Merry Christmas Everyone!

Lazy bloggers

New post coming soon

Its August Already?

Where has the summer gone. I can't believe it is August already. This summer seems to have flown by.

I have been spending a lot of time in my classroom already trying to get prepped for the beginning of the year. I feel confident about the start of the year, but know there are a lot of things I don't know. It is hard to know what to expect as I approach my first day of class and this entire year. I have had nothing but support from my friends and pulled every string I have with my teaching friends to glean as much knowledge from them as possible before the start of the year.

Kaia and I have had a busy summer. It feels like we have had things going on just about every night and every weekend. The highlight of our summer was definitely our anniversary weekend. We took a few days off of work and explored some new spots around the Twin Cities. We had dinner at a few new restaurants and even caught a Twins game. By far the best spot we ate was at the Nook in St. Paul. Not much to look at when you walk in the door, but probably one of the best burgers in town. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

We just got back from central Iowa where we celebrated the marriage of one of my cousins. It was a fast weekend but we had a great time seeing our extended family. My highlight was talking with my uncle who is also a band director and gaining some valuable nuggets of information from him as I get ready for the year.

I'm super excited for all that is to come and all of the adventures that are just around the corner.

Stay tuned...

Babies!

I'm so proud! 2 little tomatoes, and a couple jalapeños! First of the season!

My new job

So to continue Kaia's story from below (read that first if you haven't yet), I have been applying for band positions all over the metro.

When this job opened up at Heritage, things felt more hopeful. I knew there would not be as big of a pool of directors vying for this position, so I thought I'd have a good shot. One of our friends moms is on the board at this school, and she graciously put in a good word for me.

I applied near the end of the school year and didn't hear anything back for a while. In early June I got the call to come in for an interview. My first one as a teacher! Kaia and I practiced questions and worked to make sure I'd feel comfortable with whatever questions came my way. All through this process, I knew that God had something special in store because of how calm I felt. Normally when I approach something big, I get butterflies in my belly and have a lot of nerves, but before this interview, I did not feel all those nerves.

The interview happened. I felt really good coming out of it, felt like I answered the questions well and felt comfortable with the situation I'd be entering if I got the job. I left with them telling me that they had another interview for the position and then they'd take two weeks to get back to me with their decision, so I left feeling good, but not expecting to hear anything for a while.

48 hours later... I got a call from the President, one of my interviewers, who offered me the job! Such an exciting feeling. I know that God had his hand in getting me to where I am and know that he is there with me wherever I go forward. I am super excited for this opportunity.

The position is 5th - 12th grade, the entire program. I'll be starting kids on their instruments and sending them off to college. How cool is that?! I'm really looking forward to getting into my classroom and starting to plan for this year.

That's the news from the Boal front. I hope you've enjoyed it.

The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me" (Psalm 138:8)

Man is it easy to try and take over when life doesn't go exactly as you planned! There is something in all of us that feels the need to be in control of our situations, and when that doesn't happen we usually have 2 options - 1 - Lose it, or 2 - Trust that God's plan is best and let go of our reins. 

As Christians we trust that the Lord will work out his plans for our lives, that He is faithful and that his plans have our best interest in mind. But that doesn't mean we don't freak out now and then or loose site of His faithfulness. 

Steve and I have learned first hand that it is so much easier to trust God than to try and control situations ourselves. Whether it be with finances, jobs, relationships etc, God has proven that his plans and his timings far surpass anything we could have come up with on our own. 

I remember looking at our incomes before we got married and comparing those numbers to all the different bills and expenses we had to look forward to. It was all impending doom in my eyes, how on Earth could we make these numbers work for us!? Neither of us had fully lived on our own before, and with me still being in school, it seemed that our incomes combined would barely cover the cost of rent let alone, gas, food, electricity, the mounds of school loans or anything else that comes up in normal life.. I was scared and nervous... partially excited but mostly scared nervous. 

Steve and I had many conversations before we got married about how we were going to handle our money, we even went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University when we were engaged. (which I recommend to EVERYONE whether you are single, engaged or married) Being on the same page was comforting. Then we began talking about what God wanted us to do with our money. Steve felt very strongly that regardless of how much we made, we were still called to tithe 10%. For awhile this seemed crazy. We can barely buy food! How can we afford to give away "our" money?! 

Well after struggling with my selfish desires long enough, I realized I had to make a decision. Was I going to trust God or not? Was I going to be obedient, or was I going to be disobedient? Sure maybe giving away 10% of our little income is crazy (if we didn't trust God) BUT we DO trust God, so it was the only logical option we had. After all, it is HIS money. 

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

SO, that is what we did. Regardless of what we made, no matter how scary it was, we wrote a check before doing anything else. Once that check was gone, we had to trust that God would get us the rest of the way. And he DID! 

Again, and again and again. GOD PROVIDED! 

Shortly after we got married I was laid off and Steve was out of work as well. But God faithfully opened doors to help us bring in all that we needed. Steve got a short term job to carry him through for bit, and i picked up a new job right away as well. Just a couple months later I had to quit my job to focus on my last semester at design school, but God provided a long term freelance project with the EFCA and gave Steve work at church. This has continued to this day! Now when we look back at our finances it is unbelievable to even think we made it, the numbers make no sense but it worked and we give God all the glory! 

We have been anxiously waiting to see when and where Steve's door would open for a job. It would have been easy to rent at our condo for another year until we knew for sure where we would end up, but we felt called to move. So here we are in Champlin. We have seen jobs open up at many schools nearby, and yes Steve applied, but unfortunately it's a competitive time for band teachers right now. He has applied to places all over the metro, willing to drive up to an hour to work if he had to.. I was convinced this was going to be the case for sure!

It's been tough and discouraging at times as well. But as we have seen before. God is good, God's in control and his plans are better than ours. 

We looked for houses all over the metro, with a small budget we needed to leave our options open. Much like the job search process, we put in many offers on many homes that we thought would be 'perfect' for us only to find out we were outbid, the seller changed their mind on something etc etc... This too was an emotional roller-coaster! But the whole way we prayed, that God would close doors to the wrong houses and open a very clear door when it finally was the right home for us! After months of searching we finally landed in Champlin. We love it here and believe God has us here for a reason. 

So back to Steve's job search... A band director position opened up at Heritage Christian Academy no more than about 15 minutes away. 

I'll let him tell the rest.... 

It is finished!!

Check out the finished product!

We love it and can't wait to start using the herbs that seem to be loving their home. Here is a little look into the process.

Steve built it - We distressed it using all kinds of fun tools - I created a vinegar/steel concoction to age the wood - I stained and painted on top of that! Ta da!!

Power Outage!

Wednesday night 4500 people in the Champlin area were left without power.

It was very strange and sudden since there was no storm to cause it. We think it may be due to some road construction a few miles away. Steve and I had left around 5:45 to go pick up some chicken for our Coconut Curry Chicken, and when we returned around 6 the power was gone. 

Not a big deal, just very sad we couldn't make dinner! We all know how much we love food! 

We had to settle for some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They filled the empty spaces to say the least... 

After our gourmet meal, we decided to take a walk to explore Target since they apparently had some back up generators. The store was dark, only dimly lit by the scattered emergency lights. All the electronics were off, there was no music or sounds to be heard other than the occasional walkie talkie feedback. The food was covered with tarps and the refrigerated sections were just begging not to be opened. It was fun, in an erie sort of way. We felt like we were either breaking the law by being there, or perhaps we were suppose to be stocking shelves. Either way, it was far from normal. 

I found it interesting though, that in situations such as this simple power outage, people seemed to open up and behave in ways that, for our culture, are completely out of the norm. Just like any catastrophe whether it be a tornado, terrorism or something as petty as a power outage, people all of a sudden discover a common bond with others. As if being human is not enough to make people want to engage with one another, there is something about 'traumatic' situations that make people eager to be vulnerable. 

As we walked through Target we were casually approached by multiple Target employees, not just so they could generically ask if we needed help finding something, but to engage in conversation and talk about what was going on. It was like a door had been opened and a weight was taken away allowing them to finally let go of all the pent up social energy that needed to be released. 

In a neighborhood, in a state, in a country that is so self centered, where people stay in their own safe bubble, why is it that all it takes is something bad/out of the norm to make people realize that maybe we do have something in common and maybe engaging with other people is an ok thing to do? 

It's just a thought. I know I am guilty for living in my own world sometimes too. But what if just once a day, or even once a week, we decided to pop our bubble? I'm not even sure what that means or what that would look like. But what if? 

Anyway. It's Friday now. And we finally got to make our Coconut Chicken Curry. Yum. 

Herb Garden!

This MN weather is completely throwing me off. 15 minutes ago it was blue sky and hot. So of course I go out to give our new herbs a drink, only to watch the rain come pouring down as soon as I get inside.. Ugh!

Our poor little Jalapeno plant is having a rough start. :(

Oh well. Our herbs are mostly doing just wonderfully in their new home! Last week I ventured to the MPLS Farmers market with my good and very pregnant friend Annamarie to pick out our plants for the summer! It was so much fun and I had a hard time stopping myself!

This is what we ended up with:

1.Thyme
2. Rosemary
3. Oregano
4. Sage
5. Cilantro
6. Parsley
7. Sweet Basil
8. Thai Basil
9. Tarragon
10. Peppermint
11. Roma Tomatoes
12. Jalapeno Peppers
13. 2 Viola Flowers!

WHEW!

I cannot wait to start using them!

Last week, with the help of his dad, Steve built us a shiny new herb box that fits perfectly under our front window!

I'll admit, I was a little hesitant how it was going to turn out. I knew that he could do it, but sometimes his ideas/descriptions didn't quite give me a very cohesive idea as to what his plan was. But he pulled it off and it turned out great! I am one proud wife! This is the new home to 6 of our herbs!

Only one small problem.. It's too.. new'ish...  SO, with that said, It's MY turn with it now! Check back to see our herb box transformation! :)

Worry. Fear. Anxiety.

This last Sunday our good friend from church and small group member Zach O'Neel blessed us with an amazing and passionate sermon. Zach is the type of person who doesn't have to say a whole lot to let people know what his life is about. He has come from a world of hurt and addiction but praise the Lord he came out on top. He has clung to God's word and is an amazing example to all of us what it looks like to live a life that is centered on the Gospel. His sermon on Sunday touched on a topic I have struggled with most of my life. 

Worry. Fear. Anxiety. 

Zach talked about what it looks like to be content in Christ no matter the situation we are given - a great reminder, however when anxiety has been a part of your life for so long, sometimes it is easier said than done. 

I have struggled with anxiety for about 9 years. It started when I was in high-school but we'll save that story for a different day. The events that have led to this way of living have caused me to loose site of what God wants for me. As I have been learning more about spiritual warfare it has become more and more apparent that I'm not in this battle alone... 

The enemy WANTS me to worry! He keeps my mind preoccupied with worries about health, accidents, worst case scenarios, work, sudden disasters, relationships and anything else he can sneak in there to keep my eyes from where they need to be. He WANTS me to be anxious and he WANTS me to doubt the goodness of God. But unfortunately for him, this is NOT what God wants for me! And God ALWAYS wins! 

One of the first verses Steve had me memorize was Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with your wherever you go." 

Again, God's word is SO clear, it tells me exactly what I need to do. So why is it so hard!? It's scary how easy I allow my situations and thoughts to start traveling down the wrong path. One minute I think I'm in control, but slowly without even noticing, worry starts to weave its way into my thoughts, making me wonder how I'm going to do it all.

Exhaustion leads to physical and mental drainage meaning my faith gets drained too which then leads me to a place of self doubt. I begin to question my ability to manage my life and doubt my ability to hear God clearly or fulfill all the roles I assumed He wanted me to do.

As I read today, I came across this devotional: 

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

In the bible, Martha too questioned God's care for her.

Martha's sister Mary had left her in the kitchen to do all the work while Mary sat in another room listening to Jesus. 

The Bible tells us, "She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'" (Luke 10:40b NIV) 

Listen to how Jesus responded: "'Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'" (v. 41-42 NIV). 

In that moment, Jesus showed Martha just how much He cared. Not just about how hard she was working, but about the rest He knew she needed. Instead of giving her what she demanded, Jesus showed Martha what she needed and the choice she could make to receive it. 

Jesus helped Martha see that Mary hadn't abandoned her to do the work by herself. Instead, Mary chose to walk away from distractions and preparations so she could take hold of something that couldn't be taken away from her. 

It was the one thing that would last even after Jesus was gone: time with Him resting in His presence, soaking in His perspective, and listening to His promises.

1 Peter 5:7 says to "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."

As I read this verse and Martha's story, I saw the difference between what God offers and what I had been doing. I was carrying the heavy weight of my concerns but Jesus had invited me to come to Him and cast my cares upon Him, so that He could care for me.

When I do all the talking and instructing, God doesn't have a chance. Instead of telling Him what I needed, He showed me how to say, "Lord, this is what's on my mind. This is what I'm worried about." And then stop and ask, "But Lord, what is going on in my heart? What are Your thoughts about this situation? What do I need and what should I do?"

As I'm learning to give my concerns to God, my heart is growing more confident in knowing just how much He cares about me. With this new approach, my burdens are lighter and my heart is too.

PUT GOD FIRST!

So what does putting God first in your marriage mean to you? Here is a list of things you can do today to start putting God first in your marriage: (I wish i could take credit for this list, but I didn't write it!)

1. Pray together.

Pray about your marriage, pray about your children, pray about your finances, pray about any decisions you make together. I have a friend who told me they were going to buy a car. They went to the car place and before they left the told the salesman they would not be buying anything until they went home and prayed about it together. I can only imagine the salesman’s face. They went home, prayed about it, and went back to buy the car the next day. Now that is putting God first in your marriage and family.

2. Read the Bible/Do Devotions together.

Pick a devotional either one about marriage or just one that you and your husband would both enjoy and take turns reading out loud to each other every day or even every night before bed. Take time each day to talk to each other about what you learned in your personal devotions that day. Be accountable to each other. You will find that it’s easier to do when you know someone is going to be asking you about it and this is a great way to grow together in the Lord.

3. Go to church together.

Not just going to church together, but agreeing on a church together. When we first moved to Georgia, we tried many different churches. Sometimes we were in agreement on the one that we tried, and sometimes we weren’t. We were determined to find one that we both liked and felt the Lord was leading us to. Even though it took several months, we are now apart of a great church that we both love, and know that it is the place God had for us all along.

4. Serve in a ministry together. 

Find a ministry at your church that you can do together. Serving together = growing together.

5. Pray for each other. 

I know we already talked about praying together, but what about praying for each other separately? Your husband needs your prayers all day long, and it is our jobs as wives to keep him in prayer during the day. I’m not talking about being on your knees 24/7, but lifting him up in prayer as you think about him or talk to him during the day. Stormie Omartian’s Power of a Praying Wife is a great place to start!

6. Put each other first.

What better way to put Christ first in your marriage then by following his example of being selfless? Sometimes it’s hard to put our husbands first because we want what wewant. But if we love him, then we will want to do the right thing, we will want to think of him before ourselves. If we make it a practice to put our husbands first before ourselves each day, I believe that we will have a better marriage because of it.

Marriage can be hard.. and that's ok

It’s crazy to think Steve and I have almost been married 2 years already! It has been a wonderful, challenging and exciting journey thus far! Though there will always be obstacles to overcome, I am thankful I get to experience this obstacle course we call life with my best friend and the partner God has created for me. 

We are blessed with great family and amazing friends to encourage us along the way and we feel beyond blessed to be involved with a great church with the privilege of being in a small group with a handful of amazing friends. 

Marriage is amazing, wonderful, and God created. However, in reality, marriage can be incredibly hard even if you have found the perfect match. (And the one I snatched is pretty darn great!) It takes a lot to meld two lives—two different personalities, from two different backgrounds, equipped with entirely different ways of dealing with conflict. So without further adieu, here are a list of things that make marriage hard (but worth it!).

1. Overcoming Expectations Based on Family Experience. The relationships you observed and experienced your whole life in your own family are likely very different from what your soon-to-be spouse experienced. While Steve and I seemingly come from similar family structures with strong foundations and strong marital influences, there are a million things that make our families significantly different, and those roots shaped us individually.

2. Settling into Roles. Getting comfortable and settling into roles is GREAT with the roles that work for you as a couple. He is the morning bird who is up before the sun making lunches while I get a few more minutes of sleep. I walk the line of pessimism while he (the diehard optimist) helps me see the silver lining.

However, settling into roles can be disappointing if certain roles leave one or both partners wanting. She needs to vent; he thinks problems feel smaller if you don’t dwell on them. She wants more sharing of household work; he is spent from working all day! Once roles become comfortable and familiar, it can take superhuman effort to change. (And if one spouse isn’t interested in changing, that is another ballgame altogether.)

3. Forming Habits. I had an inkling about this beforehand, but I’ve learned that even the smallest of your spouse’s habits can get under your skin and fester if you let it. Marriage is as much about choosing what habits you can live with as it is choosing which habits to ask your spouse to work on. (And of course, we can’t forget confronting ourselves about our own habits!)

4. Keeping Marriage Private vs. Needing a Sounding Board. I was cautioned to keep marriage matters private. I heard things like, “If you complain about your spouse to your friends or your mom, they’ll think less of him, and you don’t want that.” And, “If you want to build your husband up, you should never say anything bad about him.” There is truth in these statements: Of course I want to build my husband up! And of course I don’t want my friends or my mom to dislike him! BUT.. sometimes I need to talk about my problems!! And while Steve and I can talk through just about anything, sometimes, it’s just not healthy to talk about everything with him. Luckily, I have been able to develop some awesome deep and meaningful friendships with a few close friends. With these ladies, I am able to not only talk about things I’m struggling with, but I am also able to help guide and encourage them as well! It’s a win-win! 

Sometimes it’s easy to feel alone while you sit around brainwashing yourself to think that you must be doing something wrong and that nobody else is facing the same dilemmas as you are. But having a solid group of friends to turn to in times like this helps to give understanding and encouragement to any situation. You’ll soon find that you are normal! Totally imperfect, but normal! I know it’s hard to find friends like this, but when you do, don’t ever let them go!  You’ll feel so much lighter knowing you are not alone in your marital struggles. 

5. Accepting that Love Changes with Time. Although we have only been married for close to 2 years, I love my husband differently—more deeply—than the day we were married because we have been through some highs and lows together. We have gone to sleep unhappy and trudged through days feeling unconnected. But we forgive and reconnect and love each other more. It’s not the shinny-new-penny type of love and euphoria that we shared on our wedding day or when we were just dating, and I admit that every now and then I miss that! But it is a richer love, because it is based on more shared experience than it was the day we said “I do.” 

6. Last but not least! God created marriage.. therefore, marriage should not be done without him!  I believe when we put God first in our marriage then everything else will fall into place, including other priorities in our marriage. When we put God first in our marriage we are more willing and able to be selfless, kind, and patient. It gives us a better marriage, and helps us to become more like Him.

Putting God first in my marriage means praying together, reading God’s word together and going to church together. It means that we pray about our finances and any decisions that need to be made before we make them. It means being selfless, because Christ was selfless when he died on the cross for us. Now I will admit Steve and I do not do these things all the time. I wish we did, but we are not perfect. I believe it is something we need to strive for.

Hi friends! We know it's been awhile (doesn't every blog start like that?) But we are happy to say life is great! We have settled into our new home, as much as we can of course, budgeting a little each month to do some minor fixes here and there. It feels like home and we love it.

While our home is not huge, one of our biggest desires was to have enough room to be able to have lots of our friends over. Last weekend was our first go at a larger party. And I must say, it was a success! If we didn't have to use nearly our entire 'house' budget for the month to throw the party, I'd do it every month! We threw a wine and cheese party with 15 of our wonderful friends. It was certainly a night full of laughter, conversation and fun. Each couple was asked to bring a bottle of wine and a cheese to pair with it... it was a beautiful thing. :)