I AM SO BLESSED

It is April 2013 and I am turning 23 this month. CRAZY!

I was thinking about all of the things I have done, places I have been, and people I have met. It has been an amazing journey from high school until now. I went through all of my old pictures yesterday, and it made me realize how much God has blessed me throughout my life. 

This is my friend, Chelsea. We have been friends since 2nd grade, and 

I just spent a day with her in the Springs this past week. Friends for life!

New Years Eve my Senior Year of high school

 My mission trip to New York

Gangsta Sierra!

I still wear those pajama pants.

 Dance party at my house senior year

My role as Jasmine in Aladdin Jr. (Senior year)

Mission trip to Honduras Summer 2008

I miss these people so much! 

Some of the best ladies I will ever know

For our talent show in Honduras, I dressed up like one of

the Soggy-Bottom Boys and sang "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"

Hanging out with college friends at our cabin in New Meadows

Hannah and I our freshman year, dressed up like old ladies :-)

First time ever in Colorado, my freshman year of college

Roadtrip with high school friends to the Oregon Coast after freshman year of college

Chelsea and I

Hannah teaching me how to de-feather a goose

My cover band, Gone Rogue, (with Sam Yang and Jordan Turner)

Choir Tour 2010 (Seattle, WA) 

This is when I first met crazy husband-to-be!!!

Easter 2011 with Josh's Family

Playing in the mud in their soybean field!

My first visit to our nation's capital, visiting Josh's sister, Joy, and brother-in-law, Philip

We are looking forward to another trip out there next spring to see Joy graduate with her Doctorate

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan

What a great experience! Difficult sometimes, but worth it!

We got engaged on September 3, 2011!

Janssen and Rachel's Wedding: October 2011

Riggins, Idaho

Thanksgiving at the Pearsons: Chopping wood with our college buddies

Hanging out at the Sculpture Gardens in Minneapolis

My Senior Voice Recital

Choir Tour 2012: To Cali and back

Graduation!!!

Leighton's High School Graduation

80's Bachelorette Party! 

The night before the wedding, we had our last HURRAH with some of our best friends! What a great weekend!

Joy and I laughing in the Bridal suite at Ste. Chapelle Winery. I have really loved getting to know this girl. She has helped me in more ways than she knows. 

July, 28, 2012...the day I married the best man I will ever know

Our first home: Colorado Springs!

AND LOVING IT!!!

Our first Christmas: At the Pearsons

Christmas in Idaho with my family from South Africa

We're are a pretty crazy family, but always "linked together."

Josh and I skiing at Breckenridge, CO in late February.

We feel like we are on top of the world right now!

Everyone has those days where they think that life sucks, and nothing could get any better. I have had a few of those days in the last year or so.

BUT WHAT AM I THINKING???? My life is fantastic!
Even the worst days are better than what they could be. A lot of the time when I look back, I feel regret or sorrow because I miss those fun days, but this time I felt blessed to have done, seen, and experienced all of the things in my life. And I know God has even better things in store for Josh and I! 

My high school class had a class verse for our senior year.
It was Jeremiah 29:11...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,

plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

I still believe that today.

Lessons from the "Swan Princess" Movie

I watched the "Swan Princess 2" a couple of weeks ago while folding laundry. I have seen the movie before, but I was surprised after watching it how much it is filled with marriage truths. In the second movie, Odette (the Swan Princess) and Prince Derek are celebrating their first anniversary of marriage. However, Prince Derek, forgets about it....can anyone relate? 

Princess Odette is not impressed and goes on to sing a song called "The Magic of Love"

I'm sure most married couples can relate to this song, as it talks about the passion and feelings of love fading away. We start to freak out when the warm, fuzzy feelings fade away. Nevertheless, they do still love each other and work together to defeat the evil sorcerer. In the end, it is their commitment that matters. 

Marriage transforms love from something on the surface to a very deep love that is committed for life. True enough, it sure doesn't feel good at first when it seems like your marriage is nothing but cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, making dinner, getting to work on time, paying the bills, fixing the toilet seat, and turning off your wife's hair straightener when she forgets. Life gets busy and seems to take over the time you once had and thought you would always have.

But it doesn't have to stop there. I am determined (as Josh already knows) to keep our marriage strong and firmly grounded in faith. I want us to be able to stay connected during the busy times. It is very important, even if the fuzzy feelings fade away. It certainly isn't easy, and Josh and I definitely mess up from time to time. We are learning to forgive and forget. We are learning to be patient with one another. We are learning that things don't always go according to plan. And it's OKAY.

Speaking of forgiveness, Derek sings a song in the third Swan Princess movie that I sure many men can relate to...

"Because I Love Her"

This song actually makes me tear up because I know this is how Josh feels about me. I know I am not always the easiest person to please or get along with, but he forgives me because he loves me. Thank the Lord that I have such a forgiving man.

Who would have thought that the Swan Princess could hold such wisdom...most Princess movies don't show the couples' lives after Happily Ever After. 

And just for fun...a video about After Happily Ever After for some of the Disney Princesses:

(Warning: Mature adult material presented)

Spring is Here!

It is 60 degrees in Colorado Springs, and it has been a beautiful day! At 7 am it was already 40 degrees, and I was so excited to see how warm it would get. We have been having a lot of snow in the Springs lately, but I have been yearning for spring. I can't wait to run outside, go on picnics, take a hike, and have barbecues. 

I have also wanted spring to come for other reasons. Since moving to Colorado Springs, I have felt like I was under the dark cloud of winter emotionally. I felt cold inside. I felt hurt and afraid because of all of the change going around me (I would never suggest to any newlywed couple that they should get married, move to a completely new place, and start jobs all within the same season). In the last few weeks, God has been giving me more and more peace about living in the Springs. He has brought us great friends, helped us settle in, and opened up many doors of opportunity for us. 

However, things are still hard sometimes. Josh and I are still getting used to each other as husband and wife. Job stress has been a huge thing on our table. Josh is trying to make his project work, and I am trying to secure a job this month. There are still ups and downs. There are still things being thrown at us. Nevertheless, I am filled with a joy I have not felt in a few years. I feel God working. Even when things feel really BAD, I still feel God's presence and His love. I didn't sleep very well last night because my mind was racing from all of the stress, but I woke up this morning thinking, "I am alive! God has given me another day to live life to the fullest! I will praise him for the breath I have in my lungs." Thinking this takes away all of the hurt, the anxiety, the wearniess. I am at last filled with HIS JOY! Spring has finally arrived in my soul!

I was born in the spring, so I have a bias towards this season. Here are the reasons I love spring:

MY Birthday of course!

The sunshine

The fresh grass and flowers growing

Easter! A holiday that should be the most celebrated!

Wearing T-shirts and shorts

Pastel colors

Mother's Day

Spring Break!!!

Gardening

Picnics

Tractors planting

Hearing the birds chirping

I have decided to start a garden this spring on my (tiny) porch. I am ambitious, but I have always been that way--even unrealistically optimistic. I want to have herbs, vegetables, and flowers. 

This is what I would like my garden to look like:

This is probably what it will look like:

HA! HA!

No, I really do think I will do alright. I got the help of Hannah Clark while she was visiting us in February, and she is a pro! I have been reading a book called Apartment Gardening by Amy Pennington. It is awesome! If you are thinking about starting an apartment garden, you should check out this book. It gives you practical tips on everything, from what and when to plant, what size of pots you will need, how to harvest, when to harvest, and how to do it CHEAP. 

I will post pictures of my garden when I get it started. Happy SPRING!

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 12:3

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

Psalm 126:5

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Psalm 65:13

My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

Psalm 71:23

My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Psalm 84:2

I left my heart in.....

I am a traveler and adventurer at heart. I love to travel and see new sights and experience new things. This love also causes me to fall in love with several places. I have left my heart in several places in my 22 years of life. 

The first place is Boise, Idaho. 

This city has been in my heart since I was a young girl. I grew up here, and it still surprises me with its beauty every time. Boise is a beautiful city, even though it is small. There is much to see and do if you know the right places to go. I love going downtown in the summer to do some shopping and to sit outside at a cafe or restaurant. Julia Davis park is also one of my favorite spots in Boise. The Boise Zoo is nestled there, as well as a small pond where you can rent a paddle-boat. My family would also rent bikes and bikes the miles of greenbelt along the Boise River. This city will always be in my heart, as well as the whole of the state of Idaho itself.

The next place I left my heart in was Villalba, Spain. 

This is the city my aunt and uncle live in just outside of Madrid. It has the amenities of being in a big city, but the beauty and architecture of a small Spanish village. Many of the streets are cobblestone, and walking their lengths around the village takes you back in time. I have been to this city three times, and it never gets old. There is always something new to see. My favorite thing to do is sit at an outdoor cafe after my family's Catholic mass, listening to the hub-bub and boisterous laughter of their Spanish friends, and watching people ride or walk by. They also have wonderful bakeries that always have the smell of just-out-of-the-oven goods. 

The last and most recent place is Colorado Springs.

I was recently driving home from Denver, and I had to drive over Monument Hill before I could see Colorado Springs and the valley it occupies. When I made it to the top of the Hill, I had this feeling of warmness and peace...the feeling you get when you know you are home. I have really fallen in love with this city. Pikes Peak is the most spectacular mountain to gaze upon every morning. I walk outside and thank God for this wonderful view. There is still so much to explore in this city, but I love the view and the mountains when I am standing amidst them. I also love the people we are meeting in this city. So many people from so many different backgrounds and experiences. Because Colorado Springs is a  heavy military city, many of its inhabitants are not native to the area. Just like Josh and I, they bring a story of a different place, where a part of their heart still lies. 

As I look at these three places, I see a resemblance in each of the pictures. A city nestled by the mountains. The mountains in each place are majestic and have its own character. I have been blessed to live by the mountains. They bring so much life and beauty to a place. I think it also brings a humbleness to mankind. I see the city that man created, but in the background, I see the mountains God created. We are not so big after all. We can build skyscrapers, but only God can build mountains. I stand in awe of the beauty He created. 

I hope to travel much more in my lifetime, but for now, I am satisfied exploring our new state of Colorado. There is so much to explore and experience! AND I AM EXCITED!