Out of the Ordinary

Rolling with the motions. The routine of everyday. It becomes so easy to get used to a set schedule. A set mind-set. Get up, go to class, go to work, come home and make dinner, write a paper and reply to a discussion board post, drain in front of the television and go to bed. Get up the next morning and repeat.

Life can be so chaotic at times and it is almost nice to not have to think so much when you have a set schedule.

It can be so easy to become cynical about everyday life. You get used to the fact that bad things are going to happen at some point and it almost doesn't surprise you when it does happen. The thing that Austin has taught me is that not everything has to be as horrible as we make it. We can deal with angry customers and people all day long and it is fairly easy to let them influence our days too. It takes a strong minded person to not let the pressures of everyday get to us. Car troubles, friend and family troubles, career and education worries, financial stresses, and other things happen on a daily basis that we can't always control.

I came across this post from a very talented writers' blog and I found such inspiration from this, even though I am not the most religious person you can find:

"These are some of my absolute favorite hints that the seasons are changing. Little clues, that fall is coming and winter is not far behind. The best part is when it's still summer, still summer, still summer, and then one morning...it's fall. There's no exact date, there's no way to tell for sure when it will happen, it just...happens. I love how it parallels God's nature and is an illustration of who He is. 

When we are praying for something to happen or change, there are often signs that things are shifting. However, we're still in the summer's heat of a problem. We're still in the midst of the hardship. We still don't have a job, we're still sick, our loved ones still aren't saved. It's easy to become cynical that things will always be this way. But God has designed things to only last for a season. 

It's a set amount of time that only He knows, but it WILL end. I love how C.S. Lewis put it, "Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different?" That's why I love fall so much. It's an illustration and testament that the Creator of the universe uses to point us to Him. To remind us that, though we be in the midst of a trial, it's not a permanent situation. We will never change the seasons on our own, but God will change it when the time is right. No sooner and no later.

Seeing the signs of fall this past weekend in Prescott did my heart so good! It was the perfect reminder that God is at work, things are changing, and to stop and enjoy the moments we are given. Don't lose heart if you are dealing with an issue or challenge. Soon you will be looking back on it. Soon...it will be fall."

click here to read more from this amazing lady! Austins' sister, Rachel, is an amazing writer who inspires, encourages, and gives great tips!

I never realized that I focused on all the little, negative things so much that it was affecting other aspects of my life too. My relationships with my family, friends, and the love of my life were all punching bags to the things that were happening to me. It's easy to let that happen to the ones you love because you know they will always be there for you when you need them to, but sometimes, it's hard to see how intense we may be acting sometimes.


It wasn't until recently that Austin helped me realize that my life had become a routine. I wasn't doing anything fun or out of the ordinary and it was making me go insane. I was just doing what I had to do and not what I wanted to. I looked on Pinterest for crafts and things to do with free time, but I never did anything with it. I love to bake, but I stopped because so many other things became more important. But I am realizing now that it's the things we don't think are important that are the most important. Doing something nice for yourself every once in a while.  

I resurfaced my old, ugly, lamps into something more fitting and modern for my space.

My handsome Director filming a short film in the living room at 12 AM.

Although there are no pictures of me (since I was behind the scenes taking pictures) I made my debut in this short film as a 'concerned neighbor who faces her death by the hands of this guy'. He does NOT like cheese pizza!

The last poor soul who brought him a cheese pizza.



Austin and I worked together and baked cupcakes and made home made cream cheese frosting. Something he had never done before and something we had never done together. Not to mention it gave us the excuse to make a mess in the kitchen, laugh like there was no tomorrow, and re-connect on a creative level. :D

After doing these things, I felt SO much better about everything. It was like some of the weight from everything that had been going wrong had been lifted from my shoulders. It helped bring me and those people who did these things together closer. The bad times do pass; all the bad times are meant to teach us a lesson. Austin and I are taking the challenges that we are being given and working through them to become stronger for each other. It is all one big test and I know we can make it through all of them together as long as we both work to hold up the other one when we are down or when things aren't going right. Without those hard times to work through, where comes the improvement? We want to be the best people we can be and to be the best we can for each other. Things do change and get better as time passes! I promise!

Our new goal: to come up with fun, different things to do together and for ourselves every once in a while. It mixes up the ordinary and gives us an excuse to laugh and be together!