A Florken Love Story

Happy Friday wonderful readers! I am super excited for this work week to be over and it was a short week {why do they always seem the longest}. This weekend I will be attending a friend’s bachelorette party and can’t wait to party with some old high school friends {I better start hydrating now}!!
I have a wonderful treat for you today. A dear friend is taking over the blog to talk about love and I love Love so please give Kate {and Adam} a warm welcome!!

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Thrilled to be posting today! I'm Kate and I blog over at the "florkens" with my husband, Adam. (Yes, he blogs with me!) We share a WHOLE lot over there... like how I didn't really enjoy our wedding, or our secret tattoos, or how I recently dropped my iPhone in the toilet. On Thursdays, I share my wardrobe makeover with the world and on Fridays we typically turn on the webcam, cross our fingers, and act like idiots for a bit with our Vlog! But, we do have limits, I assure you. Check out the 5 things I'll never blog about.

Still -- we've never taken time on the blog to really explain how we met... which is something we're asked quite often. So, I thought the readers of Mrs. Laura Beth may like to hear the tale and learn a bit more about how we ended up being the "Florkens."

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You know how in movies, couples meet in the cutest ways? They always are standing in line at a coffee shop, or they reach for the last Everything Bagel at the same time... It's always cheesy but you think to yourself... "Yeaahh!" 

Well, Adam and I didn't meet like that. Not even close. We met on Match.com. Now this is not an endorsement of Match in particular (although I obviously thumbs-up the whole online dating thing) but this it is a real breakdown of how everyday people meet, learn about each other, and fall in love.

Adam "winked" at me on Match.com. It's kind of like "poking" on Facebook -- completely pointless but somehow it sends a message. I decided that instead of winking back, I'd just message him. I did. It went ok. I can't say that I remember much about those messages. Honestly, I was messaging several guys on the site. When keeping the conversations in my head straight, I would use like monikers for each dude. Adam's was, "The Ginger." 

 

We agreed to finally exchange numbers. We talked on the phone briefly. Mainly it was a text thing. After about a week, I decided he wasn't a weird and I asked, "So, when are you taking me out?"

Now he always tells me that's when he knew he liked me -- he saw that I was assertive, bold, and would ask for what I wanted. We decided to meet up on a Sunday afternoon at a local mexican restaurant. I almost backed out on the date because I was having "one of those days" where I just felt terrible about myself. You know how those go -- I felt fat, ugly, and could have sworn I didn't own a single cute outfit. I called my mom to tell her that I wasn't going. She said, "Kate -- you never know when you'll meet Mr. Right. This could be him." I snorted laughter and said something to the effect of, "I doubt it. But I guess I shouldn't pass on a free margarita."

I beat Adam to the restaurant. I waited for him in this little lobby thing. I kept staring at the drivers of cars as they pulled into the parking lot. I knew that when I saw "red" that he was there. I texted him, just to let him know that I was there. He said it was just a couple minutes away. When he arrived, I remember kind of being amazed watching him walk across the parking lot. This Ginger was WAAAAYY hotter than his pictures. I later found out that he was using pictures from high school and his first year in college so they were all very outdated. 

We grabbed a table. We ordered. I asked for a "regular" margarita and they practically brought me a sombrero full. It was embarrassingly large. We talked. He learned that I was in law school. I learned that he was getting his PhD. He picked up the check. We didn't want to part, so we met up at a local Starbucks for coffee and tea.

We sat outside and talked more. At this point, our first date was nearly four hours long. It was amazing. He was amazing. I was in shock. 

I went home that night relunctantly. I wanted to stay longer... get to know this man more. I just felt drawn to him. We had the second date scheduled within a day. 

So here's the deal. We didn't reach for the same bagel, but we were both out there reaching for something...we had put ourselves "out there" reaching for each other. It's not a "cute" meeting. But it is a meeting that I wouldn't change for the world!

Hope you stop by the blog and say "hi"! We'd love to meet you!

Faithful Footprints : Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Today I have a very special treat {or two} for you. A guest post and my very first iPhone wallpaper download.

Today I'm enjoying mimosas in my sweatpants watching my Alma Mater {North Dakota State University} play in the Championship football game for their chance at winning for the 3rd year in a row!!

Here is the iPhone lock screen I'm currently sportin' and have it available for you too if you are a Bison Alum like myself! 

iPhone 4s

Now without further ado I'd like to welcome Brianna to Mrs. Laura Beth!

com.par.i.son noun 

: the act of looking at things to see how they are similar or different

Comparing ourselves to others is common in today's society. Let's face it - our lives are open books for others to see, judge, and criticize, especially with all of the social media sites available today. Through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many, many others, we plaster our day to day for all the world to see. And for us bloggers, we're really an open book.  And with our lives posted for all to see comes the thief of joy: comparison. 

Think about it. With so much out there for the world's eyes, we see a lot more into people's lives than ever before. Seriously. Even if you are merely 'acquaintances' in reality {say, a coworker}, if you're friends on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you see way more into their lives than you would otherwise. You know where they ate dinner and who they ate with. You see pictures of their pets and how they spent their weekend...and in some cases, you get every.single.detail.  And then...we compare. We compare our weekend with that of your neighbor or best friend from high school. So and so is newly engaged, and all of a sudden you're comparing your ring with hers or her fiance with your husband. He may make tons of money and shower her in gift after gift. Your husband doesn't. But what you don't see are all of the downs that go along with the ups. You don't necessarily see that her fiance is never home in time for dinner or that he very rarely has quality date nights with her. You don't see that she's actually very lonely - I mean, let's face it: gifts aren't exactly the greatest company!  Don't compare your behind the scenes to someone else's highlight reel. Some people only show what they want others to see {don't we all?}. So comparing yourself to others' greatest moments is only hurting yourself. It's not fair. You are a completely different and unique person with a completely different set of circumstances and life experience.  You have to stop comparing your life to someone else's so that you give yourself a chance to actually live your life. What really comes of always comparing your days to someone else's? Is it joy? Happiness? Love? I don't think so. It's lonely and hurtful. It brings a sense of unfulfillment and emptiness. It's hard.  We're not built to spend the days we're given on this earth comparing ourselves to everyone else. You are here for a reason. We all are. And, surprise, surprise...our purposes are all different. We are meant for different goals and dreams. We are made for different careers and homes and families. How fulfilling would life truly be if everyone were exactly the same? What if we all looked the same, acted the same, reacted to things in the same way, loved the same person, had the same homes, same career? It'd be impossible! You wouldn't have doctors, lawyers, farmers, techs, fast food employees, bosses, etc. The world would not function the same. It's just not meant to be.  So, stop it! Stop comparing your life, dreams, goals, aspirations, faithfulness, and being to someone else. YOU are uniquely YOU for a reason. Figure it out and make a choice to stay true to you.  Be thankful for what you have instead of longing for what others may have. Love your family. It's the only one you get! Be there for each other and truly live for yourself. No one else is going to make you happy - you've got to do it for yourself!  And now for the big question: how exactly do you stop comparing yourself to others? I'm not saying it's easy, but it's possible! For starters, find the joy in the little things in your life. Whether it be that you woke up this morning or kissed your husband goodbye for the day. Find gratitude in those small things - not everyone gets them! Realize that every single thing that you get to experience is special and unique.  Another big step is to minimize your time on social media networks. Don't spend 5 hours a day trolling Facebook. Don't read blog posts wishing for that life. Don't follow every single celebrity and their families on Twitter. They live a different life. It's okay! Just limit your time and involvement in social media and you'll find yourself actually living and enjoying your life! 

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else. -Galatians 6:4 

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