Film incentives & trusting

I realize that many of you may not be familiar with the tax incentive program for film in North Carolina. Currently, film companies receive a rebate to encourage more film business to come to North Carolina. Recent studies have shown that for every dollar of credit issued, $9.11 in direct spending was generated by the film industry in North Carolina. Film companies & their workers support local businesses, restaurants, hotels... not to mention they provide thousands of jobs to locals. 

The film incentive program in NC is set to expire at the end of this year. In the next month, the "short session" of the General Assembly will be held and if not mentioned or renewed, the film incentives will simple expire in December and film companies will choose other states for work. What does this mean for us & so many others that work in film & support their family through this industry? Well, we're honestly not sure, but most likely the work will go away & we will either have to move elsewhere or pick a new career. 

I feel hopeful that they will re-up the incentives, but there is a very real chance that they won't. Our friends that also work in this industry are starting to talk about back-up plans and discussing moving if it came to that. Will and I have talked about it and we keep coming back to this: We really love where we are and don't want to move, but if thats what happens we may have to do that. We basically have two plans going right now, one where we will be buying a house in Wilmington next summer if all goes well, or the other we will be using some of that saved money as we transition to a new place/new jobs.

At first, I felt really worried, job stability has always been (thankfully) something that Will has had. I felt anxious at the possibility of starting all over and going back to being uncomfortable and having to search for new jobs, friends, a home etc. But, I've had a lot of time to mull it over at this point (we've known that this was coming for a while now). I feel at ease and am trusting that we will end up where we are supposed to be, whether that be the land of the pines or elsewhere. 

So we would appreciate prayers. We've rallied in downtown Wilmington, contacted local representatives and now all we really can do is pray. The short session begins May 14th and will last about 6-7 weeks so we should know pretty soon if the film incentives have been renewed. I know this is good for us, to be forced to simply trust & let the decision be made for us. Updates to come for sure.

Life Updates

A few life updates:

1. [Probably the most hilarious update]: Somehow I found myself coaching two science olympiad teams this year. As a child my mom asked me if I was interested in doing this and I laughed! Funny how this all comes full circle, right? I honestly was clueless and fumbled my way through the preparation [half of the content was WAY over my head]. The competition was on Saturday, an all day event at UNCW, with thousands of middle schoolers. Y'all, it was insane! My school did fantastic & beat out schools way bigger than ours. Our entire science olympiad team (18 kids) will advance to the state competition. (And I had just been thinking how nice it would be to have my afternoons back ...)! But really, I am pumped for them & my competitive side is coming out. We are already back to studying/preparing like crazy. The kids I'm coaching are the best & I am so proud!

2. I'm almost afraid to write this on here because then it means people will be holding me accountable & it will be real, but I am planning on doing a sprint triathlon this summer. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time, but never had time for it or all the other million excuses. I actually did a few sprint triathlons as a child & really enjoyed them. I think it will feel good to get back into training mode & compete in something. I do have a tendency of saying that I will compete in something and then as it gets closer, I back out, but I really want to do this!
It's not until June so I have plenty of time to prepare! Lately, I have just been feeling blah and wanting to get into better shape, so go big or go home, right?



3. It's back to life with the little orangey and me while Will is working long hours. I'm getting back into the swing of things & relearning to enjoy alone time. Hot tea, warmer weather (well, at least before today), and good books make it a lot easier.

Happy Tuesday! Praying for warmer weather ASAP!

Ragged.

Remember how a week ago I wrote about those dreamy four days off of school? Well, real life has hit me hard this week. I am feeling a little ragged and worn down. I'm day dreaming of those slow mornings where we woke up late and didn't start thinking about plans until about 10 AM. My days have been crazy and crammed full this week, as if we're making up for the lack of productivity last week. Sheesh. I wasn't quite ready for this week. 

I'm spoiling myself with a hot tea from Starbucks and plugging along. 

I've been hit with some truth from one of the books I'm reading (Boundaries) and remembering why I need to say no to some things, even good things. As I've gotten older, I've realized that I am not so good at juggling a million different activities. I can do a few things well and I should really just stick to those. I'm not sure why I agree to more things and then give half of my best because I don't have time for any more. You'd think we'd learn, yet we so often don't and continue to overcommit to things. I made a comment recently that I'd thought I'd gotten better at saying no ... ha! what a joke. 

The weekend is near, friends. Let's push on!

Comfort & Predictability

I'm sitting in a coffee shop filling the awkward time between school and tutoring. I'd hoped to get lots of schoolwork done, knock out some lesson plans, create some quizzes, but it seems like that's not quite happening. I made one quiz... that counts for something, right?

I'm reminded of those glorious college days where my roommates and I would drive a half mile to a coffee shop (sad statement on our laziness) and snag a big table to "get work done." In reality, our studying looked a lot like coffee drinking and chatting about every detail of life (probably making a scene while other people were actually trying to do work), but every once and a while we'd get a little work done and act productive. I can remember senior year sitting at a table with some of my roommates, searching for jobs like maniacs and complaining about how hard life can be. HA! Hilarious in hindsight. We were "ready for the real world," yet scared of the unknown. 

It's funny when you stop and think about the ebb and flow of life. How we go from comfortable times where we're just bee-boppin along and life is pretty great to times where change is so common and the familiar seems distant. I feel like I was in that comfort zone during college (or at least the second half of college) and then entered the crazy, full-of-changes part of life right after. Life felt pretty unsettled after moving to a new city and only knowing a few people, not to mention that my job felt unfitting. I was lacking friends where I could truly be myself and meaningful work to fill my time. It's just as of recently that I realized I've reached that sweet part of life where life is sailing along again. 

Will and I have been married for a year and half and we're in a groove. We've been lucky that that came right away, but I can see that with a year under our belt we are learning how to love each other better and better each day. We're blessed with wonderful friends and I'm happy to have a close-knit group of people to trust in town (I've still got wonderful friends all over the state & country who love me so well, but it's nice knowing I have folks close by too). Work is challenging, yet incredibly rewarding, not to mention I have the dreamiest schedule ever. It allows me time to volunteer and mentor and gives Will & I a little flexibility while he is working. Will has found a niche job and loves what he does. As of now, film work is still flowing into Wilmington & for that, we are so incredibly thankful.

I know that there is good in both the comfortable times of life and in changes, but for now I'm enjoying this stage of life. It won't always be like this, I'm well aware so I will enjoy it before the next roller coaster ride begins. Life is ridiculously crazy, but as I've gotten older, I've learned to soak in the calm days because I know they will not always be around. Some may say predictable is boring, but I'm pretty pleased with it right now.

Hiking

This past weekend we went for a hike at Carolina Beach State Park. We camped there recently and explored a few of the trails, but it was dark and we turned around pretty quickly. It was fun to explore during the day & the weather was perfect. I've never really been to a state park where there's a beach too ... my kind of park for sure! 

Here's what I have to say about this man. He loves me so well & has more patience with me than he should. I am constantly amazed at how selflessly he loves and serves everyone.

When we were camping here a few weekends ago, we went on a night hike in search of "sugar loaf," which is a historic landmark. The trails aren't marked very well and you can imagine that in the dark it was pretty difficult. We eventually turned back, never finding sugar loaf. Will & I decided we would find it this go around. We eventually found it (hiked a little farther than we planned) and here it is ...

haha, not quite what I was expecting, sort of just looks like sand & some trees...

We had such a blast hiking and just soaking in a crisp, fall Sunday afternoon. I love the feeling in the fall/winter when your face is still really cold but the rest of your body is warm. We're already thinking of where we can go hiking next weekend. Get out & enjoy the weather ... some fresh air can do us all some good.

Also, I've set a goal that by next summer (we're planning a big trip for next summer), I want to be better at using a camera. Will let me use his Canon 5D Mark II on our hike & gave me some lessons. I'm really enjoying learning something new & hope to get much better. These shots are what I took yesterday!

Glorifying Busyness

Let's be honest about a few things this morning. Our culture glorifies busyness. We LOVE to brag about how busy we are to others and sadly, we miss a lot of conversations and relational growth because we are too dang busy. The older I've gotten, the more prevalent it has become and the more I hate it.

At UNC, you've got all the over-achieving, over-committed, president- of- seven- clubs people all in ONE place. It was there where it became clear to me. Our culture loves to be busy and even when we're not busy we find a way to PRETEND that we are busy. How ridiculous! I can remember on many occasions fellow students discussing and practically arguing over who was busier. Really? I'm not judging though because I took part in these discussions... and lets be honest Spanish majors really didn't have as much work as say Nursing majors. Yet, I still felt the need to exaggerate alll of my homework, projects and FIVE page papers in another language!!! Again, how ridiculous! 

Have you ever noticed that most other cultures don't do this? In fact, most cultures encourage rest times and vacations. In Spain and some South American countries, everyone takes a siesta in the middle of the day. Shops close and people go home, nap, then go back to work. This does not mean they're lazy though, in fact, Hispanics are some of the hardest working people I know. Also, lets look at Europe. Europeans take month long vacations in the summer. They leave work and spend a MONTH just relaxing with their family. I'm really not sure why Americans glorify busyness or when it began, but I think we seriously need to take a look at our culture. The stress levels, mental health problems, obesity and so forth could be reduced if we learned to cut things out of our schedules and rest. 

I am just now learning in this stage of life that this glorifying busyness needs to stop. I will no longer take part in this. I refuse to cram my schedule full of activities, over-committing and draining myself until I have a breakdown (this happens, I know from experience). I'm learning to say no and not because I have so many other activities but because its important to set aside time to be still, to read, to grow and to rest. I am learning to be confident in this decision and be honest that yes, I did just spend two hours relaxing and reading. Taking time for yourself to rest and rejuvenate is not being lazy and sadly, so many of us think that way. Even as I have begun to realize the importance of rest, I am still struggling with appearing lazy to others. We have all had it pounded into us that we must be the busiest, the most involved and that it's completely normal to rush from one thing to the next. Let's stop glorifying busyness; we were never meant to live this way.

Time

Over the past few days, I have been reminded of how short our time is here & how no day should ever be taken for granted. In my classes, we are talking about día de los muertos (day of the dead) and I was explaining how Mexicans use yellow marigolds to represent death and as a reminder that life is short. As I explained this to these sweet children, it really hit me that no life is guaranteed, even these young lives. Fast forward a few hours later and I received a text from one of my best friends about her six year old cousin who may have an inoperable brain tumor. Followed by hearing of a young man, just twenty-five, that passed away from leukemia, leaving behind his young wife. Life is unpredictable and incredibly short. My heart is heavy for those that have lost husbands, wives, children, mothers, fathers and friends too early. I am comforted by the fact that through Christ our destiny is secure and where we are headed is so.much.greater. 

I am reminded that we must not hold back. Words of encouragement you've wanted to say to someone for some time, today is the day. The time you've been meaning to spend with the Lord but seems to get pushed to the side? Stop that email and pray. The phone call to your grandmother, do it now. I am so guilty of putting things off. We must not wait, for each day is a gift,  and tomorrow is not a given. My hope is that I am not afraid of this, but that it pushes me to live my life differently, boldly and purposefully. We have been given this life and are called to bring glory to His name and shine His light. Let us not hold back, but rather dive in head first because tomorrow we may not be able to swim. 

Marrying young.

I read a series of posts recently about marrying young written by a variety of women, some of whom married young, some single and some who married late in life. I found it interesting to read the range of opinions, thoughts and reasonings and began thinking more about it. Most would say that Will and I married young. We were 22 and 23 and based on our society today thats pretty darn young. I think the national average is more like 28 or somewhere in that range.
Last weekend we were at a wedding and the father of the bride was talking about when he got married, he said, "we got married when we were 21 and 22, so young... no one really does that these days." Will and I glanced at each other and laughed, a few of us do, but yes, most people don't.

sophomore year of college

From the start, our relationship was mature and committed (I was about to type "serious," but I really hate that term for relationships. We're definitely not serious, just committed). The first few months of dating were in the midst of some very difficult life changes for Will. I knew that I either had to be all in or just kindly let him know it wouldn't work out. I prayed for months asking the Lord to take away my feelings for Will if it wasn't meant to be. Months went by and I became more involved in his life and his family's. I was captivated by him and pretty sure that one day we would get married. 

You see, as a child, I was never one of the girls planning her wedding or envisioning getting married young. I knew I wanted to get married, but honestly I didn't put a lot of thought into it. I was more interested in the here & now. As I continued dating Will, I began to realize that we would get married and, most likely, we would be very young. I have never been more sure of a decision in my life than the one to marry Will. From early on, I was confident in him, our relationship and ultimately the Lord's plan. 

So fast-forward to senior year of college, we had lots of conversations about marriage and what it looked like. We discussed future plans and if we should move to the same city or pursue jobs in different locations. I spent a lot of time thinking of engagement and getting married young. I feared others' opinions and wondered what peers, family friends and outsiders would say about our decision. 

I remember specifically having a conversation with a good friend about how there will be many times in life where you just have to choose what looks best for your life, even if that is extremely different from the world's view. A few months after we graduated, I did just that. Will got down on one knee and I, without hesitation, said absolutely yes. You see, I believe that there are lots of routes in this life. I don't think that everyone should get married young, nor do I believe that everyone will get married. And thats the great thing about life. Our relationship is totally different from others and sometimes you just have to ignore the "wait til your 30" or "don't you want time to find yourself & be on your own?" comments and go with your heart. 

Home is wherever I'm with you.

We have been on what seems to be the longest journey ever to buy a house. I'm sure every home owner felt the exact same way when they were looking. Its exciting, exhausting and pretty much an emotional roller coaster. We have gotten so excited and envisioned ourselves living in about a dozen different houses, only to later realize they weren't quite right.

Over Christmas, we thought we had found the right house. An offer was made, then counter-offer and so on until we reached a meeting point and they accepted our offer. Until yesterday, we were pretty sure this house was OURS & we're beyond excited to begin moving. After reviewing the inspection results and talking with a few experts in the field we slowly, to our dislike, came to realize that this house has some major structural and electrical issues that we did not know of in the beginning. We are trying so hard to make the best financial decisions to protect ourselves, our marriage and our future children; and based on that report this wouldn't be the best decision financially.

Even though my heart so desires to have a sweet home where we can entertain and host, I think I'm realizing that I have put too much emphasis on a worldly item. Will sweetly reminded me of this truth by singing one of our favorite songs- "home is wherever I'm with you." As cheesy as it sounds, the song has it right.

We are trusting in the Lord and his timing. We're singing that song & reminding ourselves that items don't bring you happiness, but rather relationships. So whether are friends are crammed into our little apartment or a more spacious home, who cares? We're just thankful for wonderful friends & family.

Home, let me come home; home is wherever I'm with you.
 (Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros)

You should probably listen to this song. I promise it will bring you a little bit of joy this morning & soon you'll be singing along too.

Five reasons I married you

1. You smoke a pipe and act like you're 75.

2. Your sweet heart & generosity towards everyone.

3. You have incredible work ethic. There are few people that work 80 hours a week and even fewer that have manual labor jobs. (P.S. I love this picture-- probably taken at 3:30 am on a long night shoot).

4. You'll act like a food snob with me.

5. Despite little time together, you know just the way to my heart. Thankful for our little notes & that crafty keeps yogurt covered pretzels on set.

Andddd the adventures continue...

We are becoming quite familiar with "in sickness and in health," particularly the "in sickness" part. Will has recovered quickly and I think is pretty much back to himself again. But, our marriage  is an adventure, so soon after Will was feeling better, I began having back pain. For over a week, I was suffering from this pain until I had Will take a look at my back since it felt bruised. He told me there was a large lump to the left of my spine and begged me to go to the doctor the following day. 

In short, I've been to two different doctors and both are stumped. No one seems to know what it could be. I was told that it could possibly be a really bad muscle spasm. Thankfully, the pain has gotten significantly better and the lump has disappeared. The doctors want me to get an ultrasound on my back tomorrow just as a precaution, but they anticipate it will come back clear.

Needless to say, Will and I are praying for good health and low medical bills. We are thankful that neither of our issues have been major, and although we do enjoy an adventure, I think we'd be OK with a little bit of normal for a while.

Love this.

This adventurous marriage.

Yesterday marked one beautiful, crazy month of marriage. We thought the honeymoon was an adventure, but I guess that was just the beginning.

Sunday, Will had an emergency appendectomy. I noticed he wasn't acting himself when he hardly ate his dinner and refused birthday cake on Saturday night. He complained of a stomach ache that night and woke up feeling the same. Since I knew the symptoms from personal experience, I was confident he had an appendicitis. After much convincing, begging and several phone calls to friends for advice, I practically dragged him to the ER. Fortunately the ER was pretty deserted on Sunday morning, so they took us back quickly. Will told me not to tell anyone we were there until it had been confirmed that it was actually something serious. After the CT came back, showing an appendicitis, we called his family and his coworkers. The surgery was fast and he was back in a hospital room in no time. Sadly, they didn't come get me until AFTER the anesthesia had worn completely off. We spent the night on those lovely, comfy beds and by 4:30 am were awake and ready to go home.

He is healing quickly and already hobbling around. Yesterday, he hobbled into my office to bring me flowers for my birthday. 

You know, its funny how things work out for good. Will was supposed to be out of town for a few days, including my birthday. Even though hes in pain, we get one week of time together. Dinner together, hanging out with friends together ... this is crazy! We are loving it.

Sorry it took an appendictis to get you a break from work, but I sure am loving all this quality time.

Check out this cute outfit...