First of all, ladies, let me give a big THANK YOU for all of you who joined in the fun of bragging on your man! I was so touched, and overwhelmed by the response you showed me in your blog posts, comments, and facebook posts. Thank you for taking the time to celebrate the incredible men in your lives. I teared up as I read many of your lists. You, my readers, are some of my favorite people. Keep on loving on those men. Next week I will highlight one of you gals who linked up, so stay tuned!
Today I am joining Emily in looking back over the last month, and reflecting on everything I have learned in these mere thirty days. January has been a bit of a tumultuous month for me, what about you friends? From everything from teaching ballet classes, glacier cold Midwestern winds, a week of choir tour, my senior year beginning, and more I am a bit pooped. We have almost made it through this month, you and I, let’s celebrate! Here is my roundup of all the things God has been stitching into my heart this month.
- Singing for a Christian Academy in St. Louis may just be one of my all-time favorite collegiate memories. I went on my first ever choir tour, and traveled 3,000 miles in 8 days to sing eight different times. It was exhausting, overwhelming, and incredible.
Photo courtesy of Eryn Jacobsen. - I am even more in love with wrestling this year than last. Warrior Man is an amazing wrestler, and I travel to all his tournaments. Love this crazy group of guys.
- Never take an NFL player bowling. My brother-in-law plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and we took him bowling while he was here. He said he never bowls, and then proceeded to bowl four strikes in a row, the stinker. From this experience I decided that sports are just pretty much out when it comes to spending time with him. Ha! Never again.
- There is such a thing as the perfect wedding dress. And I bought it. I went to four different shops over the course of a couple of weeks before we pulled up in a tiny little town with nary a business to its name, walked into a little shop, and found The Dress. It existed. It exists. And it is now hanging up in a closet at home {stay safe beautiful dress!}. I am so glad I waited until I had the feeling. I am so glad I didn’t buy this dresses’ ugly cousin anywhere else. I am so glad my Mom, sis, and best friends were praying it up, and rooting me all along the way. I am just so glad.
Photo courtesy of Amalia. - You can make just about any recipe with beans. A lack of proper groceries, and the strange accumulation of about thirty odd cans of beans led to this discovery. Lots of cheese, avocado, and tortillas and bean recipes are just endless. Just in case you ever wondered. Now you know.
- Saying no to somebody does not kill me. In fact, saying yes may have been killing me. This year on a dusty country road my Mom and I both decided that this would be the year of no. And boy howdy that one walk has revolutionized my year, and given me a new zest for life.
- Routine is where my contentment lies. After cutting some activities out of my schedule I discovered that I have been craving getting back into simple routines. Just the act of lighting a candle, brewing a cup of hot tea, and reading my Bible every day gives me immeasurable comfort. Routine, and Jesus–it’s where it’s at.
- “We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please” –The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst {disclosure}
What did you learn this month friends? I would love to hear from you! And feel free to linkup to 10 Things I Love About My Man!
Loved this post! Amazing what we can learn. Thanks for sharing. A lot of what I learned is how to get through January and work through captivating those thoughts that hang over my head. And I actually started reading The Best Yes the past couple of days so that cracked me up, too! Love your pictures!
Glad you are reading “The Best Yes”! That is easily one of my favorite books of the year. SO good. 🙂
I really need to learn to follow number 6 more. But it is so hard sometimes to say no. And as for routines, I do love them and they make life much more relaxing and serene. I enjoyed reading this post. You are a very good writer, relaxing with your words yet enthusiastic. Good luck with the rest of your wedding plans. It is an exciting time.
Thank you for the encouragement, Teresa. I am so glad to have you here in my little online living room. 😉 Have the courage to say no sometimes, it is very liberating!
What a month full of adventure and great promise, Bethie! And aren’t you glad that you weren’t so exhausted that you couldn’t enjoy it all. *wince* Here’s the quote that Timothy shared with us, on the subject of “The Year of No”:
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.” — Stephen Covey
The bigger YES! Don’t you love that? 🙂
Wow, LOVE that quote! I think that might have to go on my wall. Just love it. Have you gotten “The Best Yes” by Lysa Terkeurst yet? You should!
Congrats on finding the perfect dress! I know how hard that can be! So happy you didnt have to settle for something else. And yes, I agree that keeping routines simple make for a more relaxing day.
Thanks, Mary! I just about despaired a few times when I thought I was going to have to settle, but I ended up finding the dress at a very discounted price. Double win! Thanks for stopping by.
Point 8 was amazing! So well put. Never heard it like that, but it makes soooo much sense.
Glad you liked it, Ruthanne. 🙂 I have been meditating a lot on that quote this month. It is from a book I highly recommend–“The Best Yes” by Lysa Terkeurst. Give it a read–you will be glad you did!
Hi Bethany,
Loved this post! You definately learned quite alot in January! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Joan! I took a look at your content marketing post, and I learned a lot. That might just make my “What I Learned in February” post. Ha! Enjoy your day.
This is my first time stopping by (from UBC), but you have a lovely way of writing, and I love what you’ve learned. Since you were looking for The Dress, I’m guessing you’re getting married– congrats! I’ll definitely be stopping back again soon. Thanks for sharing those lessons.
I am so glad you stopped by, Doree, and I hope you will be back! I am getting married this summer, and I am both super excited and a little nervous. Ha! I took a peek at your blog, and left a comment. Love your writing style!