Can you be a Granny before a Mom?

That was one of my random thoughts. Can I be a Granny before a mom? I say this because I am soo interested in Grandma-esque hobbies lately. I'm trying to teach myself to knit. My first project goal is a scarf. Granted, I guess its not very grandma if I am teaching myself thru using the awesome forward thinking youtube.com DIY videos. Perhaps a very tech savy Granny I shall be.
I got inspired because Christmas a year ago Liane gave me yarn and knitting needles. We both said again and again we were going to learn or have her friend Whitney teach us. Well, two weeks ago I decided those needles taunting at me beside the yarn still wrapped in its package were ready to be busted loose! So far....well I've casted on. Hopefully, thats hard because it took me forever to get it going. Now I am looking for the next motivating evening to begin knitting my second row. With the snow coming and winter setting in....I think I will have some snow days to get in some knitting time ;)
Also, I am starting to cook a little more. Shocking I know!
I spent a good hour the other morning sitting with my coffee and checking out some recipes online. I love the slow cooker recipes because they are most conducive to me and Nathaniel's lifestyle. So tonight we are testing out cranberry chicken. Recipe can be found at kitchendaily.com
We are choosing to eat healthy not just quick meals. This chicken getup is 350 calories per serving. The polls are still open as to how it ranks......After dinner we shall see!
Another great recipe was from my friend Lori's facebook...Healthy Banana Oatmeal Coookies. Super easy, quick, and loved by the Hubby!

So perhaps I'm not becoming Grandma, maybe I'm just being a little domesticated? Yikes. Which sounds worse?

i haven't blogged since i was single ;)

Wow. So I was just puttering around online tonight, (Shopping the IKEA website) when I realized I hadn't blogged in forever! More less even looked at my site or others. I love reading Erin's blog (erin.520life.org) that is one I frequent often and then girl with a satchel. Both really good for girly reads like recipes, fashion, family, life, etc :)

So...here is my random blog of what's going on with me, now as Mrs. Monica Deskins. :)



So I love married life by the way. Its great to know there is my best friend there with me to talk and share the thoughts of my heart with at each day's end. Its so fabulous to laugh together, enjoy the simple acts together, and grow together. My mom gave us this book "When sinners say I do" and its got some good thoughts about how we really get to see the good,bad, and ugly from one another. You are with that person so brutally honest and there is no where to run and hide when its rough. YOu deal with things, raw emotions, character flaws, bad habits, and still love one another at the end. My friend Lindsey has always been a great example to me of many things. She is an awesome mom of two and also a wife to a man she loves deeply. She gave me a hand-me-down book of hers "Sacred Marriage" and the author asks, "What if God made marriage to make us holy more than happy?" Food for thought. Marriage does challenge and stretch us. What I have noticed with my great seven months in.....is that, I see a true picture of who I am. Nathaniel gives me tough love. He calls me out. He challenges me to be a better person. He challenges me to be the person God called me to be. I love him for that. :)

It is WeLL

It is well. Its amazing to say that after just having had surgery two days ago. But seriously being in and out of the dopey moods and long naps from pain medicine, I feel it is well. There is a certain peace that comes from being at home for extended periods of time. I had my wisdom teeth pulled out on Thursday morning. My memories of this day begin at 4:30 that afternoon. But my phenomenal fiancee took great care of me all morning and afternoon. I spent that evening reading, eating apple sauce, and drifting in and out of reality. It was nice. Then I awoke way super early at like 4:30 the next morning Friday. Bright and early and in pain! But the medicine kicked in and I thought I would be fast asleep soon, however I was filled with energy. I started filling out thank you cards from last weekend's bridal shower and cleaning. When he woke up at 8 am I was like "Wait, the kitchen floor is wet I just mopped." As you can imagine he was concerned. What the heck was I doing up and most of all, what was I doing cleaning so early?!?
So yeah, the last few days he has been gone to work all day and I've had lots of time at home to myself. Its been good to relax, reflect, nap, and really just enjoy the days. I can't remember the last time I was awake at such an hour as four am! WOW! Plus I have had hours upon hour to just lay on our trampoline and read about how to start our marriage. ( by the way- a very good book that we received from our marriage counseling from Dr. Rainey) It was nice to eat sherbert...reminisce through old pics....have my pal Liane over to have girl chat and enjoy a Saturday night together....but most of all....I've found peace in this whole "getting married" thing! Lol. :) I really feel like this house has become a home to me. Just as Nathaniel prayed on Tuesday night when we learned of my surgery and that I would be staying here so he could take care of me while my apt is a mess with the move happening and me being doped up. I really do feel as though the place is becoming more of my own. And I can say it is well. I am looking forward to being a wife and building a future and life in this home with my gift of a husband. :)
It is well.

hairspray

So today during my ranting to the awesome man in my life, I was going on about hairspray. its crazy. i've tried tons of different brands and prices trying to find a good hairspray. one that will hold my hair without feeling like a sticky helmet. as one girl said, "cotton candy hair" Lol ;)
So the other night he recommended i just buy only the cheap travel version that way if i dont like it I am not out too much money. good idea. but it still is crap.
So then tonight I was listening to myself complain and I concluded, "But hey, if my biggest frustration is my disappointing hairspray I guess things aren't that bad are they?" :)
Its all in perspective, eh?

Crying in Wal-Mart

OK. So I think its safe to say I have been a bit emotional this past week. Call it what you will, crying in Wal-Mart is emotional.
It all started on Monday morning when I was out running errands and standing in line for returns at Wal-Mart. This cute little boy and mom walked by speaking Spanish and he was yelling "Oh Mira" at everything. (Oh Look!!) He reminded me of a little boy I became close to from my English classes in Mexico. I began to think of little Juan and wondered what he was up to and how he was. I noticed my eyes brimming full before I knew it. Not only was I won over by emotion of missing Juan, but of missing Mexico and so many people that stole part of my heart there. I prayed for Juan and his mom that day and that God would fill them with hope of knowing they belonged to Him whether they found themselves in a good or bad day.
The week has continued with more tears. Regretfully, yet another time in Wal-Mart. And then last night watching a sappy Jif peanut butter commercial.
Concluding now on Friday I have decided that I am emotional and that is okay. I've decided I am okay with it for a few reasons:
1. I am female and allowed to be emotional
2. My fabulous fiance' Nathaniel is more than understanding and even consoles me when I know he thinks I'm insane.
3. My girlfriends enjoy the humor of seeing me turn into a sappy cry baby when it is totally out of charcter for me.
4. Most of all, I am okay and almost enjoying it because I feel God is softening and breaking me to be more open, more receptive. more aware, more sensitive to the world around me.
So yeh, I'm okay with being emotional this week. Maybe even longer than this week, depends how embarrassing these unplanned for cries become.

Recent thoughts

So today I had some time to myself and I was trying to think about some of the things I truly enjoy in life, but don't take enough time to indulge in. And you know what I decided? I decided I'm going to indulge in them! That's right! So maybe I won't be getting as much sleep. Or maybe I won't be doing laundry as often. Or I might not even notice how bad we know to go to the grocery. But! But, I will remember to indulge in life's finest delicacies. And what are life's delicacies you might ask?
Well, I'm glad you did, because I've decided to think on what are the finest things to me...and then...I'm going to enjoy them! :)

-It makes me smile to wonder around in a city I dont know or even the city I've grown up in but always can find something new to discover
-I love to sit around the dining room table and paint with music playing from the loft upstairs
-I've found a new love of sitting around reading Nicholas Sparks books in a hot bathtub
-I like finding an adventure to do while I'm on lunch...getting my ears pierced, shopping for a washing machine....something you don't stereotypically do on lunch.
-I'm gonna stick with my goal of two books a month
-i'm gonna add to that goal to have ladies night out with all cares out the door at least once a month ;)
-i will enjoy saving money. i will enjoy saving money. i will enjoy saving money. (and i will keep repeating this to myself until its true and a true habit of mine)
-im also going to take the time and effort to get involved more with the hispanic community and spanish speakers. i miss enjoying spanish. im forgetting :(
-i will enjoy my new hobbies of rollerblading and knitting
-Im going to enjoy my toned abs after continuing with 50 crunches a day.

ok, so this has turned into more of an early new years resolution list. but im going to enjoy these goals and the finer things in life!

kentucky rain.....

Ok, so lots of people have been giving me subtle and not so subtle comments that I'm not posting very much lately :) LOL! So, I decided it had been two months and I should really blog some about what's happening in life for me right now....

Currently I'm interning with the state office of Woman's Missionary Union here in KY. That has been an awesome opportunity for me to have a platform for speaking in various churches and really encouraging churches to embrace more diversity in their church, speaking to Hispanic churches and providing them with resources and support to get their group more involved in missions, and also speaking at several acteens (Christian teen girls) events around the state. It has been pretty cool to see the networking of meeting lots of people from around the state doing some great things for God and also to meet several international missionaries at the National Meeting up in Indy in May. I am about halfway through my internship and starting to be in the office less and less and more out on the streets meeting and speaking with different groups! I love that part of it and am excited to see one group in particular in the south part of Louisville that is growing and seeing their Hispanic church really catch on to the vision of God's Heart for all peoples and are doing something about it in their area! Go Shively! :)
This week I am speaking in a woman's group in a local church that has almost no diversity in their church so please pray that I speak with grace and am not harsh on this group but encouraging them in loving all races that God created.

I am also working full time at Ann Taylor as the sales lead which keeps me busy. Its a lot of fun because I am running into clients and friends from when I lived here in Ky before, small world. Also, a lot of the sales associates and my co-managers are still the same group so its fun to reconnect. Ann Taylor is a huge financial blessing to me as it is allowing me to buy another car. (Sad, for those of you who didn't know I sold my much loved Jeep Wrangler, Isaac, before moving to Mexico) Also, I am moving into my much anticipated apartment August 1st. In the meantime......

Nathaniel is house shopping... Woohoo! Super exciting :) We are really wanting to make sure we start out on the right foot as much as we can prepare ourselves for. He is really good with finances, business and the like. Thank God, because those are areas I am weak and he totally compliments me on. So we are both trying to save like crazy and see what kind of good deal we can get for our first place. :)

And of course, I'm loving all the good catch-ups with friends. I recently went to Bristol, TN with Manecia to go and visit our friend Lindsey. We had so much fun hanging out with her and helping with her two kiddos. Back in April when I first got to the states I spent 10 days in Texas with my roommate from Florida, Hope, having some awesome time together and touring around Texas. That is her and I in the picture at a fun Texas Roadhouse! :) I'm getting ready to travel up to Iowa to attend my cousin Tera's wedding, where I will be sporting a fabulous choice turquoise bridesmaid dress. :) So yep, doing a lot of travel, hanging out with old friends, and finding my place again in Ky...

I think those are the highlights of what comes to mind of what's been the beginning of my season back home in Kentucky....I promise, I'll try and stay more updated on here guys ;)
Enjoy the day you've been given. Heck, even skip a little down the street today, for after all.......
THE LOVE OF GOD IS FOLLY!