On Being Married

In case ya' missed it around here [and are apparently living under a rock], I got married! On 9.13.14 loverboy and I vowed ourselves to each other. I know that this is an insignificant, tiny little detail for most of you, but it has completely and radically changed my life. I mean, I live with a boy. A BOY.

A boy who makes the bed differently than I do, sometimes doesn't realize the trail he leaves behind as he walks in the house with his shoes on, and whose idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon includes cheering on the Vikings. I now have to eat meat AND veggies at every dinner (thanks mother in law!), share my closet with another human being, and smell coffee every morning. Weird.

But don't get me wrong. It may be weird, but it's also awesome. I now have my own human heater on cold nights, heavy object lifter and too-high-to-reach retriever, and permanent partner in crime. I also get to enjoy the perks of having a live-in spider killer, breakfast-in-bed-maker, and chauffeur. Marriage kind of rocks. But the best part about all this is that these aren't the best things!

It reminds me of when I wrote this post about loving the Giver over the gifts. And now that I'm married I can most definitely say a hearty 'amen!' to that post in that, yes, I super duper appreciate all the things that my man does for me, but more than that, I love HIM. And I love him for him, not for all the perks (although dem perks be niiiiice].

So in the middle of this second week of marriage, I'm considering how much I love this man I've decided to hitch my wagon to for the rest of my life. And I'm considering how good my God is to give me such a great gift—a husband who is also an amazing gift-giver, who gives me himself every day. He's mine... and how lucky I am for that!

//photos via our amazingly talented photographer, Availeth Photography

'Tis the Season for Change

Like clockwork, around the new year I always get antsy to start new things, change things up, take risks, and lay it all out there. However, I usually reign myself in because ideas haven't been thoroughly processed, people consulted, or questions asked. So it just so happens, that about a month or two later I actually start doing all those thoughts that were rolling around in the old noggin as the ball dropped weeks earlier.

All that being said, you may have noticed some changes around here at "The Things That Make Us Tick." KC will be dipping out and I [HB] will be the main writer. The vision of the blog is changing too, and I hope that you will not only come along with me on this adventure, but that you will bring your friends too!

I'm going to be inviting guest bloggers to write about the things that make them tick... whether it be adoption or weddings, organization or music. So keep your eyes open for lots of inspiration, passion, and love!  I'll be opening the floor for submissions in a bit... I have some lovelys in mind that will be starting us off. As of yet, not much has been implemented, but I hope to be slowly weeding things out and adding things in over the weeks and months to come. If you have any sweet ideas, drop me a line.

I'll still be chronicling my journey with EDGE Corps, as well as using this as a personal, lifestyle blog. SO... join me? :)

A little bit of passion inspiration to get things rolling: