2013 Highlights
In case you haven't kept up. Here is a short summary. Dave graduated from Architecture school in May. He moved to DC first week of June. I missed him, but finished up wedding planning, packing and work -- because he came home a few weeks later and we got married on June 28 and the honeymooned in San Fran and Napa (Napa may now be one of my top 5 places to visit, you should go!) We then moved to DC and after some time as a stay at home wife, I found a temporary position at a lobbying firm. We have started making friends and settling in, even hosting our first holiday meal this Thanksgiving. We went home for Christmas and enjoyed being back in Mississippi, but we were glad to come back to our new home. DC has had its challenges but we are quite happy and blessed here! God has been faithful to us!
My favorite posts from 2013
According to blogger, the posts listed on the left side of this blog are my 10 most popular blog posts. This is obviously true (who can argue with numbers?) but these aren't necessarilly my favorite posts (although some of them are!) So....I thought I would make a list of my favorite posts from 2013 to wrap up this year! Some are from this blog and some are from my old blog. In addition to being a list of my favorite, it's a pretty good summary of what was on my heart in 2013.
1. Singleness, not a distant memory. I wasn't a single all too long ago, so I wrote this post discussing the myth that getting married makes you forget the years of singleness. God doesn't cause you to forget it, but He can and does redeem. Plus, most of my single days were fairly happy so I wouldn't want to forget those days!
2. My lessons as a "Stay at Home" Wife. I had the blessing and sometimes annoyance of staying at home fulltime for our first 2 months of marriage. I am glad I got to spend that time taking care of Dave and learning to be a better wife (although I was glad to get back to work!) I blogged about the lessons learned.
3. In Defense of Working Mothers. I fully support stay at home moms and even blogged in their defense as well. However, I feel its become quite popular to bash working moms these days and I spent a little time defending these hard working ladies. Really, I just think the Mommy Wars are a bit dumb.
4. The Real Weapon Against Abortion. On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I discussed how Christians could really fight abortion. My opinion that it has more to do with love, acceptance and a welcoming spirit than holding signs in front of an abortion clinic.
5. Final Thoughts on Singleness Series. and here, here, here, here, here, here and here. I spent my final couple weeks before marriage discussing singleness, my tips on being a single adult and what I learned. It served as my "final say" from a single persepective.
6. Blessings. This is a post I wrote a day or two before my wedding expressing gratitude for my husband, but even moreso for the blessings of family and friends that had loved me for years.
7. I Love Monday Nights. I love adventure, but I sure do cherish my "normal" with Dave (and my "normal" with friends) This post is about our boring typical WONDERFUL Monday nights. Along those same lines, I blogged about how thankful I was for the ordinary.
8. Thankfulness in all circumstances (even the hard ones!) Who hasn't had to work at thankfulness in tough situations?
9. Thankful for Extras. I am thankful for so many things, one of them being the little extra helpings of joy God gives us.
10. A Thrill of Hope, the Weary World Rejoices! God is good to give us hope when weary. This is one of my all time favorite Christmas lyrics!
11. Confessions of a Newlywed Cook: Sometimes we eat hotdogs for dinner It's true....we both work, it can't be gourmet all the time. I try to mix in a few good homecooked meals with some simple meals each week - like make our own pizza, tacos and yes, sometimes hot dogs.
12. What I've learned about Hospitality in Washington DC We southerners think we have the market cornered on hospitality, but I have been so surprised and touched how hospitable DC can be!
13. Advent: Peace when life has "loose ends" I love advent but sometimes its hard to have peace when life has loose ends. It's so good that we can trust God in the details!
14. The Impossible. How great that we serve a God that can do the impossible and answer impossible prayers!
15. Just the icing on the cake. Romance and gifts are nice, but in a relationship, they are just icing on the cake.
So, maybe I am finally caught up on 2013 and can start focusing on 2014!
I love these roundup posts.:-) Thanks for sharing your favorite posts . . . the one about Monday nights was one of my favorites. Maybe it's a newlywed thing.
ReplyDelete~Emily from The Orange Slate
http://www.theorangeslate.com
@emilyamccord