Embracing Autumn

Well, I have failed to update at least twice a month as vowed, but Joe and I are back to the blog world and with lots of new adventures to share!

This last month and a half has been filled with a lot of traveling, hiking, baking, spending time with new friends, seeing old friends, and taking in all a Virginian fall has to offer.

The biggest news, before I fill you in on our personal adventures, is that my baby sister is married!! I cannot believe how fast the big day came and went, but her wedding was beautiful and her husband is wonderful, and I am so excited for Jennifer and Philip's new life together.  Speaking of which, tomorrow marks 6 months for Joe and I! WOW how time flies. It feels like it was just last week that we were getting married, especially since I can remember our own wedding day so vividly! However, we have learned so many new things about each other and about relationships since that glorious Saturday.  I know I am certainly still finding new reasons to love my husband more each day.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

We also got to see many tried and true friends during our trip home for Jennifer's wedding and it was wonderful catching up. It's amazing how we can be gone for months but it only takes a minute to feel like we never left.  I feel so blessed to have such great friends.

Other than our 13 hour drive home and back (yes that's 26 hours of total driving and my poor darling made the first 13 through the night... alone) we've also voyaged to D.C. to see the sights with some fellow law schoolers.  We had a blast seeing D.C. and Arlington and having what we now fondly remember as a "couples decathlon weekend"...you know with the usual games such as Ladder Ball, Catch Phrase, Euchre, Cranium Hoopla, and an American History board game... All I can say is that it was a riveting weekend.

Joe and I have also spent alot of time enjoying God's beautiful creation.  We've been hiking a few more times (lots of pictures on facebook), went to a cider press party with a group from our church, and recently went apple picking in an orchard just 10 minutes from our house.  Nothing says fall like picking apples in a sea of red, orange, and yellow then drinking hot cider and finally arriving home to unbundle and watch some college football.  Are you jealous yet?  I am! I cannot believe all of the new opportunities we are getting to experience.  I feel like every weekend is a vacation!  

Proud of our freshly picked Pink Ladies.

It looks like someone left off all the "y"... some people just don't know any better here.

I was also inspired, at Joe's constant probing, to make some autumn inspired cupcakes which we shared with our neighbors and favorite cat-sitter.  I, as per usual, couldn't make my mind up on someone else's recipe so I pieced several together to make my own delightful pumpkin spice cupcakes with a spiced brown sugar cream cheese icing... just talking about them makes me want to go eat another one!  They turned out great and I'd be happy to share the recipe.

That pretty much summarizes our journey to this point, though I would be amiss not to mention Joe's constant and very diligent studying.  Pray that he makes it through this first semester.  I know if he (we) can make it through this semester, the rest of law school will be a breeze... or at least easier.  Oh, and my living room is painted!! It has taken many painstaking hours, but we love it.  Now just on to the other 5 rooms... we'll update on that soon!

Quality time..

Once again I find myself writing a blog about how funny I've noticed God likes to work in our lives... just as I was complaining about not having enough hours in the day, I have found myself with all the time in the world!

My first job in c'ville and I parted ways this week.  It was an answered prayer and a burden lifted.  HOWEVER, now I'm finding myself with all the time I wanted to do all the extra things I wanted, and I have NO idea where to begin.  I've contacted a knitting instructor, re-taken up my letter writing, researched paint colors for the apartment, and decorated for fall...and that's just the the beginning of the list that I've accomplished in the past two days.

I think Joe is quickly loving my being at home more (you know the whole clean, decorated apartment and dinner waiting thing is not something he's really experienced much until now)... but we both know what we aren't saying and that is: as wonderful as this unclaimed time is, money must be made somehow. We are pretending not to panic about that yet. God granted my prayers of getting out of ill-fitting job and providing much desired time and I know when the time is right, He will provide for our monetary needs as always.

In other news, today I felt, for the first time, like I really am a Charlottesvillian.  While having lunch with a new friend (who happens to be a fellow MSU Delta G) I ran into someone familiar who called my name from the ordering line.  I almost didn't turn around thinking no one here would know me, but sure enough it was a friend from church choir who just recognized me and wanted to say hello.  I can't explain how refreshing that was! It was so natural, like I wasn't a visitor anymore, but a member of the community. It's a small and silly joy, but I had to share it.

I also want to share my newest fall finds that have made me oh so happy.  Fall is hands down my favorite season of the year.  It's a good thing Christmas isn't in fall or there would be nothing to look forward to for me once the thermometer reads below freezing.

Happy pumpkin season!!

Waiting for Sunshine

Isn't it incredible the way God uses his created world to share things with us?

I woke this morning to the storm still going from last night.  It was dreary, wet, gray, and cold... definitely the kind of day no one wants to get out of bed for, except my husband. Joe Davis, just like every morning, pops out of bed like its Christmas morning. Rain or shine he wakes and is ready to embrace the day. Meanwhile, I lie there thinking about all there is to do, how sore I am, how I have nothing cute to wear on a day like this, and how much I just want to skip today and move onto a day that is literally and metaphorically sunnier. A day when I am not overwhelmed by what lies ahead and underwhelmed by what I feel I have to offer.

Lots of lessons are being learned here in Charlottesville. Some are coming from the results of mistakes made, some are coming from the great ministers at our new church, and most are coming from being around my dear Joe.  So, being completely bewildered as to why anyone would be as emphatic as he is about this unpleasant Tuesday morning, I started to study the differences between our situations. I thought maybe the 2nd week of law school is just much more exciting than the 3rd month of a new and demanding job. But is it really better? Long lectures, walking 20 minutes in the cold rain? Better, but not by a whole lot...so maybe I just have a bad attitude? Then I picked up on a very long, ongoing reflection of myself... what made us so different?

My conclusion? Joe takes care of himself.  He loves others as he loves himself, and he doesn't put too much stock in being perfect for everyone at every moment... I mean no wonder I get overwhelmed!

God created us to love ourselves, because, after all, we are created in His image and are His children. Just as my parents think the world of me and think I should think the world of myself, so does God.  Then, He wants us to take that love for ourselves and love others the same way.  I won't say Joe is PERFECT by any means, who is?, but this is one thing my husband absolutely has figured out.

God didn't intend for us to be everything for everyone. That's his job.  And this is a lesson I am painfully learning.  I think a lot of us out there feel that if we aren't doing everything exactly as everyone expects we are not worthy.  But if we, including myself, continue using perfection in the eyes of other imperfect humans as our measuring stick, we are just going to continue to be sorely disappointed in ourselves, and as a result, not want to face grim days like today.

I think God hands us days like today to say this world is not perfect. It has been tarnished with sin and imperfection. However, if we look to God instead of others to find our worth, so then we will find our rays of sunshine.

I am sorry to preach, especially on our NEWLYWED blog, but I feel that the lessons I am learning are from being married to such a Godly man.  We both learn from each other daily.

Good luck to all of you finding sunshine on stormy days!

"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

1 John 4:12 ESV