My New Mantra

I have been surrounded by a lot of changes at work and with friends and instead of letting myself be overwhelmed by change, I'm going to work to view it as an opportunity to continue growing and improving my outlook on life.  When God closes a door, He opens a window.  I'm challenging myself to believe that in my heart and reflect that mindset outwardly.

Fruits, Veggies, and Proteins Oh My!

I seem to go through this cycle every few months but I’m back on a healthy kick and this time I’m hoping I can keep the momentum going for longer!  I’m also hoping to get Kyle on board because it would be good for him as well but also because it will make it easier for me to stay on track.  After eating entirely too much food in 12 Mile we decided to get back to more basic and natural foods.  Our grocery cart was so much prettier and more colorful this week.  We are only on the first week but we are both doing well and I truly hope we stay at it!

Book a Week Challenge Update

So I’m about a third of the way through the one year challenge and I wanted to post another update.  It has been 16.5 weeks and I have completed 14 books at this time.  I just picked up several from the library so I’m hoping to get caught back up by early August!  While in 12 Mile I knocked out four books which made up for my slacking in June.  Here are the books that are next up on my list:

·         The Lone Wolf by Jodi Piccoult

·         What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 by Tina Seelig

·         The Dip by Seth Godin

·         Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

12 Mile Indiana #farmlife

It has become an annual tradition to load up our car and caravan with friends to go visit Kyle’s mom in the tiny rural city that is Twelve Mile, Indiana.  To an outsider it may seem like an odd choice for a vacation but for those who have experienced the trip it is a utopia of sorts.  This year we brought the biggest crew yet and I’m so thankful that Paul and Deborah are so easy going because anyone else would have been panicked.  We took 6 friends with us this year for a total of 8 twenty something year olds for almost a whole week. 

One of the best things about visiting farm country is that the pace of life is very different.  The farmers work incredibly hard and stay very busy but there is a more relaxed pace.  It is also very quiet and peaceful on the farm.  There is very bad cell phone reception so we all took a break from our constant connection to the internet as well and it’s amazing what a difference that makes.  While we were there we watched lawn mower races, ate at an amazing Italian restaurant in Logansport, went to the river, went to the lake, fed cows, visited buffalo, made bonfires, played guitar, played ladder ball, took naps, read books, and ate way too much!

It was so nice to spend so much time with friends and family and it really recharged my batteries which I really needed.  You often don’t realize how tired you are until you are caught up on sleep and realize how much better you feel!  Now I just have to try and keep that relaxed and content feeling as things get crazy again at work and in life at home.  

Lilly Pulitzer

As I mentioned in my previous post it was Lilly Pulitzer night at the Botanical Garden.  I had already been engaged in some lustful window shopping at their store in Phipps but seeing a garden full of women in gorgeous girly and preppy prints pushed me over the edge.  The good news is they were giving out coupons at the gardens so I decided it was finally time to own a coveted Lilly Pulitzer dress.  This is very atypical behavior for me since I have a general rule that if it isn’t on major sale or clearance then I can live without it.  I set off for Phipps mall and I was excited but also a bit shocked at myself for wanting to buy a designer dress.  Any doubts I had were put to rest when I started trying them on in the cutest fitting room I have ever seen.  If money were no object I would have come home with a half a dozen dresses but I finally settled on the one I wanted and bought it.  I absolutely adore it; it is one of their more subtle prints but as a result I think I’ll be able to get a lot more use out of it.  I also discovered that the Belk’s at Phipps carries their line and they have sales all the time so in the future I may find a way to get Lilly P on clearance after all! 

Our 4th Anniversary

On June 28^th we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary!  In a lot of ways it feels like we have been married longer, not in a bad way, just we have shared in so many experiences together that it seems impossible that it all fit in four years.  We have already built some incredible memories together and I truly feel in my heart that the best is yet to come.  I feel so lucky to have someone like Kyle who pays as much attention to the little details as the big ones.  He is incredibly compassionate and is always there for me.  Even if we both had a bad day we will find a way to make the other person smile or laugh or just share a simple hug and it makes the obstacles seem more bearable.  He helps me stay grounded and keep the right attitude/perspective when I feel stressed or frustrated.  Our relationship is far from perfect but I know he was made for me and we fit together in all the right ways. 

For our anniversary we went to the botanical gardens for cocktails in the garden.  It was Lilly Pulitzer night, more to come on that.  We watched the cooking demonstration in the outdoor kitchen and walked around the orchid house and treetop walkway.  It was hot outside but we enjoyed walking hand in hand and taking in the beauty of the garden.  After the gardens we went to TWO Urban Licks for dinner.  It’s one of our favorite restaurants and it did not disappoint this time either.  The food was incredible and it was nice to be all dressed up and on a date together.  I still get little butterflies in my stomach when we plan special dates like this and that is a great feeling after 10 years together!  We got to watch the sunset through the windows as we finished dinner and it was a great ending to a wonderful date.  He wrote me a handwritten letter and it was so thoughtful and tugged on my heartstrings quite a bit, it was just the right amount of playful and sentimental. 

When we were planning our wedding we made a commitment to one another to renew our vows as a reminder that it’s not a promise you make once but that you continue to make as you grow older together.  So we are looking forward to that next year!

BigStuf 2012

We are in a big transitional period at our church and leading up to camp I kept trying to get excited but I kept thinking through the changes and difficulties.  I was sad that some of our previous leaders wouldn’t be there and I was worried about taking such a large group without a youth pastor.  Finally about a week prior to the trip I started turning my attitude around, mainly because the excitement from all of the kids was contagious.  As we started driving the further I got away from home the more I focused on what a great week it was going to be for the kids and even for us as leaders.

The theme this year was Questions, Quotes, and Camels.  It was an odd theme in my opinion but camp was incredible again this year.  The speakers gave very powerful messages and our group really bonded together.  My favorite part was the worship music; it is overwhelming and melts away all the stress and drama.  Our church also won the sand castle building contest!  We made a living sand castle and made a camel with one of our students Josh as the camel head and we built the rest of the sand castle around him.  During judging he spit water out his mouth and shared facts about camels, it was pretty awesome!

It was a great week for me personally to refocus and remember all the things I have to be thankful for.  On the last night we all meet as a church group and talk about our week and it is one of my favorite parts of the trip.  The kids share their experiences from the week and talk about what God is doing in their hearts and lives.  It is such a wonderful reminder that all the sleep deprivation, camp food, and craziness of the week is absolutely worth it!

BigStuf 2012

Bad Blogger

Wow, it has been a remarkably long time since my last post.  We have taken several great trips this summer and work has been busy so I’m going to blame my absence on those things.  I also have found that I can be extremely disciplined about things but only with a few things at a time.  I think adding in my book a week challenge and my attempt to return to a healthier and more active lifestyle are consuming my free time.  I do have lots of posts to catch up on though so stay tuned for the following posts:

• BigStuf
• Our 4^th Anniversary
• Lilly Pulitzer
• 12 Mile Indiana
•  Book a Week Challenge Update
•  Fruits, Veggies, and Proteins Oh My!