For My One In A Minion {Valentine's Day}

With Valentine's Day tomorrow I thought I would share what my sweetheart can look forward to.

We've never been big on Valentine's and usually keep it pretty low key.

I think surprising each other randomly through out the year is much more exciting and special than one day.

I did want to do something but not go over-the-top. I made him this little goodie bag.

I collected some of his favorite treats and made a card. 

I also got him signed up for the "Dollar Shave Club". He's been searching for a new razor so I thought this could be a cool way to try something he might like. 

Drew is all about some micro-brews and craft beer. 

I snagged these earlier in the week since I knew most likely we'd be snowed in.

The "yellow snow IPA" just had to be his!

I also dipped some pretzels in white chocolate, his favorite.

Add some peppermint and festive sprinkles and boom, V-Day treat!

I added some beer nuts to go with the brew, Swedish Fish and Twizzlers then put it all in a red bag.

I'm sure he will like it and enjoy some of his loot this weekend.

Reading the Bible in 2014

I've shared before that I go to an amazing church Faith Promise.

We have a great leader as our Pastor and he is just an ambitious as he is spiritual.

Our church has grown tremendously and the amount of people reached who have become faithful followers are mind blowing. 

A phrase frequently used  to describe Faith Promise is "making it hard to go to hell from Knoxville." 

That's a pretty bold phrase is you ask me.

Thousands don't get saved and lives changed with passive goals and light ambition. 

In December our ambitious pastor announced that as a congregation we will be reading the entire Bible together throughout the next year. I know how important it is to read the Bible daily and to grow on a regular basis but I find reading these huge amounts very intimidating and doubted how I could do it.

I felt really bad because I knew my small group was excited about reading through the entire Bible but I felt so scared. I'm not nearly as familiar with the stories and people and felt lost before I ever started. Up until this past year I hadn't read daily and was feeling so proud of the growth I had made with daily devotionals and spiritual blogs. I felt that I would overwhelm myself with trying to keep up with these long Bible passages and still continue to grow with devotionals. 

Now being almost two weeks into 2014 I feel so much more at ease.

Our church has started a 21 day fast and we are stepping onward with our daily reading goals. 

I've downloaded the "You Version" Bible app and under plans I follow the "One Year" plan and I must say it has been amazing. The app breaks it up into 5 passages. The first two being part of the same "story" and are longer in length. The last three being shorter passages and a Proverb. 

With a Bible newbi

e such as myself this really helps me absorb what I'm reading and allows me to organize my thoughts. I've never been one that can read a large amount at once and get 100% of it. For me this app helps me "chunk" it up and better take it in.

Our church phrase for this goal is "You Won't If You Don't" and it means just that.

The more I think about that phrase the more it means to me.

I'm excited to grow and I'm excited where this is leading my heart, soul, marriage, and mind.

{Marriage} The first six months...

I feel blessed to be married to my best friend and I feel like

it was yesterday we got married.

It was only six months ago, not long I know but I can't believe half a year has already gone by.

I have found true the popular wedding day quote,

"I love you the least today, because

I'll love you more tomorrow."

Upon the start of our marriage we decided to join a small group with our church.

Our small group is composed of mainly couples whom have been married less than five years.

We study different topics and books within the Bible when we meet each week.

I must be honest, when we were first on our way to a strangers house to eat and study the Bible together I was very nervous. And nervous is not something I'm familiar with!

I was worried I wouldn't know much compared to them and not bring much to the group at discussion.

I couldn't have been more wrong!

Small group has been wonderful and it is a special two hours that I look forward to each week.

The other couples and us hit off and we know share all our personal concerns, triumphs, and everyday life together. Like a mini marriage support group. I feel this has been monumental to our marriage and has built (and helping us continue building) a stronger faith and connection to one another.

Once we returned from our honeymoon it was time to start a new series of study in our small group and we decided to do a marriage study. This was something totally new to me and once again wasn't sure what to expect. Since all of us were in different places within our marriage it gave us all an opportunity to grow.

I feel marriage has been made a mockery of in our country and divorce has become widely accepted as a back-up plan in the event we can't quite make it work. Don't get me wrong, I know some situations are absolutely different and some even life threatening without a divorce. That's not what I'm talking about.

Over 50% of marriages fail and that terrifies me. Drew and I have dedicated ourselves to our marriage and part of that has been with the growing in our faith with our small group.

 In our study we had great emphasis that love is a choice, agape love.

Agape love meaning we make the commitment, the choice to love and accept our spouse. Truly for better and for worse knowing that both times will be had. 

Love is not an emotion. It isn't a mood or a feeling, it is a choice.

We studied the importance of intimacy on many levels in the marriage.

As a spouse we know longer chose to please ourselves and make decisions to better "me" we make choices to better the other that will ultimately lead to a stronger bond with each other and strong faith within ourselves. 

One part of our study was "divorce proof your marriage" and here are the support verses:

~ I Corinthians 15:33

~Proverbs 18: 20-22

~John 4:11

~Ephesians 4:26

~Matthew 19:1-10

I know even without kids our daily routines can get pretty crazy and just that, "routine."

Making a point to hug or say something nice can make all the difference.

Drew and I make a point to sit down, t.v. off, and have dinner together every night with the occasional date night. We learned that 2% of couples that pray together get divorced.

Being a submissive wife I feel will be an ongoing process. I feel this is a term that gets a bad rap and is considered old fashion in our modern sin filled culture. 

The husband is the spiritual leader of the house and the wife is essentially the #1 cheerleader of his decisions. That is why it is important to grow in faith together.

God calls on husbands to love and cherish the wife and lead the family while the wife is to be the support and love while having a faith filled heart.

I know six months isn't long.

But it is a start and I feel the choice to have a growing faith together will lead to a stronger marriage.

I look forward to what the next six months, six years, and sixty years look like for us. 

I know two things that will be forever changing and that is the amount of love we have for one another as we grow and the amount of faith we have.

Mr. & Mrs. Irons

Meet the Newlyweds

My husband Drew and I met on our very first day of high school. We instantly became friends and stayed friends for many years. (obviously)

Teachers,friends, and family members would often say, "You and Drew would be such a great couple." We were such great friends that I couldn't imagine it.

Well fast forward to our second year in college.

For the first time in a long time we both found ourselves single and we were talking more than ever. 

After a long evening of talking, Drew finally asked me out to dinner the next night. We went to Olive Garden and then to a yogurt place where it was very obvious that we had something special and that this was the start of something great #love 

On March 29th, 2012 Drew purposed on the beach at sunset which will be one of the most special and heartfelt moments of my life

On June 1st 2013 we became Mr. & Mrs. Irons in our hometown of Clinton, Tennessee. 

We had our dream wedding (big thanks to my mom!) and the ceremony and  reception were something out of my dreams.

This is where the blog "Sugar,Spice, & Newlywed Life" begins.

More details on the rustic,shabby chic wedding to come!