Making the everyday special....

I'm working on making simple things special. Dinner last night. The weather was fabulous, the food was pretty great and the company was the best!

(I need a better camera...it looked sooooo much better in person!;)

I've Got The Power!

(Yep, you can say it like the song.)

Friday was a very hard and discouraging day for my man...and a little bit for me. Something big that we had been hoping, praying and preparing for didn't happen and it was another blow to his/our spirit, pride and waning hope.

I was bummed...super bummed, until I came to the realization shared in my previous post. I hate using overly churchy or Sunday School terms, but God was really speaking to me about my heart, hope and attitude. Once I got those things in order, I realized the great power I have. Power to turn this day around, power to encourage my husband, power to choose to trust in my God.

I was supposed to get off early on Friday, but (surprise!) I didn't. Instead of letting it piss me off and bringing that negativity home, I used the extra time to think about how I would build my husband up when I finally got there.

After work, I stopped by the store and got 2 of George's favorite treats. Then, I went home with a huge smile on my face and open arms. I listened and listened to my sweet man, validated his feelings, filled his tummy and then spoke. I shared with him how God had been speaking to me and where our hope should be. I told him how happy and blessed I am to have him here with me, regardless of his job situation. I told him providing is not ALL about paying bills and encouraged him that God really does have a plan for us.

Then, we got out. He had been in the house all day and needed a change of scenery. We had a great evening and as we went to bed he declared, "This has been a great day!" Funny, the change that happened around 6:00pm.

I don't share this to say how awesome I am, but to encourage others. You have the power too. Power in your home, work place and relationships. It's easier sometimes to be grumpy or to whine, but it's better to have a contagious joy...it can completely turn around a bad day.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20:7

Still waiting and believing....

Who I Want To Be

I've caught myself thinking (and possibly saying) things recently that do not reflect who I want to be.

Things like, If only my husband had a real job....Will we ever get a house....I neeeeed another job sooooo bad, you don't even understand....Will I EVER be able to stay home and have babies?? Oh, the angst! Those thoughts and comments reflect discontent, selfishness and a lack of faith in my great God. If you have heard me say these things, I apologize for my crappy 'tude! Furthermore, when did I get so yuppie?! I do NOT do yuppie!

Yes, my husband needs a better job, and at some level so do I. And no, owning a house and being able to have children one day are not bad things. It's the attitude behind it that is. The belief/feeling that no one is looking out for us and our entire future is on my shoulders. That is not true and I know it. My God is in control. I'm not naive enough however, to think that God being in control makes things easy. So buck up, huh?

What really freaks me out about this discovered attitude is that I could become that girl. You know, the one who always has something to complain about (sometimes disguised in ridiculous "prayer requests"), something in her life is always bad or dramatic and nothing ever seems to be good enough. Nooooooo! That can't be me-I refuse!

This is me (or at least who I want to be), someone who is happy and thankful for the things in her life-especially the little things. Here are some of those little things I'm happy about...

I got up early to brown meat and deglaze the pan with wine for a stew that is slow cooking all day...the hubs keeps sending me texts about the aroma. I feel like super-wife. :)

I've been a really rockin' nanny today and I'm proud of that.

I love my husband so much and am so glad he is here.

I tried on clothes today and thought, 'Wow I look good!' Awesome.

These are the times that build our character and build our marriage. Like my parents, we will one day have great pieces of wisdom (and really great stories) to share with and encourage others.

Happy weekend!

Food.

I think a lot about food in general and food in regards to budgeting. I am very concerned about what I put into my body (for health and weight reasons) and what I provide for my husband to put into his (just for health reasons). I'm also concerned about the cost of said food. One reason is to ensure that our budget works, but also from an ethical point of view. Just because we have the money to spend on expensive/fancy food doesn't mean it is right to do so-we also try HARD not to be wasteful. As silly as it sounds, I really do struggle with this in my mind. I can't really shake the image of what people in Ghana eat, compared to my at times, wanton consumerism for what I 'deserve, work hard for and need'. I do need food. However, I don't need to stock up on expensive, unhealthy trash, because I simply feel like it.

I stumbled across the following on Holli's Ramblings, it made me think about these things even more and I had to share.

This excerpt is from a book called Hungry Planet - in which a sampling of families from around the world open their homes up and show us exactly what they consume in a given week. Each family is photographed with their entire weekly food/drinks spread in their kitchen, and the amount spent is recorded to the penny.

I was blown away by some of the findings. Notice the amount of soda and alcohol in the high dollar families. I wonder what my weekly shopping would look like...

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07 United States: The Revis family of North Carolina Food expenditure for one week $341.98 Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11 Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09 Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27 Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53 Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo Food expenditure for one week: $31.55 Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03 Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23 Wow. As Holli states....So many things are striking - the sheer cost of living in Germany, the massive prevalence of process and take-away foods in America, the absence of all processed foods in Egypt and Bhutan and the glaring poverty of the family in Chad with just over $1 a week to feed a family of six.

This is my life.....

I posted this last year, while still in The Valley, struggling everyday, wondering where God had gone.....

I see my life here in Texas with my husband by my side. I see enjoying my career for a little while longer until we start a family. I see owning a home, complete with western conveniences and practicing hospitality, sharing our GhAmerican culture. I see us living a bi-continental life-living fulfilled in two cultures and knowing and loving both families. I see US...here. Endless possibilities, finding our place.

I see my life in Ghana, with my husband by my side. I see myself teaching in my community and learning constantly. I see myself with braids and a baby strapped to my back. I see owning a different home, one that requires more work, but I am happy to do it. I see myself never blending in, but I don't mind. I do not see us being bi-continental, but hope my family would be willing to brave Africa...for me. I see US...in Ghana. Endless possibilities, finding our place.

I see my life in the unknown, with my husband by my side. I do not know what I would do or where we would live. I see US...that's all that matters. Endless possibilities, finding our place. I just don't know which life is ours...still waiting for an answer...

And here we are, more than a year later...endless possibilities, finding our place. It was not easy or without pain to get here, and we remember that all the time...sometimes with lingering tears. It's still hard some days, when we pray and struggle and search for jobs and get that (familiar) feeling that God has left us in the dark. And then we are grounded again, reminded of His faithfulness, when we see it and when we don't. If my life stayed the way it is right now- small apartment, terrible job, hubby workin' retail, I still wouldn't trade it...and I would still rejoice that my man is here.

We're living in that "unknown" but blissfully together. I guess the adventure continues, it's just a little more domestic now.

Ever wonder?

Do you ever meet someone and wonder, "How on earth did you become this??" I do! I meet people all the time and become curious about their upbringing and how they came to be who they are (whether I think they are a cool person or terrible person!). Parents are a great indicator of that. I thought some of you might want a glimpse into how I became who I am. Check out my mom's great blog, I'm looking forward to all of her future posts!

TGIF!!!

It's been a tough week. We are very discouraged on the job front and sometimes wonder if our great God even hears our cries anymore. It's just been tough. I don't know what it is, but there is a point when doing the same thing over and over again (in the noble sort of way) all of the sudden becomes unbearable. I'm not sure if that's immaturity on my part or just how life works, but I feel like I'm in that unbearable place again.

In comes Friday. We CELEBRATE Friday in our home! I am excited to celebrate tonight. We made it through the work week and we're saying "goodbye" to all the yucky it held! I think our celebration menu tonight will be something along the lines of this: Fruit Tray (while we cook the rest) Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon, Sweet Potato Fries, a KILLER Salad, ChAmPaGnE (!!!!!!) and Ice Cream! Woohoo!! I'm counting down the rest of this day and looking forward to a great evening with my man...

Random Post...

This is some of what is going on in my mind right now...

Inés Sainz....you are ridiculous. Act and dress like a professional. Women all over the world are being taken seriously in their fields because they dress, speak and carry themselves like professionals. You, my friend, look like a sex advertisement. If you don't want men to treat you like you're givin' it out, then don't look like you are. Spray painted on jeans and a top unbuttoned to your navel most definitely do not speak of professionalism. God only knows what was jiggling around when those football players (who are not known for their manners, btw) whistled and made comments about you. It was wrong of them, but you asked for it. Furthermore, (right or wrong) that is part of the sportscasting business...big, smelly, crude, rich men who are full of themselves.

Job searching sucks...but I'm going to keep doing it!

I am in LOVE with Alexia's new Waffle Cut Sweet Potato fries! They are sooooo good! We get them in the freezer section of our natural food store, I highly recommend them! Another new favorite, Mom's Best Dark Chocolate Oatmeal. Yuuuuuuummy! It's like breakfast AND dessert! Christmas! I am already thinking about Christmas...and Thanksgiving....and Fall and cool weather in general. I am so excited to finally be able to share such a wonderful time of year with George! It's gonna be great and I want to make sure that it's extra special. :)

I would love to travel, I am really missing travel. We can't go on any major trips, so I've decided to take advantage of some of the great places and sights Texas has to offer. I'm making a list of places to go and waiting for it to be juuuuust a bit cooler! (Did I mention I can't wait for Fall?)

This is long enough, so that's all....

P.S. I made fat-free brownies today....YUCK-O!!!

Recession State Of Mind

It's taken me a really long time to finally come to grips with the cold hard facts of our current (and most likely, future) economy. I can finally honestly say to myself that I WILL have to work HARDER for LESS and that less won't go as far as it used to. Wow. That's sobering. Some days it's even sad and disheartening. The only thing that would be worse is being in that boat without the Hope we have in Christ.

As I've struggled with this (not so) new reality, I've searched my heart (and discovered selfishness) about my desires and "worth." Some adjustments have needed to happen. I used to believe that if you work hard, you earn your "worth" and you can achieve your goals and the desires of your heart will be granted (read: you can buy your dream house, drive a nice car and life is goooood). I'm not sure if that's part of the screwed up American Dream or if it's more Spiritual Junk Food, but that's just not true. Sometimes working hard just isn't enough....or it doesn't seem that way. Sometimes, "enough" needs to be redefined.

I struggle with this on a daily basis, because as we all know, I NEED a job! Then I realize, the person who really NEEDS a job is the 40 year old father of 3 who's working at Walgreen's for minimum wage. Ouch. I guess I only semi-need a job. I'm not sure where this entitlement attitude came from, but I'm not a fan. It's tough...it's a constant battle. It's really easy to get sucked in. Into the American Dream, into the life-is-easy-for-Christians mentality, into the I-DESERVE-IT mindset. But I shouldn't. Money and a house and a car (and cute Fall clothes) are most certainly not bad things, but the pursuit of them can be.

It is frustrating sometimes when you work SO HARD and don't have much to show for it or feel like you will never get ahead. But it is very gratifying when you change your priorities, wants and desires and realize less can be more.

My great Aunt gave George and me a Couple's Bible for our wedding. It's not just any Couple's Bible though, it's a Bible she and her husband used and wrote in and underlined. It is so great to see the notes and dates next to things. I opened it tonight searching for a different verse, but this one popped out at me (it was underlined in red:). What a blessing.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Hope is a good thing. Hope in someone who knows the end of the story...

Pinup girl??

My grandmother (I won't "out" which one) took some really great (and really tasteful) pinup style pictures to send to her man who was a GI in Korea. I have loved these pictures since the first time I saw them! I have wanted those pictures for a very long time. Last year, they made a trip to Texas and my mom had them in a safe place. Last night, they made it over to my place! WOOT WOOT! I was so excited! I can't wait to do something amazing with them...they are small, so I don't want to over power them. I also started thinking, what if I did a re-shoot of the same pics? Nah! I wouldn't.

...but maybe I would. ;)

Pictures

Long weekends are so great! We really enjoyed our time to relax this weekend and hang out with some of my family members. One of the things we did yesterday was a photo shoot with my sister. Since G wasn't here for nearly all of our engagement, we never got a sweet shoot like most couples do. It made me kind of sad, so we decided that we didn't have to be engaged to get great pics, newlywed pictures are great too! My sister is an aspiring photographer and she did a great job. Here is a glimpse (they are stolen from her blog, so the quality got messed up a bit-oops!)... We had fun, thanks Tiffany!!