You're pretty much my most favorite of all time in the history of ever. It's funny how some people can come into our life when we are so young and we have no idea that they will be the ones that help shape us, that love us, that hold us up when it's hard to stand. Sometimes we have no idea just how important someone will be on our journey. But then we grow and through adventures and heartache and laughter and memories, one day you look around and that person is still there. Flying through life with you, laughing beside you and making more memories. I have very few people in this special circle in my life, and today I celebrate one of my favorites. My very best friend, Jessica. Jessica and I met online before a Britney Spears concert. (Don't judge, we were aspiring popstars.) haha. She went to a local highschool and I was homeschooled for music reasons and to attend a Christian program. I moved to California at 19 and she would come visit me, making some of the funnest and funniest memories of our lives. She became part of my heart. Life has moved us around and she's currently living it up and being adventurous in the gorgeous state of Oregon. Wishing I could celebrate her 31st year with her, I wanted to write a special post to say "I love you Miss Jessica" - Your my best friend, my honorary sister & one of the kindest, gentlest, funniest and warmest people I've ever met and I'm so blessed God picked you as my best friend. There are people who make you laugh a little louder, smile a little brighter and your life a little better. May you find yours, I'm blessed to have found mine.
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One of the ten characteristics of being a Proverbs 31 wife points to health. Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11) Today, after Mr. Charming and I wrapped two extremely productive but crazy workdays, I went to the kitchen to see what I could prepare for dinner. Excited to kick back and enjoy the evening after staring at a computer screen for what felt like 24 hours, my poor husband walked in from work totally sick. I am thankful, not for his illness, but for the fact this is one of two times he's been sick in almost three years. We use to catch EV-ER-Y-THING when we were eating the Standard American Diet, but since going primarily Paleo and upping our vitamin, probiotic and fruit and veggie intake our immune system has gotten a much needed boost. We came to find out that many of those who attended a party we hosted this weekend were sick and he couldn't escape the bug. So I popped back into the kitchen with a new goal in mind: Healing.
While I always aim for nutritious, when one of us is battling the ills, I always like to find things that are rich, green and full of vitamins. I opted for a large pan of roasted asparagus drizzled in a little olive oil and plenty of minced garlic for its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. I had already planned to cook turkey tonight, so I added onions and red & yellow bell pepper for vitamins & of course - more garlic. Normally I cut out grains when fighting germs to let the gut heal, but since he has to take medication this time around, I wanted sustenance in his stomach, so I made some organic brown rice pasta tossed in a healing both broth for flavor. I served all this up with plenty of fluids & a refreshing bowl of cubed watermelon for dessert. Cool on his sore throat and detoxifying for the kidneys. What are your go to dinners when you're fighting something? And how do you show your husband and family 'health' as it pertains to Proverbs 31? For the third post in the Guy Behind The Blog Series link-up hosted by the beautiful soon-to-be-newlywed Betsy of Heavens to Betsy, the topic is love. So very fitting. This month Mr. Charming gives us insight to love in the past, present and our future. Enjoy! #GBTB: August Edition 1 // Share a funny wedding story with us - it could be from your own or one you attendended. It would have to be my sisters wedding. My brother in law Randy was at the alter, and he said "I Do" before the pastor was done asking him the question. The pastor then had to stop and ask if he could continue, and asked that he agree and say "I Do" once he knew everything he was agreeing to. [laughs] 2 // On the topic of love, who was your childhood crush? I would have to say a little girl named Malia in Kindergarten or first grade. She pinned me down as kissed me on the playground. Mandi's Note: I totally did this to a boy, Eric, when I was in kindergarten. Mr. Charming just seems to like women who know what they want ;) [laughs] 3 // What is your top love language? What is your significant other's love language? We've glanced at the book briefly, but we serve each other in all ways. We didn't have to pick just one path of how we show our love. 4 // How did you meet your significant other? We were very good friend a long time ago, over 15 years ago, we lost touch, and 9 years ago we reconnected. We'd both been through career changes, school and former relationships and knew that what we wanted in life was each other. 5 // How did you propose? I had a lot of fun planning it and I knew it would be something very memorable for the both of us due to the things we love to do together. You can read the full story here. Read More Like This:Facebook is the fast-food restaurant of social interaction. Quick, cheap & convenient. Have a busy day and only have a minute to catch up with someone? Write on their wall. Don't have money to go to lunch or out for drinks, send a private PM with a hello. Need to RSVP to their party, wedding (gasp, please don't ever do this.) or other social event, hey why not, Facebook is right here, the mailbox is waaaaay over there. Click. Send. Etiquette out the door. Now. I'm not dissing social media as a whole. I LOVE being able to catch up with family that lives in an entirely different time zone than me. Reconnect with family I haven't seen since I was in Pre-K, or get to see updated photos of all my loved ones. It's great for business marketing and meeting new people. But what happened to connecting with our tribe, our community, the men and women in our lives who we should nurture and be nurtured by? What happened to girls night and game nights and coffee chats that ran deep. What happened to doing everything together, or the bliss of doing nothing at all as long as it was with your girls. Calling just to say hi. Writing a letter to let them get something fun in the mail other than bills (I totally still do this, and am a firm believer I'm one of the last ones out there who adore stationary and the hand-written word.) Now, I know technology isn't 100% to blame. As we age we get married, we have kids, we pour into our careers. Some of us go back to school or we get ill. But it seems to me, we find time to do so many other things, what's a coffee to catch up and let your best girls in your life know that you love them? That you still care to be connected? I am also saying I'm not to blame. We ALL get busy, we ALL let life take over. And we all use social media as a way to feel connected. But if that's true, if we are so "connected" - then why is it that I have over 2,000 "friends" between social media accounts and there are days I feel like there's no one I could call. So I pose a challenge. To you, to me. To my friends and to yours. For the next four weeks I will be doing a Social Challenge. Not a Social Media Challenge. A Social Challenge. Go at your own pace, start when you like, but try to get to all four of these tasks. I promise more fulfilled relationships and more connectivity to what really matters. Will you join me? Nurture Your Relationships: Social ChallengeWeek One: Plan one outting this week with a friend. Whether its meeting for coffee on a work lunch break, seeing a late movie or even running and errand together - make time for at least one hour this week.
Week Two: Aim for two friend outings this week - or one outing and one phone call with two separate friends. Week Three: Write a letter to a friend, at least one full page long and mail it in a cute envelope to cheer her up. Week Four: Plan an event - dinner party, a night out for a drink, group pedi's, a poker night, anything - and send out an invite (social media ok for this) to get everyone together. The point is to not just think or plan but to put it into action so you can start making more memories. Sounds simple - but I know with our group, weeks can go by before we realize we've got so caught up in our "busy". Let me see how the challenge is going for you! I will be doing the same! Snap photos of you and your besties together, snap photos of your event planning or of your cute stationary/envelopes and put them on Instagram using the hashtag #NNSocialChallenge. Let's bring back REAL connection. One moment at a time.
1 // What is your all-time favorite food?
Hot wings. And I enjoy a really good meatloaf or pot roast. 2 // Who is the cook between you and your significant other? I would say we split the responsibility of cooking. We both really enjoy cooking great meals for one another. She has taught me a lot about clean eating and how to alter recipes with good ingredients to make them more healthy. 3 // What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten? My dad used to make me mayonnaise and banana sandwhiches. My sister and my mom were disgusted at the fact I ate them. 4 // Are there any foods that you absolutely detest? Coconut. I am a texture person. I don’t like sauerkraut for the same reason. I don’t like grittiness. 5 // What is your favorite local, little-known, or hole in the wall place to eat? My wife and I love the Veggie Grill in Long Beach, CA. It has a wide array of foods she can eat and it has a good atmosphere.
1 // What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on? My wife and I just took an eight day vacation down the California Coastline. We got a little inventive with each day and decided to plan something different. We saw eight cities, where part of the time we camped, part of the trip we stayed in a beach house – we also hit Disneyland and various coastal Farmer’s Markets to cook up some great meals seaside. All in all, I enjoyed that vacation the most because it gave us a wide array of experiences all in one week. 2 // If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Probably England or Paris, France. Some place in Europe, I think it would be an amazing experience because of the cultural differences. 3 // Are there any summer traditions that you have or would like to start? (think things like big picnics, summer activities, bonfires, or day trips!) Being from Arizona, I’d like to start spending every summer in San Diego. [laughs] I’d like to finish landscaping our backyard so that we have a place to gather and have BBQ’s. 4 // The 4th of July is coming up! What is a must-have picnic or BBQ food for you? I like a really sweet watermelon! 5 // Think about your ideal vacation… are you in a cozy cabin, camping in a tent, or hanging in a hotel? Camping in a tent! To the partial dismay of Mandi, my wife. She is more of a hotel-spa-day kind of girl. Coming soon - the July edition, where Mr. Charming talks all about his love of being a foodie! I was honored to receive a Liebster Award Nomination from the wonderful Tiffany of The Golden Letter. An award that helps to support & promote fellow bloggers, she has sent me questions to answer in receiving my nomination. Below, you can see the answers to my questions to get to know me a little better & I have also nominated six of my favorite bloggers. Do you have a favorite blog or blogger you'd like to see nominated in the future? Leave their links in the comments & I'd love to check them out! #SpreadTheLove. Liebster Award Q&A |
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