Chitter Chatter Late on a Saturday Night

October 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

It’s been a weird day.

Weird in a not-so-good way, so I’m very thankful that today is almost over and I get

to start again tomorrow.

Thanks, God, for your new mercies. I will be intentionally soak

ing them all in tomorrow.

To be honest, I would love to have a virtual coffee date with you all right now. Unfortunately, I’ve reached my max for caffeine with an Americano and a Diet Coke, both since 2:00 today, and I need to sleep tonight. Enough said. :)

Instead, we can just talk while I finish up my late-night, day-off snack of tortilla chips and melted, buffalo flavored Velveeta. Seriously, it’s good, but I was also raised on processed cheese, so I think it always tastes good…I think certain friends I have who were raised on dairy farms would disagree with my thinking.

😉 I will tell ya, though, that over in Indonesia, I missed Velveeta so badly that I once had a friend bring me a huge two pound block of it when she came back after Christmas one year.

It was glorious. And I didn’t share…at all.

I’ve been trying to pull three mile runs in the mornings when I go out.

That’s almost double what I was running for so long that it feels like a lot. The good news is, I think I might actually be ready to run this 5k next weekend. I’m not looking forward to running in the cold…or being cold, in general, but I do like the whole chocolate everywhere thing. I WILL run for chocolate.

:)

And as a bonus, since packet pick-up is only Thursday and Friday, and since I also have praise team Thursday night, Tobin took Friday off.

We’re gonna trek downtown, pick up my stuff, then go check out an Indonesian restaurant…possibly the only one in all of Chicago. Bring on the sate and rendang and pisang goreng…woohoo!

I could not be more excited about Indonesian food.

And I NEVER got excited about it when we lived there. Funny.

While I’ve tried to not obsess on the blog about weight loss, today was monumental.

I’m a pound UNDER my pre-baby weight.

I saw a number on the scale today that I thought I might never see again…and I loved it so much that I went for a three mile run…and then ate a bagel. (It was worth it, since I know you’re all wondering!) And tomorrow night at my weekly workout with friends, we’re gonna celebrate with these.

If you’ve never tried one, you should. For an energy bar, they’re pretty amazing. And I like that they’re not full of grainy stuff…I don’t feel like I’m eating cardboard.

So I love my daughter.

Really. But somewhere between Tuesday and today, she decided that one hour naps AND shorter nights are enough for her. She has been giving me about an hour nap each afternoon and sleeping about an hour less at night, too. I am not sure what to think of this… it kinda makes me grumpy if I think about

it too long. I always enjoyed my afternoons when she was napping because I could catch up on blogging and squeeze in some strength training and shower before she even woke up.

Life as we know it has changed.

Thankfully, she is generally JOYful just to run through the house and get into things. I love that about her, minus the getting into things part.

😉 And just look at what she built all by herself today…she truly amazes me. :)

Every year I spend $1 in the Target Dollar Section.

(Ok, ok, so I spend a LOT more than a dollar every year, but THIS dollar is for something specific…) I joke that it’s the best dollar I ever spend…but that might be true. I buy a little day planner that’s the perfect size…I write my life in it and take it everywhere I go. I actually bought one at Michael’s a couple weeks ago because Target didn’t have theirs out yet, but as I was wandering through the Dollar Section today, I saw this.

And I totally spent another dollar because it’s way too perfect.

Think God is trying to remind me of something

?

After a day like today, JOY is hard. My heart is not ok, and I’ve cried more than I want to admit. I feel broken, I feel lost…and the only thing remotely salvaging tonight is the fact that I know God is there…and that He’s able to fix broken and find lost.

And His mercies are new Every.

Single. Morning.

Praise Him for that.

I need to wind this up…long, emotional days require extra sleep, and you don’t need to ask me twice to sleep. 😉

G’nite.

Sig

Filed Under: coffee, just life, Maelie, random, running, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 13)

October 28, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

:) A night of praise music.

:) Percussion instruments.

:) A quick visit today with some dear friends from Indonesia.

:) Seeing my daughter spread the love around tonight

at church.

:) Learning discipline in some areas…and seeing the areas in which I still need it.

:) Funky earrings.

:) A day in the 50’s, giving me an excuse for flip flops tonight.

:) Seeing God’s purpose for something…after the fact.

:) A tired girl who will (hopefully!) sleep in a bit tomorrow morning!

:) Missing Indonesia…and remembering how wonderful it was.

Thanking God for blessings today.

What about you?

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life, random

Flashback…Thursday?

October 27, 2011 by · 4 Comments

I was chatting with a friend today and remembered that we had this.

To be honest, it’s kind of embarrassing and yet, at the same time, a wonderful memory.

I am hugely pregnant,  SO not a beautiful pregnant woman at all, AND I talk about sweat running down my nose.

Trust me, if you had been there, you would have had sweat running down your nose, too. 😉

But I love it anyway.

So, ignore the weirdness that we are, and enjoy the beautiful beach and Maelie’s first “trip” to Bali. :)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Indonesia, just life, Maelie, travel

The Power of a Story

October 26, 2011 by · 2 Comments

I love stories…hearing them, sharing them, speaking them, wr iti

ng them.

What most of you probably don’t know about me is that up until college, I was deathly afraid of speaking…in public, in a group, in class.

Anything more than one

on one? Sent my pulse through the roof.

Thankfully, and only through God’s grace, I was able to overcome that fear in college, mostly because I was put in several situations where I had to get over it. Amazing what a person can do when they’re really faced with no choice but to just do it. 😉

The thing is…I’m SO glad I was put in those situations, because I learned something.

Like… talking to people is enjoyable, and sharing stories is even better.

I love to hear about people’s lives and the events that have brought them to where they are today.

To be fair, I also do my share of telling my own stories.

😉

When someone chooses to share a part of their life with me, I feel like they’re saying, I trust you enough to be vulnerable and give you a tiny (or not-so-tiny) piece of my life.

No matter where I’ve been… those stories from

those friends are what make up memories.

And those memories are often all I have of people to whom I’ve said goodbye and probably won’t see again until heaven.

So…I think a story is pretty powerful.

I touched on that today in my new blog post for the Algonquin Patch. I hope you’ll hop over there and check it out.

Thanks for reading, my friends.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, the Patch, writing

Look What I Made!

October 25, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Ok, I’ m pretty excited that

my creative streak is coming back.

:)

Awhile ago, a friend bought a necklace/belt (yeah it was both) that I was kinda jealous of. (Ok, ok…so I was really jealous of it.) But I also thought, hey, I can probably make that.

Today I finally did…and to be honest, it

took the longest to decide how I wanted it to look.

Putting it together was easy.

I love it!

And I’m pretty stinkin’ proud that I made it for about 1/6 of what I would have paid for it.

I love inspired moments.

:)

P.S. Anyone want one

? I’m thinking about selling them…really.

Sig

Filed Under: just life

Storytime

October 24, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I am not the most stellar book-reader.

But my daughter?

Is very,

very cute when she is being read to.

 

Enough said. :)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life, Maelie

October Thunder

October 23, 2011 by · 2 Comments

God gave me a little gift tonight.

Thunder.

Oh, I do love a good thunderstorm.

So I’m curling up on the couch under a blanket and having a little chat with you all before I hit the hay way too late.

Again.

God has been impressing on my heart the word obsession lately, and it’s challenged me to think through the things I obsess over and whether they are worthwhile. That will probably be a blog post for another day…but let’s just say that

it’s making me re-evaluate my idea of balancing things.

I made a small-world connection last week at Firefly with a guy who is shooting a movie, and he wanted to use the exterior of our house for a few scenes. He shot a couple of them today, and it was cool to kind of see what goes on with something like that.

In chatting with him after that, I found out that he graduated from college with one of my good friends that I taught in Indonesia with.

Small world just became microscopic.

Goodness, connections are funny things, huh?

Sundays just make me really happy.

I love going to our church…and while no service is perfect with a 16 month-old, I always leave feeling challenged and encouraged.

This Sunday made me even happier because after Mae was down for her afternoon nap, I wrote my Patch article and took a nap myself.

It was wonderful, and I fell into such a deep sleep that I had a very hard time waking up.

I had the sudden realization today that next month is November, and I’m not sure what to do with that.

I suppose I should look on the bright side and realize that I can decorate for Christmas…I really love putting up the tree and decorations.

And…ahem…eating the cookies.

😉

The thunder is still going strong outside, and I’m tempted to keep writing, but I know I need to crash if I’ m going to get up for a run in the

morning.

I’m hoping it will continue for a bit longer because, in my opinion, there’s nothing better th an f

alling asleep during a thunderstorm.

I wish they could happen every day.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 12)

October 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

:) I might actually be ready to RUN an entire 5k in two weeks!

Yay for motivation!

:) A sweet girl who continues to as

tound us.

Her newest wor

d? Strawberry, or as she says it, strawbaby. Too cute!

:) My creative juices are definitely flowing again! I finished the necklace I was working on today and even made myself a pair of funky earrings, which I was going to post a picture of… but I forgot.

Maybe tomorrow. I can’t wait to keep creating!

:) Facing a situation recently where I was able to choose JOY.

:) A chat with a friend today that encouraged my heart.

:) More friend time tonight…perfect night for a fire in the

fire pit.

:) God’s Word…and how He truly does give us an answer for everything we might be facing.

:) Sleeping in ’til 7 tomorrow…hopefully!

:) Three less loads of laundry to fold.

:) Answered prayer and new opportunities.

:) An idea for my Patch article.

:) Being loved.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life, random

Finding JOY

October 21, 2011 by · 1 Comment

I had a really rough day yesterday.

The kind of day that, when faced with blogging at the end of it, I couldn’t do it.

I couldn’t write, I couldn’t think…so I wrote fluff.

Like, real, stupid fluff. Very rarely does the quality of my writing stoop to that level.

Last night when finally got into bed, I felt my fingers grasp the small silver circle I wear on a chain around my neck.

It’s simple. It contains the stamp of a small flower and three letters.

J.O.Y.

I wear it in memory of my friend. I wear it to remind myself of the JOY I have because I have a Father Who loves me and values me. I wear it to help myself remember to choose that JOY each and every moment.

And I have to be honest with you that last night I wanted to do anything but choose it.

In fact, I would have been happier to throw it all out the window.

It wasn’t a good day. It started off fine, but by afternoon, it wasn’t so good.

I couldn’t string a sentence together to s

ave my life. There’s no post for the Patch this week.

I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. I felt worthless.

Tobin and I had a pretty good argument which ended, as usual, with me in tears. I got to leave for grocery shopping with eyes so puffy and red that I felt everyone staring at me.

It ended up being a late night, and by the time I literally crawled under the covers, all I wanted to do was forget about everything, including the JOY I’m supposed to have.

That JOY…that choice.

The one that says, I’m going to make the best of this and be happy with life no matter what I’m given.

And that’s when I thought about her…that girl. Gitz, who was so joyf

ul. I didn’t visit her condo, the one she stayed in 24/7 for years. I didn’t ever meet her in person, only in the words of life that she spoke through her blog. I didn’t read her complaints… I read her joyful words.

In one of her posts, she wrote the following, and I thought through those words last night.

A reader asked her, “How do you manage to stay so positive

? So happy? Don’t you ever just get really mad?”

Here’ s her an

swer.

I suppose the cop out answer, while true, is that I just don’t have the energy to be mad. Seriously. It takes so much effort and energy to wallow. And it’s not any fun.

I live 99.8% of my time alone, and if anger was all I had to
live with I would lose my mind.

I think, for me, it has been about learning to want what He wants for me more than what I want for myself. It’s a tall order and I don’t say that flippantly. But my joy has truly come from Him finding His joy in me rather than me finding my joy in what I desire.

It doesn’t mean I don’t long for different, it just means I find peace in fulfilling rather than understanding.

In the knowledge that this life isn’t about me, it’s about Him.

The thing I try to remind myself of, as I am without all the things that I wish I had to make me happy, is that my biggest need is Him. More than I need to be outside in the fresh air, more than I need to move without pain, more than I even need Dad… I need His will to be done in my life whether it is comfortable or not. There is not one thing that feels comfortable about my world right now, but I need Him more than I need to change my circumstances.

It’s still brutally hard. I have to remind myself of these facts every day. It doesn’ t always come easily.

But it doesn’t make the truth any less true.

And the truth is that I can choose the joy.

So I do.

This morning I woke up and went for my run. Two miles in the somewhat-freezing cold, and I smiled the whole time.

I came home, got my girl ready for the day, and we headed to church to help with something. After, we went out with two friends who always make me smile…and it was good.

My heart was happy, and the truth is, I know that every day won’t be like this…but there is still so much JOY in my life around me, even on those days when I can’t see it.

But if Sara could find it, I know I can.

I miss her. But I also know that, at this very moment, she is more JOYful than she’ s ever been.

And that’ s pretty cool.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, where I am

Random…With Some Help From a Friend

October 20, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Tonight, friends, you are in for

a treat!

My sweet friend, Lex, aka: Whoopie Pie Queen, is helping me come up with the random that makes

up a day.

Just for your information, at this late hour, neither of us claim total responsibility for the randomness and/or craziness that may come from this post.

Here we go!

#1: If you’re having a crappy day and your eyes are all puffy from crying, walk down the coffee aisle at the grocery store.

Just sayin’…it made me feel a little better.

#2: Lamps from the clearance section at Target can often turn into cool decorations.

#3: Always leave at least one safety lock open on your windows so you can break into the house if necessary.

This is wisdom spoken from very recent experience.

#4: Google Maps and GPS cannot always be trusted to get you to your location. This is being written by a girl who had a very, very early coffee date this morning and couldn’t find the hotel where she needed to pick up her friend  in the dark.

Frus. Trat. Ing.

#5: I just want french fries and chocolate. I want them so badly, I would eat them together. Mmmmm.

Have you had enough random

?

I’ll be back tomorrow… hopefully a little more awake.

:)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: random
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