SNOW!!!

On February 16th, we were headed back from Knoxville and we heard it was snowing in Spartanburg. It had not snowed since we have been here and we had not seen snow since we got married. It was a blast. Here are a few pictures!!

Scentsy Sale!

Hello All!

Just a reminder that this month, the Campus Collection Scentsy warmers are 40% off!! My team (LSU) is sold out but many many more are still available! Click the link below to see if your team is available and you can order directly from there if you wish. These are great for anyone but especially those guys in your life! 

Campus Collection

Kieran's Memory Verse

A couple of weeks ago, Matt got this video from his sister. It's too cute not to post! 

My Valentine!

I know Valentines Day was a couple of weeks ago but I couldn't help but share pics of my Valentine. I got him these!! I think he liked them!

Mom sent us these! We are spoiled! 

We had a low key Valentine's Day. We brought home Zaxby's that night and watched our show "SVU" and then we went to Denney's that Sunday (Matt's choice). It was fun for us :)

Matt, I'm so glad you are my forever Valentine. I love spending every day with you. Always. 

New Etsy Items

There are lots of new wreaths in the Etsy shop! Pictures below. Click the "Etsy" link before to order if you are interested! :)

Out Serving One Another

When Matt and I were dating and in our premarital counseling with our Pastor/Friend, Rick, we kept hearing one statement that really resonated with us. 

If you want your marriage to be amazing, focus your lives on trying to out-serve each other. 

I grew up being taught to serve others and to give selflessly to others. Matt was given a similar upbringing. Even with this background, serving each other in marriage can become hard. 

When we were first married, it was super easy. I mean, it was the honeymoon phase. Practically everything was easy then. For us, serving/out-serving each other may have looked like this:

Matt would scrape the ice from my windshields each morning. 

I would get a yummy treat at the grocery store for Matt. 

Matt would come home with a surprise from an ice cream shop or Sonic. 

I would take out the trash although that was usually Matt's job. 

Matt would make the bed. 

I would have a hot bath ready for Matt when he got home from a hard day. 

Matt would have bath water ready for me when I got home late and he got home early. 

We would each leave sweet notes for each other when we left for work. 

One of us would offer to do the dishes when the other person cooked. 

etc. 

etc. 

etc. 

As time has passed, we haven't stop serving each other but we HAVE stopped serving each other as much as we once had. It also seemed to get harder to serve each other. Honestly, I think that it just became something that we actually had to think about. The honeymoon phase passed. Life got a little busier. 

This week, Matt and I were both sick with the stomach virus. Matt woke up in the night vomiting and such. I stayed up all night with him to take care of him. I also was sick during that time so I was dealing with my own "BLAH". However, during that whole time, I was just thinking about Matt. I was thinking about what he needed. I got him wash cloths, towels, a trashcan etc. 

The next day, we woke up and still felt crummy but we needed some "Sick food" as we have called it. I felt really yucky so Matt volunteered to go to store to pick up what we needed. He didn't complain one bit about the longer list of things we needed. 

Thursday night, after the sickness had passed, we were laying in the bed. I looked at Matt and I said "This sickness made me realized that we haven't been serving each other as much." Matt looked back and his response was "I thought the same thing. I miss that." 

And with that, we both felt a renewed sense of service and wanting to serve. Now the "tough" part comes with walking out what we remember and know in our hearts to do. The best part? Our love for each other will help us to carry it out. 

How do you and your spouse "out-serve" each other? 

Ikea...You've got jokes

Saw this coupon this week. Not sure that it's true but it sure is funny! 

February 2013--101 in 1001 Update

Our Goals

1. Add a member to our family. 

2. Pay off all student loans. (our deadline: 6/30/13) 

3. Visit NYC.

4. Take a long road trip. 

5. Sell something on Etsy  

6. Have Dad's Crawfish in Louisiana.  

7. Take a trip to Louisiana at least once a year. (1/3)

8. Host a holiday in our home. 

9. Go camping.

10. Build a real fire.   

11. Rent or buy a house. 

12. Decorate the outside of a house for Christmas.   

13. Stay at or Visit the Biltmore.  

14. Serve in a soup kitchen. 

15. Grow our own tomatoes.

16. ******* ;)

17. Give an item away each time we buy something new (clothing, housewares, etc).  

18. Go on dates at least every other week.  

19. Complete a blog series together.

20. For one month, don't buy anything extra. 

21. Contact our family members at least once a week.

22. Go to a shooting range. 

23. Go sailing.

24. Get involved in a community service group.

25. Go on a mission trip.

26. Read at least one book a month for a year. (12/12)

27. Start a small business. 

29. Buy a new Christmas ornament each year. (2/3) 

30. Get a massage.  

31. Send a card to a friend or family member just for fun. 

32. Begin a photography business (big or small).  

33. Eat at a local/non-chain restaurant every time we travel. 

34. Visit a new place together once a year. (2/3)       (So far this year...Charleston)

35. Ride in a hot air balloon.  

36. Attend at least one festival a year in the state where we live. (1/3)

37. Stay at a B&B. 

38. Floss more- at least once a week. 

39. Give a 100% tip. 

40. Go see a musical. 

41. Eat a new type of food. (Korean, African, etc)

42. Repurpose a piece of furniture. 

43. Watch a sunrise and photograph it. 

44. Explore secret paths.

45. Do something nice for someone anonymously. 

46. Pick fruit at an orchard.  

47. Get a library card. 

48. Go to a garage sale together. 

49. Celebrate our Golden Birthdays in style! (1/2)

50. Make homemade ice cream. 

51. Learn a new hobby together.

Leslie's Goals

52. Lose my desired amount of weight. 

53. Continue to utilize this blog to document our lives especially once we start having children.

54. Get a Skype account and use it. 

55. Paint something worth looking at (not just a wall)   DONE; I made an altered book for Matt which I'll give him for his birthday in March and painting was involved in that and Let me just say, it's worth looking at!! :)

56. Add at least one cross to my cross collection. 

57. Learn to make the best sweet tea my husband has ever tasted. 

58. Make homemade marshmallows.  

59. Sell/Give away at least one cake or cupcakes that I've decorated for a party/gathering/birthday/etc.

60. Plan a scavenger hunt for Matt. 

61. Bake and decorate each of Matt's birthday cakes. (1/3)

62. Rake someone's leaves.

63. Meet up with at least one other blogger whose blog I read. 

64. Complete a blog series or post about our wedding, including the planning. Just for my own sake :) 

65. Continue mailing out birthday and anniversary cards to our friends and family. 

66. Invite someone to stay with us for a weekend or longer at least once a year. (1/3)

67. Complete a vlog.

68. Go fishing.

69. Make a point to call my closest friends as often as possible, not just texting.

70. Take a continuing education class related to Autism or other childhood disorders.

71. Find a yummy Low Country Boil recipe and cook it. 

72. Take at least one picture of Matt and I every time we travel.

73. When we take a long trip (5+ hours one way), drive so that Matt doesn't have to. 

74. Take a trip to visit a few special friends (we know who they are).   

75. Take a cake decorating class.

76. Read a book, write a blog post about it, and link up with a book club blog. 

Matt's Goals

77. Run a 5k. 

78. Take a photography class. 

79. Take Leslie to an air show. 

80. Make a picture frame out of an old or hand-made window frame.  

81. Go to a college football game.  

82. Get a dog. 

83. Get a new camera lens.  

84. Make my wife cry in a good/romantic/sweet/you get the idea way. 

85. Give Leslie a love letter at least once a month for a year.  

86. Visit Chimney Rock, N.C. 

87. Wear a suit, and look good doing it. ;) 

88. Visit a new, to me, zoo. 

89. Watch the Flyers destroy the Hurricanes in Raleigh (hopefully with Leslie).  

90. Fix something for someone.  DONE; Matt fixed the thermostat in our rental house; I say he fixed it for the landlord, he says he fixed it for me :)

91. Cook something new and exciting. 

92. Swim in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

93. Make something from scratch. 

94. Do something with Granddad. 

95. Journal more often. 

96. Learn all the words to OR learn how to play one of Leslie's "high school days" favorite rap songs.

97. Teach something to someone.

98. Ride a horse.

99. Surprise Leslie with surprises.  

100. Spend an entire day, literally the entire day, in bed. Hopefully not while sick. 

101. Figure out how we will finish all 101 things on this list. 

Ours: 26/51

Leslie: 13/25

Matt: 15/25

Total: 54/101