Life...Will You Please Just Slow Down?

If you have been wondering what's going on in my life (probably not, but you never know!), then I am here to tell you that April has been a crazy, busy month for the Gale's. We have kind of been running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I don't know if it's the spring weather, or Easter, or all of the activities culminating before we hit summer...but life has flown by these past couple of months. I know people say the older you get time seems to speed up, and I can testify that there is truth to that!

Although we have been very busy, everything is going well. Josh is finishing up his second year of seminary and only has one year to go (hallelujah!). We are still loving our church and Josh has been working so hard there. He has preached multiple times and I can say that there aren't many other moments in which I am prouder of him than when I watch him preach. I believe he is a natural. I have been at Land Rover for a year and a half and am finally settling into the routine of commuting which I started back in December. I still don't love it, but my despise-o-meter is slowly going down. Our house is finally coming together and I am so relieved. For some reason, I was very intimidated at the thought of decorating our house and putting each room together. I'm not quite sure why. Isn't this every girl's dream?! Well I can say I am happy with how everything is turning out and it's been easier/more fun than I anticipated. I am also going to do a House Tour on this blog soon. Let me know if anyone would be interested in that? My domestic skills (ahm...cooking) have majorly improved! I have been cooking more and more and I rarely reuse a recipe. I have been trying different things and making meals that are out of my comfort zone. So far I haven't burned the house down and Josh has only turned down one of my creations...which is impressive if you know how picky he is!

Summer is right around the corner and don't be fooled into thinking that we will slow down any, in fact, between a new Bible study, youth group trips, our mission trip to Costa Rica, and more work and school...we will be filled to the brim! (If you don't know much about our Costa Rica trip, please visit http://www.gofundme.com/JOSHANDBRITTANYTOCR to find out more! I am also going to do a blog post about this trip specifically before and after our visit. I will be sure to share the details and photos with you all.)

Well I think that is it for now. Life is moving quickly, but I'm thankful that at the end of each day, I go to bed happy and content with where I am. As trite as this phrase is, I am seriously blessed. God has taught me more about flexibility and going with the flow this year, and I am trying to put it to use. (I'm getting a lot of practice.) I'll leave you with some of our family Easter photos and April favorites.

My family -- I love this photo more than words can say...and also because of Cedric's goofy expression.

 

My love...so thankful for this guy and proud of all he has accomplished this year. We treated ourselves to new Easter outfits this year (we never buy clothes for ourselves) and it was a nice treat.

 

                            Easter Sunday with my mom after church. 

         My brother came home for Easter weekend! We loved having him.

 

 

 Announcing our trip to Costa Rica this summer...we are excited! (We even made a fun video.)

Our trip to the zoo -- Josh had never been to the Atlanta Zoo and I felt like this was unacceptable, so I took him on a surprise date there!
 

I'm still coaching 3 year old soccer each week and I absolutely love it. At this age, it has nothing to do with skill (which is why they let me coach), but it is more about team work and patience with the young learners. They are the funniest kids and so sweet! They have the best manners and are so pure with their words (truly saying exactly what they are thinking). I love seeing them encourage each other and give each other high fives after scoring goals. It's truly the 1 hour each week that I do something for myself. It may seem like it's for them, but really, I know I get so much more out of it!

Trust & Obey

If you have been in church for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the hymn "Trust and Obey". It's a very straightforward but honest song. The chorus declares "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." Sounds simple enough, right? When you are younger, it's easy to sing these words believing that it will always be an easy choice to trust and obey God. But the older you get and the more challenges you face, it becomes a little more difficult to just "trust and obey" with no questions asked. It's easy to withhold our trust and start to convince ourselves that our situation is the exception to rule of obedience. We know God is telling us to do something, but we deceive ourselves into thinking that He couldn't possibly still have the same expectations of us with our current circumstances. It's tempting to believe that the hard times are an exception for being obedient to God, but in fact, that's exactly when obedience and trust are key.

I have recently struggled to be obedient to God in a few areas that I never have before. I have always been quick to give, of my time and money. It's never been difficult for me and most of the time I do not hesitant to give to those around me and to my church. Giving has always brought me great joy and fulfilled me in a way like no other. I never thought twice about it before, always being generous despite the cost. Recently, my money and time have become tighter. There hasn't been as much of it to spare. God is truly challenging me to trust Him and continue obeying Him during a time when it isn't so simple. Obeying Him right now might mean sacrificing nicer things and rest for my mind and body. That song "Trust & Obey" has been replaying in my mind for a few months and I can't say I haven't looked up at God a few times and questioned how He expected me to continue on doing what He had called me to do when my resources were quite limited. How can He expect me to make these sacrifices when I'm already working so hard already and I'm exhausted trying to keep it all together? It's easy to make excuses and convince myself that I need those things more than others do. It's easy to sleep instead of serve and it's easy to use my hard earned money for myself instead of living modestly and giving it away to those in need. Obedience is not the easy choice after all.

But, I will press on. For God is calling me to trust Him in order to fulfill not only His glory, but my good. Trusting God when it is difficult allows you to see His goodness, as well as, the goodness in others. God has continued to provide for us, so that we are able to give. He has made a way when it didn't seem like there was one. He has given me the energy to continue serving and opened up the time in my schedule to be present. God has drawn me closer to Him and given me the courage to say, "I trust You. I trust Your timing. What I have: my time, my money, my life...it's Yours. No excuses." He continues to give me that joy, so that I can give that joy to others. The hymn does say,

"But we never can prove
the delights of His love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor He shows,
for the joy He bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey."

I challenge you to trust and obey Him today. Take a leap of faith when you can't see where the path leads, for I promise you that the benefit far outweighs the cost.

The Cooking Diaries: Cooking with Brittany

I have recently embarked on the adventure that is cooking. For some, this might be an exciting time, but for me it was definitely intimidating. I've never been one to cook. I'm that person who is content having cereal for dinner and usually brings something store bought to any type of event. I haven't ever really dabbled in cooking because I had no clue where to even start.

When I got married, I felt the desire to try to cook for my husband. I got off to a good start, but slowly began to fall away from it as life got in the way. We also lacked a full kitchen in our basement apartment which played a big part in not being able to put together a basic hot meal. I felt overwhelmed with trying to come up with ideas, so I just gave up. It was always hard for me to go to different events where people brought all homemade dishes and I showed up with my store bought cookies that paled in comparison. My friends always knew to count on me to bring the rolls to a meal. I felt embarrassed and somewhat like less of a women because not only did I not know how to cook, I truly had little desire to even learn. When we moved into our new home, with a full kitchen, I decided that this was my chance to start fresh. I was going to learn to cook whether I liked it or not, but I was also hoping to gain an appreciation for it. I wanted to actually enjoy cooking not just do it out of obligation.

It's only just begun, but I can say that it's already been a much better experience than I was expecting. Thanks to things like Pinterest and Facebook, I was able to make a list of simple recipes that I was willing to try. It was also beneficial for me to just ask people I knew for a few meals that their families loved. I started meal planning and making a list of the collection of recipes I had gathered along with the ingredients I would need when I went grocery shopping. For me, planning has been key. As long as I buy the right ingredients and have everything on hand that I need to make a certain dish, all I have to do is assemble the meal. I don't have to worry about scrambling last minute. It's crazy how much less complex it became when I just put a little effort into the meals I was making. Taking the few extra minutes to research, swap recipes with friends, and make the proper grocery list has really helped make this process much more pleasant and not as overwhelming for me.

I'm letting myself off more easily by not expecting perfection. I am obviously a beginner, so I have to accept that I will screw up. I had to learn when something is cooked, overcooked, and undercooked...which I have on occasion had to find out the hard way. I've learned that you boil water on the "big" burner on the stove or else you will end up waiting a very long time for your water to boil. I'm realizing that there is almost an art involved in having each part of the meal ready around the same time. If you don't time it perfectly, then your potatoes may be ready 20 minutes before the chicken and a lot of things will end up being reheated. I've found out that if flour goes unused for a long period of time, it can get little bugs in it even if it is in a sealed container and if you are boiling noodles and drop the one you are trying to taste test on your bare skin that it will burn the crud out of you and leave a nice pink burn mark for a while. It's been a journey full of mistakes, but I am gaining more knowledge of how to cook in the best way.

I am venturing out into uncharted territory, but I have had a few success stories. I will share with you a few of the dishes that I have made that have turned out well! I have tried a variety of things from chicken to beef, from casseroles to crockpots. I am trying to not be intimidated by recipes that have more than 4 ingredients (which I used to always skip over). Some of the dishes I have successfully made are:

Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Pigs in a Blanket
Chicken with Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Apple Pie Oatmeal
Taco Soup
Sausage Gravy and Biscuit Casserole

Well, that's it for this addition of The Cooking Diaries. I may keep documenting my cooking journey and sharing different recipes and things I have learned along the way. If you happen to be interested in any of these recipes, let me know! Happy Cooking!

The First Married Year

I can't believe that my husband and I have almost been married 1 year already! In some respects, it feels like just yesterday and in others, it feels like we've been together forever. I can definitely say that our first year of marriage has been one for the books where we grew in love, knowledge, and wisdom of how to be a good spouse to one another. I do not claim to know as much as someone who has been married for 25+ years, but I can say I have learned quite a few things during our first year together as husband and wife. This is by far not everything, but a few good nuggets of truth and encouragement that can help every engaged or newlywed couple make their marriage a more successful and happy one.

1. Loving your spouse is a daily choice -- if you believe that love is an emotion in your marriage, then there will be times where you don't "feel" loving towards your spouse. You can't base your love for your spouse on how you are feeling that day or how they are acting. On those days where you have to pick up their dirty laundry off the floor and take out the trash because they forgot again, you must choose to love them anyways.

2. Be silly together.

3. Even though you now live together, take the time to go on a date and spend time alone together out of the house.

4. Life can get stressful very quickly -- laugh together, as much and as often as you can.

5. Do little things for each other. Surprise each other.

6. Compliment each other -- your spouse needs that reminder that you still find them attractive.

7. Start traditions together.

8. Celebrate the small accomplishments together.

9. Encourage your spouse daily -- they need your constant support whether they act like it or not.

10. Forgive easily and quickly -- holding on to a grudge towards the person who you will spend the rest of your life with is going to be miserable for everyone.

11. You aren't the perfect spouse so don't expect them to be -- they are learning what marriage is all about right there alongside you.

12. Be selfless -- make their lunch, do something sweet for them, clean up after them, even if they haven't done that for you recently. Do it anyways.

13. Love them unconditionally -- don't let your actions towards your spouse be based on their actions towards you. Show them unconditional love even if they may not "deserve" it that day.

14. Be affectionate towards each other -- don't be afraid of public displays of affection. You are married now and it will probably make your spouse feel special.

15. Words can hurt and can never be taken back. Be careful of what you say to each other. Think about what you say and the impact it will have on your marriage before you say it. You will make your marriage a much happier thing if you just think before you speak.

16. Make your spouse feel special -- in all the busyness of life, it's easy to forget to do this, but it's important.

17. Never walk out during a fight.

18. Make couple friends.

19. Find a mentor that has been successful in their marriage and can offer you wisdom and guidance when you need it -- you will need it.

20. Respect and love your spouse's family -- they are your family now too.

21. Respect the way your spouse deals with stress or conflict -- forcing them handle it your way isn't going to work.

22. Tell your spouse you love them. All the time. More importantly, show your spouse you love them. Actions speak louder than words.