Prepare 2017

Well hello, 2017. Ten days later, and finally getting around to a "new year" blog post. Oops. No excuses other than an amazingly busy start to the year which is clearly going to be setting the tone for the months to come.

I spent a lot of time the week before January 1 thinking about this next year. It'll see us celebrating our first year of marriage, Christopher's first full year as a pharmacist, and many more milestones. In some ways I was worried that after the wedding, things would just become kind of blah. That's definitely not going to be the case!

Instead of setting resolutions for the new year, I know a lot of people focus on an all-encompassing word the focus their minds and actions, which seemed right up my ally. I'm very futuristic, and focus a lot of my time on planning...everything. From what I'm going to wear each day of the week, to when I'm taking my next trip, or going to work on the blog, it's a never ending calendar and checklist of things going through my head.

Sometimes that can seem negative, but I'm trying to focus that energy into something positive. That introduces my word for 2017: prepare. I love being prepared. I hate being caught off guard. As much as I enjoy surprises, I don't like to be surprised by a problem or a situation that I don't feel comfortable tackling immediately. This part of myself, this resistance or fear or whatever it is, can be refined through preparation.

I also want to prepare my heart and my family. Christopher and I don't see each other every day, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to prepare to be the best wife, housekeeper, cook, laundry person, etc. I want to prepare my home to be ready for guests, and to be enjoyable for us to spend time together. I want to prepare my heart to love my husband and my family in the most Christ-like way I can. I need to prepare time for friends and investing in relationships around me. I pray for a warmth and acceptance to flow from me to all those around me.

Yes, yes, this is probably the most "safe for a Type A person" word of the year. But it's practical and attainable. And is something that my heart craves. I'm so thankful for those of you coming on this ride of a lifetime with me in 2017!

"Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong." -- 1 Corinthians 16:13

A Little Note of Appreciation

I wanted to take a moment and just brag a little on my wonderful fiance. He is such a gentleman, who takes wonderful care of me, and loves me like no other. We have been through a lot this past year, and I've put him through a lot as well, and he's stuck by me through it all. We're able to spend a lot of time together now that we only live an hour apart, and I'm so thankful. Last week, I came home from work to find that he had surprised me by completing a ton of the "I need to do this..." things around my house. He's helping me refine my tennis skills, cooks the best dinners for me {seriously. He make eggplant parm last week and brought it to work for us Chamber ladies--what a gem!}, listens to my not-so-funny jokes, and always makes me laugh. 

I'm so very proud of him for completing his first year of pharmacy school last month. He'll be starting rotations in just a few weeks, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for him, and for the both of us!

Preparing My Heart

The past eight months have been a whirlwind of change in my life. Getting engaged, graduating college, and entering into the big girl world have been a little more than crazy! 2014 signals the start of the planning season for my 2015 wedding {18 months, eek!}. I'm more than thankful to not be rushed, and would definitely encourage others to take their time and enjoy their relationships--no matter what stage you're in! I've been able to enjoy all of these significant firsts, with my significant other, but without the additional stress of planning and executing a wedding at the same time. Hopefully, planning a wedding over a year away will also aid in lowering my stress level too!

     With my "fancee" in pharmacy school, and the personal stress and distractions of my own life throughout the past few months, we've not had a lot of time to focus on each other and our relationship. With Christmas approaching, the importance of relationships has been re-emphasized in my life. Throughout December, I am making it a point to reconnect with those most important to me. I realized that even if I talk with some one every day, I sometimes don't feel totally connected to them, and that is something that is so important to me. I want to take time to be a better friend, daughter, sister, and "fancee" and to fill those relationships with love, joy, and fun!

     All this being said, I want to be prepared for the new year, and a new position in life {Type A: Must have a Plan}. The fancee and I have decided to work through the book "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman. We both have different love languages, and it's really helping us to read more about how each love language is different and to realize how it affects each other differently.

     I've also started reading "Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married" on my Kindle app on the iPad and it's a great piece to follow up and go alongside the love languages book. 

     The other night on Pinterest, I saw a Bible study from a blogger that she did the 12 days before she was married as a way to prepare her heart for marriage and to discover more about the Bible's truths about a couple's relationships. I decided to work through these passages from now until Christmas {a little more than 12 days, but still!} in hopes to prepare my heart to better love those around me. 

Thanks, Nicole at Bloom, for the inspiration! Picture found here.

      I'm definitely planning on doing this Bible study and reading these books over and over again until the wedding to help keep me focused away from the stress of detail and on the "heart" of the event at hand! 

How did {and do...as it's a never ending process!} you prepare your heart for marriage? Do you have any advice for "soon-to-be's" or newlyweds?