Hey…and Some Coffee

April 23, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I’m having a mid-afternoon coffee…after my power nap that didn’t really do much. Care to join me for a chat? 😉

Here’s hopin’ the coffee will help. I’m kind of a grump right now. Just being honest. 😉

So, hey from Creston.

Mae and I drove in this morning, and I couldn’t help driving down past the hospital, college, and the other areas that were really hit hard by the tornado.

Oh, my.

No words…maybe that’s how I can describe it?

I crossed the major highway that divides the east and west sides of town, and my jaw literally dropped, and my hand went over my mouth.

No drama, no pictures. I thought I’d want to take one, but I don’t. I think the images are there in my mind for good.

Just sad. So sad…and thankful at the same time. I seriously can’t believe no one died.

So Mae and I hopped over to Iowa yesterday after church. We left around 12:30 and made it to Slater (my church from college) with 15 minutes to spare before the surprise service/party for some dear friends.

It was so fun reconnecting with friends, some I haven’t seen for eight years. (There are pictures…I’ll share later. ;)) It was so good for my heart to see these ladies…I can’t believe how many years have passed. (And how many kiddos were running around at our feet!)

Mae and I spent the night with my adopted parents from college (who the party was for) and then came down to Creston this morning.

We’ll be here for the night and most of tomorrow, and then late tomorrow afternoon we’ll head up to the Des Moines area and then go home Wednesday night. I picked a good night to visit since two of my nieces have a music concert tonight, and grandma is available to babysit. :) Maelie is enjoying some good cousin time with Sofia, even if they are both definitely smack dab in the middle of the terrible twos.

It builds character, right? (For Mae AND Mommy!)

Anyway, it’s a quick trip that seems to go by even quicker…time always flies when there are so many people to see.

Looking forward to tomorrow…dinner at my very favorite restaurant EVER with some friends, and then some sweet sister time with my two best girls. Anticipating a late night and lots of laughs and some good heart-to-hearts.

Will definitely need the caffeine for the drive home on Wednesday!

Happy Monday!

Oh, and you may have noticed something…that there was no blog post yesterday? Hmmm…there IS a story for that one. I’ll give my hubby a chance to share first. :)

Sig

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

Ramblings

March 31, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Just a few thoughts…that are really not connected at all, just not worthy of a whole blog post on their own. 😉

I spent more time today in my pajamas than in jeans. That almost never happens…and it was nice. But wanna know a secret? Sometimes I wish I was that woman who can go to Super Target on a Saturday morning and walk the aisles in her sweats, while sipping a Starbucks and looking disgustingly cute. I, um, think that’s maybe not me. But I’m secretly jealous of people who can pull off that look in public.

Last night we had friends over for dinner, and they stayed to look at pics from our trip. They are really nice friends. 😉 (Gosh, that reminds me I need to post Morocco soon…tomorrow.) We grilled out for, like, the 6th time this month, and my husband seriously outdid himself. I don’t know why the burgers and chicken were so good, but they were. SO. GOOD.

Anyway, I woke up this morning wanting a burger with pineapple and provolone…and BEFORE you scoff, you need to try it. It’s my favorite. :) I promised myself that if I did three miles of sprints, I could come home and eat one for breakfast.

I seriously hate sprints and only do them on Saturdays.

AND I thought about that burger the whole time.

And when I got home, I ate it before I even took a shower. HA.

😉

So my daughter seems to be changing her sleeping habits, which is not so wonderful. Yesterday she napped for a whopping 30 minutes and then stayed up until 10:30 pm…yes, you read that right. She slept this morning til 8 am, took a 2-3 hour nap, and now, at almost 10 pm, is showing zero signs of being tired.

Ugh…I’m afraid we may need to start phasing out the nap in order to get her to sleep at night.

I’m not sure I’m ready for this at all.

So I signed up for this.

The whole idea is that the group of women who write this blog (which has a HUGE following) are hosting a worldwide conference with “meetup” spots all over the place. Then each of the groups can watch the conference, which will be broadcast online. When I signed up, I figured…this is the Chicago area; there will be at least one meeting close to me.

Um, nope. The closest one is over an hour away. Bummer.

So I’m debating what to do. I can watch it at my house, but the whole idea of it is community. So do I make the drive to meet up with a few people and make some new friends or do I just chill in my pj’s and invite a friend or two to join me for the morning?

Still thinking on it. :)

And speaking of still thinking…I’m thinkin’ it’s time for bed.

This could be history, folks…I think I’ll be asleep before my daughter tonight. Oy…

Hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, friends, just life, Maelie, running, where I am, writing

The Purpose of My Bare Feet

February 22, 2012 by · 3 Comments

Just a few thoughts I’ve been tossing around in my brain for a couple weeks. Enjoy. :)

So…the title of my blog is kinda funny.

I mean, I live in the Midwest.

I rarely ever go barefoot outside the house unless it’s just in the backyard, though I would almost always rather go without shoes.

It isn’t because I want you all to stare at my gorgeous feet. 😉

I just don’t love shoes…though if I have to wear them, I’m pretty particular about what I wear.

But that’s not the point.

The point? Is this.

That shoes have so much purpose.

They protect. Wearing shoes, I don’t have to worry about stepping on painful things or stubbing my toes or tearing up the bottoms of my feet. All things that inevitably happen the day I choose to not wear shoes. 😉

They make things more comfortable. If I’m going for a run or even a walk, I definitely want to wear shoes. Not only do they make me run faster, 😉 running shoes are specifically designed to absorb shock and to deal with things like sticks and little stones that are in my way…without causing me any pain. And while we’re talking about comfort, I always wear at least slippers if not shoes while I’m inside in the winter. Cause my feet are always super cold and I can’t stand it. (Says the girl who jumped around in two feet of snow barefoot last year.) 😉

They just make life prettier. Obviously I’m not worried about the pretty when it comes to my feet. But shoes cover things…and hide what’s not so beautiful to look at. And lately, I’ve been tromping around in a pair of combat boots that I heart almost to the moon and back…golly, I loooove them. Pretty or not, they are my favorite piece of footwear I’ve ever owned.

Anyway.

I live my life completely opposite of the things I just listed.

I don’t want to write about the safe, comfortable, pretty journey I’m on. Probably because it’s often none of those things.

There are stones on the path that make me hurt.

There are times when things are just plain ugly.

And while there’s a time and place to share some things but not everything…that’s why my blog is titled as it is.

It’s a place where I’m as real as I can be.

A place where I (figuratively) kick of my shoes and let you know what’s up.

That was the whole idea behind barefootmel…which I still think is pretty appropriate when it comes to me. 😉

And, while we’re talking about shoes…I’ll get to wear FLIP FLOPS in Spain in JUST TWO WEEKS!

Wowsers, really?!?!

I’ll probably even go barefoot on the beach. 😉

Aaaahhhhh….

Thanks for reading my scattered thoughts…and for being here.

Sig

Filed Under: barefoot, just life, where I am, writing

Don’t Ya Love It…

January 31, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

…when your awesome, thought provoking, blog post for the night completely messes up the formatting of the entire blog and you have to delete it

?

NO clue what I did wrong, but yeah. Good times.

Bummer, ’cause I was excited to tell you all

about everything I’m reading/planning to read… all that stuff.

(Yeah, that’s what I wrote about…but it had some fun Mel humor in there, too.) 😉

Honestly, it’s been a cruddy week. I wish it was full of smiles and laughter, but I feel like the gray that chased the sun away this afternoon kinda matches the funk I’ve been in for a few days.

Looking for some JOY tonight… I think

I know what I need to do to find it.

We’ve been studying the Beth Moore book on the fruits of the Spirit in Thursday morning Bible study, and honestly, they’re all thought provoking. But this past week, the one on the faithfulness of God really stuck out and made an impression. I don’t remember her exact words, but she basically eluded to the fact that when something in life is hard, God will often deliver us through it rather than from it.

He’s teaching me. I’m learning. I don’t know if I’m learning enough yet, but I know He’s doing things. Changing my heart. Making me a little more like Him.

It hasn’t been a great week, but it does encourage my heart to know that my Father, the Giver of all things good, loves me, cares for me, wants what’s best for me.

And is faithful to me.

Just a little thought tonight. Hey, tomorrow’s Wednesday. Halfway there.

Love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: encouragement, just life, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

Just a Talk

January 29, 2012 by · 1 Comment

I didn’t really write much yesterday…so it’s been almost two days since I’ve shared any deep thoughts.

Confession? I was dying to sit down and write tonight, even if it IS closer to 11 pm than it is to 10. 😉

I’m having my post workout bowl of oatmeal with chocolate chips, finishing off a diet coke…and dying for a chat with you all. I think it’s funny (and ironic?) that though last Tuesday is long past, I still want to write every day.

I think I could be certifiably nuts.

But, as a side note, you really should put chocolate chips in your oatmeal. It takes away the need to add sugar and makes the really, really healthy, grainy stuff I eat (’cause it has a ton of protein) taste WAY better.

Now I’ll quit talking about oatmeal ’cause, chances are, you really don’t care. :)

Though you might care about the chocolate chips.

I do. 😉

Andre is lying at my feet…and it’s moments like this that I soak up.

I so rarely have cuddle time with him withOUT Sammy. He is still the sweetest, happiest dog in the world…and I find myself wondering where the last 8 1/2 years went. I know it’s the inevitable when you get a pet, but at the same time, I think every pet owner always wishes they could be the one exception. He’s wonderful. And healthy…and while there are no signs of him even slowing down, it still makes me sad to think that he’s getting older.

Ok, enough of that. I do NOT need to cry at 11 pm.

So I’ve unofficially committed myself to a 10-mile race in May.

YIKES.

That’ s a loooooooot of running.

So far I’ve talked two friends into joining me, and I think it will be good. (aka: I won’t die.) I’m planning to do a half in June, so really, it’s perfect timing.

And the fun part? I get to write about it after!

Yeah, I know I’m dork.

I’ll just admit that yes, I find JOY in running and writing.

Could I get any dorkier

?

Don’t answer that. 😉

Unfortunately my training needs to start for that race sooner rather than later. I should probably make a plan, oh, tomorrow. I am a teeny bit excited. :)

We leave for Spain five weeks from Tuesday. I haven’t booked hotels. I still tear up when I think of leaving Mae. I have no shorts that fit. (Very true.) We don’t have rides to the airport yet. (Anyone? Anyone? ;)) It feels surreal.

But at the same time, it feels good. Tobin and I have needed to do this for awhile. Not necessarily go to EUROPE…but take some time to invest in us. In all honesty, we’ve spent most of our anniversaries traveling between here and Indo or moving…I think six out of nine.

We always said we’d do something big for our 10th…and here it is!

So as uncertain as I am about a few details, I have to remind myself that some of the crazy trips we’ve taken in the past have left us with some of the best memories we have as a couple. No marriage is perfect, and we’ll be the first to tell you we’ve had our challenges. And nine day trips to Europe don’t fix things.

But they do give intentional time to focus on the relationship. And the good stuff.

There’s SO MUCH good. And I’m really thankful for that.

And now that I’ve spilled my heart about pretty much everything…

Go have some oatmeal.

And don’t forget the chocolate chips. 😉

G’nite, friends.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, running, travel, where I am, writing

A Year

January 24, 2012 by · 6 Comments

Ok, so I literally typed the title of this post, and that’s how long it took for the tears to start streaming down my cheeks.

I have no idea why I’m crying.

No…actually, I think I have a little one.

A year.

A YEAR.

Golly, that’s a long time.

A year ago, I sat down and stared at a blank text box wondering how to start this new adventure. I decided to tell you the basics…why I do what I do.

I really had no idea at the time what barefootmel.com might turn into. Possibly, a place to share my heart on those days when God was speaking loud and clear. Or a place to share pictures of the new things my sweet, then-baby, girl was doing. Or a place to tell my funny culture-reentry stories. Or a place to cry. Or laugh. Or be crazy, adventurous, often-emotional me.

Mel.

Just being me on any given day, in any given mood.

You, my friends, have been such a part of this journey. You make me smile when you comment…and sometimes you make me cry, too. You make my heart happy when you talk about something I wrote.

Well, most of the time…there are always those posts that make us all wonder (myself included) what exactly Mel was thinking.

And then we just laugh, and that’s good, too.

I don’t often talk about how scary it was to move “home” to the States, though I tell plenty of the funny stories.

A year ago, I was still in scared-and-shocked mode. I was still figuring out this how-to-function-in-America thing.

And when I sat down to write that first day, I didn’t know that this would be where I threw all of that out there.

For you to read, offer advice, sometimes laugh (or roll your eyes!), and just be there.

Just the fact that you were here for me this year…means so much.

I think the tears came today, partly because I realized that I no longer have an obligation to my blog every day. I won’t be intentionally finding time every day to write, though I still plan on three times a week.

Or more.

It feels strange, almost sad…like a death. And I honestly don’t know how I’m going to tear myself away from the blog…because eventually there’s going to be a day when I don’t write.

But that’s a good thing…I think.

Words are such a gift…one for which I’m incredibly thankful. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t write…couldn’t share my heart. I can’t always do that when I’m speaking, but when I write, it just works. For me, it works.

But maybe the tears also came today because I have a lot to be thankful for. Including you. Thanks to each of you…for being a friend. For reading. For laughing. For loving me.

It’s been a life-ch

anging year.

And, most likely, I’ll be back tomorrow.

:) Love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, remembering, where I am, writing

Blog Reflection, #3: Encouragement

January 19, 2012 by · 2 Comments

So when I hop over to one

of my favorite blogs, I go for one of two reasons…

…the writer encourages me, challenges

me, or makes me think.

…the author has the ability to make me laugh and brighten my day.

I hope that’s true of my blog, at least most of the time.

Some days I share from the depths of my heart; other days, I tell you how much coffee I’ve had or what I ate for breakfast. Some days I’ve been laughing and smiling all day, others I cry

through my entire post.

Regardless of those things, I want barefootmel to be an encouragement and a place to smile, laugh, and cry.

Well, aside from the really, really weird days I have. Those could potentially be the days that you begin to read, roll

your eyes, and leave. 😉 (That’s ok…trust me.)

I seriously can’t believe I have five days (after today) left before my year is up. It kinda feels like a death, though I can assure you I’ll still be writing multiple times a week.

But honestly, it will feel really strange to have the choice of whether or not to blog each day. Yikes. Decisions…

I’m thankful for the chance to share some encouragement here and

there over

the last year.

And thankful for the encourgement I’ve gotten from others, too.

Nothing too profound, but definitely worth reflecting on.

G’nite. :)

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, encouragement, where I am, writing

Blog Reflection, #2: Recording Moments

January 17, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Not too much wisdom today, just a reflection.

A little one.

I really started this whole blog to have my own space to share my life and moments and the inner workings of my brain.

I’ve definitely done that… 😉

But I’m also so thankful that I chronicled, in detail most of the time, an entire year.

Because my life with Mae was the majority of the year…and so a lot of the things she did and said are recorded now.

(insert evil laugh) Won’t she love me when she’s a teenager?!?!

I also love it that we took lots of pictures of her…especially since somewhere between then and now, she turned into a little girl.

Moments like this one are priceless…and make every late night, every rushed blog post, every.

single. word…worth it.

Completely.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life, Maelie, writing

Blog Reflection, #1: What You See Is What You Get

January 16, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

What you see is what you get.

It’s cliche, I know.

But it’s truly how I try to live my life.

One of my least favorite things in the world is superficiality. (Read my bio…I think I actually wrote that, but I’m too lazy to actually go look right now. ;))

I also understand to a certain degree all that comes with trying

to live that way.

It means that the whole world…or at least the wonderful people who read this blog.

..know a lot of details

of my life. Some days I’m pretty fantastic with restraint and don’t share too much; others, I throw it all out there.

It’s me. :)

And while I make no apologies,

I also know I have room to grow.

I have tried to keep

true to one of my only blogging rules…never push the delete button on a post. 99.5 or so percent of the time, I have been able to keep to that rule.

I deleted one, and I don’t regret

it.

People who know me also know that I’m wildly emotional and full of crazy love. My emotions do go up and down, and I’ m well aware of that.

It definitely shows in my blog posts some days…and I know it.

But I want to be real.

That’s me, too.

This last year has been a surprising journey.

I’ve learned things about myself I didn’t know. I’ve gotten feedback from people that made me believe that I CAN do this writing thing.

I’ve learned the importance of being myself and standing up for what I believe in. Along with that comes the realization that I am an adult and, while people can and will disagree with me, I have a right to my beliefs, just as each of you also do.

But even more so, there’s the aspect of being Christlike in all I do. I still have a long way to go. I know what I’m like some days…even when it doesn’t show through on the blog. I know the impatience and grumpy moments that emerge sometimes, causing me to say things I shouldn’t and do things I regret. But at the end of the day I’m a follower of Christ and I should reflect him in all I do…regardless of my emotions and moods.

I’m me…just Mel.

What you see is what you get.

Thank you for reading in spite of that.

You bless me. :)

Sig

Filed Under: remembering, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

It’s 11:30 p.m…

January 15, 2012 by · 3 Comments

And I should probably blog, huh?

I mean, I have about ten days (or less) left of my Blog 365 challenge.

It would be tragic if I failed it now.

I had another distracting day.

The girl decided not to nap at all which made our afternoon less restful than what we like on Sunday afternoons.

I was editing something else that I’m writing, making jewelry, wasting time on my Kindle…letting myself do anything but focus.

I find this is true with a lot of things, but when the end is in sight, it’s so,

so easy to give up.

And I don’t want to…and I shouldn’t.

This is by no means an end to the blog, but once January 24th hits, I no longer have to blog every day. (Freedom!!! Mel sings…)

But for the last days of this, I want to actually share wisdom…not just make excuses on why I don’ t have any deep

thoughts for the day.

So, I guess I set the bar pretty high for myself, huh

? Mel’s wisdom, coming up tomorrow.

😉

Hope your weekend was fantastic!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, writing
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