Five-Minute Friday: Beautiful

July 4, 2013 by · 70 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s topic: Beautiful

It’s one of my favorite words that she says…beautiful.

Except she doesn’t say it that way.

Flowers are beaufitul.

Mommy is beaufitul. (according to her, anyway!) 😉

The car is beaufitul. (I adore her.)

It’s one of the few words we won’t correct because it’s just so darn cute. :)

Really, the word, beautiful or beaufitul or however you want to say it…

Is the word I would use to describe this journey.

The journey of mommyhood and being a wife and finding community and dream-chasing.

Oh, it hasn’t been easy…and the days haven’t been perfect.

But when I look back at the end of each day, there is always,

Always

Always a reason to smile.

Life is beautiful.

The blessings He gives are beautiful.

And I’m going to soak up each precious gift He chooses to give.

Especially when those gifts come in the form of a beautiful little girl who says the word in about the most adorable way possible.

Beaufitul.

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Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, family, Five Minute Friday, just life, Maelie, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: In Between

June 27, 2013 by · 54 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s topic: In Between

It’s true what they say…the days are long but the years are short, and we’ve “only” got three years behind us.

I can’t believe how fast it went…how that precious, tiny little girl grew up into such a little lady…one who even steals my headband for certain birthday celebrations. 😉

We celebrated her last week, and it was the strangest mix of joy and disbelief…but really?

Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I. Am. So. Blessed.

Not only am I the one who gets to spend my days with this awesome girlie, but I get all the in between moments…and sometimes those are the best of all.

In between swimming and trying out her new scooter, I get that quick snuggle and I love you, Mommy.

In between a fun morning at the park and the ride home, I get to hold her hand while we walk to the van.

My sweet Mae, let’s hang on to those in between moments and soak them up for all they are.

I hold every one of them in my heart.

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Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, family, Five Minute Friday, just life, Maelie, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Rhythm

June 20, 2013 by · 56 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s topic: Rhythm

My heart wonders sometimes when I think of it…the whole, this is life right now, thing.

I don’t mean that in a bad way…it’s just that the rhythm is different.

Three years into this season of life, and I’m learning what it means to stay, to settle,

to play along with the rhythm of what we have instead of trying to create our own.

It’s not a secret that I thrive on adventure and the crazy that seems to abound around the corners of the less-traveled paths.

But this season, He has clearly said…

Stay.

This is your rhythm for now.

And you know what? I like it…and I’m learning to soak in the blessings and sing the songs that come with it instead of becoming desperate for something new.

Just this week He’s been impressing on my heart the beauty of memories and what was and what will always remain in my heart. And along with that?

He’s showing me the blessings of now,

And the rhythm they bring with them is just amazing.

Feeling grateful tonight for the place He has brought us…and the things He has yet to do.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, barefoot, blessings, encouragement, Five Minute Friday, Indonesia, just life, what I'm learning, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Listen

June 13, 2013 by · 36 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

*****************************

And this week is a little different. :) I have a tradition of writing to my daughter every year on her birthday. Some of my sweet friends who participate in FMF challenged me to take the prompt and do it all at once.

So, my sweet Mae…this five minutes is just for you. Happy 3rd birthday to my favorite girl in the world…I LOVE YOU!

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Today’s topic: Listen

To my sweet girl on her 3rd birthday,

Sometimes I think back to the days when I was praying so hard for a daughter.

Praying so hard for YOU.

I wondered with everything in me if my Father heard me, if He saw the deepest desire in my heart…

That desire to be mama to a sweet little girl.

I knew what I was praying…I prayed it All. The. Time.

And you know what, my girl?

He was listening, as He always is.

He always hears and He always answers in the way that’s best for us.

And three years ago I held you in my arms for the first time.

I remember that day…the way I cradled you and sang to you the first of many, many songs. We began to bond…to be mommy and daughter.

I couldn’t be prouder of the little girl you are…your kind, compassionate heart shines Jesus so beautifully. The way you love others screams of His Love and Grace in your life. Your beautiful smile? Well, it lights up the room every day and my heart every second.

I am so, so thankful for you, my sweet Mae. This past year has been one of the most amazing of my life…and I am so incredibly blessed to have you next to my side as we walk (but mostly dance and skip) this path together.

Please never, ever forget how much I love you…to the moon and back, plus infinity.

Love,
Mommy

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Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, Five Minute Friday, just life, Maelie, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Fall

June 6, 2013 by · 46 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Fall

So I should take this Five-Minute Friday prompt and write about the absolute, utter, TOTAL klutz that I am.

Really.

I embrace the title pretty much every day as I fall over nothing. 😉

But when I first saw the prompt, I went back to a memory…one I hold in my heart and will forever.

In October of 2010, we experienced our first fall season since 2004. (Yeah, leaves don’t get all crunchy and fall off trees in the tropics. That’s really quite the bummer.)

There was one afternoon in early October when my husband came home from work, and we took our then-four-month-old baby girl outside with us and played in the leaves.

We raked.

We did a lot of jumping.

We took a ton of pictures.

And? I totally even took a huge, crashing dive into the largest pile.

It was one of my favorite days ever and holds a special place in my heart each time I think of it.

Sometimes we take the littlest things for granted…like a change in seasons.

And while we still enjoy fall, I know that season in 2010 will be our favorite for a long, long time.

MelMaeleavesOne of my favorite pictures of me with my girl that day.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, family, Five Minute Friday, Indonesia, just life, Maelie, remembering, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Imagine

May 30, 2013 by · 55 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Imagine

Some days I wish I had the imagination she does.

Today, in a lucky moment, I snagged an almost-brand-new, Rapunzel, dress-up costume for her at a rummage sale for $1. (Told you it was a lucky moment.)

And when I brought it home and gave it to her, Oh. My. Goodness.

Her eyes lit up, she couldn’t WAIT to put it on, and

She. Became. Rapunzel.

She spun around, she danced, she talked to herself…she even sang songs with me from Tangled. Not that we spend our days singing “When Will My Life Begin?” or “At Last I See the Light”…

Did I just confess something here? 😉

And probably my favorite moment was when she took my hand, asked me to dance, and we spent a few minutes spinning circles, one of us getting extremely dizzy, and laughing together.

And then she informed me I that I was Flynn Rider. Ok, then…

But my point? And the heart of our moment? Was her imagination.

It etched yet another memory into this momma heart that will be there forever.

She saw the world through magical eyes today, all because of a simple find at a rummage sale.

She became Rapunzel.

And I got to go along for the ride.

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Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, family, Five Minute Friday, just life, Maelie, uncategorized, what I'm learning, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: View

May 23, 2013 by · 68 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: View

Oh, I miss the view.

I can still picture it in my head…the green everywhere.

The mountains that seemed so close I could touch them.

The way God fingerprinted every little detail of that beautiful place.

And I got to live there.

I remember one of the mornings I took the motorbike out for a drive, and I just couldn’t get enough of my surroundings. Maybe it meant more for this Iowa girl who was used to flat plains and no mountains, but I just soaked it all in.

And now I’m glad I did, for it is still in my mind.

Still in my heart.

I can still close my eyes and picture every detail.

It was an incredible view, amazing scenery, placed in a country where the vast majority of the people were very poor.

I like to think that it was a small way He chose to bless them. :)

I miss you, Indonesia.

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Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, Five Minute Friday, Indonesia, remembering, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Song

May 16, 2013 by · 56 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Song

From the day we brought her home, I’ve been singing to her.

When she was teeny, teeny-tiny, I would make up songs that rhymed about everything from changing a diaper to her sweet, stuffed puppy that I hoped would become her favorite. I even took one of our favorite books and put it to a song, one that she will often sing to me now.

Always Sometimes I probably sounded like a dork, but I wanted her to know that music is a huge part of our lives from the beginning.

And I wanted her to love it.

By the time she was six months old, she would coo with me as I’d work my way through the rotation of favorites. (Aka: the ones that allowed me to host my own little concerts. ;)) And by the time she was just over a year old, she’d started to sing little pieces of Jesus Loves Me…and, oh, how my heart turned to a pile of mush.

Around the time she turned two, we were walking hand-in-hand from Target to the car, and I started it.

I’ve got sunshine…

And she finished it…on a cloudy day.

And when it’s cold outside…

I’ve got a girl named Mae. (Yes, I rewrote it slightly. ;))

I guess you say, who can make me feel this way? Maelie…Maelie!

But perhaps my favorite so far happened on one of those mornings just a few months ago, the kind that started with messes and frustrations and oh-so-many mommy moments that were less than gorgeous. And as I wrestled her into her clothes for the day, she looked up at me.

Gave me her silly, heart-melting, smile.

And she broke into song.

I love you, a bushel and a peck.
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap,
A barrel and a heap, and I’m talking in my sleep
About you.
About who?
About you!

Every single word.

It completely made my day, probably my year.

My Maelie girl…wherever you go in life, always remember music. It’s powerful, it’s beautiful, and you will go far if you always keep a song in your heart.

I know you will.

MaeLookingUp

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, Five Minute Friday, just life, Maelie, music, remembering, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Comfort

May 9, 2013 by · 56 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Comfort

peru2

I remember the first time I left my comfort zone for parts unknown. (Oh my goodness, did I just rhyme? I totally didn’t plan that. AT ALL.) 😉

I was twenty years old and dying to get out of the country…Peru was my destination, the northern Amazon region. For three weeks, several friends and I spent our days teaching Vacation Bible School, singing for different groups of people, hanging out with streetkids…and our nights on a houseboat on the Amazon. All of it was out of my comfort zone, and I

Loved. Every. Single. Second. Of. It.

I was completely smitten with every aspect of the adventures I had there…and realized only when I returned home that I hadn’t really missed my comfort zone.

In fact, I kind of didn’t want to go back to it. True story. 😉

That trip taught me so much about the things He can do with this heart and life when I’m willing to step out and do something new, sometimes-crazy, and almost-always scary.

And it led to some other pretty big steps of faith…marriage, five years in another country, more crazy adventures than I can count, having a daughter, moving “home” to a place when I didn’t know a soul, making a home in that place, beginning the writing journey…the kind where I’m not sure how it ends.

Or if it does. Probably not. (Will we have laptops and Five-Minute Friday in heaven? I’m thinkin’ so…) 😉

Life is full of those steps out that make my heart pound with fear and anticipation…may I always be brave enough to take them, knowing that He is all the comfort I will ever need.

And when I remember that…well, He can do anything.

That’s pretty awesome.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, culture shock, Five Minute Friday, friends, just life, remembering, where I am, writing

Five-Minute Friday: Brave

May 2, 2013 by · 48 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Brave

There’s this part of me that thinks I’m brave.

For one thing, I’ve done a few crazy things in my life…

Swimming in the Amazon with the pirañas.

Moving to another hemisphere.

Learning to surf in most-likely-infested-by-sharks waters.

Vine swinging in the jungle.

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Yep, that’s totally me. 😉 

I used to thrive on those moments that made me feel spectacular, the ones that were exhilarating, the ones that literally took my breath away.

But bravery? Comes in more forms than adventures that may teeter on the side of foolish.

When I think of bravery…I think of those people who inspire me.

Those sisters who write with abandon and passion and choose to stand on Truth even when lies are screaming all around.

Those dear dreamers who take their stories and lives…the broken but redeemed, cracked but shining,…all completely beautiful, and use them to bring Him glory as they chase with abandon what He’s called them to do.

Those sweet friends who walk in His grace and shine Him each day, no matter what happens.

Those are the ones who are brave. 

Inspiring.

And I’m so thankful for them. For each of you.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, encouragement, Five Minute Friday, friends, remembering, where I am
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