Life is a decision. Live with a purpose.

I have not blogged in awhile. I find it is hard being a wife and teacher among other things while still trying to find enough time in the day to blog. Colton tells me I must have been born to be a housewife because I stress easily when given lots of tasks. Its one of my traits I struggle with and have to continually work on. I will admit...being a housewife and stay at home mom does sound appealing.

I have been going through wedding withdrawals lately. I find this need to look at my photographer's website every day and I have a deep desire to help my friends plan their weddings. Its difficult to explain because I loved my wedding and would not change a thing about it. But...its fun to plan a wedding. I only wish I was creative enough to do it for a living.

I have tossed around lots of ideas lately about "what I want to be when I grow up". I love teaching but I know eventually I will leave the profession once I have kids of my own. I like the idea of opening my own bakery. Its something I will have to explore. Sometimes I have all these creative ideas of what I want to do with my life and other times I think I would be perfectly content to be a stay at home mom. Only time will tell I guess.

I heard a wonderful speaker at a training I went to last weekend. His message" Life is a decision. Live with a purpose." The message resonated with me. So many times I will get down on myself or something in my life. The last week, each time I start to feel stress creeping on me, I repeat that message to myself. It seems to work. I have been trying hard to overcome my constant stress levels and to accept that not every mountain can be moved in one day. I like this message and plan to use it often.

I am enjoying married life immensely. I grow and learn with Colton each day and love him more and more. Simple things will remind me why I love him. I am also enjoying learning to be a good wife. I find myself browsing recipes and thinking of errands or chores I need to do to make sure our house is always neat and cozy. I like doing these things now when I did not before. I am not going to say I love folding laundry or washing dishes. But..I do like doing those things to please my husband and to make him happy. I am lucky in that I have a husband who helps out and does not expect me to do everything.

My school year is going well. I like my students and I feel confident! Finally, after four years, I feel like I am where I want to be professionally. Teaching really is a special profession and the joy you get from it is unexplainable. I was talking with a friend today about meeting up for a football game at my old school in Plano and she mentioned she told one of my former students. The student is staying late after school so I can see them. Little things like that make a difference in what I do and I love it.

My mom is getting better and she is almost back to work. Her surgery went well and hopefully she will be back to normal in no time. She is a strong woman so I have faith.

Until next time, blessings,
Devin

A few honeymoon photos from Jamaica

a little peak into our 7 days in paradise!

Honeymoon Recap

It's a little late but, hey, better late than never! Colton and I left Sunday morning following the wedding for our honeymoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We stayed at the Iberostar Grande Rose Hall outside Montego Bay.

The trip started off a little rough with my swollen eye from the previous night and we both felt sick to our stomachs boarding the flight. We made it to Jamaica by 2 p.m. and we arrived at our resort shortly after. The resort was GORGEOUS! Clean, nicely decorated, beautiful beaches, clear green water, and the friendliest people you could meet. We had a great time.

Our first night there we came home to a bubble bath with rose petals and candles that was drawn for us by our butler. It was romantic. The second night was my birthday and we arrived to the same thing in addition to decorations for my birthday in our room. Colton surprised me with a couples massage for my birthday and the staff even sang to me at dinner that evening.

We spent our days lounging on the beach, soaking in the sun, swimming in the ocean, and drinking pina coladas (oh wait...that was me!). Colton enjoyed the Red Stripe more than my pina coladas. We would take breaks up at the infinity pool when we tired of being in the direct sun. We ate lazy lunches at the Port Maria restaurant right on the beach overlooking the ocean.

Every night for dinner we went to one of the restaurants on the resort. The food was actually good. We even had a special romantic dinner served to us on a private patio. Very nice. We attended a few shows in the evenings and would relax on our balcony before bed every night.

For the adventurous, we tried ziplining and loved it. I am so afraid of heights but I really enjoyed it. We went up into the jungle on the mountain side and ziplined down the side. We got some great views of the coast. We also went to the Luminous Lagoon, which is home to these microorganisms that glow when you move in the water. Colton braved the waters and swam but I kept to the boat and took photos. I got a few of him with the water glowing around him. It's one of six places in the world where this occurs.

We had a great time and did not want to leave. We definitely hope to get back there one day. It was the perfect spot to celebrate our love and committment to one another. It was paradise!