be with your husband and your first slow dance will be at your wedding-it will be so so special.

Dear 17 year old me,
God is going to do far above all that you could ask, think, or imagine. Just wait and see.

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Newlywed Game!



Today I'm joining in a whole new link-up which I'm pretty excited about! I've been married for about a year and a half now so I think you could still consider us newlyweds! We both went through and answered each one-on our own I might add. Mine are purple, his are green if the her and him didn't tip you off enough! haha

ONE:What's the worst thing that happened on your wedding day?
Her: It rained first of all so we had no idea where we would have the ceremony since it was supposed to be outside. We ended up having it at the reception hall and the manager wouldn’t let any of our guests inside for at least an hour! Everyone was stuck outside in the rain! THEN the only place to hide me at the reception hall was in the bathroom. It was small-and my big poofy dress didn’t help.

Him: I didnt get to see my wife for 24 hours :(
TWO:Who is the better driver?
Her: He is! I definitely ran over a curb like 2 days ago. Sadly this is not the first time this has happened...or the second...or the third. (blush) This is why when we're together I let him drive.

Him: ME :D
 
THREE:If someone had to play your spouse in a movie, who would it be?
Her: Oh gosh I don't know! Maybe Taylor Lautner! lol
Him: She would play herself
 
FOUR:What is your spouse's favorite comfort food?
Her: He loves chicken!
Him: Cereal!
FIVE:Which one of you hogs all the covers in bed?
Her: Me! Not even going to try to deny it!
Him: She does! I wake up in the middle of the night freezing : ( lol
 
SIX:The saying "opposites attract" must be true because my spouse and I couldn't be more different when it comes to______?
Her: TV. He is a football/sports fanatic whereas I HATE sports. Seriously I've tried to like them for him but I just get bored out of my mind!
Him: No answer for this one!
 
SEVEN:If your spouse won $5000 what would they spend it on?
Her: Probably music or camera equipment.
Him: Clothes, make up, contacts, baby clothes
 
EIGHT:If your spouse could be married to any famous person, who would it be and why?
Her: No one! He loves being married to me! :)
Him: She would say nobody because she loves me.

NINE:Who controls the remote?
Her: I would say its pretty even.
Him: My wife does
 
TEN:If your spouse was a super hero, what would their super power be?
Her: To Fly
Him: To be able to Fly

Thursday, January 24, 2013

My Husband's Testimony

I'm going to attempt to write this as best I can because, after all it's not my story-it's my hubby's. But I think i've heard it enough times to be able to tell it pretty acurately.
 
 
I've always thought my husbands testimony was so awesome so now I want to share it with you all. Hope it encourages you today. God can do great things when you least expect them.
 
 
My husband was raised to not think too much about God. His family considers themselves Catholic, but none of them really practice. He did have a first communion and they did go to mass every once in awhile but once he entered middle school they sort of stopped going. He wasn't raised to believe that we should have a relationship with God and no one told him how he could be saved.
 
 
Fast forward to June, 2010 and my husband had just gotten done smoking(most definately not cigarettes)
with his friends. This was a normal happening for him. He was very lost and felt very much alone. All Louie really cared about at this time was how he could get his next smoke.
He and about 4 of his friends decided to randomly drive to Colorado. I really have no idea why. Just because. Keep in mind, from Omaha to Denver is about a 10 hour drive and they didnt have much money.
Without even a word to his mom Loujo left for Colorado. The plan that they had was to stay in Colorado for ONE day and come back so Louie could be back to work on Monday. (He was still thinking semi-rationally at this point.) The next day was spent smoking in the mountains and taking in that "fresh" mountain air. At this point they were seriously running low on money and they knew that they had to get back.
So they made the long treck back to Omaha. At about midnight, an hour after Louie was supposed to be to work, their tire pops during a dramatic thunderstorm. The tire was changed within 10 minutes and they all decided to stay at a hotel in Kearney with one of his friends, army money. The next morning, the group decided to dine at a Chinese restaurant.
During said meal, Louie and one of his friends, Amy, had a conversation about loving Colorado and wanting to go back. Before they knew it, they had a full fledge plan to get back. The whole group was up in arms because they were ranging from the age of 17-19 years old with no money and no where to stay. What would their parents think? Even though there was no sense in going back, Louie and Amy decided to turn around and go back. They waived to their friends as they left the parking lot, not knowing if they'd ever hang out again.
With literally the clothes on his back and almost no money to his name my husband decided that Colorado may become his new home.
Now the two were in really deep. They boarded the bus back to the mountains. In 8 hours, they arrived and embraced the brisk air that they were longing for. Amy called her friend as he was the only one they knew that had a car and could help them.
Louie's wild side came out during this next week. He, Amy, and this other friend would smoke everywhere they could. When he had no clothes to where, he stole from a local store. He even shoplifted alcohol. He hit rock bottom at the highest altitude. The void in his soul was deep and he couldn't figure out how to fill it. During this time, Louie became very outgoing. At one point he randomly spoke to people in parks and people on Denver's train system. Just imagine a long haired, bearded man coming up to you- would you be scared? He seemed to think they weren't. In this fashion, he met a group of friends that took him in. He and Amy went their separate ways for the next few days. While hanging out with the new people in his life, he went out nightly and partied with them. He drank and attempted to be the "cool" guy he always wanted to be. In a warped view, he did.
A week passed by. He made a few calls to his mom to tell her he was okay. She pleaded for him to come home and he did become somewhat homesick.
Amy's mother had made an offer to return them both safely to Omaha by paying for plane tickets. They both accepted.
On the morning of the plane ride, Louie was driving with his new friends to meet with Amy. He was seriously considering staying. This whole trip was eye opening for him. He could finally be someone different and that someone was popular...and crazy.
On the way, yet another violent thunderstorm shook the earth. Louie sincerely thought it was a sign to stay. He thought everything leading up to that moment was supposed to happen so that he could be in Rocky Mountain state. To an extent, he was right.
In the terminal he was going back and forth in his head. "Should I stay or should I go?"
He even asked a random airport employee on a smoke break what to do.
"You have to do what your heart tells you," the worker said.
That made sense to Louie. For some reason, that phrase resonated in his soul and caused him to stay put. He went to Amy in the terminal and said im not going. Amy tried with all her might to convince him to go home.
She even cried. Nothing could sway my husband. This was his destiny.
He walked out of that airport that day knowing he was supposed to be there.
He had no clue where to go or how to survive, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was to be there. From there, he went to one of his new "friend's" house to sleep in an El Camino--but after that night, he was on his own.
In the middle of the night, he went for a walk. There he felt protected, as if someone was there with him that night.
Loujo knew that the only way he could stay there was if he found a job so he started applying everywhere he could. Finding a job was not the easiest thing for him, though because he looked like a mountain man. Seriously. He had pretty long, shaggy hair and a scruffy beard. He was looking pretty rough. After all, he was homeless. He had been sleeping on a park bench at night.
One day he woke up and decided to go to some outdoor mall to apply at different places. While there a man, a complete stranger told my husband he looked tired and offered him a cigarette. So my husband stood there and smoked and talked to this stranger whose name was Eric. He began to ask Louie what he believed in and Louie gave him some mumbo jumbo about being his own god or something like that. It was pretty crazy. Then Eric told him about Jesus-about Salvation. Louie accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior that very day. Because of a complete stranger, he found the reason he was meant to be there- to be introduced to the creator of the universe, the name above all the names, our redeemer.
Loujo became a new creation-the old man passed away, behold all things became new.
Thereafter, Eric gave him a place to stay for the night. He fed him, let him shower, and even bought him clothes to wear all while preaching to my beloved husband.
The next day Louie was at the homeless shelter waiting to be let in. They turned him away, as the place was full. He spent one night by a river, fully accepting the consequences that his actions brought him.
After that night, the group he had been with before got in touch with him.
Though there were things that Louie had done during the next week that shouldnt have been done, he was provided with shelter and a place to lie his head.
Louie called his family and shared his good news. He shared how he had been saved, how his life was going to change. It just so happened that his brother, Anthony would be in town a few days later for a baseball tournament and they had an extra seat on the bus to go back to Omaha. Since the mission was accomplished, Louie decided to return home as a changed man. He gave up all drugs, alcohol, and smoking. About 7 months later God brought him back into my life and I'm so so thankful.
There's a saying that I hear alot of Christians say. They start out their testimony with, "When I found God..." My husband doesn't like that wording. He prefers to say, "When God found me..." Because it wasn't his doing at all-he wasnt looking for God when he got saved. God came when he least expected it and flipped his life around. There's nothing my God cannot do!

 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

14 Weeks!




How far along? 14 Weeks

Baby's size? Baby Teal is the size of a lemon!

Weight Gain? Well at my last doc appointment it was about 10lbs. EEK! So worth it though!


Belly button in or out? In still

Sleep? Not too bad for the most part. I do tent to wake up at 5am everyday and can't get back to sleep until 7. It's pretty strange!


Foods I am loving? Anything strawberry flavored

Foods I am hating? Chocolate and Caramel. I know weird. It's grossing me out even typing those words! lol

Best moment this week? Getting some baby stuff that my sister gave to us. Now we actually have something in the baby's room!


Movement? I think I may have felt a kick this morning! I'm so excited to feel more!


Symptoms? Still nauseous if I don't eat.


Gender? Don't know yet but I'm still thinking girl!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Fun-Day Food-Day

AH oh my goodness I am so excited it's Friday, you don't even know! I get a four day weekend! HOLLA!
So here we go. Letters to friday.
Handsome Hubby! Love Hims!

Dear photography website/blog-I'm so excited for your unveiling, this thing finally feels so real.

Dear new mattress-One word. King Size. We finally get you tomorrow! Our old queen size mattress just wasn't doing it for us. I can't wait to sleep on the soft cloud that you are.

Dear Baby Teal-I love you so much already! I'm getting so anxious to find out what you are! I still think you are a girl, but daddy is still holding out for a boy. Only about 6 more weeks till we'll know. I can't wait!

Dear food day- I'm going to eat so much today at work. for serious.

Dear sweet husband- I love you! Thank you for letting us get our first pack of newborn diapers last night! I know it's still over 5 months away till the baby comes but I know we will be a little more prepared if we start stocking up now. I'm so excited to see you with our baby! You are already such a good daddy!

Dear heavenly father- Thank you for all of the blessings. I'm sorry if I haven't told You enough. Thank You thank You thank You thank You thank You. I think about where me and Louie were are year ago and it's so amazing to see where You've brought us. Thank You for being such a good God!

Be blessed, friends!











Thursday, January 17, 2013

Homemade Mac n Cheese.

I'm a mac n cheese girl. I embrace it. Up until about a year ago I'd never had homemade mac and cheese, only the kraft stuff. I always thought the box stuff was good, but boy was I missing out! I have a couple different recipes for the homemade mac that I make but I would have to say that this one takes the cake! You will love, and you will lick the pan clean. I'm making this for food day at work tomorrow so I'm expecting to be taking home an empty casserole dish. :) Goodness I love Allrecipes.com

                                                                               Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water.
  3. In a bowl mix milk, eggs, sour cream, seasoning salt, and pepper. Layer macaroni, cheddar cheese, and milk mixture until pan is full. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and pour melted butter on top.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until milk mixture is done.



Saturday, January 12, 2013

Prego Pics!

Hello Lovelies!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend thus far! Hubby and I are going to go shopping in a bit and then we're going over to his grandma's because it's her birthday. :) Ya'll know a prego lady can't say no to some cake and ice cream! ;) As long as it's not chocolate-crazy I know. I NEVER thought I'd say those words!
 
So without further ado, here are pics from my first and second month of pregnancy! And since I'm 13 weeks I should be taking my 3 month pic tomorrow! :)
November-5 weeks along

December-9 weeks along

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Oh taste and see

that the Lord is good to me! You've turned my mourning into dancing, put off my rags and clothed me with gladness. I will sing and I will dance, I'll shout and not stay silent! <-------this is one of my all time favorite songs at we sing at Church! Everytime I hear it I can't help but have a big smile on my face because I'm thinking about all the Lord has done for me! It even brings me to tears sometimes because its like a slideshow of moments and memories flood into my mind.

But why is it that I can't constantly think about these things? Why when something bad happens the first thing that I do is think that somehow God doesn't care about me? Instead of leaning into Him and knowing that He will take care of me, I rebel. I hate that about myself.
Romans 7:15 "For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [[a]which my moral instinct condemns]."

I love this verse very much. It's comforting to know that even Paul felt this way from time to time.
My ever present question always is, "Why is it so hard for me to trust?"
I think it might have something to do with my earthly dad. It's not that I don't forgive him for what he did to our family, how he let us down because I really have. But I guess I'm just so afraid that I can't count on him and I want to so bad. More than anything.

I can't compare my Heavenly Father to my earthly father. My Heavenly father will never leave me, He will never forsake me. He wants the best for me. He knows the number of hairs on my head. Before I was formed in the womb HE KNEW ME. Before I was born He set me apart for his Holy purpose. That's so powerful. Especially now that I have this growing babe in my belly, this answer to prayers. The love I already have for it is huge but it isn't even comparable to the love God has for me. I pray that I could fathom even a little bit of that love.