.moving day.

I have an announcement!

A merge is taking place between my two blogs. So I have to say a sad goodbye to this wonderful blog and direct you now to my new one. Please follow me to http://www.kristinbrownphotography.com/ to continue our dialogue.

I have put some serious thought into this merge and I finally decided that I didn't want my photography life and my personal life to be separate. I want to share my photography with those interested in my personal life and my personal life with those interested in my photography. (So if you only wanted one or the other... sorry. It's my blog so I can do whatever I want.)

Plus, I stress out way more with two blogs to keep updated.

I really want my two blogs to collide into something that is still true to me (I don't feel like my photography blog has been really ME yet, you know??) but mainly focuses on my photography. And since photography has pretty much taken over my personal life, it's only natural for me to write about it all together.

I have been putting this off for some reason, though. And tonight, when I went to write this post, I hesitated. It sounds stupid, but I really do love this blog. I love that it chronicles the path my life has taken these last two years. I love that it shows how I've grown up and who I have become. I wrote some really stupid things, but I also think I wrote some pretty good and honest things. And I want to keep it all here, out in the open.

I want to let my new blog become truly mine: my style, my voice--really me. A lot like this one has, but even more so. I want to be honest and open and myself. I don't want it to be just about my pictures--I want it to be about me. This blog has shown my growing up; I think the new one will show me learning to be a grown-up.

And I'm kind of excited to see how that all goes....

So there you go.

That is that.

Goodbye kristinhoddenbach.blogspot.com.

I love you.

:)

.i have.

• a busy weekend to plan
• a tummyache
• a broken straightener (that one I paid $100 for and the only thing that tames my hair)
• a sparse Christmas tree to decorate
• a desperate need to do laundry
• groceries to buy
• stress about gift-giving

AND...

• officially been in a relationship with Kenny for one year (as of yesterday) :)

.monday.

I feel like everybody is in a bad mood today. Including... me. Mondays after a holiday are never fun, I guess.

I had such a good weekend though. Exhausting in some ways, but really good. We drove a lot of miles and spent time with a lot of people. When we finally got home last night, I was too tired to do much of anything. So Kenny worked on his twelve page paper and I fell asleep. At 8:30.

And now it is Christmas! I have been so excited for the holidays this year--my first being married. Also, it is my first being super poor. So just a warning, to all who expect to receive gifts from me and Kenny... expect thoughtful, but definitely low-budget gifts. :) (Oh and while we're on the subject, does anyone know how I could get a MacBook for Kenny for like 90% off? I haven't had much luck yet.)

That's all for now. Tonight I'll unpack and look at what pictures I ended up with from the trip and maybe show you some tomorrow.

.i love.

I feel a little bit emotional today. I am so grateful and happy for so many things (don't worry, this is not a Thanksgiving gratitude post :)). I just feel so good. I love everything about my life these days. Mostly I love being married to my wonderful husband. And I love our little home together. I even like that we are poor. And we have such wonderful friends. And a good ward. I love that we get to spend four whole days with people we love this week. I love that we don't have cancer or brain tumors. I love God. And I love that today I was reminded to be grateful for all my many many gifts.

That's all.

.marriage lesson #2.

I think it is time for the next installment of my marriage lessons. This one is entitled: Overcoming Selfishness by Sharing. (I know, it sounds like a Primary lesson. This will be fun.)

A couple weeks ago, we were at that store I hate called Walmart walking down the cereal aisle, when suddenly, I spotted something I had not seen for ten years: Rice Krispies Treats Cereal. Not regular Rice Krispies, but Rice Krispies TREATS Cereal. In the purple box. I LOVE THAT CEREAL. I used to always want it when I was little, but it, along with Cookie Crisp, was one of those cereals that really isn't a good breakfast and is much too sugary and expensive for my mom to agree to buying it. But I'm a grown-up now, so I bought some.

Later that day... Kenny wanted some. And I really didn't want to share it. Even with the love of my life, I was hesistant to share my cereal. And I think it kind of hurt his feelings. So I said okay, but only out of guilt, not any real kindness.

I am really really bad at sharing and I have been my whole life. As a teenager, I would never share my clothes with my sister. I don't lend out my books very often because I don't trust people to treat them well. In college, I did not like sharing a room and I would NEVER share my food.

The real problem arises, however, when I have problems sharing with my own husband. Now this is something that I really need to work on. Because, you see, Kenny always has shared everything. He has no qualms about withholding anything of his from anybody. When he lived with roommates, it was a communal lifestyle--everything belongs to everyone.

But apparently, I am not that selfless.

So my lesson learned is simple--I should share my stuff. I think that God designed life in such a way that as we grow up, the objective is to become more selfless. As a child and teenager, even as a young adult, we are almost completely self-absorbed. Others take care of us and make sure we are on the right track and we don't have many responsibilities other than to ourselves.

But then we get married. And we have someone that we have some responsibilities to. And in order to have a healthy and successful relationship, we have to learn to sacrifice our own desires and some things that we want for the greater good of the marriage. And that's not the same thing as being weak or not standing up for yourself, which is what my mind tries to tell me sometimes.

After we have some marriage experience in overcoming our selfish natures, we have children. And heaven knows that most parents are the epitome of self-sacrificing for their children. Their lives become about raising and caring for another human being before themselves. This, more than almost anything else, teaches us about selflessness and love.

So... even if Kenny asks for my last chicken nugget, maybe I could just give it to him instead of shove it in my mouth anyway (that may or may not have actually happened...). It's not just about sharing--it's about selflessness. It's about wanting your spouse's happiness more than your own.

So this is what I know. Our happiness is most likely to come with selflessness and service to others, most importantly, our spouses and families. Those are the most important relationships we have. And if that means I have to learn how to share my stuff with my husband (even my food), I can do that.

Because I really do love him. :)