all about the challenge

While I am not a very religious person I do still like to participate in Lent every year.  Its mainly about the challenge of trying to give something up that you really have a dependency or addiction to.  None of this, I am giving up walking backwards kind of stuff.  I am talking serious fasting of things that I really enjoy doing on a regular basis.

So what am I giving up you ask?  I put a few things on my plate this year.

#1- Facebook.  Yep, you heard me right.  I am giving up Facebook for 40 days!  I don't know what I was thinking.  This one is going to be very hard.  I have a severe addiction to semi-stalking my friends through the internet.  The worst part...I think this one is going to the hardest to give up!

#2- Alcohol.  I have given up alcohol in the past before for various reasons.  It's definitely a challenge but its something I can overcome.  The worst part is having to pass on happy hours or sit and watch other people enjoy an ice cold beer.

#3- Simple carbs.  This is something else I have abstained from before.  Its hard, its really hard.  I LOVE carbs. This time around I am allowing myself complex carbs that are good for me like sweet potatoes and brown rice.

#4- Caffeine.  A close tie with Facebook for the most enduring of my fasts.  I don't drink a ton of caffeine but my morning ritual contains a nice warm cup of Starbucks that I thoroughly enjoy.  The first week will be tough because I have a physical dependency that results in a mind numbing headache if caffeine doesn't hit my system by 9am.

So there you have it.  40 days and 40 nights of no Facebook, alcohol, simple carbs or caffeine.  Whew.  Can't wait for Easter Sunday!

a quiet moment

Chase and I made the decision not to see each other prior to the wedding ceremony.  We wanted our first glances of each other on our special day to be as I turned the corner and started walking down the aisle towards him.  Because of this we really had no idea how each other were feeling or what was going on, which made it all the more fun to look through the photos afterwards.

On the last disc of our photos I came across a picture that made me smile more than all the others.  It is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day.  Its a special quiet moment caught of Chase right before he walked out into the ceremony.



He looks so nervous but so at peace at the same time.  He told me later he was just trying to collect himself.  Which didn't work because he teared up through the entire ceremony.  One of the many reasons I love him.