How easily 6 months can change your life.

This picture caught my eye the other day & made me smile.  It brought back so many memories of 2013.  Thirteen has always been 'my' number.  I was born on the 13th, met my husband, got engaged & got married all on the 13th.  I was just sure Hazelnut would be born on the 13th- a week early (but she wasn't).

So my entire life I'd been looking forward to the year 2013.  I mean-- a whole year of the number 13?  What could be better?

I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but I am thankful for the year that we had.  Each negative thing had a positive right behind it to overshadow it.  I crave stability in life & this year has been full of stability.

Back to the picture.  It was taken in April at our old apartment.  If you had told me in April (the month taxes were due. mind you) that we'd be in our own house right now I would have laughed.  Even Josh, the big dreamer, probably would have laughed.  Some unexpected taxes had battered our savings & although we knew we could save it again, a down payment & mortgage was just out of the question.

But six months later, we were signing a large stack of paperwork & painting our new house.  Two and a half months later I'm still in shock.  God's blessings have been so great this year, I can't even understand it.  I'm so thankful for it.


The apartment seems like it was years ago.  Our house has only ever know one other owner.  We hear stories about the family that lived there-- all wonderful, heartwarming stories.  They raised their children there, grew old together, and you can feel it as soon as you walk in.

I can't wait to continue that tradition & I'm honored to be a part of it.  Here's to many more fantastic years.

Six months can easily change you life-- for the better or for the worse.  Life is fragile, and I'm thankful mine was for the better & pray that continues.

Love who you are.

Comparison is the thief of joy. -Theodore Roosevelt

There are a lot of contradicting messages out there to soak in.  Pinterest is full of amazing decorations, parties, lunches, etc.  There are countless blog posts from moms practically bragging that they don't have it all together... that their house is messy & their kids ate Doritos for dinner.  And don't even get me started on parenting tirades covering everything from infant sleep to breastfeeding to discipline.

Here's the thing.  I'm definitely not an 'everyone gets a trophy' type of person, but sometimes, that's just the way it is. This world needs all types, so please, find your type & go with it!

Love who you are.

And instead of cutting someone else down or making it seem uncool... appreciate it.  Appreciate them.  Celebrate whatever it is.

If you are great at decorating, awesome.  Please always take pictures & post them on Pinterest!  Yes, be a show off.  Be proud of yourself.  And the rest of us need to cheer you on.

Is you house constantly messy?  Are you okay with it?  If so, then embrace it.  Don't skip over posting a cute picture of your kid because the background is messy.  Your kid is cute, so celebrate it.  And the rest of us need to celebrate it, too.

Is your kid not sleeping?  Sure-- search the interwebs for some ideas!  But also, remember that every kid is different.  I found a method that worked absolutely wonderful for my kid and yes, I would highly suggest you use it for yours.  But you may choose another route & that's okay.  It's the beauty of having your own kid-- you get to craft him/her into a tiny human that you like.

I could go on & on.  Every mom could.  It's a constant barrage of messages we're met with each day. 

So I'm working to do my part & I hope you do, too!  What's your part, you ask?

Each time I feel myself thinking too much about something, I think of a way to celebrate it. 

Does someone's Facebook post bother you?  Find a way to celebrate.  See a friend who just had a baby & looks amazing?  (WAY more amazing than you ever did after having a baby?)  Celebrate it.  Share in her joy.  Really truly celebrate.

Comparison is the thief of joy because there is no comparison.  We're just not all the same.  You can't compare yourself to an 18 year old version of you, or a 34 year old version of anyone else.

Love who you are.

Celebrate others.

Why I Don't Sing with my Husband.

"Why don't you sing with your husband?"

"Why do you & your husband go to different churches?"

"Doesn't it bother you?"

My husband works at a church. He is a worship leader at one of our church's three campuses. Last year I auditioned to sing as a background vocalist & they had an opening to sing at the new campus, but not the one where my husband leads. So I started singing at the new campus & I love it! But I get a lot of questions & people look at me like I'm crazy sometimes.

Photo Courtesy

You see, when it comes to volunteering, it's not about being glamorous or hanging with your friends (or husband). It's not about convenience. It's about serving God & others. It's about being available. When we first moved here 2 years ago I said I would volunteer wherever I was needed. At first, that meant standing out in the freezing cold, collecting cans & packing them in boxes. Then the preschool department called dibs on me so I worked in various aspects there until I finally landed on leading worship for 2-4 year olds. It was fun... even if I did have to wear an orange shirt!

But after a year & a half, I finally got up the nerve to audition for background vocalist. I love singing but I had a few fears:

1) That I wouldn't make the cut.

2) That I was auditioning for the wrong reasons.

Photo Courtesy

I was scared that I just wanted to be in the spotlight. That I just wanted the attention. I love attention & am naturally an extrovert so I really had to dig deep to make sure that I was doing it for the right reasons.

After a lot of prayer, I realized that I really will volunteer anywhere so long as my daughter & family life don't suffer from the time commitment.

So once I made the band, we soon realized that there were not going to be any open spaces on the worship team my husband leads. Not only that, but there is sort of a waiting list for it & I'm 2nd on that proverbial list.

And here I am. Singing at a totally different campus from my husband. And I love it! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to sing with him, but here I'm forced to be out of my comfort zone. I'm meeting new people & enjoying the friendships. Heck, the new campus is actually much closer to our house so that makes it even easier. Did I mention that the stage is bigger, there are more seats, & everything is brand spanking new?

Everything is for a season & this is our season. I'm sure we won't be at different campuses 10 years from now. Plus, it's not like we can sit in the service together anyway, so not much is different other than the building I am in.

And... now I know, in case I had any doubts. I am still volunteering for the right reasons. I will go where I'm needed, not where is fun or where my friends are. It's not about me- its about serving God & others!

Practicing Joy & Thankfulness.

For the past couple of years I've intentionally tried to find the joy in every day things, and especially in the negative or disappointing things.  At first it was a challenge, seeing as how we were in debt, made little money, and felt like there was no light at the end of that tunnel.  But as I did it more, it became very easy over time:

Atlanta:
Our only car broke down & was going to cost $1,500 to fix it.  Josh was 2 states away & we had no family around.  ----- The joy?  We had co-workers that cared enough to drive out of their way to help.  AND we had enough cash to fix the car.

Greenville:
Josh was out of town & our dog needed immediate vet attention (think: blood gushing from his head).  ---- The joy?  Again, we had friends who were able to to drive me to the vet.  And again, we had the cash to cover it.  It was something the vet was able to take care of, and that dog is still alive & well.

Those are extreme examples, but it's taught me to be thankful for everything, and that I have a billion things to be thankful for on any given day.

God has always blessed us immensely in our marriage.  But when we moved to Virginia, the blessings just multiplied.  For us, it was confirmation that we were doing what God wanted us to do.  Yeah, living 8 hours from our families really stinks.  We have awesome families!  But God has given us truly amazing friends here... friends that are family to us.

And since having Hazelnut... oh my.  The blessings just don't end.  The joy just doesn't end.  In November, when everyone started putting something they were thankful for each day on their Facebook status, I wanted to follow suit.  But then I realized... I already do that.  And I couldn't possibly make it just one post per day!

Now, I am in no way saying that you shouldn't write your thankfulness in an organized Facebook status.  In fact, I think you should!  Every day.  Or whenever you think of it.  Keep a happy heart.  Share your heart.  Share your joys.  Find the joy.  Just know that you don't have to be organized with it.  If that's too much pressure, then just do it anyway, without all the organization.  Just write what you're thankful for.  Or take a picture of something that you find joy in.  Don't hold back because you can't commit.  Do it anyway.

And one last thing.  The most important thing.  Where do you find your joy?  If I found my joy in finances, a clean house, a perfect child, a perfect job... anything here on earth... then I would be terribly let down.  All those things come & go, but God is always there.  He is where I need to find my joy... and the joy will always be there.

So go, be joyful!  Be thankful!  What do you have to be joyful for today?