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!

NOVEMBER UPDATE

HAPPY DECEMBER!

I can't believe it is already the first week of December 2013. They say as you get older, time seems to speed up more and more. I am beginning to believe it! It's already that time of year again filled with family, lights, decorations, good food and so much more. Our family has a lot going on this holiday season and a lot to celebrate as well! November was a great month for us:

-It started off with a Youth Chili Cook-Off which was a fundraiser at our church to benefit our youth group. It was a fun event and I was proud of my husband for coordinating it all.

-I experienced my first Girl's Progressive Dinner with our youth group girls. We went to a different church member's house for each course of the meal (appetizer, salad, main course, and dessert). It was really fun and something that I have always wanted to do.

-I have continued to be blessed by the Girl's Bible Study I attend with women in their 20's. Our lessons have been challenging and I've learned so much. We even had a special Thanksgiving get together where we all brought our husbands/significant other and enjoyed a delicious dinner and played Catch Phrase. Lots of fun was had! It's really nice being able to spend time with people in the same phase of life as yourself and your spouse.

-We celebrated Josh's 24th birthday!

-I finally got around to having that Pinterest Day I wanted to do for a while. My friend Becky and I crafted and made some Pinterest food. I felt very accomplished by the end of the day!

-I found out that my brother would be officially moving to Dallas in early December. It's very bittersweet, but I am very proud of him. My mom, brother and I had a special celebration dinner.

-We had our early Thanksgiving Feast at church...yummy food!

-Josh did a great job with Youth Sunday at our church. The youth did every aspect of the service and everything turned out so well. The youth band led worship (their first time ever) and it was so moving and powerful. Josh preached at both services and made me very proud! We were all impressed :)

-Hillsong United Concert - a much needed date night!

-We went to see Catching Fire! I rarely see movies in theatre, but I couldn't resist this one.

-We enjoyed another FEAST group with church members. Good food and fellowship.

-Josh and I spent Thanksgiving with our Gale/Zipperer family in Savannah. It was great to have 2 days off to spend time with them. I love them all and love getting to know them more.

-Last but not least, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! Last month I mentioned that we were looking for somewhere to live in early 2014 and a lot has happened since then. All of our needs were met and everything has come together so perfectly. We are beyond excited about moving and starting a new chapter of our lives in our first home. We have been beyond blessed with this new adventure!

2013 is coming to a close, but I look forward to ending it with new beginnings, traditions, and memories.