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 2636 – My Life Changed One Year and 364 Days Ago – or – The Last Time I Drank

Posted on September 28, 2016 by 365 days of marriage

When I blogged about the time I was arrested 10 years ago, I didn’t share that September is Recovery Month. I had NO idea this was even a thing until a few weeks ago. I wanted to share a few thoughts on an important day 2 years ago today.

Two years ago:
– I was drinking my very last drink…er….5 drinks.
– I was watching a show, which I would have to watch again the next day because I was so intoxicated I didn’t remember everything.
– I thought I needed to drink to have fun/escape/forget.

Two years ago tomorrow:
– Was the last time I would wake up hungover.
– Was the time I FINALLY took my alcoholism seriously, admit I really did have a problem and accept that I could never drink again.
– I experienced the start of one of the biggest transformations of my life. I am SO thankful God completely changed my heart with drinking. When people ask about how I stopped, it was all God. He put the desire to stop drinking in my heart, He gave me the strength to not drink again, He continually gives me strength to say no.

Day 2635 – Perks Of The Job Today….Nap Time

Posted on September 27, 2016 by 365 days of marriage

I love having a flexible schedule. I also love after a night of barely sleeping (seriously, I have almost zero memory of sleep), I could drop off Bret and come home and take a nap. I’m obviously a little mixed up since I’m at my desk 3 hours later than normal, but hey, maybe my body is just operating on PST today. 🙂

Day 2634 – Don’t Be Sad Over Spilled….Chocolate?

Posted on September 26, 2016 by 365 days of marriage

A few days ago, I was a little sad. Bret had just arrived home and I was telling him about my day and how I was sad. I had rallied and was a little less blue when he got home. We then remembered we had some chocolate treats. As I pulled out the tray, he said “I hope you don’t have any more reasons to be sad.”

While he was saying that and I was pulling out the tray….I realized the tray was upside down….and there were now chocolates on the floor. We laughed SO hard as this happened!

Day 2633 – Homemade Cup Of Noodles!

Posted on September 25, 2016 by 365 days of marriage

I am a sucker for cup of noodles and ramen noodles. Mmmmm. Love ’em! What don’t I love? The MSG. So, I have been on a quest to make my own. A few months ago, a friend from our bible study made rice noodles and an authentic Vietnamese meal. I thought, huh, these noodles are great, I could make these at home and have cup of noodles!

Last weekend, we FINALLY went to H Mart…which is right down the road….and we are definitely like, um, WHY did we wait to come here??? It was like journeying to another country. We got a ton of delicious foods and I got my rice noodles. I’ve been reading up on homemade cup of noodles for a while and had a few ideas.

After much trial and error, I finally found a recipe that works great for me!

I put about 1/4 cup of frozen veggies in a glass bowl and microwave about 30-60 seconds

After they’re mostly heated, I add some chicken, baby corn and water chestnuts

I boil about 2-3 cups of water and after it boils, I take it off the stove and put in my noodles for 2 mins.

These are the noodles I use, but there were a ton of other options.

Now here’s the secret sauce! I couldn’t get a good flavor but I read sriracha is a good flavor aid, and it is! So I put in about 1/2 tsp of minced garlic, a few squirts of sriracha and about 1 tsp of better than bullion, I’m using the veggie flavor.