A little Q&A.
In true Bethany & Lize style, we played this question and answer game months ago and never posted it. Oops... We just went out to dinner, wrote some questions down on napkins, and took turns picking and answering them! A really fun way to catch up with each other, especially considering it was a rare moment we were together face to face. :)
High and low of 2017 so far?
Bethany: Geez, um... Gosh. I can't remember the last four months of my life! High, probably the day we dropped Jacob at Leah's and spent the day at seven springs and Dan and I spent the day doing things we enjoyed and we just felt totally relaxed. We just let things go for a day and it was just really relaxing. Low is getting disillusioned with life choices. Not that they're not worth doing but the gloss and excitement is disappearing and I'm recognizing the hard work that comes along with accomplishing God's will.
Favorite thing to do in your down time?
Lize: Sitting sometimes in the presence of somebody, sometimes not. My favorite kind of down time is when I don't feel the pressure of needing to do something that I'm not. Literally laying in bed on a Saturday morning is my favorite thing in the world.
If every day was the same holiday, what holiday would it be?
B: 100% Christmas. I could talk about it for hours but that's it. Christmas. Christmas makes me happy.
Pick a person in your life. What is your biggest hope & dream for them?
L: My friend Tina - that she would fully understand Jesus' love and that it would transform her life in the way that it has changed mine.
How do you reconnect with God when you're in a busy season?
B: I feel like what I do is pick up a book and start to read it even though I know full well I'm not going to finish it (laughter of agreement from both of us). The book that I was reading on the restful day, I still haven't finished but I read a chapter and it refocuses my thought process and points me back toward God. The hardest thing is losing sight and forgetting to look to Him in busy times. So that's something that pulls me back to reading scripture and praying. I'm not good at it though, it's definitely something I struggle with. (L: yes, and yes). It gives me a focus point that feels less fabricated when I feel off track.
What's something that the other person could work on improving?
L: We're like the same person so saying something I could improve on would probably work too (laughter). I think the word would be regimen.. Is that a word? Not in the way that you'd add anything more to your day but that you'd add regimen to your day so you could rest more after hard work. I feel like with a small child that's so essential to add to your day. (B: 100% yes.)
Go back to the past or visit the future?
B: these either or are so hard! (L: yeah and you suck at making decisions too!) I think I want to say future but I think my real answer is go back to the past. Not because I want to relive those days but I think there's a lot of value in remembering those days, that help make your future. There's things I'm starting to forget that have major impact on who I am today and I would like to go back and remember them. To live one of those days again and remember what it felt like to xyz. I feel out of touch with my history and its formed me, and I miss it.
If you could imagine a perfect Day (no limits), what would it look like?
L: It would have all the people that I love and they would all be content. And, they would all enjoy being around each other. It makes me so happy when people I love enjoy being around each other. We would all be on a really cool island or in the mountains in an awesome tree house and we would eat and never get full (laughter). And there would be some snuggling, because why not? And at the same time, I feel like the next day, I would be incredibly sad. So I would be cautious to actually plan the perfect day! But that's also why I'm really looking forward to heaven.
What color are you and why?
B: I mean, it's my favorite color, but I feel like I'm a yellow. ....maybe that's just wishful thinking. I feel like yellow is one of those colors that's spring and hopeful and planning toward new-ness. And I feel like I'm in that stage of life where things are still pretty new and I still feel hopeful and I'm still planning toward the future and it does take a lot to bring that down. I feel like I have a stubborn optimistic point of view. It's bright...but it can also be a little too much sometimes, and I can also be a little too much sometimes (HAHA). Just being honest.
What fulfills/satisfies you?
L: I think the thing that fulfills me the most is when I've given someone else joy. I love seeing my students laugh or watching someone else open a present I've given them or just being happy with someone. I feel like that's why I like teaching. I feel like I'm making a difference - as cheesy as that sounds. I like going from the beginning to the end and feeling like an impact has been made in between.
What question do you want to ask Jesus face to face?
B: what actually matters? (L: mic drop)
Seriously, a lot of life is trying to fit your life in the gospel, and I look at what I'm striving for but I don't know if it actually matters. Out of all the things I could consider, what is the thing that matters. It's probably in scripture and if I pray maybe he'll let me know...
How do you deal with failure?
L: I picked this question because my immediate reaction is that I shut down and I don't deal with it. But through a series of events and reflection lately, I've realized that that's a big problem that I have. So, I am/I should be learning to find a balance between not letting failure overtake my life but also doing something about it. I think how I would like to deal with failure is to make a change and stick with it. But instead I put it in a pile and try to forget about it as long as possible. (B: like my laundry pile - it's my pile of failure.)
& that's all for now!
Love,
Lize & Bethany <3