Part Seven: Bride & Groom Pictures

[Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Part Five][Part Six]

  

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 And after we smooched on each other for about an hour, we finally got around to making it legal on the hood of my daddy's 1957 Corvette, which will get it's own post later.   

So..there they are!  Which one's your favorite? =)

Coo Coo Kachoo, 

Mrs. Robinson

Loving or Unloving? Respectful or Disrespectful?

Many a date-night-ago, Mr. Robinson and I went into Lifeway.  It's pretty impossible to go into Lifeway without spending a trillion dollar, and we ended up walking out with a nice stack of books.  Well, my reader eyes were bigger than my reader belly and I didn't have time to read the books I picked out right away.  I'm just getting started good on the first book from the stack, but it's amazing.  

If you are single, dating, engaged, newly or oldly married you need to read this book.  Let me share one quick thing with you that I've learned so far.  

"Everything, for a man, is viewed as respect or disrespect. For a woman, everything is seen as loving or unloving."  This is so incredibly true.  Honestly, every thing my husband is does is run through the same filter.  His actions trigger one of two reactions:  "He loves me!" or "He doesn't love me at all!"  I got my Mister to read the little section on wives encouraging their husbands respectfully and he said he agreed 100%.  Hopefully he will read the book when I'm done with it.  But him agreeing means that everything I do is run through a similar filter.  My actions trigger one of two reactions:  "She respects me!" or "She doesn't respect me at all!"  Just something to think about.  

Our church has Revival meetings this week.  Big things are happening at our church and I'm definitely excited about what God has in store.  

Oh, and one more thing.  I've come across my new favorite artist.  Francesca Battistelli.  Check her out!  =)  I'm just not discovering Christian music, so if I'm a few steps behind...forgive me & send me some tunes to check out.  =)  

    

Coo Coo Kachoo, 

Mrs. Robinson

Our Love Looks, Tastes, & Smells Like....

{follow me on instagram, @mynewwifelife}

There are so many different faces of newlywed love, isn't there?  We've been married for 7 months and 6 days.  Sometimes we cuddle, snuggle, giggle, and hang all over each other.  Other times, we get into screaming matches about which kitchen cabinet is for glasses and which cabinet is for plates.  It's so fun, isn't it?  :)   

Today I'm guest posting for Bronwyn at Our Beautiful Blessings.  You can read all about what our newlywed love looks like, tastes like, and smells like.  Don't worry, it's nothing gross or inappropriate.  And while you're there, check out Mrs. Bronwyn's digs!  She is my newest blog friend and you may have noticed her button on the side of my page.  She was included in my April Bosom Buddies because she has a really cool name, her & her hubby are Christians just like us, and she has a heart for missions.  We have the best time e-mailing back and forth, discussing our faith, and getting to know each other.  AND she just opened a new Etsy shop!  

 ** So, go check out Bronwyn and my awesome guest post!  **

Try to have a good Monday!  :)  

My Ugly Cry Face

Last night, my husband left me.  

Well, kind of.  He had to go upstate for training and since the drive took over 3 hours, the company he works for put him in a hotel for the night.  He'll have to do this several times this month, but to be honest ... I was kind of looking forward to him leaving and giving me some alone time.  Before he quit his job, I was accustomed to him leaving for work before me and coming home after me.  I got boo-koodles of alone time.  With his new job, that alone time has hit the pavement and he's there when I leave and he's there when I come home, with few exceptions.  I was missing my alone time, and was looking forward to catching up on it while he's away at training!  He'll be spending several nights away from home this month and I was excited.  

Until it was time for him to leave.

I was sobbing...clutching to him as we laid on the floor.  I have an ugly cry face.  He said he was flattered.

My face was all red, my nose was all swollen, and I had snot coming out of my nose.  Quite unflattering, yet he felt flattered.  After he left, Zombie did something cute and I calmed down.  

Then, we snuggled and watched The Backup Plan for the first time.  It was SO good!  Except that I was already emotional for my husband leaving for the night, so I cried over a romantic comedy...like a baby.  And then I realized that I still miss him when he's gone.  I really didn't want him to leave and I really didn't need the alone time I so desperately missed.  I love him!  This month will be full of changes for us, and I hope that watching him leave for work gets easier.  But then, I kind of don't.  I hope I never become numb or immune to missing the man God created with me in mind.  I love being with him and even though we drive each other crazy sometimes, at the end of the day I want to be with him.  

And when that's not possible, I make an ugly cry face.  

Who Is Your Responsibility?

Before I can get to the good stuff, I've got to explain where it came from.

Tuesday night, Missions Sisters met at our house.  Mission Sisters is a group of women from our church that meets once a month to discuss missions.  We discuss the needs within our community and church, make a plan for reaching people or filling any needs, and we pray for the foreign missionaries our association supports.  Last month's devotional was a short little skit about prejudices.  It stepped all over my toes, even though I was certain that I was not a prejudice person.  But the lesson got me to thinking how I never invite anyone to church unless they look like me or act like me or would fit in.  And since when is church about that?  It's not a private club.  I was so moved by the meeting last month, I felt like it was time for me to step up to the plate and volunteer to host a meeting.  They gave me the April meeting , which was kind of short notice but I tend to work well under pressure.  It gets my enthusiasm going, you know?  So Mr. Robinson went over to a guy's house to watch baseball and eat hot dogs!  He, of course, had a blast and I think it did him good to get out of the house and connect with a man.  I know he misses the guy time he had when we lived in the city and all of our our-age friends were so close.  Anyway.  Us ladies, however, had yummy Mexican food!  Oh, it was so good!  I'm pretty impressed with myself, and I'll have to share some Mexican recipes with y'all on a later date.  Whoever hosts the meeting is also responsible for the lesson.  I've mentioned a women's conference that we're planning a few times...you might remember me mentioning it in passing.  Well, I decided to do a little two part lesson.  Part one was on reaching out to people even though we think they are someone else's responsibility.  Part two was on the Women's Conference..but I have a whole post about that ready to go to-mor-row!  :)  So come on back!                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Now, Who is Your Responsibility?

I walked away from the church and from God when I was a teenager.  

I knew better.  I was raised in church.  I had Christian parents.  I had Christian friends.  I knew better.

Nobody reached out to me because I knew better.  Nobody reached out to me because they felt like I wasn't their responsibility.  Why?  

Excuse #1:  She has Christian parents...she is their responsibility. 

Excuse #2:  She's close with Lizzie, and Lizzie is a Christian.  Lizzie probably keeps in touch with her and talks to her.

Excuse #3:  Brittany has always been one of my best friends and she's very involved in church.  She's a good Christian girl.  I'm sure Brittany would talk to me. 

To go along with a skit from last month's meeting, we have to be careful not to be prejudice.  As Christians, we have a responsibility to everyone.  Everyone.  Even the people who know better.  Everyone wants to feel missed, special, thought of, and remembered.  It doesn't matter if it's the preacher's daughter - that doesn't mean it's only the preacher's responsibility to ask her to come to church.  That responsibility falls on all of us.  Mission work starts at home, and it can't & won't be successful if we pick and choose the people we love on.      

Who is your responsibility?  
Who are you overlooking?
Who do you need to love on today? 
---->send a message on FB, Twitter, e-mail, or in the mail!  :)

3 Days Until Easter! 

Before - How - After {Jesus}

Testimonies always start with how a person was raised.  So, I'll start there.

Before  

For the most part, I was raised in a Christian home.  My mom was a Christian - she took us to church and kept us involved.  My dad didn't go to church until I was a little older, but later he became a strong Christian and has even served as a Deacon.  I am my parent's firstborn child.  I'm also the oldest grandchild.  My family had high hopes for me and there was a lot of pressure to make everyone proud.  I was baptized as a young child because I didn't want to be the last kid to go forward at church.  Nothing too out of the ordinary with my upbringin'.  When I was in the 8th grade, I got my first kiss and smoked my first cigarette.  I was the new kid at school and loved all the attention I got.  I think I sort-of got addicted to the shock-and-awe attention from my classmates.  Fast forward to high school.  I lost my virginity to a boy I knew I'd be with forever, except forever only lasted a year.  I dated a string of boys and men, and get deep into the party life.  By 15, I was smoking cigarettes, sneaking out, drinking daily, drinking and driving, sleeping with my boyfriends (some my age-ish, some adults), lying to my parents, cussing like a sailor, smoking pot, taking prescription pills, going to parties... it was all so easy to get sucked in.  I lost a lot of friends...a lot of girls talked bad about me.  I went to a church camp in the 10th grade, where I felt God speaking to me.  I rededicated my life and even got baptized again - I wanted it on the correct side of my salvation.  But..it didn't stick.  It was too easy to have "fun."  People from school called me a slut, a drunk, a party-girl, a pot head.  It hurt, but I was having fun and just called them "jealous."  My parents and I argued all the time, about everything from grades to where I was, who I was with, and the boys I dated.  College was the same.  I was always skipping class to get drunk or high.  I dated another string of boys.  I started selling pot to make some extra money on the side.  When my parents found out I was teaching my sister everything I knew about buying, selling, and smoking pot...the gravy train ended.  They stopped paying my rent, stopped giving me money at all, and said they would no longer be paying my tuition.  I deserved it...but I was so angry at them.  Our relationship crumbled, and so did I.  I dropped out of college, started waiting tables full time at Ruby Tuesday.  I pretty much stayed in a stupor for a while...I used a variety of drug and alcohol combinations to stay numb.  Eventually, I met Mr. Robinson.  We fell in love and I knew if I had any chance of holding onto this guy, I would have to change my ways.  He was, after all, a Christian.       

How

Mr. Robinson taught me all about unconditional love.  He loved me even though I kept hurting him and pushing him away.  He tried to talk to me about Jesus all the time, but I didn't want to hear it.  One night, when I was at a low point, he invited me to church with him.  I accepted, even though I was terrified.  My parents came to go to church with us, and gradually the relationship I had with them improved.  Mr. Robinson made me so happy...he made me realize that the only reason I felt like I had to stay drunk or high was to forget my reality.  If he could be reality, I'd have nothing I needed to forget.  I stopped smoking pot and partying.  I told him that I loved him and meant it.  I already knew he loved me, but he said it back anyway.  We made it official - we were "boyfriend and girlfriend" after almost 6 months of him trying to woo me and me scampering away.  He gave me a journal and I started to pray and read my Bible.  I asked God to forgive me and I started to work on the relationship I had with Him...and on all the relationships I had damaged over the years.  Again, I lost a lot of friends.  My drinking buddies and drug dealers didn't think I was much fun anymore.  My definition of fun had changed without me even knowing it...  Within two weeks of us being official , we were planning our wedding.  :)  Another two weeks, I had an engagement ring.  God used Mr. Robinson to bring me back to Him.

After

I did so many things that I regret.  I'm thankful for where I am now, but there are so many mistakes in my past I wish I could have avoided.  But Jesus claimed my sins as His own and God forgave me.  I read my Bible because I want to.  I have a desire to learn more about God, to learn from the people He inspired, and to better myself.  I pray all the time - for others, for myself, and for my marriage.  I say thank You for the things I am thankful for and I love on the people I count as blessings.  I love going to church and being with with like-minded people, instead of dreading it like I used to.  I listen to the Praise and Worship channel on Pandora and praise God while I get ready for work.  I encourage other people, I invite other people to church because I want everyone to experience God's love, and I use the talents that God blessed me with for HIS glory.  When I'm upset about something, I pray.  I read my Bible.  I seek God.  I don't get drunk or high.  I ask God to be my strength and to get me through anything I go through.  I have faith that someone smarter & bigger than me has a plan for my life.  I know that there is a bigger picture out there that is fabulous, even though I can't see it.  I know that I have nothing to fear and I know who is in control.  I know that no matter where I am, who I'm with, or what I'm doing...God has given me a how-to manual.  I have peace, and it is well with my soul.  

  I hope that you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.  It has completely turned my life around and it truly does make all the difference!  If any of y'all have any questions, I'd be happy to share my knowledge and experience with you - leave a comment or e-mail me at MyNewWifeLife@aol.com.

Seven Ways To Destroy Your Marriage

Well, this post is awesome but I can't take the credit.  It actually came from Perry Noble's blog.  First, I'd like to point out that I do not read his blog regularly.  As in, this might be the second post I've ever read by him.  He is a pastor for a mega-church called New Spring.  This brings me to my second point, which is I don't like New Spring churches and I'm not very comfortable with any mega-church or mega-pastor.  However, Perry Noble's post about "Seven Ways To Destroy Your Marriage" is both accurate and humorous.  I've also been super busy lately with work {but you didn't notice because I had a ton of posts set up to post on their own} so borrowing P.N.'s content saves me some time.  

Seriously, though, the mister and I were going through some pretty heavy stuff last week.  We were arguing and, well, pretty much doing all seven of these things.  I came across this post because (unbeknownst to the hubster) I saw his little tweet to Perry Noble, thanking him for the slap in the face this particular blog post gave him.  The tweet tweeted a day after we made up, so obviously I went to read the post right away.  I hope you can learn as much as I did!  =)    

Want to absolutely destroy your marriage?  Here are seven ways that always work!

#1 – Refuse To Communicate

Talk about the person and not to them because doing so will be awkward…this will assure destruction!  And, the silent treatment is really an amazing weapon when it comes to refusing to communicate, don’t worry about the fact that five year olds do it…just own it!  

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  Guilty.  I'm bad about this, but so is my husband.  We get mad at each other and go to separate rooms and pout.  It's def something we need to improve upon.    

#2 – Refuse To Listen

Interrupting my spouse during conflict to immediately correct them and then trying my best to make a stronger point always helps tear a relationship to pieces!

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  Haha, this one is actually stepping on my husband's toes more than mine.  I adore the man, but he's all about interrupting me to correct me when we're in a fight.  

#3 – Always Assuming The Absolute Worse About Your Spouse

As soon as I hear (or even think about) something negative about my spouse it is absolutely essential to carry that thought to its fullest illogical conclusion.  Don’t EVER ask for an explanation or clarification as more open communication will lead to a stronger marriage!

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  I'd be willing to bet that almost everyone is a little guilty of doing this.  We get our feelings hurt over something, but instead of talking about it we dwell on what happened.  Come to find out, it was a misunderstanding.  Why do we tend to assume the worst about our spouses?  I know I'm not the only one who's thought mid-fight "He doesn't love me!"  How ridiculous.  He married me, of course he loves me.  Sometimes fights just get out of control...   

#4 – Make Sure The Goal Is To Win The Argument Rather Than Actually Settle The Dispute

If you realize you are wrong about something you must allow pride to dominate your thought life, thus unleashing a barrage of accusations that actually have nothing to do with what the original argument/discussion had to do with in the first place!  Win at all costs, even if it means saying things that hurt and wound deeply.

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  Yep, how often do we say hurtful things, and when we look back on what happened we realize that we only said that to "win."  Guilty as charged.  

#5 – You Must View Your Spouse As Your Enemy, NOT Your Friend

You cannot see your spouse and you as being on the same team if you want a great marriage, you must view everything as some sort of game and make it a goal to compete with them and not actually complete them.

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  It's easy to forget that we're on the same team, no matter what.  Team members disagree from time to time, but that doesn't mean they're on opposite teams!  

#6 – Focus As Much As Possible On Their Inadequacies & Shortcomings

You’ve GOT to talk about how much they are “not meeting your needs” and how they need to “step up and do better” as often as possible.  By all means do NOT take a look at yourself and what you could do to improve the marriage.  Everything MUST be blamed on them and you’ve got to see yourself as flawless and perfect.

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  Guilty.  I'm bad about this, but so is my husband.  We get mad at each other and go to separate rooms and pout.  It's def something we need to improve upon.  It's something I need to improve upon.  When I'm upset because I feel like my husband should be doing "x" better, I stop trying.  If I'm mad because he doesn't help unload the dishwasher, I go on strike and stop washing clothes.  Haha.  It's so silly.  What do you think marriage would be like if we ALL put our best effort into it all the time.  And when we feel wronged, we step our game up and hope to inspire our partner to do better instead of nagging them.  And yes, I'm talking to myself here, haha.  

#7 – Do NOT Have Fun Together

Heck no!!!  You need your set of friends and your spouse needs their set.  Don’t have mutual friends.  Don’t have date nights.  Don’t do anything fun as a family.  Make sure that when you are out on a date as a couple you spend as much time on your phone with someone else as possible because communication with your spouse will do nothing except make your marriage stronger. 

(Mrs. Robinson's Thoughts)  It's great to have your own interests, friends, and hobbies.  It's equally (or even more, in my opinion) important to have fun as a couple.  =)  

Hope you guys enjoyed these as much as I did!  Be a better spouse today!  =)  

Surprise Panties!

It sounds naughty, but it's not!  I am actually thrilled to death because this is the first time that my husband has spontaneously surprised me.  He's given me presents and stuff....and he's surprised me...but this is my first "for no reason" gift and it deserves a post all to itself.  Especially since the post earlier this morning was about our usual fights.  (Click here to check it out!  It's pretty amazing, if I do say so myself!)  (And don't forget to click that lil' button on the left side bar to sign up for our Color Run Team & Blogger Meet Up in Charlotte, NC!!)  Moving on...   

We drove to church separate on Wednesday night because the plan was for Mr. R to attend his men's Bible study after the service.  However, the service ran late and the guys decided to postpone their meeting again.  However, we still had two cars at church.  So after I finished talking to everyone, I got in my car and went home.  I noticed in my rear-view mirror that my hubby was talking to my parents.  I thought it was odd, but figured he was just checking out their new car or something.  Whatever, I head on down the road towards our house.  Once I'm home, I get on the computer and start poking around.  Shortly after, he walks in the door and starts throwing these small little packages at my face.  These little, tiny baggies are flying all over the living room and I was confused.  Did not understand what was going on.  

I picked them up.  I opened one.  They were panties!!  :)  And not just panties, Victoria's Secret panties!!  And not just VS panties, San Francisco Giant's VS panties!!!  Let me explain my excitement...

You guys remember Zombie, right?  Our pet chihuahua?!  :)  

Zombie's favorite snack is...you guessed it...my dirty panties.  He has no use for clean panties.  Just the worn-ones.  And apparently, he prefers my really, really cute ones.  Slowly but surely, my stash of cute little panties have turned into dinner and I'm stuck with a drawer full of granny-panties and holy panties that used to be cute.  I've been saying for months now that I'm going to buy some more panties.  I just haven't done it, yet.  Remember...money could be getting a little tight soon with Mr.'s new job.  I didn't want to be selfish...I didn't want to buy something unnecessary because, as unattractive as my panties are, they are still functional.  New panties are not necessary.  I also have expensive taste, so if I'm going to buy something...I'm going to buy what I want.  Anyway.  So that's the story about why I have ugly panties.

Also, my husband is a HUGE SF Giants fan because of their pitcher, Tim Lincecum.  (Mostly because he thinks they looked alike when my hubby had long hair.  I'll let you be the judge...)

(Left:  Mr. Robinson, Right:  Tim Lincecum)

Thus was born....the surprise panties!  :)  I love my sweet hubby and the little ways he brightens my day!  The panties are super comfy, they're a style I haven't tried before but they look pretty awesome on my boo~tay.  :)  Also, they're the hubs' favorite team.  We are all pleased, ;)  Except, maybe, for Zombie...who will never get his grubby little puppy paws on these undies!  

He gave me one other pair, but they aren't showing up on the VS website and I'm no super model, so those won't be appearing on the blog.  :)  I just love him to pieces...he's such an awesome provider for our family in both big and small ways.  :-D

Our Usual Fights {After 6 Months}

Maybe it's just a Robinson thing, but we seem to have the same fights over and over.  Marriage is a challenging and beautiful mess, and we're still learning our way.  We'll probably always be learning our way, but I thought it'd be interesting to write a post about what our current most common fights are.  Like I said, we seem to have the same fights set on repeat for some reason.  My mom says that her and my dad still have the same fights they've been having for 20+ years, and maybe all marriages are like that.

Some are petty and silly.  Some stay light while others can get pretty heated.  In any event, these are the fights we've been having up until the 6th month mark:

• Housework & Chores:  My mom, in my opinion, is close to perfect.  She also has a pretty ideal lifestyle - she's a housewife with a wealthy husband.  She spends her days cleaning their home, cooking amazing foods, working out, taking care of all the bills, reading her Bible, etc.  I grew up in a spotless home.  Absolutely spotless.  My mom is a clean freak.  My husband and I are living in the house I grew up in.  Except it's not so spotless anymore, since we both work 40+ hours a week and still try to find time to read our Bibles, remember to send off our bills on time, take care of the dog, juggle church and our other responsibilities, and I try to exercise.  Our plates are full, and all I want is to go to sleep every night in a clean house.  Oh, and I want my husband to help my achieve that.  We fight about chores all the time.  I hate how much I nag him....  I cook dinner, all I want is for him to help wash the dishes.  When we first got married, I wanted to clean the house little by little every day so that we would have our weekend set aside to relax and have fun.  He preferred that we use Saturday's as our housework day.  Except now that we spend every Saturday cleaning the house, he's decided that it's not necessary to sweep/mop/wash-dishes/clean-toilets/etc. once a week.  I can not get him to do yard work.  He has cut the grass a few times, but there are weeds everywhere, the bushes and hedges and trees and everything are out of control.  When he gets home, he checks the mailbox and brings the mail inside.  But instead of putting the mail away or throwing out the junk mail, he leaves piles of paper all of the kitchen counter.  He doesn't throw anything away.  I'm getting off track.  The point is that having a clean home is important to me.  It is not important to him.  We argue all the time about this because he either doesn't help, refuses to help, argues with me about why such&such doesn't need to be done, or complains about having to help.  And just so that y'all don't think my husband is the bad guy (because he really is a wonderful man & I love him very much!)...I turn into a big, fat, nagging wife.  Hence, the fight.  Which brings me to our next fight...     

• Why Do I Have To Ask You For Help?:  It drives me nuts that I have to ask my husband to help me do things.  I spend an hour cooking him dinner.  I get everything ready, fix his plate, hand him silverware, tell him what we've got to drink.  And he fixes his drink.  I just spent over an hour preparing a dinner for us.  Be courteous and fix us both a drink.  Does that make sense?  Or when the clean towels are in the dyer, we both have to shower to get ready for work, and he brings one towel into the bathroom.  This fight or always me fussing at him...it all boils down to I feel like I carry more weight than he does & shouldn't have to ask for help.  So I nag, fuss, complain and a verbal fight breaks out.  This one's probably our most common & most heated....probably because it always comes AFTER the first fight I mentioned, meaning that tempers and emotions are already running high.    

• Mr. Robinson's Compromise:  Whenever we talk about compromising, it seems like it's me asking my husband to compromise with me.  As a result, he naturally feels like I never have to compromise with him - which makes him less likely to willingly or joyfully compromise with me.  He doesn't see the compromises I make because I don't mention them or draw attention to them while I'm making them.  For example...he loves my spicy chicken nuggets.  He could eat them for dinner several times a week, while I would be satisfied with eating them once a month.  However, I cook them once a week anyway.  I don't say to him "Honey, I'd like to point out the fact that I'm compromising with you by cooking chicken nuggets for dinner.  I'd rather have {fill in the blank} but I'm cooking what you want instead.  I'm compromising...keep this in mind!"  I firmly believe that this has everything to do with him being an only child and me being the oldest sibling.  To be honest, it's probably a combination of us both being right.  We both compromise...I compromise often without calling attention to it (but not as often as I should/could), while expecting him to compromise all the time (big sister syndrome).    

• Visiting Other Churches:  My husband and I both adore our church, but occasionally he wants to go into the "big city" an hour away and visit larger churches that have a different type of worship service.  His favorite is a church that is quite similar to a rock concert...and I hate it.  I feel that it's irreverent and it makes me miss our home church.  Not to mention, I feel like as members of a church 5 minutes away from our home (and with it being a church we love and are very happy with) we have no business waking up an extra hour and a half early to go visit a church we aren't going to join, especially if I don't get as much out of that type of service.  

• I'm Sick of Boy Movies & He's Sick of TV Shows:  This one explains itself and is 100% two-sided.  I am always sick of watching boy movies, he is always sick of watching TV shows.  My Side:  Let's just watch an episode of Law & Order: SVU or House, fast-forward through the commercials, and it takes less than hour.  Then we can watch another episode or something else, or find something else to do, or go to sleep! His Side:  There are so many movies that you need to see - all you've ever watched are chick flicks.  You're missing out on some really great movies - and we watch SVU all the time.  Let's do something different.  And back & forth, back & forth, back & forth.  I feel like we should watch a show that we both enjoy rather than watch a movie that only he will enjoy.  However, my argument is void because he's sick to death of SVU & House.  

I love my husband and he loves me.  We don't hate each other, we don't fight all the time, and we have plenty of good days.  Both of us are committed to surviving every fight.  I'm sure this post implies that we fight like cats and dogs...but our reality is that we are two imperfect people who had one perfect day on September 10, 2011.  We looked our best, dressed our best, and acted our best.  It was perfect..

  "My New Wife Life" is a blog about our life ... after I took off my wedding dress &  after he took off his tuxedo.  And sometimes it sucks, because it's anything but perfect haha.    

On My Heart..

Still not ready to post about our vacation...so I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that it might be a while before I can upload the pictures onto my home computer, edit them, upload them into Blogger, and write about the details.  But...it's coming.  

After spending 7 full days with my sweet hubby, I've really been missing him since we've gone back to work.  We met at Ruby Tuesday...we were coworkers.  And sometimes I really miss the "olden days" of us working together and being together all the time.  Call it unhealthy, call it a "phase" that will go away over time, but I could be with Mr. Robinson all day every day and be happy as a clam.  Over the past few months, I guess I've adjusted to spending our days apart from each other.  We both have full time jobs and various obligations/commitments during the week that keep us busy.  After taking a "vacation" for 7 days and spending every waking moment together...I miss my husband.  And I think I'm a little sad about the fact that I've adjusted to our days apart.  I suppose there aren't many married couples who spend all of their time together...but we used to.  Maybe that's why we knew so quickly that we wanted to get married.  We knew we could work together and play together...we knew that we loved each other.  & we're living happily ever after.  I know it's completely natural and healthy for couples to spend time apart...but I just enjoy our time together so much that'd I'd be happy if we never spent any time apart.  

We do spend time apart, though.  Even thought I miss him when we aren't able to be together 24/7, sometimes I receive blessings when I'm away from my husband...blessings that I wouldn't receive otherwise. At our church, a group called Mission Sisters meets once a month to focus on community missions.  And we eat yummy food.  I am, by far, the youngest in the room, but those ladies bless my heart repeatedly.  Last night we had our monthly meeting, and when I left I was floating.  God works on us through our mentors, and if you don't have a godly woman in your life acting as a mentor, you are missing out.  I am so significantly blessed to have a handful of Christian women who I can look up to, depend on, and fellowship with.  I enjoy being a part of a group of women who can step on my toes and bless my heart all at once.  

Source: teen-beauty-tips.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I need to be doing so much more for His Kingdom.  There are people that I need to confront, love, and invite to church.  Instead of reaching out, I ignore it all and eventually forget that something pulled at my heart in the first place.  It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day.  It's even easier to use that as an excuse for not doing something.  I am the absolute worst when it comes to justifying why I did something or why I didn't do something.  Last night, at Mission Sisters, I was pretty much called out on my junk.  Not directly...nobody called me by name and pointed out my flaws or anything.  The lesson really stepped on my toes and opened my eyes to the fact that I'm being too passive about things and that as a Christian, it's not acceptable.  Often, I'm afraid of making enemies or ruining relationships so I don't say anything.  

Take my sister for example.  She's a good kid, a good daughter, a good student.  All of those are things that did not describe me when I was her age.  She's a freshman in college and has the whole world at her fingertips or feet or earlobes or whatever body-part you associate with this particular saying.  She's not making bad choices, or as far as I know she's not, but that doesn't make her a Christian.  She loves and respects our parents, but that doesn't make her a Christian.  The truth of the matter is this:  I know that my sister is a good person.  I have no clue if she is saved.  Or if she has been saved, she doesn't take it seriously.  She isn't in love with our Savior and she isn't passionately seeking Him and His perfect will.  And last night I learned that it's not acceptable for me to be passive about my sister's salvation.  She's part of me, and her soul, her eternal salvation, is worth me risking our current relationship.  She's my little sister.  I'm supposed to take care of her.. 

      

It doesn't stop with my sister.  Where is my passion for people?  I don't get to pick and choose who I witness to.  I don't get to pick who I invite to church or who I reach out to or who I pray for.  It's not my church.  It's God's church.  And I've got to stop only inviting people to church if they look like me, or act like me, or have things in common with me, or are related to me.  What about everyone else? 

These are some of the things that are on my heart today.  I want to be a better Christian, and that means being a better relative and a better daughter.  It means not being afraid of rejection or "ruined" relationships.  When I die, I will be held accountable for everything I did...and for everything I chose not to do.  I want to finish well.  I want to be regarded as a good and faithful servant.  I don't want to spend eternity explaining to my perfect, Heavenly Father why I didn't find certain people worthy or worth the risk of sharing Christ's love.  

Big Changes for The Robinson's!

I want to share some very exciting news with you guys!!! But first, a little back-story.

Mr. Robinson and I met waiting tables at a Ruby Tuesday.  We dated briefly and were soon engaged.  Mr. R had recently graduated college and had been looking for a grown-up job in his field.  He kept applying for different jobs and looking for places who were hiring, and couldn't find anything.  We started getting nervous because we would be married soon!  Neither of us had a very good job...it was scary.  Finally, he heard back from one company.  It was a finance and loan company.  They wanted to hire him, he accepted the job.  We didn't really ask any questions.  He was excited.  The word "salary" was a magical, musical tune to our ears {waiters in SC make $2.17 an hour, folks.  Learn to tip or learn to stay at home}.  So my soon-to-be hubby accepted a job because it was his only real option for supporting our little family.

It didn't take long for him to realize how much he hated his job.  It broke my heart because he came home miserable every day.  He was having to go out to people's homes and try and collect payment for their past-due accounts.  One of his coworkers has had a gun pulled on him before.   He's been looking for a new job for a while.  It's hard to find a new day job when you already work a regular 40-hour-week day job.  He met with several different people to talk about jobs, he updated his resume, and it just felt like he was trying so hard and not getting anywhere.  A few opportunities opened up, but to me, they didn't seem right.  I tried to be encouraging to my husband....after all, that's part of my job as his wife.... but I also tried to remind him that just because he was ready to jump ship doesn't mean he has to jump onto the first ship that comes along.  It was hard on both of us and we struggled..

So we took it to God and started praying.

We prayed together and separately.

We talked the new-job topic to death.  His current job offers us amazing benefits, and we argued over benefits a lot.  We were both exhausted.  He even asked me once if I wanted him to be miserable. {Which I don't, of course!}  But maybe my fear-of-change was stopping me from getting on board with another job.  A new job could mean that we'd have to move, which mean I'd probably have to give up my job.  With my job, I'm next in line to be VP of a company.  It was just a lot on us, you know?  There were big decisions to be made and I wanted both of us to be 100% positive that we made the best decision out there.

If you've ever stood in front of several doors and had to pick the best one..knowing that this decision would affect the rest of your life...you know how stressful it can be.

via

Eventually, God closed all of the doors except one.  Behind this particular door is a 100% commission based job.  There is no starting salary or base pay.  We've been hesitant...
We had dinner at a cute little local Mexican restaurant with Johnny, the regional manager.  He was really cool.   We bonded over our love for guacamole dip and Mexico.  We asked lots and lots of questions.  We asked all of the questions we should have asked before Mr. R took the job he has now. 

After dinner, Johnny told us to talk & pray about it.  He told Mr. R that he wanted to hire him and would be calling him on Monday to see if we had any questions or if we had made a decision.  So, Mr. R and I got in the car and came home.  We both felt at complete peace...the job seemed like a great opportunity, even if it would be a little risky at first.  Even though we both felt at peace, we wanted to pray and make sure that the peace we felt was from God and from ourselves.

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Saturday, Mr. R called Johnny and accepted the job.  This morning he went and signed the contract.  This coming Thursday through next Wednesday, we will both be off of work!  :)  {Because...with his current job, he gets two week paid vacation, and I get two weeks paid vacation from my current job.  Once he leaves his current job, his paid vacation time is gone and mine is useless.  Since we will be living off of my income at first, there is a good chance he will be able to take off one week for a mission trip, but that's it.  Which renders my paid vacation time useless unless I want to sit at home by myself.  SO, we are taking a week off from work, with pay, and when he returns from vacation he will put in his two week notice."

We are very excited!  God is so good..this should be a scary time.  We will have one steady paycheck from here on out.  How much money he makes will depend greatly on how hard he works.  I know he can do it, though.  I believe in that man more than I believe in myself most days.  I know he will work hard, I know that God is on our side, and I know that we are both at complete peace about this big change.  It's risky, but we are YOUNG.  We are newlyweds.  We h ave no kids, we have no mortgage, we could sacrifice a million things before having to go into poverty...NOW is the time for us to take a risk.  My husband hates his job and it makes him miserable and exhausted.  Maybe this job will, too.  BUT at least we'll know we tried.  At least we will know of two jobs that aren't for him, rather than sticking with a job he hates from fear of hating something else.  Everything about this feels right.  We aren't worried a bit.

This was the first big decision we've made since we've been married that will really change the course of our life together.  It felt so adult.  You know?  I love the little {or in this case, big} things that remind me that we are married.  It makes mundane tasks or scary decisions a little extra fun!  Exciting times!

Keep us in your prayers, y'all!  =)  And for those of you who knew of his job situation and offered to pray on our behalf, thank you for doing so.  We greatly appreciate it ... God answered our prayer!