thankful thursdays.

i'm over throwback thursday. otherwise known as #tbt. frankly, i don't want to relive the glory days of straight cut bangs, matching cotton shorts outfits, and jellies. oh, you didn't wear that? i'm sorry you weren't cool.

then there's the first two years with braces. and then two more years. oh, you have perfectly straight teeth? good for you.

i digress.

i want to be thankful on thursdays instead. not horrified at my childhood fashion choices displayed on instagram for all to see.

so this thursday i'm thankful for a lot and yet not enough. i'm thankful for my husband. even though he drives me absolutely nuts sometimes. he's so faithful and i'm lucky to have someone so dedicated to glorifying God in marriage.

guys. let's get thankful. #thankfulthursdays

august as told by september.

last month G and I traveled to New Jersey, the land of my childhood, to say goodbye to my grandmother. we laid these beautiful yellow roses to rest with her. the same type of rose i carried on my wedding day. watching my grandfather toss a rose on his wife's coffin was maybe one of the most beautiful and most tragic things i've ever seen. 

last month we also celebrated my niece's first birthday. a celebration of a long life that lives on in heaven and a new live with well wishes for many years more. my niece's birthday party was maybe one of the loudest events i've been too short of a college football game. truth. 

there was also a wedding for G's cousin thrown in there. and a cookout to christen our new house where G and our brother-in-law created a mini forest fire in the back yard. and now it's time for fall. pumpkin spice everything and leather jackets and football. 

a new season begins. let's go.

family

G and I are very blessed to have lots of loving family. My family is on the small side. I'd like to say we're really tight-knit, but we're not. G's family is huge. And for the most part, his family is pretty close.

In June we celebrated his cousin's wedding. This is G's sweet cousin, a bridesmaid on the lovely day and sister to the groom.

The day after the wedding, we jumped in the car and drove almost 10 hours north to New Jersey to be with my very ill grandfather. Time. I wish I had more of it. I wish I hadn't taken so much of it for granted.

We went to check out some fireworks with both sets of parents and my little brother on July 4. And all I got was this lousy picture of some ducks. It's been raining a lot in NC. 

G and I are also lucky to have both sets of parents close by and on great terms with one another. Not everyone gets that and I know what a gift that is to us. Thanks Mom and Dad S. and Mom and Dad R. for being team A+G.

How's that for a random blog update?

we made it.

we celebrated the closing on our new home the same week we celebrated one year of marriage.

in the spirit of keeping it real. marriage is tough. sometimes it's so tough that you think you can't make it. sometimes it's so tough that you don't want to.

see that smiling face in the background? she's my best friend. i got to spend time with her this past week (a real luxury these days as she lives in a different state). she's always rooted for me and G. even when we weren't rooting for ourselves. here's a real nugget of truth. marriage isn't an island. and it's okay to talk about the yucky bits with people that will always fight with you to help your marriage.

don't read me the wrong way. G and i are totally thrilled that we're married. we don't regret that decision one teensy bit. but it's not all flowers and sunshine. and we're proud of ourselves for making it through the ugly times with love in our hearts. (can i get an "amen" from the married folks?)

so here's to the first year. to all the things we've learned about sharing and sacrifice and commitment. to all the fun we've had and to all the hard things we've walked through together.

i married a freakin' awesome man. he's so tall and handsome and full of love. we make a great team and i'm so excited for whatever comes next. spoiler alert. years 2-5 of marriage don't include babies.

new.

sorry for my absence. again. but are you ready for the biggest news of all?

we bought a house.

 buying a house was a really big deal for me. not because of the cost. because of the commitment to put down any roots in the town we're from. it's not a bad place to be from. but it's taken me a very, very long time to admit that this town isn't a total craphole.

 and well i was tired of feeling like i was living for the next thing. so i decided to start grad school. and G and i decided to buy a house. and you know what? it feels great.

and i'm grateful. i'm grateful that i've discovered that buying a house and making a life here is a blessing not a curse. i'm grateful for family and friends to cheer us on and help us out. i'm grateful to just have a home to call my own when so many don't. life will always be tough. there will always be hard things. but right now, life feels luxurious.

going back

this past year has been full of changes. i got married. my best friend moved to a different part of the country. i became an aunt. friends are having babies or getting married or moving or all three. it's been a lot to swallow. and yet in the midst of all these changes i felt like i was just stuck. getting tossed around in the waves.

and so i decided i needed a goal to move towards. i needed to make a new path and stop making excuses.

so i'm going back to school!

for quite some time i have been wrestling with the decision to start graduate school. i won't lie to you and tell you this decision has been easy. but i'm determined. because i'm tired of living like getting by is good enough.

i'm quite nervous about balancing a full time career and a full time graduate program and family and everything else life demands.

but i'm also excited. i'm ready to get on with life. to see how God holds me together when it feels like i'm falling apart. to work hard and feel that sense of accomplishment. to learn. to grow. to change.

and since every good blog post needs a photo. a picture of james the kitty.

settle down, it'll all be clear

there is a lot going on behind the scenes of this poor little neglected blog.

and i want to tell you all about everything we have going on.

but the time isn't right.

so for now i'll just say this:

pray for us. as we embark on new adventures. as we add more to our already full plates. as we try to maintain balance and put the right things first.