7QT #9 On the First 6 Months of Marriage

As of April 5th we've been married for SIX MONTHS!  Time flies by when you're having fun (and trying to make a thesis deadline...).  So here's #7QT on the first 6 months of married life :)

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NFP ain't no daisies and roses all the time 
but it sure is awesome.

I have mentioned before that I've been teaching Theology of the Body and promoting Natural Family Planning for the past three years, but it's like a whole new ball game now that we are living it.  Call it "street cred", call it "life experience", but being able to share our journey with others while also continuing to learn has been incredible.  We started teaching NFP together back in January, and it is awesome to not only share the science of NFP, but also witness how it strengthens our marriage.  Plus, let's face it: NFP can be challenging sometimes.  And once we start having little baby Johnstons running around, I'm sure our challenges with NFP will be different than they are right now.  But at the end of the day NFP is really helping us to keep God as part of the conversation and discernment about our family plans.  

Thank you Jesus for all 'dem baby stickers.

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Double Beds Are NOT for Married Couples... 
and other life lessons.

Seriously though.  Learning to sleep next to another person is hard enough, but when both tend to sprawl out (OK maybe it's just me..), ain't nobody getting sleep in a double bed.  Thankfully, we were able to upgrade to a Queen at the end of November.  But more than sleeping arrangements, I'm realizing that marriage is a great way to grow in humility and charity...even if I'm reluctant to do so. 

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Sometimes we won't like each other.  
And that's OK.

I love this clip from Pope Francis' General Audience.  "Sometimes plates fly!  Seriously!... But there's no need to call in the United Nations..."  :)  Plates don't fly in our casa (maybe a few pillows...) but there are definitely moments where, like any normal couple, we just don't like each other very much.  But that's OK as long as we continue to get real comfortable with the words "I'm sorry," and "I was wrong," and of course, "I love you."

Nerf guns are also helpful.

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Laughter is a must.

My Valentine's Day gift from Michael:
A homemade cake in honor of St. Valentine's martyrdom.

Marriage is hilarious. Sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves (or each other... lovingly).  Laughter is a must in married life.  I'm very grateful we have this in our home.  

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It really does take Three to Get Married

It doesn't matter how many JPII quotes we know.  It doesn't matter how many books we've read, or even how great we are at NFP.  If Christ is not at the center of our family then there's no point.  Lord knows we aren't perfect, and we could certainly be better at prayer... but we're getting there.  God has given us a great gift in this Sacrament, and as a priest told me during confession, "Your husband's soul has been entrusted to you, and yours to his."  Whoa.  No joke.  Our main job is to help one another become saints, and we're going to need God's help (and the intercession of all the Saints!) to help us do this :).  

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Complementarity is a Beautiful Thing

Honeymooning in Rome: Oct 2013

And I'm not just talking about the male/female dynamic.  We balance each other out and we learn from one another.  I have a tendency to worry, Michael knows how to stay cool and reassure me that everything will work out.  Michael's extremely talented in the "Fix-It" department, and I'm... really good at cheering him on :).  I don't want to sound like I don't have anything to contribute to the relationship; I'm just more and more aware of the fact that there are plenty of situations where, if it were just me, I would have hit level 10 crisis mode, but Michael has been there to help us work through it together.  We're a team.  I look forward to seeing how this teamwork plays out when we become parents :)

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This is only the beginning.

My sister-in-law made us a DVD with pictures from the last 4 years of our relationship with this song in the background.  The song is beautiful, and seeing our journey summed up in 4 minutes was definitely something to warm the heart.  The best part of the last six months?  It's only the beginning.  God led us to one another, and His hand continues to move in our lives in a really beautiful way.  We might not understand the timing of everything at the time, but God continues to prove His faithfulness in our lives.  If God can do all that He has in the past 4 years... I can't imagine what excellent adventures are ahead for us!

And of course, we continue to ask for your prayers :)  6 months down, many many decades to go!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes #6

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Happy Feast Day St. Francis De Sales!  

Let's kick off #7QT with one of my favorite quotes by this awesome Saint:

"Do not fear what may happen tomorrow.  The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day.  Either he will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.  Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings."

Boom.  Thank you St. Francis.

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Save all the babies!

Big shout out to all y'all who participated in the 2014 March for Life in Washington D.C.!   600,000 of you standing up for life during crazy cold weather?  Amazing.  I attended the March for Life in 2001-2004 with my high school (we even led the March my freshman year!) and it definitely made a huge impact on my life.  If only the media would pick up on just how incredible this event is....

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Deacon Dad is famous again

My Deacon Dad served at the Vigil for Life Mass at the Basilica and he even showed up on EWTN a couple of times.  Not that you need any help finding the 6'9" deacon... but just in case....

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I've officially begun the adventure that is teaching Natural Family Planning!  This is very exciting but also one of those out of the boat experiences and I ask for your prayers!  I've taught theology of the body for 3 years, so now I get to combine faith with science and hopefully share with couples why God's plan is the best plan.  One of my favorite parts of teaching NFP so far is having my husband right by my side.   Hearing him talk about why he is glad we use NFP and how he sees it strengthening our relationship just makes me love him even more.

If there are any NFP Teachers out there with some words of advice as we get started in this ministry, please share your wisdom and experience with us! 

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The Nominees are in...

I was shocked and surprised to see that I was nominated for "Best Under Appreciated Blog" for the 2014 Sheenazing Awards!  Thanks so much!  God bless the dear soul that nominated me :)    Click on that link to vote or just go check out the list of fabulous Catholic bloggers (and Non-Papists) and vote for them!  If you don't do anything else, check out Bonnie at A Knotted Life. This woman is  amazing! 

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Beauty & Body

Every now and then SoulPancake posts something that touches that special spot in my heart that causes tears, laughter, goosebumps or all of the above.  One of their latest videos did just that:

)

The poem at the end... dang.  Lord give me the grace and strength to say I have a beautiful body (and mean it!)

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Still in my Mid-Twenties... right?

A week from today I'll be 8 years into my twenties.  Thirty is just around the corner, but it isn't here yet!  I remember writing a list when I turned 20 that had things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30.  When I was thinking back to some of the things I put on the list I realized I've already accomplished several of them:  

• Study abroad (DONE)
• Help someone become Catholic. (DONE)
• Do mission work in another country (DONE)
• Get married. (DONE)
• Go to Rome. (DONE)
• Have an audience with the Pope. (DONE, bonus points for Pope Hand)

I need to try to find the actual list amongst my many journals, because I do have some time to get more things marked off.  I know one of the things I listed was to write a book, but we'll see what 28 & 29 have in store.  For now I'm content with just trying to be a better blogger :)

Birthdays are just a great time for me to remember that if God has done this much this far into my life, what other adventures are in store?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7QT #4: Good & Great Things

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My husband and I are celebrating our first Christmas together in Dodge City.  Christmas will be a little different this year, because it is the first time either of us has been away from our families on Christmas day.  Not gonna lie, I'm sad that we can't make a trip to TN or TX to be with our loved ones... but at the same time I'm looking forward to being with my husband and beginning our own traditions as a new family. 

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Dad shares a birthday with Pope Francis.  It's like a double rainbow... I don't know what it means but I'm sure it's something good.    

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Every now and then the culture gets it right

I'm not a parent yet, but this commercial melted my heart and made my day.  Way to go Coca Cola!  We think babies are pretty awesome too :)

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Speaking of babies... 

I'm an NFP Teacher-in-Training with BOMA!  I found out a few weeks ago that I passed the test and can officially start working on becoming fully certified.  Honestly, I'm freaking out on the inside a little nervous... but I'm looking forward to teaching Theology of the Body AND Natural Family Planning.   I'm a married TOB fanatic who is going to be teaching NFP (Catholic triple threat?).  I'm suddenly feeling dangerously awesome.... :-p But seriously, please pray for me because this is new territory and another lesson in stepping out of the boat!  :) 

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Whyyyyy M C A?

My husband and I joined the YMCA this month, and kicking off a 12-week fitness program this week.  Going to the gym is always a humbling experience... and my husband is one of those natural athletes that will have a six pack after a week of doing pushups and crunches.  Me on the other hand... I need some work.  But I'm really excited about doing this as a couple.  Maybe I should buy some matching sweatbands for Christmas?  #TEAMJOHNSTON

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New year. New Adventures.

2013 was awesome.  Between getting engaged and getting Pope-Handed by the new Pontiff, this year had more surprises and blessings than I ever could have imagined.  The best part?  This is only the beginning.  Like most folks there's a lot of things that I'd like to see happen and a lot of goals I would like to accomplish before December rolls around again.  But before getting caught up in resolutions and weight-loss plans, or even dreaming up a magnificent "Things to Do" list... I really feel like I need step back and reflect on what it means to be a child of God and how this should impact my daily life.  It can be so easy to forget this, and I really think that God is inviting me to embrace this.  period.  Lead me Lord.

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And finally... 

wedding picture o v e r l o a d....

We are very grateful to Tindall Farmer Photography for capturing some truly beautiful moments on our wedding day!  Just had to share a bunch few of my favorites!

7 Quick Takes #3: On the First Month of Marriage

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Learning to Live (and sleep) Together

It's hard to believe we've been married one month already!  The first month has brought with it many blessings, a lot of change, and things I didn't really expect... like learning how to sleep with my husband.  No really, we are trying to figure out how to sleep in the same bed.  We've both been used to sleeping in a full size bed alone, and we are quickly discovering that's not enough space for the both of us. Blanket Hog is not something I expected to hear in married life, but alas, I am a robber of covers, causing my husband to lose sleep :-p.  Oh the drama.

Solution?  Queen air mattress in the living room.  A temporary solution until we make it over to the mattress store.  Oh the adventurous life of newlyweds :-p

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NFP.  Stuff just got real.  

I've been using Natural Family Planning for the past three years.  I started charting before I even met Michael, and now that we're married NFP is even more awesome.

Thank you iusenfp.com :)

It's one thing to talk about NFP as an abstinent single woman before marriage, it's a whole other thing to start charting as a couple and really trying to be open to whatever God has planned for us.  "NFP-ing" together has been a great gift in our first month of marriage.  It has given me an even deeper appreciation for my husband and my fertility.  This has also been an opportunity to practice what I preach.  As spouses we are called to openness to life.  We said "yes" when my Deacon Daddy asked us "Will you accept children lovingly from God..." and we meant it.  And as we continue to chart, I think we are realizing that this is so much more than a way to "postpone or achieve pregnancy"; it is an invitation to pray about God's plan for our family on a regular basis. I know that NFP-ing isn't always going to be easy, but that's why we need the grace of the sacrament!

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Marriage is not for me or my husband...

I was one of the millions of people who liked and shared the "Marriage Isn't for You" blog post by Seth Adam Smith that went viral this week.  I really liked what Seth had to say, and it was a wonderful reminder of what Michael and I signed up for a month ago.  But I also really liked Jeremy's blog Response which brought it all together:  Marriage isn't about you, OR your spouse... it's for God. 

In my Theology of the Body presentations for engaged couples over the years we spend a lot of time discussing why marriage is a sacrament and what that actually means.  God's love is free, total, faithful, and fruitful and as spouses we are called to witness that love to each other and to the world.  This is not about spending the rest of our lives trying to satisfy the deepest longings of our spouse's heart and make them happy all the time.  That's impossible.  God alone can satisfy the soul's ache, and our job as spouses is to lead one another closer to him.  This is one of my favorite Catechism quotes that seems to capture this well:

"The 'natural desire' for happiness...is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it."- CCC no. 1718

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Humility.

Honestly, amongst all of the wonderful things that comes with being a newlywed, humility is one of those things God is helping me learn whether I like it or not.  I've talked and taught about marriage/TOB/NFP/etc... for the past three years as part of my job.  I think God had me in marriage preparation long before we were engaged because He knows how stubborn and hard headed Deanna can be.  The best way to learn is to teach... but it is one thing to teach it, it's another thing to live it on a daily basis.  That's where that grace kicks in. I've got a long way to go, but it's so nice to know that both God and my husband are going to love me unconditionally :)

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She cooks!

Michael is the real cook in this relationship, but this past week I stepped up my game and made dinner and a dessert (for those who know me, this is kind of a big deal :) ).  We had a wedding reception at our parish last weekend and so I made Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes.  Yum.  The first couple of batches weren't so pretty, but by round 3 I was baking like a boss.  

Last night I tried my hand at this Roasted Garlic Chicken Penne recipe minus the roasted bell peppers.  It actually turned out really well and I'm surprised at how much I enjoy cooking.  My next goal is to start cooking healthier and to also put our brand new crockpot to work.  The only thing I made in it so far is a bean casserole soup, but I'm ready to step out of my comfort zone and try something new!  If you have any favorite (easy) crockpot recipes please share!!

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This is a picture of us making our way back to our group after getting Pope-handed.  I'd just like to note that my husband is a stud.  That is all :)

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I love my husband.  No Really.  I love him.   

In my single days I remember seeing Facebook posts from friends that said cheesy things like "I love my husband!"  or "I have the best husband everrrr!" and think Ok we got it... Thanks for sharing... But I have to admit that there are days when I just want to burst in the room like:

Sure, I realize we've only been married a month, and this "honeymoon phase" will end.  And yes, there have been moments when he is not my favorite person to be around... but I love him!  It's not just that he is super smart, funny, a great cook and handyman, etc... but he is helping me get to heaven.  This is the start of a great adventure. :)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!