Translate

Click here to SHOP!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Chase the Lion

A few months ago I ordered Beth Moore's newest book So Long Insecurity. I'm about half way through it and I'm learning so much about myself. I don't think there is a single soul out there that doesn't have an insecurity in one shape or another.




I'll admit...I have a lot of them. I struggle with insecurity about being a good enough mom, artist, friend etc... If you know me well you know that I bring up my faults easily. It's a defense mechanism. I point them all out first, so you know that I know that I know them. Crazy huh??


Anyway I just came across this amazing quote that I saved months ago. When I read it again it really spoke to me, because this is how I want to live my life...fearless, no holding back, not afraid of making mistakes, not giving up without a fight, not worrying about what people think, enjoying every minute of every day...chasing those lions! Just wanted to share it with you:)




"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.

Grab life by the mane.

Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions.

Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.



Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God.

Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution.


Stop repeating the past and start creating the future.

Stop playing it safe and start taking risks.

Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences.




Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey.

Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can.

Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.

Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God.

Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail.



Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks.

Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself.

Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.


Chase the lion." - Mark Batterson




DELIVERANCE is coming! I'm chasing that Lion:)






Have a blessed day.





Photo #1 & #3 JaredKS, Photo #2 Elle Moss, #4 here
Pin It!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Lissa's favorite places:)



Lissa was so good at thinking through exactly where she wanted to take us for our visit to Seattle. One of her favorite places is Fremont. It's an artsy spot with lots of little unique shops. We found a really sweet spot to snap some photos.


Isn't she beautiful?? I love how the light is falling across her face. When I look at her in this picture I think strength. She's had an incredibly challenging year, and yet the struggle has made her so much stronger.




This
one shows her spunky personality. She is so playful and fun. I would describe her as passionate. When she's excited about something, she is REALLY excited. She loves with all her heart and isn't afraid to tell you exactly how much you mean to her.





Here are some of ME! They were both just snapping away. I get really self conscious being photographed by myself. Can you imagine being famous and people staring at you all the time? I would hate that.





Not sure what was so funny:) I think I laugh when I'm nervous!




Trying to be cool. I actually like this one:)





And then a candid of Miss Jeanne. Can I just tell you that this woman oozes talent? She makes the most beautiful things and has an amazing eye for photos. She wears her heart on her sleeve. One minute we could be laughing so hard we are actually snorting, and the next she is tearing up about a story I told her. She feels and associates with you on a deep level. Gotta love that.





The next day Lissa took us to her favorite spot...the Beach! The BEACH in February. Can you imagine? And it was only a 5 minute walk from her doorstep! I was on cloud nine. This is a really fun shot of us in silhouette, the water was so clear you could see really deep.






They wanted feet shots...I didn't:) I got a spray tan before I left and my toes were orange!! I don't bother painting them in the winter since no one ever sees them, so I was mortified. I finally gave in and thankfully you can't really tell.





Breathtaking!! That's a ferry. I sooo wanted to ride a ferry. We didn't have time. Is that corny? Those people who live on that island get to ride it every day! Do you think they take that view for granted?? Lissa says in the summer huge cruise ships heading to Alaska make their way North and dwarf those ferry boats. I would love to see that.




Next stop was Green Lake. This place is special to Lissa because she logged many hours running here training for her marathon last November. Have to say it was a beautiful place. The sun was beaming and everyone and their dog was walking, running or...






ROLLER BLADING! What the??? Do you think "she" minded me taking a photo? No... me either. Don't ya just love crazies?? We don't have quite as many to make fun of in the Midwest. It's a shame really;)





How is it possible that everything there is in bloom in February? It was just gorgeous!!!




The turtles were even lifting their heads up in praise. Thank you Lord for your beautiful weekend weather. Everywhere we went people were telling us how great the weather was just for us. God heard your prayers Lissa:)





Last stop was Kerry Park. Many of you told us to go to Kerry Park and oh were you right. It was such an amazing view. I guess this area is called Queen Anne and I loved it. If I had a few million dollars to throw around this would be the spot. The houses were beautiful and the area looked very charming.




We saw a lot in just two days. I think the only things I left wanting to see were Seattle Grace and Mercy West... oh and maybe McDreamy:)


We made so many memories. Thank you Lissa for sharing your city, for making us feel welcome in your beautiful home and for just being you. I know it's a trip I'll never forget.



Have a blessed day.

Pin It!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

More cupcakes please:)

(Lissa, Sasha, Me and Jeanne)


The next stop in Seattle was to visit my sweet friend Lissa. She planned so many fun things for us, I'm going to have to break it up into two parts. So this is day one:)


This
was the group. My girls:) Sasha drove us down to Lissa's on Friday night and we met up with Jeanne, Lissa's sister Stefie, her neighbor Janelle and another friend Julie. All these girls blog, so that in itself was a treat. I don't know of a single person in my real life who has a blog and most don't even know what in the world it is!




(Lissa and her sis Stefie)



I thought it was really cool to meet Lissa's "peeps" in real life. I've heard all about her friends Janelle and Julie, so to meet them in person was really fun. And then of course if you've read Lissa's blog at all you know how special her relationship is with her sister Stefie. I LOVED Stefie! She has Lissa's voice.





This was Lissa's table setting. She has a number theme in her house. Her plates and glasses were numbered. Little jars in the bathroom were numbered, she even bought a really cool basket with a number. I love words and numbers too...so cool:)

Let me just tell you that this girl pulled out all the stops. She made the most yummy baked ziti for us and appetizers. I've been eating really clean at home, so to be able to eat something rich and cheesy was heaven.






The icing on the cake literally was her famous carrot cake cupcakes. Seriously I think a little tear popped out on my first bite. We proceeded to warf those down every day we were there. She HAS to share that recipe...just HAS to!!! They just might be the best cupcakes I've ever had:)




I took tons of pictures of Lissa's home. None of them did it justice. It was BEAU-TI-FUL! I knew she had an all white house. So I thought hmmm...not really me, but when I saw it in person I fell in love. I could totally see myself living there! It was just simple, clean and beachy. Beautifully decorated with slipcovered chairs and white candles. Jeanne took THE most amazing photos of her home (she will post them on Friday) and those are the ones I want you to see. She is quite the photographer.




The photo above is of her view! Can you imagine?? She has breathtaking views of the mountains and Puget Sound. If I lived there I don't think I would get around to blogging. I'd just be staring out my windows all day!





On Saturday we headed to downtown Seattle. We hit Pikes Market, ate at The Pink Door and saw all the touristy stuff. I sat on the pig...with Jeanne making fun of me the whole time:) We saw the fish throwing and crepe making. It was really fun. Super busy! The weather was glorious. Everyone was out and about. The hustle and bustle made it even more interesting. I love to people watch. Oh and I bought some Market Spice Tea. Lots of you told me too. Soooo good:)


I have to say I was totally impressed with Seattle. The views were gorgeous; the people were friendly, and God smiled down on us and gave us beautiful weather. Day one was downtown... stay tuned day two is a glimpse into Lissa's favorite places.



Have a blessed day.

Pin It!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sasha's Heart



As most of you know I jumped ship this week and headed out to the Seattle area for a visit with some blogging friends. My first stop was to visit Sasha from Lemonade Makin' Mama.

This is the warm welcome I received when I got off the plane. How sweet is that? I felt like a celebrity;) Kind of fun to have that feeling once in your life!







My first impression of Sasha was that she looked just like she did on her blog. She has that great smile and gorgeous hair. She was a lot smaller in person. I actually felt tall standing next to her:) I never feel tall!





Sasha showed me her life. She drove me by her grocery store and where she had her bible study. She took me to her favorite places to hike. We had tea. She loves tea:) She worked me out...literally! I went on three different walks with her. I was so sore the next day from walking the hills. My shins were screaming.






It was such a treat being outside. She probably thought I was a little nutty. I took pictures of every little thing. The moss on a rock, the fungus growing on a tree, the ferns shooting out of the ground. It was just breathtaking to see nature again. Living with all white for months at a time is HARD. I sooo enjoyed being in the fresh air and just smelling the earth; listening to the birds chirp. It was a big hit for me to experience that.






The
places she hikes are just gorgeous. Each spot she took me was different. The first walk of the day was near her house and it had beautiful views of the bay and mountains. Very hilly and just a great workout.





Then we went to a park that took us deep into the woods. I got to experience the Pacific Northwest first hand. It reminded me a lot of the Twilight movies. It had that magical green color and everything was so lush. There were even waterfalls:)





Finally we ended up in her town's little downtown area and walked the boardwalk. The sun was shining and everyone was out. There was excitement in the air. You could tell that the people there do not take sunshine for granted.





The highlight while we were downtown was stopping at a paint your own pottery place and creating. It was just the PERFECT thing for us to do. We both love to make stuff and getting to make that memory while we were together was really special for me. Every time I look at that bowl, I will remember the time we got to spend together.



A long time ago Sasha used to call her blog Sasha's heart. Even though I like her new name better, the old one fits. Sasha has a huge heart. She's real and sincere. She was genuinely interested in me and made me feel special. I loved the easy conversation that flowed and how we just had so much in common. My only regret is that I didn't get to spend more time with her. She has officially passed the "online friend" status and won a spot in my heart forever. What an amazing 24 hours:)





Have a blessed day.


Pin It!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Trippin'



Since the brisk beginnings of January, I have been nurturing a dream... a dream to escape this frozen wasteland and head West!!! Well all my planning, scheming and just plain old dreaming becomes a reality when I jump on that plane and head for Seattle tomorrow. Can I just say I am a tad bit EXCITED:) Seattle was on my bucket list...you know the places you wanted to see before you die kind of thing. Well it's happening my friends, oh yes!



(This is how excited Sasha is to see me...ha!!)


Do you think it's weird to call up an online friend that you've never met and invite yourself for an overnight visit? No...me either and that's exactly what I did with Sasha. I have adored her blog for the longest time. We just click, and to be honest I knew someday we would meet and be "real life" friends. Well she is my first stop tomorrow. I'm going to see where little Miss Lemonade Makin' Mama lives, teaches, cooks, crafts and cracks us up on an almost daily basis. I can't wait!



(Lissa, me and Jeanne)


The next day we are heading to my friend Lissa's house for dinner. I can't wait to see her all white house in person! Jeanne is flying in too...we all met at Brave Girl Camp in Idaho and have gotten really close over the last few months. I know I'm in for some late nights, major belly laughs and wonderful memories with girls who get me, and this crazy thing I do called blogging.


Lissa has so many things planned for us my head is swimming:) Let's pray for sunny skies...she has been texting me everyday with weather updates. If it rains, she will be sooo disappointed. It really doesn't matter to me at all, because I know for a fact it will be warmer, greener and the water won't be frozen...pure heaven. These girls are just dear to me, so wish me luck. It's time to be brave again! I'll miss you.




Have a blessed day.








Isn't this the funniest picture of me? Anyhoo, Teresa over at It's a Good Day made me the Official Good Day Ambassador. So if you want, go check it out. How sweet was that?:)






Photo #1 found on flickr Jim914109

Pin It!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Kiss and tell

I'd like to say that Valentine's day at our house was just sweet cards, roses and I love you sentiments. Instead I got mad (I blame hormones) and yelled at my Honey at church, in the hallway, and then when we got to the car he scolded me LOUDLY. It was lovely really. Just some good old-fashioned...what NOT to do AT church On Valentine's day fun!




Truth is we don't argue much, so it was really out of character for us. After it was over and we were driving somewhere to eat...the atmosphere in the car was heavy and ackward so, Honey pulled off the road and just sat and stared at me. I eventually started laughing and then apologized. He did too...with the Chicks piping in from the backseat telling us to kiss and say I love you:) I found it ironic that just a few hours before I was telling them to hug and say I love you.



Anyway after all that we were hungry and our car ended up at Subway, which it has been a lot in the last few weeks. We've been really watching our diet and staying away from bread and sugar etc... But I wanted to make a memory and Subway just wasn't going to cut it, so we headed to a new restaurant in town and downed burgers, fries, onion rings and yummy Oreo malts. After weeks of being "good" it definitely hit the spot.




We
made a memory and ate until we thought we'd be sick, but more importantly we kissed and made up:) I think Valentine's day is a perfect opportunity to do just that! So what did you do???




Have a blessed day.

Pin It!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Sugar love



To my sweeties...every day is a little sweeter because of you.



Really!



So here's a bouquet!



And some sugar love:)


Oh and if you got spam mail from me this week, I'm sorry. I've been hacked! Someone else was showing me some "love"...NOT!



Hope you all have a great Valentine's day!!!

Pin It!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails