Author Archives: 365 days of marriage

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About 365 days of marriage

I started this blog in April of 2011. At the time, Bret and I were wedding photographers and it was a way to share how marriage is more about the day to day and so much more than the wedding day itself. For about 5 years, I blogged about the joys and sorrows of the Christian walk, marriage, work, family and friends. I’ve blogged every day since a few weeks after I started. In May of 2015, we photographed our last wedding. Now, I have become passionate about simplicity, particularly in marriage, Christianity, business, travel and life. For a number of reasons, we have become minimalists. I’ve found that having simplicity makes life so much deeper, refreshing and joyful. I hope that this blog will help others see the benefits of living simply.

Day 3006 – Nostalgia, Vegas, And Hiding Truth About Yourself

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I have been so discouraged by the horror that took place in Vegas. There is much that can be said, has been said, and will be said. The whole thing made me very nostalgic yesterday.

See, I’ve been to Vegas a number of times. Bret and I have spent countless hours in the airport, and I have attended a wedding conference there several times. If I was still in the wedding industry, there’s a chance I would have been there this week.

The last time I was in Vegas (minus the airport stops), I was still drinking, and drinking heavily. I drank a lot the whole time I was there, but one night, I actually left my friends and went back to our room, halfway down the strip. My cell phone was dying and I didn’t let anyone know where I was. My poor friends searched for me, and thankfully found me. I was in the bathroom puking when they arrived. Looking back, I feel terrible for my actions. I hate that alcohol caused me to do things that hurt others, caused others to worry, and held me back for so long.

This tragedy has also caused me to think about how people hide things. There are so many layers to people. There are so many things that they want to keep buried. I realize it’s cliche, but you never know the battles someone may be fighting. You don’t know how hard it was for them to get out of bed. You don’t know what demons they’re fighting. For years, I hid my alcoholism. I made light of something that was tearing me apart. It’s so much easier to just judge a person and their actions. There is much to be learned from this, and hopefully one is you never know the full truth about someone.

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Day 3005 – Looking Into The Past – or – Man This Blog Was Bad Five Years Ago

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One thing I don’t think I expected to ever do was reread my blog. There is a LOT to read. As I’m trying to build up my Pinterest account, I’m rereading….every….single…..post. I started on day 644, so you can do the math. There are a few posts that have been removed due to divorces, and I missed a few days near the beginning. Some days are just a photo, sometimes I did a week or two of “walking down memory lanes.” But it’s still a mountain of posts to review.

I realized something as I read through the first year…..I published some bad stuff back then. It wasn’t until I really started putting myself our there honestly that my posts had more impact and were something I could be proud of. This was the first post I thought about maybe pinning.

So if you’re a new blogger or working on a project and it just feels like it will never be any good, take heart, sometimes take a while to marinate and become what it was meant to be. And a blog, especially, is a thing that grows, changes, and becomes something else entirely.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
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Day 3004 – Sunday Goals

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My plans for today include a little bit of this:

And a little bit of this:

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
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Day 3003 – National Public Lands Day – or – FREE Admission To A National Park, Today!

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We absolutely adore the National Parks. There are so many out there that hopefully you’re close to at least one of them! It’s a beautiful day here in Maryland, and we’re going to try and take advantage of a FREE day to the NPS. It’s National Public Lands Day, and one of the few free admission days to a National Park.

Are you able to get out today? Where will you go?

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Day 3002 – Three Years Sober – or – The Hardest Thing About Being Sober

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I can’t believe it’s been three years since I stopped drinking. I can’t believe alcohol doesn’t have power over my life anymore. I can’t believe I talk about it so openly now. I am so far from who I was. I am so thankful that my story is not one of alcoholism anymore.

In a lot of ways, being sober is very easy. Because I don’t have alcohol muting my brain, I can make better decisions about things. Because I finally decided that I could never drink again, I don’t drink. I am so far removed from that struggle now, that it’s easy.

But there are a lot of ways that it’s very very hard to be a sober person. Our society is all about drinking. From billboards that say “Pour your soul out,” to main characters on shows drinking so much you’d think they were all alcoholics. I was honestly more embarrassed to say no thank you to drinks after I quit than when I was trying to get more alcohol when I was drinking. It’s incredibly lonely at times. I can’t tell you how many memes are shared looking down on sober people or encouraged heavy drinking on my social media feeds. I think finding out I was an alcoholic and am now sober makes some people uncomfortable. It’s so outside of the norm that people don’t want to discuss it.

So here’s what I wish would happen and how you can support your sober friends:

– If you ask someone if they want a drink, whether they’re sober or not, and they say no, don’t ask again.

– Don’t share memes about how you’re boring if you don’t drink or you should have a drink because of XYZ.

– Don’t assume your sober friend doesn’t want to hang out with you while you’re drinking. Some that are trying to stay sober can’t be around drinkers, but some can.

– Celebrate every single milestone your sober friend hits.

– Treat your sober friend the same.

– Make sure you have a good assortment of non-alcoholic drinks at parties.

– Don’t take it personally if they don’t want to hang out with you in certain situations. If they can’t be around other drinkers, it will be hard for them to go to a party. Suggest some non-drinking activities to hang out with your friend.

This isn’t a “all my friends left me, everyone treats me terrible, etc.” post. My friends have been awesome about my sobriety. I am happy with my sobriety. But as I’ve been writing my book, and just made observations, I’ve noticed things that make me realize it’s not right and us sober folks need someone to speak up.

Are you sober? Have you seen any of these things? If you are, what are ways your friends help or hinder your sobriety?

And while you’re at it, hug a sober person today. 😀

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel