Pirate Flag

For all you country music lovers out there, Kenny Chesney's latest release Pirate Flag has made me do some thinking recently. When I first heard the song I loved the tune and how catchy it was. However, after listening to it a few more times I really heard the lyrics and they spoke to me. His chorus says:

"I spent my whole life running around,

Still let the wind kinda blow me around,

Well I dropped a note in a bottle,

To a long-legged model,

And I traded it in for a whole 'nother world,

A pirate flag and an island girl"

 

 

After hearing this over and over it's like I was slapped in the face and realized this is something every human does. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He came down to Earth, died on a cross, to save me of my filthy sins. I personally accepted Him into my heart, after asking for forgiveness of all my sins, and I was wiped clean of my past life. I now strive to grow closer to God, to live my life for Him. I don't partake in certain things because I know it's not what my Heavenly Father wants me to do. I live my life (as best as I can) according to how the Bible says to. By no means am I perfect, I do mess up ALL the time, I still sin just as everyone else in the world. But, the great thing about it is I know my sins are forgiven, and that my Father still loves me no matter how many times I mess up!! How awesome is that?

 

We all "spend our whole life running around", looking for something that can fill an empty void within us. Because we are searching for something to fulfill our happiness, it's like we "let the wind kinda blow us around", right? Now I never dropped a note in bottle for a long-legged model, but I did ask God to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins, because I believe and admit that my faith is in Jesus Christ.

So many people are so comfortable in their lives, even though they are itching for something else. Many people say they are "Christian", but they live their lives in a worldly manner. Many believe that following Jesus means they have to give up the "fun things of the world", i.e.: partying (drinking, smoking, drugs, etc.), pre-marital sex, occupation, luxuries, fine clothes, etc. But, it's not a list of rules to be followed like at school, they are guidelines of how to live our lives so we can be closer with Him, where we can eventually proclaim his name to all the nations!!

 

I don't call myself a "Christian", because I don't want to go to hell, rather for what the word really means "little Christ". I want to be able to interact with people, and for them to know immediately that there's something different about me. That by the way I talk, and live my life, that they can see how different it is it could be something that they would want to partake in as well.

So let me ask you this: are you willing to trade your life in for "a whole 'nother world"? Not for a pirate flag, or an island girl, but for eternity with Jesus Christ.

{If anyone reading this has any questions about their faith, or wanting to gain more information, please feel free to message me and I will be more than willing to help explain anything that needs to be cleared up}

Peanut Butter Brownies

I L.O.V.E. baking and I'm so glad that I have more time to create yummy food. If you're looking for something to bring to a graduation party, church event, or family gathering then try this recipe out. Trust me... it will please everyone's sweet tooth!!!

Peanut Butter Brownies:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter
5 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour (do not use self-rising flour)
6 Reese cups

[[(The recipe tells how to melt the piece of melting chocolate, I find it easier to just use Cocoa Powder and vegetable oil) = for 1 oz. of baking chocolate a recipe calls for you use 3 tablespoons of Cocoa Powder + 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil. So this recipe would require 15 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder + 5 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.]]



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  In a bowl [or your Kitchen aid stand mixer] beat the sugar, vanilla, and eggs together. Add the butter (softened or melted, doesn't matter), along with the softened-melted peanut butter, then mix. Add the chocolate mixture, and then beat in the flour until everything is well blended.

3. Unwrap all of the Reese cups and place them on a cutting board. Cut them into smaller pieces, about 1/4 of an inch.

3. Use whatever size pan you think would be best. I used a 11 X 7, but the recipe says a 9 X 9, just depends on how thick or thin you want them (mine turned out thick!!). Spray the pan with pam non-stick cooking spray (or whatever alternative you may use), and spread the mixture into the pan.

4. Sprinkle the Reese cup pieces onto the top of the batter in the pan, you can even press them down into the batter or add them in the bowl and pour all at once. (I just wanted to make sure every spot had some, so I placed mine on top).

5. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until the brownies start to pull from the sides of the pan (or until you can't resist the smell any more)! [[Ours were completely baked at 28 minutes, and if I wanted them a little gooey probably could've taken them out a few minutes prior]] Then cut however you see fit!

6. Pour a big glass of milk (caution: they are REALLY rich), and enjoy!!

Husband's Are Great

At our wedding ceremony. Washing our feet as a commitment to serve each other in our marriage.

When I was younger my idea of a husband was someone I could kiss whenever I wanted, pay for things I desired, build things all manly like, and provide for the family. Now that God has blessed me with my wonderful Husband Keven, He's opening my eyes to something far more greater than whatever thoughts I previously had. Most marriages may not have the goggles of appreciation that many should, but rather they look at their spouse as an object. Whether that object is another income, a way to reproduce, or a way to not feel lonely, it's saddening to me that spouse's do not look at the other with much care and appreciation for what they do. I've been doing a lot of thinking with all this free time since graduating, and I realize why my husband is so great. (These, are just a few!)

1. My Best Friend
We've known each other since 2006, and talked for seven months getting to know each other before we even considered dating. When I look back at some of our conversations I remember letting my judgment shield down, and acting as weird as I could get at times. I felt comfortable enough to act goofy over the phone because he never judged me (in fact, he's one of the main causes for my true weird side coming out). Over that past 7 years he has always been there for me, supporting and encouraging me in good times and bad. I can talk to him about anything (which is healthy in a relationship, especially one as important as a marriage) good or sad and know that he's listening and giving meaningful advice.

2. Chores
Somehow society has filled our minds with the logic that it is the man's chore to take out the trash. Maybe it's because it's the simplest chore around the house to do, nonetheless, it's one that I just loathe doing. (I have taken out many bags of trash over the past 10 months of living together, usually because Keven is at work and I don't want it to overflow, but when he's around I always use him as the go to guy to make sure it's taken out). He is also great at helping me clean our teeny tiny kitchen. Some days I'm exhausted and have no interest in tackling the pile of dishes that have accumulated for half a week (don't judge: we've all had those moments where something else sounds better than cleaning), and out of his love for me he doesn't even complain, he'll just get up and start tackling the pile so I can rest. It's also great having him as my hubs because when I see any bug around the apartment I know he'll step up and take care of them. Now these are all things that I'm perfectly capable of doing, but it's sooooo wonderful having someone else that is willing to help out and make life more enjoyable! (hmmm, it's like that's what we were created for, to be a helper to our spouse...)

3. On the Road Again
One of my earlier posts mentioned about how hectic our month has been since it's required many road trips. I have had my license for 5 years, but if I don't have to drive four hours somewhere that is fabulous! Before we were married, when we had breaks from school, I looked forward to going home, just not driving the four hours required to get there. But now I love the trips more, because Keven is beside me (9 times out of 10 driving) and I typically get to rest (aka sleep the entire time because if we aren't talking it's impossible for me to stay awake in a car). Before the trips consisted of conversations filled with the stressful amounts of school work still to be done, or how we didn't want the trip to end because we would have to face reality of school. Instead they are now filled with what we think the Lord has in store for us career wise, or how many kids we would want the Lord to bless us with, or how we would raise those kids, or what types of holiday traditions would be best. Since it's just the two of us for at least 3 hours, there are less distractions, which gives us quality time to converse!

4. Dinners and Misc.
Since my Nannying job goes until 6 or 8 pm, when Keven isn't working he is more than willing to make dinner. This is another huge blessing, because after watching 3 kids for a few hours, and driving an hour daily, I get tuckered out fast. It's so wonderful that he's available to provide a hot meal for me when I get home, instead of me walking through the door and stressing out about starting dinner and eating really late. Also, if we have people coming over and I know some things need to be straightened up, I'll send him a quick text like "Oh, ____ is coming over, please straighten up the table, organize my canvases and art supplies, fold the blankets, and make sure the bathroom is decent" to which is replies "Ok, no problem! I'll take care of it". He could get frustrated that he has to clean on his day off, or that he has to tidy up instead of napping or playing a video game or whatever he has planned. However, he does not let my list ruin his day, because he knows how much stress is lifted from me.

Our God is a great God! He knew exactly what He was doing when He created Adam, and then created Eve to be his helper. I'm so glad God created us for the purpose of helping each other, and I'm so thankful that I have a wonderful helper. It saddens me to think of how most marriages don't view their spouse in this way, probably because said spouse is not willing to be self less to help out the other. If I can give any advice it would be this: look at your spouse as the helper God intended for them to be. If you are overwhelmed with all the household chores you juggling, along with running your kids to misc. event, all while trying to make sure you feed everyone and the fish, bring it to your spouse's attention. By your spouse helping you out with what you need to get done, you can in return help them out with a project they may be tackling for work. You were intended to be a team, not to be two random players occupying the court.

It's the Little Things

During the school year Keven and myself were both extremely busy. We spent most of our time going to classes, going to our four jobs, soccer practices/games, doing a ton of homework, studying for exams that all fell on the same week, trying to find time to be with our friends, or trying to stay human by eating or sleeping.

However, now that we've graduated, we have had a lot more free time. Don't get me wrong, looking for jobs online for countless hours is loads of fun, but sometimes it's nice to sit back and enjoy the little things in life. Now, these little things were exactly that, little. They were so small during our hectic schedules that I never had the chance to appreciate them.

So, here you go, here are some of the little things that I've been able to appreciate lately:

1. 2 Square
Last Tuesday Keven and I went to the beach for a few hours. After covering ourselves with sunscreen we figured we would play 2 square to let it all soak in and dry. Typically we like to play 4 square, but since it was only the two of us we just drew two boxes in the sand and began to play. It was great just being able to play with Keven. Sometimes when we play games or sports with our friends I get embarrassed if I miss a shot or if I lost the point for our team or what not. But, when I play games with Keven, I know he doesn't judge me, which is great because if I mess up he's always there to encourage me to bring my spirits back up.

2. Snuggling
During the school year we would always get up early for classes, and stay up late doing homework. Then the weekends would consist of Keven working most of the time, so we would have to do more homework or studying around his work schedule. So we never really got to enjoy much snuggling time, because we thought we should spend it doing school work. (However, there were several times where we were so tired we would go cuddle and nap in bed...I mean you need energy to focus on assignments right?). But lately, we've been cuddling on the couch when we watch movies, or as we're waking up in the morning (and boy, it sure is nice)!

3. Creamer
We ran out of coffee creamer about two or more weeks ago. And somehow it has been forgotten on the shopping list. So last night while buying groceries, I saw it while looking at yogurts and remembered to pick so up. (ironically it was not on the list again). There's just something about creamer in coffee that tastes wayyyy better than using milk!

4. Painting
With all this free time, I've been spending my time trying to be creative and paint on canvases. Since graduating I have completed 8 paintings!! Whooo Hooo!!

5. Reading Together
This past semester we took our final English class, and the only time we read together was when we read stories for class. Yet, lately we've been finishing this book we started last summer. Keven's sister gave it to us before we got married. It's a great book that talks about the intimate side of marriage and how important it is to keep the romance alive. I highly recommend it (just message me and I'll give you the title ... due to having younger people follow me on Facebook I want to keep this rated G). It's been nice to get all ready for bed, snuggle up, and read a new chapter. Then discuss what we found important or answer the questions the book tells us to ask each other. I have definitely enjoyed reading in bed...here's to hoping we can continue this! :)

6. Precious Nieces
This past weekend we drove up to Greenville, SC for a graduation party Keven's church family was throwing for all the graduates in the church. So, to make the most of the 36 hours we began our trip at 5:30 AM Saturday morning. This gave us plenty of time to hang out with Keven's family. It's always fun staying with his parents, because his older brother and his family are living with his parents while they transition back to the mission field in a few months. That means that my precious 5 year old niece Richelle and my other adorable 3 year old niece Anara are always begging us to play with them. I do my best to put any exhaustion aside, and bring out my inner kid to make their day enjoyable! On Sunday evening we played monster with them for a bit after dinner, so they had some more playing time before going to bed. Once their mom, Charity, told them that they needed to say good night and good bye (we were leaving at 8 pm), they both became really sad and when Richelle came to hug me she started crying and whispered in my ear "I don't want you to go, I love you Aunt Jordyn". Absolutely  broke  my  heart!! I had to convince her that we would be back soon to play some more! Ahh, she is such a sweetie. Earlier that weekend she just paused in the middle of playing kitties and looked at me and said "Aunt Jordyn, I love you so much, you are so fun to play with", followed with the best hug a 5 year old could give. This just overwhelms my heart with joy!

You Still Need Your Friends

A few weeks ago someone told me that when a person becomes involved in a dating relationship they lose two of their closest friends. Before this year I would think that was absolutely ridiculous, until I experienced it first hand. Now don't get me wrong, I know when you first start dating someone it's new and exciting and you want to be able to get to know them more blah blah blah. However, I personally don't think it's healthy if you spend every free moment you can with them. It's important to invest time with your friends for a few reasons:

1. They were there first:
Remember that you partook in this friendship way before your dating relationship. Your friends were there when you first met your love, and you probably asked advice about if you should take the next step (become boyfriend/girlfriend) or just remain friends with them. You probably trusted them enough to meet said person, and if they approved then you felt comfortable to go ahead in the relationship.

2. God made us different:
As much as I love being married, I think I would pull my hair out if I wasn't able to see/hang out with another female. Don't get me wrong, I love Keven with all that's in me, but it's nice to chat with my girlfriends and talk about girl stuff. Any guy will tell you how much they enjoy a night with the guys, whether its playing basketball or video games, just being able to hang out together is so enjoyable. Same thing goes for girls.

3. When things get rough:
What happens if your and your new love have a disagreement, or get into a huge argument? Most of the time, you think you're right while the other thinks they are right. Most people don't know how to work through such a matter, and they like to take the easy route and call it quits. It's good to be able to vent about this frustration to your friends. This way you get an unbiased third party involved, and they can help you to take a rational approach about it.

4. Real ones tell the truth:
Your friends want you to be happy, and don't want to see you end up with a lame-o. Therefore, they will be able to surface your "loves" flaws and bring them to your attention. This is great because you may still have the love puppy goggles on, clogging up your vision. Now you can see if this flaw is something that you can work past, or if it's something that could be a deal breaker.

So, how can you go about making sure you don't lose two of your closest friendships when you become involved in a new relationship? Look at your calendar and set specific days/nights to hang out with your friends. If you go more than a week without talking with your friend, or more than two weeks without hanging out, then some red flags should be drawn. Your friends can only do so much with texting, calling, sending Facebook messages, etc. to get your attention, it's up to you to return the favor and set something up. If you don't, right now it may not seem like a big deal, but when you look back at your past all your memories will be filled with just going in and out of relationships, and not having steady friends by your side.

May Madenss

Forget about NCAA march madness, the month of May is packed full of events to keep Keven and myself busy!! Out of the 5 weekends in May, we are booked for 4 of them! We are so grateful to have understanding employers that are flexible with us needing practically every weekend off.

Here's the breakdown of our month:

May 3-5: Graduation weekend, time with all three families
May 10-12: Home to Winston-Salem for a much anticipated wedding of Jonathan and Emilie!!!!
May 17-19: Home to Greenville. Keven's home church is throwing a graduation celebration for all the high school and college grads -- it's so nice to have a small, loving church family!
May 24-26: NOTHING!! Here's to hoping for a beautiful weekend we can spend at the beach ;)
May 30-June 2: Traveling home to Winston late Thursday evening, then heading to Ohio Friday with my Dad for my cousins wedding!

Let me just take a moment to talk about our trip this upcoming weekend. I am beyond excited that Keven and I get to participate in Staff & Em's joyous day! Jonathan and Keven were roommates at CSU Freshmen and Sophomores year, and we had the pleasure of meeting Emilie when she would come visit Jonathan once or twice a school year. Luckily for Staff, his roommate had a girlfriend (me) that attended CSU, which allowed Emilie to spend weekends on campus with no hassle of an expensive hotel room! First meeting Emilie I realized how outgoing and inquisitive she is. The first night she stayed in my room I think she asked me 20 or so questions trying to get to know me, which was nice because it was a good ice breaker! They are both so sweet, every time Emilie would stay with me in the dorms, or now at our apartment, they would tell us "thank you" several times. We love being able to help them out, and help make their weekend visits smoother! (We know how dating long distance is a pain, so we completely understand what they have gone through the past four years). 

I'm very grateful God has blessed Jonathan and Emilie in our lives. They both have a deep passion for serving Our Lord, both athletic, both smart, and when they are around each other it's impossible to not feel the love they share. Dating long distance is no joke, and these two, through the help of God, have made it work over the past 4 years!! And in 2 short days they will never have to worry about planning weekend visits, spending parts of breaks with each other, skyping, or saying the dreadful goodbye. Marriage is such a wonderful thing created by God, and I'm excited that they get to share this experience with each other soon!

So, here's to you Staff & Em!

Amanda Castle Photography

I'm a College Graduate Babayyy

This past Saturday was one of the biggest days of my life (one being the day I got married to this stud I met at summer camp, and the other is when I gave my life to my Savior...those are both stories for another day). That's right folks, three days ago (May 4th, 2013) I graduated COLLEGE!!! This is a huge deal because I am the first person in my family to graduate college. My parents worked for the air force, and my older brother followed in their foot steps. Two of my cousins have their associates degrees, and I have two aunts who attended college, i'm unsure if they received their bachelors, associates, or if they completed. That being said, it feels great to be the first to accomplish something this big!! [Now, if the Lord provides me with the chance to go to grad school, then i'll be the first to achieve their doctorate degree as well!!]

This weekend was sort of pretty chaotic. The rough part about having divorced parents is trying to coordinate with an additional family, that's right Keven and myself had to do our best coordinating with three families! [insert stressful image of pulling out my hair here.] However, it all seemed to work out. My dad surprised us and came in late Thursday night, giving us more time to spend with him and his significant other. They treated us to Ihop for breakfast, and then Longhorn steakhouse for dinner! Due to the cruddy weather Charleston gave us, we spent most of our time indoors this past weekend. Later that night my mom, step dad, and siblings came in along with Keven's parents. My family was only staying friday night, so after dinner we said bye to my dad and headed over to my moms hotel to hang out with them for a few hours. My little brother wanted to spend the night with us, so he enjoyed playing Mario Kart on the N64 with Keven, until we realized Keven didn't have his black dress slacks here, resulting in a trip to walmart at 11:45 pm -_-

So, then we reach Saturday. It basically went like this: rush around to get ready, sit in traffice, rush to find where the heck our classmates were being stashed, take random pics with the iphone, walk out to a cheering crowd making you feel like you were famous, sit down, listen to boring speeches, and wait for 500 names to be called so you could walk across stage, focus on not  tripping, and sit down like a giddy little girl who just recieved a note from their crush. I'm sure I annoyed everyone around me, because my mom sat on the left side of the colesium, while my dad and Keven's parents sat on the right side. So while sitting and listening spacing out to the speeches, I kept constantly looking over and smiling (before and after diploma was in hand). Although it could've been worst, I could have been some of the people who played on their phones the entire time (what's the point of even attending then?).

Anyways, everyone knows the drill afterwards. Call your families and try to meet up somewhere to take a million pictures. The only thing that sucked about Saturday was the fact that we did have to coordinate between 3 families, I wish I would have been able to take pics with my friends that I didn't get to see while being stashed in a hallway, oh well, it's done and over with. After several pictures, and my poor mother in law trying not to catch hypothermia, we went out for a good meal at cracker barrel! Then, after my dad messed around and gave the waitress a hard time, we said our goodbyes to my Dad and Lori, and changed to go meet Keven's brother's family at the beach. [yes, I know that with every cloud possibly in the sky, and rain sprinkling it's not the most ideal weather, but hey, this family was deteremined to go to the beach, and Kristofer surprised us by getting his shift switched so he could attend!] So, after being splashed by the high tide and getting a good 3 inches of my jeans soaked, we said our goodbyes to them, and met Keven's parents to see Iron Man 3 (highly recommend)! Afterwards they treated us to taco bell, and then to Ihop the next morning before church!

Sooooo, yeah. That was pretty much graduation weekend! It's cool to know that my side of the family is proud of me, and that I can inspire my little brother and sister to work hard and to graduate college as well. I know Keven's family is proud of me as well, but they raised 4 brilliant kids who all graduated college with some sort of Cum Laude! Taking a moment to brag: I really pray that the Lord blesses our kids with Keven's smarts. This guy graduated Valedvictorian of his highschool with a 5 point something GPA, and graduated college with Summa Cum Laude (3.9-4.0 GPA) and through the honors program (only 3 of the 567 that graduated that day graduated with honors). So yeah, I'm pretty proud of him and wish I could have done just as well, but my GPA is still good enough to apply for Physical Therapy School so I'm happy!!

Here are a few pics from this weekend: (I will work on making these bigger later, the blog or my computer won't let me resize them at the moment!)