Family visits :)

This past month has been absolutely amazing and full of family time!

Matt's parents visited over the Labor Day holiday and we had lots of fun traveling around and seeing more of this beautiful new place we live. We especially had fun at Custer State park seeing the buffalo and the amazing rock structures. We're very much looking forward to our family vacation (camping trip) there next year! Even though I've lived in South Dakota my whole life, there's just something fun about taking a picture of Mount Rushmore as you drive by.






















We also took a trip back home to see my parents and help with the 2014 honey harvest. For my birthday, it's been a tradition that my favorite meal to eat is crab legs. So we ventured on over to the casino for the buffet and then after I had my first experience of a money booth. It's not often that our whole family is together so we had to take some pictures. P.S. The honey is super clear this year and SOOO delicious!

For my birthday, my wonderful husband surprised me with flowers and bought me a VivoFit. I really enjoy being active and am always setting new goals. With my Vivofit I get to set step and mileage goals and I'm having a lot of fun with it so far! :)



















We've also been working on lots of new wood projects to sell at a craft show Matt is in charge of in October. Go on over to our "Christiansen Creations" page to check those out!

Vacation to the North Shore

This year for Matt's family vacation we went to the North Shore. Stayed a night in Duluth, camped and then hiked 1.7 miles uphill both ways to a beautiful remote cabin in the woods! The pictures tell it all :)

Vacation - Summer 2014

Our move out West

Rapid City, SD

We sure can't beat the view outside the window of our 3rd floor apartment!

6 months ago if someone would have told me "In 6 months you'll be living in a new town with new jobs"...i'd have told them they were crazy. Never would I have imagined moving west all the way across the entire state of South Dakota, but here I sit. 

This move so far has come with lots of responsibility, vulnerability, fear and yet excitement! Matt and I talked for many days, weighed the pros and cons, and ultimately decided we were ready for a new adventure. As long as we have each other, we can get through anything, so here we are!

So far this new adventure has been wonderful! We have been so incredibly blessed by our families who helped us load and unload a uhaul (350 miles west and one floor up), have said many prayers and continually offer encouragement. "Welcome to the better half of the state" is what I have been told by many customers while working at Scheel's. Everywhere we go and everyone we talk to has been super positive and full of advice. Even the lady who cut my hair yesterday gave me options of places to apply for jobs and went on and on about all the different things there are to do here in Rapid City. 

Matt is still very much in the learning stage of his new career but so far he is enjoying every minute of it! For 7 days in July, he was able to travel to Montana with the High School Youth Group for an adventure trip and now he is currently driving to Denver, Colorado with the Middle School youth for a mission trip for 3 days. 

As for me, I am working part-time at Scheel's while I job hunt. With my degree, I am able to search in a wide variety of places and I want to take my time a little bit to try and find the right fit! In the meantime, while I'm not at Scheel's, I have plenty of cleaning and organizing to get done to make our apartment feel more like a home!

Updating this blog is still new for me but I'll try to be more diligent to keep everyone updated on our adventure! Thank you for all the continued prayers and words of encouragement!

Counting our Blessings

Matt was recently laid off at his job and although it has it's scary moments...it's really opened our eyes to how blessed we truly are. It's also been a confirmation to the fact that maybe there's a different career for Matt to pursue.

About a month previously, he had felt a calling on his heart to pursue Youth Ministry but wasn't really sure what that all would entail. While still working full-time, he started to do research and had even met with our previous youth pastor to discuss whether further schooling was a necessity. It came as a shock initially when he was told they were letting him go due to budgetary purposes. Later on however, we couldn't help but wonder if that was part of God's plan. Was this his big way of saying, "Matt this is it, this is your opportunity".

It's truly amazing how when these big things happen in your life, you become significantly more aware of the blessings in your everyday life. For example, I recently got a 2nd job at Scheels bringing in some extra money each month. And then, the day after Matt got laid off, our electric bill came in the mail and had a credit amount instead of a payment amount! These couldn't be just coincidences so I've chosen to call them "God-incidences". One thing after the other, God has been preparing us and it's just been a matter of opening our eyes and acknowledging what is in front of us. It's been a matter of truly reflecting on how/where each blessing has come from.

Some days have challenges and doubts. Can one income alone really support us for the time being? We don't really know. All we can do is pray often and cling to the hope that God has a plan! Words of affirmation and our wonderfully supportive parents help us stay positive through each day!




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God Bless everyone!




P.S. Did I mention that with Matt having free time he's been working on more projects and increasing our inventory for future sales! Check out his most recent project! :)

March Madness?!

It's been a while since I've checked in here and given an update. The months of February and March have brought upon many new adventures and changes. 

In an effort to pay off loans, I recently got a job at Scheel's working a few days each week as a cashier and really enjoy it. I've found that I truly love meeting new people and learning about their lives. Everyone has a story and it is truly enjoyable for me to learn from and about them. 

I also became a Thirty-One consultant for 2 main reasons. The first reason is that I genuinely love the company and their products. As a result of that...came reason number 2 - I was already advertising it to friends and family so why not sell it and make some extra cash as a result! While adding more items to my to-do list each week has been an adjustment for Matt and I, we both tell ourselves that it'll be worth it all in the long run. 

                    My consultant website is www.mythirtyone.com/melissachristiansen

Matt has been busy at work with the Gage Team but he also has put a lot of time into creating artwork at home. He went to school for Studio Art and through that discovered his joy for carving and wood burning. Since we got married, he has created many different things and we discovered that not only do we love to decorate our apartment with those items, but other people might as well! As a result, it has become Matt's determination to make wood burning and carving his second job. When I am at Scheel's, he is busy at home designing. His recent infinity design was a big hit and we sold quite a few of them. If anyone is looking to have something made for themselves, a birthday, house-warming gift, Christmas, etc. please don't hesitate to throw an idea our way! Matt is always open to trying new things and we both find joy in spending quality time together creating things :) You're welcome to email us at mmchristiansen2@gmail.com or message us on Facebook!

In non-work related news, we've been making the best of our dysfunctional South Dakota weather by going on walks and/or runs whenever we're able. I've also found a love for weaving and have already created a rug and placemat! In church we've been talking about how marriage relationships need to have intersections where couples can spend time together enjoying their commonalities. Through Pastor Jeff's messages and reflection, Matt and I have come to discover that we have A LOT in common and especially love projects/hobbies!

Financial Planning!

As a part of my getting out of debt mission for 2014, I've been looking around on Pinterest and google for various budgeting worksheets. I ended up finding a bunch of different ones that I liked but it bothered me that they all had a different look or style to them because I found them from a bunch of different sources. So rather than having mismatched budget sheets...I decided to create my own with the help of my husband, the graphic designer and adobe illustrator. I had never even glanced at adobe illustrator before this project but by the end, I felt surprisingly familiar with it!

Here are some snapshots of just a few of the pages (there ended up being 13 total). If you have any interest in using my worksheets for your own personal debt freedom, send me a message and I'll give you more information :)

Thank you everyone!

A Good Day!

When I was 12 years old, if you would have asked me what I wanted to do with my life...working with children probably wouldn't have been the first thing I said. Back then I found the idea of being a vet or a nurse intriguing and being a teacher coming in 3rd. 

My senior year of high school though, through the encouragement of my school counselor, teachers, friends and family, I was persuaded to go to school for a teaching degree. I struggled with this decision for quite some time because I just wasn't sure if that was what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to work in a helping profession but just wasn't sure if teaching a classroom of 15-30 students was the perfect fit. I chose to pursue a degree in teaching anyway and that is what took me to Dakota State University. I had a really great time there, living in the dorms and meeting amazing people.

It was toward the middle to end of my freshman year that I decided teaching just wasn't for me. I did a lot of research and eventually decided to pursue a degree in Psychology which ultimately meant that I had to transfer schools. I ended up choosing USF and for a while lived at home and worked at the grocery store. When I finally decided to move to Sioux Falls and leave my job at the store, my options for other employment were endless. Going from a town of around 3,000 people to a city of around 140,000 people really opens up a lot of doors to different opportunities.  

A lot of searching and weighing the pros and cons is what brought me to the job I am at today. I started at YES as an education assistant at a center in Sioux Falls. The only experience I had working with children at that time had come from working at Shetek (a bible camp) as a counselor for 3 months as well as my mothers in-home daycare growing up. Needless to say I was a little terrified but felt that God had a plan in all of this.

Within 2 weeks, my supervisor at the time saw that I had potential and promoted me to a lead teacher at a school in Brandon, SD. That is where my love for children was fostered. Two and a half years of my life, Monday through Friday from 2-6 pm was spent working with these beautiful children. I not only got paid to have fun - playing games and running around with them on the playground, I also had the joy of watching them grow up. I say "had" lightly because I still get the opportunity to watch them grow, which is such a blessing. 

Upon graduation, I was promoted again and am now in a position of Coordinator for the 8 After School Programs YES operates in the towns of Sioux Falls, Harrisburg and Brandon. I truly didn't think transitioning out of my school in Brandon and into 7 others would be the easiest process for me but in the past 7 months, I have found, discovered and cemented the fact that I have a passion for working with and enriching the lives of children. When I visit the different centers, there is always at least one child that leaves me smiling or teaches me something new. I won't lie and say that there aren't days where I think I'm crazy and am told I am crazy by parents for "putting up" with the things I do. I, however, wouldn't say I am putting up with anything. I am choosing to come to work every day to make a difference in the life of a child. Yes, there are days where they have tons of energy but I was a child once and can relate to that. I like to joke that there must be weather coming or there for sure has to be a full moon causing them to have energy! ;)

Why am I writing this really long blog you may ask? It is because I had a really wonderful day today at work and my heart is bursting with love for children and the joy they bring. 

I had the opportunity to go back to my home site of 2 1/2 years to visit all those children again. The best feeling in the world was when they got out of school, lined up to check in and saw me. Some of the stubborn boys of course were like "what are you doing here Mrs. Melissa". But then there were the ones who were like "YAAAYYYY you're here, we've missed you so much". I received tons of hugs throughout the afternoon and when it was time for me to leave, some kids didn't want me to go. 

I have to say...that is one of the absolute best, most empowering feelings in the world. 

What does it take to make me happy? Not money or possessions, but a hug and smile from a child :)

DIY Project - Ottoman

Since we've been married Matt and I have been using a tiny little foot rest in our living room multi purposely. It's been our foot rest, plate holder, mini desk, etc. You name it, we've probably made use of this tiny little rocker for that purpose. This last weekend though I decided it was time for a change. I am an avid Pinterest searcher and found a really cool DIY ottoman made out of crates. It came with a lot of step by step instructions with pictures and so I decided that it was a project that I might be able to accomplish.

After running all over Sioux Falls to get all the supplies, I decided to dedicate my day off of work to building. I had never used a drill so much, in fact I cannot remember a time that I've ever used a drill but there's absolutely always a first for everything! After about 5 hours of work, here is what I came up with.

I can't wait until the varnish fully dries so I can add books, games and other decorations!

P.S. Please forgive the black dots in some of the photos, I need a new iphone/camera.