I love that SkipperClan man of mine and he loves me. That doesn’t mean we always act like we love each other. Join me over at A Biblical Marriage today where I’m talking about

One Reason to Forgive Your Spouse

I am days away from attending the high school graduation ceremonies for our first born. If you saw him, you would say he looks like this.

But I am here to tell you, the closer this day comes, the more I see this.

Seriously, how my parents handled the fact that I was engaged at this same age is mind boggling. {Even with the hindsight that we are now approaching our 20th anniversary}

What does all this have to do with my 3 in 30 update for May? Well, pretty much everything centers around families and celebrations this month, including a graduation party. It’s been pretty difficult for our kids to move twice during their high school years, but they are both handling the challenges well. It will be exciting {and a little scary} to see them grow and transition to independent life over the next few years. For now, let’s just talk about May, shall we?

May 3 in 30 Goals…

Host Family for Mother’s Day Weekend

May has long been a time of celebration for my mom. It holds Mother’s Day of course, but also her birthday and the anniversary of her marriage to my stepdad. Since this is the first May after losing him, she thought it would be great to have all her daughters {and families} together for the weekend. We are hosting in our home on Mother’s Day weekend.

This week I will do a little prep each evening in cleaning or food. I’ve already shopped for the ingredients and just have a couple more things to purchase.

Workout Goals

Last week I started going to the gym again and began a squat challenge with a co-worker. I plan to visit the gym three days a week for the rest of the month and finish the squat challenge.

I am already behind this weekend on the actual squat challenge, but the yard work I did today in removing old plastic sheeting was a great substitute! I find it easier to do the squats on the gym days so I plan to do them first thing in the morning on the other days.

Celebrate SkipperClanJr’s Graduation

This actually involves many dinners, the actual ceremony, and hosting a celebratory cookout on Graduation day. We got gorgeous invitations from Erin Condren.

Other than one dinner this week, I won’t be focused on Graduation until after Mother’s Day weekend is behind me.

Are you attending any celebrations this month?

We had a great week and finished it off with our first of a three family reunions that we’ll attend between now and June. Today I wanted to share my progress for the last full week in April. Scroll all the way to the end to see some of my favorite photos from the week.

April 3 in 30 Goals…

Read through Ephesians

In March, I have journaled my understanding and thoughts for each verse of Galatians. I asked online for recommendations for the next book of the Bible and every single suggestion included Ephesians. It is very refreshing to spend time on this during my lunch break at work and helps me come back for the afternoon renewed.

This seemed to be the only goal I made real progress in during the month of April. Journaling through the scripture has truly been one of the most encouraging parts of my week and I was glad to see it shared over on Brooke’s page this week.

Couch 2 5K

I know how relaxing a short run is for me and I want to get through the entire Couch 2 5K plan before our family reunion in June.

My complete lack of progress proves how uncommitted I have been to this goal.

Capture My 365

I am very slowly improving my photography skills but the perfectionist in me is letting the details of aperture, shutter speed, and iso keep me from just. taking. photos. This month I want to take the photos…even if they are all in auto mode.

Our family reunion this weekend gave me a great opportunity to work on this goal.

What’s your favorite way to study the Bible?

God’s divine plan for our lives brought us together. It still amazes me how the very things that made us different, made us hit it off right from the start.

You struggled with infertility, I struggled to accept the news of another baby so soon.
You were newlywed when I was approaching a decade of marriage.
Your childhood was spent on another continent, yet we became neighbors.

And when the flood waters threaten to overwhelm, when the jobs and teenagers and bills and demands and disappointments come wave after wave.

You are right there. My life line, my life preserver.

Not because you are perfect or the One who has given me salvation…but you are the one who reminds me to turn to Him.

You pray for me continually, through the good and the bad.
You share the article that reminds us of God’s truths in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
You put the verses right on my Facebook wall that read

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
~ Numbers 6:24-26~

To you, my friends, “ I thank my God every time I remember you.” ~ Phillipians 1:3 ~

Who has God placed in your life to encourage you?

Once again I find myself blogging after ignoring this precious space for many more days than I’d expected. I’ve been on a roll the last two weekends completing projects, many of them having been on my to-do list since we moved in December. In the last couple weeks I have:

matted, framed, and hung a dozen art pieces
unpacked all the china after getting our china cabinet shelves repaired
purchased, painted, and installed new office shelving (thanks Honey!)
deep cleaned our master bedroom and bathroom
gotten jewelry repaired
gotten my sewing machine repaired
made lace-trimmed shorts out of ripped jeans
tried out the Zumba game for wii
ordered graduation announcements and photos
ordered a digital scrapbook for my favorite photos from 2012

Most of these items were on my to do list for months and it was making me cuh-razy. I need to finish things, I need to have clear surfaces in the home, I need therapy {just guessing}. I may have threatened bodily harm to the next person who leaves something lying around the house now that it’s so clean.

This means my April 3 in 30 challenge isn’t going so well, but I’m looking forward to finishing strong, and honestly?! I am so excited to have all of those little things done it far outweighs any disappointment about my monthly goal progress. I can finally say, there are no more boxes inside my house from the move!

April 3 in 30 Goals…

Read through Ephesians

In March, I have journaled my understanding and thoughts for each verse of Galatians. I asked online for recommendations for the next book of the Bible and every single suggestion included Ephesians. It is very refreshing to spend time on this during my lunch break at work and helps me come back for the afternoon renewed.

I am about halfway through chapter 3 which puts me a little behind to finish the entire book this month. I read almost every day and usually just stop when I get to the end of a section or a verse just hits me. God is so cool with his timing too, like having my time Tuesday start with the words, “For He is our peace.” Pretty much the perfect words to open with in God’s Word the day after the Boston Marathon bombing, don’t you think?

Couch 2 5K

I know how relaxing a short run is for me and I want to get through the entire Couch 2 5K plan before our family reunion in June.

Yeah, nada. I had a great talk with a couple girlfriends this week about the importance of scheduling and committing to my workout time just like I do with my devotional time.

Capture My 365

I am very slowly improving my photography skills but the perfectionist in me is letting the details of aperture, shutter speed, and iso keep me from just. taking. photos. This month I want to take the photos…even if they are all in auto mode.

I have not done this one every day, but I have gotten more intentional about the project again. I consolidated the suggested topics onto one sheet in my planner and updated my online album to include the photos I had already taken. I’ve also gotten more active on Instagram again, something that helps me become more aware of what is in my environment just waiting for a chance to be captured.

Does a to-do list motivate you?

If you have read more than one post on this blog, you probably already pegged me as a Type A, list driven, possibly insane personality type. I promise, I know how to relax…I just like to plan for it like our Spring Break Beach Retreat. I don’t know anyone who likes being sick, but for me it is often double the frustration because it means whatever I had planned for that time is probably not going to happen.

I can honestly say that throughout our marriage we have been relatively healthy. I know with certainty it is one of the biggest things I take for granted. I also think is precisely why those words are included with traditional marriage vows.

By the way, I think traditional marriage vows are very meaningful when taken to heart.

Think about the seriousness of just these few words: in sickness and in health. It doesn’t just mean colds and flu. It means losing-all-your-hair cancer treatment and complete-loss-of-mobility ALS. One of the blessings of being married at a young age is the years we’ve been able to share with healthy parents. We have only just begun to see ourselves and friends face the reality of sometimes heart-wrenching and painful loss.

I believe this is a glimpse into the type of commitment we made with those traditional marriage vows, even if it was made in blind naiveté. How can we trust that we will be capable of such dedication if we are called to it for our spouse? How can we rest assured that our spouse will be there if our name is on the medical chart? We can’t. Each of us is human.

However, in a marriage led by God’s principles and the dedication to each other only possible from His strength, we can have peace that God will supply all our needs when the day comes.

Today I just needed a man to get on his motorcycle and run to the store for some natural home remedy. Granted, he got to take the bike out for a spin, but knowing my man is willing to jump out of bed and run to the store gives me a little glimpse into the commitment he’s made to me. It makes me love him all the more.

What little things has your spouse done for you to show commitment?

I am glad to be back to focusing on 3 monthly goals with the bloggers linking up with Aurie each week. I think the lack of posting speaks for itself if you had any question about how my March goals went. Let’s just hope that April showers bring more than May flowers…hopefully some great goal progress! You can see my March update at the end of this post, so make sure to scroll all the way down.

April 3 in 30 Goals…

Read through Ephesians

Over the last few weeks, I have been journaling my understanding and thoughts for each verse of Galatians. I asked online for recommendations for the next book of the Bible and every single suggestion included Ephesians. It is very refreshing to spend time on this during my lunch break at work and helps me come back for the afternoon renewed.

Couch 2 5K

I managed one run in the last couple weeks but very little else. I know how relaxing a short run is for me and I want to get through the entire Couch 2 5K plan before our family reunion in June.

Capture My 365

I am very slowly improving my photography skills but the perfectionist in me is letting the details of aperture, shutter speed, and iso keep me from just. taking. photos. This month I want to take the photos…even if they are all in auto mode.

Curious how I did in March?

March 3 in 30 goals…

Healthy Habit Weekly

I did great with my fitness challenge for the first 6 weeks of the 90 days…then I started working and…well, I need a reboot to say the least. I want to focus on one specific habit each week, getting back into the healthy routine we were living.

Definite fail. Let’s just move on…

Read and Write Weekly

This will be similar to my January goal of blogging 2-3 times per week but I want it to go beyond that. Yes, I’d like to get back in the routine with blogging. This goal is more about bringing words into my daily life after the change to my schedule. Reading some of the 20 books on my 2013 list and writing in journals will also count towards the goal.

By the first few days of April, I’d finished reading Galatians, The Duck Commander Family, and Thou Shall Prosper. Obviously I did not blog as much as I’d hoped, but overall I am happy with my progress on this goal for March. Here are my favorite two posts. I even managed to figure out the technical steps necessary to giveaway a free e-book for subscribers (so subscribe by putting your email in the box at the top of this page).

• An Unexpected Blessing in a Busy Week
• Marriage Mondays {Go See A Comet}

Office Systems

I plan to purge some files, update our household & finance binders, and finish organizing the space. I was really inspired by some of the photos over at Sam’s Noggin. {We even have the same inbox} This might be the extent of the Spring Cleaning I do this year, too.

There are no dramatic before and after photos since I did not make as much progress as I’d hoped in the actual space. SkipperClan did install the shelving in the closet that meant a huge portion of my supplies are better stored while he was on break from school. We also did some research on insurance and savings to start working towards some financial goals in preparation for retirement from the military. Overall, I’m happy with this goal too.

What are you looking forward to about Spring?

There haven’t been any #3in30 updates, Marriage Mondays, or book reviews. There has been a lot of work, lunch dates with my hubby, and our Spring Break trip.

This is pretty much my dream home

I loved this “sandcastle” of the empty tomb we saw on Saturday

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and our son took a great shot of SkipperClan and me

We left the restaurant just in time to catch this sunset

I woke up before sunrise on Easter to enjoy the morning on the beach

We had a blessed and relaxing weekend. Have you enjoyed Spring Break or have a big family gathering for Easter?

SkipperClan is very much a handyman. Last week he took a few days off from work while he was on break between his classes for his Master’s degree. I had quite a to-do list ready.

The first two days off his vacation, he took off on the motorcycle with Kit-Kat to hang out with his parents where they were camping. He saw some guys he was in Scouts with as a kid and our girl actually relaxed. They both came back a little sun-kissed. They both really needed it.

I knew he would be home the next day and left for work excited about how much he could get done with everyone else gone for school and work. The things he worked on the next day were on his list {not mine}…and that is when I began to realize something important.

I could act like his boss or his wife, the choice was mine.

I am the one who likes crossing things off the list but I am not the one with the time or skills to accomplish those things. My husband might be a handyman, but he is not my employee. He was gone for the next two days, using those skills to serve his grandmother and visiting his parents. He was also taking the time to try to find a great deal on a riding mower, something we need for the property we moved to here.

He was working on something that was much harder to fit into the nooks and crannies of our daily schedule than the items on my list.

It was day 6 of his 9 day vacation and I’d resigned myself to the fact that my list was probably not going to be finished. I left for work fully aware the only thing that really needed to be fixed was my attitude.

In my own flesh, I was jealous of the time being spent with others and not on our home. On my list. My expectations weren’t being met. Me, mine, I. Usually a clear sign where the problem really lies.

So I put myself in time out.

I did not want to be mad over things that are so inconsequential in the grand scheme of life. I did not want to be jealous, frustrated, or angry. I was determined that my emotions would not be in control. So I got ready for bed early and prayed.

I could’ve just as easily given in and started a huge fight. Why would I want to choose that?

He made huge progress on the list, he found a great deal on a mower, and we even spent the day together Sunday picking it up near family. I was also able to see my ‘baby’ sister on her birthday, something that hasn’t happened since we became an Air Force family.

How can you choose peace in your marriage today?

In case you aren’t married to the kind of guy who is always reading articles about unique occurrences in the Heavens above us, this last week was a particularly good time to view a comet named Pan-STARRS. These kinds of things are pretty cool, but they are especially intriguiging to my man. {I would be content to enjoy them from my laptop screen.}

When your man asks you if you want to go with him to see a rare comet appearing during sunset, you should not refuse.

One of the best ways to keep your spouse in a place of priority in your life is simply to choose him over what seems more important at the time. This is why I think motorcycles can be marriage builders and how exercise can improve more than your body.

It turned out to be really cool to see the comet, although my camera is highly inadequte to capture a blog-worthy image. I had a great time learning to use my new tripod and trying out the manual focus on my camera. We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.

It turns out date night can be simple, inexpensive, and spontaneous.

How can you make time for what your husband this week?