God is ALWAYS on time

I mentioned at the end of my last post that we had some exciting news that we were excited to share with you guys and we are at a place now where we can share that news! 

First - NO we are NOT pregnant! So many people asked me this after I posted the last post but right now we are totally loving figuring out life as a young married couple.  I told someone just yesterday that even though we dated for seven years before being married, marriage is so different that dating. A good different, but different.  We are learning and we are loving it.   Babies will come in a few years ; )

So, on to our exciting news...

Joe got a job and we are officially calling Virginia home for the foreseeable future!

Here's a little background on what we've been through...

Joe graduated in December with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Financial Planning. 

Staring last May, he began interviewing with a firm in North Carolina and went through this process for five months before realizing that this was not where the Lord was calling him.  Throughout those months he was also doing research on other Financial Planning firms and praying about where the Lord would lead our family. 

We were so torn on where to look for jobs and where to go.  

Here in Virginia I have a job that I absolutely love and I didn't want to have to find my place in another hospital; however, another part of me wanted to move closer to home in North Carolina.  So, our main job search was here in Virginia and in Charlotte, NC. He emailed firms for months, driving hundreds of miles to meet and speak with other Financial Planners to try and seek the Lord's calling in his life.

Throughout this time our constant prayer was for clarity and the Lord's will for our lives.  We had no idea where He would lead us and for the most part we really didn't care, we just wanted to be glorifying Him with the decisions that we made.  

Here's one thing I learned :: When you pray for clarity you are praying for the Lord to completely takes your own desires from your mind so that you can pray and seek His face with a clear slate.  And that is exactly what we were doing.  Part of me wanted to stay in Virginia and part of me wanted to move to North Carolina and I learned that sometimes the desires of your heart are not in the will of the Lord.  And praying for the Lord's will in your life?  Well that is just a humbling process in itself.  I had to learn to quit praying for what I thought was best for us and pray for what I knew God already had planned.  I learned that God's will in our lives is greater than any plan that I could create in my head and if I had known at the beginning of this journey what I knew now I would have surrendered so much easier.  But we are human, we are not perfect, and a lot of times it is hard to understand that God's got this. He has got it under control and all we have to do is trust in Him.  

Every day when I would start worrying about where we would end up I would always hear a voice in the back of my mind, reminding me that God already knows.  And during this time, that was my saving grace. 

Fast forward a few months (to December) and a ton of hours spent in prayer - there were two firms that had contacted Joe and asked him to come to their offices and go through an interview process.  You know the funny thing about God is that one of these offices was in Davidson, NC and one was in Richmond, VA.  

So, we continued our prayers.  We knew that the Lord was calling us to one of these two places and we had to completely surrender ourselves to him and ask him to lead us where we should be.  Joe drove to Davidson and he drove to Richmond multiple times and he continued to tell me that if he could take the firm in Richmond and put it in Davidson it would make this process so much easier.  He loved what he was learning and who he was learning from in Richmond but he loved the location of the Davidson office, being that it was on the lake and a lot closer to home.  We were torn and I would be lying if I told you that I didn't pray for what I wanted a few times.  But Joe would quickly remind me that this is not about us, this is about the Lord and where He can use us the most.  THAT was humbling!  

With our lives surrendered to the Lord and what he would have for us, we waited.  

And we waited some more.

And we waited for almost a month before His answers were clear. 

I remember that day like it was yesterday.  I was at work and Joe forwarded me an email from the firm that he was interviewing with in Davidson.  The subject of the email was clear enough to know what was happening before I even opened the email.  Joe was told that there was another candidate chosen for this position and they wished him well in his job search.  More than viewing this as "Joe didn't get the job", we viewed this as "God just closed that door because it is not for us."  And when some people may be upset because they didn't receive a job offer... we celebrated!! We celebrated because we knew that God was answering our prayers and making very clear that His will for our lives was not to move to Davidson.  

The very next day, on Tuesday, Joe received a phone call from the firm in Richmond.  

Not only were they offering him a job, they were offering him a job to work in Lynchburg!

This was in January and on December 14th we had just moved into a new home and signed a year lease.  Joe being able to work in Lynchburg meant that we would not have to break our lease, lose a lot of money, and then spend a lot of money moving somewhere else. 

GOD IS GOOD!!

So, Joe received this job offer in January but because of things going on in the office and Joe trying to finish up at his current job, they set a start date at the beginning of April.  Joe wanted to be able to tell all of our family, his friends that he worked with and his boss that he was leaving before we made a public announcement, which is why we kept you hanging on so long : )

Joe's last day of work at Liberty was this past Thursday and he jumped right into his new role as a Financial Planner on Friday morning as he started working at a conference with his new mentor that lasts through the weekend.  He has traveled to Richmond many times since January for training and he has already met with a few couples to work on plans, so he knew that he loves what he has been called to do. But, when he came home from the conference last night you could see the excitement in his eyes.  You could finally see a peace in him that I haven't seen in a few months, and it was so refreshing.  Although he is still very nervous about this job, he and I both know that this is EXACTLY where the Lord has called us and we will obediently serve Him where we are until we are called elsewhere (if we are called elsewhere). 

So, Joe is officially an employee of BDC Capital Management and we are officially calling Virginia home!  I know that it is official because we went and got Virginia license plates for all of our cars this week *big eye emoji*. We will always have a piece of North Carolina in our hearts and that will always be our home, but for now we are on this new journey and we are so excited.  We fully trust that if it is God's will for us to move back to North Carolina one day that He will open those doors for us at the appropriate time. 

For those of you wondering what type of work Joe will be doing, I will share his "elevator speech" with you.  And just remember, if you need help with your finances, I know a guy! ; )

"At BDC Capital Management We are a fee-only financial planning firm that believes investing is a logical extension of biblical stewardship.  We enjoy helping our clients extend their stewardship efforts into the investing realm through Biblically Responsible Investing.  This screening process helps us to identify companies that support abortion, pornography, or anti-family groups so that we can avoid owning those companies in our portfolios. Our dedicated in house research team also utilizes Tactical Portfolio Management that enables us to measure basic supply and demand relationships in the market place to help us determine who is winning the race for investor capital."

And that's that!

Thank you to EVERYONE who has come together in prayer for us. For those who have been by our sides through this entire time, you know what it has been like and we couldn't ever thank you enough. Thank you to those who have provided meals on our busiest days and just provided a breath of fresh air. You know who you are and we are immensely thankful for you. 

I will keep you guys updated on this journey, but remember to keep Joe in your prayers as he is just starting what he has been called to do in life.  He is so excited and he will tell you that his greatest desire is to serve people and help them with their finances while ministering to them.  

We are going to take a week vacation from all of our adult responsibilities : ) and he will hit the ground running when we return! 

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!!

xoxo

Year One: A recap

I meant to have this post uploaded at the beginning of last week, but the days got away from me and I am just now finding a quiet second to sit down and make this one live! 

SO much has changed since I published the last blog and I am so excited to share some of that with you today! One of my goals for this new year is to not be as absent from the blog as I have been in the past. 

So here goes...

Year one...

I cannot believe that one year of marriage has passed.  Some days it feels like we've been married forever and other days it seems like it was just yesterday.  However, this has been one of the greatest years we have ever experienced and we are fully trusting that each year will only get better from here on out. We hit some really high points in our lives this past year that we cannot go without sharing.  

Closer to the beginning of last year I was offered a day-shift job on the Mother-Baby unit here in Lynchburg.  I had done clinicals on this unit prior to being offered the job so I knew that this was where I wanted to be.  I started my job in August and it has been absolutely wonderful.  The joy that I feel to be able to wake up each day and go to a job that I love makes it not even seem like work.  I have had a few of those, "do I really want to be a nurse?!" days, but even on those days I still love my job.  Not only do I love the patients that I am able to care for, I love the people that I work with.  I have created such wonderful friendships, even if they do joke about being my mother! They have taken me in as one of their own, taught me so much, loved me, and made me a better nurse in the short six months that I have been with them. 

Shortly after I was offered my dream job, I graduated nursing school, scheduled a date to take the NCLEX, passed the NCLEX and received my nursing license! It was a whirlwind of a few months but once the hustle and bustle ended we were able to sneak away on our first family vacation with my family to Marco Island, FL. It was a wonderful way to end our summer and I am so thankful for the time we were able to spend unplugged from every day life to recharge and prepare for the start of a new job.  

Before I started my job in the hospital, I was not working and we were living solely off of Joe's income.  Once I started my job and we had more money to work with we sat down and created a family budget.  With Joe studying to be a financial planner, this is something that he is extremely passionate about and although living on a tight budget is hard (for me) it has taught me SO much about being a steward of our money and living without my 'wants' in life.  Before we started this budget Joe read a book written by Dave Ramsey that teaches families step by step how to get out of debt, budget, and prepare for the future.  Joe became so invested in this book and his passion for this field was (and still is) so evident through this plan that was put in action for our family.  The only debt that we have is our student loans so we have a plan in place to hopefully be debt free in two years!! Once we have our student loans paid off our plan is to start saving to buy our very first home!! 

B I G things in the Parsons 1, 5, and 10 year future plans and we are SO excited!

Another big thing we did this year was pay cash for two new cars for both of us! This was no easy task and we had to save, save, save to make this happen but we did it and it feels so good to own both of our cars. 

Closer to the end of the year Joe graduated from Liberty with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Financial Planning.  While Joe has been in college he has also worked full time, been active in campus activities, and still found time to be home and invest in our marriage.  He has made many sacrifices and I could not be more proud of him. I love seeing his intelligence and hard work and I am so excited for what's to come in his future in the business world. 

As the months passed we only got into a handful of disagreements (which mostly had to do with why there are clothes scattered all over the floor) :), we packed up and made another big move, only threw away one pan in the kitchen, laughed every single day, and so much more.  

Marriage has proven to be one of the hardest things we've ever done, but it is SO worth it.  Sacrificing ourselves for each other has taught us so much and it has given us a more clear vision of the sacrifice that our Savior made for us.  

Marriage takes selflessness, prayer, faithfulness, forgiveness, diligence, love, respect, and many other things, but when you find the one who God has created for you those things come so easy.  My greatest desire is to take each of those things and portray them to my husband each day.  

We are still learning about each other and how to better serve each other, but we are having so much fun. 

I love that our anniversary is at the beginning of the new year. A fresh start to the new year and a time for us to reflect on the previous year and make changes where necessary. 

So, as we go into this new year our prayer is that we will continue to grow closer to each other and closer to Christ.  We have so many goals and plans for this year and we cannot wait to embrace them when the time comes.  

We even have a few surprises up our sleeves and can't wait to share some exciting news when the appropriate time comes ;)

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, reached out to us, and invested in our marriage.  You will never know how much you mean to us.  We are so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends who love and support us. 

So here's to year  T W O

If it's anything like year one then it's going to be a great year!

And if not, it will still be a great year : ) 

Basking in the Unknown

Once again, it has been a while since I have blogged but time seems to slip away faster than ever these days.  Between trying to finish school, Joseph and I both working full time, completing clinical hours, trying to study for NCLEX, trying to keep a clean house, and STILL trying to finish writing thank you notes from our wedding - it has been a whirlwind.  Days when I get to cook dinner and clean the dishes and fold the laundry make me feel like superwoman!  

By the way - if you got us a wedding gift, know that we are eternally thankful for you and we are working as diligently as we can with our schedule to get all of your thank-you cards out. 

So... where are we?

I GRADUATED NURSING SCHOOL!! Biggest accomplishment of my life thus far.  There were many times when I wasn't sure I was going to make it.  But here I am, Chaselyn Duncan Parsons, BSN.  The RN is prayerfully soon to come.  Still have to study for that bad boy.  

Being married to my best friend continues to be a constant joy in my life.  Sometimes I wonder what we ever did before we were married.  It feels like we have been married for years, when in reality it has only been a short 5 months.  We have only had a handful of disagreements about where the dirty laundry goes, where the fishing poles go at the end of the day and who will do the dishes on said day.  Joe has only THREATENED to put a parental lock on all the "chick flicks" that I beg him to watch with me, but I'm not so sure it won't happen in the future.  However, I call it a great success that he loves The Bachelor/Bachelorette almost as much as I do!  He has turned me into a very competitve woman when it comes to playing cards.  We have card night at least 4 times a week with some great friends and I can assure you that there is no cuddling happening at bedtime if he does not let me win.  Mostly, we just have a lot of fun all of the time.  Sometimes it is just nice to be in the same room together after a day apart.  And sometimes it is nice to just grab a quick dinner and chat about all the things we have overlooked within each others lives.  Blessed does not even cover it when it comes to being married to Joseph and I am so thankful that we have a lifetime to go.  

I have been working on this blog post for a while now and after looking back at all of the notes I have written down pertaining to this specific blog post, they all seem to reflect the same topic - the unknown.  Isn't that something that you wish you never had to worry about, the unknown?  Sometimes the unknown is a blessing, but sometimes it can be the biggest advocate of stress in our lives.  As summertime approaches and I think about the different vacations we have planned for this summer and the time that we will spend laying in the sun, I also think about the time we will spend dwelling over the unknown.  Joe - this blog is for you, my love ;)

So many times over the past month Joe has asked me, "what am I going to do with my life?"  As in- what is he going to do after graduation? What kind of job is he going to get?  Where is he going to move our family to?  The only thing he does know that he wants to do is "help people".  And I know that without a doubt he will do that.  Becuase he has a servants heart.  Anyways, all of these questions leave us agitated and frustrated with the unknown.  And everytime he asks me THAT question, my response is "there is someone who has a greater plan that we could ever imagine and He will reveal that perfect plan to us in His perfect timing".  

Sounds great, doesn't it?  

I think so.  

But man, if believing my own words were as easy as saying them we would be in good shape.  

I have accpted a job here in Lynchburg that I am so so excited about.  It is my dream job.  Working day-shift.  Only three days per week.  And weekends here and there.  I know the job will bring stressors and there will be days when I might not like it so much, but it all sounds awesome to me and I can't wait to start.  But all I can think about is the unknown and where Joe's job will lead us and whether he will like his job and whether I will be able to get a new job wherever we move to.  ALL THE QUESTIONS!  

But through this season of the unknown, one thing has remained constant - and that is the promises from our Almighty King which tell us, "Lean on the Lord and be confident in the Lord with all of your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In ALL your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths". (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

These verses bring so much comfort to my life and they help me to practice what I preach.  They help me to be satisfied in the present time, not worrying about what tomorrow holds.  I have learned that the freedom to trust is something that the Lord provides and I have to continually lean on that. As we go through this journey of life there is an endless amount of freedom given and I have to choose whether I will trust or worry about what is to come.  Anything that brings worry or anxiouness is a chance to surrender those feelings to the Lord and an opportunity of growth.  And during this season of life that is one of my greatest goals - to give up the feelings of anxiouness and worry and grow in my walk with Christ by trusting that He alone will guide us through.  

As you walk through the journey of the unknown, I challenge you to use Proverbs 3:5-6 as a shield to the feelings of worry and anxiousness.  Stand firm in your positive feelings and trust that Christ will lead you directly where you need to be and He will provide for your other needs along the way.  

We want to pray for you, so let me know how we can!  

Don't forget - God's got this and He leading you exactly where you are called to be. 

Transformation

Today, I just want to share my heart. 

As we come to a close on the first month of 2015, I am reminded what a year of change this year has already proven to be.  

I started out the new year with one last name and three days later I got a new last name.  I moved into a new home.  I got a new roommate.  I started my last semester of college.  I have started applying for jobs after graduation.  And the talk of where God is going to take us after graduation has begun.  

Change. Change. Change. 

This is all new to me.  

Through these changes I have learned that a close walk with God provides a life of continual newness.  I have learned to let go of old ways and adapt to the new lifestyle that I am living.  

 Joseph and I have made it a point to seek the face of God together.  

Through this I have learned that the Lord is fully attentive to our needs and desires. 

 He understands our thoughts completely and he desires for us to seek him in the good times and in the bad. 

As husband and wife, WE are transforming.  We are learning how to love God first and love each other second.  We are learning how to share the love of Christ with everyone that we come into contact with and that is helping us grow.  

Many people questioned us and told us we were making a horrible decision for getting married so young.  We haven't even been married a month and I can tell you that getting married is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Joseph will tell you that, too.  We have had so much fun in the past few weeks and our love has grown tremendously.  

Aside from the people telling us how stupid we are, I have also had many people ask me how we make it work with being in school full time and working full time.  And the answer is, we make it work the best we can.  The kitchen isn't always clean, the laundry isn't always done, and the bed doesn't always get made first thing in the morning like I prefer - BUT, that is okay.  We are learning one day at a time how to make this work and I am happy to share how we are doing that. 

1. Establish a time each day to spend with the Lord. With crazy schedules and not getting home until late some nights, it isn't always easy to find time to have a devotion.  But we have learned that for our marriage to grow, we have to be growing on our own.  We have devotionals on our own and then we do a devotion together each night before bed. 
2. Share and pray with each other!  We have learned so much about each other within the past few weeks just by praying together.  We used to pray together when we were dating, but we have taken it to another level now and it is teaching us so much. 
3. Laugh together!! We have learned that we aren't always going to do things the right way the first time.  AKA- in the kitchen.  Things will happen that aren't supposed to happen and that is okay.
4. Forgiveness.  This is huge.  We didn't know what it would be like to live with each other.  And we are quickly learning that each of us do things differently. If I'm being honest, this is more for me.  I have had to teach myself to let go of my type A personality and just let things happen. I tend to get frustrated if things aren't done the way I want them done BUT I am learning to let go of that! 
5. Lastly, just show love.  This ties together everything we have been learning about.  When we put God at the forefront we automatically have a more loving and gracious heart and this is what we strive for.  

We aren't perfect.  We will not ever be perfect.  We don't have a perfect marriage.  But we are working each and every day to do what works for us so that we have a growing and thriving marriage.  Our prayer is that by growing together in the Lord, we can share his love with others.  

Marriage is a ministry and we are striving to make ours grow. 

01.03.15

January 3rd, 2015 

Truly the greatest day of our lives.  

So many people told me that my wedding day would come and go so quickly and quite frankly I dismissed their opinions; however, now I see the quickness that they spoke of.  The week before our wedding seemed like the longest week of my life.  We had so much left to do, but at the same time we had come such a long ways.  

On the Sunday before our wedding Joseph and I had decided that each night that week we would spend time doing something that we did when we first started dating.  One night we went to Koto's to eat. *Funny story - before we started dating Joe didn't like Japanese food.  He didn't want anything to do with it.  But in my family that was one of our more frequented restaurants so we introduced him to Japanese very quickly and now when we come home we HAVE to eat Japanese at least once per Joe's request.* The next day we went on a day date to Winston.  We had wedding errands to run and this was something we did with our families when we first started dating so it seemed appropriate.  Another night we spent at my house watching a movie in our computer room.  This was the spot where we always hung out when we were at my house so it only seemed fitting that we travel back to the computer room movies.  

The rest of the week was spent laughing about all the memories we have made over the past seven years and dreaming of all the memories we will make as we begin our new lives together.  Our time together ended Thursday night when his groomsmen and my bridesmaids starting arriving in town.  

Friday, during the day, Joe and his groomsmen spent the day playing paintball while my bridesmaids and I enjoyed a Bridal Luncheon hosted by some wonderful women.  
After lunch I was able to spend sweet time with some of my bridesmaids, my mama, and my MIL as we decorated for the rehearsal dinner and wedding.  The day quickly got away from us and that evening we found ourselves at the church rehearsing for what would be the greatest day of our lives.  

After the rehearsal we went to the rehearsal dinner and shared time with our closest friends and family.  It was a sweet time as we shared memories and many stories over the past seven years.  The night ended with many laughs, a few tears, and one last goodbye kiss between the Mr. and Miss.  

We said goodbye that night and went our separate ways.  He had a bonfire with his friends and me and my friends went on a little adventure with my daddy. 

(The best bridal party of them all)

On the eve of our wedding, I saw every single hour.  I don't think I slept more than one hour at a time.  It wasn't nerves, it was just pure excitement.  
I woke up the next morning with one of my best friends by my side, we showered, ran errands, and headed to the church. 
Most of my friends would tell you that I was in rare form that day.  I was very quiet.  I didn't talk much.  I was just taking in all of the excitement and preparing myself for what was to come. 

As the day quickly passed by I found myself spending my last few moments before I walked down the aisle with my daddy.  Those are moments that I will never forget.  We laughed, took some deep breaths, and of course we had to take a selfie right before the church doors opened. 

The back doors of the church opened and it was then that I saw my future, waiting at the end of the aisle for me.  With tears in my eyes and tears in his eyes it was the moment that we both had waited for for so many years.  

From that point on, it was magical.  There are no words that I could use to accurately describe my feelings or how perfect the rest of the evening was.  

The pictures are a good indication of how much fun everyone had, so without further ado... 

#PresentingTheParsons

(My beautiful cousins sang for us) 

(And my other handsome cousin surprised us with a very special song)

And we danced and danced and danced until they had to kick us off of the dance floor...

We never really understood how magical our wedding day would be until we experienced it first hand.  Everyone has told us that this would be the greatest day of our lives until we have children.  So we will hold onto the memories of this day and continue to name it the "best day of our lives" until the Lord decides to bless us with babes!  And if He is going by our schedule that won't be for a while :)

Joseph and I just want to take a moment to thank each and every person who shared in this day with us, from our family to our bridal party to our guests.  This day would have never been as amazing as it was without each and every one of you.  We are so very thankful for the companionship that we have in each of you and we are so excited to share the journey of the rest of our lives with you! 

To my mama and daddy: 
Thank you for the endless time and money that you sacrificed to give Joseph and I the day we truly dreamed about.  There is no way I could put into words how deeply thankful I am for each of you, but know that my love is endless and I'm so thankful to have you both as parents. I love you!