by Joey | Apr 20, 2015 | Throwback
On Friday, I got to hang out with Kristina and Meghan. Meghan was in town for an event with her husband, and we got to steal her for a bit to hit the food truck rodeo that takes place every Friday a short walk from my place.
After Kristina left, Meghan and I walked back to my place together. After days and days of rain, it was a much needed nice evening. One thing I love most about blogging friendships is that they’re a little…deeper off the bat. We rarely waste our time with surface level conversation because we already know all the day in day out kind of stuff.
So Meghan dove right in. She asked me how we were doing. Really doing. And my answer? That’s a tough question to answer. But we’re good. Because the fact is, we’ve been through something. And we’ve come out on the other side of it. And while things definitely seem like rainbows and butterflies right now, and they kind of are rainbows and butterflies, we’re still coping with the last few months.
The strange thing is, I said, we actually do the tough stuff better than we do the “easy.” I don’t really know why this is. It could be because our relationship, J’s and mine, started off with the hard stuff. Right off the bat, our faith and commitment were tested, so it’s a comfortable place to be in if that makes any sense. It doesn’t. But it does. Just trust me.
J and I are not a perfect couple. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But our relationship is strong and healthy. And as we go through hard stuff together (and goodness, there’s been a lot–I’d ask to catch a break, but then again…) we only ever grow closer. Our appreciation for each other reaches a deeper level.
We fight. We annoy the ever living crap out of each other (sometimes on purpose…guilty), but the fact of the matter is, our relationship is the pure definition of marriage. There is rarely a time that our marriage is the partnership of two strong spouses. No. In fact, more often than not, we take turns being strong when the other needs us to be. He carried me through 2013. I was weak, vulnerable, scared and sick for much of that year. And when the rug got pulled out from underneath us in early December, I had to wipe away the tears, swallow the fear, turn to Christ, and be the strength my husband needed.
But, friends? Being “okay” is all in how you define “okay.” The fact is, we were okay the last few months. Scared? A little broken? A little lost? Yes. But always okay. Some things happened over the course of those few months that reminded us how lucky we were to have each other. To live inside the marriage we built together.
Our five year anniversary is approaching in May. And while we’ve only scratched the surface of this thing called marriage, I think I can take the liberty of saying it’s the best thing we’ve done. It’s the hardest thing we’ve ever done, but worth every hard moment.
It’s easy for me to forget, though, that there was a time in our relationship when we couldn’t speak to each other without fighting. Our best friends will attest to that. I dare you, ask anyone we went to college with.
But on our wedding day, our best man gave a speech that was less conventional but touching never the less.
“Today is just a formality. Because in reality, Joey and Jonathan were already married. They were just one of those things you came to expect to always be. Death. Taxes. And Jonathan and Joey.”
Amen to that.
Yes, that’s a scanned picture.
Because it’s that old.
by Joey | Apr 17, 2015 | Throwback
[Sinful Colors: Let’s Talk]
All the rain? Yeah. I could do without it. Puddles and little rivers every which way you turn. This is me with my complaining pants on. Sorry. Or am I?
I will say this, Wednesday night, after a less than easy day at work, I came home to some less than convenient news which set me off on a huff. It’s not a big deal J tried to tell me. Don’t tell me it’s not a big deal, I said, It IS a big deal. I grabbed the dog and headed out in the rain for a quick run. Because man I needed it.
While I was out, I realized he was right. Compared to the things we’ve dealt with over the last few months, the thing that I was allowing to throw me into a tizzy was no big deal.
Perspective, friends.
Anyway, every night at 8PM, my nose closes up. Like clockwork. What’s up with that? My family will point fingers and laugh, but because of this little annoyance, I’ve been hitting the afrin every night. Just one squirt, I promise. I can quit any time I want! I just refuse to try to sleep with a closed up nose. I’m aware I’m probably perpetuating the issue. Sigh.
Side note, as I’m typing this up on Thursday night, J is watching Home Alone 2. I feel like I need pizza and a Christmas tree. Christmas Eve traditions die hard, man.
Happy Friday.
by Joey | Apr 16, 2015 | Throwback
Friday. And day five of straight rain. I might lose my mind if I don’t see some sunshine soon. Dramatic much? Maybe.
by Joey | Apr 16, 2015 | Throwback
>> I think sometimes I trust youtube too much. I really enjoy daily vlogs (when I have the time to watch them), but I do still watch a few beauty gurus (I hate that word, fyi). Ingrid (you know, missglamorazzi) did an All Things Hair video a while back featuring the Suave volumizing mousse. AND she claimed she let her hair air dry and that the mousse didn’t leave any kind of residue. Uhm. I’m calling BS on that. I used it on Tuesday, blew my hair dry, and ended up just putting it in a ponytail because HOLY BUILD UP. And I used way less than than the recommended amount. It probably would be okay to use for an event where I’m curling my hair and don’t intend to run my fingers through it at all, but for a daily use thing? Ew, no.
>> You guys? I’m off the running train and I hate it. I can’t seem to convince myself to get out of bed to run. I get up, sure. But actually getting out to run? My body laughs at me saying yeah, no woman. we need coffee first to function. sorry. I think I’m going to have to start re-evaluating and just stick with what works. I was always an evening runner. I think an evening runner I’ll always be. And I’ll just have to make it work.
>> I mentioned earlier this week that my love affair with Netflix is being compromised. By the time I have a few moments to finally hang out, I’m so tired I end up falling asleep. The good news is that I’m not flying through my favorite shows. I’m able to watch maaaaaybe half an episode before I realize I’m falling asleep. Lately, it’s been season six of Drop Dead Diva. This show is probably the dumbest thing ever but I just absolutely love the characters so much. And I have to say… this season isn’t at all what I was expecting and I’M LOVING IT!
>> I got mega sunburned on Saturday. Rookie mistake. I was out for way too long and didn’t sunscreen up nearly enough. I have, however, found a pretty good remedy for the whole sunburn thing. I mixed a healthy portion of coconut oil in with my moisturizer and kept myself lathered up! I also threw some aloe on for good measure, but the the lotion/coconut oil mixture really seemed to do the trick! My neighbor saw me the next day and she was like how is your sunburn already gone?! Magic, people.
>> It’s been raining here all week. There’s really no reason for me to tell you that except that…it’s been raining all week. A day of rain, okay. Two days, maybe I can handle that. But an entire week of rain? I’m over it. {activate sarcasm font} my husband’s favorite phrase.
>> Oh. I’ve hardly read since we moved. The Girl On The Train just became available on my wait list and now I’m panicking that I won’t be able to read it in time. I’m thinking I’ll have to dedicate most of my weekend to it. I’m totally okay with that.
I think that about does it for this week! It’s your turn, friends!
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by Joey | Apr 14, 2015 | Throwback
Hi friends!
This post is coming at you in real time because…well…life. I don’t know how you people do it. Full time jobs, families, houses to take care of, and yet you still knock the blogging game out of the park. By the time I sit down at the end of the day, I’m hardly able to keep my eyes open.
The other night, J had dinner ready when I got home. Coming from Buies Creek where I was the sole domestic one, it was a nice little reminder that he and I shift roles easily depending on what our situation is. But anyway, after a lovely dinner, I was falling asleep on the couch while he was cleaning up. I do not fall asleep on the couch. And I’ve done it at least 5 times since living in our apartment.
Sleeping used to be the number one thing I sucked at. Apparently I wasn’t doing life right or something because I crash hard at the end of the day now.
It’s funny to me how things have been happening since we moved back. I’ve yet to have a week go by where we don’t have plans with friends. Every time I walk out my door, I end up having a full on conversation with someone. Compared to my very quiet and sometimes (okay, most of the time) very lonely life in Buies Creek, my soul is just very happy.
Ugh. Yes. This!
But their dog’s name?
I can remember their dog’s name.
It’s hard for me to ignore that God did this. I asked for friends. I asked for happiness. On Friday afternoon, I wandered up to the pool solo. I thought I’d get an hour or two of reading in then head home. Ha. Yeah, right. One of my building neighbors was up there with some of her girlfriends and it just turned into a mini little party. I went from a life where I was constantly alone to one where I’m nearly never alone. And my heart, you guys. It’s pretty dang happy.
I know I wasn’t ever in love with Buies Creek, but I thought we did okay there. I never realized how deprived of social interaction I actually was until I was flooded with it here.
Although, my Netflix time is suffering. I’ll take it.
Have a happy Tuesday, friends!
![Let’s Talk [sinful colors]](https://i0.wp.com/www.joeyhodgeswrites.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/100_2156.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
