As I've said before, I love Lara Casey Isaacson. I love her heart. I love her mission. I love her dreams.
I know, I've never met this women. But she just seems like someone I'd want to take my hands in hers and pray for me over the island of her kitchen while a big batch of biscuits bakes in the oven, the bible on the counter between us. I love that she allows herself to be vulnerable and still before God. That touches my heart in so many ways.
Mrs. Isaacson is all about setting goals. BIG HEART STOPPING GOALS.
She wrote the book Make It Happen which I can't wait to buy. Maybe for my birthday! Anyway, she is kicking her year off with step by step Goal Setting Challenge, and encourages others to use her book, her Power Sheets, or a journal (or a blog!) to follow along.
Before deciding on goals, she suggests we take a look back at how God blessed us in 2014.
2014 in Review
Marcus, his parents, his brother and Kevin, and I went to Santa Fe in January to relax for a weekend, ski, and spend time together. I love the mountains so much. I always forget just how much until we're in the middle of them. I realize that not everyone gets to take vacations like this with their families and it makes me thankful that I have such awesome in-laws who take the time to spoil us on trips like these.
I know, I've never met this women. But she just seems like someone I'd want to take my hands in hers and pray for me over the island of her kitchen while a big batch of biscuits bakes in the oven, the bible on the counter between us. I love that she allows herself to be vulnerable and still before God. That touches my heart in so many ways.
Mrs. Isaacson is all about setting goals. BIG HEART STOPPING GOALS.
She wrote the book Make It Happen which I can't wait to buy. Maybe for my birthday! Anyway, she is kicking her year off with step by step Goal Setting Challenge, and encourages others to use her book, her Power Sheets, or a journal (or a blog!) to follow along.
Before deciding on goals, she suggests we take a look back at how God blessed us in 2014.
2014 in Review
Marcus, his parents, his brother and Kevin, and I went to Santa Fe in January to relax for a weekend, ski, and spend time together. I love the mountains so much. I always forget just how much until we're in the middle of them. I realize that not everyone gets to take vacations like this with their families and it makes me thankful that I have such awesome in-laws who take the time to spoil us on trips like these.
In March, my best friend married her best friend and we celebrated so much! It was the first wedding I had the honor to be apart of as an adult, and seeing the love on these beautiful people's faces was so real and so inspiring that I know it helped me see, from the outside, why encouraging marriage is so so so important. I was also experiencing being in the same place, relationship-wise, as my best friend of 15 years. My heart is warmed by knowing that we're on the same adventure and we get to love on and pray for each other through the highs and the lows. Her husband is a coach, too, so we get to be uplifting in that aspect as well! I also have to say that through our weddings, our marriages, and our prayers for each other, our relationship is one that I cherish so much. I'm so thankful we continually made time to see each other last year and connect on what matters most. Love this girl!
In April, we felt God pursuing our hearts about a big move. Marcus was offered a job coaching football and baseball at the varsity level. I don't think we've ever prayed so hard in our lives. It meant moving. It meant leaving our city (only by forty-five minutes!). It meant I would be driving an hour to school twice a week. It meant I would have to leave my job at the preschool. It meant a demanding schedule for Marcus and a lot of alone time for me. We seriously needed two angel sightings and a trumpet blast. And boy, did God give us everything we needed. AND MORE. We learned how to make decisions with God leading the way. We learned how to not be afraid to ASK God specifically what we needed to feel safe and secure when moving from season to season. The whole experience was scary, stressful, and oh, so rewarding! Ultimately, making that decision together pulled us closer to God and each other, and I am so thankful for that. Marcus accepted the job, we decided to build a house, and we moved in with my in-laws for the summer.
Side note: I love my in-laws. Love. Love. Love. And I'm so thankful, so GRATEFUL, that they love us enough to take newly-weds into their home for a summer. They deserve many crowns in heaven for that! Insert blushing bride emoji here. ;]
I'd like to say the decision to build a house in a small town was one we really prayed hard for. But, surprisingly, it wasn't. It was a no-brainer actually. The price of house that we budgeted for was getting us twenty to thirty year old houses that needed a lot of work. The real estate in our little town isn't crazy booming, but it's definitely steady. Rent houses go pretty quickly thanks to many plants that fuel the economy of our town and it brings in families, many of them refugees, so that wasn't the best option either. Our realtor took one look at our not-so-impressed faces and said "Hey! Why don't we go tour a New-Build!"
Like three days later, we signed the contract on one of those pretty new-builds and the rest is history.
Can I just say, God took care of EVERYTHING. We asked for a house; He gave us a BRAND NEW BEAUTIFUL, CUSTOMIZABLE HOME. I was blown away. That's what happens when we step out of the boat and trust God. He rewards his children. We moved in the last weekend of September.
Side note: I love my in-laws. Love. Love. Love. And I'm so thankful, so GRATEFUL, that they love us enough to take newly-weds into their home for a summer. They deserve many crowns in heaven for that! Insert blushing bride emoji here. ;]
I'd like to say the decision to build a house in a small town was one we really prayed hard for. But, surprisingly, it wasn't. It was a no-brainer actually. The price of house that we budgeted for was getting us twenty to thirty year old houses that needed a lot of work. The real estate in our little town isn't crazy booming, but it's definitely steady. Rent houses go pretty quickly thanks to many plants that fuel the economy of our town and it brings in families, many of them refugees, so that wasn't the best option either. Our realtor took one look at our not-so-impressed faces and said "Hey! Why don't we go tour a New-Build!"
Like three days later, we signed the contract on one of those pretty new-builds and the rest is history.
Can I just say, God took care of EVERYTHING. We asked for a house; He gave us a BRAND NEW BEAUTIFUL, CUSTOMIZABLE HOME. I was blown away. That's what happens when we step out of the boat and trust God. He rewards his children. We moved in the last weekend of September.
Over the summer, we celebrated our one year anniversary in Oklahoma City. We tried to spend as much time together as we could before football started. When camps and try-outs began in July, Marcus moved in with another football coach and his family. The Atchinson's were so good to us, I can't even believe how lucky we got. It can be hard to be the new wife in a group of coach's wives, but thankfully, so many of us were new this year, so we all got to experience our first season together on the same page. Many of the women have been doing this for years and they showed us the ropes. I'm still learning. I'm learning that there is a way to do it and a way not to do it. As the wife of a football coach, you can either make things really easy on your husband, or not. Coaches' after-game family get-togethers are either fun or really quiet. I hosted the last game of the season at our house and was so thankful that we won that night so that we could all just relax! I've made sweet friends this year and I've learned that we're all going through the same things. We love our husbands. We respect the game. We respect others. And all in all, we just want them to be happy. and a win would be greeeeaaaaat. :]
If I had to name one thing I learned last year, it would be the value of silence. When we moved into the house, we didn't have cable. Marcus would come home from work, and I would have been home for hours in complete silence. I think he was a little worried about me! He'd come home, and I'd be in my head, because that's where I had been all day. He would constantly say, "What exactly have you been doing all day?" I learned how to sit with my bible open, a journal beside it, and my pens and markers and highlighters at the ready. I learned how to stay focused on Christ.
Driving back and forth to Amarillo became a great time for me to talk to God, worship, think, and process. The drive is forty-five minutes, which if we lived in Dallas, wouldn't be a big deal. In fact, that's how we justified it when we first moved. "Oh, everyone in Dallas drives a commute like that daily!" Yea... accept there are buildings and billboards and people and gas stations and Starbucks. On my drive, there is nothing. Nada. Zip. I have to make sure that I have at least a forth of a tank of gas before I leave or I will be stranded. But then, I experienced something beautiful as I drove to Amarillo one morning as the sun was rising. Passing over the Canadian River, I saw God's beauty. And I was blessed by that.
We spent all of our holidays here at home,enjoying our new home, our sweet family, and our wonderful friends. It was so nice to have Marcus home for two weeks, uninterrupted. There's a good chance we spent 95% of that time lying on my in-laws couch and just...resting. But, it was much needed after a crazy busy semester. We enjoyed family, welcomed in another beautiful baby girl from Marcus's cousin Mandi and her husband, Zack. We spent plenty of time in the company of our awesome friends and rang in the new year happy and healthy. What more could a girl ask for?
So, that's my year in review! Lots of memories, lots of love, and a lot of prayer. God is Good, y'all. Here's to 2015!
-Kinsey
-Kinsey