Silence is Golden

source: pinterest

I love knowing when someone is trying to get a reaction out of me and I can check my emotion before I explode. I may not always be silent, but a simple and calm "Okay" ranks right up there.

Yeah, that's definitely the Holy Spirit at work in me, though - because I definitely am not a peaceful person on my own.

There is something deeply satisfying later on when I'm able to look back and say, "Yup, I did what I could."

That to me is a win. 

And I'm extremely competitive. 

2,170 Miles

This time next week that will be the total number of miles in 8 days that I'll have traveled to see family.

Most of that is driven, but 603 miles (or so) will be flown.

And it's worth every mile and every minute.

This Sums It Up

Me every night on the couch this week:

source: pinterest

The bags under my eyes even have bags. I'm anxiously awaiting a laundry swap so I can go to bed. 

Talk about livin' it up on a Friday.

"My Shiny Teeth and Me"

Had my 6 month check up today at the dentist. Left with the grown up version of a goody bag - with TWO kinds of toothpaste samples.

And let me just brag here: ZERO cavities. I'm on a roll, people. That makes me feel better about how obsessive I am about brushing my teeth.

I'm not going to lie, though - part of my obsession with brushing my teeth comes from not wanting to spend my money on stupid things. In my mind "stupid things" includes paying money for someone to fix something that could have been prevented by investing time and effort.

And who doesn't love that awesomely slick feeling after a good cleaning at the dentist??

In the spirit of this delightful occasion, I leave you with this gem.

Big Ol' Softie

Once upon a time I dreamed I'd be the kind of dog owner that would let my dog up on the couch but absolutely not on my bed. My bed was mine, and I was going to continue to enjoy sprawling out and hogging the whole thing.

Then Danny came to hang out at my apartment and decided that he liked to nap on my bed.

He was still easing me out of my fear of big dogs - I wasn't about to move the guy. The last thing I wanted to do was make him angry.

Now that chunkamunk puts up with me waking him up on the couch to come sleep on the bed.

Go figure.

Because it's been a long time since I've done a survey thing.

So this is going around on Facebook these days...so here's just for funsies...


Tattoos..........none.
Piercings..........5 (used to have 6 but my nose piercing closed up...siiiiigh.)
Surgeries..........3 - wisdom teeth, appendectomy, tonsillectomy 
Shot a gun..........yes
Quit a job....... yes
Flown on a plane....... yup
Gone over 100mph in a car ...yes
Hit a deer..........TWO.
Gone zip lining..........Not yet.
Cried over someone.......Yes
Fell in love.......... yes
Skipped school.......... yes
Watched someone give birth....Nope.
Watched someone die....yes
Been to Canada..........yes
Ridden in an ambulance...yes
Been to Hawaii.......... YES. <3 span="">
Been to Europe.........no
Been to Washington D.C... no
Visited Florida.......... Yes
Visited Mexico......... no
Visited Las Vegas.........yes
Sang karaoke..........yes
Laughed so much you cried......Yes 
Had a pet(s).......... Yes
Been sledding on big hill. Yes
Been downhill skiing....... yes
Rode on a motorcycle.....Yes
Rode a horse..........Yes
Stayed in a hospital.........yes
Donated blood.........yes
Driven a stick shift..........no

Hold your finger down and select copy... Then go into status and paste it. Change your answers. Nice to do something mindless.
Accept the challenge and do this with me.

Be Still.

source: pinterest

We have been forced to slow down over the past few weeks from being sick, and it's been wonderful to have that time to slow down. We set aside many things to just rest and recoup. That meant a lot of couch time with the pups, sleeping, TV watching, (for me) crocheting, and being still. 

We were able to bounce back a lot faster because we took that time to slow down. 

Now I'm carrying that lesson with me and making sure to set aside time to do non-school stuff because it helps me recharge to go in and do my best in my classroom. I have lost the guilt associated with setting boundaries, and it's helping create a much longed-for balance. I still am far from perfect, mind you, but I take joy in the progress I have made. 

At times that guilt wants to creep back in, but I have to remind myself of the necessity of stepping away from school work to be more than a teacher. I'm enjoying the opportunities to enjoy time with my husband, exercise my creativity, and play with our quirky pups. 

That enjoyment is carrying over to help me find the joy even in the mundane things whether it's doing dishes, folding laundry, entering grades online, or tidying up around the house. That's a lot better than being crabby about it all the time. 

Enjoy your Sunday. Enjoy your resting. Recharge for the week ahead so you can tackle it and know at the end of the week that you did well. 

source: pinterest

Ramble On

Today so many people have been in terrible moods. It stinks.

Yes, with every election's conclusions come many unknowns. It's an emotional experience to embrace a loss, but it's also emotional to accept the future faces of leadership in our country.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the stakes get higher with each election while the morals drop.

I haven't wanted to be one of those full of despair - I choose to embrace hope.

I have been praying for this election for a long time, and spent a lot of time praying last night as well. I found that my prayers began to change, though. They became less fearful and anxious and instead were filled with peace. I felt like it was a nudge from God to fully trust in Him.

I continued to pray, and I found myself considering the surge in stories of violence. I prayed for the safety of all of the candidates and especially for the winners. I imagine there's a certain amount of anxiety over the potential for a violent backlash.

But I also prayed that God would open eyes to allow people to see each candidate as a child of God. I prayed that we could grow in our trust, and we could inspire others to see the love of God as well. I prayed that this election would be a time where people would be touched by the peace of God, and that we could look to hope rather than assuming the worst will happen.

My ultimate comfort, though, came from Romans 8: 37-39:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, non any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

...because not even an election is bigger than our God's love, grace, or power.