Saved by the Bell

Jared turned thirty in December, and I wanted to do a surprise party for him. Well, I did not have much luck keeping it surprise. But I did try to keep the theme under wraps for as long as I could! Jared always loved watching Saved by the Bell when he was growing up (he even has the seasons on DVD).  I decided to throw a Saved by the Bell party where people could come dressed in 80/90s or Saved by the Bell character attire. It was a blast to celebrate with friends from MI and Indy. 

I wanted to share the party planning and pictures of the event. Check it out! 

The decor:

Good will was my friend during the whole planning process. I found great 80/90s decorations, such as an old clock, huge boom box, retro tv....I also found some fun blow up guitars for photo props. I made the "pom poms" to add color to the room. I have to thank our awesome friends Kiersten and Dane for making the fun signs with the Saved by the Bell characters and sayings. They looked awesome and made the room come together. I made Bayside High Detention/Desserts sign with chalkboard spray paint and chalk. FYI chalkboard spray paint works great! Oh, we also had a photo "booth" for fun pics of everyone in their attire!

The food:

I made a table of Bayside High Desserts. Each dessert had a character theme. 

"Screech on a stick"- marshmallows with melted chocolate and sprinkles on a stick

Lisa "Turtles"- yummy turtles

Zach Attack Snacks- funfetti brownies

Jessie's "Energy Pills"- skittles in little cups

Slater's Sugar Cookies: sugar cookies with funky 80s designs

Saved by the Bell characters pictures on chocolate cupcakes

Zack's Huge Cellphone- Jared's Birthday Cake

The Max was where the characters would hang and eat burgers.

I had a table for mini burgers, fries, and chicken sandwiches.

We also had root beers and waters labeled with the Saved by the Bell emblem.

Thanks for reading! -AGM

Martha vs. Mary

A friend of mine introduced me to a book called Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.  The author Joanna Weaver shares with readers how to find intimacy with God in the busyness of life.

Here is the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42: As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things but few things are needed-indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

 I have always "prided" myself in being like Martha in the Bible. I love to be going, going, going and doing, doing, doing. I strongly have felt that I show my love for Jesus by doing not by sitting. Being a Mary has never excited me. But reading this book and seeing how Mary pleased Jesus by just sitting at His feet and soaking up His every word has been eye-opening for me. Catch this: " The only requirement for a deeper relationship with God is showing up with a heart open and ready to receive. Jesus said: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28; Weaver, 2012). This book is not saying that my on -the- go personality or my love language of the act of service is wrong. But I am learning that I do not have to always be doing something. So many times I have allowed my life's busyness to consume me; and my relationship with the Lord is a quick Bible read and prayer at the end of the day. This book has been encouraging and convicting to learn to just stop and take time to rest in the Lord.

I will continue to share what I am learning in the book. I encourage all you Martha's to buy it and read it!

Holiday Recap

Phew! I have been slacking in the blogging department. Jared's 30th birthday, the holidays, Giana, and our new baby boy on the way have made life extremely busy! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's with friends and family. We were able to travel and spend Christmas in RI with my family. It was a great visit. We were so happy to be able to celebrate my grandpa's 80 birthday while we were there. Also, my sister Ashley got engaged!  We are so excited for her and Jon. It looks like a summer wedding is on the horizon! Woo-hoo!
Mom had the house decorated so beautifully that I wanted to share all her hard work.(See below) My parents have not put lights up outside for the holidays for years; but because Giana was coming they put them up-too cute! Jared and I were excited about my mom's Christmas Eve dinner. Italians have fish on Christmas Eve, so we enjoyed an awesome meal of fish, baccala, shrimp cocktail, snail salad, Italian bread, salad, and the list goes on. Mom and I made some yummy monkey bread for Christmas morning. We all ate ourselves silly-isn't that what the holidays are for? ;) The visit seemed to fly by. We had a wonderful time.
I hope you all had a fun and safe New Year's Eve. We went to an awesome church service and rang in the New Year with friends. Fun times!
I am excited for a new 2013. Although we have seen 2012 to be an extremely difficult year, we have seen the Lord's faithfulness. He has blessed us with a new baby boy who will be here in just 3 months, Jared's new job, a beautiful, new city to live in, and a wonderful church family and friends. We are overwhelmed by His provision and blessings to us. At times I have let certain circumstances cloud my view of God's grace and goodness in our lives. My goal for this year is to not dwell on the negativity but to let it go and to trust in the Lord and His faithfulness. Well, I must get back to the family. I am hearing adorable giggles coming from the living room. ;)

Happy New Year!!

Love, AGM

                                         
                                                        The Engaged Couple: Jon and Ashley

                                                       Mom's Beautiful Decorations