August 17th

Well it's August 17th and I only made it to day 2 of posting everyday in August. The last few weeks have been among some of the toughest weeks of my life. Our basement flooded at the end of July and that brought in fleas, so we have been vigorously cleaning, vacuuming everyday, throwing away things that got destroyed, etc. on top of our usual schedule of work, school, and other commitments. So to say it's been crazy is definitely an understatement.

It's been interesting though, I've learned that I can be very calm during times of high stress, but in my calm I hold it all in, only to explode later. Which is something I really need to work through because those exploding moments are just terrible, I feel terrible, I treat the people around me terribly, I shut down, I feel like a toddler having a temper tantrum, I feel out of control, it is just no fun. But Josh has been amazing through it all, he deserves a metal, or a trophy.

I want to dedicate the rest of this post to my amazing husband. Our three year wedding anniversary was on Wednesday, and I am so thankful for a husband who wants to see me grow, who is honest with me, who supports me and who works hard. Being married to me is not easy (hello explosions I mentioned in the paragraph above) but he has stuck by me and been there for me throughout all of my craziness, and for that I am so thankful. I love you Josh, to infinity and beyond.

How has it been THREE years since this amazing, beautiful, wonderful day? 

Day Two of Celebration

Today (August 2nd) it felt more difficult to celebrate. I wasn't in a good mood most of the day at work, then I came home to clean/vacuum/mop the house. Our basement had flooded about a week and a half ago, so all of the furniture from the finished part of our basement is piled up anywhere it can fit in our upstairs, making it more difficult to move around and clean. It really made me appreciate the times our house was clean and I honestly considered how great it would be to get rid of a lot of things and live a more minimalist lifestyle!

But today I chose to celebrate with praise and worship music. I had Gungor on repeat during my workday, specifically the song Vapor. There was even a moment during the build of "whoa's" where all of a sudden it started down pouring outside and I felt a rush of calmness over me. I felt that even though I don't feel great today, even though I didn't feel happy or excited about my day, even though I felt empty, that God was there and I could feel His creation praising Him.

"Trees clap their hands for You. Oceans, they dance for You. You are holy, infinite and holy. A billion suns rise for You, clouds paint the sky for You, mountains stand tall for You, valleys bow down to You. Kings become fools for You, kingdoms to ruins for You. Vapor finds ground in You. Music finds sound in You."

August 1 (My Birthday Month)

Y'all, I struggle. But I am not here to complain about my struggles. Rather, this is my birth month and I am so tired of feeling so blah and meh all the time, so I am making the conscious decision to CELEBRATE this month! Every day this month I am going to celebrate something that makes me happy or brings me joy. 

Yesterday (August 1) I celebrated the fact that it is now my birth month and that this month will mark my 27th year on Earth by going to Chocolate World after work with my youngest sister in law. We got AMAZING chocolate milk shakes (I got chocolate peanut butter and my sister in law got smores), we rode the free ride (obviously for the free chocolate at the end) and sat outside and chatted while drinking our milkshakes! I don't get a lot of one-on-one time with my youngest sister in law, so it was nice to spend some time with her! 

I look forward to posting daily this month about what I am celebrating and how it makes me happy and brings me joy. Life can get so bogged down and so busy that we often forget to look at the things that make life happy and joyful!