My First Trip To NYC!!

     Those who know me, know that I have a special relationship with traveling.  I have always enjoyed traveling, but I especially love seeing other cultures even if the different culture is within these United States.  This past weekend, I had the pleasure of FINALLY visiting New York City for the first time and it was such a treat (especially since it was with NY natives).  These pictures give a peak at the enjoyment that I had on the trip.

Mr. Awesome and I Standing In Front Of Madison Square Garden



Being Silly In Front Of Madison Square Garden (Got to love the litter on the ground)

 



My First Time Inside Of A Subway Station (Brooklyn Bound)



Woohoo, Time Square!!




 The 2013 New Year's Ball (I never knew that they kept it for the whole year)


In Front Of Time's Square With My Honey


With NYPD's Finest (To protect and serve tickets)




 


 

      What the pictures didn't show:
               * My first subway ride experience with panhandlers and car hopping.
               * My small walk through Central Park.
               * My first experience with seeing someone hail a cab. :-)
               * My first view of the new WTC Tower and Statue of Liberty
              
     I really enjoyed my first experience in New York and would love to go back when we can stay overnight, but for now I was ecstatic to be a New Yorker for a day.

The Man In Our Lives

     Of course, Mr. Awesome is the apple of my eye, and as much as I want to think that I am the only female in his life, I do have to share. :-). 

 Our Anniversary Weekend In Washington DC






Mr. Awesome and Mini-Me On Their Way To A Daddy & Daughter Date

 

Mr. Awesome and Niece On Their Way To "Uncle & Niece Date"

 

     Of course we cant forget momma, who held Mr. Awesome's heart before any of us came along.  However, I don't have a picture of just the two of them. 

 

Career, Family, or Both??

     In a world where there is the attitude that a woman can "have it all", I feel like a bit of a dinosaur.   Yes,  I once believed the "have it all" hype during a certain time in my life, but quickly realized that the God-given design for womanhood was different than the worldly definition.  Sure cooperate careers are nice, but are the overtime hours worth the time that you miss with your spouse?  Is being a woman who "has it all" leaving you with enough time to teach your children the ways of God?  Does being a single woman who "has it all" mean that you are properly prepared to be a helpmate?  As much as I feel fulfilled and productive in my career, my ministry as a wife is far more important to me.  I know that my place in the lives of my Bonus daughter and niece also has such a high calling that there is not enough money to be made to buy all of the material "stuff" that they could desire while leaving them with nothing more than a materialistic pacifier. 

    A lot of times at work, I get questioned as to why I only work part time.  Some of the times, I don't feel up to explaining, but other times I use it as an opportunity for enlightenment.  For me, I would much rather have more time at home to do those things that are important for a Christain home life.  I want to have more time to serve my husband and to be there for my bonus daughter and niece. Yes, it sounds old fashioned and like a notion that is against the American dream, but I know that in the end, what I do for my family will matter more. Yes, the money that I have been blessed to make outside the home is nice, but what does it matter if I see my co-workers more than my family? What does it matter if my family gets less of my talents than those that I share no relationship with? At the end of my explanation, I usually get a blank stare and then I hear, "Wow, I wish that I could do that."

Birthday Reflections

     It is birthday season around our home.  Three of us share the month of October for our birthdays, so needless to say that it is a busy (and expensive) month.  Of course, I had the pleasure of starting the season off and I must say that it was a blessed day. There were plenty of Happy Birthday greetings, breakfast in bed, lovely presents, and a trip to my favorite restaurant, Cheesecake Factory, with my hubby and some good friends.  I felt blessed through out the day, but I also used the day to reflect on the many ways that I have been truly blessed throughout my years of life.  God has given me so much ranging from salvation to my health and strength to my wonderful hubby. As I reflect on those things, I can't help but wonder if I am doing enough with my blessings.  Am I giving enough in a way that is pleasing to God?  Am I reaching out to the hurting and the lost in a way that is pleasing to God?  Am I living a life as a "living sacrifice" as God would have me to do?  With these questions, I pray and reflect and know what I need to work on.  After all, I am here for his glory.  As I welcome a new perspective into my life, I also welcome a new addition to the family for my birthday!

2nd Anniversary Reflections



   As Mr. Awesome and I recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary of wedded bliss, I could not help but to reflect on the things that I have learned and the ways that I have grown through our 2nd year.  Two simple terms that I used to describe our first year was "love" and "adjustment" and I must say that it has been no different for the 2nd year.  The following is a sum of how I have developed as a wife and mother figure.
*  Love.  With each day, I have fallen more and more in love with Mr. Awesome.  I am so thankful
    for the person that he is and the leader that he is for our family.
* God's Plans. The biggest lesson that I learned during our 2nd year is that we can make all of the
      plans that we want to, but it is God's plans that prevail and we must leave our hearts open to
      the assignments that he gives us. This has been the biggest struggle for me as it has shown me
      that I have not fully turned my plans over to God.
* Delegation.   As the lady of the house, the self-inflicted feeling that I needed to wear the big red 
     "S" on my chest was making me feel that I needed to take care of all 2600 sq ft of our living 
     space.  I was blessed to receive some much needed advice from 2 fellow wives/mothers who let
     me know that I needed to delegate some chores and house details to the ones in our home who will
     one day be wives and mothers themselves.
* Letting go of the minor details.  Naturally I am what my husband calls a passive Type A
     personality and I thrive on details and my schedule calendar.  Being married and raising my
     Bonus daughter and niece has helped me to realize that although it is very important to keep a
     prompt schedule and pay attention to details, it is also important to live in the moment.  I have to
     relax a little more and not worry as much about the small stuff.
* The Capacity To Love.  When we added our niece onto the equation at a time where I was still 
     trying to get a handle on mothering, I was not sure if I had what it would take to love another
     child while I was still learning to love my Bonus daughter, but God put in my heart what I
     needed.

    Although this list is not all emcompassing, these are some of the major things that I have learned.  I am thankful for our two years of wedded bliss and I look forward to our 3rd year and all that it has in store. Although we are not perfect, it is important to realize that marriage is made up two imperfect people and a perfect God.
 

It's Our Anniversary !!

    It is hard to believe that just two years ago, Mr. Awesome and I were exchanging vows.  It has been a very exciting, uncertain, blissful, stressful, and overall blessed time.  On the day that we were married, I could not imagine my heart being more full of love, but it is.  Last year we took a cruise to celebrate our first year anniversary and this year we took a trip back to Washington, D.C. where it "officially" began for us.  There we stayed for a couple of days and had dinner at the place that we had our first date, Georgia Browns.   Take a brief look at our trip.

Mr. Awesome is doing all of the driving as he usually does ;-).

Going into our hotel room

 

Wow, a jacuzzi!!  However, the jacuzzi experience was not nearly as romantic as it appears to be in the movies.  It was not what we thought.

 

 

 

Just Being Silly

 

 

 

We found this place and fell in love with the food.  They have a lot of fresh foods that are actually healthy.

 

Mr. Awesome had the Chicken Pita and Potato Salad

 

This was my first time trying a salad with Tabouli in it.  It was so yummy that I ordered it again the next day.

 

In May of 2010, we had our first date here and had to come back to relive the experience.

 

 

Before our feast.

 

 

 

He practically ordered the same meal that he did during our first time here.

 

And so did I ;-).

This is one of the sights that we saw near all of the monuments.  I couldn't get good pictures because we were not walking.

 

 

My homemade Edible Arrangements.  I think that I will just order one the next time, LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letting Yourself Go

     During the time that Mr. Awesome and I were engaged, someone said something to me that I thought was interesting.  I was wearing a pair of grey colored, suede, high-heeled boots that I really liked and this individual looked over to me and asked me why I was wearing the boots.  Her response to asking that question was that she felt  I shouldn't be wearing those types of shoes due to the fact that I was no longer on the market.  I found this baffling and wondered why she felt that I needed to change my style of shoes, let alone style of dress, just because I was getting married.  Does the fact that I was going to be walking down the aisle mean that I needed to switch my appearance to a more frumpy look?

     Unfortunately, she was not the only one who tried to push that mindset onto me.  I have heard different things suggesting the fact that since I am married now, it no longer matters how I look or keep myself.  I could not disagree more.  I do not consider myself a fashionista, but I do have a healthy sense of how I keep my appearance, for myself and for my husband.     The way that I put effort into keeping myself up before marriage should be the same amount of effort  that I put in after the wedding vows.  Now, I must admit that the hustle and bustle of daily tasks (especially with the children) has made it a bit more difficult to keep things up and I can now understand how some wives and mothers do find it easier just to throw on a pair of sweats.  However,  does that give us a right to let things go?  I have re-prioritized a few things so that I can continue to take care of things the way that I did prior to the I Do.  I know that there are many wives who feel that once the ring goes on, the husband should accept (without question) the scraggly robe with the hole in it and the granny panties that cover the entire back, but is that right?  Just as we want him to continue to do the things that he did to attract us, we should be willing to do the same.  Now am I saying that we should not be comfortable in our own home?  No, but we can still be comfortable while adding a nice attractive flair to it.  Don't our husband's deserve that?  Yes, sometimes I do not get out of my workout clothes before Mr. Awesome comes home and sometimes my hair is "in progress", but I do try to  give him a pleasing site when he comes through the door.    Sometimes, the schedule gets full and it is not always easy, but I feel that investing in myself is beneficial.....................  On the flip side , I have never experienced how it is to try to keep from letting yourself go when there is a little one who constantly showers you with every body fluid possible and robs you of a personal nap.  Hhhhhmmm.