Two Years

Today marks mine and Andrew's two year wedding anniversary. It is so crazy to think that it has already been two years since we said, "I do." The Lord has really been molding and shaping our hearts in the past two years. Along with marriage comes a lot of adjustments and changes, some you like and some you don't. But those changes and adjustments are what mold and shape you into being the best spouse you can be.

Drew,

Thank you for asking me out on our first date and falling in love with me. Even though I was scared to go on the first date because I didn't like you, thanks for making it the best time ever and changing my mind. Underwater world will always have a special place in my heart.

Thank you for leading us and helping me draw closer to the Lord. Even though it's hard sometimes, you are constantly fighting to keep Christ the center of our relationship. Thank you for your patience with me when I struggle with my pride and selfishness. You are such an example of Christ showing me grace and mercy over and over again.

I can't wait for you to have your own classroom one day. You will be such a great teacher with your passion for kids and learning. I'm also excited to raise a family with you one day, Lord willing. You will be the best father any child could ask for. Dad's are very important in families and I know you will love our kids with all your heart. I can't wait for that day. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for our family.

You treat me so well and are always putting me before yourself. Thank you for forgiving me and always extending God's grace to me when I have wronged you. Thank you for comforting me in life's painful moments, and thank you for laughing with me in the joyful times. One of my favorite things about you is your adventurous spirit and spontaneity. Thanks for keeping me young and on my toes.

Most of all, thanks for being the husband that you are. I can be completely ridiculous with you and you will just laugh with me (not at me right!?). I'm so thankful I get to spend the rest of my life with you! This is still the beginning of our adventure. I can't wait to see all God has in store for us.

your wife,
Mallory

The Lull

I've been in kind of a lull lately. 

I want to blog, but not quite sure what to blog about. 

I have some Christmas shopping to do still, but I don't really know what to get or even have a strong desire to go look around. 

I have a list of lovely crafts waiting for me, but every time I plan to do them I'd rather just sit. 

I feel like the childlike joy and excitement I've had for months for this season is slowly fading.

Where is it going?

I still am excited about parties, family, friends, and celebrating Jesus' birth, but it's not the same excitement as it was a couple weeks ago.

The holidays are always a busy time of year with a lot to think about and do. 

Work has been super busy lately and kind of stressful.

I feel like my head is foggy lately and I feel scatterbrained.

I haven't been taking adequate quite time with my Lord and I can definitely tell how it is affecting my heart.

I'm going to lay it all at the feet of the one who loves me most though and fight for my joy in Christ.

His mercies are new every day. Praise Jesus for that!

On another note…

We went to the Christmas Carol play this past weekend at the Guthrie. It was fantastic! I loved the creative set and how they told the stories. The character's personalities were very well portrayed as well. It was a lovely Stokes family outing. 

We also got about a foot of snow this weekend. It was so beautiful! I did voyage out in the snow to run some errands, but I eventually gave up and went home. Sitting inside our cozy apartment with the Christmas lights on watching the snow fall outside sounded like a much better idea. As much as it has stunk to drive anywhere the last few days, I am so thankful for the snow and the fact that we will have a white Christmas! 

I took this photo out of our apartment window on Sunday morning. This is around inch 2 of the foot we got. I wish I had taken more throughout the day when you could really see the beautiful white flakes coming down. It sure was a gorgeous sight! 

Here's to spreading the love and joy of Christ this holiday season. 

Tis The Season

After a lovely extended week of November and giving thanks, it is Christmas time. Andrew and I spent the afternoon on Sunday decorating for Christmas. That is one of my favorite things this time of year, decorating our living space with my love. It makes my heart feel full and makes me even more excited for this lovely season of celebrating Christ's birth. I even wrapped a few presents that were already bought. What a lovely evening it was!

This is one of my favorite wedding gifts we received. Our African nativity scene.

Andrew's Christmas village

Andrew's Christmas village

Naughty Darla playing with the lights… She's already eaten one light.

Stringing the lights onto the tree

One of our traditions is Drew always puts the star (snowflake) at the top of the tree once it's all decorated.

Our lovely tree all decorated with ornaments from our childhoods. Every Christmas our parents would give us an ornament. Kind of cool that both our families did that growing up.

Merry Christmas!

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions you and your family do?

A Full Heart

What a lovely Thanksgiving holiday we had. As much as I love Christmas, I love that we have this extra week of November to savor the holiday where we reflect and give thanks. I have been doing just that too.

I have learned that a thankful attitude is very important in life. When you have a thankful attitude, you can look up with a grateful heart and get glimpses of glory and what is waiting for us in heaven one day. Thankfulness is a language of love that allows you to communicate intimately with our Lord. A thankful mind-set does not deny reality or any of the problems that come along with that. Instead, it rejoices in the Lord, my Savior, in the mists of trials and tribulations. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. -Colossians 3:15 I give my God thanks regardless of my feelings, and he gives me joy regardless of my circumstances. 

Thankfulness opens my heart to His presence and my mind to His thoughts. When I thank the Lord frequently as I journey through my day, it makes it more possible to pray without ceasing. The apostle Paul taught that if I am serious about learning to pray continually, the best approach is to thank the Lord in every situation. These prayers of thanks provide a solid foundation on which I can build all my other prayers. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 A grateful attitude also makes it easier for me to communicate with God. If I practice thankfulness consistently, negative thought patterns will gradually grow weaker and weaker.

Each day is a blessing from the Lord and we need to rejoice in each day that He gives us. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 I want to strive to pray without ceasing and give thanks to the Lord every day. I want to be able to walk through my darkest days with joy in my heart because I know that the light of the Lord's presence is still shining on me. I want thankfulness to rule in my heart.

What a perfect thing to take away from a lovely holiday weekend. A true feeling of thankfulness and heart that feels full!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. -Psalm 100:4-5

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and it's not just because of all the yummy food. I love seeing and spending time with family. There's something magical about Thanksgiving that makes spending time with family extra special. I love sitting around the table after eating a ginormous, delicious meal and catching up on life. I love taking walks as a group as we talk and toss around the football to each other. I love pulling out a deck of cards and playing endless card games. I love all those things and they're some of the many things I'm thankful for this year.

I am thankful for:

a loving husband.
a Savior that died for my sins so that I may have life.
good health.
two jobs that I love.
a place to live in a lovely and convenient location.
working cars that get us from point A to point B.
family and friends.
our playful kitty Darla.
my education.
my ability to laugh and enjoy life.
being an American.
the different seasons.
music.
my ability to create and craft.
memories.
today.

I hope you all enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving and what you are thankful for! May the Lord bless you with full hearts and full bellies!

P.S. Here's a little "Happy Thanksgiving" from Leo (the young boy I nanny.)

The Holidays

The past few days I have been oozing with excitement and anticipation. I feel like a little kid again, giddy at the sight of decorations and planning. My favorite time of year is here and I cannot wait! This is what I am excited for:

Thanksgiving and the delicious meal(s).

Seeing and spending time with family we don't see as often.

Relaxing up north all of Thanksgiving weekend.

Watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Thanksgiving morning.

Decorating for Christmas.

Listening to my much anticipated Christmas music.

Snow. The beautiful, softly falling kind that makes you feel like you're in a movie.

Watching endless Christmas movies.

Ice skating dates with Drew at Centennial Lakes, one of the most romantic places this time of year.

Decorating a gingerbread house with Drew.

Making yummy Christmas cookies and swapping them with others.

Traditions, old and new.

Buying and wrapping gifts.

Holiday parties with friends and family.

Christmas lights galore as you walk or drive down the street.

The freezing cold Holidazzle Parade.

Warm holiday drinks.

Cold nights cuddling under the blankets.

Crafts, creating, and more crafts.

Christmas lists.

Holiday cheer and holiday spirit.

Decorated malls playing Christmas music and bursting with hustling Christmas shoppers.

Our African nativity scene (one of my favorite Christmas gifts).

Lovely smelling candles lit in the evenings.

The celebration of Jesus' birth.

Bethlehem's midnight Christmas Eve service.

Waking up Christmas morning and exchanging gifts with Drew.

Mine and Drew's two-year wedding anniversary.

I'm sure I haven't even listed everything. I'm so overwhelmed with all my excitement. Through all the hustle and bustle though, it is very important to remember the real reason for the season- The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving and holiday season, and your time with family and friends. 

Sunsets

sun-set
noun

1.     the setting or descent of the sun below the horizon in the evening.
2.     the time when the sun sets.
3.     the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.

Sunsets are one of my favorite things of summer and fall. The way the Lord creatively paints the sky in breathtakingly beautiful colors is always different and new every time. It seriously stirs my affections for Christ and makes me stand in awe of what His mighty hand can do and create. Every time I am lucky enough to see one of His gorgeous sunset displays, I try to capture as much of the beauty as I can. I like to look at the photos, especially in winter when beautiful sunsets are few and far between. Every time I look at the photos, I'm in awe all over again and the pictures don't even do the sunsets justice! Here are some sunsets I was lucky enough to capture this past summer and fall. May they stir your affections for Christ the same way they stir mine. 

In Vadnais Heights, MN at one of Andrew's softball games earlier in summer. No filter 

Up north in Deerwood, MN. Instagram filter

Up north in Deerwood, MN. No filter

Up North in Nashwauk, MN for a friend's funeral. No filter

Up north in Deerwood, MN. No filter

In Hawaii at Ko'Olina Beach when I took a trip there in May.

In Hills, MN at a friend's wedding. Filter

Up north in Deerwood, MN. No filter

In Hills, MN at a friend's wedding. Purple filter

In Edwards, IL at Kickapoo Creek Winery at a friend's wedding. No filter

In Minneapolis, MN at Lake Harriet. No filter

In Minneapolis, MN out a random apartment window while we were cleaning in our building. No filter

In St. Paul, MN at the MN State Fair round 3. Filter

In St. Paul, MN at the MN State Fair round 2. No Filter

This ladies and gents is my all time favorite sunset EVER! I had to save the best for last. Taken in Little Canada, MN at one of Andrew's softball games in early summer. The sky seriously looked like a rainbow. It was beautiful! No filter

Fall Crafts

This is what I've been doing in what little spare time I've had this fall. I've noticed that I've been so excited to create things that I've started multiple projects and only finished one so far. Oh well, I have the whole winter ahead of me right?

Scarf I taught myself how to knit. Still a work in progress, but very excited to finish and wear!

The beginnings of my fall garland

The fall garland that I made

Another fall garland

I started a quilt with all my scrap fabrics I've accumulated over the years 

All my pieces laid out before piecing blocks together

One of the blocks before being sewn together. The quilt is still a work in progress. I'm in the middle of sewing all the blocks together.

What kind of crafts do you like to do in the fall/winter? If you don't do crafts, what do you like to do to keep yourself busy and shake the winter blues?

Happy November

A lot has happened in the last seven days of November…

We gained an hour over the weekend, 

it gets dark a lot earlier now, 

gas prices have gone back up, and 

America has re-elected President Obama for another four years in office. 

I am comforted in knowing that whatever happens, the Lord is sovereign over all, and it was His plan all along. He has a plan for us and for our country and the Lord will use Obama to carry out His plan. Our job now is to pray for wisdom for Obama as he tries to lead our country the best he can. I went on facebook for a quick minute last night just to read my notifications and came across this 'Bible Emergency Numbers' on 98.5 KTIS's facebook page. I think today would be a good day to share this with you being that we all have mixed feelings about the next four years. 

Bible Emergency Numbers

When you are sad, call on John 14

When people have failed you, call on Psalm 27

When you have sinned, call on Psalm 51or 1 John 1:8-9

When you are worried, call on Matthew 6:19-34

When you are facing danger , call on Psalm 91

When God seems far away, call on Psalm 139

When your faith needs encouraging, call on Hebrews 11

When you are lonely and scared, call on Psalm 23

When you grow bitter and critical, call on 1 Corinthians 13

When you feel no one is on your side, call on Romans 8:31-39

When you are seeking rest, call on Matthew 11:25-30

When you are seeking peace, call on John 14:27

When the world seems bigger than God, call on Psalm 90

When you want Christian assurance, call on Romans 8:1-30

When you feel you're failing, call on Psalm 121

When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, call on Psalm 67

When you need courage, call on Joshua 1

When you want to get along with others, call on Romans 12:9-21

When you don't understand what God is doing, call on Isaiah 55:8-9

When you want to live a happy life, call on Colossians 3:12-17

When you pray, call on Matthew 6:9-13

When you are in need, call on Philippians 4:19

When you are losing hope, call on 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

When you need an idea of Christianity, call on1 Corinthians 5:15-19

When you feel depressed, call on Psalm 27

When you want to do good works, call on John 15

When your pocketbook is empty, call on Psalm 37

When you're losing confidence in people, call on 1 Corinthians 13

When people seem unkind, call on John 15

When you're discouraged about your work, call on Psalm 126

If you find the world growing small, and you great, call on Psalm 19

I hope this is able to bring you comfort not only in the season this country is in, but in your own personal lives as well. Just remember overall that God is the one in control and He works everything out for His good. Happy November!

Weekend Blurbs

This past weekend I had the privilege of being in a good friend's wedding. What a beautiful day it was to celebrate love and commitment and see two friends tie the knot. It was fun spending the morning with Kelsey and having everyone get ready together. The day went by so fast, before I knew it I was standing up on Kelsey's side during the ceremony supporting her Josh's decision to get married. What a simple and sweet ceremony it was. So much love was in the room. We ended the night by shaking it on the dance floor. Kelsey and her dad planned a choreographed father daughter dance and took everyone by surprise. We danced the night away and caught up with some good friends we don't get to see as often. Soon we were saying goodbye to Josh and Kelsey before they headed off to their honeymoon in Cancun. Kelsey and Josh, thanks so much for letting me be a part of your special day! I'm so excited for you guys to start your life together and see what the Lord has planned for you two! I can't wait to hear all about your honeymoon and see your house!

The bridesmaids reppin their tanks

Me and Rissa (One of Kelsey's high school friends)

The beautiful bride

Helping the bride use the restroom

Lovely bride

Liese helping Kels out

One of my college besties

The beautiful bride and I right before the ceremony

The shoes Josh gave her when he proposed… With her new last name on them!

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Drew and I decided to have a spontaneous little date night and visit the pumpkin patch. There is a church about a mile down the road from our apartment that sells pumpkins every year. The whole lawn is scattered with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. It was quite picked over being that Halloween is tomorrow, but we still found a gem. We decided to get one to carve together since we only have a day to enjoy it. It was a fun little excursion that I hope becomes a tradition every year. 

The winning pumpkin

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Andrew and Audrey

Last, but not least, we had to say our final goodbyes to our good friends last night. We are so excited for them to start their life in Japan and hear all about their adventures, but saying goodbye was hard. Luke is one of Andrew's best friends and mine and Laura's friendship has really grown into something beautiful over the last year. I am sad to not have a good friend like her close at hand for random hang outs and double dates. I will miss watching little Audrey grow and learn new things. They leave tomorrow for Washington and they leave Washington on Thursday for Japan. Please pray for them as they travel as it is not easy moving your life overseas with a 6 months old baby. Love you Luke and Laura! We will be praying for your travel and transition into your new life. We can't wait for you to get settled in so we can skype and see your new place!

Andrew, me, Laura, and Luke