Even God rested on the 7th day...

Confession: I need to get better at taking before and after pictures. In the meantime, I will just have to tell you about the before and after images and you can paint a picture in your mind...

We kicked off last weekend with a cleaning session of Kyle's condo. As much as this sounds like the most boring thing on earth, it was actually kinda fun. Clearly I had fun (I love a good cleaning session!), but Kyle also enjoyed it too (or at least enjoyed the finished product).

Without boring you to tears with the details, I do have to share two particularly funny moments caught on camera. After seeing this post on my favorite blog, I asked Kyle if we could move the washer/dryer unit about 6 inches to the left inside the little closet. Turns out, it is not as easy as one might guess to move a stack-able washer/dryer unit...

Heave-ho.....! 

Success!

Here is a perfect example of where before and after (instead of during) photos would have been helpful...Alas, you'll just have to trust me that it looks WAY better and my dream of custom shelves are somewhat within reach now:

Custom shelves = laundry room delight!

After we finished cleaning (I'll try to remember to post a photo of the "office-turned-storage room" so you can see what I mean by cleaning)...we headed out for a much needed afternoon off at the Husky Game.

Thanks to the Kalles bunch for their tailgate hospitality!

Giving it grace: This is going to seem like an obvious one...but, it's a tough lesson that I'm learning so I think it's worth sharing. I have a really, really hard time just taking time off and doing what most people call "enjoying life". Over the years, I've settled into a way of thinking that is just plain not good, and it's actually quite sinful. The Bible actually commands us to rest, and that is a command I have not taken seriously - like, ever. Recently, that was pointed out to me as a sin I'm committing against God. By not taking time to rest, or just enjoy leisure activities, I'm essentially saying "God, you created us to need rest, and then even commanded that we do rest. Thanks for that, but I've got a different plan that's better than yours that doesn't involve resting." It's been a hard adjustment for me, and fortunately Kyle has been helping me with this a lot. Thus, last Saturday we did a compromise: work, then play. We spend a few hours working on the condo, and then spent the rest of the day at the Husky Game. While I wasn't able to completely feel comfortable with taking the whole afternoon "off", I am warming up this idea of "rest" or "play" and grateful that God is working on my heart in this way. His grace continues to abound...

In other exciting news, our engagement photos arrived! Check them out here.