Find It All Joy (a little life update)

In the slowness of this season, I'm striving to find joy + gratitude in the small daily routines. Our life might not be glamorous, interesting, or adventure seeking every single day, or even every other week for that matter. But it's filled with Jesus, faith, love, rest, and an overabundance of blessings. For that, I will rejoice, be glad, and have JOY!

So let's do a little life update and celebrate the small things, shall we? 

Despite the slowness, there are a few exciting things happening + some resources I've found on the internet that are bringing fun + inspiration into these long + dark January days (Midwest winters are no joke, friends) From birthdays, vacations, jobs, workouts, to a green smoothie recipe that interests me (and maybe you too!).

So here you have it, a little peak into life at the moment :)

Josh's 27th birthday was this past Sunday. We aren't big "occasion celebraters" or "gift givers," but a home made surf + turf dinner is totally us. Laid back, simple, and in the comfort of our sweatpants. Happy Birthday, again, husband! 

You guys! We are officially planning our summer vacation...and we're going to California + Nevada! I have not been to either state, and I am so excited to experience them. I've been Pinteresting + Googling San Francisco attractions + places to eat all week long (talk about major food cravings...) And of course, being the camping + mountain hiking lovers we are, a trip to Yosemite will be happening as well. Planning + daydreaming about this vacation is getting me through these winter months, no doubt!

If you're not friends with me on snap chat (rach_schultzz) you totally should be. Especially if you would like to see the ridiculous + weird person that I truly am....and also the cutest 9 month old baby snaps you'll ever see. I absolutely love my nanny job, and Josh appreciates the 20 million snaps he gets throughout the day :)

Have you heard of Daily Burn? It's a website with a large collection + variety of workouts that you can do in your home, for $10 a month. I am a BIG in home workout person, and I also enjoy variety in my workouts. I've never been one to finish a "90 day program" in its entirety...but if I have 5 different types of programs at my finger tips, you bet I'll be motivated to try a different one every day. Is anyone else like this? If so, daily burn is definitely worth a look. I'm loving the Yoga + Dance programs. Right now I'm using the 30 day free trial, but I'm thinking I might fit that $10 into our budget for February! 

I'm feeling super health inspired by Kimberly Snyder and her Glowing Green Smoothie ( #GGS). I found her videos on oneoeight.tv (definitely worth a watch, and a free trial account. Yes, I'm a sucker for "free trials"...) I gained some great advice from her when it comes to having a morning + evening routine. One of her suggestions for your morning routine is to have something "light" for breakfast that allows your body to continue in a detoxifying mode. She explains that putting something more heavy in your body, for example an egg omelette (oh man, I love eggs for breakfast!), will then have your body go into digestion mode. So interesting! I'm all for my body staying in detox mode ;) The smoothie calls for a water base with 70% greens (kale, spinach, romaine, etc.) and 30% fruit (suggested options were apple, pear, banana, and lemon. Lots of fiber!) It sounds delicious, and I will be trying it!

So this was fun! And a great way to feel grateful for the goodness + inspiration that is in my life at the moment. And as always, I hope it inspired you in some way too. How are you finding joy during the winter months?

A Michigan Christmas - 2015

It's Christmas time in our apartment in Michigan. Twinkling lights, Nsync's "Merry Christmas" playing, and a pine candle burning (since our tree is fake this year...sigh) are all things to be seen, heard, and smelled. I love this time of year; especially decorating for it.

I have enjoyed making our apartment feel more like a home; but by no means am I an interior decorator. Josh and I do not live in a chic downtown loft apartment or a quaint little cape cod on the outskirts of town. We don't have a lot of windows for natural light, hardwood floors, or bright white painted walls. Our kitchen is older, and 80% of our walls are cinder block. 

Sometimes I can get caught up in the comparison game; and feel lesser than someone who has a "nicer" home. I see beautiful Instagram's of sweet + simple homes and house decor, and think negatively about my living situation. It's quite a selfish and ungrateful way to feel. God continues to show me my weakness in this area, and I pray he allows my heart + mind to change when these thoughts arise.

Our home serves the purpose of keeping us safe; and we have the responsibility to take care of it. How well decorated it is does not matter. The size, big or small, is not important. The great lighting, location, or style of the place we live is insignificant. In reality, I have so much to be thankful for when it comes to our home.

For starters, I love sharing a home with Josh. And most days, I love and appreciate every inch our our little apartment. I really shouldn't even call it little. It is just as big, if not bigger, as our Milwaukee apartment. We have more windows + light then we did last year, our kitchen is larger, and we have our own washer + dryer!!! (hallelujah) We were also blessed to have Josh be called to a position as a pastor where our housing is rent free. We are so thankful. Michigan has been fantastic for us so far. 

At times this apartment may not seem like the best canvas for cozy Christmas decorations; but I'm finding joy in what God has provided us, and using "what I have, where I am."

Hello.

Hi!

I'm Rachel, and I'm wrapped up in the arms of my handsome husband, Josh. We're newlyweds who are crazy about each other, but most importantly, our Savior Jesus. I've been thinking about re-starting a blog (yes I blogged in the past) for quite some time. I decided it was silly to keep thinking about it, and finally went for it. So here we are! 

There have been so many transitions and changes in our year and a half of marriage so far, and I want to document and remember it all. You'll find a little bit of every area of life on here: marriage, travel, food, health and fitness, style, home life, babies (Lord willing in the future!), Jesus, and the everyday musings in between. So cheers (insert beer glass clinking emoji) to a new blog, and remembering the little details of our life in this season, and in future ones to come.

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