Winter with the Cliftons!

It's been unseasonable warm here in NH. Very little snow, temperatures only barely hitting what us Yankees would consider 'cold', and not a single snowstorm worth mentioning to date.

That being said, our winter has been wonderful so far! After spending Christmas with Jacob's family in North Carolina, Jacob and I returned back to a very busy and full schedule in New Hampshire. Jacob's sister Aubrey tagged along with us to spend 4 weeks with us as well! We might have stayed up almost a full 24 hours by the time this picture was taken. Apologies. Flight schedules are rough.

Running a dojo is no joke. Despite not teaching classes until 4pm, work begins early and ends late, often resulting in breakfasts in tins, lunches in pots, and dinners very late before falling fast asleep in bed in preparation for the next day. It's grand!

I couldn't imagine any other line of work. However tiring, my work is forever rewarding and sweet to the soul.




Jacob is up and running over in Center Harbor. I couldn't be more proud of what this man of mine has accomplished in such a short time. He works with dedication and spirit to better his little school. A teacher through and through, Jacob has already made so many meaningful connections in the Center Harbor community. I'm truly honored to know and be loved by such a hard working and caring gentleman.





When we aren't running around, teaching classes, working out, working, or hosting Beyond the Belt birthday parties, you can find me and my other half holding school programs for the dojo, playing flag football, watching old movies and satirical sources of humor, eating (duh), and... you guessed it, sleeping!

New year, new goals.

My big goal for this new year was to be able to get in some quality reading time! After work, I have time to read my Bible and that's it! I was and am determined to change this.

So far so good: Almost 200 pages into Wuthering Heights after a day! I adore the dramatic misery of that story... for some weird reason. Oh well. It's romantic and despairing, which automatically makes it a book worth reading.

In addition to reading more, I am anxious to finish the final touches of designing our apartment! Last summer, I repainted and decorated the downstairs (living room, kitchen area), but over February break I am determined to paint the bedroom and bathroom! Photos will be sure to come!

Another item on my goal list is to learn more. Reading is a start, learning is progress. Jacob is my greatest inspiration in his constant pursuit of knowledge and understanding the world. I need to write and think a little more as it is not only good for the brain but for the spirit!

One of my goals for this upcoming year was to continue to improve my fitness level. I've been an athlete for a long time, but it is rolling up on a year since I decided to truly commit to every level of being an athlete- diet, sleep, flexibility, well rounded training, cardio, etc. I can't wait to see what this year brings for me. Getting older means getting better!

I am honestly so thrilled to see what this year brings for me and Jacob (and Sashi, our darling and fiendish little Tortie cat).





Dentist visits!

Chiropractors!

Essential Oils!

Protein Bars!

Shoe Racks!

Glorious little happiness springs up like sprigs in the smallest things. May your winter be sweet, warm, and full of the good stuff!

Why Things Are Good and Why God is Great

Well, Thanksgiving is over and with it some exciting updates!

• We have our Christmas decorations up! Granted, it took about 15 minutes to decorate, but it seems so spirited now!
• We have three weeks of classes before Christmas break. That deserves it's own column.
• Our cat is huge.
• Winter flag football starts up soon. Next to martial arts and fitness, I've found a new favorite hobby.
• Our food budget has grown. Also good.
• Christmas is coming!

All in all, God has been so very good to us. Perhaps the biggest blessing is getting to do everything with Jacob by my side. From shopping, workouts, working, football, birthday parties, cleaning, cooking, and outings, we try our hardest to do everything we can together. A big part of this is God's goodness in our having jobs in the same business. Even after Jacob has started work in Center Harbor and I'm still in Laconia for afternoon-evening classes Monday-Thursday, we still get to see each other so much. 

But onto the point of this blog. 

Things are good. God is great. Why is that?

#1: We've also made it an unspoken rule of saying 'I love you' as much as possible. If Jacob is downstairs and I'm headed upstairs to shower, I don't even think about it. I say 'I love you!' and he says it back. If someone so much as leaves the room, the 'I love you' slips out. Our friends made fun of us for doing this during our first 6 months of marriage and told us we would stop doing that once the honeymoon phase ended. Needless to say, we are almost a year and 2 months into being married and it's still going strong ;)

#2. Another thing I've noticed about being married is the molding of two souls and how marvelous the results can be. Granted, the results can also be dank and awful, but with patience, willingness, and love, two beings can be made so much more through marriage. For example, Jacob and I swapped hobbies and we both are now avid football (him) and martial arts (me) junkies. We traded fitness ideas and have both gotten better results. He's snarky and loud. I'm snarky and reserved (to a degree, I know. It's hard to believe). We balance each other.

#3: Prayer exists. It not a magical and thought out waste of time. It's a direct hotline to grace and His greatness.

#4: Every day I am reminded that my job is tiring. I get tired. Weird. Some days I wish I had more. But God has been so good in jumping on my case IMMEDIATELY and planting that thought of WAIT A SECOND. Everything I don't have is also a reminder of all that I DO have. And trust me, considering I'm a sinner deserving of the pits of hell, I think I'm doing pretty well. I'm safe, loved, and so happy.

#5: I am not alone. God offered me not only a support system of friends and family on this earth, but salvation for eternity. As we continue into this season of giving, waiting, and anticipating the savior and his goodness, I cannot help but thank God for giving me so much, but also giving me someone to love and to love me.

I think that in order to appreciate your life fully, you have to appreciate what you have, thank God often, and always seeks to do the best you can with what you have.

May God continue to give me wisdom on this path and you on yours.