life as a wife.

This is my first true opportunity to write a little something. The first time that I actually sat down with Zach to write about our wedding experience, I started to get sleepy towards the end. I guess I am getting old now-- since we are attempting now to be IN bed at 9pm. Usually, I am always tired enough to go to sleep at this time, but rarely have everything DONE I was hoping to. I am "living the dream" as they say. God has blessed me a lot this year, and I have everything that I could have ever wanted. I have a real job that I make at least $20,000 a year (which may not seem like a lot to most people, but it is a huge blessing to me after job searching for a full-time job for the past year), we live in a toasty warm house where we have a cute apartment that gets cozier by the day, we have a working car that starts most everyday (with the exception of today, but we'll cut it a break since I wouldn't want to start either if I sat outside all night), we have delicious food to put on our table every evening that I thoroughly enjoy cooking, I have so many friends that still love and support me and encourage me (despite my increasingly busy schedule), we are becoming more invovled at Substance as we just started in a newly-weds subgroup there, and lastly (and most certainly not leastly) my incredible husband comes home everyday and continually loves on me and cares for me in ways that I am certain that God shows him I need most. I am so incredibly thankful. I know that God has given me all that I have. I also know that life probably won't always be as good as it is right now--it usually doesn't stay long-- but I have a glimpse of living a life that is overflowing in abundantly good things-- even when I am not deserving of them in any way. I had coffee with my friend Jackie last week, who was married just two months before Zach and I. We started talking about how great marriage is, and how our lives have changed because of it (in good ways, and in some ways that are much harder). One significant thing that has changed for me (which is perhaps a huge downfall for me) is that it is really difficult to make time to spend time in the Word, and talk to God and journal like I used to. It is just a lot different now. I am trying to focus on making that a priority at a different time during my day if I don't make it a priority right before I go to sleep. Sometimes, Zach and I will read the Bible together and pray before we go to sleep-- which is awesome. But that is not an excuse for me to neglect spending time myself. I think the reason that this is such a big deal to me to do now, is that I know my life has gotten really, really comfortable. But there will be a time when the worldly comforts will be lacking. At that time I am praying that I will not lack a foundation of dependence on God for grace and for every breath that I breathe every second of my day. h