Two Months of Marriage.

As of tomorrow, I will have been married for two entire months!

Except for the fact that it’s February, and there is no 29^th. 

So no technical anniversary this month.  Totally not fair, February.  Totally not fair.  

Anyway, in the spirit of being married and such, I thought I’d write a post about the things I’ve learned in two months of marriage.

1. Your life pre-marriage does not end. 

This can be one of the bad things about a wedding.  In the words of one of my bridesmaids, “If you’re not careful, in can turn into sort of a funeral.”  While my wedding was no funeral, I was worried that because I was getting married that nothing would be the same anymore.  The morning of my wedding, I had a panic attack saying goodbye to my dog because I felt like I was never going to see him again.  {If you’ve read my blog at all, you know I am obsessed with my dog.}

Fast forward two months and I’ve already visited him several times.  The same with the rest of the things in my life.

My old room is still there.

My family is still the same and we are still just as close.

I still talk to my friends.

My life did not end, it just expanded.  I added a wonderful new part, but that doesn’t mean everything pre-wedding went away.

2.  Your differences do not magically go away.

I am the polar opposite of my husband.  He is in medschool to be a doctor.  I want to be a writer.  That pretty much says it all.  He can stay up late studying and run on five hours of sleep and a cup of coffee.  I can not.  He is incredibly outgoing and I am forever introverted. 

The list of our differences go on and on, and for some reason I thought that once we got married, all of those would somehow merge into all of these awesome things that we had in common. 

They did not.

If you are different before you get married, you will be different after you get married.  Not that this is a bad thing.  I happen to think that being different is a wonderful thing.  Opposites attract and all of that, right?  It just takes a little extra work, but what doesn’t?

3. You will not transform into Martha Stewart.

This one is kind of a bummer.  My mom is the most domestic person I know, so I thought that surely once I got married, I would magically inherit all of that.

False.

My house is still not unpacked.

When I clean, you can’t even tell the next day.

I’ve ruined many a dinner already.

But you know what?  I'm learning.

And I’m having a heck of a good time doing so.

4.  You are still your own person.

I am still me.  I still want the same things I did before I walked down the aisle.  I still want to chase after my dream of being a writer.  I still want to make a difference in the world.  Getting married did not mean I had to give up those dreams.  It meant that I live with someone who supports my dreams everyday, and I get to do the same for him.  Yes, we are growing as a couple.  But I’m still growing as a person, too.

I love being married.  I love eating dinner with my best friend every night.  I love getting to laugh with him everyday, knowing I get to do this for the rest of my life.  It’s a really, really cool feeling.

Marriage has already been really hard.  It has already been really great.  It has already taught me so much about myself.  I can’t imagine how much I will have learned by next year, or five years from now, or in twenty years.  But for now, I’m loving it.  I’m enjoying everyday of this amazing gift God has given to me.

It really is wonderful.  

xo, 
Chels

Celebrate today.

I love Valentine's day.
and Thanksgiving.
and Easter.
and Christmas.
and fall.
and anything I can decorate for, listen to music for, and celebrate.
I love celebrating.  When first starts to feel even a little bit like Fall, I'm telling you, my soul starts rejoicing.  Apples and pumpkin and scarecrows start to take over everything in my life, and I absolutely love it.  And don't even get me started on Christmas--if I could bottle and sell the feeling that I get when Christmas music starts, I would make billions.

I think I love these times so much because I love celebrating.  God made my heart in such a way that the list of things that make me happier than the seasons of celebrating holidays is an extremely short one.

During any holiday, I feel so alive.
and happy.
and sentimental.
and like everything I'm doing is making a memory.

For some reason, I was thinking on this today, and had this thought.

celebrate today. 

Monday or Friday.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.

celebrate every day. 

We truly have so much to be thankful for, and so much to celebrate.  If you disagree, go outside.  Is it balmy and warm in a way that puts your soul at peace?  Is it so cold that you have to catch your breath, reminding you that you are alive?  It's worth celebrating.  What about the way the grass feels under your feet?  That is one of my favorite things in the world.  It's worth celebrating.

Now, you're probably not going to decorate your house and throw a party for the way that the grass feels under your feet (Unless that's your thing.  If so, please, be my guest.) That's not really what I'm getting at.  I guess what I'm getting at is that we should live with a sense of celebration.  Of happiness.  Of expecting good things from the day, because dangit, it's a good day.
Because it's beautiful outside.
Because the creator of the universe call us His own.
Because we are alive, and that is a gift.

Celebrate today.  Make some cupcakes.  Listen to your favorite song.  Wear something fantastic.  And remember that being alive is a marvelous thing.

Celebrate.

xoxo, 

Chels

Snapshot Saturday

I hope every single one of you had a lovely Valentine's day!  I'm married to a med student who happened to have a giant exam the day after v-day, so Valentine's day has been postponed.
I am taking this to mean that I get to leave my Valentine's decorations up a week longer.

I was having a little bit of a rough week before last.
Getting married and moving to a new town where you don't know anyone is hard, guys.
Because I was having a rough day, I decided to go to a craft store.
Bad call.
I cried in the craft store.
For the past almost year, I've done wedding crafts with my mom literally almost every single day.

So I call my mom and tell her I miss doing crafts with her, and ever the amazing person that she is, the next week she comes and visits me and brings the entire contents of her craft room with her.

We had the BEST day ever.  We crafted.  Ate at food trucks.  Had our first real Whole Foods experience {hello, heaven.}

It was wonderful.

We made this little gem, which is hanging over my bed.

I'm currently trying to find reasons why it should last beyond February, because I'm a little bit in love with it. 

We watch every episode of The Great American Food Truck Race. 

We pick our favorite teams and cheer for them and discuss their food. 

It happens to be illegal to have a food truck where we live, however my new town is overflowing with them. 

so, we were just a little excited. 

Our first trip to Whole Foods--look how healthy we are!

This was our first real experience with Whole Foods.  

{I never want to go to Publix again}

It was wonderful, and we decided that it made us feel like we were on Top chef. 

Always a plus, people.

On Sunday, my wonderful friend meg drove up and we went on an adventure to a GORGEOUS park for a bridal session.  {yes, a month after my wedding.  I see no problem with this.}

Here are some of my favorites.   Do yourself a favor and go like her facebook page and you can see all of them.

{are those trees not the most amazing thing?!}

If you're in the area, look her up here.  She is amazingly fun to work with and offers the best prices I've ever seen.  Of course she does wedding photos, but she also does lovey shoots and amazing "just you" shoots.  And lets be honest, everyone feels pretty when they're having their own personal photo shoot. 

So do something nice for yourself and call her, I promise you'll have an amazing time doing it!

Last but not least, let me leave you with this little treasure. 

This was a good morning text I got yesterday. 

Yes, that's my dog sitting on the couch with my dad. 

Yes, he is wearing a hat.

That is all. 

{just chillin'}

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

xoxo, 

Chels

Happy February!

We're officially one full month into two-thousand and thirteen.  Am I the only one who feels like this is crazy?!

We were on our honeymoon on January 1st, so I didn't do my usual planning, dreaming, and goal outlining that normally accompanies the first day of a new year.  However, as much as I love list making and journaling and all that goes along with making new year resolutions, there was no way I could let that pass me by.  While the beginning of the year certainly is not the only time to make changes or set goals, it definitely has a feeling of newness and motivation that can be hard to come by, so I didn't want to miss out.

While I love resolutions, for me they have the tendency to fall apart a few weeks after I make them, leaving me feeling guilty rather than actually accomplishing anything.  I tend to start out trying to make a few resolutions and end up trying to revamp my whole entire life, which inevitably ends in failure.  This year, I decided to make a list of aspirations rather than resolutions.  I sat down with my journal and a cup of coffee and asked--how do I want to live in 2013?  I came up with a list of aspirations for myself.  A list of what I am aspiring to do, the person I am aspiring to be.  Here's what I came up with:

WRITE.
write more.  blog.  actually finish projects.  research writing.  read about writing.  write about writing.  write everyday.  write when I feel like it, and even more importantly, write when I don't feel like it.  chase after my writing dreams like I have no reason not to.  because really, I don't.

LIVE.
live each day to the fullest.  adventure daily.  really, truly experience life. squeeze every single day for all that it is worth.

LOVE.
let every single thing I do be completely saturated in love.

BE ORGANIZED.
I love organization.  I love planners.  I love lists.  and somehow, regardless of all these things, I am completely and utterly unorganized in many areas of my life.  this year, I will try to be better.  I will prioritize and plan.

BE THE BEST WIFE.
I want my husband to feel like the luckiest guy in the world every time he thinks of me.

CREATE.
dream.  make.  craft.  write.  blog.  live each day full of creativity, and create things that make me happy.


BE MYSELF.
be one hundred percent me, one hundred percent of the time.  be exactly who I want to be.  I am enough.

BECOME A BETTER ME. 

don't strive to change myself, but rather to better the self that I already am.  be healthier, both physically and spiritually. 

Eight little things that define how I want to live in 2013.  I've made them pretty and put them where I can see them everyday so that I will constantly be reminded of what I want to get out of this year.  

What about you?  What aspirations or goals have you set for yourself in 2013?

"The only person you should try to be better than, 

is the person you were yesterday."

xo, 

chelsea

What Does God Think About Me?

A moment of confession here:  Wednesdays are supposed to be my blogging days.  Yet, today is Thursday, and still, no blog.

That's because I was feeling utterly uninspired yesterday.  The feeling carried on into today, until I was browsing pinterest (because what else do you do when you're uninspired?) and saw this:

He calls me beautiful one.  This made me think of what else God thinks of me, so I went on a treasure hunt through the Bible. And When I was done, I felt way more inspired. 

Let me first just say this:  If you have been a Christ follower for any amount of time, chances are that you have read some parts of the bible more than just once or twice.  Sometimes, when we do this, we sadly fall into the pattern of forgetting how incredible the Bible actually is.  Do not do this!  These are the very words of God, written to us as His dearly loved children.  These words are living and active.  There is incredible value, unending encouragement, and yes, even inspiration in them. 

I will so often tear myself down or become discouraged over something as small as having a bad day.  I will dwell on a mistake I made much longer than I will dwell on what God says about me.  I have decided that for me, that has to change.  God has said amazingly beautiful things about me.  He doesn't think of me as an unorganized, worrying, confused girl who can't seem to get anything done.  No, instead, He calls me beautiful.  It's time I start remembering that. 

Today, I hope that you immerse yourself in the fullness of what God says about you.  I hope that it builds your confidence and reminds you of your value.  Allow yourself to realize the immenseness of God's love for you.  

This is what the creator of the ENITRE universe says about us:

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Psalm 139:14

You are the salt and light of the world. 

"You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

Matthew 5:13-14

You are complete in Christ. 

"And you have been given fullness in Christ."

Colossians 2:10

God holds your hand and helps you.

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 

do not fear; I will help you."

Isaiah 41:3

You are loved with an everlasting love. 

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

Jeremiah 31:3

God takes great delight in you and sings over you.

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. 

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, 

He will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

You are anointed and have been given a purpose. 

"The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives . . ."

Isaiah 61:1

You are forgiven and redeemed. 

"In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin,

 in accordance with the riches of God's grace."

Ephesians 1:7

You are created in the image of God. 

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, 

male and female He created them."

Genesis 1:27

You are beautiful.

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for He is your Lord."

Psalm 45:11

You are more than a conquerer.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Romans 8:37

You are chosen, holy, and dearly loved. 

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved . . ."

Colossians 3:12

You are chosen, holy, and blameless.

"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world 

to be holy and blameless in His sight."

Ephesians 1:4

You are God's handy work.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

You are worth fighting for.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Exodus 14:14

You are set free. 

"Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:2

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

Galatians 5:1

{This one may be my favorite} You are a new creation. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; 

the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

Find What You Love & Live It.

I've been reading this book about writing, and it is full of advice on how to unleash your creativity and grow your confidence as a writer.  One of her suggestions is to tell everyone that you happen to talk to about how you want to be a writer, because the more you say it, the less intimidating it becomes and the more you start to believe it yourself.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and the nurse came in to ask me a billion questions about myself.  When she asked what my occupation was, I decided to try this new technique out.  "I'm an office assistant, but also an aspiring writer."  She looked up from writing my information down and said, "Aww, that's so cute... Do you have any books out?" Um, hello.  Do you know what aspiring means?  

"Not at the moment, but hopefully in the next few years."

"Aww.  Well, maybe I'll write a book too."  Cue pity laugh. 

Geeeez.  It's no wonder I'm having to read a book about growing your confidence. 

This woman didn't know anything about me, so her opinion didn't really hurt my feelings or cut at my confidence.  In reality, I'll probably never see her again.  But the exchange did make me think. 

Why are we so afraid to say what we want to do, or own up to who we are?  There are a thousand answers to that, and not one of them are even worth mentioning.  Life is short, and you only get one of them.  So why not use it all up living out your passion?  

I'm so blessed. I have a mom who, when I would write a poem or story growing up, would ask me to read it again and again, making me feel was the most talented eight-year-old in the whole world.  A dad who, when I called him to tell him I wanted to change my major to English--something most people told me was an idiotic decision because I would never get a job, and also something that was going to cost him a lot of money--responded with, "Gah, Chels.  I've been praying you'd do that.  You're just so good at writing."  Who's parents say things like that?!  

Maybe you're not so lucky, and you don't even have friends who you can feel confident telling your dreams to.  But do you know who you do have? You. 

And do you know who will be there in five years, even if your friends are gone?  You. 

And do you know who will be there in ten years?  You. 

And do you know the one single person who will be damaged and discouraged because it's ten years later, and you didn't go after your dream because you were worried about what those people, long gone now, would think?  You. 

You are the only one who can make decisions for you.  Be who you want to be.  If you don't like who you are, change it.  If you don't like what you do, change that too.  Life is too short to be kept miserable by your own hand.  Don't be ashamed of your dreams, or where you want to end up.  If you want to spend your life researching ancient Egyptian history, DO IT!  Sure, you might also have to work at McDonald's to make ends meet, but does that really matter if you're getting to live out your dreams and desires?  Don't be stifled by negative opinions.  When it comes to your life, the most important opinion is your own.  You alone know the desires placed in your heart when you were created.  You alone know what makes you come alive.  And you alone can choose to do it.  So why don't you? 

Next time you meet someone for the first time, and they're asking you about your job and what you do, tell them your dream.  You don't have to go into details, or give any explanation whatsoever.  "I'm a receptionist, and I really have a heart for reaching out to teenage girls."  It doesn't matter that these two things aren't related.  Just say it out loud.  Write it down.  

When it comes to starting to live out your dream, tomorrow is good, but today is better. 

"If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it." 

-John Irving

xo, 

Chels

Kony 2012, Slavery, and Quitting.

Every January, my news feed on all forms of social media is filled with statistics about slavery.  This is largely due to the Passion conference that takes place at the beginning of January, where many people learn gut-wrenching facts about modern-day slavery.   While the people vary, the words are pretty much the same:

This is an outraged! 

How could we as Christians just turn a blind eye to this?

Write the president! 

Go on strike! 

Stop buying this brand, because it supports slavery! 

We can make a difference! 

We can make a difference! 

We can make a difference!

Do you know what happens to these outcries by February?

They are gone. 

Remember Kony 2012?  The campaign with the tagline, "Stop at Nothing!" How many people blew up facebook and twitter and went on midnight raids of their towns to put up posters and stickers because they could not stand the thought of the horrific injustice that was taking place at the hands of Joseph Kony?  Well, it may not be 2012 anymore, but last I heard, Kony is still out there.  There are still mass amounts of suffering and violence because of him.  But when was the last time that you stayed up all night raising awareness for this issue that you were so public loud about merely a few months ago?  Or, better yet, when was the last time you even prayed for those affected by this situation? 

The answer to that should make you a little bit sad. 

Stop at Nothing! Yet, we stopped. 

Those are just two examples, but the list of issues Christians become outraged about, only to let die off a few weeks later, could go on and on.

Slavery.

Abortion.

Homelessness.

Orphans.

Clean water.

We can make a difference!  We can make a differnce!  We can make a difference!

Except, we don’t. 

Why is that?  Why do we do this?  Why do we become so obsessed with something that for a short time, we act and feel as if we could dedicate our whole lives to a cause?

To be blunt, we do it because it’s the popular thing to do.  It’s easy.  When thousands of other people are mad because of injustice, it’s easy to join them.  We just hop on the bandwagon and wow, does our voice sure seem loud when it is in chorus with all these other voices!

The problem is, very few people actually take action on these subjects.  Instead, they take to social media and conversation and t shirts and bumper stickers.  And do you know what happens next?  Of course you do, because you've done it many times. 

You quit.  You give up.  You become silent.  That is, until the next social issue comes along, and then you pipe right back up again.

Why?

Because it becomes uncomfortable.  It is no longer easy.  Your voice doesn’t seem quite as loud anymore, once others are silent.

It is not easy to pray for those in slavery everyday.

It is not easy to have to constantly think about your actions and your purchases like you said you were going to.

It is not easy to think about the thousands of homeless people who will go hungry tonight while you are going out to eat for the third time this week.

It is extremely uncomfortable to bring up abortion when it’s not popular to, and no one else is talking about it.

It can be awkward to think about how many people die from not having clean water when you are taking a thirty-minute shower.

So better just stop thinking about it.  Better just go back to living life like you’re used to, and only focus on the things around you.  It’s better that way.

Do you know what this makes you look like to the rest of the world?

Again with the bluntness: It makes you look stupid.

And lazy.

And hypocritical.

Why would anyone want to be a part of a group of people who are all talk and no action?  Let’s be honest, when we act this way, that is exactly what we are making Christians look like. 

Please stop doing this.

Do not learn about an issue, tell everyone you know that this outrages you, that God has stirred your heart and that God is going to use you to change things, and then quit. 

If you are going to quit, please leave God out of it.

At the same time, if God stirs your heart about something, do not quit!  By all means, blow up social media.  Write the president a letter.  Tell everyone how you are going to change the world.  But follow through on your words.  God can use you to change the world, but only if you choose to not quit.

Do.  Not.  Quit.

Even though we can sure act like it does, The Bible does not say, “God is pleased with this: raising awareness for as many possible issues as you can.”  Instead, it says this:  “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

Notice those are not words.  Those are actions. 

Don’t quit.