Lessons in Humility and Love

This has been a challenging week for me. For a little while this week frustration stole my joy and clouded my eyes to what blessings were sprinkled into the week. I realized I had to make a choice: I could either keep fuming about the problems that weren't mine to own or I could start recognizing what beautiful and awesome things were going right around me.

seeing the beautiful sunrise over the soft hills and tall grass of the open prairies on my drive to work
listening to music that speaks of the truths that soothe my hurts and disappointments
time in devotions with the friends I work alongside to kick off the day right
hearing the giggles of my kiddos 
celebrating 100 days of school and the kindergarten skills that have been conquered
photographing a day of laughs and love and rollerskating as a school
silly Snaps with my family
sneaking in a dinner date with my husband on a weeknight
snuggling with the puppies while watching my favorite show
reading the Word filled with love and encouragement 
feeling peace and joy trickling back into me until I was full 
being able to humble myself before God and ask for help
knowing His love and grace are endless

A few months ago I went through a spell of feeling like some of the expectations put on me were things I was not capable of doing, and I was really frustrated and dejected as I anticipated failure. I wondered what I had handled the wrong way to get stuck with the task, and I was pretty glum when I sat down to read a devotion. It contained a verse that I immediately wrote down and stuck to my computer so I would see it often.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

[Romans 8:28]

I need those words, friends, and I need them when I feel frustrated or incapable. I need them when life isn't going the way I planned...which is every single day.

Sometimes those things that knock us on our butt in life are just a lot of small things that pile up together to pack quite a punch. Sometimes it's one big thing that hurts. I'm comforted in knowing that God never promised life would be easy. He promised never to leave my side, though, and I know that I'm blessed even in the moments it doesn't feel like it. I know I'm walking away from this week with more wisdom than I entered it with, and the stuff that was bothering me has ended up being a blessing. Without that I wouldn't have been humble enough to admit how lousy and lost I am without the hope that I have because of my Savior. I would have missed the little blessings around me that brought joy and peace to my heart as I was reminded that God walks with me.

And now it's Friday night. I face a pile of things to do for school, piles of laundry to fold, dog training to do, and many other items on my to do list this weekend, but it's a welcomed change in pace to be home and working on these things. It's time to be refreshed and renewed for the ups and downs next week will bring. I know I'll mess up, but I know it's all good. If you don't believe me, go back and read Romans 8:28 a few more times until you know it, too.

About The Links...

I've been kind of stuck when it comes to blogging, and it's for a really stupid reason.

I know my family enjoys reading this, and there are some friends that do as well, but I also know that very few people blog themselves and can see when I post something unless I put a link on Facebook. There's nothing wrong with that, but I stopped doing it because I thought it may have looking obnoxious. I didn't want it to be like "LOOK AT ME I CAN WRITE A BLOG CHECK IT OUT I AM AWESOME." I just want the interested people to know I've put something new up. I know there's the option of making those lists where you put certain friends on them and can select who all you want to see what you're posting but let's be real: ain't nobody got time for that.

[Sidenote: If you haven't seen this video, it's one of my favorites. Pretty sure it's one of my husband's favorite answers from me when he asks me to do something.]

But on the other hand, if people don't care about it, they can just skip over it and carry on scrolling down their news feed, right? I just have this thing where I don't like to do things that will bother other people. I think it's called "anxiety" in the medical realm and "ridiculous" among others.

I noticed that less people know I've added anything without those links, though. I think I'll go back to posting links on Facebook again. I know some of you enjoy what I write, and I'm thankful for that. I write because it's fun for me and also stress-relieving. One of the changes I'm working on this year is being okay being me and not letting worries about what other people think keep me from doing what I do. Here's one more step in the right direction.

And you have my permission to let me know if you think that the links are obnoxious.

But seriously, watch that video if you haven't...I promise you'll get a kick out of her. She is even laughing at the end of her interview. I'm pretty sure that lady and I could be friends if we crossed paths.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

So let's talk hair.

I love, love, love having long hair to play with, but my hair is really thick. Long hair takes FOREVER to dry -- ain't nobody got time for that!!

My last haircut was a trim back in August 2013, a week or so before Dad and Michele's wedding. The ends of my hair crunched. Seriously disgusting.

My first major change of 2015? Getting a major hair cut!!!

Part of the reason it grew out so much to begin with was that I didn't know where to go once we moved here. I have a tough time committing to a new stylist. Flashback to student teaching in the spring of 2011. I went to a salon my co-op suggested, and I had pictures of what I wanted. It required taking off about 4 inches and also layering it. I asked her to do it in a way that would thin out my thick hair to help it dry faster. That Texas humidity was no joke, and my hair would go crazy if I didn't dry it all the way. So we're chatting away and she's snipping away for a while. Things seem to be going well until halfway through the cut she utters the unthinkable: "Oh, I don't know what I'm doing."

Ummm...what?!? 

She asked the other stylist to help her. I had TWO PEOPLE working on my hair -- one on each side -- making jokes about me being the guinea pig. I don't know that it would have been as upsetting if I had liked the haircut, but I absolutely hated it. I know it wasn't totally hideous because people complimented it, but it was not what I wanted. I also had graduation coming up not long afterwards and was grumpy that my hair was going to look stupid.

This crazy mane was getting to the point where I would get tangled in it while I was trying to turn over when I was sleeping. I would randomly inhale it when it was windy out during recess. My favorite was when I would yell "OUCH!" when it got pinned under Tim's arm when we sat on the couch together. It was just...a nuisance. A shapeless, crunchy, time-consuming nuisance.

Before....

I didn't have to cut so much of it off, but I had a strong desire to donate my hair to a place that would make wigs for women battling cancer. I have to admit that it took some pep talking to get myself to commit to cutting it. I was worried I'd be or feel less beautiful with a haircut, but I stopped whining when it hit me that I had the luxury of a choice. I can't imagine the emotions when your hair is falling out completely.Women battling cancer don't get a choice to lose their hair. It's a small thing compared to a cancer battle, but if I can help one woman feel more beautiful during her battle then I can and will definitely do what I can for her.

So here you go, 8 inches shorter, a much lighter head, and a faster morning routine. I feel like I look more my age now, and I am excited to be giving 8 inches to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths for a woman to feel more beautiful.

After! 

If you're interested in donating your hair, please check out the information on this awesome cause here.

New Year, New Adventures

2014 seemed like it couldn't really compete with 2013. See, 2013 brought a lot of exciting and new things: getting married, turning 25, a family vacation to Alaska, moving out of my "bachelorette pad" apartment to a house with my husband in a new city, and a new job. Whew. Don't think we could have crammed much more in if we tried. Needless to say, 2014 did not have a lot of major life events. I was pleasantly surprised to reflect the other night about just how glad I was to look back at what 2014 did hold, though. 2013 was the year of new, but 2014 was the year of growth.

Our house has really become our own thanks to the hard work of my husband and help from my mom and stepdad. We have made plans for a few more projects and are in the beginning phases of those, too, and we're pretty excited for the end products. 

We established our first garden and enjoyed a LOT of fresh, yummy food (again, mostly because of my awesome hubby's dedication. Can you tell he's a talented man?). So many plants that LIVED! It was crazy-awesome. 

We've had a number of visitors and have loved getting to host them whether it was for a meal or a week. We loved every minute.

Tim had his gallbladder out in September, and we were blessed that all went well and to have his mom here to help. He hasn't had a single problem since then, and we are loving the life without gallbladder attacks. 

We've been blessed with a growing friendship with a dear set of neighbors, and we've gotten our foot in the door to become more active and connected at church. We're really establishing this city as our home and becoming more comfortable here, and it's nice to be able to feel settled. God has truly been at work in our life here. 

My job has allowed me the chance to grow beyond what I thought my abilities and interests were, and it hasn't always been easy, but it's been good. I've been blessed to become more confident, able, and assertive. I am so blessed to get to share my God each day and grow in my faith each day, and that makes each day awesome. I adore my kids and coworkers, and that also makes each day awesome.

And of course there's Scout, perhaps one of the greatest adventures of the year. One stop to "just look and pet the puppies"turned into a wild adventure as we have learned about life with a new "baby". He's been a goof, a snugglebug, a playmate, and even a challenging mess sometimes, but he's a good boy. We love our little Wild Thing. 

I know that 2015 is going to bring some big changes, and I'm sitting here at the beginning feeling excited but also nervous. I'm ready for some necessary changes, but I know that there will be some unknowns. But you know what? That just means that this will hold even more adventures than 2014. I know that God is there each step of the way, and I trust in His plan. It's going to be awesome. I know that come December 31st I'll be able to look back and say, "Wow. What a year."

[Spoiler alert: No, this is not my way of announcing any babies. Just life changes. #sorrynotsorry]

So here's to 2015, a year of change and a year of adventure. May all of your adventures be awesomely blessed.