0 Sharing my Health Journey {week ten 3.18.2015}

I'm in the double digits with my health journey and this week Spring weather officially arrived. The beautiful weather feels right on time. Things have been going pretty well with my goals, but I don't think it would hurt to take a fresh start in a few areas that are feeling sorta shaky.

How about you? Is there anything in your life that needs a fresh start this week? Remember to be kind and encourage yourself about whatever it is. Speak kindly  like you'd encourage a friend.

I'm keeping this list really simple so I actually remember to do it. Here are a few things I'm giving a fresh start and another try this week:

1. Taking two simple steps for accountability with my food choices. 

Having someone to answer to can be a really, really good thing when you have tough choices to make. Sharing my health journey here has made the daily decision to exercise much much much much (too many much's yet?) much easier. It feels like I have a big group of friends who are in this thing with me. So the two steps I'll take this week for food intake accountability are: Recording my food choices on the MyFitness Pal phone app and asking a couple friends (or my sisters) to ask me what kind of choices I've been making every once in a while.

2. Drinking enough water.

The water in our area has had a strong chlorine-y taste the past couple weeks. I pushed through it for a while but then I noticed a big decrease in my daily water consumption. Hopefully the problem will go away soon, but for now, I just need to invest in extra cases of bottled water. ;)

3. Running outside. The ice has finally melted away!

4. Starting the day with movement, prayer, and scripture. 

Now that I'm feeling all hopeful and fresh, I'm really looking forward to working hard in week 11.

So what are you up to today? Today's been a fun day for me. I got together with my friend Kelly (and our babies who are only a week apart) for breakfast and tonight I'm going to a big consignment sale with my friend Izetta (and our babies). Busy days with friends and babies are the best. And I'm not sure there's a much better way to get in those 10,000 steps than by thrifting... ;)

Love,
Bonnie

Detail: Sharing my Health Journey {week ten 3.18.2015}

0 Our Valentine's Day {2015}

 So each year, Luke and I alternate who plans Valentine's day. This was our fourth valentine's day together (fifth if you count the year we had just confessed our 'like' for each other a few days before) and it was my year to plan.

On Saturday (the actual holiday) Luke's sister and our brother in law offered to babysit Bekah for a few hours so we could go out on a date. We knew our actual celebrating would happen the next day after church, since Luke would be working Saturday night, so we just took a couple hours to walk around the mall. We got some crazy good Auntie Anne's, a big lemonade to share, and we held hands a lot. It was very sweet and very us.

Then after church on Sunday, we celebrated! I kept my plans a surprise from Luke and I sooo looked forward to the moment when I would get to tell him to turn into his favorite cheesesteak place on our drive home. He was very, very happy to hear that our order had been placed (two chicken cheesesteaks with onions) and the food was ready for pick up. He pulled up to the door, I ran in and paid, and we drove home with a very delicious smelling car. When we got home, I needed fifteen minutes or so to set up for lunch. I set the table with some special decorations I'd made earlier in the week and put on pretty jazz music. We had the nicest lunch together while Bekah caught up on her naps. I had prepared a bunch of questions and prompts ahead of time, like "A time we laughed a lot..." and "If I could relive one date...". We took turns pulling the questions out of a jar to answer. Some just encouraged him to give me a kiss, so that was awesome, too. It was really good conversation with the best company ever. (That's you, Luke!)

After lunch, Bekah woke up and we had the most restful, perfect Sunday afternoon. We did pretty much nothing but rest on the couch while Bekah played right beside us. She's a cutie little valentine isn't she? We bought Bek a painting from my friend Carrie for Valentine's day! I'm excited to share about it once I go pick it up this week. So... I guess it's a late Valentine's gift. :)

 The last surprise of Valentine's day was having some of our friends over for ice cream sandwiches. Luke worked at an old-fashioned drive in restaurant as a teenager and has told me many times about his favorite dessert that was served there, ice cream between two big chocolate chip cookies. He's not a big sweet tooth kind of guy, so when he mentions a dessert he likes, I'll jump at the opportunity to get it for him (and eat it with him). Luke used his former ice-cream-boy skills to assemble the sandwiches for us - and they were delicious! Just vanilla ice cream and his favorite cookies from Giant. The time with our friends was awesome and we even had leftovers.

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweet valentine. I love you, Luke, and I'm so thankful that I'm your wife. You make the ordinary stuff, and every day together, so special and fun.

Hope you are having a great week, everyone! I'd love to hear about your weekend.

Love,
Bonnie

** hey, just a quick side note: Over the weekend I watched the coolest message by Annie Downs. The message was targeted for singles, but I think anyone could draw some real, meaningful encouragement from it. If you can listen to it during a drive or watch it while you exercise, or just put it up on the TV while taking a break this week - I think you'll really be blessed by it, like I was. She's also really funny. :) CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK  and if you do get a chance to watch, tell me what you think!

Detail: Our Valentine's Day {2015}

0 About the Weekend {2.9.15}

How was your weekend? We had such a nice one. Saturday my mom and dad came to visit. They try to make a trip to us every couple weeks, which is crazy nice and so much fun for us. We went to lunch at Nudy's, a local place with a really yummy, fresh kind of menu. Bekah was so cute sitting in her seat at the end of the table, watching the waitress and making friends with other diners who stopped by to say hi.

After lunch, we all went back to our apartment, ate ice-cream, and a few of us napped. Seeing them go is always hard. Those visits are the best!

Sunday we had a great morning at church. We're a part of a new church plant near Philadelphia. It's been such an interesting experience, week by week, getting to know more people and serving in different areas. I had a moment standing in the lobby, with a mix of old and new friends, where it really felt like getting together with all our old friends from back home. That was really cool. We did lunch at Chipotle and spent the rest of the day with a movie, a walk around campus, and spending time at our school's coffee shop. Bekah loved her people watching time there.

The other day I was reading Lindsey Kubly's blog and she mentioned something about Mondays being a refreshing kind of day for her. Our weekends tend to go by pretty quickly with work schedules, so the idea of using Monday to get a good start to the week sounded really nice. This morning, once Bekah was down for her first nap, I brewed hazelnut coffee, turned on a podcast, did the dishes, and ended up cleaning the kitchen way more than I expected to (a good surprise!). It was quiet and relaxing and such a productive morning - a very good combo.

A little later in the day, Bekah and I hung out around the table. She ate peach puffs and I gave this little box an update. I bought the wooden box on a missions trip back in ninth grade. I used to like the wood look a lot, but then I dripped some paint on it (I'm a really messy painter), so it seemed like a good time to redo it. This is where I store my hair ties, bobby pins and head bands in the bathroom. Recently, I found a pretty greenish gray jewelry box at HomeGoods. I loved the color and the glossy finish, but I didn't really need it, so it stayed there. With a new coat of paint, I feel like I now have something very similar and it was free! I think the green will add a nice pop of color to our very white bathroom. Paint does amazing things. :)

So how was your weekend? I'm all ears!

Love,
Bonnie

I had to share this cute video of Bekah, too.  

Detail: About the Weekend {2.9.15}

0 What We're Reading {the three of us}

I thought it would be fun to share with you what the three of us have been reading lately. We'd love to hear about what you're reading, too!

What Luke is reading:

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

From Luke: So I've decided that this winter break is the "Winter of Tolkien" (reminiscent of the "Summer of George", for you Seinfeld fans). I just love Tolkien's stuff and am very interested -- so I re-read The Hobbit, then read Tales from the Perilous Realm, a collection of his novellas, and now I'm on this biography...here's cool stuff you didn't know about Tolkien: His elvish languages came long before his elves, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were not even really near the beginning of his work on Middle-Earth, and he and his wife have a very sweet love story, full of forbidden romance and a thwarted engagement. Cool!

Next I'm reading either The Children of Hurin (another of Tolkien's Middle Earth books - I already read the Silmarillion), or C.S. Lewis' autobiography, Surprised by Joy. Probs I'll stick with the first one so that I finish my Winter of Tolkien properly. You should read with me!
-L

What I'm reading:

The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith

My brother, Aaron, bought me this book for Christmas and it is so so good. I ate it up and enjoyed every minute of reading it. Myquillyn's blog Nesting Place will give you a good feel for what the book is like. The Nesting Place covers a bunch of different topics, like being content with your home, taking risks in decorating, and making your home really live-able. I think the thing I love most about Myquillyn's writing is that she doesn't try to promote one type of style or give a bunch of rules to the reader. For that reason, her stuff is so empowering and it makes the wheels in my head start turning like crazy. She's known for the motto "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful" and that proves so true throughout the book. Chairs with little tears here and there, lots of fixed-up thrift/craigslist pieces, and other imperfections all come together to create a really, really beautiful home.

I get the sense, after reading the book and her blog, that another thing that contributes to the beauty of her home is the welcoming heart she has toward her family and guests. I can't say enough good things about this book. Beautiful design, totally encouraging, and good for the soul too.

What Bekah is reading:

Me and My Dad by Alison Ritchie

Even though Bekah can't actually read, this is definitely her favorite book right now. :) First, it's beautiful and so cute. Second, it's a padded board book which makes it durable. There are no pointy edges and there's really no chance of it getting destroyed - which we love because this book is so good. Me and My Dad is our go-to because of the fun rhyme scheme and sweet story about a baby bear and daddy bear. Bekah loves sitting on the floor with the book propped up in front of her. She pulls it down on her lap and chews on the corners.... maybe it's her way of enjoying a good book. :)  I'm so thankful for Luke and the kind of Dad he is to Bekah. Because of that, it's really special for me to read her this story that encourages a good relationship with dad. It feels like a very simple way to encourage our family and I like that a lot.

As a funny side note, I noticed that on amazon someone is selling their used copy for $500. I wouldn't suggest buying that particular copy. :)

What are you and your family reading?

Love,
Bonnie

Detail: What We're Reading {the three of us}

0 Strong and Sweet Stuff {vol. 1}

a short list of strong and sweet stuff from my week so far

1. Luke has been encouraging me every day to go spend an hour at the library to write and do other fun things. Let me tell you, it's been so good. Some days he'll even get Bekah to nap so I can stay a little longer. In fact, that's where I'm writing now.

2. Tuesday morning we all seemed to wake up at the perfect time after a full night of sleep. We snuggled and laughed with Bekah then made pancakes, bacon, and coffee. Our friends even came over to eat with us. I loved every thing about it. Family time, friends, sitting around the table on a cold day that didn't feel so cold at the time. It was really refreshing and sweet.

3. My sister is getting married this weekend! Truthfully, I'm feeling a little nervous about the travel. Not the flying itself, just the prep work that it will take to get all of our stuff and Bekah's gear ready for the airport. This is so new to me. So, so crazy excited to spend the weekend with my family and see my beautiful sister get married. I just want to keep thanking God for what a good man He sent my sister.

4. Our friend Adeline shared a beautiful post here on Tuesday did you get to read it yet? It was such a joy chatting with her as she prepared this post and then shared it with me to publish.

5. Have I shared here that I have a part time job? I babysit just a few hours a day and Bekah tags along. It is so one of those "more than I could have asked for or imagined" kind of situations (like Ephesians 3:20). The family I work for just cares so much for us. I know I go there to help them, but I always leave feeling like I'm the one who has been served and loved.

I hope you're having a good week so far, my friend. Tell me about it! I'd love to listen.

Love,
Bonnie

Detail: Strong and Sweet Stuff {vol. 1}

0 Busy, Happy, and Blogging {a life lately post}

Hey friends!

So life's been sorta crazy lately. Not crazy in a super busy, packed way... just normal life crazy. Days are kind of blurring together, but we've been enjoying a great fall so far. Last week I meant to share like four or five fall themed blog posts but that just didn't happen. My hands, head, and heart are all feeling pretty full right now. I love blogging but it's just been tough to get to lately.  So I'm learning to just let myself take a step back know it will be okay if things don't go as planned. It's always so good to type here and connect with you.

But, yeah, we are doing really good. I was texting my friend Kirsten the other day, telling her I feel like I've found a little bit of a rhythm with some of this momma hood stuff. I joked that that probably means everything is about to change. :) Bekah is a sweetie, a great sleeper, and I am loving my time with her. Today I'm feeling sort of beat, to be honest. Just sleepy and impatient but still very thankful. Luke is still a phenomenal partner in parenting, always serving us so kindly. There's always so much to be thankful for and sometimes just writing or talking it out, like this, helps me get the right perspective again.

Phew. How are you doing?

I just wanted to share a few things that have been really meaningful to me this past week or so... maybe they'll encourage you too.

1. I recently joined The Influence Network - a community for women committed to using their online (and offline) influence for good and for the Gospel. Part of my membership includes a free monthly class, so last month I purchased one by Ellen Parker called "Minister to Women right where you are". It was excellent... watched it for the second time while catching up on a sink full of dishes yesterday. I'll link you to her blog here. She's a sweetheart and her love for the Bible gets me fired up.

2. Speaking of the Bible - I finished the Open Your Bibles SheReadsTruth plan yesterday. It was fantastic. The ladies of SRT took 14 days to restore the way we look at the Bible and perceive our ability to approach it/make it a part of our daily lives. Great stuff. Here's the link to that plan if you want to read it! Let me know what you think.

3. Luke surprised me with a new dining set a few weeks ago. We had been planning to buy it from IKEA for a while, but we just hadn't gotten around to it. He picked it up and assembled it while I was out of town. It's meant so much to me to have family dinners sitting around this table - even now I'm blogging here while Bek naps. Last night Bekah joined us at the table in her little highchair for the first time. I told Luke, in a silly voice, that I had "been waiting for this moment for my whole life". Haha! Family dinners are the best. I really am enjoying cooking lately and it's so special so share that time with my husband and daughter.

By the way, if you're looking for an easy dinner... last night I made a modified version of this meal, switching out regular potatoes for sweet potatoes, and adding in onions, fresh green beans, and sliced green pepper. So easy and really yummy. There were no leftovers. :)

Alright. So after you tell me how you're doing... do you have a link to share with me? :)
Hope you're having a good week, friends. Whether it's been crazy or fun or boring or whatever... I'm glad you're here and would love to hear about it.

Love,
Bonnie

Detail: Busy, Happy, and Blogging {a life lately post}

0 Choosing Bekah's Costume

Since before I can even remember, I have been excited for the day to come when I would have a baby to plan a trick-or-treat costume for. Babies are cute all by themselves, but trick or treat costumes just add to the cuteness. I'm happy to report, the day is finally here! It's time to plan Bekah's trick or treat costume.

We live in a building that has a ton of sweet families and really wonderful kids. This is the second year in a row that we're having trick-or-treat in the building. Of course, Bekah is way too young to eat candy... or walk door to door... or know what trick-or-treat is... but we'll still be hanging out as a family and passing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters.

I decided to do a few drawings of Bekah in different costumes to help me decide what I should make for her this year. And today, I'm sharing them with you... so now you've got to help me decide. :)

Here's option #1...

And option #2... (the kids I babysit helped me pick this one - they thought her reddish-orange hair made this one a good choice)...

Finally, option #3... (and maybe the silliest of them all...)

Luke works for Texas Roadhouse so it would be really cute to give Bekah a mini version of his uniform. He's cute, she's cute... seems like a good fit to me! Now I want to hear from you, which costume would you pick? And just because I love hearing these stories, what was the best trick-or-treat costume you had growing up?

Thanks for enjoying cute stuff with me! :)

Love,
Bonnie

**Today's post is the second in my fall welcome week series. I'm joining with Jenna and a bunch of other bloggers as we share our 1st week of fall posts. You can read more about it by clicking here, if you'd like!

Detail: Choosing Bekah's Costume

0 My Birthday Recap {& a thank you!}

I just want to start today's post with a quick thank you. Some of you reading today know that my father-in-law, Gerry, was in a serious motorcycle accident last Wednesday in Chicago. Countless people are praying for him and we have seen amazing healing in his body. It looks like he will be discharged on the 3rd and doing therapy close to home. We are really thankful for that! I can't express how grateful I am for everyone who has prayed for Gerry and supported the whole Stoltzfoos fam during this time. God is a great, great God - able to heal 100% and work all things together for our good. Luke, Bekah, and I can't wait to have Gerry home, hug him, and see the healing miracles continue. Thanks again, friends!

So this past Saturday, I turned twenty three! The whole weekend was so special. The night before my birthday, Luke returned home from work with Runaway Bride and candy for a movie night, just the two of us (Bekah was fast asleep in her crib). On Saturday, the three of us slept in a little and then I enjoyed my usual birthday giddiness and morning silliness with my girl. I love the excitement of the morning on a special day and Bekah is so bright eyed and happy in the morning!  If you check out this video on my Instagram account, you can listen to a little "birthday song" Bekah sang for me. The video is only about 10 seconds long but I laugh every time I watch it! This was my first birthday as a momma and, I've gotta say, having Bekah to share the day with sure made turning twenty three extra special.

After a slow wake up, playing with Bekah, and getting all cleaned up and ready, we got in the car and drove to Panera Bread for an early lunch. Bekah napped pretty well (thanks to some Daddy snuggles) so Luke and I were able to just lazily lean back in our booth, drink more than our fair share of hazelnut coffee, and eat delicious food. That morning had such a slow, peaceful pace to it. It was perfect. I loved seeing his handsome smile from across the table. On our way home, Luke dropped me off at HomeGoods (one of my favorite stores) so I could walk around and soak in all the HomeGoods goodness. After twenty minutes or so, I was back in the car and we headed home.

Saturday evening, my parents came to visit and took Bekah and I out to eat at the restaurant where Luke works. I love visiting him at work, talking to his coworkers, and, of course, spending time with my parents and Beks... so it was such a good way to celebrate. Near the end of our meal, Luke came by and scooped up Bekah. He couldn't wait to show her off to the people at his tables. On our way out, we bumped into a lady who told us, "He is the proudest daddy I have ever seen!". That's my Luke! 

On Sunday we continued with some casual b-day activities. We went to church in the morning, then picked up a yummy lunch to eat at home. We lounged around our living room in our most comfy clothes and watched a movie called American Blogger. That was my choice... since I was the birthday girl and all :). A storm rolled in, a cozy afternoon nap happened, and then we spent the later part of the evening at Target. This weekend was so good. Simple and full of family. I was definitely extra thankful for the gift of family this year, with everything surrounding Gerry's accident. People are so precious and, man, am I blessed with some good ones to call my family and friends. :)

Thanks again for the continued prayers for my father-in-law. I'm looking forward to being able to share some great reports on his progress this week. How could I pray for you? What's going on? :)

Love,

Bonnie

Detail: My Birthday Recap {& a thank you!}

0 Celebrating Ellie! {a happy birthday post}

I love my siblings! I have three older sisters (named Kara, Ellie, and Annie) and one younger brother (named Aaron). We also have an "honorary brother" named HT - he lived with our fam for four years as a foreign exchange student. My siblings are each so different and funny, and whenever we're all together, it's my favorite time of year. We're all spread out these days. Kara lives in Missouri, Ellie in Arkansas, Annie travels frequently for work, I'm in Pennsylvania (so are our parents), Aaron lives in Virginia, and HT is in South Korea. It's tough for me to say 'bye' after we've been together - but what a crazy, wonderful blessing that God has led each of us to places we love and that we thrive in. 

Today is my sister Ellie's birthday! Ellie is one of the most creative and caring people I've ever known. She is so compassionate and is insanely fun to be around. Our birthdays are only four days apart...plus 4 years :). Ellie lives about 1000 miles away so, although the three of us can't see her in person today, we're here in PA celebrating her. 

Love you, Ellie! Thanks for being you!

Bonnie, Luke, and Bekah

Detail: Celebrating Ellie! {a happy birthday post}

0 Grateful Heart Monday 8.25.14

Happy Monday! Today I'm joining with Emily at Ember Grey and a bunch of other sweet bloggers as we start the week with a grateful heart. Check out the link-up and get involved by clicking here!

Today I'm grateful that God changed my plans. Here's just one example why... 

Somewhere around my junior year of high school, I started looking at colleges. I had my hopes set on going right into a four year degree following high school - but it wasn't long before I knew that wasn't really what God was asking me to do.

Whenever I prayed about my plans, I heard God speak to me about entering a ministry training program instead. It was called Master's Commission and I was not interested at all. But as much as I wanted to go off to college and graduate in four years, ultimately, I wanted to be obedient to God more. I (somewhat grudgingly) started looking into Master's Commission programs and found one close to home, just 45 minutes away in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I had never heard of the church that hosted the program - Freedom Valley Worship Center - and I tried to find every excuse not to go.

Funny story: when I saw the pastor's last name was Stoltzfoos - a name that seemed so funny and unfamiliar to me - I even tried to use that as an excuse to not go to the program… 3 years later, I ended up marrying his son and became a Stoltzfoos myself!

So every time I looked into a different program or a different location, it was like my mind was instantly pulled back to Gettysburg. I knew that was the place where God was leading me. With a big heavy sense of surrender, I said yes to God. I dropped my plans for college in Florida and chose ministry training in Gettysburg. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Fast forward about a year to August of 2010, two months after I graduated from high school. My parents' van was all packed up, and I moved to the Gettysburg area for my first year of ministry training. It was an amazing, challenging, life-changing year. And (mega bonus!) on my second day in Gettysburg, I walked through the doors of Freedom Valley, where my family was waiting to attend service with me at my new church. That's when I saw a handsome, tall, friendly blonde boy talking with them - I was pretty much smitten right away. :)

Fast forward again, four years and three days to today, August 25th, 2014. Here I am, sitting on the couch in the sunny apartment I share with my husband on the campus of Valley Forge Christian College, where we came to be students together. Our sweet baby girl is quietly snoring as she sleeps propped up against my leg. She is the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. Luke and I are approaching two years of a wonderful, love-filled and faith-filled marriage. All the way since that day I said 'yes' to God, it has been an amazing journey.

with the girls on my master's commission team on a trip to Tulsa Oklahoma

As huge of a blessing as my husband and daughter are to my life - God didn't just stop there. During my time at Master's Commission, I also developed some of the best friendships I'd ever had and I grew so much in my faith. God's word brought hope to areas of my life I felt so defeated in and I fell in love with being a part of Jesus's church. God knew just what I needed and He led me there!

This past May, when many of my friends from my high school class graduated college, it hit me a little harder than I expected. I guess I was just reminded that my original schedule had not panned out. The truth is, I'm still not sure when exactly I'll finish up my bachelor's degree - but that's okay. When I look at Luke, and I look at Bekah, and I look at those amazing years in Gettysburg and our life here today- it is such a powerful reminder to me that God loves to guide our lives for our good. And the other stuff will work out. :)

How have you seen God change your plans? I love these verses from Ephesians… He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask for or imagine!

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21

Love,
Bonnie

Detail: Grateful Heart Monday 8.25.14

0 Talking about Love & Marriage {a guest post}

My new friend Faith asked me five great questions about my marriage. Today she's sharing my answers on her blog. Faith is a sweetheart with a real gift for building others up. It's been a joy getting to know her through her blog!

Click here or on the image above to read my thoughts on marriage. Have a great Tuesday! 

Love,

Bonnie

Looking to read a little more? Here are two other posts I've shared in the last week:

1. My little girl has been here for 8 weeks already! Read my thoughts on momma-hood and what God's been teaching me by clicking here.

2. I've had so much fun hearing some of your goals for the month of August. Here are mine. If you'd like someone to share your goals with, I'm your girl! 

Detail: Talking about Love & Marriage {a guest post}

0 Momma-hood: What I'm Learning {7 Weeks}

I'm pretty sure that ever since I was three years old and had a new baby brother, I've believed that I was made to be a mom. I've always been very nurturing and dreamt about raising a family. I saw a gift that God gave me in caring for people and I felt so good about that gift. 

Back in October, those life-long dreams of momma-hood were realized when early one morning, I stood in our tiny little apartment bathroom and saw the double positive lines on my pregnancy test. I really enjoyed being pregnant. I loved watching my belly grow and adored hearing Bekah's beautiful and strong heart beat at our monthly appointments. Luke and I loved dreaming about the sweet baby growing inside of me and we loved thanking God for this amazing gift of life.

Then on June 9th, I got to hold my little girl in my arms for the very first time. It was almost like we had been friends for a long, long time rather than two strangers meeting for the first time. She's my girl and I'm her momma and I am crazy about her. She brings out the best in me - helping me give up so much of my selfishness so I can be the mom God made me to be.

I want to be honest and share with you that I was in for a big, big shock in the first few weeks of motherhood. It was really hard. There was a tiredness in those first weeks that just can not be compared to anything else I've experienced. I think moms are often tempted to be too hard on themselves, believing they aren't doing enough. Those thoughts come really early. At times, I didn't handle all of the difficulties very well. I cried a lot. I felt so frustrated with myself and in moments I felt pretty hopeless. Everything was so new and different and I didn't know if I was handling the changes well.  

It was the funniest thing, because I felt all of that confusion at the same time that I was feeling unconditional, sweet, and total love for my girl. That's parenting, I guess. Those first weeks were hard mixed with wonderful. And there are still moments that are really tough - moments that cause me to whimper desperate prayers to God.

One night early this week, Luke was at work and I was home with Bekah. I am so thankful that I get to be a stay at home mom, but I was pretty tired and we had just hit the time that tends to be her fussy time. I just could not figure out what was wrong and I prayed out of sheer desperation that God would give me some insight into how to soothe her. I wondered if I was causing her pain in some way or if there was some need I was totally missing. So I just asked God for help. I don't know what kind of help I was expecting, maybe an audible answer or some kind of sense for what to do. A little time passed and Bekah and I were sitting on the couch, some extra burping helped her fall right asleep. There really wasn't a clear answer I heard from God that night and I wasn't sure what to think about that. I just felt so desperate and I knew He cared - so why didn't He respond in the way I wanted him to?

The next day, my friend Kelly came over to help me figure out a new furniture arrangement for the living room. We actually ended up just putting the room back exactly the way it was (and by "we" I mean Luke - he is so nice!) but God used our get together for so much good. Kelly stayed for a little while and talked with Luke and I. Kelly is also a new mom, and a dear friend to me. I can't stop thanking God for that afternoon, because during our short talk my heart was totally refreshed. It was a simple conversation about life as a new mom and sleep schedules - but it was like God ordered the whole thing to encourage me where I desperately needed encouragement. Kelly shared little things she had learned or heard from her mom-friends. It felt like each piece of wisdom checked off a box on my list of solutions that I needed. I received some great insight about making it through that fussy hour and how to help her (and us!) develop good sleep patterns. Last night Bekah slept six and a half hours total in her crib without us having to stay up for hours upon hours soothing her. That was a record and huge victory for our little family!

I shared all of this with you for a couple reasons. First, because it was really good for my heart to work through those first weeks. Whew! Weight lifted. ;) I also shared this because God taught me a really meaningful lesson this week. I asked God for wisdom and He gave it to me - but in a much better way than I could have anticipated. He used my friendship with Kelly to give me insight into the best ways to help my daughter. With this method came the added bonus of something I really needed, quality time with a good friend. 

God is so good and creative and passionate about getting us to work together. He orchestrated my need and Kelly's abundance and together we figured out some really tough stuff! You know, before Kelly came over that day, I wondered if I should feel badly that I couldn't figure out my own living room arrangement. Looking back, I realize what a shame it would have been if I gave into my pride and self-reliance and missed out on that time with Kelly and our conversation. 

So today I am enormously thankful. Thankful to be a momma. Thankful for a good living room set up ;). Thankful for my friendship with Kelly. And thankful that God cares so deeply for me that He hears my prayers, orchestrates the very best way to answer them, and teaches me through them.

How has God used relationships to answer your prayers?

Love,
Bonnie

Detail: Momma-hood: What I'm Learning {7 Weeks}

0 And We're Back! {Home from Vacation}

As of yesterday, we are home from vacation! It was a really wonderful and relaxing week. The week flew by but I am feeling energized, thankful, and excited about everyday life around here. Vacation feels a little bit like New Years to me in that way… it feels like a fresh start to think about what I want life to be like when I go home.

We spent the week with both our families in Ocean City, Jersey. Luke and I both grew up going to there with our families even before we met. We love everything about that place. It was so fun bouncing back and forth between the two beach houses, having fun with both sides of our family. We even had a chocolate fondue night with the two families together - so fun! My sister, Ellie, was the only sibling who couldn't make it this year. We missed her a lot but the cool news is that she got engaged early in the week! So happy for Ellie and my soon-to-be brother, Jackson. They are perfect together.

This was our first vacation as parents and it was an adventure just experiencing the joys and challenges that come with this new season of life. Bekah did awesome with the travel and our family was incredibly kind, offering to watch her sometimes at two or three in the morning just so Luke and I could get some extra sleep. I had so much fun watching her aunts and uncles love her, sing to her, and start their relationships with her. She has grandparents and great grandparents who love her (and us!) so much and we felt that love all week long.

My favorite vacation moments this year...

  everything on the board walk: taking walks, getting ice-cream, playing mini golf

spending the afternoon at the beach with Bekah & wave jumping with my brother and Luke

how the sunshine made Bekah's red hair even brighter

dinner at Manco & Manco on the last night

sitting around with family doing nothing but watching Bek and her cousins be cuties

laughing with my siblings

 my french fry and lemonade date with Luke and our encouraging conversations

spending time with Grammy when it was just the four of us left at the house 

playing bananagrams

sitting on the boardwalk eating Kohr Bros. and watching the sky change over the ocean 

with Dad, Luke, Bekah, Aaron, and Annie

so much time to spend with my husband - love that guy!

I had a tough time getting myself to stop writing that list! I guess that's a good problem to have - having too many favorite memories from vacation.

How was your week, friends? I'm beating the post-vacation blues by dreaming about what I'd like to do this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - I'd love to hear what you've got going on in the week ahead!

Love,

Bonnie

Detail: And We're Back! {Home from Vacation}