Just grateful

  As I sit here in the quiet of our tiny two-bedroom town home while Addie naps, I can't help but feel grateful. And blessed. Not because every day is perfectly scheduled and always goes according to plan. Or because our house is huge and I never feel crowded. And it's not because Addie is the perfect baby and never cries and always smiles. If you follow my Instagram (kghovis) or this blog, I can confidently tell you all those pictures I post can be quite deceptive. In those pictures she is typically always smiling, never messy, and so am I. While I am grateful that Addie is, for the most part, a happy baby, she is not perfect. She cries. Screams too. Sometimes I cry with her. She woke up this morning with boogers on her face, but I didn't think you would have wanted to see it, so I didn't take a picture. In fact, who really takes pictures of the messiness of their life? I've never seen pictures of someone crying after an argument with their husband. I've never seen someone post a pictures of their hair falling out or changing colors because of anxiety. Or never have I seen someone post a picture of themselves with their therapist. Some people only know us from our blog, twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. And those perfectly deceive us. They are good and fun, I use all of them. A lot actually.  But really (for the most part) they reveal the life we want other people to see.

As I began typing this post, my intentions were not to rant about social networks. Really, I was going to tell you how perfect my life is. Just kidding. But back to the first sentence. Why am I grateful? Because Christ has and is continuing to make me so content in the simple, not glamorous, life that I am living. Don't get me wrong. Being a stay-at-home mom is hard. But I absolutely love it. I wish I could say that I never complained about being too tired, or just needing a break, or that my daughter is driving me nuts. I am an imperfect person, I need grace. The first 2-3 months of being a mom, I sometimes caught myself saying "Wow, I am not getting anything done today." I would say this because Addie was being extra fussy or feeding around the clock. But then when I realized what I said, I would laugh. Really? What do I think I need to get done? Dishes? Laundry? Dinner?

Seriously. Would my job be to stay at home and clean and cook if I didn't have a child? No. I would still be teaching. My job is Addie. My first priority is Addie. Yes, I have only one child, so technically my job is cake right now. If I meet Addie's needs, give her attention, prayed for her and loved her well, I did my job. Then I can clean and cook. Or do whatever else I feel necessary. I never want caring for my child become a reason for me saying those words.

I am also so grateful for my home. We have a tiny house, and while I do wish sometimes it was a bit bigger (to host more people), there are so many times when I look around and can't believe we own a house. This place we live in constantly reminds me of God's kindness towards Eric and I. When we bought this house we had no money. It makes us laugh to think about the fact we actually bought a house at the time, therefore, we absolutely know it was God who provided this home.

My heart is full. And it's not because we have a lot of money. It's not because we have a huge house or fancy cars. It's not because our closets are full of designer clothes. And don't get me wrong, just like most girls and well, humans, I find myself sometimes longing for these things. And honestly, when I am longing for those objects I find myself at my most discontent. The reason my heart is full today is because I am marveling in my relationships. Really. I love my husband. I love my baby. I love my friends. I love my family. I love Jesus. And I am just grateful.

Weddings and Fall

Since the last post, life has been crazy busy. School, more weddings, church stuff, etc. Robert, one of Eric's best friend,  got married last weekend in Richmond. It was such a fun weekend, all of our greatest friends in one place!



Four of my great friends (LtoR: Anna, Becca, Ashley, Caroline) with Robert and his new bride, Jessica.

I had the blessing of singing in the wedding and Eric was a groomsman. Half of Eric's groomsman were also a part of Roberts wedding as well! There are four guys who are some of Eric's (and now my) greatest friends and have all been in each other's weddings (for those who are married): Todd, Austin, Robert, and Luke...

At Luke and Caroline's rehearsal dinner: Eric, Robert, Todd, Austin

Our great friends! LtoR: Ashley, Austin, Anna, Becca, Me, Eric, Robert, Todd

Eric and Austin

Austin, Luke, Robert, Steven, Eric

Robert, Eric, Todd, Austin

Anyways, you get the point. I am so thankful for these guy's who have been in Eric's life since high school or early college years. We both love y'all so much! Can't wait for more weddings to come :)


So now about the weather. Can I just say that this cooler weather is putting me in a great mood. I love the seasons, and everytime summer turns to fall, fall to winter, winter to spring, and spring to summer, I ALWAYS get so excited. I love what the new season brings. Just as I get tired of one season, the next one starts. There is nothing quite as good as fall fashion. And I'm not just saying that because it's the season we are entering. I believe that during the winter and summer. This is why.

I love SKINNY JEANS and BOOTS.
I love JEANS always (I have a jean fedish) 
I love SCARVES
I love CARDIGANS
I love my PATAGONIA
I love PUMPKIN SPICE CANDLES
I love BAKING in the fall
I love FOOTBALL SEASON
I love LAYERS
I love THANKSGIVING
I love RUNNING in cooler weather
I love PRETTY LEAVES

I know, I know, a little carried away right? I mean it is only September!

Anyways, it has been awhile since the last post. So a little update on life is necessary.

School has got me super busy and super behind on laundry and cleaning. My running has been behind, with the last two weeks only running 3 times a week! OOPS! I did a little better this week. Brittany and I ran 4 on Tuesday, then I ran 5 on Thursday and 4 on Friday. This sunday is suppose to be an 8 miler.

I have been focusing on my pace with the shorter runs. I just got new running shoes and it makes a WORLD of difference! Everytime I get new shoes, my feet go numb for the first few runs...not good?? The 5 miler on Thursday was SLOW and NUMB. My feet were so numb I thought they were going to have to be amputated....a normal person probably would've have stopped. It probably would've been the smarter thing to do. But I painfully and stubbornly kept going, even if that meant never running again. Okay, a little dramatic. But seriously, that run beasted me.

The Friday run was MUCH better and I ran my best time, which increased by 3 minutes from my previous PR (from this round of training)! Great runs make me really excited to go to Savannah for the half marathon. It makes it even better that I get to go with three great friends, Marie, Jen and Brittany! Running and road trips are so much better with people you love. I'm sad Eric can't go...but neither can Ben, so it looks like me and Brit are sticking together!

Wish me luck for that 8 miler tomorrow!

Blessings

We left Monday for Impact bright and early. Abby, Tucker, and Trevor spent the night with Eric and I, and we all woke up at 4:30am Monday morning to head to Providence. We returned Saturday afternoon from Impact very, VERY tired. We had so much fun and the Lord did great things. The theme was Coram Deo, meaning, In the Presence of God. We talked about everything from resisting temptation, surrendering to Christ, and the dangers of hypocrisy. I completely forgot to take my camera, which is so like me. So you will not get to see any pictures...sorry 'bout that. The Lord did big things this week and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to go, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am, however, definitely glad to be back. Here are some things that I missed while we were gone:

Showering barefoot. Of course camp bathrooms nasty. It is nice to come to home home and shower without putting on shoes, afterall, showers are to get you clean right?

No fear of roaches. I don't know how many cockroaches were killed in our cabin. Praise the Lord Eric and I have never had to share a house with roaches. I don't think I have ever seen one in our house...yet.

Sharing a bed. I'm happy to have my sleeping partner back :)

Shampoo in the shower. I like having my shampoo and soap already waiting for me in the shower, ya know, instead of taking it with you when you want to shower. At home, it's already there.

Good coffee. No explanation needed

Clean feet. I am a snob when it comes to cleaniness in my bedsheets. I don't like having dirty feet at bedtime, but when you are at camp, it is pretty much inevitable.

Although I am glad to be back in my own bed, what is camp without all of these things? A resort, not camp. Here are many things that I will miss from camp:

The dump. No I don't not mean going #2. The band leader, Chris White, led us in a little chant called "the dump." It. was. awesome. I'm thinking about introducing it to my high school students...not sure how that will go.

Hands lifted high. It was an absolute joy to see hundreds of middle school and high school students lifting their hands, praising the Lord. If all I got to see at camp was this, it was well worth it.

Relationships. I LOVED getting to build relationships with the students at camp. Eric and I had such a sweet family group of rising 11th graders, and I grew to love them so much! I also loved spending time with the rising 12th graders that Eric and I currently teach in Sunday School.

Of course there are so many more things that I loved about camp, I could spend all day talking/typing it all. I am so blessed that I got to go.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Psalm 67:1-3