2013 Life Lesson Highlights

I'm still trying to figure out how 2013 is two days shy of being over. Seriously, where did the time go?

It was a busy, busy year for me with school, working some, taking care of our home and Derek, writing, running, and a little bit of not-so-fun tasks too. I did slow down enough to learn more about myself this year in the different aspects that make up, well, ME. :) Here are a few highlights of what I learned this year..

Spiritually:

I'm not bitter about this, but God told me "no" and "not now" a lot more than I thought He would this year. I've had my share of "YES" years where everything seemed to be working out in my favor and just how I wanted, but 2013 was not one of them. And, I am glad. It's not that I have a problem with being denied something; I handle that pretty well, actually. I think what surprised me most is that as I grew in my prayer life, I could distinctly discern what He was saying to me. Growing closer to Him through prayer to hear a loud "no" sounds weird, right? But, I'm glad it happened that way in 2013. 

I don't think this was a lesson in patience as much as it has been a lesson in contentment. I am learning how to be joyful with "no" as it is when God tells me "yes". I am just glad that I graduated from working on being patient! He and I have done our time together on that... :)

Physically:

I worked out harder this year than I had in  recent ones. I mean, I flipped out when I saw some muscle definition on my body that never existed before! Thanks, CG (Camp Gladiator). ;) I also pushed myself further than ever before by running my first half marathon. I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was (thankfully), and I have come to embrace discipline in my training and fitness. That was a big thing for this free-spirited lady! I'm excited to tackle some more fitness related goals in 2014. I might be signing up for something more than 13.1 miles soon--stay tuned!

Marriage:

Derek and I have had A LOT of growing experiences in our first two years of marriage. Of this, we are very aware. 2013 taught me that there are two other reset buttons in marriage, neither of which include leaving: 1) right now and 2) tomorrow morning. We have been working on getting over offenses and arguments more quickly, and I am getting better at changing my attitude "right now" before I get too deep. That doesn't always work, so I'm thankful for "tomorrow mornings" to revisit a situation more levelheaded! 

Professionally: 

I dedicated more time this year to being a student versus an employee, which was a hard transition to make because I enjoy working. But, it was one of the best decisions as I now get to look forward to beginning an internship in advertising as a copywriter! I am SO excited about it. 

Outside of this professional growth opportunity, I also finished writing a portion of a book that my family wrote together. It will be published in 2014. In short, the book reflects on a difficult time we went through in 2009 and how we each saw the situation and got through it. We are excited about the book as we see it as a ministry opportunity, especially for pastoral and ministry families. Because I am a private person, I was initially overwhelmed at the thought of having to transparently write about my feelings towards my dad, my former church, the media, and other things. I was afraid to open that old emotional vault too, which was exhausting during the writing period.  Yet, I was reminded that how I get through the hard times I go through in life can greatly influence someone else going through the same or a similar situation. I learned to not worry about my portion, and I kept full trust in the Holy Spirit as I wrote each line. I can't wait to see how it impacts lives!

May 2014 be an incredible year for you. In each new day, with the good and bad, my hope is that you'll look back at the end of the new year and meditate on all of your lessons learned. Seize the growth opportunities and find joy in the process!

Happy New Year, friends! Xo

Stocking Stuffing Made E... Easier?

 

 

The tradition of having a Christmas stocking was not something that was practiced in my home growing up. Not sure if it was a cultural thing or not (Note to self: ask mom about that), but I did not think twice about it until I spent my first holiday with Derek and he brought it up. I think it went a little something like this:

 

Derek: Let's go buy our first pair of stockings!

Giselle: (blank stare)

 

 

Naturally, I panicked! I must have asked him a dozen times, “How does this work again?” I just didn’t get it. Why do we have gifts to give out from under the tree AND from a bedazzled sock? I still am not quite sure. But, I think the tradition is …sweet… nonetheless. And I get a few extra goodies; who can complain about that!

 

As much as I enjoy picking out something nice for someone and seeing the reactions that ensue, it consumes me when it comes to gift buying for D.  I think too much about it! This will be our third “married Christmas” together and when stocking stuffing time came around again, I felt the pressure creep on. HOWEVER, I decided to make a plan in advance so that I would have time to brainstorm and get to pickin’ the goodies early.

 

My plan? I thought it would be fun for Derek and me to work off of the same ideas and see what we came up with for each other. So, I drafted up a few guidelines to help our stocking stress stay at bay. The only instruction is to fill the stockings with little things that could tie back to the following five ideas (Set a $$$ limit too. Stick to the budget, people!):

 

1.       Because I know you like

 

2.       I want to see you in (or with)

 

3.       A treat you enjoy

 

4.       Something that reminds me of you

 

5.       A trinket of love

 

Yeah, you can keep it as small, silly, thoughtful, G-rated, or you-know-what rated, as you’d like between the two of you. Careful if the kiddos and fur pups are watching!

 

Santa's got nothing on you.

 

Feel free to borrow these, or have fun coming up with your own ideas. Be sure to share; I could use some insight for next year. J

Last Week’s “Favorite Things” Recap

I LOVE change! There is no quicker way for me to get bored than to do the same things, eat the same foods, or go to the same places consistently. Thank goodness that Derek is the “creature of habit” in our relationship because I can just be all over the place sometimes. :) I love to try new activities, go new places, and buy new products often. Don’t worry; I keep the budget in mind ALWAYS.

Some things I find through word-of-mouth recommendations, others I pick up on a whim impulse buy, and sometimes I just go the good old fashioned way by showing up and trying the food/activity/product for myself. DISCLAIMER: I was not paid or asked to review, comment, or suggest any of the items mentioned in this post. But, I wouldn’t mind a little perk in the future… *hint, hint* ;)

Like I said, I do not have the tendency to be a creature of habit, so my “favorites” that I will be sharing with you will change from week-to-week. For this week though, here are three recommendations for you to try based on my explorations from last week:

New eats:

Italio

If you love 1) Italian food, and 2) the idea of customizing your entire meal and not paying a fortune for it, then you will definitely want to check out Italio! I had been driving past this restaurant for the last several weeks and curiosity finally got the best of me. Derek and I went for our “date night” last Friday and we had an all-around great experience. The pasta was well-cooked, the ingredients were very fresh, and the environment was casual and inviting. You pretty much are given a HUGE bowl (great portion to cost ratio) and then start choosing all of the goodies you want thrown inside  of your dish- kind of like Chipotle, only better. Give it a try!

Italio

276 S. Orlando Ave.

Winter Park. FL. 32789 

New app:

Yoga Studio App

(For iPhone/iPad*)

I love to practice yoga, but it can get a little pricey if you take classes at a studio regularly. It definitely is worth the investment though, especially if you are new to your practice, but I found an app that has let me enjoy the benefits of a well-structured class right in the comfort of my own living room. Sometimes I am a little hesitant to try workouts from an app because I question how much of a burn I will really get, but my new yoga app find proved me wrong! The Yoga Studio App is awesome! I got to download it from the Apple App Store for free thanks to one of those little perk cards that are in Starbucks- always check them out! The app has preloaded classes that you can use for your practice, or you can build your own by picking poses to create a sequence. There is a library too with all of the poses and explanations on how to get in them properly. The voice that narrates the classes is interestingly soothing, and the flow is simple enough to keep up with. The $2.99 that you will spend it pennies considering how many hours of yoga practice you can get out of the app. Let me know what you think!

Online shopping:

Modern Boutique

I am starting to value more the convenience of shopping online, especially when the malls and stores are getting cray at this time of year. I found the Modern Boutique site through a recommendation from someone at my church after I asked about the gorgeous statement necklace that she had on that Sunday. This site is extremely easy to navigate through and the limited amount of products featured (mainly statement piece necklaces) makes the shopping experience not be overwhelming. They have great deals often, and the piece I ordered as a gift came much sooner than I expected. You might be able to find a little something here for the fashion-forward person on your Christmas list!

 **Always be careful of the sites you visit when shopping online, and make sure that when you purchase something it is from a secure site too.  I did not have any problems with Modern Boutique. **

Try something new this week! Tell me about your favorites and I might just try them out too. :)

So...Baby?

We are just a day away from our two-and-a-half year married mark. Woohoo! Before we tied the knot, the topic of "kids" came up a few times and we thought we would wait two years and then try to have a "little Janney." Well, then two years came too fast and we were not ready yet. No big deal, not to us at least.

After our first year mark though, it seemed like something shifted and the avalanche of baby probing questions started to come through:

"When are you going to have kids?"

 

"You know, you two will have cute babies. When is that going to happen?"

 

"Are you pregnant? Do you want to be?"

"So... baby news?"

 

"What is your baby plan?"

"It can take a long time. You should start soon. When? "

 

"Are you on birth control?"

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 



I didn't mind the questions too much at first as it was fun talking about being a mom someday. However, then it got a little too personal and I found myself getting overwhelmed with how often curiosity was striking others to ask. I love babies and I am looking forward to us being parents one day, but we are just not there yet. Then, I started thinking about why I was getting bothered and it was more about me and not so much about the person that was asking the questions. I had to pinpoint reasons why I was getting asked in the first place to realize that it wasn't because someone thought that I was weird for not having a tot in tow, or that I might be trying to hide something.

I narrowed down some of the top reasons why people ask newlyweds about a baby, in hopes that you will understand and not get annoyed like I did. Most people really do have the best of intentions at heart!

Top 3 Reasons Why Newlyweds Get Asked About BABY:

1. Curiosity

Let's face it. Who wouldn't want to know if/when their favorite duo is going to be having a mini-me? :)

2. To make conversation

I have found that being around moms naturally brings up baby talk. If you are the only one in the conversation without a little cutie, then be ready to get asked. And, that is ok. Most of the time it is just a mom being sweet to you knowing that your time will come eventually, and she might just want to give you a (valuable!) tip or two.

3. Because YOU asked

One of life's greatest fascinations to me is the miracle of the human body being able to have a baby. I just think it is one of the coolest things to learn about and to ask questions about. Naturally, I like to ask people who have "been there, done that" so that I can hear different perspectives. When you ask, be ready to get asked in return. If you don't want to, then don't bring it up or politely decline to comment. :)


Like I said, most people that ask newlyweds questions about starting a family just love you and want to be in the "know" of when you will be sharing baby news. Try not to be quick to get offended or upset by the questions. I figured that out, thank God. You can politely deter the conversation in a different direction if you get uncomfortable by baby questions or kindly decline to talk about it. Some people prefer to tell a joke or ask a personal question back, but I don't think I am skilled like that yet. :)

Have you been asked the "b" questions a lot since you got married? How did you cope? Or, are you a MatureMarried with different insight for one of the reasons above? I would love to know!