mrs. z
Merry Christmas Card
It’s our very first Christmas card {even though it’s our second Christmas married–oops!} and I wanted to be sure all our friends that visit this space got one as well! Wish we could mail out hundreds upon hundreds of them but well, I married an accountant and he’s gotten pretty good at roping in this blogger’s willingness to spend money.
So Merry Christmas from the Z family :-)
I used Tiny Prints for our cards this year and was quite pleased with the way they turned out. I liked them so much that I just might use them for Baby Z’s birth announcements as well.
And, if you like the photo then you’ll love Kathleen Noel Photography as she took the shot. Thanks Kathleen, you’re the best!
Read MoreHave a peak
Things I love about being married to Mr. Z:
Dancing like a fool because no one but the spouse is looking [guess who was dancing]
Head bobbing to commercials because only the spouse will think it’s funny
Jointly psycho-analyzing the bachelorette and the dysfunctional relationships (don’t judge)
All the blessings of everyday life with my best friend.
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Love is a Choice
I posted this entry at The Block today and normally I would direct you over there, but this one I wanted to be in this precious space as well :-)
We’re at the tail end, about to cross finish line. We’re running up the very last hill, knees hurting, muscles cramping, gasping for breath, but running hard and as fast as our legs will take us. We’ve come far and we WILL finish strong. We’re determined.
That’s how Mr. Z and I feel this week. We’re in the final week of tax season and we’re trying hard to finish strong. Just like a marathon, the race has had its ups and downs. Navigating this course while establishing our new life together was no easy task. But as we come to the end, I am witnessing God’s faithfulness and the beauty of refinement that comes through this blessed union.
Before we were married the phrase “love is a choice” reverberated through my head like a pin ball being ejected from the shoot and never leaving the course it was just propelled into. I thought I understood this concept but wondered if I grasped it or even could to the point of execution.
I grew up in a world where love is a feeling. Love is pretty dresses and romantic dinners. Love is shared interests and butterflies. Love is big smiles and doe eyes. Love is the Titanic or better yet, the Notebook.
Then I chose Christ. And this word love took on new meaning. I learned of a Love that was born to die for me even before I knew He existed. I learned of a Love that saw through my flaws and shortcomings and saw me as beautiful. ALWAYS. I learned of a Love that burns away my ugliness and makes me into something I could never be on my own.
During this busy tax season, I’ve learned a little about what “love is a choice” looks like as a wife.
I say this humbly, with my heart exposed as this was not an easy thing for me to learn. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, and I am guessing that this is only lesson number one of many more to come. I am certain I will be in this curriculum for the rest of my life as Mr. Z and I learn more and more about one another and our Savior’s design for us.
“Love is a choice” means choosing to see my fearfully and wonderfully made husband through the eyes of Christ on a daily basis. It is believing in him when he doesn’t believe in himself. It is seeking to learn his language and embracing patience and gentleness. It is unconditional, perpetual and persistent. It’s being present while resisting the impulse to speak. It is choosing faith over circumstance.
I’m certain that I can count on each tax season for the rest of our lives being a season of refinement. I feel like a holy and righteous woman would say she is looking forward to this scheduled refinement but I’m not that holy and righteous woman. I do look forward to the end of each tax season though. I can see now that God will make me more and more like His precious Son and I’ll be able to love my husband and our yet-to-be family with a Divine love that is only possible through the Author of Love.
My hope, as has been since we began this blog is that writing from my heart will help some of you in your journey, even if it’s just one sweet woman.
What does “love is a choice” mean to you? Can you recall a specific time in life when this phrase became real to you?
my handsome choice
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simple. beautiful. teamwork.
i took today off from work and got to spend quite a bit of time reading my Bible, praying and journaling. i’m camping out in colossians (as i mentioned yesterday) and was smacked with some awesome truth this morning. BUT, i’m still processing it. so i’m not going to try to write about that at the moment as i think it needs to marinate in my head a bit before it’s ready to serve :-)
that being said, yesterday mr. z and i got to live life like a married couple. it was such a blessing. after church we ran errands together. i dragged the poor guy to three different stores in my pursuit of organic and all natural ingredients for dinner. he was a trooper though and i loved it. it might seem silly, but with his work schedule right now, we rarely get to do the ordinary things of life together, like run errands.
the closet ;-)
when we got home we dove right into our tasks. me, cooking dinner. mr. z, cleaning out and organizing the closet under the steps. yep, i’ve been blessed with a super organized and orderly husband. i’m sure my friends, especially former roommates, are not surprised that the Lord would pair me with an orderly type.
i was hoping to help mr. z but i, as i often do, underestimated the high maintenance nature of the recipe i chose for dinner. needless to say, he didn’t need my help anyway. now, we have an organized closet and we were able to enjoy a yummy meal that provided plenty of leftovers for the week (since i HATE cooking for one).
preparation for the high maintenance meal
as wonderful as an organized closet is and the meal may have been, that’s not why i’m writing today. i’m writing because of something i was told before we got married.
when i had my bridal shower i asked that all the ladies would bring a small nugget of wisdom for me. what do they wish they had known before they got married? Or, what had they found makes a healthy marriage?
my cousin said teamwork. they have had two children in the three years they’ve been married and said one of the best things they’ve done is intentionally work together and lean on each other. no one bears more of the burdens than the other.
this concept might seem rather obvious, but having experienced it a few times already in the short time we’ve been married, i can see why teamwork is essential. ecclesiates 4 says:
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
i’m discovering the beautiful things about marriage. and there are many. and more often than not, they are simple. like teamwork. my dad said at our wedding, marriage isn’t that hard. humans make it hard. as time goes on i’ll see how true that is. but for now, i can see the simple beauty in the God created team of marriage.
Read Morethe end
It finally happened. I saw my name. At the end of the list. Yesterday marks the first time I saw my ‘Z’ at the end of a long list of people. It really was a little odd. It was just about 31 years that my eye had been trained to find my name at the top. I had to remind myself, I’m now at the end.
Sure, this might seem trivial but frankly, trying to find my name on the list is a simple but accurate illustration of where I find myself these days. Searching through this new routine and life finding myself in new and different places. It’s exciting, comforting and overwhelming all at once. But I’ve also come to find that the Lord often operates that way. Once I find myself in a place where I foolishly think I’ve mastered something, He moves me on. Keeping me dependant on Him. It’s not always an easy place to be, but it certainly is beautiful. His ways and plans ALWAYS trump mine in creativity and adventure even if it means being last on the list :-)
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