Future Husband Qualities

I recently was looking at articles online and I came across one for "Future Wife Qualities". I read through it and it was all about the girl's appearance. It was less about qualities that truly should matter when you are trying to plan a life with someone else. I have always been the girl dreaming about who I would marry since I was about 5 years old. So, I'd like to pick someone who isn't as concerned with my looks as much as my qualities. I have a long pinterest board filled with my wedding day ideas! But the wedding is not near as important as the marriage is. Marriage is such a milestone because that means you have found the person you would (potentially) be spending the rest of your life with. How great is that?!

When I date a man, I date with the intention of marrying the person. I think that's good rule to live by when it comes to sharing your life with another person. When I meet a new guy, I will sometimes jump too quick in it and sometimes bring up the "marriage" talk too soon and it freaks them out (been there, done that). What I want to try to do better with that is just pray to God and ask Him to protect my heart in case something doesn't go right, but I also pray that whatever the relationship happens to be, that it be God's will, not mine. I have tried to "run" and "take charge" on my own in relationships and they have always failed miserably. If I keep insisting on my own way of doing things, I'll either never marry at all or I'll marry the wrong guy and end up divorced (two extremes I pray never happen). But I have certain qualities I'd like to see my future husband have just as my own personal preference. The qualities I will list are the most important to me. 

1) A man who LOVES the Lord. I have been with too many guys that have not loved or pursued the Lord. I want a man strong in his relationship with God. It's essential to make a marriage work and under God's terms. I want to marry a man who encourages me everyday to love the Lord and be like Jesus!

2) A man who can lead me to righteousness without having leadership capabilities. I know that God does not call all men to be leaders and that's okay. I don't care about that as much as I care about God putting a man in my life that can lead me to Christ everyday. I want a man who will lead Bible studies, who will pray with me, and who will pray FOR me. That's so important!

3) A man that is my best friend. I want to marry my best friend. A best friend is someone you spend all your time with. I want to marry someone that, beforehand, I am fully able to trust with my life and a person I can cry to and not be embarrassed about it, someone who sees my good side and my bad side, my quirks, my struggles, my fears, and more and still wants to spend their life with me. I feel like that's always the best kind of relationship :)

4) A man who can make me laugh and someone I can have a good time with. I can't picture myself marrying a man who is tense and can't joke around once in awhile, because I love poking fun! But also don't want to marry a person that doesn't laugh at me for making stupid jokes, because I do that A LOT. (I like to think for a minute that I'm actually funny!) But someone who doesn't know how to put a filter on teasing is a major turn off, because sometimes it can go too far. I want a man who knows how to be both serious and funny without being hurtful. 

5) A man who is patient with me. I am STUBBORN and hardheaded. It's who I've always been since I was a kid. I don't know that that will ever change, though, I pray that it does. I'd pursue a man who can help me in this area especially if he is usually calm and collected himself! I will pursue a man who will pray with and for me concerning this particular area. 

6) A man who respects me and my family. I can't pursue a man that doesn't respect me, my family, or my friends even if they do something that isn't right. People make mistakes and they aren't perfect. A man who is able to get outside of his pride and is willing to apologize for wrongdoings is a man worth marrying. 

7) A man that can help me be more adventurous (because I love my comfort zone!) I have never been willing to get outside of my comfort zone. So I will pursue a man that can try to get me to try different things since I usually won't do that on my own. I am usually not one to try things that are dangerous, but I want a man who is willing to work with me on stepping out of my comfort zone in a safe way! 

8) A man who is willing to include me in decision making process. I want to pursue a man who is able to make decisions for the most part, but will include me in them by asking me, "What do you think, hon? Should we go in this direction or should we stay where we're at?" Those are the kinds of questions I want to be asked depending on what the situation is. I don't want to be controlled like I am a puppet and he is the puppet master. I want a man to see me as his equal if I plan to marry him. 

9) A man who is Godly. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with #1, but I wanted to make a separate category because there is so much that I want to see for a future spouse in this area! A man who prays for me, about me, about our family, about our relationship, seeks God first, reads the Bible on a consistent basis, loves God before me, and really truly has God at the center of his life. I want to pursue a man that will make me a better Christian just by being with him!

10) A family man and fatherly figure. This is one of the most important ones for me. I plan to be a mom in the near future and I want to pursue a man that can be an example to their future sons/daughters and help their children grow up in a good family environment. I want a man who cares more about being around his children rather than trying to keep the house perfectly clean 100% of the time. Parenthood is messy! Children are messy! It's going to happen. :)

Those are the 10 qualities I'd like to see in any future boyfriend and potential husband. I don't see myself marrying for a few more years, but I'll be looking out for this man! I believe he is out there somewhere in the world and I pray for him often :) 

xoxo 

Megan

To My Baby Sister, My Forever Friend

There is always that one person in life that you feel you can't live or function without. There is always that one person that is always by your side and is willing to sit beside you and hold you while you cry and then that the same person is screaming at you when you are doing something stupid and won't listen to anyone. There is always that one person that loves you to death no matter how immature you're acting and no matter how stubborn you are. This person is my sister.

When you're with someone for years at a time like my sister and I were, you get used to them being around. We were attached at the hip. We did everything together and went everywhere together. Everything was awesome but we both knew the time would come when she would be getting prepared for college. But then I decided to move out of my parent's house. I wanted to have freedom and be a grown up. It was really hard at first. My sister would call me up several times in a week just to see if I was okay and not doing anything stupid. It annoyed me at first but I knew she truly cared for me deep down and didn't want me to get hurt. I began to miss her the longer we'd go without speaking.

Then summer came. She left to go have fun while I was at home adulting. I cried a lot when I didn't see her because I missed her so much. I felt so pathetic because I felt like part of my heart had been ripped directly out of my chest. We've never been farther apart than maybe a week or two in our ENTIRE lifetimes. So it was really painful. When I moved out, it was different but she was still home. But now I can no longer drive over to my parents house and walk directly back to my sister's bedroom and find all her belongings there. Because she's not there. She's gone. But she's always in my heart. On that note, this is to you, Linny.

You are my forever friend. You are my sister and my best and truest friend. Even though we get on each other's nerves sometimes, I will always cherish every moment we have ever spent together from the time you were born until the days we die. You mean the world to me. You have been my playmate, my other half of a duet, my crazy steering wheel drumming, dancing with no hands on the wheel, laughing until we cry, screaming out the chorus before we get out of the car sister. I miss all of our laughing fits in the backseat of the car that made mom and dad yell at us for being so loud and then it made us laugh even harder. I miss singing duets together with a guitar/piano duo. I just miss you entirely.

Even if you don't ever decide to come back to Michigan, just know I will always consider moving wherever you are. Because I can't imagine a life without you around. I know you're going to go out and do great things with your life because it's just in you to want to be the best and to strive for the highest possible career that you can in the field you love.

"I've had the time of my life, no I've never felt this way before, yes, I swear it's the truth, and I owe it all to you." 

Cheesy and cliché, I know, but so true! You have taught me to appreciate music and you have showed me that it's okay not to be the best at everything. You have taught me not to compare myself to you because we are totally different. You have been totally psyched for me when I tell you I have a date and that you want to know how it goes. You are always there over the phone when I need you, like if I have a crisis or panic attack. You're always understanding when I tell you it's about math and do your best to help me over the phone. I know that if you could you'd be at my house in a heartbeat being my support system if I ever needed you. But I know most of all you'd be there and holding me while I cry or lending your shoulder. That's why I love you to pieces. You're an amazing person and I know someone someday is going to notice your potential and it will be amazing.

All I can say is that I love you, sissy. Thank you for all you have ever done for me and for making my life so much better. I can't wait to experience more of life with you when you come home! 

My Fitness Journey

I haven't written in a while, so I thought I would write about my recent journey of a healthy lifestyle! I have gained some weight due to my inability to cook, eating out, and not caring about what food I'm putting in my body. Because of this, I was feeling tired and sluggish all of the time and went into a depressed-like state.  I gained up to 40lbs from doing this and I was DES-PER-ATE to fit in my old clothes again.

A friend of mine (We'll call her Jessie to keep her name private) was in a program called 21 Day Fix. This program caters to portion controlled meals with specific foods allowed. At first I was a little hesitant to fork over the amount of money required for the program because of my budget and not knowing if it would really work for me, but I did it anyway and I am SO glad I did!

The day I got the program and tasted my first sip of shakeology, I knew I made the right decision. I was skeptical of how good it tasted for it being so healthy! I messed around with the ingredients to put in the shakeology and it became my favorite meal of the day! I have worked out every day for the last 2 weeks and I'm starting to see tiny little differences on my body. This has started my fitness and health journey and I'm going to continue in it. It takes 21 days to start a new habit, so I'm hoping by the end of the 21 days I'll have curbed my cravings and can continue eating better!!!!

If it weren't for Jessie, I wouldn't have started this journey and wouldn't have changed my habits or lifestyle at all. So thank you, Jessie, for believing in me and for encouraging me when I get discouraged! It helps to have someone along side me on this difficult but rewarding journey.