bring on 2012!

2011. Probably one of the biggest years of my life. This was definitely a hard and an amazing year. Basically my whole life changed. I became a college graduate and joined the working world. I moved a state west and went from a Colorado culture to a completely different one here in Utah. I had to start paying my own bills J. I had to learn to be far away from my family and friends. I went from being engaged to married to my very best friend. My grandpa got really sick and almost passed away (Praise God he’s still here!). I visited Jamaica. I got a puppy…and talk about a test of patience there. I switched jobs. We bought a new car. And I’ve been learning how to juggle this all with a relationship with God. I can easily say I’m not the same person I was last year, and I hope to say I will continue to change and grow year after year.

 I find it crazy how life never stops, we don’t get any breaks—and I’m pretty sure it just gets busier and busier. I think the biggest struggle I’ve had this year in my walk with God is just keeping my heart engaged in the midst of all the crazy. I was reading my bible, I was going to church…but my mind and heart were so preoccupied and maybe even exhausted that I feel like I really missed out on knowing God’s heart better. Now here we are about to enter 2012, and I get so excited about it, because it restores me and gives me a new mindset that this year is going to be different: that this time I’m not going to let life get in the way. There is something so refreshing about a new year, a new beginning and I really do want this year to be so much better than the last. I’m learning that no matter what life looks like…NONE of it means anything without a meaningful relationship with the One who created it all. I feel comfort in knowing that no matter WHAT happens to me, I know that God has ordained it so. 

I’m not usually big on New Year’s Resolutions because I really don’t feel like they work. However, what is the harm in setting spiritual goals? With this new start of a year I want to set new goals. Goals to grow in my knowledge of who God is, how I can constantly trust Him and pray to Him. I want to KNOW GOD more, with my heart—not my mind. I want to LOVE people better. I want to open my home to people who need it, I want to meet new people at church because they may not know anybody at all, I want to have a more tender heart towards the people I’m closest to. I truly want to challenge myself this next year because we are getting older and more set in our ways, and the only way to change anything is to do simply that: CHANGE. I know it’s only by God’s grace that He can make me a woman who represents Him well—but it starts with me and my desire to be that kind of woman. I want 2012 to be a year where I learn to be a better wife, friend, daughter, sister, coworker, neighbor, etc. And I hope you will join me in this challenge, not because we have to be, but because it honors God when we live according to His Word. And most importantly is because He truly wants to know our hearts.

change, change, chaaaange.

It's been forever since I've been in touch. I guess that's proof that life has been crazy for us. Let's see here...well, for starters, WE HAVE A PUPPY! Darla is the newest little member of our family and we couldn't be more happy with her. We adopted her from the Wasatch Rescue Center where she had been turned in from a puppy mill they shut down. She had two little sisters with her, but we chose her because of her playfulness! She was so little, and now she really is growing so fast! :) Darla has a cuuute personality. She is playful, and absolutely crazy when she's playing under our bed. We usually find her running around under the bed, or in the bathtub licking water. She's been so good at sleeping in her kennel and is slowly but surely getting potty trained. We love our Darla! She's supposed to be a full English Bulldog, but at this point we definitely think she's a mix...we just don't know what of? She's definitely got that adorable bottom lip that sticks out which is totally English bull. So, that has definitely been an adjustment for us, but now we're chugging along just fine. :)



Oh my Darla!



What else is new? Oh nothing much except...I got a new job!! I will (in two weeks) officially be on my "career journey" and working as an Admissions Representative at Fortis College. I'm really excited because it's not only more money but also the experience I need to be able to start building my resume and seeing where God allows me to go! It's such a blessing. So that will be an exciting change! I really am grateful for my time here at the Ronald McDonald House and I urge everyone to help out their local charities by donations or volunteer work. My eyes truly were opened to all that it takes to keep it running. I will definitely want to do dinners for the families and keep in touch with RMH.

I planned my first "girls trip" since being married, and I'm extremely excited about that! My (superstar) friend Erin landed the part as Penny in Hairspray in LA! I am so proud of her and know she's gonna make it BIG in no time. :) Well, one of my best friends Maddie and I will be flying out to go see her in November! Maddie works for Disney so we will also get to go to Disney for free which is also a big bonus! I'm excited to see my old High School girlfriends and am thankful how these friendships have stayed in tact even with distance and different stages of life! How lucky I am! :)



back in our "gangster" days.



Zach has been keeping busy with school and work, and I am still so in awe of him. We've been continuing to pay off his school loans as we go so we don't accumulate debt and it's been going okay so far! I'm really grateful how God continues to provide and provide for us. :)

We were supposed to go to my cousins wedding in October in Missouri, but it ended up being too expensive ($1,000 for both of us to fly there! What a JOKE!) so we can't go anymore. I'm really bummed because I miss my family so much and we won't get to go home for the Holidays. Since I knew I'd be sad that weekend everyone was at the wedding, we planned a little excursion with our friends Tyffani and Dylan to go to Wendover, Nevada (a mini Vegas so I hear!) to stay the weekend and have fun. We are having so much fun hanging out with other married couples and learning from them. I'm thankful for all the friends we've made out here and what a difference it has made in making my whole move here better!

And lastly, the running has continued! I've worked my way up to running in ten minute intervals which is insane when I think that just a month and a half ago I was running one and two minute intervals. So I am signing up for a 5K on Thanksgiving and we are gonna make it happen! It'll keep me motivated especially as my schedule changes and I *may* want to get lazy...I want a reason to keep running and this is the perfect chance.

Well, those are all new things going on in our neck of the woods. Until next time... :)

changes

this monday brings change in the soper household! nothing too drastic, but change none the less. today is zach's first day at the university. he's taking three classes this semester on top of his working full-time schedule and i really admire him for it. he already wakes up between 3:30-4am every morning for work and on top of that he'll have a monday/wednesday afternoon class, as well as tuesday and thursday classes from 6-9. i'm praying a lot for this transition as we still love hanging out with each other all the time, and this will definitely change that a bit. i hope school is easy for him and that it really pays off. i'm proud of him for going back to finish and i really hope he loves it. he's going in for finance and he has 2 years left. i hope it goes by fast and he can get into his career shortly after graduating. :) i am incredibly thankful for the job he has now that not only allows the schedule to go to school, but also pays well for us to be paying rent as well as paying off school as we go. both of us hate the thought of debt and are going to extreme measures to avoid it. :) so far, so good!

another change, not as big--but still going to be a challenge of my own is a diet/exercise plan i'm going on for a good month. today is day one. it's basically no carbs or sugars except you can have toast at breakfast and you can eat the sugars in fruit. i am going to be eating a lot of salads with protein as well as fruits and vegetables. i can have any seasonings i want as long as there are no sugars in them. i'm feeling a little nervous about it, but i've had about a week to prepare my mind for this, and have really tried to "motivate" myself to have the discipline to do it. the reason i want to do this is for many reasons. one, the obvious is that my relationship with zach has made me "comfortable" and i have gained a good 10 lbs that i want off. :) second, i do feel like food can be in many ways an idol even if it sounds weird. i will think about cooking, eating, or even watching the food channel which are all fine things, but i want to remember it's not EVERYTHING. and lastly, i have never had the discipline to do it. if i can be disciplined in this area of my life (which i always find a reason to give in...) then i know i can be more disciplined in my spiritual life as well. its something i need to do to prove that i have a handle of this area of my life, because i've never had to worry about it in the past and now the older i get, the slower my metabolism is becoming.

in addition to the diet, i have started an 8 week running plan that is supposed to build my endurance. for those of you who know me well, know i DESPISE running and can never keep it consistent in my life. well, i am proud to say this week i have accomplished week one which may sound easy but it's all about baby steps. week one i had to go out 3 times and walk 6 minutes and run 1 minute, repeated three times. so sherry and i have been going with her cutie dog amos this past week. this week, it's walk 5 minutes and run 2 and repeat it 3 times. :) anyways that is probably boring, but i figure if i say i publicly and announce it here, then i am held accountable to keep up with it. by the end of the eight weeks, i should be running 30 minutes straight. see, that still does NOT sound doable to me at all...we'll see how it goes. i'm just excited to live a healthy lifestyle, and get in the habit of it all. it's important to me.

this weekend was fun! we had dinner with the toppers and then went bowling friday night with some friends after, followed by catch phrase at the toppers again! saturday was running, grocery shopping, getting our bathtub drain fixed, and hanging with zach before church, then after we went to becki's for a bonfire in celebration of cute kristyn's birthday! sunday i went running again, then rushed home to get ready and clean our house because we had friends coming over for the fantasy football draft! after the draft we ran to chipotle with friends, then spent the night in watching none other than football. :) and now the new week begins, changes welcomed! if you have any no carb recipes please send them my way, and if you see zach please encourage him in his schooling journey! we are so thankful for God and all His blessings, and although we don't know what this semester will look like, we are excited for the challenge.

Tomorrow is our TWO MONTH anniversary of being married! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. :) Definitely my favorite time of life this far!

 

Let's see what to share...this weekend was busy, busy, busy! Friday was a birthday party for Heather and Paige and the theme was "southern" which was so much fun. I made a "spoon bread" which I had never heard of until my co-worker told me about it. What a success it was, considering the journey getting there. I looked at the recipe at work and then ran to the store just for cornmeal. I didn't realize that it called for baking powder which is NOT the same as baking soda. So as I'm in the middle of my recipe and had already been to the store once, I realize that I don't have any baking powder and baking soda cannot be used as a substitute, apparently.  So I looked online for another recipe that didn't call for baking powder and found it. As I was using this different recipe, it called for salt and we only had sea salt (in the bigger crystals) and so I was very worried about that, but I went for it. As it was finishing cooking I layered some cheese on there and it went alright! People enjoyed it at the party which was a BIG accomplishment for me, because people who know me well know that I am NOT good at baking. I think the curse is slowly ending, as I made nutella cupcakes from scratch a couple months ago as well. Plus, I'm starting to like baking since I get to wear my cute little apron! After the party, Zach and I left for some frozen yogurt and quality time together.

 

Saturday was busy from the get-go. I slept in a little bit, and then had to get ready for my pedicure appointment with Sierra and Sherry for Sherry's "birthday" pedicure! Man, my feet needed that and it was pretty cheap too so that was fun! Then we headed to the Gateway so they could get their rings cleaned and I could get my Forever 21 fix. Lucky for my wallet, there wasn't anything I really wanted to try on. After pedi's and shopping, Zach and I had a nice lunch at Squatters where we split a burger and fries. Then we ran to Target and I used the rest of our gift card...we bought yahtzee (we're becoming obsessed, thanks tot he Whitney's!) little 3 lb. weights for my Jillian Michael's DVD, some clothes, and little things around the house. That was fun to get my shopping fix on, because I really was craving some shopping...AND we didn't even have to spend money! That was nice. We then headed home, only for a brief little bit before I had to leave again for a wedding coordinating meeting with Amy and her mom. Raychel and I are having fun with this and we have two weddings in October that we're coordinating. Our dream is to find some money (a LOT of money) and some partners to open up a venue with and Raychel and I will run it and all the other vendors will be a part of it. We know some amazing photographers, bakers, caterers, musicians, pastors, florists, and hair stylists! It really could be a one-stop shop to make things easy...and cheap too! :) So we had fun meeting with Amy and her mom and I feel like things are going to run really smooth for that. I headed home, freshened up and it was time to leave for church. We're serving in children's ministry this month, so we make little lesson plans for the kids 8-12 and it's been fun. It is really intimidating since we don't have any kids and really don't know what we're doing with this age group, but it's a good stretch for us and it's good to serve the church. After church we went to a cute little farm/house that Ten is house-sitting for and we sat outside in a very picture-esque table under a tree where we drank some beer and talked. It was a lot of fun but we got onto the subject of spiders which makes my skin crawl...and this is why...

 

When we got home we were laying in bed talking when all of a sudden Zach stands up and starts touching the ceiling a bunch. "What are you doing?" I ask, and he says there are baby spiders all over the ceiling. I am SOOO freaked out and started pointing out little ones I noticed that I needed him to kill. He evenutally gets all the ones we see, but of course I couldn't sleep well that night! I still look every night when I'm laying in bed to make sure they're gone. Yikes!

 

Sunday we had a football draft for one of our fantasy football leagues. We're each doing two. I am so excited for them I can't even wait! SOO glad football is here! After the draft I had a relaxing afternoon and night at home, while Zach had his other draft with some church friends. I stayed home, watched the CMA concert and Yes Man, and skyped with my long lost lovely friend Allison. It was so nice to feel reconnected, and I'm thankful for Skype! Well, this entry got very long all of a sudden so I am going to end this now. :)

My oh my, we're realizing that married life really isn't slowing us down! We've kept busy with work, friends, and church that's for sure. :) This past week has been pretty crazy. Everything from filling cavities (yuck) to spontaneous date nights to surprise parties to children's church. Yes, last Monday I had to get some cavities filled (don't ask how many) and today I have to finish the other side. Lesson? Don't wait 4 years to get a check up at the dentist. My mistake! On Wednesday, I was planning on cooking dinner but as Zach and I were laying there watching Shark week I just didn't want to cook anymore so we used some gift cards to get dinner and go to a movie which made for a wonderful night. I am so blessed that Zach is up for anything. :) Thursday was our good friend Alex's birthday party so we went to Sugarhouse Park, grilled out, played some volleyball and got to catch up with friends! Friday was another birthday celebration for Kassie, and BOY did we surprise her! We hosted the party at our house and as nervous as I was for all of that, it really turned out well! We started out hanging inside playing our fave game Catch Phrase, and then the party headed outdoor for some more volleyball. I love it! Then we played more catch phrase once it got dark before headed to Willie's bar for Karaoke!! My favorite part had to be watching my husband sing (almost perfectly!) White Wedding by Billy Idol...that's my man.

My cooking adventures have been fun. Not sure if I mentioned this in previous posts but I did cook a rotisserie chicken for my first time. It was so gross cleaning out the, for lack of better words, butt. I was seriously considering becoming a vegetarian as I was doing this, but I made it through and seasoned it and check out the end result! I still have a long way to go with my cooking skills, and I LOVE new recipes so please send them my way. :) Zach pretty much eats anything, but he really appreciates yummy meals. I really love cooking and my schedule at work has been nice because it allows me time to cook not in a rush, and have dinner ready by 5:30 or so. I'm trying to find some ways to cut carbs in dinner because I'm a carboholic and my hips don't love it :) so last night I made black bean soup and that was good! If you have low-carb recipes, please send them my way too. :)

dinner.

Our budget is going pretty well, and we recently found out that Walmart does price matching (where have I been!?). We work on creating a grocery list once a week and going for all the dinners that one time. I've learned so much from being surrounded by such amazing women and families my whole life, so I've had lots of ideas of what I want to do. :) We started buying our groceries in cash with a 50 dollar limit a week. It's been a blessing so far and we've watched God make it happen even with random household items we need.

It's just funny to see how much of my mother really is in me now that I have my own home. I'm pretty anal about cleanliness, and we follow a chore chart so we don't spend all Saturday deep cleaning like the first couple weeks of marriage. Our house is slowly coming together, and every weekend we get a little bit more done. We're having the most trouble with our desk/office nook and it seems like every weekend we're getting a little organized there. We have a lot of important documents coming together so I want to keep them extremely organized.

Finances have been pretty nice for us! We have a 300 payment left to make on the first two months of Zach's tuition loan. And we have all of August to make that payment, so we are treading along! That is a huge relief and God and Zach are both showing me that we CAN, in fact, do this. We're joining our cell phones on the same plan this weekend, and this week I WILL get my Utah license with my Mrs. Name! :) We've discussed plans for things like saving up for a car, and a house someday and I like to hear what Zach has to say. :) He's so smart and I'm glad he's leading our family. And we're getting pretty hungry for a dog...however, our living situation doesn't allow for a puppy. Maybe Zach can talk our landlord into it.

There are other things in the works for us, but we're kind of waiting on God to make things clear...so stay tuned for that. :) You can always be praying that God's will be done in our marriage and lives together and that He continues to lead us and make his will clear so we never step in the wrong direction. We love you guys, and thanks for reading on our happy, struggling lives as newlyweds. :)

Psalm 91:2

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." -Psalm 91:2


fortress: any place of exceptional security; stronghold. (dictionary.com)
refuge:shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger. (dictionary.com)


exceptional security? i'll take it. i'll have to say, despite my almost daily worries and having to literally re-give it to God every morning...God is at work and it shows! if you read our last post, you will know that zach and i are attempting to pay for his school monthly so we don't have a big sum of debt at the end of it (700/month on top of all our other financial responsibilities!). i just want God to get glory in it all and we did experience a few God moments throughout our desperation in praying through all of this. 


well, earlier this week zach's boss approached him as he was leaving and asked him to come into his office. zach went in, not sure what to expect. his boss asked him if his bonus seemed small this last paycheck, zach said yes and his boss handed him a check for $500.00. this was good. :) God has our backs. 


i went to the dentist last week and found out i had a lot a lot of cavities :) the receptionist told me to estimate paying for the first set of fillings to be around 90.00 as my copay. feeling a little nervous about this, i said okay and she said this was a higher estimate but to expect that and she'll let me know later in the week what the cost will be. she recently just called to remind me of my appointment next week and i found out that it is actually only going to be fifty...God has our backs again. :)


and lastly, zach estimated that each semester of school was going to be 3500, and so that is what we took the loan out for but turns out that his tuition this semester is actually only 2350, so once again that is much more manageable. it's been cool to see the fingerprints of God taking care of us. 


although it's still difficult and we're being very frugal, i think we'll be able to get through these next couple years alright. i know God is our fortress and our refuge and He will not let us be put to shame. Jesus is good and He knows what we NEED. i just want God to always get the Glory through this all and i will always open my mouth to tell of His wonderful deeds. 


things are going well for us, we're just learning more and more how to be adults and manage a home and get by. :) i wouldn't want to do it with anybody else, and Zach has been such a rock for me through all of this. that's what's going on with the Soper's recently and we'll be updating you all again soon!

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your actions to the LORD and your plans will succeed."

We have this hanging in our kitchen and boy do I need it today. I think the reality that life never does slow down, and the responsibilities only begin to pile on are really hitting me today. Sometimes, I just long for Heaven and this is one of those times.

For starters, I am extremely dramatic, and I've always been taken care of. Zach has a good head on his shoulders, and really keeps us grounded. :) However, I thought I'd share some things going on in the Soper household.

We began a "payment plan" to pay Zach's schooling while he's still in it, this way we have an interest free loan and we'll be out of debt when he graduates. However, this means we have to pay $700.00 a month for the next ten months, on top of rent and all our other monthly bills. We are going to officially start a cash only budget starting tomorrow when he pulls out the cash. We will be living very frugally, but this verse about gives me peace that our plans will succeed as we commit this all to the LORD. I think He's proud of us for being proactive about it. I pray He blesses us financially, and always allows us to be able to make these payments as Zach and I both HATE debt. I'm glad for Zach to get his education and I am already praying for God to provide a good job for him once he's done. I know that this is life, and it's real and it's hard and it doesn't slow down...but I don't want to waste it worrying. I'm learning to give it all to God and to breathe deep and enjoy what we have, which is so much. I appreciate this time in our lives when we're poor and preparing for our future because it will bless us later when we have kids and what-not. This is such a short period in our lives and I know it'll be over before we know it.

I love being married and there's no place in my life I'd rather be than right here, living a newly wed life with my amazing husband. It's fun to learn, to grow, to be challenged together. Zach is such a hard worker and I know he's determined to prepare for a family someday and I am so grateful for that. Just pray for grace as we are learning all our responsibilities as well as learning more about each other and what's important. God is good and He's with us every step of the way. We feel so fortunate. :)

Hope you all are doing wonderfully!