Little Blessings (Pt. 30)

April 4, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) My daughter “jamming” to Parachute Band with me. (We are desperately trying to get good video of this…it’s too stinkin’ cute.)

:) Being part of church choir. The people there make me smile.

:) A friend who shares her Diet Coke.

:) Spur-of-the-moment ice cream dates with friends.

:) Prayer…seeing it answered, the blessing that comes from lifting up others, and knowing I’m being prayed for, too.

:) Sore abs. And shoulders and legs and, well… Musta been a good workout the other night. 😉

:) Lullabies and bedtime stories and cuddling with Mae.

:) Goodwill. I’m mucho lovin’ that store right now. Maybe forever. 😉

:) Being held…and learning to rest.

:) Reflections on perfect Love and sacrifice.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life

Complete

April 3, 2012 by · 7 Comments

So I posted a song yesterday.

Before I read my devotions for today.

You’ll never guess what it was about. :)

So, I’m gonna talk about that for awhile…I know you don’t mind. :)

A huge part of my personality is the fact that I am very social. I need to be around people often, otherwise I go stir-crazy. (And often get pretty crabby.) It’s just the way I’m wired…I get my energy from being around friends and my hubby and (of course!) my wonderfully social and amazingly talkative daughter.

One thing I’ve noticed is that because I get so much energy (and JOY) from people around me, it’s very easy to find my worth in them. What they think of me is important, often more than it should be…

And as a result, sometimes I look to them to feel complete.

That can be a tall order for a human to fill.

I often think of the day I married Tobin…August 3, 2002. I still remember so many details of it, from the donut I had for breakfast to my awesome hair. (Is it bad that my hair was probably my favorite part of the day?!) And from being sneaky and putting my garter on AFTER the ceremony so I wouldn’t have to wear it to completely losing it when we were dismissing guests and I said goodbye to my adopted parents from college. (I had to sneak into the bathroom to redo my makeup! ;))

Good or bad, those memories make up the day when I was sure that I had everything I would ever need now that I had married Tobin.

Without realizing it, I’d called up a pretty tall order for him.

How does a human possibly have it in them to complete another?

They don’t.

Over the years, Tobin and I have had a lot of mountains and valleys. When you throw four houses, three cities, two countries, and one baby into almost ten years of marriage…it’s to be expected.

I’d often find myself feeling empty whenever we were struggling. This person…the one I had expected to be everything that I didn’t have in me…wasn’t following through.

Wasn’t being what I needed to feel complete.

And yet, I know that I can’t look to people to be what completes me. We all know that.

But knowing it and believing it are two different things.

This is some of what I read this morning…

“…In Me you have everything.”

“…Since I am infinite and abundantly accessible to you, desiring Me above all else is the best way to live.”

“…It is impossible for you to have a need that I cannot meet.”

Firm…but gentle…reminders of

All that He is.

And all that I’m not.

And all that my friends and family cannot be.

Because He wants to be IT…what completes me.

Just where my heart is today.

Thanks for reading. :)

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, marriage, remembering, Tobin, what I'm learning, where I am

Morocco Love

April 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Ok, thanks for being so patient!

Here are the long-awaited photos from our quick jaunt to Tangier, Morocco.

:) 

Our transportation from Spain to Morocco, across the Strait of Gibraltar. (aka: the ferry that made me sick. ;))

Me on the ferry…smiling and determined to not lose my breakfast. It was kind of a bummer that the ferry was pretty sweet…it had a bar and cafe and tables so we could play games…had I been able to actually sit up. 😉 However, I can’t complain too much. The Dramamine worked and I got to enjoy Morocco.

Us at the northwestern most point in Africa. Interesting travel fact about us…we’ve now been to the northwesternmost and southernmost points in Africa, but nowhere in between. I’m thinkin’ another trip to Africa should be in our future. :)

Baby camel love. I wanted to bring him (or her!) home with me. So soft and cuddly. :)

The obligatory camel ride…that was pretty cool. Something to cross off the bucket list that I haven’t yet written. 😉

Just a cool shot from the coast.

And another…cause I couldn’t decide between them. :)

This was, I think, taken at a different place along the tour. The water was so incredibly beautiful. (But COLD!)

Since living in Indo, I am largely unimpressed by snake shows/charmers. And, to be honest, cobras bring back memories I don’t want to revisit. However, this stop provided a cool opportunity to share with our tour guide that we’d been missionaries, and he was especially intrigued with my snake stories…never thought those would come in handy! 😉

And…we begin the obsession with doors. :) Morocco had cool doors. This one is famous, but I can’t remember for what. But if you Google “green door Tangier”, I’m pretty sure you’ll find out why. 😉

I’m such a dork…no idea why I was laughing. But the door is cool. :)

I like this one. The door AND me. :)

Included in our tour was an authentic Moroccan meal. The soup was ok and the bread was good. The meat was just ok. The couscous was really soggy. But this? I suppose when you cover any pastry with gooey, sugary, caramely yumminess, you’re bound to come up with a winner. Dessert was GOOD. And definitely worthy of making the blog. 😉

So, Morocco was good…the tiny part we saw of it. Truthfully, I can’t wait to go back and explore more of it…the part that doesn’t include pushy sellers and snake charmers. I knew that once I got a taste of it, I’d want to explore more of it…so we’ll see. Maybe for our 15th, honey? 😉

I honestly feel so blessed that we’ve had the opportunities to travel that we have. The world is so incredibly beautiful…and we highly recommend seeing it! (Well, the parts we’ve seen, at least! ;))

Thanks for looking, friends.

Coming soon: Pareeeee…and a few more from Spain.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, culture shock, just life, marriage, remembering, Tobin, uncategorized

A Friday Photo

March 30, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

You’ll never guess who Maelie loves. 😉

A sweet friend gave her this today, and to say that it made her week is an understatement. We are pretty blessed. :)

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, friends, just life, Maelie

Life in 700ish Words or Less

March 29, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Maybe tomorrow I’ll switch things up and have hot chocolate or something, but I’m just feelin’ the coffee thing this week. It could be that I’m just tired and desperately trying to keep my eyes open…last night was interesting.

I actually fell asleep pretty early (for me) last night…around 10:30. I slept great until around 4:30 when Mae woke up crying. I checked on her and realized the poor girl, who’d been having tummy issues the day before, had blown through another diaper…all over her pj’s, all over her sheets. (Thankfully NOT all over her blanket and stuffed animals.)

She was so sad and miserable that I just wanted to pick her up and snuggle her, but I had to clean her up first, which took enough time. Once she was in a dry diaper and clean pj’s, we had time to cuddle…oh, it was wonderful, even if it was at 4:30 a.m. 😉

I am completely convinced that Mae is now making up for all the snuggling she didn’t do as an infant. She’s a cuddly sweetheart, and I gladly oblige.

Thankfully, after a song or two and some snuggly moments, she went down again with just a few tears. I threw in a load of laundry and crashed again for a couple of hours.

And while my daughter slept til almost nine and woke up rarin’ to go, I didn’t.

It was kind of a blah, drink-a-pot-of-coffee, kind of morning. Thankfully we had plans to meet a friend at the park for an hour or so. Even though the weather was only upper 40’s, the sun was shining, it was a gorgeous day, and Mae and I both had a great time…though she needs to understand that one needs to SIT properly before trying to go down a slide. 😉

When we left the park, I swung by Target to get some Pedialyte to help her tummy. (She thinks it’s juice…I’ll just let her think that for awhile. ;)) Then we headed home for our usual. Lunch, play, stories, snack, nap.

I know I say it all the time, but I feel completely blessed to be able to stay home with my daughter. I love soaking up the simple moments that make our days.

Next week I’m going to start taking guitar lessons from a friend. I’m excited. Yes, it’s one of my 12 in 2012, but I’m excited to potentially progress beyond the self-taught, I-can’t-play-bar-chords, level at which I currently am. I’d really love to play for praise team sometime…I guess we’ll see. At any rate, I’m looking forward to it. :)

So y’all read my post yesterday about the Reese’s eggs? Yeah. I forgot to mention I sorta love jellybeans, too. I am really, really thankful that I waited til less than two weeks before Easter to cave. Less time to consume so much sugar.

So…just a blogging pet peeve of mine. Also, one that proves that though I am very fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants and easygoing, I do have perfectionistic tendencies. WordPress is slowly killin’ me, I think…their formatting for archives is atrocious. Pretty much anything that is even a few weeks old is completely messed up. (Please don’t go look.)

So my goal for April is to update what needs to be updated (which I’m not great about), find a new layout for the blog (which I’m excited about), and try not to care as much (which I’m not sure I can do).

Ugh. Everytime I look at older things I’ve written I just cringe.

And, yet, it reminds me that sometimes things in life are just what they are. We have to accept them and keep going with life and not let ourselves worry and fret over what we can’t change.

God has been teaching me so much lately about trusting Him with things…doing what I can and leaving the rest to Him. It’s cliche, but it’s true.

He does have it figured out.

I know I keep quoting Jesus Calling, but the devotion for today was so exactly where I am.

Maybe it’ll bless you, too. :)

“A life lived close to Me is not complicated or cluttered. When your focus is on My Presence, many things that once troubled you lose their power over you. Though the world around you is messy and confusing, remember that I have overcome the world.”

I love the reminders He gives, just when we need them. :)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, encouragement, just life, Maelie, what I'm learning, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 29)

March 27, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) Mae’s new favorite word. “Ok.” She has suddenly turned into a much more agreeable child.

:) Reading in the late afternoon sunshine.

:) Coffee, scones, and an hour with a dear friend.

:) Thirty minutes spent strolling the aisles of Target. Alone.

:) Gorgeous weather and grilling brats. Is it really March?!?!

:) The reminder of new life that spring brings.

:) Singing lullabies to my daughter while she snuggles close. I want to freeze time.

:) Perfect early-morning running weather.

:) A pretty important goal (to me) reached.

:) Hope…and my Father, in Whom I find it.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, coffee, friends, just life, where I am

It’s Late? Let’s Talk About Stuff.

March 26, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Yeah, it’s totally late.

And I’m drinking more of that coffee…

I really need to stop with the caffeine at night.

Tonight was my weekly workout with my awesome girlfriends.

It. Is. Tough. Seriously tough.

Our fearless leader knows her stuff…and knows how to make us sweat. We start off our workout with twelve minutes of stairs, alternating one at a time, then two. It’s crazy and always the worst part of the night, for me at least. :) Then we spend the next hour doing weights and (evil) lunges 😉 and more cardio and sometimes some yoga.

I’m pretty sure I burn an entire day’s worth of calories.

But it’s so, so good.

I’m not sure if I love the actual working out part, but I love the group of women who are there. It’s just a good time. So Monday nights are one of the highlights of my week.

But they are also pretty late nights because I almost never blog before I go. As my wonderful husband pointed out to me, as I was sitting down at the computer at 10:30 pm…”Um, honey, you don’t have to blog.”

I know that. But I want to. :)

So Mae and I have a wide open week, mostly. It’s spring break for Immanuel, Bible study is cancelled, and several friends are gone. We chilled today and are having coffee with a friend tomorrow morning, but other than that we are free and hoping that the week will somehow fill up a bit. If the weather warms up we’ll probably go to a couple different parks. Maybe grab a Starbucks. Take walks.

Sounds fun. :)

Really random, but Saved by the Bell is on Netflix now. Oh my, what flashback fun. I am not letting myself waste my brain on it too often, but an episode before I go to bed is not a wasted 22 minutes. Good, good times. Now, if only Full House would join the Netflix party…my other favorite from my preteen years.

What happened to TV? Really. (That could be a whole blog post in itself…hmmmm.) 😉

On to more random…I’m turning into a reading junkie. There are so many freebies out there for my Kindle, and a lot of them have actual substance. I stumbled onto this one that is such a cute read…I wish I’d had it when I taught 4th grade…it would have made such a fun read-aloud. (Though, for that one, I paid a whopping $.99…but there are lots of good free ones out there, too.)

Oh, I love books.

There aren’t enough hours in my day to read everything I want to. Sigh.

Well, my coffee mug is empty and I’m watching the clock turn later and later…so I should find my pillow.

G’nite, friends. 😉

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, coffee, friends, just life, reading

Coffee in a Packet + Friend Chats + Painting = JOY

March 25, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

So we’re coffee datin’ it tonight, even though it’s kinda late.

And I’m drinkin’ this.

Some would argue that it’s quality coffee. Or that it’s even actual coffee.

However, I brought a box home with me from Spain.

I like it.

And it reminds me of Indonesia ’cause I drank something similar there all the time. Except that was this. You can’t get it anywhere in this hemisphere, I’m pretty sure. And I miss it.

Since today was not exactly my favorite day ever, for reasons that don’t need to be discussed, it’s good that I’m drinking coffee that came out of a little packet. It kinda cheers me up.

A little.

It has that same, slightly-burnt-coffee taste that is strangely comforting and reminds me of my sweet 4th grade class who would always ask me what flavor I was drinking that day. And it’s only a little ick, mostly good.

Tonight, I’ll take it.

:)

So I’ll just say up front that five hours of sleep when emotions are running high is not a wonderful combination. I really had to search for the JOY in my day today.

What I love is that He always gives it, somehow.

And, thankfully I’ve been blessed with this girl who doesn’t understand what it is to actually have a bad day, though she’s definitely had a few. She just doesn’t get it yet. :) She, most of the time, runs around with a huge smile on her face, spreading sunshine everywhere she goes.

It’s really, really hard to be in a bad mood around that. :)

After church and lunch today, my girl and I took a walk down the street and then ended up at the house across the street, the one I swear she thinks is her second home. 😉 I got a chance to talk to my dear friend for a bit while Mae climbed up and down and up and down and up and down the front steps.

Then it was home for her so she could take the dreaded NAP. She protests it loudly each and every day. It doesn’t change anything.

While she napped, I decided to finally get going on a painting for her room that I’ve had in my head for over a year. I didn’t think I’d actually finish it today, but I did.

I’m happy with how it turned out, even if there were a few little mistakes…that I mostly fixed. 😉 Keep in mind that…1) I’m not technically an artist though I do occasionally paint; 2) lettering is not my gift; and 3) I still don’t love the colors…I wish I had added orange.

Next time. :)

Mae clearly liked it, though…in fact, she wanted to play with it until we finally hung it up on her wall…where she couldn’t reach it! 😉

It was a good ending to a not-so-good day…and things are looking up, I think. :)

The coffee from a packet is definitely helping. :)

Happy end-of-the-weekend, my friends.

Love you.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, friends, just life, Maelie, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 28)

March 22, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) The funny things my daughter does…like pushing the capo for my guitar around in her stroller, yelling, “Capo! Capo!” (her newest word) Hilarious.

:) Wrecking dinner and being blessed with a hubby and daughter who will eat it anyway.

:) Computers that are still under warranty. Oy…

:) An awesome hubby who took Mae over his lunch break so I could go to my sweet friend’s organ recital. And actually sit there and soak it all in. ‘Twas wonderful…the recital AND the fact that I got to just sit for 45 minutes. 😉

:) Nine straight days of flip-flop weather. In March. Yes, please.

:) Walks with friends in the sunshine.

:) My Thursday morning Bible study…I love those women.

:) Something kinda cool that happened this week…I’ll tell you all about it in the next few weeks. But it made me smile really BIG.

:) Wagon rides and walks and playing in the backyard and sliding and trips to the park…with my girl. We have such a good time together.

:) Reminders from my Father this week. It is SO. GOOD. to be loved by Him.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, friends, just life, Maelie, Tobin

Yes, I Drink Caffeine at Night. Sometimes Late.

March 21, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Hi, my name is Mel, and I’m a coffee addict.

I know that’s shocking news to all of you.

So it’s 9 p.m…and a pot of coffee kind of night. Or at least a cup.

It wasn’t a bad one at all…it was actually a really good day.

But I don’t feel like I’ve sat down much…so bring on a cup ‘o joe, my pj pants, and some quality time for me and the blog!

I like to chat about life…what’s up, what’s down, what I’m learning, how He’s working. So let’s talk about that, k? And hopefully, I’ll get through the conversation on just one cup of coffee because, really, I shouldn’t be drinking more than that this late.

Even coffee addicts need sleep. 😉

What’s up? Lots of stuff.

My days are full of Mae…she is such the sunshine. It’s melts my heart and makes me smile really big to see the way she blesses the lives of people around her. She is JOY and random hellos and handshakes and hugs and complete love all rolled up into a pretty stinkin’ cute, albeit slightly-messy-haired, little girl.

And I am incredibly blessed to spend my days with her.

The temperature lately has been UP…therefore my desire for a tan has been elevated, too. :) Truthfully, I’m not the sun worshipper I used to be, but, hey, if there can actually be a tan in March, why not?! I got some good color in Spain and have been able to keep it thanks to Chicago’s glorious, eight consecutive, days of 80’s and sunny.

Love.

The weather has been completely awesome for running, too…I can’t remember ever going for an early morning run in March in a tank top and shorts. Ever. That is motivation enough to get me out of bed at 6:15. Truthfully, I like running in the morning just for the simple fact that I’m done for the day. I don’t particularly like “looking forward” to running because I don’t really “look forward” to running. :) But I like the way I feel after, so I guess that’s a good tradeoff.

What’s down?

Certainly not gas prices. Ugh. But I don’t want to analyze those too much.

The amount of time that Maelie naps during the day is definitely down. I’ve seen this coming…she’s slowly cutting back on her afternoon napping…secretly, I think she just wants to play outside more. :) I have to accept the fact that she’s almost two…it’s the inevitable. Rats…I was hoping she’d take four hour naps til she was six…like her mommy did. True.

But what ISN’T down is her energy level. She just goes and goes and goes. And I think people fall in love with her because she’s so outgoing and loving and just…crazy, big-hearted, Mae. I love her oodles for it, even when I wish she’d sit down for two minutes. 😉

What I’m learning?

Tons…where to even begin.

I’m looking forward to learning more about the wonderfully crazy journey of parenting at Mom’s Bible study. We’re starting a new book, and I really am looking forward to it. I love being a mommy, but I also know that there’s a lot of godly wisdom out there that will help me become much better at it.

I guess this one ties into the next one…

What’s He doing?

I mentioned a few days ago that I bought the book Jesus Calling for my Kindle.

Came across this a couple days ago. I found it challenging, convicting, and, truthfully, I am still chewing on it. I want to process it more with you all, but now is not the time.

But I’ll leave you with it because it’s that good.

“Holiness is letting Me live through you. Since I dwell in you, you are fully equipped to be holy. Pause before responding to people or situations, giving My Spirit space to act through you. Hasty words and actions leave no room for Me; this is atheistic living. I want to inhabit all your moments–gracing your thoughts, words, and behavior.”

Wow.

G’nite, friends.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, encouragement, just life, Maelie, running, what I'm learning, where I am
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