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!

Seasons

I have always heard people refer to the different “seasons” of life. There are different times for different things and we just have to embrace the season of life that we are currently in. That’s what we are told. Sounds easy, right? There is a time for school, a time for marriage, a time for new friends, a time for new jobs, a time for babies, etc. In our society, there are so many specified seasons of life that are expected to happen to each of us like clockwork, almost without thought or emotion. It’s the circle of life that we are all running round and round in. Everyone is so busy, trying to get from one season to the next, never really taking time to enjoy where they are because society, their parents, their spouse, their friends, or even themselves, have put so much pressure on them to fit a certain mold. Is there ever a time where you don’t feel like you “fit” in any type of season, any type of mold? Has there ever been a time where you feel sort of “in between” seasons? Like you can’t find your footing in any group? I feel like this is where I am.

I am a newlywed (been married almost 8 months), full time worker, youth pastor’s wife, friend, daughter, church member and so much more, yet I find myself to be “bored” of my life sometimes. I feel like there is nothing new going on with me while I watch society run around like chickens with their heads cut off due to constant busyness. I get jealous. I get sad that my life is so routine. The “same old, same old” is a constant for me lately. Up until now, I have also led quite a busy life. I went through the high school season, the college season, the dating season, the engaged season, the wedding planning season, the new full-time big girl job season, and the newlywed season. I am just recently hitting this point of slowing down. And I hate it. I like to be busy. I like to feel productive. I like to fit into the mold. I have to remind myself that it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to be in a season of your own. It’s okay to not be busy. It’s okay to take the time to slow down and really enjoy where you are. Society tells me that I have to rush this precious life I’ve been given. And I’ll be honest; I buy into that lie way too often. I am always pushing on to the next thing, never fully satisfied. I am reminded of this Bible verse:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in its time. Therefore, I will wait. I will enjoy. I will savor this period of my life. I know that one day I will be wanting these days back. Whatever season this is that I am in, I will learn to be thankful for it.