Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day, friends!

We're headed down to Galveston beach to spend the day reading and relaxing in the sun.

I hope you have a wonderful day of relaxation.

Don't forget to use the code MEMORIALDAY through tonight to get 20% off your whole order! 

UPDATE: May food challenge

we're now on the last home stretch of this month.

if you remember, for this month Sam and I decided to change a few things about our diet:

 

and it's been great.

honestly, I haven't missed cookies and ice cream like I thought I would.

and most of our dinners are now coming from SkinnyTaste,

which has tons of yummy stuff.

and I started finding that a lot of my pinterest food was pinned from there anyways.

so, we eat 90% of our dinners from there now.

and we're using MyFitnessPal to count calories.

that part's not as fun, but we're learned a lot about how much certain things are.

like cheese.

if you're on there, leave your username at the bottom and I'll friend you.

because I could use a couple more friends on there to keep me accountable. 

Sam's lost a few pounds, but for me, I'm at the same place weight wise.

but I do notice a change in how I feel.

so, for now, I think we'll keep some of the changes long term.

less ice cream in the fridge for sure.

and with that, we're having a friend in town for Memorial Day weekend

and off for mexican food tonight.

Now through Monday night (5/28) at midnight, use the coupon code
MEMORIALDAY
for 20% off!

two things

I'm sorry for the unannounced blogging break.
last week, I kept trying to get to the computer.
and it never happened. so by Thursday, I just went with it.
it was needed, it was good.

but I miss the community here.
the sweet women who share lives and hearts.
1. She Reads Truth
and speaking of sweet women on the internet.
if you've been on twitter or facebook, or reading blogs you may have noticed a hashtag
#shereadstruth
going around and lots of commotion.

WELL, it's a bunch of women connecting and reading the Word together.
it was an idea formed by Gussy and Kacia, but dozens of women have joined in and you should too.
We're using the YouVersion bible app (for iphone, ipod and just online!) and reading through the Soul Detox plan.
today's officially day 6, but join! you'll be enouraged and refreshed.

this is what social media was really made for.

2. No School
I'm still officially on school break until summer school starts on June 4th. I'm soaking it up.
Lots of shop work, lots of running, and lots of enenings with the husband instead of studying.
it's looked wonderfully like this:

so that's it.
i'm back. i miss community.
#shereadstruth is real online community.
and i'm soaking up the days until June 4.

giving up on good

there are a lot of good things you can do it in life
bible studies, volunteering, and extracurriculars top the list.
and those are just the "good" that others see.
then there's the good inside your own house.
laundry, cleaning, the day to day upkeep. it's good.
but there are things that are better.

and recently I've learned that I have to give up a lot of good
for things that are better.
because I don't do it all.
and there's no substitute for getting around margin in life.

real life not done laundry.

I'm a wife to a husband
I work a 40 hour job
I (most of the time) have classes on the side
I run a small business
I enjoy spending time with Jesus
I like to run
I hope to be a good friend
I want to serve in my church and community

SO today, I'm just going to open right up and tell you about what I don't do.
because those things up there are better. they just are. those are the things I want to get done.
all else falls by the wayside.

Now, in a perfect world, I'd get all these other things done too.
It all sounds great and perfect. and that's just what it is. perfect.
it doesn't happen in my life and I'm not sure if it's happening in yours. 

my house has piles of sheets.

I don't do laundry or cleaning.
I don't buy organic food
I don't cook every night. Or even really half the nights.
I don't have a pinterest worthy outfit or hairstyle every day.
My house is not spotless
We don't wear all brand name clothes

somehow I managed to kill a succulent. I thought these were the plants for people that kill plants?

there are times these things get done. but when they don't, I've learned to not stress.
because I've learned to ask myself.
If I succeed at one thing this week, what do I want it to be?

oh sorry, I thought I deserved that

there's a time for everything.
a time for me to show you weekend pictures,
and diets and goals.

and because this blog is the story of our life and the God who pours His grace over it.
there's a time to show you just how ugly my heart can be.

I had two classes this semester. and my job working at the lab.
and a little bit of that etsy stuff in between.
and in the midst of all of it, things got busy.

it got stressful to cook dinner.
laundry was a thing of the past
showers--every other day is plenty.

source

this became normal.
 except my greedy heart wanted time to do nothing
time to sit in front of the TV and watch the whole series of Lost.
and my selfish heart decided that since I worked so hard all week,
Saturdays should just be for fun.
no studying, no working, just fun.

and it worked pretty well, for most of the semester.
I had created a system for myself where I deserved rewards for working.

and it worked well,  until finals week came. and I still wanted that Saturday to do nothing.
so, I decided to schedule all my schoolwork for Sunday.
I'll just skip church and do all the work then.

source

and at this point, the Lord decided to use my husband for some nitty-gritty heart change.
amongst the fighting, tears, and heated statements, we got to a place where I said
"I value school over church."
NOT- school over my relationship with Jesus, but school over going to the building weekly church.
"I deserve time to rest and relax on Saturdays"

source

and what Sam said next is nothing short of the Lord speaking to me, using a person to do it.
in quiet and calm he said
"Sometimes we don't get what we deserve"

and I knew. what I deserve is Hell.
and what I've created here is a system where I'm God and I decide when I get rewarded. 
and all I really deserve is Hell.
but that's not what I get. and I'm not getting what I deserve.

so maybe I should get rest time.
and there will be seasons of rest, and seasons of working to the bone.
and it's all fine. I don't deserve full Saturdays of rest. 

because what I really hope to show is that I don't own my life.
it's owned by a God who is not giving me what I deserve.