Life on the Plain

Instead of saying “plain” Scott says “real”. As in, “I want bread and butter, but I want the butter real.” Translation: I want a piece of bread and a chunk of butter but separate. (yes, I let him eat chunks of butter, what’s the difference if it is “real” or on the actual bread???) I have no idea where he got this and I have tried explaining the word plain, but for some reason it always comes out “real” and now I have actually come to like the term.

Before we decided to move back to Tulsa, Mike was asking me what I wanted our life to look like and all I could come up with was to say plain. I wanted him to have a plain job, I wanted to have a plain house, and I wanted to do plain things. Meaning I wanted an uncomplicated job that didn’t dominate every aspect of our family, I wanted a small house that was cozy and easy to keep clean, and I wanted to get back to the basics and spend time with family, play at the park, have people over for dinner, live around the people and places that contribute to making life worth living. I want our life to be pared down to the things that bring us joy and get rid of all the extra. You know, the plain life.

Last year I would say was our hardest year since we have been married and I think it is because we got cocky. We moved away from family when I was 17 weeks pregnant with baby number two, thinking we can do this on our own, we don’t need any help. HA! I am now deeply grateful for how much my parents adore my kids. We spent too much money on stuff, we spent too much time in the car, and we got lost.  We are striving to make more conscious decisions with our money, to be more involved with the community around us- to consume less and give more. It is a journey and we are definitely not perfect, but we are desperately trying to remember that every decision that we make has an impact. Big or little, good or bad.

I think Scott and I got our words switched. He means to say plain and I meant to say real.

*Side Note, there is an amazing book called The Irresistible Revolution. It is written by a Christian, but I truly believe it applies to everyone. It will change your life.