Our Top 10 Things we LOVE to do Together

Spending most of your time with a bunch of teenagers can be taxing, especially on the marriage side of things.

Three night's out of the week my husband and I are at church giving all of our energy to others, and the other four days are usually spent recuperating.

With that being said...for those of you who are in the same boat...remember that it's important to spend time with your spouse outside of youth group and church functions.

The very center of your marriage hinges on spending quality time together and enjoying one another's company.

I know this from experience because when Mr. YM and I don't take time for us...we get cranky and irritated with one another instead of living out 2 Corinthians 13 (you know...the chapter in the Bible about Love...). 

Our Top 10 Things we LOVE to do Together

(These are not in any particular order.)

1.) Movie Night- this could mean going to the movies, renting a movie, or watching a movie on Netflix.

2.) Going to a local park or beach with a homemade packed picnic or fast food you picked up on the way.

3.) Arcade Fun- Find a local arcade where you can both have some friendly competition. (Mr. YM especially likes this one! :)

4.) Try a NEW restaurant every week OR at least once a month! We've recently been trying out all the Sushi restaurants in our area. We are super excited to have found a sushi HAPPY HOUR! Half price on all sushi rolls...why thank you I think I will!

5.) Go on a walk, hike or bike ride together! This can be exhausting sometimes, but sooooo worth it! It's like quality time and "FUN" exercise rolled into one...which I need desperately since I don't usually enjoy exercise.

6.) Figure out the local festivities and GO TRY SOMETHING NEW! Mr. YM and I found a local Rib Fest here in Miami last year and made a point to go to it again this year.  IT...WAS...AWESOME! Finger-lickin' good!

7.) Read a book together- This is something Mr. YM and I do occasionally and it's totally worth it! Although he is usually a much speedier reader and can retain more info than me, when we read together we are learning together. We share common thoughts about a certain subject and can reflect on the subject together. No this isn't something that's ascertainable all the time, but reading the same book together occasionally is pretty beneficial if I do say so myself. Some books we've read together...The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller, In a Pit with  a Lion by Mark Batterson, What's so Amazing about Grace? by Philip Yancey, and Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley.

8.) Plan a weekend trip together- It's fun and needed to just GET AWAY sometimes. Make time to go somewhere together to explore, relax and renew your minds. You'll be glad you did!

9.) Date Night- Pick one day/night a week that you spend together. It doesn't have to be super fancy. It just has to be the two of you. Sometimes Mr. YM and I just like to sit around and do nothing together. Just as long as we're in the same room enjoying each other's company.

10.) Pick a project and work on it together- This could be cleaning or fixing stuff around the house/apartment together...cooking together...making something. 

Now these are just our TOP 10, and I'm sure there are more ideas out there. Let me know if you have any other ideas or things that you and your youth minister spouse like to do together!

Have a blessed day!

Sincerely,

MYM Jessica

Pie Night

If you ever wanted to know how many pies it would take to feed...say...about 40 people...I'd say...about 40.

Or at least when you have teenagers around, and those teenagers almost always eat you out of house and youth room.

Last Friday our new youth group here in Miami had what we called a "Pie Night."

We used it as an innovative way for the youth to invite their friends and peers at school to church.

I mean, why wouldn't someone want to come to church if they could have all the pie they wanted? Well, of course it wouldn't work as well if they are diabetic...but we'll have to work on that one for next time :) Maybe a sugar free pie? Do they make such a dessert?

Anyway, the night proved to be successful! We had a room filled with teenagers and a counter full of pies...Key Lime, Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan, Coconut Cream, Chocolate Pudding, Mango Key Lime, Cherry, Mini, and more.

My most favorite part of the evening though was the part where I had to miss the service.

Nooo...it's not that I don't like listening to the hubs talk about the Lord...but I had a good laugh trying to make sure everything went as planned for the after-sermon party :)

You see, Mr. Youth Minister had promised the youth a pie fight after the service, and earlier in the day I had told him that a few canisters of Cool Whip and some paper plates would do the trick.

However, as I began to fill the plates with the heavenly whipped cream...I began to notice that a few cansiters weren't going to cut it.

So OFF TO THE GROCERY STORE I WENT while worship music drifted off into the background.

As I was rushing through the store I began to laugh...to laugh at how silly it must look for a nerdy looking girl like me to be running into Winn-Dixie and buying 10 cans of Redi Whip, 50 styrofoam plates and 40 30-gallon trashbags.

"Oh the things I do for my husband," I thought, and undoubtedly rolled my eyes.

So I RUSHED BACK TO THE CHURCH...

SPRAYED 50 MORE PLATES OF WHIPPED CREAM...

PUT THEM ALL ON ROLLING CARTS...

AND WAITED...

I didn't wait long when Mr. YM told me to come to the front of the room, and asked the youth to thank me for my work.

I gave a quick hand gesture that said, "Don't worry about it...it wasn't a problem."

I never really like being up in front of everyone...it's not really my thing.

But I guess it was nice to get a thanks :)

Anywho...everyone then made it out to the basketball court, where in what took me about an hour to prepare took 1 minute to undo.

AND...IT....WAS....HILARIOUS!!!!

Everyone was running around with trash bags, screaming with whipped cream in their hair.

Priceless moments that will forever be in my mind.

I, too, was covered in Cool Whip/Redi Whip...but I didn't mind.

This whole scene of terrific terror made me think of how wonderful our God really is.

He loved us so much that he came and lived amongst us...despite how messy we can be.

Until next time...

Saved by Grace,
Mrs. Youth Minister