lately, i’ve been doing a lot of things and taking a lot of pictures. but i’ve come to the conclusion that it’s often better to experience a moment the first time than it is the second. 

So who knows if you’ll ever see what I’ve been working on. i did stuff and i don’t need to prove it. 8)

Our Saturday Routine.

One of the things I’ve really grown to love to about our life over these past few crazy months is our Saturday Routine. As we find ourselves getting busier, we don’t always have as much time together as we’d like. But all our Saturdays are spent this way:

It usually begins with an attempt to sleep in before we remember our bodies will have none of it, so then I get up and enjoy the morning while Stephen tries to cope with the fact that we can’t sleep in anymore.

We usually make a nice breakfast. coffee, pancakes (stephen’s first love), and bacon. always with the bacon. By this time, it’s usually 10 or 11 am, and we decide to get our butts up and go.

We spend the majority of our Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s iconic Strip District. The strip district is filled with unique shops, restaurants, and some really beautiful murals. Such fun, just 3 miles from home.

On Saturdays, the excitement pours out of the stores and into the streets. Street vendors line the sidewalks selling everything from fresh bread to fresh flowers.

A few weeks ago, they had the most beautiful pink baby carnations + fresh baby’s breath. I have recently developed a love of flowers that can’t be tamed. I buy them almost every week. But at only $2 a bundle, why not?! Another favorite is the Pittsburgh Popcorn Company. I’m not a huge popcorn fan, so I usually get kettle corn. But since their flavors change every week, I just HAD to try…. 

PEEPS! You guessed it. An Easter favorite.

I’m chowing down on some as we speak. Popcorn + White Chocolate + Marshmallow + Fun Easter colors! It doesn’t get much better. I wish I could give you a taste.

Next, we hit up our favorite coffee shop; Prestogeorge.

Iced Marshmallow latte. (I don’t know what’s up with me & marshmallow lately.) So good, but remind me not to get a large again, please.

We stopped a few new places this week, too. I love that there’s always something new to explore. After the strip, we usually run a few errands, then head home for a little relax time before we go to church on Saturday evenings for practice. I sing, and stephen plays the bass. It’s a good time.

Saturdays are our favorite. What’s your Saturday routine?

I said I was going to take more pictures…

so i did. Being a wife is a lot of fun. I get to wash my own dirty floors and cook in my own kitchen (regardless of how small). SInce being married, I’ve discovered that I really love to cook. But working so much doesn’t allow me the time I’d like to make things the right way, so sometimes i cheat.

I’ve always wanted to make my own bread. I’ve tried a couple times and failed, but I know what went wrong, so I’m going to try again very soon. For thanksgiving, my mom told me about a frozen dough that she had bought to make a loaf of bread and after just one taste, i fell in love. Stephen and I have been buying it ever since. 

and i finally got around to buying a bread pan, so it resembles a loaf of bread rather than an awkward football. 

so today for dinner, i made a variation of this recipe. (but way less complicated.) and it was a hit. now, i realize i probably could have photographed the whole process since that is what i’m working on, after all. but give me a break, i’m trying here. 8)

afterwards, stephen and I got to take a little trip to our natural history museum. it’s 3 miles from our house. how cool is that?! (no photography allowed) 8) so i had a pretty great day. 

but now it’s way too late for me, and i’ve been staring at a computer for about 80% of my day. (did you notice the blog redesign? i’m pretty excited!) but i’m sure you’ll be hearing more from me soon.

goodnight. 

Change.

Life’s been a little jumbled lately. Stephen gets calls from work in the middle of the night, I started working more hours at my job, and I’m spending a whole lot more time at church. That said, I haven’t had much time to be creative. And I really don’t like that.

The excitement I once had about decorating our “new” apartment has dwindled since we decided not to renew our lease. (I swear our kitchen gets smaller every day. ) Only after going through boxes of Swiffer pads have we realized that those beautiful hardwood floors that made us fall in love with the place couldn’t be cleaned with a power washer. Our toilet seat broke yesterday. None of the tile in our kitchen is grouted. Let me repeat that. None of our kitchen tile is grouted. Some of our windows open, some don’t. Oh, and our half sized oven is really getting old. But it’s our first place and it only gets better from here, right?! Right, guys?!

I haven’t picked up my camera much lately. I think it’s because it makes me nervous. Looking at my camera just reminds me of all I have left to learn, and all the equipment I need but can’t afford, and the wedding I’m shooting in a few weeks that I wanna rock so hard, but every dream I have points to me forgetting to take any pictures at all.

If I’m being totally honest, these past couple months have been really tough for Stephen and I. That’s probably why you haven’t heard much from me. I like to focus on the good things, and recently I’ve been choosing not to.

I don’t like the person I’ve been lately. The overworked, exhausted, no fun, stingy person I’ve been lately.

And I think hope that anyone who really knows me would agree that that’s not who I am.

So some things need to change. How & What? I’m not sure. But I know that I’m making small steps.

For example, I want to start taking more pictures of our life. Of our home. Of the things we do together.

So when I’m feeling down, I can look back and remember our days and our times and how we felt in those moments.

Because we sure do have a lot of good times. And I sure do love to take pictures.

In the meantime, I’ve been looking for some new music. So if you have any suggestions for happy springtime music, send them my way. Because the sun’s about to come back, and the world will be bright again.

God is good.

I could spend the next hour telling you about the amazing things God has done in my life just in the last week. 

I have never felt more in the center of God’s will. 

He’s taken care of every need we’ve had, and even our wants. 

I wish you could be inside my head right now, and see what i see. 

it’s good. God’s good. life’s good.

be encouraged.

trusting that you’ll make something beautiful out of me.

This morning, I’m in awe of God. humbled. amazed. and encouraged. 

“He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” 

- Romans 8.27

work.

So I’m a marketing director. But apparently I’m too young to be taken seriously. So last week, this man walks into the office to speak with me about advertising. He was probably in his 60’s, and throughout the conversation, he made several remarks about his lack of faith in me. He asked me if I had any real authority in the company, then, after scheduling a meeting with me today (the day after the super bowl) he said “Now, do you promise that you’re not going to party too hard at the super bowl parties and not show up to our meeting?”

Well obviously, I don’t like this man very much. Our meeting is at 3.00. He just called to see if he could push it back because he’s going to be late.

And i have an embarrassing amount of excitement, because when he walks in, I’m going to say, “What happened? Did ya party too hard at the super bowl party?”

Resolutions February style.

For this month, I’ve also picked 3 things to work on.

1. tithe. i’m going to get it right this time. i switched banks, and i have no excuses.

2. apologize more. i’ve noticed some things about myself lately, and this is one of them. when i realize i’m wrong. i get embarrassed, and unfortunately, that embarrassment causes me to go into defense mode. i get this attitude that would lead anyone to believe that i am rude, and proud. when all it is is embarrassment. this needs to stop. i know when i’m wrong and i need to start admitting it.

3. pray with stephen every morning when we wake up and every evening when we go to sleep. this is so important. it connects us to each other and to God. and that’s all I could ever want.

Happy February.

Resolutions Recap.

If you remember, I spoke here about my new take on “resolutions.” After a month of change, I’m happy to report that I think this could definitely work for me. Last month, I focused on 3 things.

1. Routine. This one definitely took the most time and commitment. I had to sit down and figure out a schedule that worked for me. And I did. Throughout the month, I think the most important thing I learned regarding keeping a routine is that things come up. Sometimes my perfect little plan doesn’t work. and that’s just fine.

2. tithe. since i only get paid every two weeks, i didn’t have many chances. also, i had a big change in banking situations that threw things off a bit, too. in the end, it all got paid but not as promptly as i would have liked.

3. being intentional about my words. i didn’t do too well. (blame it on the time and effort i spent on #1) that being said, you may see this one make a guest appearance in a few other months to come.

But i tried. i set goals for myself, and I worked toward them. a month ago, i had no semblance of a routine in my life, and i wasn’t tithing at all. i could look at this as a failure, and punish myself for that. but i don’t. i see growth and change and improvement. and that’s what resolutions are, aren’t they?!

fitting in.

Moving to a brand new city sounded thrilling. A new start. A second chance. A place where no one remembers that stupid thing you said 3 years ago…

And it was. For about 4 hours.

Then it got lonely.

I mean, really. Who moves to a city without a job, or home, or anyone they know?

We do.

I’m normally quite outgoing. I love meeting new people and making new friends. But when starting from nothing, how do you even do that?

Considering I have absolutely nothing in common with the people I work with, I chose church.

Stephen and I found a church that we love, and believe in. And in the past few weeks, we’ve really started to get involved. I’ve been singing, and Stephen plays guitar and we’re both finding where we fit. I know we’re supposed to be here, and I know that God has big things in store for us. Adjusting hasn’t been easy, but I think it’s about to pay off.

a snowy scare.

Friday at work, it started snowing pretty hard. Everyone was off for some reason or another, and for the first time, I was alone in the office. By the time I left work, 4 inches had fallen.

Snowy roads have never really scared my before. (I’m from Cleveland!) But Friday was different. Pittsburgh’s full of hills. FULL of hills. I had already experienced some spinning tires before I got out of the parking lot. a couple miles later, I was on the highway. The roads were TERRIBLE. I was barely going 30 on the highway. in the left lane. before i knew it, i had unwillingly crossed 3 lanes, hit a giant pile of snowy land, and ended up facing the wrong way in the right lane. i freaked out. i had never been so scared. it wasn’t safe enough to get out of the car to see what was wrong with it, so i foolishly kept driving. 90 terrifying minutes later, i was home. 

i was safe. my car was safe. and i never wanted to drive again.

But i did today. so there’s that.