My New Wife Life

The Goodbye Post

2012-08-01T08:56:00.001-03:00

One day a few weeks before we moved I was sitting at my desk at my old job and it started to rain outside. The clock read 11:27 a.m. and I thought to myself it shouldn’t be raining. You see, it had rained at exactly 3:00 p.m. every day for the past two weeks. The fact that the rain came early is not life-altering in the slightest, but it comforted me. In a weird way, I think God was reminding me that even when the timing seems off or when events seem to happen out of order, He is still in control.

Mr. Robinson was ready to serve God and go anywhere he felt led to go, and I was holding us back. I was comforted by a familiar environment and fearful that God had not given me any talents that I could use beside my husband – and I did not want to leave my home. My husband was ready and willing from the start, but it took me a little longer. Eventually and all of a sudden, I was ready. I felt the call and I felt at peace, and to stick with the metaphor…it started to rain before I was ready. God is so good like that, isn’t He? Thousands of things had to fall perfectly into place and when they did, life as we knew it would never be the same.

With everything changing, it seemed only natural to me that I would start a new blog. I’m so happy that I started My New Wife Life last October, and because of this I was introduced to such an amazing community of supportive women that I consider my friends, even when others can’t seem to understand. I’m still a new wife, but it’s different now. When we first got married, we were seeking the “American Dream” complete with a big house, adorable dogs, and desk jobs. It’s the life I thought I always wanted – I wanted to be settled. It was a typical life. But now? There is a good possibility that we’ll move around a lot and never have a forever home, and that’s okay. My home is where my husband is…my home is where our Lord leads us to go….and that’s okay. It will be an adjustment, it will be an adventure, it will change everything, and I hope you’ll follow us on our journey through seminary and through whatever happens next. Except now, we'll be here. Along with the new blog, I've created new everything. I have a new blog address, new e-mail address, new twitter, a new Facebook page...the works. Exciting stuff. I hope to see y'all around. :)

Bosom-Buddy Guest Post #4

2012-07-26T10:00:00.000-03:00

hello friends of mrs. robinson! i am so excited to be here today while she is on vacation! lucky her.. huh? definitely makes me excited for my vacation - but i have to wait until december. i've never wanted to rush winter - but with the combination of this drought and extreme heat warnings.. winter is looking pretty wonderful right now!

i should probably introduce myself a little bit.. :)

my name is jennifer and i am the author of one43. i like to describe myself as this..

i have a passion for christ. relationships are my hobby. i'm a coffee addict. happily married to my best friend. i love to be creative in every aspect of life.

here are some photos of me and my best friend/partner in life!

my faith is so important to me. something i'm continuing to grow in and always up for openly talking about with others! :) today i wanted to talk about something that i struggle with.. something that i consider to be one of my weaknesses. my desire to is be real. to be open, honest and genuine with all my readers. so here it is - grab a cup of coffee, tea, soda, water.. or whatever your beverage choice is and let's talk about women who pray!

what does it mean to be a woman of prayer? what is the importance of a prayerful woman? how does one become a woman of prayer?

these are questions i ask myself daily.. prayer is one of my biggest struggles as a Christ follower, a wife and a sister in Christ.

when it comes to reading, memorizing, and studying the word - it comes naturally for me. i don't know why.. that's just something i have always enjoyed. i love journaling and keeping notes of the things i study. those are my 'strong points' if you want to call them that.

but prayer.. i need more of. well - i could always read, memorize and study the scriptures more as well.. but i long to have a strong prayer life.

have you ever heard of [#shereadstruth]? well it's awesome - so you should check it out! right now we're studying... yes you guessed it! prayer! i am enjoying it too! i have challenged myself to study prayer, and then journal about what types of prayer there is.. what these prayers look like. and then i.. of course, pray!

i don't have all the answers to the questions above.. but so the Lord has been putting on my heart is that there is so much power of a praying woman.

as women of prayer we can come together in as the body of Christ and seek Jesus. we can be prayer warriors for our husbands, children and loved ones. i am married.. and one of the best things i can do is pray over and pray for my husband. according to scripture, husbands are to be the head of the household, with that there is a lot of attacks on them to provide, minister, lead and support us and our families. as women, we have a special role in life. we were created to care, love, comfort and be in relationships. we can experience what it means to sit at the feet of Jesus like mary did. my husband listens to a lot of christian hip-hop. i really don't know how else to explain it.. it's the most powerful lyrics i've heard ever put into a song. and every song is like that! i mean.. these people have theology, scripture, doctrine in their lyrics. it's awesome! anyways.. the reason i bring this up is because one of their songs is called L.A.D.I.E.S and the chorus goes like this..

'Jesus did walk with women in a special way,

this is odd for men in the first century,

look at God callin' women to the ministry,

Jesus did walk with the ladies...'

if you're interested.. you can hear the entire song [here] the song is by da T.R.U.T.H feat. flame. some other hip-hop artists can be found [here], [here], and [here].

so ladies - we are needed! our conversations with Jesus ARE important! so how do we do this..? i have started by just praying.. praying for the Lord to use me, to open my heart, to grow my desire for prayer. i pray for the Lord to reveal himself to me and to speak to me. sometimes my prayers involve just listening instead of always asking. it's a temptation to just ask, ask, ask and for me to talk the entire time - what i also need to do is just sit and be in his presence. to listen to what he wants to speak to me and show me.

as you can see.. prayer is needed. and a praying women is also needed. let's continue to come together to pray and grow in community to help build those up around us through the mighty hand and power of Jesus!!

so there is my heart - if you want to see some of my diy projects, cooking recipes, faith stories or photos from awesome adventures - head over to my blog and check them out!

How awesome is she, y'all?! You know I'm a sucker for women are just real about their issues, and honestly, she spoke RIGHT to me because I don't pray nearly as much as I should. It's always easier to pray during the hard times or when we need something - it's not so easy to remember to pray when everything is bouncing along perfectly. So, thanks, Jennifer, for sharing your heart and reminding us all to make more of an effort to pray. :)

Bosom-Buddy Guest Post # 3

2012-07-25T09:00:00.000-03:00

While I'm on vacation in Mexico, I'm leaving you in the trusted hands of my July Bosom-Buddies. I only accepted 6 Bosom-Buddies this month in hopes of really promoting them and their blogs, because they deserve it oh so much. While I'm all vacation, you'll hear from every single one of my July Bosom-Buddies! I asked them to write about something was "typical" of them so that you'd know what you're getting into by following them. I hope y'all enjoy their posts & make some new friends while I'm away! ***

Hey there fellow New Wife Life (try saying that 10X fast) readers!

My name is Elise and I blog over and Forever Changed.

I’m a pretty ordinary girl, I often refer to myself as Plain Jane,

but despite that I believe I have an extraordinary purpose perfectly designed by God.

So let me tell you a little bit about myself and overload you with pictures,

because lets be honest, pictures make everything more enjoyable.

I come from an amazing family that consists of a dad, mom, older sister,

brother-in-law, and younger brother.

I have a best friend who without I would probably be lost

I have the sweetest dog in the world

I run, for fun (and enjoy a good a rhyme ever once in awhile)

I enjoy eating...

A lot...

Chocolate chip cookies are my weakness

I love Christmas

More so than any sane person

And at the rip old age of 21 I have a bucket list that I take pretty seriously.

Some of my latest accomplishments consist of parasailing

Completing a Mud Run

And a Sprint Triathlon

Riding a horse and buggy through Central Park

Going skydiving

Bungee jumping

White water rafting class 5 rapids

And moving to Rwanda Africa to work in an orphanage.

December 27^th 2011 I went on my first mission’s trip to Rwanda and Ethiopia.

On New Years Eve we visited an orphanage called Noel with over five hundred children and only eighty-seven nannies to care for them.

New Years Day I made my decision to move to Rwanda and four months later I did just that.

I have now been in Rwanda for almost two months.

These two months have been filled with smiles, laughter, new friendships, new adventures

As well as tears, frustration, anger, confusion and questioning.

But I wouldn’t trade these two months for anything in the world

because this is where God has called me to serve

And no matter the circumstance or consequences

I will always seek to be obedient and follow Him wherever He asks.

Forever Changed is my way of documenting this crazy journey that is my life. If you are interested in joining me on this adventure head on over to my blog, I would love to have you!

Oh but before I go I think I should probably do a giveaway since ya'll are so awesome.

Please excuse the ugly picture.

I got food poisoning recently and couldn't manage to get up and take a good picture

No.41 provides skills, training and sustainable income to orphaned young women in Gisenyi, Rwanda as they get on their feet and transition to independence. The proceeds from their bags and beads will also fund a school-feeding program for secondary school students in the area.

And conveniently is run out of my house and founded by my roommate Tara Clapper.

So today I would like to offer you a chance to win a beautiful clutch made by one of the amazing 31 women that are currently employed by No.41.

REQUIRED ENTRIES:

+1 Like No.41 on Facebook, and leave a comment on this post saying you've done so.
+ Follow Forever Changed via GFC or Bloglovin', and leave a comment on this post saying you've done so.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
+ Follow Elise on Twitter, and leave a comment on this post saying you've done so.
+ Follow Elise on Instagram, and leave a comment on this post saying you've done so.
+ Donate to Ten Talents International to help support mission work in Africa, and leave a comment on this post saying you've done so (you don't have to say how much).
+ Tweet about this post & tag @MyNewWifeLife and @e_coop57, and leave a comment on this post saying you've done so.

The giveaway ends July 28th at midnight!

Thanks! Love, Elise :)

Wow. I certainly hope all of you go check out Elise's blog, and not just click "follow" because she's hosting a giveaway. This girl has such a huge heart for others and she's an inspiration to anyone who is hesitant to follow God's call. This is the first giveaway ever hosted on this here blog, so I hope lots of you are able to participate and support this wonderful cause and this wonderful woman! =)

Bosom-Buddy Guest Post #2

2012-07-24T09:00:00.000-03:00

Something amazing happened to me today, March 27th 2012. I need to share it. I feel at peace. A different kind of peace than I've ever felt in my life. I've never really had a relationship with God. I've never sat down and talked to Him about myself, my life, or my troubles. Sure, I pray when OTHER people need Him. But never when *I* need him. Since 2007, my life has definitely been a tumultuous roller coaster ride. I was with a guy for 4 years that destroyed every piece of me he possibly could. He destroyed my self-esteem. My relationships. Everything. The past 2 years, I've been in a really emotionally charged, complicated, relationship. And you can't even really call it that. I've made mistakes. I'm not proud of them. My mind has been swimming recently with all that I've experienced. All the failed relationships. The failed friendships. The tears. The heartache. The need and want just to be loved. 100%. No strings attached.

So today, more-so than any other day, I turned it all over to God. And the peace.. that sweet peace, that washed over me once I'd given it all over to Him, is something that I'll never forget. My mind is no longer swimming with how to make people love me. My mind is no longer swimming with how to fix things that are wrong with my life. My mind is no longer swimming with the concern that I'll never be good enough to find my prince charming. I've given it all to Him. He will lead me now. And, I think that is the one piece of my life that I have always been missing.

I find myself in friendships or relationships that do nothing but tear me down. I find myself struggling with so much depression on how to fix the friendships that have gone so terribly wrong. Or how to fix a relationship that is at this point, absolutely lost and not what I need in my life. He has been pulling me to Him more so than I could've ever imagined. I can't help but find myself thankful for the situations and hardships that have lead me to begin this new journey of discovery.

The majority of my life, my friends shoved religion down my throat. Getting mad at me for not following their rules. For not going to bible study or church with them... essentially shunning me. They failed to realize that each person finds God in their own ways. I am not someone that gives into things just because others want me to, ESPECIALLY such a close, personal relationship with God. I am not a perfect woman. I will never be a perfect woman, nor will I ever live a perfect, sin-free life. But finally, at the age of 25, I have realized that the only way to continue to live my life, is to have a relationship with the one who ultimately created me.

The changes going on inside of me are humbling. I feel like I'm rediscovering, or newly discovering, parts of me that have been long gone, or that I never knew existed. I've spent many, many years fighting with myself. Picking apart the pieces of me that I felt were wrong, or ugly. I've spent many many years carrying baggage and heartaches... wondering why I've never been good enough, strong enough, pretty enough. But here, now, in this moment.. I realize that I've ALWAYS been good enough, strong enough, pretty enough... in His eyes. I will never be a perfect woman and I certainly haven't lead a perfect life, nor will I.. But in His eyes, I will always be perfect. And amazing. And I need to grow in my relationship with Him, before I can grow in my personal relationships. He has been hitting me with hurricane force lately, with the situations I've found myself in. He has been talking to me... even when I wasn't listening.

I am humble on my knees tonight.
I have found the piece of me that was missing. Not a man. Or a best friend. Or food. Or a car.
God. and only Him.
It only took 25 years. *************I absolutely adore Miss Desiree! I hope you've learned a little about her and her sweet soul. Go check her out and let her keep you company while I'm away. :) And more importantly, offer her some encouragement. If you're a Christian, you know how hard it can be when you're first starting out & you know how much she'd love some extra kind words. Have a great day!!
~ Desiree's Blog~ And don't forget to check out my guest post!

Bosom-Buddy Guest Post #1

2012-07-23T09:00:00.000-03:00

*************

Hello fabulous readers of Mrs. Robinson’s blog! My name is Lauren and I blog over at the merry mrs. mobley. I am honored, and oh so thrilled, to be here sharing a bit about myself at The New Wife Life!

My sweet hubby and I have been married a little over two years, which I think takes us out of the “newlywed” category. Too bad because it still feels like we’re in the honeymoon stages of life:-) No kiddoes yet, but we do have a precious furbaby named Daisy who might as well be our child. Want to talk about attachment issues? You should meet the princess.

I am here today to talk to you about the importance of dates. Let me guess what you’re thinking, “Huh? Aren’t you already married?”. Why, yes, we are already married, but that’s why it is all the more important to go on dates with your spouse! When you start a new relationship you go on all sorts of dates to get to know the person; why does that have to stop when you get married? Far too often we allow outside stressors to enter our marriage and disrupt the flow of things. We allow ourselves to become too comfortable in our marriage, which in turn causes problems. Don’t get me wrong, comfort can be a great thing, but being too comfortable can have the exact opposite affect and act as a poison to your relationship. Instead of dipping into a rut, pursue your partner through dates!

David and I are HUGE proponents of date nights. Even though we don't have kids yet, there are still things that keep us busy (work, church responsibilities, volunteering, the list goes on and on!). Carving out that time once a week helps us continue to learn things about each other and get away from the day-to-day stressors that have the potential to bring us down. People never stop growing and changing, so why not make the effort to get to know them as that happens? Ask them questions, try something new, just get out of your comfort zone! I love knowing that I get to grow and change with my studly husband, and I am excited to get to learn these things as they happen.

Your dates don’t have to be anything fancy schamncy at the most recent hit restaurant. They can be so simple as turning off all technology and watching a movie together or a picnic and movie in the park. Here are some of our favorites:

Breakfast dates: Panera Bread and Crack-o Barr-o (or Cracker Barrel for those of you over 4 years old) are two of our favorites. Breakfast is often cheaper than lunch or dinner and can be just as yummy!
Fro-yo and the mall: Living as close as we do to the mall this happens quite often. Not to mention, with my sweet tooth dessert is a must!
Dinner and a movie: an oldie, but a goodie. And, with Living Social and Groupon you can often get dinner at an uber discounted price! Try Restaurant.com for other good restaurant choices.
Pizza, beer, and a movie: You don't even have to leave the house for this one! Take it from a run-of-the-mill evening to a special night by turning off all phones and computers and just being. It can be just as wonderful as going out, I promise.
Do you have a local brewery or winery close by? What about taking a discounted tour on a weeknight? A lot of times you can try some new brews by going on an off-night!
Summer is a great time for movies or music in the park. Lots of local places have music and movies playing in the evenings. Grab your picnic basket and blanket and find a spot!

Everyone’s idea of date night can be different, but as long as you are making time for your spouse you are on the right track. I know this can often be difficult with budgets (I'm a babysitter, I know how much that can cost!) and schedules, but it's important to show your spouse that they are worth the effort. What kinds of things do y'all do on your date nights??

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

-Ephesians 5:21

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Thanks, Lauren, for all the great tips! Mr. Robinson and I are not too great at remembering to plan for date night - but we'll have to keep in mind some of your suggestions. :)

The Pack-Rat In Me

2012-07-17T09:00:00.000-03:00

I came across two articles today that I thought were fun & informative. Obviously, I had to share. =)
(source) & (source)
10 Grown-Up Things Every Woman Needs In Her Home
1. Frames for your posters turn tacky memorabilia into art.2. All of the necessary props for a sophisticated dinner party.3. A living plant to show off your responsible & nurturing side.4. A comfortable, beautiful, and matching sheet set.5. A tool kit.6. A decent sound system to help set the mood.7. All of the ingredients and utensils needed to make your favorite cocktail. 8. Some art that you love, even if it's inexpensive.9. Curtains to help pull the room together.10. Mirrors and lighting that make you look and feel fabulous.

10 Things Every Woman Needs To Throw Away
1. Memorabilia and physical reminders of past relationships.2. Makeup that is any older than 6-months, because it can spread germs. (Ew!)3. Painful shoes.4. Clothes that are too small for you - if and when you reach your goal weight, you'll want to go shopping anyway!5. Old greeting cards from ex-friends or people who aren't all that important to you anymore.6. Dorm room dishes have got to go.7. Junk mail, magazines, and fliers that just pile up on the counter.8. Old bra's and panties that are stained/worn/stretched.9. Old cell phones, iPods, etc. Why keep them? 10. Books you'll never read again, especially your old text books.

If you check out the articles themselves, you'll get a good laugh out of the explanations provided for each item. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these points, and have added some new items to my to-do list! :)

Things To Do / Buy:
- Frame stuff. Mr. R and I are so bad about this! We own several things that we keep saying we're going to get framed, yet we haven't done it yet. We have some certificates we'd like to frame, some different pieces of art.... Maybe apartment-living will force us to get our ducks in a row, or throw the ducks out. Poor little ducks.
- Buy a live plant. It's crazy that this was on the list, because I was thinking the other day about how I would like to buy a plant for our apartment. We currently live in the woods, and I know all four of us will miss nature. Having a plant would help counteract the concrete-jungle effect. :) I just hope our two little critters don't mistake the house-plant for a house-tree and pee on it.
- Get some pretty curtains. I have fabric. I have a sewing machine. I need to buy some clear thread or something, and make us some dag-um curtains. :)
- Throw out old memorabilia. Not just ex-boyfriend stuff, but tons of old "junk" that the pack-rat inside me won't let go. Yeesh. I have BOXES in the attic of ex-boyfriend stuff from high school, that I've kept just because I thought it would be funny if I can read the dumb little love notes in my 40's or something. Seriously? I hope I have better things to do when I'm 40. I need to just throw it out, even though reading all that stuff would be pretty entertaining, I'm sure. This includes old book bags, college books, piggy banks, etc.
- Throw out old make-up. Why do I struggle with this so much? I just can't seem to grasp the fact that if I haven't used up all of my bright purple or lime green eye-shadow by now, I'm probably not going to...EVER. When I'm going through old make-up and old-jewelry, I literally wonder what I'll do or where if I'm ever invited to an 80's theme party. I'll have to buy all new make-up and accessories! I'm out of control. I've got to get rid of some of these tacky things and stop holding onto them "just in case" the Backstreet Boys invite me to a secret, slightly retro concert. Get real, Mrs. Robinson.
- Get rid of clothes that are too small and stop carrying them around. Can I do this? I don't even know. Getting rid of them means I'm never going to lose weight, right? I spent SO MUCH MONEY on clothes, and have the bad credit rating to prove it, so why should I throw out the only concrete reminder of that? Oh....right....because it was a dark time in my life that I don't need concrete reminders of, perhaps. Duh. But, no, seriously? I love my pretty clothes, even if they don't fit. I should totally get rid of them, right? But I can't. But I should...
- Throw out old technology devices. I horde old laptops that I can't remember the passwords to, and cracked-out cell phones because I want to keep the pictures.
- Give away old books. I'm an English-nerd, guilty as charged. I still have the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen mystery books that are seriously packed up & ready to go to Charlotte right now. I should probably get rid of them because I will never, ever read them again.
What is wrong with me?! Haha!
What do you need to throw away?

3 Ways Slumber Parties Prepared Me For Marriage

2012-07-16T09:00:00.000-03:00

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? ;)

Y'all just have to go over to sweet Alison's blog to read the post, though! And make sure you snoop around and learn more about the SoKool's while you're there, because they're awesome.

So...if you want to know 3 ways slumber parties prepared me for marriage, you should click here.

Mr. Robinson's Favorite Meal

2012-07-14T11:00:00.000-03:00

Today, you can find me over at Lo-Mo's blog, the merry mrs. mobley to share my husband's favorite meal. He's a picky eater who likes to feast upon cheese pizza, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fruit snacks, and Kraft mac & cheese. Go visit Lauren's blog to get the recipe for his all-time favorite meal I cook for him...& make sure to snoop around here blog while you're there. You'll love her sweet, genuine writing style!

Happy Saturday!

Funny How Melody Sounds Like a Memory

2012-07-13T19:00:00.000-03:00

Isn't it funny how little things can just send you back in time?

As you know, we're moving in less than a month - and with a month as busy as ours, we're packing little by little. Yesterday after work, my mom came over to our house before VBS started. We went into the master bedroom and I started to sort through a drawer while we talked. Our new apartment is going to smaller than any place we've ever lived, so I'm trying to defy my pack-rat tendencies and keep only the really important things. I came across my first iPhone, and plugged it up to charge while we went to VBS.
I've been finding things in this phone that make me remember a girl I barely recognize now. I thought I'd share some of my findings with y'all today. :)
The Music
I love Eric Church's new song "Springsteen." If you aren't familiar with the song, the title of this post is also one of the lyrics, and it rings true for me. There are so many songs that I associate with certain memories or certain periods in my life, and hearing those songs can send me back in time. On my old iPhone, I found the music of my wilder days.
Airplanes by B.o.B. reminds me of a house party my old roommate and I threw. The party had it all - drinking games in the living room, people mixing & taking shots in the kitchen, beer pong on the back porch, a fire pit in the back yard, and boys playing acoustic guitar in a circle of people passing around pot. I once regarded that party as the best night of my life, and now... it all seems so silly...
All for You by Sister Hazel reminds me of my freshman year of college. I hated the all-girls school I had chosen that was 2 hours away from my family. Sister Hazel played a concert at the campus one night, and I bumped into them in the stair way. It was the highlight of the most horrible year of my life thus far.
Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy takes me back to the only real heartbreak I've ever experienced. I was in love with a guy who was incapable of loving me back. He suffered some extreme emotional and mental issues - half the time he loved me and we were great together, but the other half of the time he felt empty inside and couldn't feel anything toward me. I thought he was "the one" but when he told me he had purchased an engagement ring, I begged him not to ask me to marry him because I knew I couldn't say yes. Following our break-up, this song filled the silence.
Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones makes me think of a carefree time in my life where all I did was skip class and smoke pot with my best friends. We would lay in the grass and listen to this song, ride around with the windows down and our sunglasses on while listening to this song, and we had not a care in the world.
Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson takes me back to evenings spent alone listening to my (then) favorites - Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Bob Marley...
DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again by Usher reminds me of the time I dated a bartender who was 10 years (to the day) my senior, who worked at a club. He would get me in for free and at that time in my life, I thought a guy who could serve me free drinks was all I'd ever need. He would work the bar, and I would dance to this song and hang out with my friends.
The Pictures
Zombie's "baby pictures" are on this phone. He weighed about 3 pounds and had permanently floppy ears that made me swoon. I have a video of me getting my anti-tragus pierced in the back of a thrift store in Charlotte with my then-roommate. There are before & after pictures of a tattoo I had redone. Zombie's first time being thrown into the river is recorded. I took a picture of my first bowl that I bought in Columbia once I started smoking pot heavily. Pictures of me as a brunette pepper pictures of Zombie doing a variety of cute things. Several pictures from a vacation to Mexico with my family & then-bff are on the phone. I have lots of pictures of tiny moments in time that now don't mean anything, but at the time...they meant everything. There is a video of the second time I tripped on Salvia. There are pictures of food, pictures of friends, pictures of myself, pictures of the seasons changing....
The Conversations
The two-year-old text messages are probably my favorite, but there are also some that weren't much fun to read. I got to relive the emotions following two break-ups, and I also got to relive falling in love with Mr. Robinson. :) Since I never throw away anything, including text messages, I have records of Mr. Robinson asking me to give him a chance to make me happy. I have records of me begging him not to hurt me, and him promising to never leave. There is a different tone to our text messages, but it makes me swoon. :)
What takes you back in time? Do you recognize the person you've become when she stands next to the person you once were?

7 Hectic Little Things

2012-07-11T19:30:00.000-03:00

So, we made a huge life decision recently, and it changed everything pretty quickly. Honestly, it suits us to make a huge decisions on a whim. I love the spontaneity of this particular adventure, and it mirrors other decisions we made together - decisions liked getting married, taking vacations, or quitting jobs. Perhaps we're starting to establish a pattern. Perhaps God created us both to need a new adventure from time to time because He knew that we one day be involved in ministry, and our life may never be stable or permanently settled. We will experience one adventure after another, and it's amazing to think about how perfectly a lifestyle I was terrified of really fits us and our personalities. Mr. Robinson and I were both starting to feel a little restless here, and thought buying a home might be the answer. We contacted a Real Estate Agent and looked at several homes, but nothing seemed to fit. Moving to Charlotte for Mr. Robinson to attend seminary fits. We're moving in less than a month and while we couldn't be more excited to start this new adventure, a big move like this brings lots of other emotions to the surface, as well. We have so much to do in a short period of time, and we're trying to get everything accomplish while cramming as much life into these next few weeks as possible. Both of us want to savor our last month in this place we love and spend borderline excessive amounts of time with people we'll be sad to leave. Needless to say, our life is hectic right now due to several little things.

Little Thing #1

The air conditioner units in our house broke over the weekend - both the downstairs and upstairs units. We were going to try and make do, but when the ceiling fan in our bedroom stopped working we went to stay with my parents at their river house. This meant that we weren't able to pack or work at the house for two days, which is frustrating when our to-do list seems miles long. However, it worked out great because we were able to spend some extra time with them. Mr. Robinson played PS3 and jumped in the river, so he was happy. I loved having morning coffee with my parents on their front porch, as it reminds me of the summer before our wedding. I lived with my parents for a few months, and every morning we had coffee together by the river. It was fun to step back in time like that, so we didn't really mind that our air conditioner was broken for a few days. :)
Little Thing #2

Every night this week, my mom & I are teaching the 2 and 3 year old VBS class at church, and VBS starts at 6. I work until 5, so I get next to NO down time, which tends to make me a little grumpy. Saturday, we'll take VBS to the projects in town and cram it all into one day. Did I mention that I'm just not a kid person? Being around children just causes me stress, and VBS reaffirmed that God didn't give me the talents required to teach or work with children. Meanwhile, Mr. Robinson has been getting some work done around the house, but he is sort of at a loss for what to do without me there to help. He's not one that's able to look at a situation and determine on his own what needs to be done, and I'm too busy this week to really work on packing or cleaning... so not much is getting done. I come home at 9:00 at night exhausted and utterly frazzled, and this week is just dragging by.
Little Thing #3
Next week, my husband is going to Atlanta with my dad and some guys from church. They're going to see a baseball game and will be gone for two days. These plans have been in the works for while, and I'm glad my husband and my daddy will get to spend some quality time together before we leave. It warms my heart to see the two of them loving each other. I just hope Mr. Robinson doesn't spend too much money while he's away, haha! The upside is that my husband will be gone for one full night, and I'll hopefully get a chance to get a lot of work done at the house! :) But I'll miss him terribly...
Little Thing #4

Since Daddy is going to Atlanta, my last day working with him will be July 17th...next Tuesday. That makes me sad. Even thought we don't spend quality time together at work or engage in long, meaningful conversations daily...I do get to see my Daddy every day. I'll miss working with him...I'll miss just knowing he is always in the next room. My last day of work is July 19th, which is a Thursday. Thursday's are the one day a week my mom comes to work to help with payroll, and I go out to the lunch with her and my dad. It's our special, weekly date and I'll miss it terribly. I love chatting with them about what's going on in life, at church, or at work. I love the added face time we get by just having lunch together. Sometimes my sister comes with us, and it's just...it's like the old days. Not to mention that my dad's parents live right across the street and are always in and out of the office. Being at work means being surrounded by family...and leaving my job means leaving all of that. It means leaving the life I'd always planned on having. It's hard to pretend like all of this doesn't hurt my heart ... but it's a little easier if I just don't think about it.
Little Thing #5
We leave for Mexico on July 21st, and return home on July 28th. I've vacationed in Mexico several times, and it's probably my favorite place in the world thus far. I love the culture, the weather, the scenery, and especially the authentic food. Not to mention that it's a full week to spend not working & with my husband + my parents + my sister (and her friend). I'm SO excited to travel... but, it's another 7 days we won't be home packing.
Little Thing #6

Speaking of packing... we have a lot of packing to do, in case I haven't mentioned that minor detail. When I say we have lots of packing to do, I mean that we currently live in a huge house and we're moving into an apartment (pictured above) that could almost fit inside our back porch. We have to sort, downsize, and pack and we have a million "little things" going on right now that are taking up our time.
Little Thing #7
Mr. Robinson's first day of school is July 30th, and he'll have to go stay with a host family until we can move into our apartment on August 2nd. I'll stay behind and work on washing clothes and finished up packing, before taking a car load of things up to Charlotte on the 2nd. We'll sign the lease, and then move all the big furniture stuff over the weekend.
Busy, Busy, Busy.
And I just want to soak up every little moment until we have to leave. I want to appreciate everything about this place - I want to smell the grass the men are cutting outside; I want to notice the smile lines on my grandma's face; I want to know drag my fingers through the dust on my daddy's desk; I want to feel the sounds of a truck backing into the loading dock; I want to smile at every stranger who waves to me; I want to burn the images of every field of corn and tobacco into my brain; I just want to be here before I can't anymore.

I've left here before, obviously. I haven't only lived in this tiny little corner of the world, but the circumstances under which I moved were different. Last time I left "home" it was because I didn't want to be here anymore. But "the plan" was to be here for the rest of our lives ... and we could do that and be perfectly happy. But God has a plan for us better than anything we could ever imagine - and we want to experience it. We want to be obedient.
Anyway...I'm sure you can sort of see what life is like for us right now. It's hectic and there are so many different emotions. We are excited about the move and about our new adventure. Thanks to everyone who has offered us love & support during this hectic little time. :) I hope to get back to blogging regularly soon!

Our St. Maarten Honeymoon, Part Two

2012-07-10T09:00:00.000-03:00

I have over 200 pictures of us from our honeymoon, but I'm not going to share them all with you. Some just aren't internet-appropriate, but the real reason is because it would take forever for us to go through 200 pictures & captions on the blog + the honeymoon was almost a year ago and memories fade with time. So, I'll try to summarize to the best of my ability but y'all know how long-winded I can get.
We spent seven wonderful days in St. Maarten:
...relaxing in & around the pools...

...getting beach-front couples massages...

...traveling into town for adventures & excursions...

...lounging on the beach watching sunsets...

...visiting the shops downtown...

...sipping on fruity drinks...

...meeting Nick Maley & exploring a Star Wars museum...

...watching airplanes land on one of the world's most popular beaches...

...taking the classic ring pictures...

...kissing...lots & lots of kissing...

...starting my Pandora bracelet...

...getting naked on the Nude Beach...

...and we even visited a local church when Sunday rolled around!

Oh, and we also spent tons of time doing things I'll never, ever tell you about. :)

The Day That Changed Everything

2012-07-06T10:10:00.000-03:00

I'll start from the beginning...
In 2007, Mr. Robinson and I were strangers. We were both choosing where we would attend college and had narrowed it down to two choices. We had the same two choices and ended up attending the same college, but never met each other there. Since we feel like God brought us together, we like to think that we would have met even if we had chosen the "other" college. But, that's irrelevant...what is relevant is that two kids from two different towns made a decision to be in the same place at the same time.
Mr. Robinson made much better choices than I did, and got involved in Campus Outreach at the college. Over time, a guy named Jeff became his best friend.
I made quite different choices, and got involved with drinking, drugs, & living the party life. Over time, a guy named Gibo became my best friend.
Fast-forward a bit. Gibo & Jeff are co-workers at Ruby Tuesday. Gibo got me a job there, and 4 months later Jeff got Mr. Robinson a job there as well.
You know the drill from here. We met, fell in love, & got married. We both decided to get big-kid jobs and Mr. Robinson started working at a Finance Company in town. I started working for my family's business. Mr. R hated his job and I loved mine.
We applied for a mortgage in the town we were living in and got denied, forcing us to move into my parent's home an hour away. Once we had moved, Mr. R was able to get his job transferred to a nearby town.
By working at this particular location, he met a man who worked for Edward Jones, a commission-based finance company. Mr. Robinson, still hating his job, decided to check it out. When it turned out to not be the best choice for us at the time, he eventually started working at Aflac after much prayer. We felt like that's what God wanted us to do.
Working for Aflac made so many things possible. Mr. Robinson worked a lot less, but also made a lot less money. In his free time, he day-dreamed of seminary and couldn't seem to get it off his mind & heart. We also learned that we could survive off of my income only, even though I wasn't making an extraordinary salary.
During this time was when the Women's Conference at church happened. I had known that Mr. R felt called to serve, but I was always afraid that I didn't have the necessary skills to serve beside him. The Women's Conference calmed me, and I realized that God had given me some pretty amazing skills that I could use to better serve Him.
This past weekend, something came about about Charlotte. I told him, "We could move to Charlotte." He thought I was joking. On Monday, he found a seminary to check out. We decided to look at apartments that were in the area while we were in town, since we live over 3 hours away. Mr. R set up a tour at the seminary and set appointments to view some nearby apartment complexes on Thursday.
As planned, we went to Charlotte yesterday. I gave you all of this background to document all of the different, seemingly random things that had to fall perfectly into place for this to work out the way it did. Which brings me to the day that changed everything.
We toured the campus. It was small, but nice. Our tour guide introduced us to several different professors, and we liked everyone we met. I remember thinking about how everyone always wants to separate church & state, church & school, church & politics...but at the seminary, everyone talked about God. People prayed for us, and it was a totally different experience that we both loved. Everyone was so nice...they were all filled with the joy only Jesus can give. We went out to lunch with the Dean of Admissions. We were able to talk about the school's doctrines and ask lots of questions. We learned that we agreed with everything the school represents. On the way back to campus, the DoA mentioned that some of Mr. R's favorite pastors attended the same type of seminary. I knew right then that we were moving to Charlotte, even thought my husband had not yet made his official decision. Once we were back on campus, they split us up - Mr. R met with their Old Testament professor and I met with their Dean of Women. I adored her...she was the older version of myself. I especially loved that she goes out of her way to make the spouses of seminary students feel like part of a community. I learned that I can even sit it on any class Mr. R takes and get credits for them, without having to pay for anything extra. After our individual meetings, we met back up to visit again with the Dean of Admissions. He gave my husband several books, some written by one of their professors. We discussed the different programs offered, tuition, book costs, and application process. We learned that Mr. R can get a scholarship that pays for HALF of his tuition just for being involved with Campus Outreach in college. He would be able to start classes July 30th - as in THIS MONTH. We left feeling very good about this particular seminary. I was completely at peace and felt happy.
We went to an apartment complex less than a mile from the seminary. It was everything we wanted - pet friendly, one bedroom, affordable, new, clean, nice, nearby seminary, in a safe part of town, and it even had things that weren't a priority for us. The complex has two pools and a fitness center. :) We liked what we saw, and when our sales lady asked if we wanted to fill out an application we went to the car for a little chat. We talked, and felt at ease about it. Yes, it was crazy fast - but that's just how we operate. Haha! So, we went inside and she offered to cut the application fees in half. We agreed to fill out the applications. Before she ran our credit reports and everything, she told us that if something came back "flagged" we may have to pay a security deposit. {I knew we would have to pay a security deposit. I made bad choices in college and ruined my credit. I applied for a Belk card a month ago and was denied...I was thinking we'd probably need a co-sign on the lease AND pay a security deposit.} A few moments later, the report comes back that we were 100% approved with no security deposit required. My jaw almost hit the floor. It was my favorite part of the day because it felt like SUCH a God-thing.
So...yesterday was the day that changed everything. We're moving to Charlotte in a month for my husband to attend Seminary.
This means so many heartbreaking things...like me leaving my job at the family business, leaving my parents & family, leaving our home... but, God will provide. He will take care of us on this crazy new adventure we're about to start. I've cried my fair share of tears over this, trust me. I started to tell my dad on the phone last night, and had to hand the phone over to my husband because I was sobbing too hard to speak. BUT, I am happy. I am excited. I am supportive. Most importantly, we are being obedient.
Here's to the craziest month of our lives...so far... :)

What Goes On The Blog

2012-07-05T09:00:00.000-03:00

Recently, a fellow-blogger asked me how I find balance between what I blog about and what I don't. I did answer her, but thought it was a question worth discussing on my blog.
The other day, I made a vlog about my answer. Try not to laugh. :) And ignore the fact that I was too nervous to make eye-contact with the camera. And also ignore that I fidget and play with a random ink-pen. Alright...there are thousands of other things I could point out and apologize for, but I'm done. Just watch the video if you want or skip it and come back another day. :)

How do you decide what to blog about & what to keep private?

Our St. Maarten Honeymoon, Part One

2012-07-04T09:00:00.000-03:00

(Above pictures via)

We stayed at the Divi Little Bay Resort in St. Maarten. The resort is on a Peninsula, with the ocean on one side and a bay on the other. The views were absolutely breathtaking. Our room was amazing. We had a huge bed, a full kitchen, living room, shower, and hot tub with changing underwater lights and a music system, and two private balconies overlooking the ocean. We were very lucky because we would not have been able to afford such a luxurious honeymoon, but my parents let us use one of their timeshare weeks to get the hotel, and his parents gave us honeymoon cash as a wedding gift. It was the best week ever. =)

We pretty much just stayed in the room our first full day in St. Maarten. For dinner that night, we went downtown to discover that most of the shops and restaurants were closed. At first we were disappointed, but we later learned that most businesses only opened when cruise ships were in port. Some places were still open, so we were able to get some much needed food and it felt like we had the island to ourselves.

Obviously, I HAD to tie a knot in the cherry stem. ;)

June Date

2012-07-03T09:00:00.000-03:00

The First Date of Christmas: JanuaryThe Second Date of Christmas: FebruaryThe Third Date of Christmas: MarchThe Fourth Date of Christmas: AprilThe Fifth Date of Christmas: May

The Sixth Date of Christmas

After I got home from work on Friday, June 22, we headed over to the beach for our 6th date. Mr. R had chosen this day to go on the date, but by the time the day rolled around I was really wanting a night on the sofa. I got my self together anyway, and off we went.

We had dinner at an over-priced little Italian place. That's the beach during tourist season, for you. The food was good, though. Plus, there was the added bonus of the restaurant being worked by actual Italian people. I started with an Amaretto Sour and my hubby downed a beer. Mr. R inhaled half of a loaf of garlic bread while I nibbled on a salad. Later, I had the lasagna that was only okay and Mr. R had chicken parmesean. He implied for a moment that it was better than my chicken-parm, but quickly changed his story. =) Then, we went to a comedy show.

It was absolutely hilarious. The show we saw was a lot like Who's Line Is It Anyway? but it's live, not recorded, and performed in a shopping mall. It's fantastic! My bridesmaids took me to the show for my bachelorette party last August, and they made the entire show about me/my wedding. Then we went on a double date in February, and now on a date with just us. It's been different every time, and hilarious all three times. =) Here's a clip from one of the games they played...

The Game: Good Morning, Myrtle Beach
The Rules: TV Morning Show format, but the guys can only say one word at a time while interviewing the girls who can only talk in unison. =) The audience came up with suggestions and they are selling full body latex. Haha! Think of one big condom for your entire body.

We laughed the entire night, and it was a great way to take our minds off of everything crazy that's been going on in our lives lately. Date nights are so much fun, and laughter is the best medicine. =) If you're ever in Myrtle Beach, make sure to check out Carolina Improv Company for a good laugh! They have adult shows, family-friendly shows, classes, etc.
Can't wait for our July date! =)

July Bosom-Buddies

2012-07-02T14:18:00.000-03:00

Some blogs have monthly sponsors - I have Bosom-Buddies! I only endorse blogs that I read, written by bloggers I've connected with. In the past, I've featured a larger number of blogs, but this month I'm only featuring 6. Without further ado...

Meet Elise.
Her blog is: Forever Changed

I read her blog because her posts are real and we worship the same God. Elise is a missionary in Africa and she writes about her experiences serving God have changed everything for her. She also writes about the fears and struggles along the way, which is probably my favorite thing about her blog. She is anything but your typical, "white noise" Christian blogger. She went bungee jumping, and everything! =) She's just different in a way I can't quite put my finger on, and I dig it. Check her out.
~~~
Meet Valerie. Her blog is: Knot Tied Down

I read her blog because we're both newlyweds, but our lives are completely different. I have tons of "blog friends" that I consider to be just like me, and while I love them, Valerie is a breath of fresh air. It's equally fun to connect with women who are different from me & have different takes on life. We live in different parts of the country, so it's always interesting to see what her and her husband are up to. Plus, she has a thing for mustaches and always had the cutest pictures up.
~~~
Meet Desiree.Her blog is: The Discovery of Desiree Michelle

I read her blog because she started it as part of a plan to further seek God. We have exchanged countless e-mails discussing the Bible, churches, Jesus, and our faith. She is a new Christian just finding her way, working through past pains in the process. I've loved chatting with her as a sister in Christ. We both have so much to learn, but I admire her willingness to discover God and to rediscover herself in a way that pleases Him. I love how she's honest about the emotions she experiences, even if the emotions aren't always the happy ones. It all goes back to my love for "real" people.
~~~
Meet Jennifer.Her blog is: One43

I read her blog because she's a Christian who loves to cook & get crafty. Her and her hubby took the most adorable engagement pictures, and she always features recipes with pictures of delicious-looking foods. I love that her blog is a good balance between several different "types" of blogs, she's not totally focused on posting only recipes or crafts or about her faith. It's a good mix of things, so her blog always makes for any interesting read.
~~~
Meet Lauren.Her blog is: The Merry Mrs. Mobley

I read her blog because we have SO much in common and we are able to relate to each other on so many different levels. We're both daughters of the King, we are both married to men who feel called into ministry, we share a lot of the same fears about the possibility of becoming pastor's-wives, and we have a thousand other things in common. Lauren is funny, sweet, and comes across as being very genuine. I'll be meeting her in real life this month, and I'm so stoked about it! =)
~~~
Meet Heather.Her blog is: The Life Unexpected

I read her blog because we're in similar places in life, right now. We have new husbands, we have dogs, and we don't have any kids. I love connecting with other ladies who are just happy where we are right now. Heather is a happy little soul, and she always has the sweetest things to say. =) She's in love with her man and blogs about real life. I can't wait to get to know her even better throughout this month.
~~~
I've asked each of these six ladies to guest post for me this month, so look to hear from them soon! :) Meanwhile, check out their blogs, duh.
Interested in being a AUGUST Bosom-Buddy? I'll take the first six to contact me via e-mail...mynewwifelife(at)aol(dot)com - Click here to find out what you'll be signing up for. :)

May Date

2012-06-29T18:00:00.000-03:00

The First Date of Christmas: JanuaryThe Second Date of Christmas: FebruaryThe Third Date of Christmas: MarchThe Fourth Date of Christmas: April

The Fifth Date of Christmas

Remember how last month was a flop? Yeah, that happened again. Whatever...judge me all you want. I blame it on my husband. Isn't that why we all got married in the first place? Now, I always have someone to blame my mistakes on! Hooray! Go marriage!

Anyway.

I was SO excited about this date! =) I gave him an envelope filled with all sorts of treasures.

All he had to do was pick a place he'd like to visit for a one-day vacation. SO simple. He could go crazy here! I was expecting for him to say something like "India" or "The Bahamas" or somewhere that has a theme. The plan was for him to pick a place, and I would turn our extra room over the garage into the destination he chose. If he chose India, I would decorate the room to look like India. I would cook Indian food. We would listen to Indian music. We would play an Indian board game or watch a movie set in India. Makes sense, right? All he had to do was pick a place with a theme I could work with.

He chose "The Snowy Mountains." Let me remind you that May in South Carolina tends to be rather warm. That made the whole idea of sitting around a camp fire sound pretty miserable. What do people eat in the mountains? Oh...you know...regular food. It was theme I could not work with. And so the month came and went and I didn't follow through with the date I promised.

Oops.

The 12 Dates of Christmas

2012-06-29T15:17:00.000-03:00

January DateFebruary DateMarch DateApril DateMay DateJune DateJuly DateAugust DateSeptember DateOctober DateNovember DateDecember Date

April Date

2012-06-29T10:00:00.000-03:00

The First Date of Christmas: JanuaryThe Second Date of Christmas: FebruaryThe Third Date of Christmas: March

The Fourth Date of Christmas

In March, I gave him a coupon book. Half-way through the month, we switched months. I took the coupon book back, shelved it, and gave him the April Date envelope. Inside the envelope was money for us to attend a concert and the band we had planned on seeing was playing nearby that weekend and he wanted to go and there was no talking him out of it. So, we went on the April Date in March and I would give him the coupon book back once April rolled around. Yes, it's confusing.

Well, the April Date sucked because he didn't use any of the coupons. Epic fail. And they were good coupons, too! Some of them were so good, I'm not even going to tell you about them. The point is, my creative efforts on the coupon book were wasted because sometimes men are men and they don't get it. Lesson learned...

The Crazy Stuff Happening At Our Church, Part Three

2012-06-28T15:51:00.000-03:00

Our church is going through a rough patch right now, and it may push us to leave and find a new church to call home. I have written two different posts about the crazy things that have happened. Many of you may have read one or both of the posts.
You'll notice that I'm not including links to either of those posts. I've reverted them back to drafts, so they're no longer public on my blog.
Honestly, I was really torn on whether or not I should delete the posts. On one hand, deleting Parts 1 & 2 would not erase them from the minds of people who read them. Deleting the posts would prevent more people from learning the ins & outs of the situation, but I couldn't reverse anything. On the other hand, I thought it might be better to just leave the posts up and continue to blog about what's happening at our church. If I'm going to expose all of the bad things, shouldn't I blog about the conflict resolution, too? That would only be fair.
Meanwhile, a friend of mine from church and I were chatting. We're both very upset and have no clue what to do next. She said all she could do was open her Bible, and then she told me to read Romans 12:18-21, so I did. This is what I read:
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord. Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (NLT)
Believe me when I say that this is so hard for me to admit, but I felt instantly convicted when I read the words, Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. They felt like hot chocolate during winter and I knew that I had to delete the posts I had written about the things happening at church. The posts were evidence that I was letting evil win. They were borderline gossip, and it had to stop. When I was writing the post, I was just trying to make sense of my emotions. To those of you who read about the crazy things happening at our church, you know what's going on and you know how I feel about it. I am just sad inside about so many different things happening at a church I've called my own for my entire life. I wasn't trying to gossip, I wasn't trying to cast myself or my faith in a negative light...I was just trying desperately to wrap my brain about something illogical to me. But, in doing so, I know I made some mistakes, said some things I should never have said, and made a private situation a little too public for the nature of what's going on. My intentions were purely selfish ... and I didn't think about how my words might impact the Kingdom. It is my hope that I didn't turn anyone off or away from God. I love my Lord. There are so many things I don't understand, but it's never made me second guess following Him. My salvation is the best part of me, arguable the only good part of me, and it's the best choice I ever made. My posts about the crazy things happening at church right now did not reflect any of the emotions I just described, and for that I am truly sorry.
However, we did have a business meeting last night at church. If you missed the two previous posts, all I say about the back story is that some changes were being made to our Church Constitution that my husband and I did not agree with because we felt like the changes were unBiblical. The issues with the constitution have been resolved - someone made the motion last night to send the entire constitution to a committee. The committee would include 7 people, carefully selected. Our main problem with the constitution as it was proposed was that it included really wonderful standards in the format of a covenant, but we couldn't make a promise to God that we weren't able to live up to. Now, the committee will re-work everything and represent all of the different points of view.
There are still some issues that haven't been resolved. We're praying about the things that have happened, are happening, and will happen. Are we completely satisfied with the way things are at church right now? Simply put ... no, we are not. Will we leave our church and find another? Perhaps. Time will tell. One thing I do know is that I want to be a better Christian. I want to do a better job of conquering evil, regardless of what "reason" (read, excuse) I think I have. An extra special "thank you" to the people who told me some things I wrote about were out of line. I appreciate the honesty I received from you and from Mr. Robinson. ;) Some things probably do need to be kept more private than others, and this is a prime example. I'll get back to the fun posts tomorrow! =) Keep an eye out for posts about the 12 Dates of Christmas, our honeymoon, and a VLOG! Oh snap.
Also, did you notice I've got new buttons?!

200 x 100

200 x 100

Women at Crossroad's Recap

2012-06-27T09:00:00.000-03:00

I have talked and talked and talked about Women at Crossroads, and I'm finally going to tie up all the lose ends and give everyone a break on the topic. Until next year. {Because there will hopefully be a next year!}
In this post I talked about how excited I was to finally see the conference materialize. The whole thing started in March, and the thought of pulling a conference together in three months was a little overwhelming. I wrote about my battle between peace and anxiety over what might happen at the conference. And then in this post I wrote the day before the conference, I expressed my fears and frustrations. All a part of the process, or so I'm told. So I want to start this post out with a big "thank you." So many of y'all offered me encouragement while my head was spinning off into another dimension. Every comment and e-mail helped calm me down. Not to mention all of the prayers that were said for this conference. I can tell that tons of prayers went up for Women at Crossroads because the end result was more amazing than I could have ever imagined. =)

June 8 & 9, 2012

Friday, June 8: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

We started off in the Fellowship Hall. You'll notice in the pictures that everyone "working" the conference was dressed in black and had pink lanyard name tags around their necks. Guests were met by some ladies from our church passing out goody bags. The goody bags were absolutely amazing. I was so pleased with them. Every guest got one, and every bag included a Gideon's Bible, an Itinerary for the weekend, spray hand sanitizer, a Women at Crossroad's notepad, a pink Women at Crossroad's click pen (who doesn't love a good click pen?!), some scripture tracts, mints, gum, a pack of Kleenexes, and a registration card. We also had sticky name tags for everyone so that we could hopefully learn names and make strong connections with everyone who attended.

Then, we had a little station set up for mom's to sign their children in to child watch services. We didn't know most of the children or mothers, so we had a system where each child got a numbered name tag and the mom's got their number. To pick their children up, they had to have the right number. We also got the mom's name, child's name, and any special care instructions.

Then, we all ate dinner together. My sweet daddy and some other men from the church spent all day Friday bbq-ing chicken.

We had lots of wonderful helpers in the kitchen, including my darling husband. =) He was so supportive of the entire thing and I can't sing his praises enough.

It was so great to see different races mingled together in an all-white church. Where we live, going to church is very much a family event and churches tend to be either all black or all white because of it. It was great to have both. =)

After everyone had fully tummies, we moved into the sanctuary. We borrowed furniture from a local furniture company to decorate the stage. Even though the conference was obviously held at a church, I wanted to make sure everyone felt comfortable and casual all weekend, free to be themselves.

Another thing I loved about the conference was the mixed-up order of everything. It was so different from a regular church service, and I loved the "spice" of doing things out of the ordinary. A local lady sang for us and led us in a praise and worship song. Her voice gave me goosebumps. Our main event for the night was a speaker named Maria Owens. She's regionally renowned and does conferences all over the southeast. You may have heard of her - her name is Maria Owens. She has such an amazing story and the fact that she came to our little hick-town conference was icing on the cake.

After the conference was over, everyone was invited back to the Fellowship Hall for dessert and coffee.

We encouraged everyone to come back fro Saturday but some people let us know they wouldn't be able to. Still, everyone was just overflowing from what happened Friday night. We cried, worshiped, held hands, praised God, and were ourselves. Everyone in the Fellowship Hall was bubbling over. Later, my dad told me he looked at my husband and said to him "Look what our girl did," and Mr. R got choked up and couldn't respond. That just melts my heart. =) And not to toot my own horn in ANY way, but I was just so emotional the entire day because God gave me this idea. I was obedient, and everything that happened was because of HIM and not me...but a part of me just could not believe the amazing thing I had put together. It was a late night & Saturday would be an early morning, so after everyone left we cleaned up and headed home to ~~get some rest~~ lay in bed and think about everything, unable to sleep because of the excitement. =)

Saturday, June 9: 9:30 am - Noon

Saturday was a completely different format from Friday. We did start out with food again, breakfast in the Fellowship Hall. We chowed down on fruit, cereals, granola bars, yogurts, muffins, and topped it all off with juices or coffee. Then we headed on over to the Sanctuary again where one of our church members briefly discussed the good and bad girls of the Bible. It was really cool to hear about the bad girls who had happy endings. Obviously those are stories I can relate to pretty well. We had more praise and worship music, and we even had a little comedy skit that had us all laughing to tears. Then, we broke off into small groups that met in classrooms. We had five topics and everyone got to choose two classes to attend.

The topics were:

Sexual Abuse - led by a woman who was sexually abused by her uncle and cousins from the age of 3 until she was a young teenager.
Depression - led by a woman who struggles with clinical depression, an inherited from her father who committed suicide
Being a Single Mom - led by two single mother's with completely different circumstances and upbringings
Drug & Alcohol Abuse - led by me, having struggled with drug & alcohol abuse from the age of 14 to 22.
How Well Do You Know Your Women - led by a church elder, discussing women of the Bible further and the importance of being well-schooled on them

After the second class, we invited everyone back over the Fellowship Hall for prizes and dessert. We had a table of prizes set up and we drew from the registration cards. We gave away Bath & Body Works candles, lotions, and body sprays; local cookbooks; a ton of items donated by Tupperware; devotional books, Christian CD's; a wax warmer and three different wax scents; some Christian comedy DVD's; and a set of stainless steel kitchen spoons with a canister.

Every single person in attendance got a prize because of the enormous amount of prize donations that were made by church members and local businesses. We were also able to give away one grand prize...and the grand prize was a complete surprise to everyone attending and to most of the conference workers. Only 8 people knew what the grand prize was in advance.

Because of the generous donations of two local businesses, we were able to give away the living room set that was displayed on stage all weekend. That's one sofa, one love seat, one chair, one coffee table, two end tables, two lamps, and a rug. =)

I want to share with y'all the story of the woman who won our grand prize. Her name is Marian, and she's from Florida. She has a son who lives here, and while visiting him she attended a church that advertised Women at Crossroads. She thought it sounded interesting and decided she would come back up for another visit so that she could attend the conference. I learned this because she was in one of my Drug & Alcohol Abuse classes. She was the only one in the room I wasn't familiar with, so I asked her name. She told me her name is Marian, and she told me why she was there. She also told me, "You'll remember me." Later that day, when I drew for the grand prize drawing of the living room set and pulled her name, she just erupted with tears. The look on her face was of sheer disbelief. After the crowd had calmed down, I went and talked to Marian. She tearfully told me about her son and his family, and how much they struggle to make ends meet. She wanted to give the living room set to her son because their living conditions are very poor. I was happy that the living room set was going to someone in need. She was happy because she was able to help her son in a way she would not have been able to, otherwise. The fact that SHE won is a total God thing. Can you imagine how many different things had to fall into place for a woman from Florida to be able to attend a tiny little first-time conference in South Carolina? God put all the pieces together long before I ever came into the picture. Every single thing about Women at Crossroads screamed to me...
God is Good. =)
I still can't believe that God used me in such a big way. I would say I'm at a loss for words, but that's clearly not true based on the super long post I just wrote. It was such a busy weekend, but it was such a blessing. I'm honored and humbled that God chose me. He picked me to lead this, and He made all the pieces fall perfectly into place every step of the way. Every fear and frustration I had along the way was comforted by His shining perfection. For the first time in my marriage, I feel good about serving along side my husband. I feel like God used this conference to teach me so many things about Him, about others, and about myself. I hope that He wants us to do this conference again next year. I hope that the problems within our church clear up or that I can bring the conference with me wherever I go. It was such a huge blessing...my cup runneth over...and through the conference I've been asked to serve in other ways in my community. I am proof that God can take a mess and turn it into a message. And I'm just so incredibly thankful. To God be the glory.

Marriage Monday

2012-06-25T11:06:00.002-03:00

Welcome to Marriage Monday's ~ the one day out of the week where I discuss what's going on in our marriage, good or bad.
We had such a wonderful & relaxing weekend, other than going to church on Sunday. That kind of sucked, actually. Yes, I know...what a horrible thing to say. Our church is just not a happy place to be right now - there is so much tension in the air and everyone's emotions are running at an all time high. I have some more news for y'all on this later this week, but if you don't know what I'm talking about...you can read the whole story here. Even though some unpleasant things are happening within our church right now, having a godly husband has made all the difference. He's had some really great advice through everything and he's been strong for me.
Yesterday when we left church, I just got into the car and started sobbing. I can't seem to wrap my brain around the things going on right now, and Mr. Robinson just drove us home and let me cry.
We've been married for a little over 9 months, and we've been together less than a year and a half total. We still haven't reached the point in our relationship where I feel like I can cry to him. When I cry, the poor guy has no clue what to do. Sometimes he gets angry, sometimes he fusses at me, sometimes he ignores me...none of those things make me feel any better. But it's hard to hold it against him since he really doesn't know what to do and we haven't been together long enough or gone through enough hard times for him to know what I need in those moments. But this Sunday, he just let me cry. He didn't say anything, he didn't do anything. He drove. I cried. And in some weird, twisted way...it was nice. It was nice just to have him there. It was nice to cry in front of him, because I usually run into the bedroom and hide when I feel tears coming on.
When we got home, I leaned into him for a hug with my face turned away so that I didn't get makeup on his white shirt. We went inside, got the dogs, and went to my parent's house for lunch. When we returned, we laid on the sofas and watched House until it was time for bed. We didn't go back to church last night ...
I felt uneasy all day. I still feel uneasy this morning. But I know my husband is there for me, and it makes a world of difference.

So my goal for this week is to be a better wife to him, too. I told him my plan this morning and he responded with a "Well, we have to start going to bed at 8:30."
I leave for work every morning at 8:45 am to be at work by 9. Mr. R hasn't made any money in the past few weeks because it's easy for him to get distracted once I leave the house. From what I can tell, he usually spends some time in the word, watches ESPN, and just kind of hangs out. Sometimes he visits with a friend of his, sometimes he comes by my work and talks to me or my dad. I've done nothing but make the problem worse...because when I work all day and come home to find him laying on the sofa, and the house looks a mess....the next morning, I leave him a list of chores. My logic is that if he's going to spend all day at home, he might as well do some housework to help lighten my load.
And yes, if he's home all day he should help out around the house. I come home and housework is done, so I'm happy. The problem here is that I'm being selfish when I should be encouraging. I told him this morning we're going to start waking up at 6 am instead of 8. We'll spend some time studying the Bible together, have coffee, and get ready. Hopefully if we start our day off productively, that pattern will continue for the rest of the day. So...our bedtime has moved from 10 pm to 8:30, I suppose. =) It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make so that we can start being better friends for each other. He gave me exactly what I needed by letting me cry in the car, and I should be giving him exactly what he needs too.

Mr. Robinson's 24th Birthday Feast Week!

2012-06-23T11:00:00.000-03:00

So last year my then-fiance turned 23. I thought I was being clever by giving him lingerie, for me, that he had to hold on to until the honeymoon. Wrong. He hated it. So I tried extra hard to make up for my birthday-fail from last year. This post is pretty late...his birthday was May 23...but better late than never. :) My plan for over-compensation was to plan a week-long feast featuring all of his favorite foods AND shower him with gifts each day. Since his parents weren't able to come up on his actual birthday, they came up for the weekend of May 11th and stayed the night with us for the first time! =) We went and had lunch at a water-front restaurant in town and came home for some cupcakes I made. Mr. Robinson's parents gave him a weed-eater and I gave him swimming trunks. :)

Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes, Mr. R wearing his new shorts (top right), & playing with this new toy (bottom right).

Here are some pictures from his Birthday-Week-Extravaganza!

His "go-to-hell" hat

Homemade Pizza for the FEAST!

He got excited about getting The Franchise. =) And the pizza was pretty great.

The Grill-Master & His Apron and Tools

Birthday Cake! My first layer-cake, no less. :)

New Shades :)

My First attempt at Homemade Fries for the FEAST

Homemade Burgers & Buns for the FEAST! =)

I think we all made up for last year. =) His birthday gifts included a weed-eater, a watch, a "go-to-hell" hat, season one of The Franchise, a new grill, a Giant's apron (for grilling), two pairs of swimming trunks, a pair of shorts, a SPF long-sleeved t-shirt (because he burns very easily in the sun & we are going to Mexico in July!), we both bought some cheap shades at Walgreens, and a pair of black dress shoes. We also hate his favorite foods all week...pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, spicy chicken nuggets, etc. It was a great week & I hope he felt like a king when it was all over. :)

Three Hints The Honeymoon Phase is Over

2012-06-22T11:00:00.000-03:00

Y'all know I like to keep it real. I blog-all-about-it and today you can find "it" on Autumn's blog, Mrs. in the Making. The post is about three ways to know the honeymoon phase if over...so go check it out. =) I'm an expert, after all, since I've been married for 9 months and stuff.

Also, the Color Run in Charlotte, NC is coming up in November and the registration is opening next week I've heard. If you want to join our team so that you can meet some really wonderful bloggers (myself included, obviously) you should click here.
And one other thing - if you want to be a July Sponsor on My New Wife Life {for free}, I have three spots left and one of 'em has your name it on. Get the details here.
The hubby and I are going on Date #6 of his Christmas gift - a comedy show! =) Super excited about that tonight. Everyone have a great weekend! =) And don't forget to go check out my guest post!

The Charlotte Color Run Blogger Link Up & Meet Up

2012-06-22T08:00:00.000-03:00

So there is a Color Run in Charlotte, NC coming up on November 17, 2012 and a few of us have decided to use the Color Run as an opportunity to meet some Carolina Bloggers. =)

The color run will take place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on November 17th. It starts at 9 am! It's a 5K, which is 3.1 miles of running or walking. It's not timed, so there's no pressure for you to be extremely physically fit or anything. The Color Run is all for fun, and for us it's about fun & mingling with other bloggers. :) At the Color Run, you'll get covered head-to-toe in safe, colored powder (similar consistency to powdered sugar) and look like the people in the above pictures. My husband will be coming with me because he wants to throw powder at people, haha! =)
Anyway, the price per runner is between $30 and $40, but we'll know more once registration opens up next week. They are pairing up with the Habitat for Humanity Charity, which will benefit from the money we pay to participate. There a dress code for the race - they ask that you wear a white shirt. It helps all the colors show up better. =) We'll get a discount for registering as a team and I think they offer a discount for early registration. Again, we'll know more once registration opens. You can find out more information about the Color Run on their website, or by visiting their Twitter and Facebook pages. If you've already joined our team or if you're planning on it, it's recommended that you sign up for e-mail updates. This will ensure that you're alerted as soon as registration opens because the race tends to fill up quickly.

Where does the Blogger Meet Up come in? Since the race starts on that Saturday morning, some people who are coming from out of town will want to spend Friday night in Charlotte. The plan is for everyone to go back to their homes or hotel rooms after the race, shower & get cleaned up, and then meet somewhere downtown for cocktails, maybe appetizers? We'll see what happens - if you have any ideas, message me! If you are interested in joining our team for the Color Run, please link up below so that we know who you are and how to get our team info to you.

Any questions? Leave a comment or feel free to e-mail me at MyNewWifeLife(at)aol(dot)com.