Summertime!

Wow, it's been a while...I always start these journals thinking that I'll be posting a lot, but life kind of gets in the way and my motivation tapers off after a little while. I do love the idea of journaling, but usually my short attention span and laziness gets the better of me. So here's a little update on what's going on in my life right now and what I have been learning over the past few months.

Steve and I are coming up on our one year anniversary! I can't believe that we've been married for almost a year already. We feel a bit like the odd ducklings because it looks like nearly all of the couples from school or home who got married last year are already busy with repopulating the earth. Steve is petrified of children right now, but I know he'll warm up to the idea eventually. The plan is to have me finish my Master's degree first anyways, so I'm okay with waiting a couple more years. I've really enjoyed my first year as a married woman, falling more and more in love with my dear husband every day. We have our little fights and disagreements, but I couldn't think of anyone else who could fill that special place in my heart but him. I prayed for a good husband, and God has blessed me with that and so much more!

Later this week we will be spending time with my family in Michigan. I am SO excited to go home! Believe it or not, we haven't been there since the wedding last July...so I am very anxious to spend some time with good friends and my family. My youngest brother, Benjamin, is having his high school graduation party that the trip is kind of built around. My other brother, Nathan, is getting ready to head off to basic training in September. I feel like I miss so much of them "growing up" because I haven't really been home for the last 4 years, so I am really excited to see them again.

I have this philosophy about life - all the experiences and phases that you go through don't really mean anything unless you observe and learn something from each one. As lazy as I can be, I do try to step back once in a while and kind of summarize what I think I'm learning at that particular time in my life. Right now I am beginning to realize the stages of life and how small my childhood will be in comparison to the time that is (hopefully) left before me! I said to my husband the other day, "You know, I'm just beginning to realize how small of a percentage my childhood is compared to the rest of my life. At the time, I felt like I would always be a child - I would never go to college, never get married, never have a family of my own, etc. But now all of those dream-like ideas are coming true, and I'm realizing that there is so much more to life than I could ever imagine!" I guess you could say that I'm starting to understand the complexity and beauty of the life that has been given to each one of us, and the precious opportunity that the Lord has gifted me with. It is my responsibility to take hold of my life and make sure that I live according to His plan for me, to be a person who glorifies Him in my short time on earth.

I am starting to take after my husband's love of listening to sermons. Right now I'm only listening to Mark Driscoll sermons simply because I love the way he preaches and the passion with which he shares God's Word. His sermons are practical, interesting, and convicting. Recently I listened to one of his parable sermons about the Barren Fig Tree, which was extremely convicting. I highly suggest that you log in to iTunes and download the podcast of that sermon...you won't regret it! Along with listening to Driscoll, I've been working through the commentary/book "Be Joyful!" by Wiersbe. It's a study on the book of Philippians, which has always been one of my favored books. It's taking me a while to get through it (like I said, I'm lazy and have a short attention span) but I am really enjoying the journey so far.

Well, I think that's all I will try to stuff into this post. Hopefully I will start to write more often so that I don't have to write a book every few months. I hope that eventually my writing will be a source of encouragement and/or conviction for the few who do read my ramblings. God bless and have a great week!