Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The End Is Near!

After what feels like an entire semester of living on campus in class and work and holed up in the library studystudystudying and workworkworking, the semester is finally winding to a close. And for maybe the first time since I started college, I feel so good about how my semester went :). I worked my hiney off and studied and paid my bills and was broke and didn't have very many groceries at times and didn't do many fun things and didn't get to see my roommates or my boyfriend or my family nearly as much as I would have liked, 

BUT

I got good grades and got to know my classmates better and learned to cherish the times I did have with the people that mattered and didn't go into debt and learned how to budget and was appreciated by my boss and prayed a LOT and kept my priorities straight and didn't get overwhelmed and went on an AMAZING missions trip and served the Lord and stayed faithful to my promises...

and I feel really, really blessed. :)







After Night Came Sun

So, I found this post from WAY long ago. As in, the beginning of November.
Regrettably, I never posted it (what is wrong with me?!?!)
So just humor me with this one, suspend reality for like five minutes, and pretend it's the weekend of November 4, 2011. Which was the date of the concert in question. :)

____________________________________________

Tim, Steffanie, Zeke, Sierra and I went to the Ryanhood concert on Friday night! It was the release show for their new album, After Night Came Sun, and may I just say:

AMAZING.

There's a reason they're my favorite band. They played some old (favorite!) familiar songs from Sad and Happiness and The World Awaits, and then they debuted their entire new album (which, because they're super cool and I've met them, I got an advance signed copy of - I felt so legit!). 

Not only was it great to hear their sweet new jams, but spending the evening with my boyfriend and some of my closest friends after what felt like one of the longest weeks of my life was just what the doctor ordered. 

(In Gretchen Weiners voice from Mean Girls) 
It. Was. Awesome

Here. Educate yourself. 




8 Months

As of Monday, April 16, Tim and I have been dating for exactly eight months. :)




Now don't get me wrong- this isn't another sappy lovey-dovey gushy post about how great my boyfriend is and how great it is to be in love... those things are true, to be sure, but today I feel compelled to write about a different kind of truth. 

A real-life, real person, stuff-they-don't-write-about-in-fairytales kind of truth. 
Which is simple, really: love is hard

But in a good way. I'm learning a lot about love itself, and the more I learn about it the more I realize how little I actually know, which is okay. And I'm learning a lot about myself as a person, as a woman and as a follower of Christ. It's interesting really, what the combination of 1. having someone know you more personally than anyone has before and 2. seeking out the Lord honestly and sincerely, can reveal to you. 


Some things have been hard to face. I'll give you a few examples: 

I'm not nearly as kind [or gracious] as I thought I was. 
I'm much more selfish than I thought I was. 
I'm about as demanding as I thought I was. 

However, I'm starting to learn some really valuable lessons that are not only helping me grow in my relationship with the awesome man that God put in my life, but I'm sure will also help me improve on the other beautiful relationships I have as well. 

Whenever Tim and I have an argument or get into a disagreement about something, I always manage to turn it into something that's his fault or something that he caused because of something he did wrong. When, in reality, that is the worst perspective you can have on a situation. Ever. 
For reals. 
But I think one of the best things you can learn, especially if you're a woman, is to control your emotions and not let your emotions control you (guilty :/). I'm learning that minor issues shouldn't result in major reactions, and that a Godly woman communicates with grace and speaks with wisdom. It's really hard to remember to ask myself what I can do to improve in the situation, rather than lay blame on someone else for their wrong against me, but I'm so thankful to have all of the beautiful relationships that God has blessed me with, to be able to work and improve and seek after the things in life that are good

So, cheers to 8 months of love and laughter and tears and frustration and challenges and lessons and trials and triumphs, and cheers to this season of learning and being humbled and growing and giving and praying, as long as it may last. 

:)

"A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman- who is he that can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies and pearls."
Proverbs 31:10, AMP