Catching up

I'm sure I've written this before (and probably will again), but I can't believe it's been so long since I've been on here!

Here's a little glimpse of what we've been up to!

After looking at lots of apartment complexes we finally found our next place! We'll be moving in mid-July and can't wait! I especially can't wait for our new balcony... and that we will have a parking lot/"wooded" view instead of a parking lot/other buildings view!

Jason finished/survived his first year teaching and is already teaching his SECOND (and final) session of summer school! Next week he'll wrap up teaching though and finally get a short break before we move!

I'm teaching a few private swimming lessons this summer! It has been a little tiring going straight from work to teaching, but it has also been a lot of fun and I've had some GREAT students and it's fun to spend some time in the sun and water after spending eight hours in a cubicle! I have just a few more lessons I'll teach this summer... I can't believe that this is actually my TENTH year to teach swimming lessons. I definitely didn't think I'd ever teach this long when I started but it has been a great job and something I have really enjoyed doing!


More updates to come soon (hopefully!)...

The ABC's of Stephanie

You've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU.

A - Age: 27
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: Mopping... Thank goodness for Swiffers!
D - Dog's name: No thanks
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee and Prayer
F - Favorite color: Blue
G - Gold or Silver: Silver
H - Height: 5' 9
I - Instruments you play(ed): I grew up learning piano from my mom... I never really practiced consistently though, but I'd love to pick up playing again sometime soon!
J - Job title: Administrative Assistant
K - Kid(s): One day! :)
L - Living arrangements: Apartment...
M - Mom's name: Teri
N - Nicknames: Steph, Sterph
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None...
P - Pet Peeve: People being fake and people who complain A LOT...
Q - Quote from a movie: I can never remember movie quotes... :(
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: Larissa, Ashleigh, Katie, Lizzy and David
T - Time you wake up: about 7:30-7:45 a.m. ... I'm so not a morning person!
U- Underwear: Gap Body or VS
V - Vegetable you dislike: Cauliflower - except for some reason I love the way they made it in Jamaica!
W - Ways you run late: Forgetting things, waking up late...
X - X-rays you've had- Both knees, head, and teeth
Y - Yummy food you make: chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter frosting, poppyseed chicken, green beans with carmalized onions and toasted almonds... I love trying new things but am definitely still an 'aspiring chef' right now! :)
Z - Zoo favorite: Elephants!

Where did the time go?

I may be the World's worst blogger.

...I'm going to try to be better... promise. :)

I can't believe it's been a month since I last wrote! It seems like just a few days ago when I last sat down with my laptop and wrote something new...

...where did the time go??!

Anyway, this past month went by in a blur. I feel like it was full of learning and growing closer to the Lord. And to top it off I was so blessed and was able to spend the first days of April by going to my church's women's retreat! It was really fantastic... great fellowship, time with the Lord, encouragement and fun!

Not to mention I got to spend the weekend getting to know these great girls!

On a more serious note, the speaker was really great and the Lord used her (and the other women at the retreat) to encourage and push me all at once which I am so grateful for! She emphasized how we need to be consistently in the Word, be in prayer, and was constantly all about Jesus! She was definitely all about being disciplined in pursuing being closer to the Lord, and I loved that she gave great examples on how to do that in real life and to keep Christ-centered even though life can be hard. In fact, one of her big points was "life is hard, God is good, Stay in Word" - basically meaning life can be really hard and overwhelming sometimes, but we serve a great God who loves us and we need to remember that and most importantly we need to remember to stay in the Word always!

That alone was worth going for... Just the reminder that we're not always (if ever!) going to have it all together, but it's not about having it all together... it's about loving and serving and glorifying the Lord, seeking Him, and then following His Word. On a more personal note though, the Lord definitely used the weekend and teaching in my life to work in me personally. I'll have to write more on that later once I've had time to think on it some more! :) Then on top of all of that... we had a chance to get free massages and I took a cupcake decorating class! Super fun!

Outside of that this month has just been spent apartment hunting, hanging out, and lots of cooking and eating! I need to add some working out in the schedule as soon as I figure out the best time and the best way to keep motivated to get up and go in the mornings...

More to come soon!

Thankful Tuesdays

Right now I'm reading a book called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. Since I had put in a request for it before our wedding, the day it came in the mail I had nearly forgotten that I had ever even put in request for it... I opened up the box wondering what on earth this paclage could hold. And. There. It. Was.

I was so excited I could hardly begin to read it. But before I began reading I fingered the pages slowly... wondering if they could hold as much as I expected of them...

I'm only about four chapters into it, but so far it's worth every moment...!

And it reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for...and that we should be looking for those things to give thanks for...

So today I'm thankful. And I thought I would start my own list of gratitude...
... of my own one thousand gifts...

So here we go!

I'm thankful...
1. That our Savior would die on a cross for MY sin...
2. For my great husband! I love him so much!
3. For American idol nights...
4. Coffee. enough said.
5. For chicken rolls stuffed with pancetta and mozerella - me AND my husband loved them. Yay for easy and great meals! And who knew this girl could make chicken that didn't end up completely dried out??!

Welcome to the Nolen Nest!

 Here goes my first attempt at blogging in a long time!

I'm not really sure where to start so I guess I'll just start with hello! And welcome to the Nolen Nest! :)

And a big thank you to the sweet Mrs. Liniger for her help in coming up with the blog name! Thank you friend!!!

So many changes happened in 2010 that I feel just passed me by so quickly... I tried keeping up with a journal but now have about forty pieces of writing scattered randomly in four different notebooks, so I thought this may be a great way to capture some things in ONE spot and share bits of our lives with our friends and families at the same time!

So here is us:
Right now, I'm snuggled up on the couch wrapped up in my favorite blanket next to my peacefully sleeping (very adorable) husband. We've been married for just over a month and having a great time... I love being married to Jason. I feel so grateful the Lord put us together and he's an amazing husband already! I am so excited to see what the Lord has planned for us to do together!

Right now, Jason's working as a math teacher at a local school. He's a great teacher for 8-11th graders... It's hard work, but he does great with it and hardly ever complains about the amount of hours he puts in. Just recently he quit his second job he was working so we could have a little more time together and focus on our marriage. Which I'm VERY grateful for! As for me... I'm still working as an assistant at the church I've been working at the past few years. We both love being involved at our church, especially with our Lifegroup and are just praying together about what the Lord has in store for our future!

I'll post more later, but I think right now it's time to go to bed and probably nudge my sleeping husband off the couch...

I'll leave you with one of my favorite wedding pictures we have so far... :)