Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Why We Didn’t Do The Ice Bucket Challenge

Yes, my husband and I were nominated and decided not to participate {at least not in the typical way}.  Let me explain why a little more in depth…

Is it because we’re Debbie Downers, haters, rude, complainers or scrooges?  Nope.  Is it because we felt we had a point to prove?  You betcha!

We have two littles at home, are leaders in our youth group at church and my husband is in charge of little league cheerleading.  The point is we have lots of little eyes on us y’all.  Little eyes that face “peer pressure” every single day!  Oh, how hard peer pressure is to deal with.  For us older generation {cannot even believe I just admitted that} we can’t even imagine the challenges these kids face today.  And honestly, whether it’s in the name of charity or not, are we really going to pretend being tagged or “nominated” in a challenge (basically a dare) isn’t peer pressure?  So you were nominated, now what?  If you don’t do it, everyone is going to think you’re either a chicken or a Debbie Downer.  We just felt someone needed to say “Hey, it’s OKAY to not go with the crowd!  It’s OKAY to not do something just because you were challenged or dared to do it”.  We felt we needed to practice what we preach and model it.  And if that makes us wrong, haters, complainers and scrooges…it’s OKAY!

I am not going to debate for one second that ALS isn’t a horrible disease.  It is…it’s horrible and scary.  And of course money needs donated to research.  Goodness people.  That wasn’t the point of our video.  Our point was this…while ALS is horrible so is abortion, breast cancer and MS.  Isn’t every disease a horrible disease?  Isn’t every life taken through abortion sad?  YES, the answer is yes!  So as long as we are donating to some worthy charity, one that we have passion in our hearts for, isn’t that really what this is about?  Doesn’t it truly just boil down to giving?  And should we really have to be prompted through a dare to give to charity?

I want every single parent out there to know that this was NOT directed to you at all.  Seriously y’all, if you and your children participated that is awesome!  Aren’t all of our parenting styles different anyways?  And don’t we all agree diversity is a great thing?  Again, you betcha!  This is just what we felt in our hearts we were to do and nothing more than that.

Now as for why I mentioned Romans 12:2…Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world,” or as another translation puts it, “don’t let yourselves be squeezed into the shape dictated by the present age.” It is easy to let the world and the culture draw us in, seduce us, if you will, squeeze us into its mold, tell us how we should think and even what we should think, and instruct us how we can and can’t act and which challenge we should do. God says it’s OKAY to not give in guys!

Do we feel those that participated in the challenge sinned?  Not at all.  So why quote this verse?  So those that didn’t want to participate had something to cling to!

I’m sorry if us not participating in the typical way upsets you, I truly am.  Why am I sorry?  Because the point of our video wasn’t to upset people.  Not at all.  It was actually meant to do the opposite, encourage people.  More specifically, encourage littles.  Again, it’s all good y’all.  We knew that by taking this stand we would ruffle some feathers and we were prepared for that.  But if we gave just one little enough courage to stand up to peer pressure, then it was worth it to us.

20 {More} Budget Friendly Date Ideas

I love going on dates with my husband, whether they are little mini-dates we catch here and there or a full day together. I love that feeling of just reconnecting with him and being able to give him my full attention without interruption. I think it’s so important to take time out of our busy lives to solely focus on each other. It keeps our marriage alive.

Romance doesn’t have to be expensive to be great! Here is a list of free or nearly free ideas to make your dating a pure pleasure:

  • Grab your skates and head to the roller-skating rink. What, not everyone has skates like I do? Believe me, my littles remind me every year that my skates are as old as dirt. As long as you don’t mind being the oldest people there who aren’t chaperoning their children, it’s a great way to have fun and let loose with each other.
  • Celebrate the first snow fall with a day of sledding together. At the end of the day, head inside for hot cocoa and a hot shower.
  • Jump in the car and just drive with no destination in mind. Turn the music up, sing together, hold hands and enjoy the ride. Make a love song “mix tape” to enjoy during your drive. This one is one of my favs!
  • Grab your camera and head out. Stop at scenic locations and start taking pictures of each other. Be goofy and creative. Dare each other to put those wacky pictures on Facebook! The loser has to give a massage!
  • Grab a tent, sleeping bag and head into the woods for a night of camping. Leave all the distractions behind. Spend the evening cuddling together under the stars talking for hours. If you don’t have a tent, you can get one for as cheap as $25 at Walmart. Sleeping bags can be as cheap as $10. 
  • Dance lessons are fun and romantic. You’re moving, bodies are touching, and you might be working up a little bit of sultry sweat. 
  • Head to an indoor or outdoor ice-skating rink — it’s the perfect excuse to hold hands!
  • Go shooting together, something we love to do. I mean, hello, seeing your guy handle a gun is pretty hot. Just remember, safety first! 
  • Stay in one night, turn off the TV, shut down your computer, and ignore your phones. Stay in the moment with each other and share your favorite memories from the past.
  • Pray together, taking turns thanking God for each other.
  • Plan your dream vacation with each other — it might be the incentive you need to start putting your loose change in the piggy bank.
  • Have your children play waiter and waitress and serve a romantic dinner, then tell them the story of how you fell in love.
  • Volunteer together. I think watching my husband serve and seeing his heart is pretty amazing and makes me fall in love with him all over again.
  • Spend the day together in the great outdoors. Go for a hike together, enjoying a day of great conversation while getting exercise at the same time.
  • Go bowling and have fun laughing together! If you’re like us, that laughing will come from you accidentally stepping on the slippy lane, falling and splitting your pants. Not my most graceful moment.
  • Make a playlist {aka…mix tape} of your favorite slow songs. Cook your favorite meal together. Light the candles. Have a romantic dinner together! Once dinner is over, leave the dishes until the next day! Spend the rest of the evening slow dancing together!
  • Search out some local music! 
  • Go House Shopping.  Even if you aren’t in the market for a new house, just go browse anyway. There is just something fun about the home-browsing process.
  • Go for a moonlight walk. There is something very romantic about walking around at night, especially under the moonlight. Tell your spouse all the things you love about them and walk slowly.
  • Fill the bed of the truck up with pillows + blankets, head out in a field and hop in the back to count your lucky stars. Don’t forget to take some yummy nibbles along. Have you ever saw a shooting star? It’s super romantic and you’ll be entertained for hours trying to recognize the stars and looking for them.

Walking Through Friendship

This girl right here is a champion best friend maker. The problem comes in keeping those best friends. I mean, are my standards too high? Am I too picky? Are the friendship issues always my fault? All I know is in the end, I’m always the one left here, mouth agape, wondering what happened. Because…I thought we were friends.

God created women to crave deep personal relationships, so our friendships are a huge part of who we are. Chances are, right now you’re either smiling because you’re thinking about your own bestie or you’re feeling sad because you wish you had a bestie. Either way, your heart connects with the idea of friendship.

I remember a time last year where it felt as if I watched friendship after friendship roll across my Facebook newsfeed. Gals going on lunch dates, littles play dates, meeting for coffee, selfies together here and there. And here I was, sitting at home taking selfies with my chickens.

A short while later, I found out one of my FAVORITE Christian women speakers was going to be speaking close to home. It seemed too good to be true! I made post after post, hoping to get at least one person to go with me. I waited as not. one. person. responded. Not even one y’all.

The most frustrating part is in my heart I feel as if I’m a good friend. I’m willing to put effort into initiating friendships. I’m devoted. I’m faithful. I do all the right things in hopes of finding heart-friends but sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

I’ve spent a good amount of time asking God why this is happening, and what I can do about it. And by good amount of time I mean normally God and I have a chat about it daily. I’m not sure exactly what my soul is craving, but God knows. And in that gap between my longing and Him fulfilling the fellowship I desire, I’m choosing to trust His timing. And while I haven’t received a direct answer yet, He has put some things into my heart:

*  During this time of few friends, I have spent a LOT more time with my husband and kids. Our relationships have all grown so super much and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I’ve apologized to Joe for him having to be my everything {husband, provider, bestie, protector, etc.} but honestly, I love it.


*  I’ve had lots more time for God, which is a great thing! When we are in times of need, He wants us to run to Him. To crave Him. To find comfort in the love story He wrote for us. My relationship with Him has deepened, and I’ve found myself relying on HIM to minister to my needs rather than running around from person to person, ignoring His wisdom.

*  I’ve learned what toxic friendships look like and how to avoid them. While healthy friendships are blessings, unhealthy friendships can cause toxic, destructive messes in your life.

As I write this post through tears, many tears, I know God is the God of perfect time, and He arranges and spends it purposefully. I’m trusting in Him, delighting in His timing and allowing Him to fill the gap. If I’ve done all I can do to seek something and I still don’t have it, there’s a good reason. Maybe several. In the mean time, I want to intentionally discover what He wants me to learn in the waiting.