insert happy dance here

I keep coming back to this scripture over and over these past few weeks.  It is a perfect promise of how God will provide for you, and when you see that promise face to face, all you can do is smile, take a breath, and thank the One that made it happen. 

Daniel and I have dubbed this season in our life the "Sweet Season".  And for the first time in three years, we can finally say this.  There have been lots of moments of joy, but there have also been lots of trials.  Many trials.  And though these trials haven't seen trivial, they have hurt and challenged us.  The past three years I have juggled teaching full time and getting my masters/reading specialist credential.  And in just three weeks, we will get to close this chapter of our lives. 

And it feels as though a snowball effect has been occurring as our chapter comes to a close.  

Last week, this beauty came in the mail.....I officially passed my comp exams.  That weekend from, you know where, is now a chapter in the books.  (By the way, I'm not a Mr. SDSU.) 

Yesterday I turned in my thesis, freshly printed, bound, and shining like a diamond, to my professor.  That felt amazing.  

And to top it all off, we payed off Daniel's student loans this week as well!  That feels like a huge triumph, and all I can say is that I am incredibly proud of my husband and how he has led us financially to allow this to happen.  (Now if only mine would disappear!) 

So excuse us if you see us doing a little happy dance inside Trader Joe's or walking to the mail box, we are embracing this sweet season with open arms and give all the glory to God! 

my hair must-haves

I love my hair!  And that may sound a little forward of me to say, but out of everything it is the one thing that I have that makes me feel good.  And I think it's important for us to embrace the parts of us that make us feel good about ourselves.  However, it is thick.  And that definitely comes with downsides. 

We seem to always want what we don't have.  When I was younger I remember begging my mom for a perm, but a soft perm..so I could have curly hair all of the time.  Thank you, mom, for NEVER letting me do this.  We have straight hair?  Curly is the answer!  Blonde?  Let's go brown!  Well, I haven't wished for thin hair yet, but it is getting close.  Let me enlighten you on the downsides of thick hair:

-in 6th grade you offically have to get your hair "styles"-layers and all

-blow drying your hair should be a sport because you're a sweaty mess afterwards

-"doing your hair" requires at least 40 minutes

-no matter how many bobby pins you put in that chignon, it is going to fall any minute

-hair ties constantly break on you in the middle of putting your hair in a pony tail

-hair ties have to go around 3 times, not 2, 3 because then it will stay

-it is obvious to you when it's is a month out from needing a hair cut, it's heavy, it does nothing, and it is begging for those thinning shears!  

Lately my hair has looked like this because I'm in desperate need of a hair cut (dear Saturday, can you be tomorrow???)

Well I do have a couple tricks up my sleeve and I wanted to share with you the two latest products I have been introduced to that I swear I would take with me on a deserted island.  

Loreal Mythic Oil:  This is like the answer to my prayers.  I blow my dry until it's half way dry, then put one pump in my hands and brush my hands through my hair.  It makes my hair much more manageable when I'm blow drying.  When my hair is dry, I can also put it on, and it takes all the frizz away and my curls just lay perfectly.  

Bio Ionic Blow Dryer:  My mom got this for me as a birthday present, and she ordered it through our hair dresser.  The tagline for this blow dryer is "a conditioner on a cord".  Oh.  My. Word.  This costs a pretty penny and it is worth every cent!  It cuts down on my dry time, and makes it so manageable.  It leaves my hair soft and smooth.  And you better believe that it travels with me.  Hotel blow dryers just don't count.  

meal planning with our CSA box

That, my friends, is part of our glorious goods from our CSA box.  What's a CSA box?  I'm so glad you asked!

CSA stands for Community Shared Agriculture, and it is where local farms provide delivery services of their crops.  The boxes are identical, and you get fresh, organic produce straight from the farm.  We get our through Be Wise Ranch, and if you live in San Diego, I highly recommend it.  They have so many pick-up locations, and their produce is outstanding.  We pay $30 for our box, but we share it each week with one of my friends.  You never know what you're going to get, but it has helped us eat fruits and veggies that are in season and has challenged my cooking a bit.  Collard greens..I'm talking to you.  We got them for almost two months straight, and now I am a pro at coming up with recipes to use them in. 

Something that I am passionate about is cooking fresh meals, each day, and giving our bodies whole foods.  Rarely do our meals consist of processed food.  This may seem hard to find the time, but when you are passionate about something you make it happen.  I've been wanting to buy organic produce, but the prices just weren't affordable for us.  Our CSA box allows us to get organic foods at a much smaller price than the grocery store.  Daniel was never one for veggies, but he is more motivated to try something if it was from our box.  He gets all excited about it!  

Since we don't know what we get each week, I wait until we pick up our box before I meal plan.  I do my best to incorporate the items we get in the box in our meal plan for the week so that nothing goes to waste.  Meal planning makes life much easier.  After working all day, and possibly going to class, it is amazing to come home and know exactly what I'm making and have everything ready!  I thought I'd share our weekly meal plan with you!  If you're looking for a recipe to make, you should definitely try out on of these!

Our box this week included:

broccoli

asparagus

avocado

artichokes

spring mix

radishes

zucchini

kale

mustard greens

oranges

parsley

cabbage

And here's our line-up for cooking this week:

SUNDAY: Grilled steaks, artichokes with roasted red pepper dip, grilled zucchini, sweet potato fries

This meal was delicious, the picture doesn't do it justice.  And it was our first time using the grill this spring to commemorate the gorgeous weather we had! 

MONDAY: Skinnytaste Mushroom & Kale Lasagna Rolls with Asparagus

**Using the kale and asparagus

TUESDAY: Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema 

**Using the cabbage

WEDNESDAY: Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese 

**Using the broccoli

THURSDAY: Mexican Quinoa with grilled chicken 

**Using the avocado 

Typically I try to juice any produce that is left over.  Beets and apples have been my go to.  Also, I use the spring mix for lunches to make salads, and toss some radishes on there.  

Hope you try out one of these recipes! 

our growth through marriage

While I was on spring break, Daniel and I went on a bike ride.  And not just any bike ride, one that was 30 miles long, filled with tormenting hills-and it was a ride that I have refused to go on for that fact.  But as we were riding, all I could think about was how far we have come in our marriage.  And our marriage is closely related to how we ride together on our bikes.  A lot of lessons that we have learned and grown through while riding together are the exact same lessons we have conquered in our marriage.  Along the path of the past 4 or so years, we have grown stronger and work together better-but it hasn't been easy.  

We are committed to our road bikes.  Your feet as "clipped in" to your petals, and if you fall so does your bike.  It took me such a long time to finally trust my bike, trust that it wouldn't let me fall, and trust myself to remember how to unclip when I needed to stop.  This trust is similar in our marriage, I have learned to relinquish my desires and trust Daniels, to respect him as my husband, and know that he won't let us fall.  And if we fall, we are both going to be able to get back up, dust off the bruises, and continue on. 

Our very first ride was a doozy.  I was scared the entire time about falling.  Daniel would take the lead, and then I would try to take it, and then we were constantly racing each other the entire time only to leave each of us out of breath only half way through.  Our church recently wrapped up a series on family and compared marriage to a dance.  One person in the dance leads and the other follows with them.  In our marriage, when we both try to lead, we pull and tug at one another...getting us no where.  We are left out of breath, tried and exhausted.  On this bike ride, Daniel said he found his "sweet spot". He rides just behind me on my left, so that he is closer to traffic (always looking out for me).  We have created a system so that we are both working together, I follow his lead an at times he follows mine.  

One ride in particular left me ready to pack up my helmet for good.  We were coming across a freeway entrance, Daniel said something to me, but I panicked and didn't follow his lead.  He went one way and I went another, and it was all I could do to pedal my little heart out to make it across the entrance.  Now we know when to give each other enough time to communicate before making a move.  We listen more attentively, and trust the other's advice.  It is so surreal how much we have seen this in our marriage as well with our communication. 

When we were engaged I remember thinking how easy marriage would be.  And what I soon realized is that it takes work.  There will be times when we are both desiring to take the lead, causing one another to fumble, and creating a constant pull-and-pull.  Those moments, at times, have left us bitter at the other person, wishing that they would just change, to see our side and think exactly like us.  

My heart feels beyond full when we have rides like our last one, when we are in our element, our "Sweet spot".  The place where we feel safe, comfortable, and trusted.  We have found our "sweet spot" and I'm sure we will have to find this spot many more times as we travel through more seasons in our marriage.  

Oh, and I thought I'd show you a glimpse of how time has been on our side....9 years ago this was us....

that glorious rainy city

Today's the first day back to work after having two glorious weeks off for Spring Break.  Beyond being bummed that I can't live in sweats and workout clothes, I'm excited to finish out the school year and graduate from grad school.  

This spring break was extra special because I traveled up to Seattle for the very first time.  My dear friend, Conni, and I hit the ground running...and there was definitely rain, lots and lots of rain.  I fell in love instantly with the city.  I think I was made for Seattle.  The coffee shops?  Oh, the coffee shops.  Never did we touch a Starbucks, it was always cute little shops filled with cozy locals.  My top fav was Stumptown Coffee.  

If you follow me on Instagram you definitely noticed a trend, the food!  And I would definitely call this the "foodie's guide through Seattle".  I think I can say with confidence that I'm a foodie, I just love food, the ambience of a fantastic restaurant, and the comfort it brings sitting alongside great company.  Oysters became my newest friend.  It was my first time trying them and I think I had the best I will ever have in my lifetime.  If you are looking for some amazing oysters, be ready to wait a while, but you must try The Walrus and the Carpenter.  For a superb cocktail, cheese and bread, Bar Sajor is the best.   This was the first restaurant we went to, and it instantly won me over.  It is small but cozy inside, and you feel like you have access to an amazing kitchen.  The kitchen is wide open in the restaurant, and the pale blue walls coupled with dainty white chairs just made me swoon.  

If you follow Orangette, you will love that we definitely made a stop into Delancey and Essex.  We were so thankful that Essex was right next door, as the wait was quite a while.  But Delancey is another kitchen you are welcomed into with open arms.  We sat and watched the handmade pizzas be proudly placed into the brick oven, fresh salads were prepared right before us...and the food was to die for!  

We dubbed this the trip where we "ate our way through Seattle".  My gym was happy to have me back home to start getting back on track :) 

(I will apologize in advance for the picture overload, and most of them are from restaurants, but they were all just so amazing inside I couldn't resist.)  

Bar Sajor

Oddfellows

it's ok

The past two months, my closet has looked like this...

And our bathroom is beginning to look like this...

And I've tried to say, "It's okay, it will be done soon, it doesn't matter that I can't find any of my clothes because it's all good."  But there comes a time when I just can't say it anymore. 

Let me back up just a bit.  A little over two months ago we noticed water damage in the walls of our master bedroom closet.  After several visits from various plumbers, contracts, inspectors (we basically were an open house) the conclusion was that the tub was leaking underneath itself and into the walls.  Fast forward a week later, and everything that was in our closet and bathroom had to be out.  We tried doing this in an organized fashion, but then we gave up and resorted to throwing everything onto our guest bedroom bed.  Our bedroom was turned into a scene from ET with plastic drapes sealing off the bathroom, men walked around in white jump suits, and huge fans blew for a week to soak up the walls.  Then the construction started, and then it didn't start, and then it started slowly...and after 5 agonizingly painful weeks, it is finally done!

Our guest bedroom looks like a bomb went off in it, I can't find my red jeans for the life of me, and there is dust everywhere.  This has been my life for the past two months.  Amidst comp exams, writing report cards, finishing my thesis, there has been chaos at home.  And somewhere along the road I became someone who couldn't function until the house was clean.  Well, I had to learn to function and learn how to keep parts of our condo clean that I could in order to feel some sort of balance.  

Whenever friends would come over I would preface their visit with, "we are still under construction and the place is a mess, but we love you so come on over."  My mom, oh my lovely mom, told me the other day, "They are coming over to see YOU, not your HOUSE".  And I feel like this needs to be something I memorize and say over and over again.  Because when people do come over I feel like our place has to be perfect, spotless, and I suddenly turn into Betty Homemaker.  Well, I feel like it's worth saying that this is an expectation I need to let go of.  There will be other trials that we go through that will cause our house to be total chaos again.  When we have kids I know that I will have to learn to live with the house in the state it is in, 

I can't control everything and the people that love me, really love me, will accept my messy house, my unwashed dishes, my stacks of clean folded laundry, and they will continue to love me because I'm not perfect. 

currently...

Currently I am...

-talking in a cross between a british and souther accent y'all.  We all have Downton Abbey and Duck Dynasty to thank for that.  If you have already started asking yourself how on earth those two go together, there is not rhyme or reason.  Watching Downton Abbey just puts my soul at ease, my heart twitters a bit with the romance, and I love the storyline.  Oh, the drama!  Duck Dynasty...well, my husband tried forever to get me to watch it.  I'm not the fan of reality TV so I was extremely hesitant, and all I thought it would be about is a bunch of rednecks hanging around.  Well, those rednecks are hilarious!  And watching my husband watch it is hilarious!  And those wives that love on those men, with their scruffy beards and all, well..they are my heroes.  So supportive and loving.

- in LOVE with this workout.  I was a sweaty mess at the gym doing this workout, and my legs felt like noodles afterwards, and I loved every single second of it.  I've been in a workout rut lately, and when I stumbled upon Tina's blog I was instantly inspired.

-munching on this homemade irish soda bread like it is nobody's business!  This recipe was so easy to follow, and my picky belly hasn't had too many issues with this gluten-filled bread.  Toasted with some butter and jam (said in an accent like the Geico gecko) is where it's at.

-deciding on which outfits to pack for my upcoming trip to Seattle!!!  I'm traveling with a dear friend of mine to go sight seeing and have a fun, girls' trip.  I've never been to Seattle and have been dying to recently.  All I can say is that I am beyond excited to visit the first Starbucks, see Pike's Place Market, and eat some amazing food.  Me?  Love food?  NO!

-having withdrawals after finishing Bittersweet.  I downloaded it as an audiobook to listen to on my way to and from work.  It was my first audiobook, and I was slightly hesitant about it.  I soon found myself instantly turning it on over music.  My heart has felt emotions it hasn't felt before, my mind is thinking like crazy, and all I can see are the bittersweet moments in my life.  This book made me look at the tiny moments and realize they are part of my story, I have grown from each experience, and I couldn't stop telling people everything I was just in awe of.

-loving some peaceful time with my husband.  March did a doozy on us.  Between both of our busy work schedules, my comp exams and report cards, and various events, we finished March feeling like we had just run a marathon and hadn't seen one another in ages.  It feels good to finally have some downtime (thank you, spring break) with nothing to get in the way.  Having a break from work always puts some much needed rest time into my life, and as hard as a I fight it, relaxing has treated me well.  When I'm more relaxed I feel like I can give more of my time to Daniel, be more intentional with our conversations, actually listen to him, and be a couple.

life lately according to my iPhone

Life lately has been beautiful.  Sometimes I have to go back and look at my pictures to remind myself of all the amazing things that are going on in our lives.  How do I forget things so quickly?  

My dear friend Lindsay is due in just a week!  Ahhh, I still can't believe it.  What a joy it has been watching baby Sophia grow.  It still seems so surreal that Lindsay will be a mom very soon, holding her perfect daughter, and all I can say is that I have been blessed to be a part of this experience so far. 

We were able to get out on a date night...on a Monday night!?!?!  I'm telling you, Mondays are the best days for date nights.  It sets your whole week in the right direction.  We used a gift card to Karl Strauss, so we felt like winners.  

My procrastination has two loves: Pinterest and Target.  Both joined together to help me make place mats for our fridge.  A quick trip to Target for $10 (that was just for the mats, I had to spend more than that!) and 30 minutes later, and I had spiffy new mats for our fridge.  I feel like this will be much easier to clean!  Here is the tutorial I used! 

This week Daniel and I went to SDSU to pick up my cap, gown, and tassel for my graduation. YES, I am finally graduating in May with my Masters!!!!  I want to shout it from the rooftops.  Picking up these goodies definitely made me feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel, like all of this hard work is paying off, and this three year endeavor will be over soon. 

I just crack up at Daniel's text messages sometimes.  This was his description of our CSA box goodies. Those "non normal things" included beets, radishes, kale, and asparagus.  

Minnie is a big fan that I'm on Spring Break.  The other night we spent a good amount of time together catching up on our favorite shows.  And the way she sleeps sometimes cracks me up.  Sometimes I wish I could get in the positions she can, I feel as though my back would crack beautifully and feel much better.  

Babysitting my niece and nephew feels like a treat every time.  While Cam napped, Calli and I cut up paper (which ended up all over the floor in little pieces...so we had a "cleaning party" before Cam woke up).  We ate lunch outside, drew pictures, and watched Tangled until we both fell asleep.  I just love those littles! 

hope

Easter is becoming my new favorite holiday.  Growing up my brother, sister, and I would spend hours decorating our Easter baskets, picking out our new outfits and shoes, and compete over who could decorate the prettiest eggs.  And somewhere in the mix of these traditions, I missed the real reason for the holiday.  Each year I seem to learn a little nugget more about what Easter is really about.  After a beautiful church service Saturday evening I came home baffled at how nieve I am as a Christian, saddened that I didn't know growing up what I know now. 

This beautiful holiday, centered around the most innocent taking the burden for our sins, and it has always felt like any other day.  As we planned our Easter meal and decided what we would wear, I forgot the beauty of this day. 

Hope.  Each service I went to and everything I read centered around HOPE.  The apostles were left broken, and three days later HOPE came.  The fact that we have a savior that carries our burdens and cleanses our sins leaves my heart heavy and light at the same time.  It makes my heart skip a beat, little butterflies emerge.  And how quickly this passes away when the day to day work takes over.  This Easter I was filled with HOPE.  This past week my heart was heavy.  I had cried for days over my exam, and then remained in a funk.  Work was hectic, our home was hectic, life seemed hard, and I felt hopeless.  The beautiful part of Jesus is that he is always there, when my heart is heavy and I forget to bring these burdens to him-he is there.  And as I sang my heart out on Saturday evening at church, my hope was restored.  It may not seem like all of our problems are solved, but I am a savior that is there to listen to my cries, forgive me of my sins, and make me complete again.  He makes this mess I feel like sometime into something beautiful.  

"We like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

-Isaiah 53:6

We did enjoy our Easter!  A LaFuze family tradition is the easter egg hunt the entire family participates in.  My mother-in-law puts puzzle pieces inside of plastic eggs, and we divide up into teams.  We all run around the backyard frantic to find our colored eggs, crack open the eggs on the table, and help our caption put together our puzzle.  This was the first year that my team couldn't find all of our eggs, as evidenced by the missing 4 pieces from our puzzle.  Without fail we will find it next year!  My niece ran around in her pretty dress, my nephew began walking all over the place, cousins surrounded the living room watching the basketball game, and mothers talked around the kitchen.  My soul was happy and my heart was full.  I hope you and your family had a beautiful Easter!