a simple woman's daybook, 03.05.11

this is me, can't you tell?

i follow a friend's blog that uses this format for some of her updates and i really enjoy it. it gives you a peak into one's world that one doesn't often think to write about. i'm terrible at updating people on my life and thought that this might be an opportunity to update the masses, or at least those who care to read, at one time. enjoy.

outside my window it is a dreary day with temperatures having plummeted in the last 24 hours. there is little movement outside despite the fact that it is a saturday afternoon. inside i'm looking at my husband who types away at his own computer doing what accountants do, whatever that is, while i sit drinking pg tips, which just warms my soul (thank you, rebekah nadia). 

i am thinking about God's provisions for my life and am just so grateful. we just received our tax return and my husband is diligently planning how to best spend this money while considering what we should give back. i married a gem with this one. 

i am thankful for friends and family. the past three months have been very difficult. i'm recently married which is a huge adjustment and during this time justin traveled more than he was at home. furthermore, a family emergency has presented us with many challenges that has caused a lot of stress in our household. despite these things, our friends and family has provided us with so much love and support that has truly carried us to a more peaceful place. i am so thankful. 

remembering to be more diligent in maintaining a healthy balance in life. since the wedding, we really haven't been able to get into a routine. justin leaves and i find a routine. justin comes home and we sorta find a routine only for him to leave again. now he's home and home to stay for some time (yay!) and i'm eager to start maintaining this healthy life that we so desperately need. this includes but not limited to: better eating, daily exercise, reading the bible and praying more.

from the learning rooms i'm trying to relearn how to be a better friend. at one point long ago, i was a great friend and something happened where my life got so incredibly busy that i wasn't able to stop long enough to realize that someone needed someone and that someone should or could be me. somewhere along the way i looked up and realized that the depths of my relationships weren't where i would want them to be. i want it to be where you live life with that person through the ugly, good, bad, sad and celebratory. 

from the kitchen i'm also learning. i'm decent but lack creativity. i feel like the only meat i know how to cook with is chicken. we eat a lot of chicken. and i'm scared to venture out to other meats for fear that i'll ruin it. i guess i need to be ok with failing. we'll add that to our next entry for the "from the learning rooms" section. however, i have learned that the crock pot is probably the best invention since sliced bread. no joke. 

i am wearing my black comfy pants with my university of ottawa hoodie that rachy rach gave me. it's the perfect outfit for a cold loungy day. 

i am creating some fun events at the zoo! right now i'm working on all of my spring/summer events and every year despite most of the events being the same year after year, i'm met with new challenges that keep my job interesting. also, part of my healthy living should include me playing the piano more frequently. i find that this is my most creative outlet that i often neglect. i'm not great but one thing that i absolutely love is to just sit down and start making melodies that i'll never remember to play again. each time i play it is something different and beautiful. it's for no one else except for me and the Lord. it's our time together. 

i am going to europe this summer! my brothers being half way across the world are paving the way for justin and i to come visit and the more i think about it the more excited i get. i haven't been back to europe since i studied there in 2004 and i'm just itching to go back. and the fortuitous thing is that i think the trip will start in my beloved spain! my brothers are set on running with the bulls and they have gotten justin on board with the idea. great. i'll just go sit at a cafe in a plaza, which every spanish town has, and watch people as they go about their day... my absolute favorite! plus, it will give me the needed distraction from my husband being chased by this monstrous animal that weighs on average 2,000 pounds. never mind the fact it's not just one of these animals but nearly a dozen or more!  

i am reading jodi picoult's new book, house rules. of course i've read the end, it's what i do, and i don't like how it ends. now i'm struggling with whether or not i should continue reading it. the book is about this teenager who has autism/asperger's. if nothing else, i've really been convicted on the use of the term 'retard', which i will never ever use again to describe a person even in jest. 

i am hoping to be able to start running more seriously again. i took a hiatus due to the craziness of life but i feel like such a slouch lately. it. must. change. period. 

i am hearing the new mumford and sons album. i'm obsessed. if you haven't listened to them, you must. i jumped on the bandwagon at the same time as everyone else after they preformed on the grammy's and there is extreme talent, folks. also, i've been listening to misty edward's cd, relentless. it's an album that never leaves my cd player but lately i've just been listening to the radio and my heart starting craving this little gem again. 

around the house i see cleanliness! my mom and i cleaned this pigsty of a home all day long yesterday and now i am happy to say that i can walk around barefoot and the soles of my feet aren't black at the end of the day. it's the simple things in life that keep us smiling. however, there are some projects around the house that could use my attention like the linen closet that is a huge cluster right now or perhaps i should start tackling that beast of a basement that just seems to collect more and more things that don't belong to me or maybe i should just keep drinking pg tips and listening to mumford and sons. hmmm.... decisions.

   

one of my favorite things is spending a saturday afternoon on the couch and just relaxing. this is my way to rejuvenate when life is so challenging. i love this.  

pondering this bumper sticker on a car that often parks near our house that reads, "worship your faith not your politics". justin and i argued about this earlier and it amazed me that we felt differently on the topic. of course for me, i'm not worshipping my faith but the person and God that gives me faith. i don't worship christianity, i worship Jesus. however, i know what the bumper sticker is getting at and it bothers me. our faith, regardless of what it is or isn't, will impact our political opinions and as they should. justin, however, argued that we can't legislate morality, which i agree with but only to an extent. we should always have laws that prevent murders and in the same way, i believe we should have laws that prevent abortion. my view of this has been largely shaped by my faith and i'm 100% ok with that and i don't think that is wrong. do i think that the church, if it were doing it's job, laws wouldn't need to be enforced as readily? to an extent, absolutely. without God in our government, i fear what levels of immorality our society would reach. i pray we never find out.  

a few plans for the rest of the week include a busy week at work, beginning tomorrow with an event, and ending with taking my cousin braden for the weekend. i'm thrilled to be hanging with this little guy that is turning into a big guy! he will be 9 in june and that's just crazy to me. it seems like yesterday i was holding this beautiful baby as he continuously puked on my shirt. he's one of four now and i'm eager to give him some one-on-one that i rarely get. i think we will go to the city museum and justin wants to play catch with him. the baseball player in my husband will never die. i love it.