I have been having visions of traveling dancing through my head. Chris interest of study is proving to be a interesting one and full of all sorts of interesting internships and such that he can do.He recently got a email about a 8 week  internship in Kenya next summer which is through some government program,he would be studying carnivorous animals and would be living in a tent,sounds exotic doesn't it? I am not sure how I would survive without him for 8 weeks but the money he earned would have to go towards me going over there and seeing him.:)
Another program we are checking into is the Boren Award which looks fascinating and you get paid to do it,but the catch is you have to pay back a year of your services to the government.I am all over this one,but Chris not as much.:)

School is going great! I love it and am so glad I actually enrolled.:) English is great and I LOVE American Government and am learning a bunch.I am also getting to know kids from school which is great,one girl in particular I am hanging out with a bit,she is super nice and it is fun sitting with her at class.

Just read  this is a amazing book! It made me really think about life and how fragile it is,not just that but what kind of legacy would I try to leave my children if I was in his shoes? It was a easy read but had a lot of meat to it.Some of the language I am not crazy about though.

I also gobbled up again.I have read it several times and yet still love it.I do not think it is quite up there with 'Jane Eyre' but it is excellent and I can relate to it.

Holidays are happy days.

I am relishing having tonight off of school as it gives me extra time to work on the house and catch up on everything else that I have been falling behind on. I am also hugely relieved because I have most of my rough draft for my English paper done and it is not due until Wednesday so that is a huge weight off of my shoulder.

This week is shaping up to be another crazy week full of work,school,playing the piano on Sunday and getting my house ready for one of Amanda's bridal showers that I will be hosting. I am going to be having Friday's off instead of Wednesday as we are switching our gluten free baking day which I think will be for the better,it still makes for a long week though.:) On my day off I am going to go with Chris to school and do some shopping while he is there and then hopefully sometime we can go to the gym and have fun.:)

I am trying to keep on top of couponing and staying on a budget,so far so good.I set aside $40 a week for groceries and household items and so far I usually have money left over at the end of each week,granted we do not go out to eat much (less then once a month) and we do eat at his parents or my parents 1-3 times a week so that helps the grocery bill for us,I am sure both sets of parents haven't seen to much of a decrease in their food bill since we have moved out....

I have been starting to collect some free stuff I have gotten here and there and am thinking about donating it to the local food pantry but I am wondering if their is perhaps someone in the church or something that could use some of the items,not sure how I can find out but I have this nagging feeling that their is so much need even in the church and we should be helping one another out more.

'Tis the last days of summer

What craziness that summer is almost over and yet in some ways I am looking forward to Fall with cooler weather,school starting and all sort of adventures around the corner.
School starts for me on Monday which I am VERY excited and only a tad nervous about.I have wanted to go to school for some time now and it feels great to be moving forward and not just talking about it. I really owe a lot to Chris who encourages me and believes in me when I do not believe in myself. I have always been a bit of a dreamer but Chris helps me to act on those dreams and not let fear get in the way,he is a such a big support and that along with many other reasons is what makes me love him so much.:)

I have been have almost too much fun with couponing and watching deals.On our date day yesterday Chris was a perfect angel and went to CVS and Walgreens with me twice so we could get those great deals in the picture.I spent $10.13,saved $44.11 and on average spent .78 cents on each item.Not too bad considering that we certainly use shampoo,conditioner,deodorant, razors and toothpaste.The candy we do not *need* but it was pretty cheap so it was hard to resist and Chris tore into it right away.:)
So I am officially addicted to couponing and saving money,it is great fun to see how much you can save and I am hoping to do my weekly CVS,Walgreens and Target once a week while Chris is at school.

Our date day yesterday was so much fun! We went out to eat at  Grunauer which is a Austrian restaurant that is fairly new to the area.It was super good and we had a grand time eating and talking.We then went to the Genealogy library and had fun looking up family.We have been going over family history since we started courting so thought this would be the perfect free date and it was! We are wanting to go back once we gather up more information on both sides of the family.

I have been checking into studying abroad,maybe it is just one of my many dreams but it is something I have always wanted to do and with both of us being in school at the same time it is a possibility. I was looking into scholarships and their are quite a few available so it has gotten my hopes up and even though I am trying to not dream too much it is exciting to think about.If we did do it we would probably go to either New Zealand or Australia as Chris would have a lot more to do in the Biology field plus I would love it.
Who knows what the future hold but it is exciting to think about!:) 

'Wherever you are,be all there.Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God' Jim Elliot

Making time for each other has to be in our experience one of the essential things to work on as newlyweds.It is insane to think how quickly our time is gobbled up and how their are a million things to be done.I think keeping us busy is one of Satan's greatest tools to destroy a marriage and it is easy to see why,when you are too busy then you do not tend to meet each others needs and connect not to mention the only time you see each other is at night and then you tend to be tired and a bit unreasonable.:) Needless to say Chris and I have had our share of allowing busyness to invade our lives and the results have not been good so we are trying to make time for each other and cut out unnecessary things in our lives.

We were able to go to the reunion for a day this week and it was incredible,the classes and the preaching was awesome and just what we needed.The fellowship was wonderful too.I informed Chris that I really did not know that many people at the reunion but Chris begs to differ as it seemed like everyone was saying 'Hi' to me,so he informed his Dad that I told him I did not know anyone and his Dad (who comes across as quiet but has a amazingly quick wit,he is a lot like Chris) was like 'If I said I did not know anyone I really would not know anyone but if Bethany says she does not know anyone it means she only knows half of the people' which might be fairly close to the truth.:)
I gained even more respect and awe of Chris's parents this week as Chris and I were in charge of watching his siblings in the evening at reunion which was a bit of a chore.Being outnumbered (5 to 2) and then having 2 little friends tag on making it 7 to 2 was a bit of a challenge but Chris's siblings really do listen very well and are darling but Chris's parents have done so well with them and I applaud them and think that they are a great example of missionaries as they took on 5 kids with various needs and have taken care of them and given them so much love,it hasn't always been easy but the evidence of what a blessing it has been to the kids is so evident in their lives it is beautiful and reminds me that to truly live for Christ is put others first and to die to oneself which is truly what Dad and Mom D. have done,I can only hope that I can be so selfless.


Chris and I are trying to find the balance between his being introvert and my being a extrovert as far as socializing even though Chris is actually more social then I thought he would be but that is because we are trying to cultivate friends who are couples that we both enjoy which so far has worked out quite well.The really neat thing about the couples group we belong to is that almost all of us are getting married this year! It is pretty amazing how things work out so we will all be celebrating our 25th,50th,etc anniversaries together.It does give us a special bond I think and I know that I for one find myself praying for each of the couples a lot that we will all be able to have godly marriages and be a strength to each other as marriage is not easy and it is certainly under heavy attack in this day and age.

So many blessings

Life has been crazy busy here lately and I am so looking forward to this week being over,not so much for myself but for Chris who is doing finals this week so he has of course been stressed and it seems like everything else is needing to be done this week on top of finals (but life is always like that,isn't it? When it rains it pours).
But despite the busyness of life we have been incredibly blessed here lately,I need to be better about recording my blessings so I will share a few here.

First off we are incredibly blessed to have another vehicle which is heaps more fuel efficient then our Suburban.We kept looking for a Honda or a Toyota but even for older vehicles they were a bit pricey so a friend of ours (and our mechanic) was saying how good Saturns are,they are nothing special but he has owned 5 of them and has not had any big problems with them so we starting looking at Saturns and very quickly found a 2002 Saturn which was in our price range and had low mileage,plus it was very fuel efficient. So we bought it and now  it is getting some repairs and we are *hopefully* going to be getting it this weekend which we are very excited about.:)
Another huge blessing as far as the vehicle goes is that Dan (they guy who is fixing it up for us) was able to find all of the body panel parts for the car that we need for the price of what one would of cost new,talk about a huge blessing for us and we will be saving A LOT of money thanks to that blessing.

Another huge blessing is that we got some reimbursement for school so we set that aside and now how our emergency fund set up as well as 3-6 months of savings so that is pretty exciting.We may not have much but at least we have money in the bank which is a good feeling.:) 


I am also very,very blessed with a fabulous husband,sure we have our fights and we both are not anywhere close to perfect,but he is very sweet and always tells me that what makes him happy is when I am happy,and he really means it.:) Today my darling husband tried to get up ever so quietly and turned off my alarm so I could sleep in and then he was going to make me breakfast in bed but I got up too soon.
I feel incredibly blessed to have such a sweet and thoughtful husband,God is good!

Less is more.

Here lately I have been spending a considerable amount of time online trying to figure out how to maximize our money and to save on our grocery bill.I love a challenge and enjoy researching and trying to find the best deal possible,this is totally up my alley and I love doing it.:)
It is wonderful to me to know that so many others have done exactly what I am doing,have learned a lot and saved even more. I feel so blessed to have the internet where you have the world and every-ones work at your fingertips.
Right now I am enjoying this website
http://moneysavingmom.com/http://moneysavingmom.com/

it has excellent ideas,tips and is very helpful in saving you a lot of money which I am very excited about.

Another thing I really like is that the lady who does moneysavingmom has been in a similar boat as Chris and I are in now.She got married while her husband was still in school and she worked hard to help put him through school and not go into debt  which is something we are striving to do. So it was very encouraging to me to read how they made it and survived and even after he was done with school.

I am such a dork but the other day it made me really excited to think of how if Chris and I learn to live on less then once he is out of school and is (hopefully) making more money and we continue to live on less think of all we can sock away into savings! And if he is not able to find a fabulous job right away we will be alright too as we are not planning on changing our living standards regardless of what kind of job he gets.
We know a young couple who are expecting their first child this month and at the same time will be paying their house completely off,which I find VERY inspiring and is something I very much want to do.
And very often I have to remind myself that I need to be saving and not spending on silly things,I do not need anything but so often I think I *need* something.Going through Dave Ramsey was one of the best things we did for our pre-marital preparation and is something Chris and I agree on and are committed to.

Mad ramblings

I am so happy to finally be reading more again.After being so busy with wedding plans and trying to get everything together it feels so delicious to once again be diving into reading. I was quite afraid my brain had turned to mush.:)
I am currently reading 'A Severe Mercy' by Sheldon Vanauken which is a excellent true life love story and the fact that Sheldon was a friend of C.S. Lewis certainly does not hurt anything.:)
I really like how Sheldon and Davy (his wife) had a 'Shining Banner' in their marriage and how they set out goals from the very start on ways to keep their marriage going strong,a proactive approach which was ingenious.
So it is inspiring me to do better about not getting busy with life and letting Chris fall in my priorities which even now is easy to do as it seems like life has already hit us full force and  sometimes it seems like I barely see Chris. So just being reminded about what is really important and being reminded to up our own Shining Banner is what I am gleaning from 'A Severe Mercy' so far.

Chris and I are looking for another vehicle,a more fuel efficient vehicle  as even though we both love Lysander (our beloved Chevy Suburban who I affectionately named from 'A Midsummers Night's Dream' which is character Chris played when he was in grade school) he really does not do good things to our budget as he is a horrible gas guzzler.But Chris does need him for mowing so he is a necessity,we just have hardly gone anywhere because he gets 14 gpa on a good day.
So we went to the Tow Lot auction on Tuesday and got nothing but are looking at craigs list and are praying to find the best car for us,right now we are thinking a Honda Civic or Accord but whatever comes along would be fine.:)

I have been thinking a lot here lately about what opportunities I have to share with other about Jesus and how many I have not grabbed a hold of for fear of being labeled 'weird' or 'strange' and yet some of the people I admire the most are people who are valiant in their testimony and are excellent witnesses.They do it in such a way that is genuine and real because God is a BIG part of their lives so it spills over and they can't not share about Him.
So it makes me want to strive to be a better witness and a real,genuine Christian not a phony,their are plenty of them around,but someone who is known for being loving,kind,gentle,willing to help anyone,not judgmental and real.I have so far to go but that  is what what I  want to strive to be.

Updating our Kitchen

So we have been very,very blessed with a gorgeous house that is so wonderful and I love it so much but one of the first things I am dying to do is do something about these very dated and ugly cabinets! Chris is very much against painting wood as he likes the look of natural wood but even he is in favor of painting these cabinets so that tells you just how bad they are.:)
So we are thinking that we will be painting them in hopes that they will make them better and between that and changing out the hardware on them they will *hopefully* look quite nice.
Of course we are going to be doing this on a very tight budget which I have to keep reminding myself of as I am looking up websites for ideas as some of those kitchens are simply gorgeous but cost a arm and a leg for sure,this website http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/kitchen-remodeling-ideas-how-to/kitchen-designs-design-ideas/french-country-kitchen-decor-designs.htm had me drooling for as I am hoping to decorate our kitchen in a French Country theme,but all of those kitchens are anything but budget friendly for sure.:) Methinks I need to be looking at more budget friendly websites.....

Oh,here were some very good ideas and this one http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Kitchens/My-1700-kitchen-makeover/detail.esi?oid=6367509 only cost $17 and it looks really cute.I am inspired.:) These two http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Kitchens/A-Romantic-Vintage-Kitchen/detail.esi?oid=13218367 and http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Kitchens/Cottage-kitchen/detail.esi?oid=14014991 are really cute too although I am not sure I would have the cabinets without doors and your dishes showing,it is a really cute idea and but I am not sure I am that daring.:)

So I have visions of a new and improved kitchen floating through my head.If anyone has any ideas,suggestions or websites they just love I am open to hear them.Especially if they have anything to do with saving money.

Zion for others

Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee; or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 41 And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me' Matthew 25:35-41

Chris and I read this passage of scripture in our devotions this morning as we are going through the New Testament together (we started the reading in Matthew the day we got married and have been pretty diligent in reading every morning,I hope we continue to keep it up!).It is always fascinating to me how with God their is no coincidences and how after reading that in the scriptures today and then coming across this website http://www.hopechest.org/sex_cafe-in-moldova/
which is insight-fully and yet horrible at the same time.To think that these poor innocent girls are sold into such a horrible lifestyle and against their will! To think that all of this is done in the name of greed and lust.It is disgusting and it is all to real.

With reading that article and watching 'Blood Diamonds' last night it makes you realize how much wickedness their really is in the world,something that at times I can almost block out because I have been so blessed and have seen a lot of good.And when you read such things it makes me want to do something to make it better and while I can send money,heighten the awareness,etc, I know that the greatest thing I can do in my life is to seek to bring Zion and to work towards establishing it here on this earth because only then will the greed,corruption and great wickedness stop.Only when we are living by the Celestial laws will things be as they should,as God created and only then will the tears of sorrow cease and will be replaced by joy.

So as I ponder what has been laid on my heart today I realize that their is a whole world dying for the light of what I so selfishly hide and that not for myself should I seek Zion but for others,for the young girls who have their innocence stripped from them,for the children who know nothing but hate and war and for a world that turns a blind eye to these things and does little to change them.

The start of something new

Here I am starting yet another writing endeavor,Chris really thinks I should have enough of a outlet for my writing between keeping up on Facebook with people and writing in my journal but I am finding yet another thing that I thought I *need* to do.:) Only time will tell if I actually keep up with it very well but I will try my hardest.

It is interesting how much newness is involved with getting married,you have the newness of being around someone 24/7,the newness of being in your own home,the newness of no longer being single,of putting your spouses needs before your own,of being on a budget and so much more.So it is a very exciting time but I am learning so much too! Some lessons are easier then other.:)

I am convinced I have the most amazing husband ever,even though Chris informs me that I am totally biased but he is pretty darn amazing.On Friday night I was not feeling too good due to overeating on fried fish (again,you would think I would learn) so I went downstairs to empty some contents out of my stomach and my darling husband instead of staying in our warm bed he came down and rubbed my back as I was hurling.So he made me VERY happy by doing that.Oh,and did I mention that he gets up EVERY morning and makes me breakfast? I am one very happy girl.:)

I bet get off and be social with my husband,although right now he is watching a National Geographic movie about being a National Geographic photographer as that is his dream job.:) So I am off to dream with him....