21 January 2010

Chasing Sunsets...

Ok so, I know its the middle of winter..and that is fueling a lot of my sunshine withdrawal...but I miss the 60 degree weather!!

When Tanner and I first got married, we would take Saturdays and use them to explore.  We had enough money to use up gas and drive all day if we wanted. 
Those were simpler times.



Times in which we were dependent on sunshine, good music, and a full tank of gas for our happiness....

Don't get me wrong, we still love those things, but its different now.  We have to think about how much that gallon of gas is going to cost...




Financial responsibility they call it. 

Well....Mr. Financial Responsibility, I have news for you.  I'm taking the initiative to simplify life.  To unburden myself from the power of financial struggles, debt, and neverending stress.




I'd like to look back on my life and see how much I was able to give of time and resources... 

 ....not how much time and resources I spent trying to keep up with things that are not going to matter in the end...



I'm ready for freedom.



So ready.




This smile is so different than the one I wear now.  It's so much more carefree and genuine, and that's what I want to get back to. 



I'm so thankful that God used the memory of a single afternoon to remind me of how important it is to remember that the life I lead is not for my own personal gain.  It's for His glory, and if I don't stop piling on the commitments and burdens of this world, it will be so hard to really live. 

I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I've wasted every breath on meaningless T-H-I-N-G-S.  

Thing :
                             –noun
                              A material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object





From here on out, here's to leading a simple life.




"You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right, and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)."

8 comments:

Samantha2818 said...

I am SO with you on this.

My whole plan for this year is based on getting back to basics. We waste so much money and I've decided to budget this year, get rid of everything we no longer need or use (car boot, ebay, charity) and do more stuff as a family. My son is 12 next month and the time has flown by. Pretty soon he won't want to be seen hanging around with us (boo hoo!).

We plan on having a family holiday to the States this year and want it to be really outdoorsy - fishing, hiking, whale watching (please!) but have to simplify to be able to afford to do this.

I too am married to my soul mate and often look back fondly to when we had nothing but each other and life was completely stress free. I consider myself to be really lucky to still love him to bits after almost 24 years of being together but do yearn for the time when we had a simpler life. Having reevaluated our lives now I realise that we can have this and am going to work towards a simpler life this year.

Gorgeous photos by the way! I daren't show my husband the rivers you live near or he'll want to move there - he has always wanted to go fishing in Montana!

PS - sorry my posts are always so long - I waffle when I talk too!

Twig said...

Don't you dare apologize for your long posts! :) I LOVE reading your comments, they always brighten my day!!

If you are looking for a place for fishing, hiking, and whale watching...might I suggest the Puget Sound in Washington? It's beautiful! We used to live there and loved it! If you go for just fishing and hiking, you might as well just come to Montana :) We can get out and go junking for a day! :)

I think a lot of people are wanting to downsize and simplify...and I love that.

Thanks for your feedback though, I really do cherish everytime you write me! I feel loved haha. :)

Samantha2818 said...

You must have read my mind! Washington is exactly where we plan on going. we've been looking at Whidby Island maybe for a week and then somewhere else for another week. We quite fancy Oregon too for the rugged coastline. My husband bought me a travel book on the Pacific Northwest for my birthday cos I really want to go there and I bought three more at 90% off in a closing down sale (all of the Borders stores closed down in the UK recently -really sad). I really hope we can knuckle down and save.
As for Montana we would love to visit there too - I love rivers and mountains (except the mountain we drove down in Majorca - did you ever see the photos of that road??!!!) and scenery is my thing!
If we ever do visit I'll definitely look you up for a junking day (with my daughter too) - the boys can go fishing!!
Love your comments too! x

Arte Joe said...

Hello! I fully share your words, go back to the simple things that both enjoyed. Back to first love, back to intimacy with God is happiness.
Greetings from Argentina, Joe

Jenny said...

What a beautiful post. It is so easy to get caught up in having the best clothing, home and cars, but when you look back on your life, will any of that matter? It is funny that you posted about simplifying your life yesterday, because I posted about the same thing before I even visited your blog today.

Martha said...

Beautiful photos!!! It sounds so nice to simplify life...I love that!!! And those days of doing that just sound wonderful!

Design A-Peele said...

great post! Thanks so much for sharing!

Kelley said...

What a beautiful blog post. I love the photographs that you chose. I think this is exactly what I needed to hear today...to stop running after meaningless things and live for the glory of God. Thanks.