2014 has come upon me a lot quicker than I anticipated.
Let's cut to the chase. Here are the things we will be leaving behind from 2013- that I, we, will not bring in to 2014. No way no how- not now. (A little Dr. Seuss for you on this arctic chill day).
D-R-A-M-A drama- oh oh- you got that way because of your si..and just like that we leave it there. Team Pope has vowed to not let the last 2 months of 2013 hell carry over into the rest of our lives. One side of the coin is much better than before, praise the Lord!- but the other side- well, we are just leaving it flipped over and not worrying about it any more. Leaving the Jerry Springer episode to be continued (but in my mind- honey the show has been canceled and we movin' on up).
Negativity. You and all you bring have no place or welcome in our home or mouths or lives. Holla.
Pointless investments. We don't have the time, effort, or desire to engage in things that are not worthwhile. Bring on the real stuff, because we ready...we ready..we ready for yall. (if you don't get that music throw back, I am getting really old).
The daily comparisons. You are out like power in a snow storm. We will take what we have been given and rejoice in it- and not woe is me ourselves when we look at what our friends have been blessed with.
Now- on to what we hope for and are excited about in 2014. 2013 was incredibly good to us, despite our family feuds, so I can't fault it too much.
We look forward to White Cosby's 70th birthday in February- Kevin's 30th in May- and mine (oh. em. gee.) in August. Thank you Lord for a late summer birthday, so I can hold on to 29 8 more months! We will celebrate 1 year or marriage in April- that is crazy we are at the 8 month mark. Time flies when you marry the man of your dreams.
Kevin will take a big test soon for work and we are hoping for good results. He is pretty smart, so I think he will do fine.
My mom will get a much needed knee replacement and we are praying this goes well and that it is a huge help to her. You can join us if you like.
My sweet Jackson- the oldest of the elite 8- will be 13. I think I am going to cry.
We hope to establish some sort of ministry with friends in the coming months. My heart is heavy laden to use our house for good, and my husband gives me his full support.
We plan to enjoy every moment we can together. Lately we have gotten really good at watching movies and hanging out. I'm not complaining.
I see our spiritual lives getting stronger- because of the deep desires we both have to be the best we can be for our other half and to serve the Lord. It is an amazing thing to hear your husband pray- even when you dont have the will or the words. It also makes my heart smile to know that my husband's relationship with the Lord is much stronger than the relationship we have.
We will try new things, take in the view, and be ever mindful that that Lord has been good to us. We will listen more, pray harder, and be in the moment. We will allow God to be the potter and we will be the clay.
I hope to make some meaningful investments in people this year. I had the privilege to work with the youth for the past 7 months and we pray for new relationships for this year.
So there it is. A different approach to a new year. Positivity and a whole lotta prayer. Although weight loss and fitness would be nice (cause let me tell you...married life looks gooood on me. A little too good if you know what I mean.)
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned. Mondays will be blog days. I really am committed to see this thing through this year. Keep coming back. I just might do a giveaway soon. :)
- Rachel
Married life update: Team Pope is still doing well and learning boundaries of each other- and not to overstep or crash down someone else's personal space bubble.
The things Pinterest doesn't teach you:
1. Changing your name legally is a fairly tedious process- it does tell you that -what it doesnt tell you is how many freaking places your name is!!! Geeze I never thought about EVERY place my name could be- but let me tell you it is a widespread arena of various destinations.
2. Laundry multiplies by 5 when you get married. I dont mind "doing" I mind folding. GRRR. The gnashing of teeth that insists when we have to do this! Neither of us like to do it- but we agree to do it together. That helps.
3. Getting back to the gym AFTER the wedding is REALLY HARD. I have had lost all motivation- until my husband made a comment about my backside- and my coworker asked if I was wearing tights. Nope these are my work pants. Awesome. Not cool. So- I have made it a few early times this week- motivation is slowly coming back.
4. It is a huge blessing to come home to dinner cooked. Kevin has been chef a couple of times this week since I was at VBS- and it has been SO nice to come home and not have to do anything. It made me realize how precious of an opportunity I have to provide for my husband when he comes home after his crazy schedule.
5. Finding time to just talk is few and far between when you marry someone in law enforcement. Someone is either sleeping or at work when the other one is gone or when you are home you just need time to decompress and deal with your own things. We have tried to make special date nights away from friends and family so we can just see each other as opposed to in passing. It is fun being married to a Trooper though. Hearing all these stories of the CRAZY people on the highways makes for good conversation. And hearing how many idiots and threats to society my husband got off of the road makes me a proud wife.
6. Baby fever hits early on- but after hanging out with friend's kids for more than 3 hours- you realize- mmm- I like my freedom and independence I have now. It is nice to go on trips with your spouse and just have to worry about you two. Super nice to go where ever and when ever- just because. In due time. In due time we will be ready- but not now.
7. There are a lot of gross happenings that occur when and man and woman are married. It is hard to accept- and still love them. Sometimes it is quite comical- other times it literally makes my stomach churn and I get a little sick. Both of us have had to learn to deal with these things. Yuck with a smile.
8. People expect more out of you now that you are married. More grown up decisions, more commitments, and more opportunities to be voluntold what to do. Sometimes it benefits you to say no and keep your marriage between you and your spouse.
9. Married life is easy when you realize you are not number 1 anymore. Putting your spouse 1st does not come easy- but it does with practice. Praying for them. Loving them. Doing things for them- and most importantly- saying you are sorry first. Although my way of saying sorry the other night was by ambush and pegging my husband in the head and chest with nerf gun bullets after he tried to come and talk-he got the point. It is super hard to admit you were wrong, but super easy when you realize how much you love your other half and they deserve to be respected too. Dont go to bed mad- it doesnt make for a good morning the next day. I have had to learn that. Give them their space and allow them time to calm down. They will come if you wait.
10. When you allow your spouse to do the things they love and enjoy- it makes them love you more. Even if it means you don't like doing their hobbies or activities. Kevin likes to do a lot of things that scare me or I think are boring- or are more like work than "hangout" time, but I suck it up and do them with him- or encourage him to do them. You can rest assured my husband has never told me to not go shopping or not spend money on something I wanted to do when I have encouraged him to go play poker or go to wing night- or watched one of his shows with him. There are a lot of things KP does that I could really care less about- but he loves it- and I will encourage my husband all the more to do the things he loves. And he does the same for me.
