always on time.

waiting is never easy. almost exactly three months ago, nick&i packed all of our belongings into a bright yellow penske truck and drove thousands of miles to our new home, leaving behind the comfort, safety and familiarity of our life in dallas. there, we knew what would happen next. we both had jobs, life felt secure and predictible. which is how we like it, right?

three months ago, we began our new life in maine. and what a journey it has been! living with my parents while we get our new home ready, mailing off applications after applications, interviewing, praying, waiting... and repeat.

phew.

throughout these past few months, god has been beyond faithful. the moments i've felt weak, discouraged or scared, he has provided. scripture verses that i had grown to take for granted, god resurfaced in my mind... anchoring my heart in its truth.

we knew this was where god had lead us. we knew he would provide for us. we knew he had a perfect plan for our family...even though we didn't always feel it.

the saying is true: god is never late. he is always on time.

a couple of weeks ago, i accepted a position as a school counselor at an elementary school three days a week. knowing it was part time, i'd have vacations, holidays, snow days and the summers off, i couldn't pass it up! especially since school counseling is what i ultimately have been wanting to do... god was working for our family and he was reminding us of that, even when we couldn't see what he was up to. just today i finalized care for bel for the days i won't be with her... which has been agonizing to my mama-heart. but even in that, god has shown up. our pastor's wife is going to watch her two days a week, and my sister will watch her one day. bella will have socialization with other children (tanya's sweet little baby whose name is also bella who my bella loves to touch and call "baby! baby!" and my nephew jude who is bella's best bud) aaaand she will be watched by caring women who love god and will love my baby so well. we couldn't be more grateful!

just this week, nick interviewed for a physics and chemistry teaching job at a local high school. about two hours after he left from his interview, they called and offered him the job! i am SO proud of him. after a few hoops to jump through because of certification, he signed paperwork on tuesday and started training yesterday. school starts next week.

that's right... god is always on time :)

i'm so thankful for this summer of waiting on god's plans for provision for our family, even though it was stressful and scary at times. sarah young, in her book jesus calling, talks about looking at trials in life as opportunities to work our "trust muscles". how true.

we know that through this season of trust and blind faith, god has made us stronger for the next part of the journey he has us on. and for that, we are thankful.

"trust in the lord will all of your heart, and not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths." (proverbs 3:5,6)

his glorious riches.

"and my god will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in christ jesus." (phil 4:19)

i never want to forget this truth. i never want to forget how god has been faithful to provide for us through all the seasons of life. the theme of god's faithfulness, his provision and his blessings is the thread that is woven through this blog... starting with the title "my cup runneth over". it's because i want to always anchor my heart in gratitude; in remembering who god is and that his character is grounded in his ability to carry through that which he has promised. i have to work hard to remind myself of this truth; to allow it to allay fear and anxiety that i am prone to feel in times of uncertainty.

from day one of our married life, god has tested nick&i in the area of finances. literally: day one. you know those honeymoon stories you hear about that you wonder if they're really true or just legends that have been passed down and exaggerated over time? well let me tell you that nick&i's honeymoon contains some of those stories. we had the most amazing, wonderful start to our marriage in the beautiful mayan riviera... there were just a few things that happened that forced us to trust god with our finances right from the very start. we got married in an old inn on a lake in maine, and spent our wedding night there. my sister and brother-in-law were so sweet and decorated the room for us with candles and left a picnic basket with wine and crackers and cheese. so nice. let's just say that we went to bed that night having put out several small fires from the lighted candles... sleeping on burnt bedding next to a beautiful antique nightstand that had also gotten pretty charred. oops. a few days later, while honeymooning on the mexican coast, my wonderful husband was fiddling with his wedding band while we were swimming in the ocean. i'm sure you can see where this is going. before we knew it, the band had dropped to the ocean floor and while we searched and searched for it, we never saw it again.

and so, we began our married life together with over a thousand dollars less than we had the morning of our wedding. most of our wedding money that people had so graciously given to us had to go straight toward that inn in maine to repay them for the fire damages (trust me, "repay the fire damages" was never a phrase i though i'd say when referring to my honeymoon) :) i remember the first night we were home i was planning what to make for our first dinner in our home as a married couple. i had settled on pasta, and as i prepared everything, i went to find a pot to boil the water and realized we didn't even have pots and pans. many tears followed and probably a frozen dinner that night, although i can't remember.

throughout our marriage either nick or i have been working in a ministry-related job at a church, a christian school, or providing counseling for those that needed it but couldn't afford it. finances have never been plentiful for us, but god has always met our needs. there were the four flat tires we had in the first six months we were married, countless car repair issues that drained our savings accounts including finding out we needed to have our transmission replaced the day before we found out i was pregnant with bella. it was a month after we had our precious daughter that the daycare we had lined up for her called and told us they were closing. i couldn't continue to work and we were without a second income--or a plan of how to make it all work.

god has continually brought us back to a place where we are forced to trust. trust his provision, trust his faithfulness, trust his character. he has given us a gentle shove here and there to take a step of faith, to follow his leading... and we have found his paths to always be FAR greater than what we could've ever come up with on our own. when we have been forced to trust, we have seen his provision in ways we would have otherwise never known. and even greater than that... he has been molding and shaping our hearts to know him in deeper, more vivid ways and teaching us about the important things in life; the simple things. looking at the needs of others and how we can serve them. seeing life as more than what we can have and what we can buy. placing our significance, our worth, our happiness in him and the blessings he has bestowed upon us. and in this, finding the deepest sense of joy.

it has not been easy for this stubborn, wayward, materialistic heart of mine. but i am SO grateful for god's gracious favor. i have this distinct memory of bella&i going with nick to his school downtown one sunday before the school year was about to start. we were still in this cloud of nervousness and uncertainty, not knowing how we were going to make it financially with me not working. it felt heavy. while nick was working on his classroom, i put bella (just 3 months at the time) in her stroller and walked laps through the halls. i prayed as i walked to calm my anxious heart. as i rounded one of the corners, i saw a poster on the wall with this verse: "bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. test me in this, says the lord almighty, and see if i will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." (malachi 3:10) i went and got nick and showed him that poster and we claimed that as our verse; god's promise to us through that season of our life.

this weekend, by god's abundant grace, we paid off our credit card (ie the ridiculously-expensive-transmission we had to buy over a year ago!). i guess that's why i've been so reflective. it seemed like something that would never happen and it just felt like a huge weight we had been dragging around. i was talking with a friend the other day about how i don't take for granted anymore going to the grocery store and being able to buy the things we need without having to worry about it. i feel *so* blessed by our two cars that work and run well and have not needed major repairs in over a year (knock on wood). we live a simpler life now, finding joy in sushi takeout, a good ebay find, target coupons or gap jeans that were on clearance... but more importantly in our family time and in our savior; who has been--and will always be--our anchor, our provider, our hope.

he has filled my heart and my life with his glorious riches.

my cup runneth over.

thursday three.

well, it's 11:43 and i had fallen asleep but woke up to a huge coughing fit. we are seeming to pass allergies and colds around this house and it's kind of a drag. i decided to get up and use my trusty netti pot and get some water, while also allowing time for my husband (who i undoubtedly startled half to death with my racking coughs) to fall blissfully off to sleep once again.

and here i sit.

which gives me time to write the thursday three in the fifteen minutes i have left before it is no longer thursday.

nick
miracle of all miracles this week is no guessing game (although i guessed it right on my first try... i told you i know the mind of my husband!) i actually remembered to ask nick today what his top moment of the week was... and alas, it was going to the mavs game last night with three of his best friends for *free*. that's right, people... f-r-e-e. love that! his friend matt won free tickets because he won some score-guessing-contest (and actually guessed the score to a mavs game spot on which is pretty crazy) and was awarded four free tickets to last night's mavs game against the jazz. i know my husband acted like the crazy sports fan that he is; complete with his mavs t-shirt, screaming&yelling and his giant-number-one-foam-hand waving in the air (just kidding on the giant hand... but still.) anyone who knows my husband knows he loves his sports, and i just love watching him in action, as does everyone else. love. that. man.

meg
i would have to say my highlight of the week may sound like a shallow one, but please hear me out... these days shopping for myself is an extremely rare occasion. but as i have been learning over the past several months, the lord reminded me of again this week: god always takes care of our needs... and sometimes he chooses to take care of our wants. this week with some sale-watching, coupon clipping and store credit at the gap, i managed to snag a pair of $70 skinny jeans for a mere twenty bucks. yep, i loved it. almost as much as i love. these. jeans. aaaaand due to a shipping mishap (long story) i also was blessed with a super cute easter dress for bel for practically free. i definitely tend to struggle sometimes with our lack of "things" or the means to obtain "things" especially since we chose to have me be a stay-at-home-mom for our family. i wouldn't have it any other way; it just makes finances a bit tighter. i've been asking jesus to help me with that this week, and to keep my mind stayed on the many things i'm so thankful for. he--as always--has been faithfully changing my heart and helping me focus on the irreplaceable blessings around me that i could never even imagine my life being without. the "things" that are worth *far* more than all the money in the entire world. so that, my friends, is really the highlight of my week :) doesn't mean my struggle is over, but it's always good to have those little reminders... and god is so sweet to give them.

bel
our poor little sweetie has not been feeling so hot the past few days. she's had a runny nose, cough and just doesn't look or act like herself. it's quite sad. but this has also meant more time in her pjs, more cuddle time with daddy and mama, and more "praisebaby" and "baby einstein" (which we ordinarily limit to a few times a week... but this week i think she has watched one or the other every single day. ahhh well.) i think bella's highlight this week was getting a couple new toys from grammie and grampy! they had given bel her first tea set (plastic, of course) for christmas, and i stashed it in the closet to bring out later when the newness of some of her other christmas toys had worn off. we brought it out this week, much to her excitement in only the way a baby can show it. as soon as she saw the box, she began squealing and kicking her feet with a huge smile on her face. so. cute. so we've been playing "tea" which she hasn't quite gotten the hang of yet and certainly has no manners. the english would be sorely disappointed. for valentines day, grammie and grampy gave her an activity walker that we just picked up this week. it makes lots of noises and has tons of buttons that light up and play songs. it keeps her entertained for a while. hard to imagine that she will soon be pushing it all over the apartment as she waddles behind it! it seems like just yesterday when all she did was lay on a blanket and blink. she has been growing up so fast i think i cry about it every day. just kidding, but i do get teary-eyed. a lot.

and there you have it, friends. our thursday three just before midnight. i will now go back to bed and hopefully be asleep within seconds. stay away, cough. stay away.

multitude monday.

56. date night with my husband. the comfort of just being together.
57. pei wei take out.
58. gift cards.
59. farm fresh eggs.
60. moscoto. my new favorite wine. maybe because it tastes like spiked apple juice. yum.
61. sleeping in.
62. sunday morning waffles. with real maple syrup filling all the warm, crispy ridges.
63. bella's chubby cheeks. i'm obsessed with them. especially when she's teething and they're all nice and rosy.
64. having to turn the heat on in the morning. i like to remember it's still winter here in dallas despite what the 70 degree temperature has lead me to believe.
65. warm naan.
66. rubber duckies, bubbles and big girl baths.
67. hulu. we gave up cable and dvr when we had bella. hulu reminds me that god provides sometimes for even our "wants"; like getting watch our favorite tv shows together when we can't during the week. trivial, i know... but i like that god remembers the trivial sometimes. he's good like that.

gratitude attitude.

i must admit the past couple of weeks have been a bit tough for this little family of three. as i mentioned in my last post, our plans for childcare fell through which means consequently our plans for the next year have kind of fallen through also. never easy especially for nick&i; two people who like to have our ducks lined up neatly in a row. we try to be so smart with our $, be wise in our decisions and always have our t's crossed and our i's dotted...

but we can't control everything.

i don't know what god is trying to teach us right now in the midst of the discouragement and frusteration we are facing. we have both had our turns of being mad at god and not understanding his timing, his plans, or his provision (or seemingly lack thereof). but i hold onto that tiny thread of hope that everything will be okay. i know that god is who he said he is... and that is FAITHFUL. i read this quote this morning and it just washed me over with peace at its gentle reminder:

*

"your petitions are heard, but it is your gratitude that clears the way to my heart. with the way between us wide open, my blessings fall upon you in rich abundance. the greatest blessing is nearness to me; abundant joy and peace in my presence. practice thanking me and praising me continually throughout this day."

*

i realize that gratitude comes from life's simple things. for me, anway. like the sound of falling rain. having my precious baby girl fall asleep on my chest. the cozy warmth of my cup of coffee in the morning. date nights with my husband just sitting on our balcony, holding hands and drinking glasses of wine. a beautiful sunset painting the sky. being near the heart of jesus and feeling his sweet, peaceful presence. these are the things that make me feel *rich*. not in an earthly sense. but in an eternal one. god has been SO. INCREDIBLY. GOOD to me, how can i doubt that he will continue to be? one of my favorite songs ever (it's an oldie! don't even like cindy morgan in the least... but i LOVE the words to this song of hers) describes how i feel about life right now, or am trying to feel, in the middle of this chaos and fear:

*

"there's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon

waking to the sunlight, being cradled by the moon

catching fireflies at night

building castles in the sand

kissing mama's face goodnight

and holding daddy's hand.

thank you, lord. how could i ask for more?

running barefoot through the grass

a little hide and go seek

being so in love that you can hardly eat

dancing in the dark when there's no one else around

being bundled 'neath the covers

watching snow fall to the ground

thank you, lord. how could i ask for more?

so many things i thought would bring me happiness

some dreams that are realities today

such an irony the things that mean the most to me

are the memories that i've made along the way

thank you, lord. how could i ask for more?"

*

tears fall as i write these words. this is the life i've been blessed to live and continue to. this is the life that i want my sweet bella to have, and our other kids to come. is it going to be okay? yes. will we have enough to get by? yes. will god be faithful? yes. he has been and he will continue to be. and i'm pretty content to be kind of poor right now. i live with nick&bella... and they are pretty much the coolest people i have ever known. so i think i will be okay.

*

thank you, jesus, for ALL you have given me. i am *beyond* blessed.