Note to Self....

Do nothing half way... dive in head first. Be all in or all out.

Talk to the guy that you can't get out of your head... he just might be worth the risk.

Choose the career path that seems the least practical but fills you with the most passion. So much so that it makes your heart beat faster when you think about it.

Talk to and befriend interesting people even when your inner introvert is cringing and just wants to run away.

Carve out your own path, go against the grain, and dance to the beat of your own drum.

Dance as much as you can whenever you can... even with two really left feet.

Know that taking care of the body that God gave you is more worth it and more rewarding than the chocolate cake. But don't forget to have the chocolate cake every now and again... that way you don't end up hurting anyone.

Listen to all the music all day if it brings you joy and makes your world feel even the slightest bit more magical.

Explore and discover all the beautiful places that happen to be right in your own back yard.... that you often take for granted.

Get your cute little behind off the computer and out of the house. Because no filtered photo on Instagram or Pinterest can compete with the way the sun dances over water right before your very own eyes.

Sit in the café and sip the coffee just because it makes you happy.

Pour your heart out to God but don't forget to sit and be silent enough to hear Him speak.

Let your creativity run free and don't discredit your ideas no matter how big or crazy they may seem.

Let the naysayers tell you that ordinary people don't actually do what you want to do. Smile to yourself knowing that you are anything but ordinary.

Don't live as though you have to impress or prove anything to anyone. This is not a race. Find the joy in surprising yourself with just how capable you really are.

Bloom where you are planted and be where your feet are. But sometimes have the courage to just burn it down and walk away. Shed a few tears for the places and people who loved you well that you are leaving behind. They deserve it. When you need to leave, then leave.

Don't worry if you make a mistake... it's better than doing nothing at all. You will learn from it and it won't be in vain.

Never forget that your dreams and God's plans are often two very different things. But God's plans are always better than anything you could ever dream up.

And when the way looks impossible and all seems lost, know that God can make a way in the wilderness and streams in the dessert.

My Phrase for 2015… His Plan is Better

I know, I know, we’re already a couple months into 2015 but I’m somewhat behind on blogging here, so bear with me as I race to catch up.

It’s a pretty common practice among us bloggers to choose a word for the New Year. A word that will set the tone so to speak and inspire the direction we hope our year takes. If you’ve been a part of the blogosphere as a writer or even just as a reader then I’m sure you know this. I’ve done this for the past few years now and I love the idea of it. It always made me feel hopeful for the new year, for a new start when maybe I was having a hard time doing that. But I have to be honest, this year… I could not even go there. I just couldn’t. I was totally and completely over it. Every pretty, inspiring, fluffy word felt fake and phony to me.

You see, the thing is, I was really dreading the clock striking 12 and the year changing into 2015. All that it meant to me was a list, a long list of all the things I didn’t accomplish in 2014. All the things I hoped and dreamed for it to be that it just wasn’t. It meant so much of what I planned that just didn’t happen. It meant that I had to face all the ways I didn’t change and didn’t grow. It was swallowing some hard truths… and it hurt. And I was a mere minute from falling apart at the thought of midnight on New Years Eve. And I hate that because I love celebrating that holiday with my family. But that’s where my heart was.

Somehow I made it through New Years Eve without any tears… this I believe is due in part to the yummy cheese fondue that we ate that night lol. But a few nights later, I was thinking about my plans that didn’t happen last year as I was scrolling through pictures of people who were doing that very thing. Needless to say, that sort of broke me. In tears at that point I started praying and asking God why weren’t these things happening for me? Why does it seem impossible for me to get to where I’ve been trying to go for what feels like forever?

Now, trust me, I’m not one to over spiritualize things and I try to be very very careful about saying the words “God told me” or “God spoke to me”… but at that moment I really did feel Him place these words into my heart: My plan is better.

(Source)

That was it. No bells or whistles. Just four words… a reminder that His plan is better.  Was it God? I hope so. I think so. All I know is that it was a huge comfort to me and it’s something I’ve been repeating to myself since then. His plan is better. Everytime I start to worry, stress, or get antsy… His plan is better. Everytime I start to look back in regret and frustration or look forward in fear and confusion…. His plan is better. Everytime I get tempted to ignore His voice and go my own way… His plan is better.

So this year, I don’t have a word… I have a whole phrase. His plan is better.

Currently Loving…

Songs in French – here, here, and here. I may not be able to understand a word of these songs but, it doesn’t matter,  they’re beautiful. Kinda obsessed with this language right now. It’s so lovely to me! Dying to learn it!

This poem by spoken word artist, Anis Mojgani… what can I say? It’s breathtaking. No matter how many times I hear it it always seems to affect me in the same way, chills. I find myself listening to this, eyes closed, smile on my face. He really believes every word he says in this poem… so do I.

 

These quotes from Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Okay, so I never actually watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s until just a couple weeks ago. I know, cray, right? I had seen bits & pieces of it but had never sat down and really paid attention to the whole movie. I fell in love with it! Loved the dialogue, Audrey Hepburn was so classy, and the end? Are you kidding me?! I was a train wreak!  Maybe it was the whole cat being abandoned in the rain thing… then she finally realizes that she needs the cat and the cat needs her and she needs Paul. Yeah, it had me in the “ugly cry”… glad no one was around to see it. lol.

“Paper Aeroplane” by Angus & Julia Stone. Everything about this song and video is perfect! "Gotta say mmmm..." Le sigh… :)

 

One of my favorite bloggers, Hannah Brencher  (who also heads up the organization The World Needs More Love Letters) wrote this beautiful blog back in June.  This girl has such an amazing gift for writing! Her words never fail to touch my heart and inspire me. This is one of my favorites!

Can I just tell you how much I love art journal & mixed media artist, Suzi Blu?! Her creative videos and quirky & whimsy personality so inspire me! Her outlook on art is that it should be a part of your everyday life and that everyone can make art. And she will help you do that in her online art classes!! She’s quirky, artsy, weird ( in the best way), and eccentric… and I kinda love people like that.  :)

The Whole Point – Thoughts on blogging

I was recently in a very nostalgic music mood and started looking up old songs from my childhood on YouTube. Well of course for a Christian kid who grew up immersed in the world of "CCM" that meant lots old Amy Grant songs lol. Her music was my childhood in a nut shell. While I was searching, I came across an interview she did while recording her 1994 album, "House of Love"... an album of which my best friend at the time & I totally wore out! Singing & dancing to every song. Anyway, I love listening to Amy speak, she never fails to inspire me in some way. These words about what compels her do music just stuck with me:

"I guess really what compels me to do music in such a public way is that I do think life is short and if you don't really share yourself, share who you really are with other people well, you've really missed the whole point. When that's really all we can do at the end of the day."

This quote is so timely for me as I have lately been thinking a lot about why I blog... why I've done it for as long as have and why I continue to come back to this place. Because honestly, sometimes I'm not quite sure why.

I've never had a lot of readers or comments... though to be sure, I am very grateful for who ever would take the time out of their day to read anything I write. But this little blog of mine is just that, little. And I'm never sure if anyone is really following along. And then I have so many frustrations with how blogging has changed over the years. It's changed drastically since I first started back in 2009. In some ways good but in a lot of ways not so good, in my opinion.

Yet for all my frustrations I, for some reason, keep coming back... and maybe the reason is that something inside of me is simply compelled to share my heart and life with other people. Even if it's just a small group of people… and even if it is sporadically, as my blogging tends to be lol. It means something to me. It means something to me to have a place for self expression, sharing myself with others… and maybe somehow finding community in the midst of it all. Isn’t that what we all started blogging for in the first place? You know, before number of followers, comments, sponsorships, and “building our brand” got in the way?

Maybe I'll never have hundreds of followers and comments... maybe I'll never do any sponsorships or giveaways, but if  I can just share my heart and life with you, the person reading right now, then maybe it's worth it to keep coming back. To share recipes, music, crafts, and my words with you is to share pieces of who I am. And if I can give you just a small glimpse into who I am and what I'm about then maybe this whole blogging thing will be worth something at the end of the day.

Which I will be the very first to admit that I'm not so good at doing this. I think I tend to be pretty private and in turn pretty hard to get to know. But blogging can give you the odd sort of courage to break down some of your walls in order to share and let yourself be known. And I really want to try and have the courage to blog from this place and in this perspective from now on.

I mean, because to not share myself with other people, not only on this blog but in my everyday face to face relationships, would really be missing the whole point, don't you think?

And just for the heck of it, here are a couple of my favorite Amy Grant songs from the House of Love album. Not ashamed to say that I still know all the words lol. : “Lucky One”, “House of Love”.