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!