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 3276 – Success Tip – Keep Your Routines While You Travel

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One habit I’ve been working on is getting up when my alarm goes off…at 5 a.m. We’re on our second day away, and I’ve gotten up at 5 both days. What this allows is the completion of my morning routine. It’s 10 a.m. (PDT) and I’ve already worked out, done my reading, read my goals/January letter, and had coffee with Bret. It has allowed me to work on my new project and write this blog post before the day has even really started.

I originally thought I would only take photos of my January letter, goals, and contract with myself for my new project. But I realized it would be much more powerful to bring my originals with me. I have page protectors for goals and checklists and have used them every day. Just having them is a reminder to my brain that I’m not “off the hook” because I’m on a trip. I’ve found more success when I am serious about my goals than when I let myself off easy.

What do you do to keep your routine while you’re traveling?

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Day 3275 – History Didn’t Repeat Itself!

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We are safe and sound in California. Thankfully, there were no delays in our flights (like I talked about yesterday), only a little turbulence, and a good night sleep.

We’ve set up shop in Starbucks to work on our businesses. One of my dreams is to be able to run businesses from only a laptop so we can travel more. We also talked about what routines we wanted to keep active while here, and I’m happy to say that we kept our morning routines today!

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Check out our resources page.
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Day 3274 – Here’s Hoping History Doesn’t Repeat Itself Today, But It’s Ok If It Does – repost

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In a few hours, we’ll be flying to California. We usually fly Southwest to Vegas and then Allegiant to our stop in California. The last time we flew Allegiant in the summer, one of their planes was overheating. The following is the story of a three-hour additional wait that turned out really great.

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originally posted 6/28/15
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Yesterday, we flew from Maryland to California for a summer visit with Bret’s family. I am SO thankful that God has us in a season of abundance so that we can visit more.

We arrived in Las Vegas in route to our California end stop. We had a scheduled layover of about six hours. I was thankful for not being too tired this time around, but it was still a tough wait. I had some Starbucks to help over the first hump. I felt like young Anakin in his pod racer when he says “It’s working!!!!”

I spent hours eating, reading, catching up on games and listening to podcasts. Finally, the time came to move to the gate and then we boarded. The new airline we tried has a great boarding method….if you don’t have a carry-on, you board first….it really helps to get the plane boarded.

We sit down, start reading and wait. We pull out from the gate and stop….and wait….then there’s an announcement that the breaks are hot, so we have to wait some more….then another announcement that it’s not cooling, so we have to go back to the gate and deboard. We spent probably another hour or so sitting at the gate (thankfully very air conditioned!) Finally, we’re told we’re changing planes. Woo hoo!! We ended up waiting another 20 minutes or so at the gate before boarding.

All told, we were delayed 3 hours. What was a six-hour layover, became 8. It’s a shame I don’t gamble.

But here’s what I learned. Sometimes waiting isn’t bad at all. The three hours flew by because we started chatting with the girl sitting next to us. We chatted with other passengers. We joked, we learned about each other. Sure, some of the passengers were really mad, wanting refunds and complained to people who couldn’t change anything. (What can they do about a plane that’s hot in Las Vegas in June? I mean, really?) But for the most part, while frustrated that we had to wait, everyone was pretty optimistic and just dealt with the card we were given. If we hadn’t had this big delay, we never would have chatted with the lady sitting next to us. We shared stories about rock climbing and hiking. She was a ranger and we chatted about what she does. It was so fun! It was also cool to see how a situation like this brings a group of people together. We weathered the storm together and came out stronger. We connected on a personal level that wouldn’t have existed if we weren’t delayed.

The next time you’re met with having to wait, think about what you’re actually getting out of the delay.

Oh, and get Starbucks, always get Starbucks.

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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
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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 3273 – Happy Pineapple Day – repost

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This is my favorite pineapple story. I originally posted it in January of 2014.

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For this story, I need to start about 15 years ago.

When I was 16 and my brother was 14, our grandparents took us to Hawaii. We had amazing adventures and saw great things. It was a wonderful trip and I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to go. One of the highlights for me (don’t laugh!) was the pineapple whip at the Dole plantation. It is really just this frozen yogurt/pineapple thing….but the taste is amazing. I really cannot put it into words, but hopefully the fact that I still remember how amazing it was after 15 years is description enough.

This March, you may remember, my grand father passed away.

While I was in California, I went to Disneyland!!! It was an AMAZING day! I felt like a kid again and have a whole lot of pictures and stories about that! But this story is the most important and deserves its own post.

At some point during the day, my friend mentioned that she HAD to stop at this pineapple place for a pineapple whip. I gave her a “mouth open/shut up/are you freakin’ serious” look. I then explained about the experience in Hawaii and that it MIGHT just be the same thing!

In the evening, we finally got in line for this potentially SAME thing! While waiting in the 20 minute (or more) line, I told my friend about how my grandfather had passed away in the spring.

We got up to the counter, ordered and stepped out of line. I was a little nervous to try it, because it had been built up in my mind for 15 years.

I took a bite. It was the same.

I closed my eyes to really focus on the taste.

As soon as I did, I was transported back to Hawaii. I felt the spray of ocean air. I smelled the smells of the pineapple plantation. I felt the hot sun. I remembered my grandfather.

I opened my eyes, full of tears. My friend asked if I was crying (I want to insert here that I teared up a LOT during the day from sheer joy….so she wasn’t surprised or worried about that). I said that I was and to give me just a moment to explain why. I knew if I explained why at that moment, I would burst into loud sobs.

So we walked to the next ride and I enjoyed the whip. Remembering my trip to Hawaii, remembering my grandfather, and remembering that even a 31 year old can have a magical moment at the happiest place on earth.

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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 3272 – Canoe Day – A Reminder Of A Near Death Experience

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It has been almost nine years since this took place, but it is still something I think about.

Here is the original story, posted on my Facebook account back in 2009.

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On Friday, while Bret was at work, I opened a book I hadn’t read for several years. A quote jumped out of the page: “Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.” – Betty Smith. I thought about that evening and the following morning. Bret and I had decided to go canoeing several weeks ago on Saturday since it was his first official Saturday off since he started working at Dick’s.

When we arrived at the river, it was noticeably higher than normal. Bret commented a few times at how high it was and also how fast it was moving. He had just canoed the same stretch about 2 months before. Instead of really thinking about the situation, we said a quick prayer and put in. For about 4 minutes, it was glorious, on an adventure with my new husband in the beautiful wilderness. That quickly changed when we went a few hundred yards and I noticed a fallen tree across the entire river.

We tried to paddle to one side but couldn’t and hit the tree around the middle. The canoe sided up next to the tree, tipped and we both fell in. My first thought was, ha, I knew we’d fall in. Immediately after, I was under the water and then the canoe was turning so that it covered my direct pathway up to the top. I had one second to think, oh my gosh, I’m going to drown, right now. Then I felt a pull, I hit my head twice, and I popped out the other side, backward. I saw Bret pop up right after.

He had more time under, to think about going up for air, wondering if there was enough time to go back for me. I was able to grab a paddle floating by, we swam to shore, I got out and he ventured downstream for more of our floating items. He was only able to grab the car pads, that keep the canoe off the car. He then tried to dislodge the canoe, which was somewhere under the water where we went down. I was on the shore yelling down to him, asking what a concussion looked like, what were the symptoms, etc. after about 10 minutes of this, he decided we might need to take me to a doctor.

We walked back on a trail on the side of the river, where we ran into a man running with his dogs. He asked if we were going to put in…while we’re standing there with one paddle, 4 car pads and completely soaked. We half-laughed and said we already had and almost drowned and that the canoe was stuck. He offered to help us fish it out, even after we told him about the danger of the situation.

After putting his dogs away, we walked back and he saw the tree and agreed at the danger. Just seconds later, the canoe popped out the other side and we took off down the trail. The guys jumped in and I ran along the path. It was about a ¼ mile down the river that they finally got a hold of it and got it out. Once we got it out, the guy ran off and we carried the canoe from there. The canoe had sustained some damage as well…the front part, where the rope is attached, was torn out, there was a large split on one side, about 2-3 inches wide. We were able to rig it on the car and get back to the house.

Later that day, we sat down and read from Facing Your Giants, a book we hadn’t read from in months, at least 4 months, and the chapter was on family. There was a portion about treasuring and honoring your spouse. While part of what spoke to me through all of this was God’s amazing, undeserved, overwhelming Grace and Mercy on our lives.

We went back to the spot the next day, and there was actually another tree directly underneath where we had flipped, as well as many branches. There was really only about 4-6 feet of a clear shot through. If we had been feet off, we wouldn’t be here. If the water hadn’t pulled us through, we wouldn’t be here. Also, if we hadn’t left at the moment that we did and came back to the tree with the guy when we did, the canoe would’ve been long gone…even though it is probably beyond repair.

The thing that has had more impact has been God’s hand in the small details…me reading from the book I hadn’t touched in years! And then that we would run into the guy at the exact moment…who, I might add, we might not have talked to if I hadn’t stooped down to pet his dog…and if he hadn’t convinced us to go back at just that moment, we wouldn’t have the canoe. And then the book we hadn’t read in months, right at the perfect chapter. I can think of thousands of reasons for the experience…to humble us in the face of the outdoors and our own pride…to remind us of how short our lives are…to appreciate every moment…but mostly, I am reminded of how deeply our Father loves us, to love us in large things, like protecting our lives, but also small, details that only you and Him would know about. What a great God!

….just imagine four more feet of muddy water and this is what the river looked like…

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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