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"You want how many kids???" "You're so young!" "I could never do that!" These are examples of some of the things people might say to you if you are 22 years old and tell someone that you are getting married and hope to be blessed with 5 or more kids. After almost a year of no activity on the blog (since Europe in 2017!), I haven't really found something that I've been bursting to write about until now. Since the last post I started dating a wonderful guy, got engaged, and began planning a wedding, a future, and a marriage - all within a year. Crazy? Most people think so. Since Andrew and I have gotten engaged, many reactions to our plans have been positive and our families have been incredibly supportive. But more recently we both have been encountering people who cannot imagine why we have made some of the decisions we're making in terms of timing, family, and faith. Now, Andrew is the type of man that doesn't let much phase him, especially what other people think. This trait is something that I admire in him. I am more impacted by the things people say, although I tend to want to understand why a person thinks the way they do and where the other person is coming from. I think this questioning of our plans comes from a culture that is built on individualism and pleasure. If it doesn't feel good or "make you happy" don't do it. If you aren't free to do what you want when you want then something needs to change. I thought this might be a nice opportunity to give a snapshot of what we picture our life together: 1. We plan on letting God make the plans. Whether it's a decision of when to have the next child, looking at career options, living situation, or educating our children, all we can do is do our best and let God handle the rest. It's true, Andrew and I have no idea what we're doing, but God definitely does. That kind of trust and surrender is difficult at first, but we're hoping to practice and get better at it. Prayer is a key factor in that practice! 2. Five or more kids would be great. Andrew and I could plan to have 2 kids like what most people expect of us, tie the tubes and be done with it. But that's not what the fulfillment of marriage is supposed to be. We aren't supposed to live for ourselves when we get married, and frankly, neither one of us wants to. We want to give everything we have to each other in marriage, and we want to give everything we have to our kids in parenthood. If we have 8 kids, and God provides the opportunity to support another child, then we're having that 9th baby. Plus, judging by our baby pictures, Andrew and I will have kids that are freaking adorable!
3. Ideally, Andrew will work, and I will stay home with the kids.
I say "ideally" because we both know that this might not always be a possibility, but it's important to us that we orient our lives toward this ideal. Again, we trust in God's plan that He will provide the best for our family. Having a parent at home with the kids is important to us so that we can know that we did everything we could to form our children as kind, loving, strong and faithful people to send out into the world and make it a better place. Andrew and I don't see it as one of us getting be out in the world and the other is stuck at home being a slave (or the opposite where one slaves away at work all day and the other freeloads off of the other doing nothing all day). We see it as working as a team to provide for our family's needs in different areas. God will entrust those children into our care, and we don't want them to spend more time with someone else than their own parents. Life moves quickly, and we want as much time with our babies as possible before God sends them on their own missions. 4. Homeschooling is ideal Again, "ideal" is a word here that I use because we recognize that it might not be possible for a moment in time, or the needs of one or a few of our children might be more than we can give them at home. However, in general, the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the costs at this moment of our preparation. We see the things that are happening in both public and private schools, and we see the things that children can be exposed to. Andrew and I want to preserve the innocence and goodness of our children. We want to show them the world with timing that is developmentally appropriate, as well as show them how to respond to evil, pain, and conflict that is in "the real world." 5. We're Catholic, and we plan on acting like it. This means we'll go to Mass every Sunday, and we will pray as a family and teach our children to have a relationship with Christ and Mary and the saints through prayer. We will teach our children to be kind, humble, respectful, generous, and temperate and defend the truth of the Gospel with everything that they are. We will expose them to the goodness of vocations in married life, priesthood, and religious life and encourage their discernment in all areas. Andrew and I aren't Catholic because it's a "nice thing to do" but because it's what we've learned to be the path to heaven and the only way to achieve true happiness. Our job as husband and wife is to help each other become saints, and our job as parents is to raise our children to be saints. If that seems crazy, it's probably because it's supposed to. We're not living and working for this world, we're living and working for the next.
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4/21/2017 0 Comments Happily Ever After
4/10/2017 0 Comments Living the Good Life
What would you say is your attitude towards life right now? That seems like a broad question. Maybe most people haven't thought about it before. What are you constantly trying to improve on? What makes you motivated? What inspires you? These are some of the many questions I pondered during my weekend in the Alps. I don't know what it is about nature, but it seems to have the affect of re-focusing your perspective and reminding you of what's really important. It probably has something to do with the fact that everything we see in nature has been touched by God in its design. You can see his handiwork up close and personal, constantly moving and growing. Last week, Amanda and the kids and I drove down to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the weekend. This quaint little ski-town is right on the border of Germany and Austria, and it lies nestled in the breathtaking beauty of the Alps. The first time I saw the mountains up close, and as we were driving in, I could barely contain my excitement. We put on the song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" from Sound of Music and reveled in the moment. Cheesy? yes. Unforgettable? Absolutely.
2/14/2017 0 Comments Valentine's Day
When we had our treats in hand, we headed home and started to feel the sugar crash. You can't pump little humans with that much sugar and expect it to turn out perfectly, but tears were dried and babies were bathed and everything turned out alright! One of my favorite moments of the day, however, was one that is best described in pictures first... Today felt special because it was full of little moments like this, and I think that's what make life and relationships wonderful. Love is expressed best when there are lots of little precious moments to hold on to.
Seeing the care that Amanda put into giving the Valentine's gifts, watching the kids at the candy shop, and witnessing Edward's awkward yet sincere display of affection to his wife all made up for a great Valentine's Day. It reminded me that love is best expressed with a genuine consideration of the other person and a giving of self. When we love, it should be all for the other person with nothing expected in return. I hope to carry this idea beyond Valentine's Day hearts and chocolates! 2/13/2017 0 Comments European Adventures with Toddlers
10/27/2016 0 Comments Waco, TX: The Magnolia ExperienceI have always loved road trips. So when we made plans to take a trip to Waco, I was looking forward to it, even though the drive wasn't terribly long. My brother had made it to state for cross country, and we as a family were going to cheer him on and continue to experience the Texas culture. I'm not originally from Texas, and I've lived here a little over a year. And as a lover of HGTV, I was well aware that we were mere miles from the business owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia.
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October 27, 2016
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I'll be completely honest, I am the type of person who wants to be an expert of everything. As a child I would come home with stacks of books from the library on topics ranging from starting your own business to how to become a guitar master in 20 lessons. While many would think that it's great that I have such a wide variety of interests, this also poses a problem: I can't commit to anything. Sure, I may know a little bit about a lot of different things, but I usually have a hard time sticking with something long enough to attain "master" status of whatever it may be.
This blog is most likely going to reflect this little trait that I have. I plan on writing about food, travel, social interactions, deep life musings, books that I'm reading, a conversation I had with my sister, and anything else that might make for an interesting entry. I also plan on posting pictures and vlogs as they seem fit. So although I don't plan on achieving "master blogging status" I hope that those who read my content have their days made a little lighter and that my loved ones enjoy keeping up with the things I am discovering and learning as the adventure unfolds before me! Thanks for reading! P.S. Thanks to my friend Zaida who gave me the little push I needed to get this thing started. :) |
Obligatory airplane wing and sunset picture
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