Christmas: The Newlyweds

Tick tock,

tick tock....The clock is ticking to that favorite time of year, and I can't believe it is here so soon! I am so very excited to celebrate the very first Christmas with my new husband! Last Christmas, the wedding was definitely on the brain, so this Christmas I look forward to focusing on shopping, decorating, parties, presents, memorizing parts in Christmas plays, family and FOOD. The Christmas traditions that I grew up with are so special to me and definitely something th

at I look forward to continuing with my very own little family

. Its been so fun taking the traditions of two different families, mixing them together, and coming up with our very own Christmas traditions!

So...here are a few of the traditions that we have instilled, year number one. They are traditions that I pray my children look back on as sweet memories, just as my husband and I do. They are traditions that I hope do not fade away with passing years, but stand the test of time. They are traditions that are forever ours, and that is what makes them so special!
*Photo tree. I am a photographer and absolutely love photographs with a passion! I believe that there is beauty all around us, and photographs are forever captured moments of that beauty. On our Christmas tree, we have assorted frames of all shapes, colors, and sizes with pictures from special memories throughout that year. I love this tradition because it is a fun, unique way for us to reminisce on all the memories and all that the Lord has done for us throughout the year.
*Christmas letter. One of my favorite things about Christmas is getting all of the Christmas cards in the mail! I love seeing everyone's picture and reading about how they are doing! This being our very first Christmas, its as good a time as any to begin our Christmas card tradition. In this past year, we have learned and experienced so much! My husband loves to write, so we have decided to always have a letter to go along with our picture, just to update our family and friends on what in new with the Goetsch's this year :)
*Christmas Story. It was tradition for my husbands family, as well as mine to read the Christmas story before Christmas dinner. I LOVE this tradition because I believe that it is SO important to keep our holidays Christ-centered! After all, it IS Jesus' birthday!
*Birthday cake. Speaking of BIRTHDAYS :) In my family, it was always tradition for us to make Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas, and yes, even sing "Happy Birthday" to Him! This may seem a bit silly to some, but to me, its the tool that my parents used to teach us, when we were young, what the Christmas Holidays are truly all about! And the tradition stuck! And it stays :) Yay for birthday cake!
*COOKIES! Can you tell that I am a huge fan of food? Growing up, my mom would always break out the baking about a week before Christmas day. We would bake so many cookies and set them out on our "Christmas cookie plate". I know that this is a simple tradition, but it was the one time a year that I was allowed to be messy with my mom(ha!) and the laughs, messes, and conversations while baking Christmas cookies with my mom are some of my sweetest memories! I am not a mommy(yet), but this is definitely a tradition that I want to continue with my husband and future children. I realize that this tradition is crazy dangerous on the waistline, so I have decided this year, our Christmas cookies are going to the homeless shelter! It is a way for us to develop these memories, and spread the love with others. (Although, I am quite sure that we will save a few for ourselves). ;)
So, here is a sneak peak into our upcoming Christmas as newlyweds. And whether you are a seasoned "tradition maker" or a new-bee like me, keep your traditions alive! You never know who's life you could be impacting...maybe even your own! Happy Traditions and a Merry Christmas to all! :)

-Ashley Goetsch

This Thanksgiving

I know traditionally at this time of year, our focus is on food. Whether it be the hours spent preparing the mounds of mashed potatoes, green-bean casserole, golden turkeys, and pumpkin pies or the consumption of said food. Either way the focus is on food. Also we might see pictures of of little happy women in black dresses holding a bit of "Traditional Thanksgiving Day Food" while men smiling in tall strange black hats stand next to their so very friendly looking Indian buddies. If your a little bit more of a history buff of paid attention to history in school, you might know more about the Mayflower and its occupants. How the Pilgrims came over from Holland, how so many died that first winter, the trials they had to endure and how at the end of the "Thanksgiving Story" God blessed the Pilgrims with a bountiful harvest.

Today however, I don't want to focus on those to two points. But rather how the Pilgrims set off to brave the dangers both known and those yet unknown, to advance the kingdom of God here on earth. The following is a quote from Bradford's book Of "Plymouth Plantation", after going through a list of reasons why the Pilgrims decided to leave, he says "Last and not least, they cherished the great hope and inward zeal for laying good foundations, or at least of making someway towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work." The Pilgrims where willing to lay down their lives even if it was to be but the stepping stones to so great a work as the advancing of God's kingdom. When told about the dangers they might encounter "It was replied, that all great and honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and must be both met and overcome with answerable courage. It was granted the dangers were great, but not desperate, the difficulties were many, but not invincible...and all of them, through the help of God, by both fortitude and patience, might either be borne or overcome."

So this Thanksgiving I want to ask, Do we view the task of advancing God's kingdom, a high and honourable calling as the Pilgrims did, one that we would be willing to give our lives for? No, its true that most of us will not sail to uncharted lands and help to birth a new country, or have to risk our lives in doing so. But is not letting go of our own wants and desires and giving our time in a way, the same thing as giving our lives for the advancement of God's kingdom? I believe so. I encourage you to bravely trust God in whatever trials you may encounter, while being a stepping stone in the in the great and truly honouable task that God has set before all of His people of advancing His kingdom here on earth.

Happy Thanksgiving

10 Fashion Myths

Have you ever wondered about wearing more than one print? Do your belt, shoes and purse have to match? What about wearing white after Labor day?

The following link to TLC's What not to Wear, tackles 10 of the most popular fashion myths.

10 Fashion Myths

It's the Traditions

Christmas time, who doesn't love it. For many people there are special memories or traditions that come to mind, like big family gatherings, decorating the tree, reading the Christmas story by the fire, a special Christmas morning breakfast or maybe caroling with friends... Whatever it is, it those special things that we remember and cherish all through the year. Not the freezing cold, the chaos or the wallet that always seems to get slimmer while while our waistlines seem to grow in the opposite direction.

That's why I have asked a few people around the country, all different ages, and all in different stages of life, to write a paragraph or two sharing with us their favorite memories and traditions. I will be posting one every Monday, starting after Thanksgiving and leading up to Christmas. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

From Martin Luther

Yet that wisdom is not of itself evil, nor is the law to be evaded; but without the theology of the cross man misuses the best in the worst manner.

It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ.

Here I stand I can do no other

Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

Light and Refreshing

The perfect combination of water and mint is here. The makers of Metromint water, have artistically combined the two to come up with a new twist on bottled water which is unlike any other. This all natural drink, has no calories, and no artificial additives, just mint extracts and fresh spring water. Not only does it taste good but peppermint extract is known to help clear the brain, refresh the body and sometimes sooth stomachs...not to mention give you great breath and that just brushed feeling.

The Metromint water comes in many different flavors. My favorite is the chocolate mint and, quite oftenit can be found at your local natural health food store, or sometimes at a bigger chain store like Jewl-Osco.

Caution: Remove before Sipping

It's a cold afternoon in late fall, you and your friends have been out window shopping all afternoon and decide to pop into the local coffee shop to grab a warm cup of delight. As the barista hands you your drink and you take that first sip, feeling the hot liquid dance on your tongue then slide down your throat like a wave of warmth and comfort, little are you thinking about the lid particles breaking down with every sip, but its true. Most of us know not to leave our disposable watter bottles in the car, especially in the summer because the heat causes the chemicals from the plastic to leach more quickly into our water. So why would it be any different with our coffee lids? Its not. Every time the heat from your drink comes in contact with the lid, the lid deteriorates a little more and the leached chemicals then go into you and your system, causing other health issues down the road.

I suggest doing like I did, and buy a ceramic travel mug and taking that wherever you go, not only is it greener for the environment, your drink will stay warmer, taste better, and you won't get the unwanted leaching from your cup, or just pop the lid off before you drink.