Thoughts from a Newly Wed.

Lately I've been taking some time to reflect a bit on mine and mr. hartin's marriage; the sweet moments, learning moments and challenging moments. And so I thought I'd share a couple thoughts. I must preface these thoughts with a couple comments. First, mr. hartin and I are still figuring things out, and will be for life - We have only been married 7 months after all. Also, I think it's such an important thing for couples to be honest and candid about marriage - the beautiful and the messy - not sugar coating things for the sake of a pretty picture. One of the most important things about doing life together is our need to be and feel understood - and I don't think that's limited to just our husby or wifey - As ladies, we need our sisters to listen, pray and support eachother as wives who love, honor and submit to our husbands. And our Guys need brothers who will hear them out, pray with and for them, and encourage eachother as husbands who love their wives and lay down their life for them.

Okay. I realize those 'preface' comments were thoughts in themselves - but here are some of my Real thoughts on marriage - they're not super profound, or complicated, or perfect. Just some simple thoughts.

1. First, I've heard of countless books, seminars, secrets and keys to having the 'Perfect Christ Centered Marriage' and it got me thinking. No doubt those books and resources are helpful tools for marriage and I'm not so naive to suggest they don't know what their talking about or Anything like that - they know far more than me and have experience that trumps mine by years and years of marriage. But this thought has been lingering lately, when I've been praying about my marriage. You can't have a Christ-Centered marriage if you (as an individual child of God) have not set your heart on CHRIST. This of course is not the 'be all end all' but I believe this is where it starts. Cole and I won't have a Christ-centered marriage if he and I are not (as individuals) setting our hearts and eyes on Christ, recognizing, that while we are one flesh, we are not one spirit. For me, I learned that a Christ-centered marriage begins when I set my eyes and heart on Jesus.

2. If you're not married yet, get ready to get some good lessons on Selflessness :). Doing life with a completely different person is beautiful and Messy! And the more stubborn, and unwilling to understand or compromise, the Harder it will be - I promise. Marriage puts a mirror infront of your face and opens your eyes to your pride. And its frustrating and ridiculous sometimes. Something mr. hartin and I try to keep intentional in as we chat things out (or dare I say, argue!) is placing the high value on UNDERSTANDING the other, rather than proving yourself RIGHT. Things look a whole lot different if I go into a 'chat' with mr.hartin with my motive being 'how can I understand him' as oppose to 'how can I prove I am more right than him'. Apparently I'm a big arguer (It's in the Cranna genes), so this is something that I continually come back to. And I will take this opportunity to appreciate mr. hartin's patience as I am ever learning in this area.

3. Whenever, Wherever, HOWever, take the time to build up, encourage, compliment your husby (or wifey). I know I've said it many times, but it truly is often the simple little and gestures and comments that can totally change a mood, relieve tension or make a grey sky sunny. These little things don't fix deep problems, or mend broken hearts, but they sure do make waves as you try to make sure your lovey feels loved. I'm learning that I have NOTHING to loose when I take the extra time or effort to let husby know he's appreciated.

4. Sometimes he always leaves the closet door open. and that's okay. because I never refill the toilet paper when it runs out.  :) so I close the closet and he refills the toilet paper. We go well together. Embrace the quirks.

5. If you're wanting, expecting, or trying to make your husby or wifey perfect. Stop trying  or you will die a very sad and unsatisfied person :) . Marriage is messy because People are messy. And in this I find such beauty because it lifts the pressure off to be 'Perfect'. There is no Mr. Perfect or Mrs.Perfect, so let us throw that expectation out the window :)

5.  I love love love LOVE being married. It's romantic, messy, adventerous, challenging - its all, its all beautiful! I love my mr.hartin and couldn't dream of being married to anyone else. What is perhaps the most beautiful thing, is that the God that I love and know (and who loves and knows me), holds my marriage in His strong, faithful and loving hands.
 
A simply beautiful truth

here's to the biggest blessing in my entire world; i love you mr.hartin.

love mrs. hartin

the most wonderful week

What a week!!!
We were so blessed and thankful to have spent the week with family. There are so many little stories, adventures and moments that I would love to share - but there are too many. Simply put, it was nothing short of an incredible week.
I (mrs. hartin) must be a little transparent and admit to finding it hard sometimes living so far away from my family. I adore my husband and love the life we share in B.C, but sometimes the distance away from family causes an aching heart. so it was so refreshing to have the Greenes all to ourselves. During our time together, we had the most wonderful of adventures.
Day #1: After the tears (yes. tears are not just for goodbyes with cat and I) and the hugging and embracing at the airport, we toured down town Vancouver and stopped for lunch at Cafe crepe - which was delicious! We then came home, got settled in, and enjoyed a wonderful meal while we caught up on eachother's lives. It was entirely sweet.
Day #2: We visited the most AMAZING vintage market!! We walked around for a good 2 and a halfhours browsing everything and anything vintage you could think of. We found lots treasures :).

On our way home, Sophia decided not to cooperate; long story short the tube connecting the coolant resevoir to the radiator went CAPUTS! Thankfully, we were conveniently parked right beside a Costco - so we got creative... or the Boys got creative.

 The boys ended up fixing the car with the innertube of a pressurized airtube. We laughed, enjoyed the whether (and some Costco ice cream) and continued on our way. It was nothing short of a good day. Here's to you mr.hartin and mr. greene.

Day #3: It was date day for cat and amy so we decided; "why not chop off all our hair?" So thats what we did :). I confess I did experienced a little bit of separation anxiety as the hairdresser chopped off my 11inches of hair. But leaving the hair dressers, cat and I both concluded that we both LOVED our new do's and regretted nothing :). This wonderful feeling only grew when we saw our husbands in the parking lot waiting to pick us up with FLOWERS - just because! It was a simple loving gesture that went a long way :) we love them very much.

Day #4: Cat and Codes headed to the Island to visit some friends and Coley and I had date night - which was so needed and so good! Date nights are the best. And are needed always. Even if life gets busy, mr. hartin and I have decided to make it a priority to have (or make) time for just us. It keeps you on the same page and feeling connected and at peace, even if things around you get crazy.

Day #5: TURKEY NIGHT!! I am proud to say that we cooked (successfully) our very first Turkey Dinner - which you'd think is no big deal, but for the first time, it was a little bit of a big deal :). Of course something had to go wrong, but it all ended up working out. Long story short, we thawed our 30 pound bird the night before and decided to pop it in our (freezing cold?) fridge only to wake up in the morning to find that our (freezing cold?) fridge had RE-FROZE the whole turkey - When I say refroze, I mean refroze! As in ICE inside the turkey - and not just any turkey; a 30 pound turkey!, that had to be thawed and deliciously cooked and prepared for eating that evening! And so it was, as per usual; I panicked and mr. hartin assured me that everything would be okay. We talked with our moms (who I am very thankful for) and googled what to do (google has become our dear friend in many cooking matters). So we stuck that bird in the oven and prayed. As it turns out: everything was fine and lovely (as mr.hartin assured). The turkey was cooked and we enjoyed a delicious (cooked) Turkey with friends and family; and I couldn't have asked for more!
 Day #6: We hiked :) and it was great. Took a while, got a little bit lost but it was all worth it in the end. My favorite was mr.greene who rocked his baby to sleep in his arms while hiking this mountain. Cudos Daddy man!

Day #7: This was our last day but none-the-less still quite an adventure which included chasing down lost I.D's and new friends from the FIJI Islands who so generously gave us a calendar :).

Suffice to say it was an incredible week. We love the Greenes!

love mr. and mrs. hartin

the Greenes!

Only one more sleep until they're here!!!
Tomorrow morning, at 10:30 am, mr. hartin and I will be picking up perhaps the most wonderful people in the world; the Greenes :).

If you don't know already, my sister Cat and her husband Cody and baby Oakley will be spending a week in B.C with us! Cat is my older sister of two years and one of my dearest friends. She is one of those people who seem to walk so closely with Jesus that when you're with her, you feel encouraged and somehow closer to God. 
Cat and Cody are people that we see Christ in their love for eachother; it is so deep and selfless and their love for people - they're a lovely family!
We're going to go on lots of adventures. Indeed mr. hartin and I are so excited to see our family!

 So today I got busy baking ! Banana Bread, double chocolatechip cookies and fresh homemade bread!

Love mr. and mrs. hartin

sometimes a girl just needs a cupcake.

It was definitely one of those days. For whatever reason (there was very little reason) every now and then, a girl's emotions decide to get the best of her and she just needs a good cry. If you're a boy and you're reading this, I apologize. I'm sure I lost you with the first sentence. But I'm sure, for you ladies reading this, you'll understand. Anything (and I mean anything); big, small, realistic, unrealistic, intended or unintended; just made me cry. just because. Looking back, I have concluded that I must have the most compassionate and understanding husband, as he patiently wiped my tears and listened while I teared up over the silliest of things. and I mean silliest. Allow me to humor you with one (of many) of the catalysts to these tears, that were ever-flowing that day:

We were out and about running errands and I needed to use the washroom (I had just finished a large mug of tea). So, I must have stopped in 3 or 4 stores, only to learn that NONE  of them had a washroom that I could use. I could feel the tears coming on as I walked, determined and hopeful, to the last place in the plaza, only to be met with a " No - well at least not for public use". And that was it. The floodgates were open. It was seconds before my eyes welled up with tears and I knew I had to leave. The moment I saw Cole waiting by the car, I felt my throat tightening and the sobs coming. I was barely in the car and I curled up, like the little girl and cried in my husbands arms.

And this was only one example of my girly, over-emotional teary moments. There truly were at least 4 or 5 moments that proceeded and followed this one that day. I didn't really have anything rational to cry about, or anything I needed to say; I just needed to cry.

I must brag about my mr.hartin for a moment. He truly is so gracious in such situations. He just listened and hugged, and let me cry. Occasionly smirking while I vented. Upon which I was gently and non-verbally reminded of how little these seemingly enormous and overwhelming situations were, that had caused my fragile world to fall apart that day. So mr. hartin, who knows me well enough to recognize a 'necessary-chocolate-fix' kind of day,  insisted we make a stop for a double chocolate, chocolate bar cupcake from Tracycakes.

Because there wasn't a 'real' problem with anything (although, in those teary moments, I could list off one hundred irrational ones), there was not 'real' solution' or remedy. And my husband let me know, that even though I didn't make very much sense, it was okay. The cupcake didn't solve anything really. It was the gesture behind it. A simple gesture from mr.hartin, reminding me that its okay to cry and sometimes it's the simple and little things that make grey skies a little sunnier or teary days at least a little less overwhelming. There wasn't a long, drawn-out, complicated solution that made everything thing better. Instead, it was a simple gesture.

I am thankful that God is so much bigger than my little world and that he holds my little world in His strong hands. I am also thankful for mr.hartin, he is a blessing. And I'm also thankful for cupcakes from Tracycakes.

love mrs. hartin

A bit more of Oregon

Our good friend Luke took these pictures. He's really great.

What's cookin' good lookin' !

Mr. hartin was on cooking duty tonight and praise the Lord for it :)
Tonight we enjoyed salmon marinated in a maple/soy/garlic sauce with mushroom/almond rice topped with raisins to go with it! And of course, we musn't forget the greens; spinach sauteed in olive oil/lemon and garlic. My compliments to the Chef ;)

mr.hartin you are truly wonderful!

love mrs. hartin

Red Lipstick and Aprons

We laughed. We danced. We baked...
We loved having our girls over last night!
I (mrs. hartin) would just like to brag a little; I have the most wonderful group of ladies in my Youth Group at Agape Church. Mr. Hartin and I place a HUGE value on community and genuine relationship when it comes to being a part of a Church. And so it goes, every month we take some time away from 'doing' Youth, or putting on a service/bible study and we just spend time with our girls and guys; to just be with them, that's all. So simple and so so SO important. We love it!
So the boys all headed out to WINGS, while the ladies got the apartment! So we put on our red lipstick and aprons and it wasn't long before cinnamon buns were cooling, pie was being sliced and the fudge brownies were being taken out of the oven (and water was being boiled for tea of course). It was an evening with with silliness and sweetness!

  We love our girls and guys and we think they're fantastic.

mr. and mrs. hartin

Oregon Love.

4 days + 1 yurt and one of the most beautiful places on the West Coast = a Fantastic reading week!! Last Monday we packed up a jeep and headed seven hours down the West Coast with some good friends. We wanted to get away to somewhere beautiful and keep it cheap, hence the Yurt. These things were awesome. To describe it simply its a cross between a tent and a cabin; wood frame, canvas walls and heat and electricity inside. We spent our days hiking 200 ft. cliffs over looking the ocean, sitting by campfires (while fighting off the occasional raccoon), and visiting some vintage antique shops in town. And of course, such a trip brings with it all the joys of camping; wet socks, muddy shoes, camping carbs (PB and J, Macaroni and cheese, potato chips, pasta, etc.). The Weather was a super windy some days, which meant HUGE waves, but other than that it was a little cooler and louder at night.

 The Yurts!

 mr. and mrs.

A couple insights during the trip; I (mrs. hartin) was so reminded of the value and importance of REST. It's a beautiful thing that God has Created us to value and prioritize. From the very begining of creation, God established a Sabbath, when he rested. Was God tired out from creating? Was he weary and exhausted? I doubt it; He is the ALMIGHTY. And He obviously saw the importance of establishing such a discipline, that He desired man (made in His image) to imitate. Too much unneccessary clutter, business (even if we're busy doing 'good' things) makes it hard for us to live the way Jesus calls us to. Don't get me wrong; We need to work hard, being focused and doing things with excellence, and sometimes life is just busy, and that's okay. It's not okay when it hinders us from being a loving wife, husband, friend. It's not okay when we're too busy to be still enough to spend time with the Father, listening, loving, seeing. It's not okay when all our efforts and striving replace an atitude of Trust and Faith. During that time, things became a little hazy, and I was a slave to my schedule; wake up, read, class, homework, ministry, work, church - repeat. I was tired, burnt out and at the end of it all, I wasn't in a place (mind, body, or heart) to love/serve/be close with the ones closest to me and give them my best. Rest is different from laziness and the two ought not to be confused with one another. Of course, life is busy, and thats not a bad thing. It becomes a negative thing when it is not balanced with moments of rest and renewal.
Lesson: REST needs to be a value in my life, along with working hard, and doing what I need to do. Without rest, life can loose meaning; we forget why we're doing what we're doing, and life becomes something to get through. We miss relationship. We miss seeing God in people and places. And really, Is all the clutter and crazy-business necessary? Some of it is. But some of it isn't. Something to think about.

Simply put - beautiful couple days, seeing the handi-work of a beautiful God.

(more pictures to come!)

love mr. and mrs. hartin