Saturday, June 21, 2014

Weekly Goals: June 22-28


Overall, progress was good this week. I was thrown off a bit by traveling Wednesday evening to Kentucky with my husband and his summer travel team. We're still here and will be until Sunday. (It's been fun!) Below is a review of how I did on the goals. And new goals follow that.

      Goals for June 15-21


1.       Read the Bible a little every day. - Some days it was very little, but I did read some every day. 

2.       Write in gratitude journal throughout the day. - I did really well until we left for our trip, and haven't since...

3.       Write something every day (journal, blog, or letter). - I think Thursday was the only day I didn't get some writing done. 

4.       Do some sort of exercise every day. - Did very well Mon-Wed. 

5.       Hang the laundry instead of using the dryer. - I did this once. That's something!

Goals for June 22-28

  1. Continue reading the Bible, writing in gratitude journal, and other writing every day.
  2. Do some sort of exercise every day. 
  3. Hang laundry instead of using the dryer.
  4. Hand wash dishes instead of using dishwasher. 
  5. Spend some intentional time with each child. 
It has been nice to get away and have a bit of a vacation, but I will be glad to be home and get back into the every day routines such as these. 

Care to share a goal you have?




Thursday, June 19, 2014

Happy Father's Day... a little late

{I had this scheduled for Sunday, but I guess I forgot to hit publish! So it's a few days late!!}

In honor of Father’s Day, I wanted to introduce you to my man, the father of my children. A blogger friend profiled her husband (sometime last year??) and I thought it was a great idea. Here I am much, much later, following suit.
Will with our youngest nephew
My husband, William Jesus Vazquez, is my favorite person. I honestly think I could be with him, and just him, for days on end without getting sick of him. This is not because he is a perfect person, but because he is the perfect match for me. He charges my soul. I feel safe, secure, and loved with him around.

When he and I started courting, he was still much more a boy than a man. He has grown so much in the past (almost) seven years of marriage, but he still has some of that boy side and I love that. He loves baseball and history. He’s an avid reader.  He loves food and makes some awesome salsa.

He’s an amazing father. He plays with the kids, reads to them, and teaches them. He makes sure we read the lives of the saints each day and say our morning and evening prayers.

One thing I admire about him is his friendliness. He’s generally quiet, but not shy. He’ll go up to anyone and introduce himself. If we’re in his hometown, and sees someone he used to know, he always goes up to them and catches up. He’s really good with people. He’s also a really good teacher. He taught me how to drive a stick shift and I was really impressed with how clear he made it and how patient he was with me.

His strongest desire is to serve God and learn more about Him. I am so thankful he is the spiritual leader of our family. He inspires me to seek, to read, to pray. Directly after that comes us, his family, and that extends to our extended family – both his and mine.

I thank God every day for him, usually multiple times a day. I am in awe that God would bless me to be the wife of such an amazing man!

What do you love about your man?

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Weekly Goals: June 15-21


 
Life has gotten a little sloppy around here. The past couple months have been on survival mode. Get through this event, plan for the next, get through it, etc.  Add to that my fatigue and the general requirements of raising two kids and maintaining a marriage and a home. Some things had to be let go. And that’s not a bad thing. It was a season, but now it’s time to move on. I’m still tired, but it is slowing fading, I feel. The schedule has relaxed tremendously so that is a huge relief. I am feeling more myself mentally and less foggy and overwhelmed.

With all that said, I wanted to share with you some weekly goals of mine to get back on track. It’s mostly little things. Things that used to be a normal part of my day. I’m mostly doing this for myself, but maybe you have some habits you want to pick back up or start? Maybe a project or two? Want to make a goal or two with me and we can work together?

June 15-21

1.       Read the Bible a little every day.

2.       Write in gratitude journal throughout the day.

3.       Write something every day (journal, blog, or letter).

4.       Do some sort of exercise every day.

5.       Hang the laundry instead of using the dryer.

Will you pray for me that I can be disciplined in these things (especially the first 4)? I’ll check back next week and let you know how I did and make new ones for the next week!

Now, tell us, what is something you want to work on this week? I’ll pray for you.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Summer Reflections

 
June 2013

This picture was taken around this time last year. The last child is my daughter and the grass she’s in is now our backyard. The land you see is the acreage behind our house. A lot has changed.


June 2013 - Our house is the one way back on the right (next to, but not part of, the white building).
 
We took a walk down to this house last year when my sister-in-laws were visiting. We had no idea we would move here in January. That the next year, they’d stay in it with us. Life can change so fast.

May 2014 - The garden

Yet, sometimes it feels so slow. Like this dream of living slower and being more self-sustainable. Well, those things take time to come around. Time and slow, but continual, change. Active change. Sometimes it’s hard to keep the dream alive. Hard when you realize all time and effort it takes to have the things that you want, like a garden. Hard when you realize that having a slower schedule sometimes means fighting against the system, or changing your own system.
 

June 2014 - Lots of growth!
 
Despite how I may feel, a lot of good change has happened this year so far. And mostly due to my husband. If I had been in charge of the garden, we wouldn’t have one. If I had to care for the chickens, I might have given them away. Yet, I am growing the baby – he’s doing the rest. So I guess I’m pulling my own weight. (And I still cook all the food.)