Oh my lands it's been over a MONTH since I've been on here!! I initially asked where is the time going, but then I remember that's a silly question- it's flying by!
Since the end of March we have:
-survived teaching high school
-had a successful and fun COH Spring Fundraiser
-celebrated 1 year of marriage
-celebrated 1 year since Zack's graduation
-reminisced about the fact the I'm 2 years out of MC
-continued to plan Camp...still a work in progress
Whoa whoa whoa y'all- this season of the year is insane and we are just buckling our seatbelts and enjoying the ride :) It's been a fabulous time of celebrating and remembering all those steps that we took to be where we are now.
Until next time,
Nataleigh
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Learning to Shoot...
During the first part of March, Zack taught me how to shoot a gun. Talk about a fun day! I was so hesitant at first (with good reason-guns are scary), but I loved learning how to shoot and actually hit a target. Here's our documentation of a good day :)
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| I don't have the best form yet... |
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| ...but I sure did have some fun! |
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| Not a huge fan of this gun- it scared me!! |
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| Zack helped me so much! |
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| I shot. Then I got scared. Really scared. |
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| We're so tough. Yea, we shoot guns :) |
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| This was my favorite part of the day. I hit the target every time with this gun. Zack thought I'd had practice beforehand! |
We're heading to the beach for Easter and the fist part of next week. Can't wait to have a few days away to rest and reconnect with hubs. Happy Easter, y'all!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Refinement.
It's safe to say the month of February was an entire month devoted to God refining my heart. Just as coal is refined to remove it's impurities, God used February to refine my heart. Several notable things happened in the second month to make me examine my heart in a deep, honest way.
1- Joy. Zack's sweet grandfather's sickness and passing away was nothing short of a beautiful picture of Christ's love for us and our nature to long for Him. In Bill's last days with us, we left him one night praying. His prayer was a simple one of thanksgiving. Even in his final days, Bill was still thanking God for His faithfulness on his life- what an encouragement. The picture of Bill just talking to God will be one I never forget. This was one of those defining moments of my life; you know the ones you just can't get over?! Since that night in the hospital, my mind and heart have just been drawn in the blessings of God. If Bill could praise Jesus in his final days, why can't I do it everyday, all the time?! This picture of God's people praising Him has convicted me that I am simply not thankful enough. I have EVERY REASON IN THE WORLD to be joyful, yet sometimes (more often than I like to admit), I simply am not. Lesson one of February was simply to be thankful.
2- Refine. The month of love proved to be a month of acknowledgement of sin in marriage. While most people associate February with sappy romance, this month has been the toughest since we've been married. But in a good way. Jesus has softened my heart to acknowledge my sin and work on it. Once again, He's taking my heart of coal and refining me. Zack has been so faithful to me throughout the ugliness of working on my sin. It's been tough. There's been a lot of crying. But it's been good. Jesus has made me more aware than ever of specific sin and already forgiven me, so now it's my job to work on it. It amazes me just how absent-minded I have a tendency to be and this month has been tough/great in really digging deep into my struggles that I've been hiding/fighting for months/years.
3- Frailty. In the middle of my little pitty pot of sinfulness and shame of said sins, an acquaintance from NCSU, who happened to teach me a thing or two about shagging, passed away from cancer in the second month. His passing sort of came as a shock; how can it not when you're talking about a 21 year old man losing his life? Ian's passing was and still is a ministry to me. Life is frail. Life is short. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, not sizing up to others. I realized just how much of my time I spend worrying about what others are doing, where they're going, etc. It's CONSUMING. But I'm pretty sure that if I were in Ian's shoes, I would not want to look back at my life and say that I spend my early 20s (a great time of my life) focused more on other people business than I was my own life, marriage, job, family, etc. I took his death hard. Calling it a wake-up call is an understatement. Jesus has a message with every circumstance, and His message was loud and clear to me through this situation. The frailty of life is evident and I don't want to be so caught up that I miss out on this life I've been given and the gifts God's given me.
All in all, Jesus is good. He's so good. He loves me and gently teaches me daily and I'm thankful February was a time to draw closer to Him. Yes, spiritually exhausting, but so worth it!
1- Joy. Zack's sweet grandfather's sickness and passing away was nothing short of a beautiful picture of Christ's love for us and our nature to long for Him. In Bill's last days with us, we left him one night praying. His prayer was a simple one of thanksgiving. Even in his final days, Bill was still thanking God for His faithfulness on his life- what an encouragement. The picture of Bill just talking to God will be one I never forget. This was one of those defining moments of my life; you know the ones you just can't get over?! Since that night in the hospital, my mind and heart have just been drawn in the blessings of God. If Bill could praise Jesus in his final days, why can't I do it everyday, all the time?! This picture of God's people praising Him has convicted me that I am simply not thankful enough. I have EVERY REASON IN THE WORLD to be joyful, yet sometimes (more often than I like to admit), I simply am not. Lesson one of February was simply to be thankful.
2- Refine. The month of love proved to be a month of acknowledgement of sin in marriage. While most people associate February with sappy romance, this month has been the toughest since we've been married. But in a good way. Jesus has softened my heart to acknowledge my sin and work on it. Once again, He's taking my heart of coal and refining me. Zack has been so faithful to me throughout the ugliness of working on my sin. It's been tough. There's been a lot of crying. But it's been good. Jesus has made me more aware than ever of specific sin and already forgiven me, so now it's my job to work on it. It amazes me just how absent-minded I have a tendency to be and this month has been tough/great in really digging deep into my struggles that I've been hiding/fighting for months/years.
3- Frailty. In the middle of my little pitty pot of sinfulness and shame of said sins, an acquaintance from NCSU, who happened to teach me a thing or two about shagging, passed away from cancer in the second month. His passing sort of came as a shock; how can it not when you're talking about a 21 year old man losing his life? Ian's passing was and still is a ministry to me. Life is frail. Life is short. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, not sizing up to others. I realized just how much of my time I spend worrying about what others are doing, where they're going, etc. It's CONSUMING. But I'm pretty sure that if I were in Ian's shoes, I would not want to look back at my life and say that I spend my early 20s (a great time of my life) focused more on other people business than I was my own life, marriage, job, family, etc. I took his death hard. Calling it a wake-up call is an understatement. Jesus has a message with every circumstance, and His message was loud and clear to me through this situation. The frailty of life is evident and I don't want to be so caught up that I miss out on this life I've been given and the gifts God's given me.
All in all, Jesus is good. He's so good. He loves me and gently teaches me daily and I'm thankful February was a time to draw closer to Him. Yes, spiritually exhausting, but so worth it!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Boyfriend Cookies My Husband Loves
I have hit the baking jackpot in finding a perfect cookie recipe. Several friends have asked for the recipe so here it goes :)
(disclaimer- I can take absolutely no credit for this creative recipe. Thank you, Pinterest!)
- One softened cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
- 3 1/2 ounces of instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- one teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups of flour
- one teaspoon of baking soda
- One cup of milk chocolate chips
- One cup of semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips (I didn't add these in)
- 1/2 cup of M&M’s, any kind you like
- 1/2 cup of Reese’s Pieces
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugars
- Add the pudding mix (don't add milk like pudding calls for), eggs, and vanilla into the mix and stir well
- Next add the flour and baking soda to the mixture, and continue to mix well
- Finally, mix in the chocolate chips and the rest of the candy
- With a regular spoon or a scooper, drop a spoonful of the dough onto regular ungreased baking sheets
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown
- Remove and cool before indulging :)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
A Time to Rest
This past week I told my dad that I think this is the 'least busy' I've been in about 5 years. This is not an exaggeration at all. For real. For the first time since 2007, I feel like I actually have time to "take time and smell the roses". Since the new year began, I have found myself with more time to spend with my hunny, more time to rest, more time to cook, more time for quiet times, and more time to do things just for me. It's amazing! No joke, I didn't even realize just how busy life has been, but gosh it feels so good to not have a ton of commitments in the coming days, weeks, or months.
The past 2 weekends have been restful for both hubby and I! Last weekend we each went shopping (me to the Smithfield Outlets and Zack to the Gun & Knife Show), and we enjoyed church, along with some good eating out using gift cards we got for Christmas. This weekend has been lovely as well; the weather sort of stuck us at home Friday and the first part of Saturday, but we enjoyed spending time with the Brice's while watching that incredibly stressful, but good NCSU game :) Today we helped a sweet friend move into her first apartment and have been relaxing at home since. I am thoroughly enjoying this season of "calmness", as I know it's a season. "For everything there is a season; and a time for every matter under heaven"- Ecc. 3:1
Preparing for Summer at Camp Oak Hill is about to really crank up- we're heading to Richmond next Saturday for a Camp Fair, so that's super exciting! I am simply thankful for the opportunity to be a part of God working at COH!
Until next time, I'm going to enjoy piddle-paddling around with projects I've been putting off for way too long :)
The past 2 weekends have been restful for both hubby and I! Last weekend we each went shopping (me to the Smithfield Outlets and Zack to the Gun & Knife Show), and we enjoyed church, along with some good eating out using gift cards we got for Christmas. This weekend has been lovely as well; the weather sort of stuck us at home Friday and the first part of Saturday, but we enjoyed spending time with the Brice's while watching that incredibly stressful, but good NCSU game :) Today we helped a sweet friend move into her first apartment and have been relaxing at home since. I am thoroughly enjoying this season of "calmness", as I know it's a season. "For everything there is a season; and a time for every matter under heaven"- Ecc. 3:1
Preparing for Summer at Camp Oak Hill is about to really crank up- we're heading to Richmond next Saturday for a Camp Fair, so that's super exciting! I am simply thankful for the opportunity to be a part of God working at COH!
Until next time, I'm going to enjoy piddle-paddling around with projects I've been putting off for way too long :)
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Commit to Commit in 2013
I've decided to jump on the goals bandwagon and write out what we'd like to see happen in this upcoming year. I read somewhere the other day to, above all else, commit to commit your goals to God. I like this. I do want to make it my very first goal to rely on God to provide and take care of us. There are a few more things that Zack and I would like to work on/do in 2013...
I want to make a goal to cook dinner at least 3 nights a week. When I say cook dinner I DO NOT mean throw a frozen pizza in the oven. I want to deliberately plan out a grocery list, cook a meal, and have leftovers for the next days lunch. You may think 3x/week isn't a lot at all to cook, but when you live 5 minutes away from a ton of restaurants, it takes a conscious effort to stay in and cook. This week's menu has been chicken, rice, and veggie casserole, baked salmon, homemade mashed potatoes, and broccoli, and broccoli, potato, and cheese soup. I'm LOVING all the recipes I'm finding on Pinterest (and I think it's safe to say Zack is too :D!!)
I also want to exercise more. Post-wedding life has been great, but not too forgiving on my body. Zack and I both want to integrate healthier food and exercise more. (For what it's worth, I've reached my goal this week for cooking healthier meals!)
I asked Zack what his goals were for the year and I got the following response:
hunt more.
go on a vacation.
be happy.
Man I love his simple thinking. The above goals are legitimate reasons why I married him :)
As husband and wife, we are trying to really strengthen our prayer life together in 2013. We have made a weekly prayer schedule for things we want be in prayer for throughout the week and put it on our fridge as a reminder first thing in the morning to be in prayer for our friends and families. What an encouragement this has already been to us! Feel free to join us as we pray throughout the week:
I want to make a goal to cook dinner at least 3 nights a week. When I say cook dinner I DO NOT mean throw a frozen pizza in the oven. I want to deliberately plan out a grocery list, cook a meal, and have leftovers for the next days lunch. You may think 3x/week isn't a lot at all to cook, but when you live 5 minutes away from a ton of restaurants, it takes a conscious effort to stay in and cook. This week's menu has been chicken, rice, and veggie casserole, baked salmon, homemade mashed potatoes, and broccoli, and broccoli, potato, and cheese soup. I'm LOVING all the recipes I'm finding on Pinterest (and I think it's safe to say Zack is too :D!!)
I also want to exercise more. Post-wedding life has been great, but not too forgiving on my body. Zack and I both want to integrate healthier food and exercise more. (For what it's worth, I've reached my goal this week for cooking healthier meals!)
I asked Zack what his goals were for the year and I got the following response:
hunt more.
go on a vacation.
be happy.
Man I love his simple thinking. The above goals are legitimate reasons why I married him :)
As husband and wife, we are trying to really strengthen our prayer life together in 2013. We have made a weekly prayer schedule for things we want be in prayer for throughout the week and put it on our fridge as a reminder first thing in the morning to be in prayer for our friends and families. What an encouragement this has already been to us! Feel free to join us as we pray throughout the week:
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Catching Up from Christmas!
We had a fantastic first married Christmas! I'll tell about our time together through some pictures...
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| Our First Christmas Tree. The most notable thing about our first tree together is that we couldn't agree on a tree topper. So, our tree remained with a topper until after Christmas, when we finally agreed on a punched tin star. |
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| Just some of our decorations :) |
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| More kitchen decorations |
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| The Star Wars pancake molds were a hit! |
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| My Corn gift, in honor of good ol' MC |
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| Zack was drawn in to the Dark Knight Rises :) We enjoyed watching lots of movies during our time off work! |
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| Christmas morning picture :) |
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| We decided to head downtown on Christmas night to see the lights- it was, as always, beautiful! |
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| The WRAL tower is a staple from my childhood- I was happy for Zack to see it in real life! |
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| Shannon and John had the idea to take a day trip to Busch Gardens to see the Christmas Festivities the park offers- what a great day it was!! |
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| We got to see penguins swimming- so much fun! |
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| The Island of Pompeii ride was completely covered in lights- it was gorgeous to be there during Christmas, despite it being freezing!! |
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| Lastly, our break consisted of a lot of cooking, baking, and of course, eating! This was my pride and joy of the Holiday season- caramel apple cheesecake. From scratch folks. It was nothing short of sinful, but ohhh so good!! |
All this to say, we had a wonderful, restful, yet fun first Married Merry Christmas! We are so blessed to have spent time with our families, and also with friends! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect December and Holiday Season!
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