Goals:

• Physical–Running has been good!  7 miles on Sunday was SOOOO empowering, but tiring.  .  I’ve been dealing with some major blisters on my feet I’m adjusting to, but overall, it’s been a really good week.    Our Governor Declared March 31st the State’s Day of Running, so I challenge all you Kentuckians out there to RUN on that day! (Run the Bluegrass 1/2 Marathon and 5K Deadline next Deadline is Jan 31!) Food wise, we are still totally on board and loving our Paleo eating plan and are looking forward to a few new “treat” recipes we’ve found (on occasion) once our Whole 30 is over .
• Spiritual–Trying to figure out a new “routine” for my quiet times in the morning now that running has to fit in there too.  I’m enjoying praying on my runs, but I can’t journal while moving! Absolutely love the Accountability as always–its is so good for my soul and so good to know someone is going to call you to the carpet on things you’ve committed to doing.
• Creative–I’ve been blogging and hope to spend some time tomorrow working on the Nook.  Haven’t had much time to craft, but I have a few projects I’d like to finish on Sunday during our Sabbath time.
• Home- So thankful that this past weekend we got 2 BIG projects completed that have been gnawing  at both of us for some time.  We completely cleaned out our panty–got rid of ALL non-paleo items (we had a few still lingering around), swept, reorganized and man, oh, man, it has made such a difference.  We also organized (most) of our DVD collection (it’s pretty extensive) into this DVD container.  We bought it months ago.  Can we say–procrastinate much?
• Personal–Still baby-steps, but I’m working on drinking less coffee and more water, being disconnected in the evenings (still a struggle for me–MUST leave the phone by the door or upstairs), and working on accomplishing my three things.  One of mine this week was to come up with a cleaning plan/schedule.  I’ve seen several fun ones on Pinterest–anyone have their own recommendations to share?

Mom Update: Been a challenging week with a few set-backs, but we’re excited that she will be moving to the new facility in Virginia today.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers.  She’s battling some infection and other issues and we need the infection to go away before anything else can be done.

Yummy Recipes! [Photo Phail--I took pics, but forgot to upload!  I'll do that soon, I promise!] Made some old standards, but started off the week with Paleo Fried Chicken and it was goooood!  My first attempt at fried chicken.  It made plenty, so Lewie was grateful to have some leftovers! I have a little grease burn, but it was worth it!

We finished the week with some old standards that are also super yummy!  Salmon Cakes, Cabbage Noodles with Sausage and Apples and tonight, Sweet Potato Hash!  YUM!

Things I’m learning:  I need my Sabbath time.  We worked really hard around the house on Saturday doing things that had been on our list for weeks and it feels so good to have them accomplished, but we didn’t allow time for our 7 mile run which meant it happened on Sunday.  The temperatures were much warmer then, so it wasn’t so bad, but that meant I had a completely packed day.  Just as I’m a cranky pants if I don’t get my quiet time, I’m cranky and just feel “off” all week with out that Sabbath time.  Definitely making that a priority this week!  I did have some encouragement to just have some Sabbath “moments” so I did that on Wednesday.

Interesting quote/Scripture: “Rather, beauty is something internal that can’t be destroyed. Beauty expresses itself in a gentle and quiet attitude which God considers precious.” 1 Peter 3:4 –Really something I’ve been pondering lately. After reading this scripture,  I then found a beautiful wallpaper on CrossCards  for this verse.  Love it when God does things like that!.  Also, this quote from Run the Bluegrass’ twitter has been a major source of inspiration: Dead Last Finish > Did Not Finish > Did Not Start

Hope you’ve had a great week!  Happy Weekend!

Flossing more.  That’s the one I always put down, and rarely see change. It’s changed this year with the addition of a water flosser.  At the recommendation of my dentist.  I have to have a health professional intervene to see change apparently.

With the iChoose2 journey however, things are framed a little differently.  Where do you want to see yourself in a year?  On December 31st, 2012, what accomplishments or milestones do you want to be celebrating?

The trick is that you must use futuristic and positive language for these–no “I’ll try to…” or “If possible…” That just doesn’t cut it with this challenge.  Now life happens and a lot of things that you may be thinking about that you’d want to be different have outside sources that you do not control influencing them.  Here’s my little secret–God is ultimately in control!  I didn’t have to look too far beyond the circumstances of life as of late and my goals to come up with mine pretty easily.

1. Stronger–I will have ran a 1/2 marathon.  I will have completed the Bourbon Chase.  I will be at the weight and size that is healthy for my age, height and activity level.  I will feel amazing!
2. House Finished–All the upstairs rooms will be dry-walled and painted.  The floors upstairs will be sanded and finished.  We will finish all the ceilings.  The Guest Room will serve as a guest room (and hopefully host some!) and our multipurpose room will fulfill it’s job as a reading room, office and craft room.
3. Family Together–My mom will be living in Kentucky.

What are things do YOU want to be celebrating when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, 2012?

Best,

This year, I’ve done things a little different–as you can see, we’re almost through January and I’m just now getting around to posting about my goals.  I’ve wanted to take things down a notch and work my goals into a more “do-able” plan–thus the word and theme post from last week.  But after seeing my friend Amanda’s goals and then just having that “feeling”–the new year, you just KNOW it’s that season to sit down and craft some goals.  Just like seeing the high school student walk into the gym in the dead of winter knowing his destiny is hours of basketball practice; my destiny this time of year is reflection.

Very similar to my friend Amanda, I’ve jotted down some categories in which I want to grow–these are very loose and will evolve to look differently as the year progresses.  Stay tuned for a post later this week where I share about my journey with the iChoose2 challenge and my last post on goals and the like (I know…some of you are ready to move on!)

Without further adieu…

Physical-This very much goes back to my thoughts last week about my word for 2012: Strong!  I want to be healthy for health’s sake.  Knowing the health issues that run in both our families, the Beau and I declare that 2012 is the year that we stop making excuses and just do it.  As I’ve been reminded so often, life is short and we are not getting any younger.  Now yes, this time of year, many folks are making health and diet goals.  Spring break, summer dress season, that vacation cruise with the family this summer.  My goals: to be able to live a long life; bend over and tie my own shoe laces when I’m 70 and be that active parent and grandparent that has crazy energy.  I know that through a Paleo diet (ugh…I shutter at that 4-letter word) that I feel the best I have ever felt in my life.  Running has given me strength and confidence that I didn’t know lived deep down within.  Cardio Sculpt will allow me to build some strength while also connecting with some friends I work with about non-work things.  Yoga keeps my mind, body and spirit all connected, and it keeps me stretched out! And finally sleep will sustain me and allow me the ability to do all the other things.  The thing that I love (and hate) is that over the past 3 weeks, I have realized that diet (again, eek!) really is the key to everything successful for me personally.  Now, absolutely, if I don’t get my quiet time in the morning, the Beau will tell you I’m quite the cranky pants.  But what gives me the mojo to get up at 5am for that quiet time?  Sleep.  What gives me the crazy energy to run and do cardio sculpt and yoga before or after a full day of a very busy day job?  Eating right, the paleo way.  And what keeps me eating paleo?  Knowing that I’ve never felt better and the key to me getting up for my quiet time is eating clean.

Spiritual-As mentioned before, if I do not have my morning quiet time, I am one cranky gal. I have really found a great rhythm and study this year and am looking forward to continue my personal study time.  Not only is that daily time important, a weekly rhythm of Sabbath really solidifies the importance of unplugging, resting and listening to God.  Additionally, I am joining an intentional discipleship community through my church and with a friend have been having wonderful intentional accountability time.  This has been something my faith walk has been missing and I’m so glad that it came at the perfect time.  It’s amazing what God centered friendships can do for you.  I’m also finding encouragement through the iBloom online community and the iChoose2 journey.  I’m continuing to serve at our church and find ways to connect in the community through service.

Creativity-This is one that has long been on my radar, but only as of late coming up to the surface.  When you buy a house that was built in the late 1800′s it’s easy to get caught up in the ” eventually” list.  That list however, doesn’t start coming into play until a lot of other things come around–electric, heat, new water pipes, painting walls, hanging drywall, mudding, sanding, well, you get the picture. We are finally stepping into that zone in some areas that my “eventually” list is starting to become peeked at–it’s not just all nuts and bolts!  And with Pinterest coming into play just at the right time, I’ve had some great ideas for loads of DIY–home projects, decor crafts!   I had a craft day back in December and am super excited about attending and hosting more in 2012!

Home-So, creativity and home sometimes can mean the same thing in my mind, but I have something very different in mind here.  This includes not only the physical aspects of our home (yes–we have big plans for 2012 on the renovation front), but our home as in the home Lewie and I are building. We have a big goal of getting all the trim painted in our home as well as drywall completed upstairs.  I’m so excited to start really utilizing Grand Central Station as our home command center–the one stop shop for all things Cracraft.  I want to be more intentional about our budget and calendar planning–both event and meal wise and am so thankful that The Beau is willing to sit in on parts of my Weekly Detailing Session during my Sabbath to make sure that we are on the same page and we have meals for the week.  I’m excited about our house becoming not just a home, but our haven in 2012.

Personal-This is the one section that should be easy to write, but for some reason, I keep coming back to empty handed. I want to write more, be intentional, disconnect from social media, have more moderation in my life, and truly seek God out and the call of ministry he has placed on my life.  I constantly question–”is what I’m doing right now my ministry?” and I’d love to be able to say with confidence–”yes” or “no”.  I want to figure out if continuing my Scentsy business is some where I want to be investing a lot of my time.  I guess the lack of coming up with a true “goal” in this area is that I just sense I want to pull things together from all the other areas, work on my physical self, my heart, our home and my creative outlets.  One things I do want to make sure I’m investing in is this blog.  I have long sensed a stirring about where this blog might go, and what direction it may take.  I feel I’ve finally stumbled upon that and I’m excited to have that journey.  I want to invest in relationships in real time, have fun, work really hard and sleep really hard knowing how hard I’ve worked that day.  I want my life to continue to start creating patterns for the next season that it may hold, even if I’m not sure what that season may be.  I want to be a better woman, a stronger role model, a more caring and passionate wife, a higher education professional that also sees her day job as her ministry. And in all this, I want to be real.  Imperfect.  Transparent.  Passionate. 

I want it all I guess.  Perhaps it’s laughable, but I want all that God has for me and that’s what I want my personal goals to go after in 2012.

Each Friday I’ll be posting a little weekly roundup with an update on these goals (you may have caught some of that last week).

Best,

Goals:

• Physical- Things are going well in this arena.  I was really disappointed that I had some major plantar fasciitis earlier this week that knocked me on my tail for my 2 mi run.  I want to make sure I’m staying committed, so the thought of not running was discouraging (especially after just writing that post!), but I came back yesterday with a 5 miler!
• Spiritual- Really loving a new accountability experience with a friend that has just really knocked things up a level for me.  It’s good (and bad) to know there’s someone out there who will call you out about things you’ve committed to do.  I’m also finding my longer runs as a great prayer time, which is an area that I’ve always wanted to grow.
• Creative- This blog has been a creative outlet for me and also becoming more involved with our vocal team at church–I love the arts and it has always been the area for me that shines.  I’m looking forward to some crafting on Sunday—have a few projects that are half way done that I’d like to check off my list!
• Home- Work day for the month planned for tomorrow.  I want to work on the trim some (we have a rule that until the downstairs trim is painted we won’t have any guests over.  We have our first friends scheduled in early February! eek!) I also want to get some things knocked out on my Nook!  I’m SOOO ready to have this area finished.
• Personal-I have done well with “my 3 things” this week (more on this soon!) and just some of the overall goals of moderation that I wanted to see in my life.  There are lots of things in life that we can become “enslaved” to.  For me, that comes out in how many cups of coffee I drink every day, how connected I am to my phone, being connected to friends via texts and emails and never hearing their voice on the phone or carving out time to see them.  I’m baby-stepping this area, but so far, so good!

Mom Update:  Things are definitely moving forward!  We came up with a list this weekend of where she wants all her furniture to go and it looks like she’ll be moving to a long-term care facility in Virginia in the next week!  God is GOOD!

Yummy Recipes! I was adventurous last week and made a butternut squash sweet potato soup.  It was SOOO good!  I’m going to try it again tomorrow in the crockpot and make it a little thicker.  You can’t go wrong with anything that calls for bacon crumbled on top!   I had two recipes on dock this week from Paleo Comfort Foods, both with a little variation.  We made their Farmer’s Pie in new fun dishware that was a surprise Christmas gift when we visited mom as well as their Dirty Rice….both, oh so good!

Things I’m learning:  2 things this week that occurred to me both while running yesterday..  1)Persistence:. In my run, I thought a lot about how frustrated I was that I had missed the 2 miler earlier in the week, but yet, I was not out of the game altogether.  I still did a 5 mile run in my same time as I’ve done the last 3. Yes, persistence is important, but so is taking care of yourself.  Sometimes we self-sabotage ourselves to get “the list” completed when in all actuality, sometimes we just need to slow down and rest. 2) the familiar.  I can run all day, but nothing is better than getting to that one certain street that the Beau and I did most of our training for our 5K’s on.  We know the road, traffic patterns, and how fast (most) folks drive.  We know that if we run in the mornings, we can pretty much run on the street, but in the evenings, we must be on the sidewalk. I have to remember how important and safe the familiar feels.  My mom is getting ready to leave her familiar, so I must be prepared for helping her in that transition.

Interesting quote: 2 that I’ve found in recent weeks.  From Ann Voskamp”s blog: “If it matters, you make the time. If it doesn’t, you make excuses.”  “A year from now you will wish you had started today.”  — Karen Lamb

Word and Theme for 2012

So, where is my map taking me in 2012?  I’m so glad you asked!  I’ve heard lots of folks being inspired to adopt a word for the year  although, I’m not 100% certain where my inspiration came from.  My word encompasses something that transpires to my theme, goals and iChoose2 journey.  You see, our church went through this series a few months ago and it has just really resonated within me and I just can’t get away from it.  When I look at prominent figures in society and women and men that I see on pages of magazines and at awards shows (it is that time of year)–who am I drawn to?  I’m drawn to the ones who look STRONG.  I want to be strong– Physically, Spiritually, Emotionally and Mentally.  I want to be able to reach health goals that I set for my self once and for all.  I want to be committed to spiritual growth. I want to be more confident and of a sharp mind.  I want to be strong.

So what will this strength do?  I want to be strong–but what am I going to do with it?  Following from a quote I’ve heard so many times and used by my girl Erin Condren on last year’s planner (and I’m sure tucked away somewhere inside this years’ pages): a Goal is a dream with a deadline.  I want to be strong because I have dreams that cannot be met unless I become stronger.  I have dreams of clarifying my personal calling and mission–that’s going to take some mental and emotional fortitude.  I have dreams of running a 1/2 marathon.  I’ve ran 2- 5K’s and will run 7 miles this Saturday–but I’ve got 6.1 more to go to know what 13.1 will feel like.  I never thought I’d finish those 5K’s, but I did.  I WILL finish the 1/2.  Running is not easy by any means, but I find it has purpose.  It allows me to do something difficult and persevere until I finish. Three times a week. Something to do first thing I get up in the morning and then feel invincible for the rest of the day.  I have a dream of having my mom live in the same state as I do.  That hasn’t happened since I moved away to college over a decade ago and in recent years, it’s becoming more and more difficult for us to live so far apart.  Gonna take a lot of strength of mind, a lot of strength for patience and a lot of physical strength as we move her belongings.

We’ve got this area in our home that I’ve called “dibs” on since we purchased it.  It’s at the bottom of our staircase in this little landing where the kitchen, living room and entryway meet.  I don’t know what it’s purpose was–late 1800′s home, so who knows.  It’s not wide enough to hold a coat hanger, yet this odd little cut-out served some purpose; just like the odd little idiosyncrasies of my life will serve a purpose.  I’m so excited that this little nook, as I’ve deemed it, is about to serve it’s grand purpose in our home– Grand Central Station as it’ll be called.  Mail, calendars, grocery list, meals for the week, pens, my planner, the netbook, basket of running shoes on the bottom, shelf for purses and bags, magnetic strips, cork boards, wedding announcements, birthday reminders–you name it and the nook will take care of it. We’re about 25% of the way there on this project and I’m so incredibly stoked to get it finished.  One of the things I’m most excited about is hanging this sign on the back wall and having to walk by it probably 100 or more times a day.  I think it’s gonna do me some good.

Best,

When I was younger, I remember never being one of those kids in gym class who got picked.  I was not the athletic one or the fast one.  I was coordinated, but not having one of the other two desired factors still left me almost always being one of the last folks on the sideline.  I dreaded physical fitness tests, especially the 1-mile run, I hated changing into gym clothes in the locker in high school and have always been sad more than anything that in most crowds of friends, I’m the “bigger girl.”

Now, perhaps this is one of those reasons I hesitate writing this post.  People don’t just lay it all out there.  We’re scared, ashamed and fearful of what others might think if we do.  Now, although that was apart of my past, I also have this really beautiful part.  Being very creative in music and writing, excelling in school, having a wonderful family to encourage me regardless of the societal impact being the “bigger girl” might have had.  I recall almost every family meal growing up being followed by a walk down the dirt road at Grandma and Grandpa’s. I fondly remember hikes in the snow, camping, laughing and lots of love.  I have aunts and uncles who are marathon runners, hikers, and speed-walkers. And I wanted nothing more but to be like them.

In college, I realized that not all people are shallow and only look at your outer appearance, not to say I didn’t have a few of those in high school.  I had wonderful friends who never made any issue of my weight–and other friends who shared those struggles; something I had little of before.  So, I kept living life as it had been lived, not paying much attention to my diet (oh, how I hate that word ), trying to eat low-fat, some veggies, etc. to keep off the freshman 15.  I went to the campus rec-center on occasion, had a year or two where a group of about 6 friends would walk each evening starting around 11pm for exercise, but was never super intentional about taking care of my body.  Although I was still the “bigger girl”, I had friends, a sense of humor, a loving family and was about to have a college degree.  I loved life!  I am so fortunate that my self-image for the most part was shielded from what the media could have done with it.

The post college years were pretty much all the same–trying to figure out life now that I didn’t have a college schedule, figure out meals now that I didn’t have my same college friends around, figure out if I wanted to be the only one going to the Rec Center or if I’d just order a workout DVD online and then let it collect dust, figure out how to do life, etc, etc, etc.  I tried a weight loss system in there at one point and had some success.  But after I stopped paying the weekly fee, the pounds came back on.

Fast-forward to the present–I love my life!  I am very happy, very blessed and still have a positive self image.  I have a wonderful job, fantastic friends, got married, bought a house, the American Dream.  However, there’s one thing that’s just been rolling around in my head for years.  Years…..

What is the difference between people who are runners and people like me?  What’s the difference between those folks who lose weight and keep it off?  What’s the difference between people who get up at 5am and workout for 2 hours a day and me? What’s the difference between my athletic aunts and uncles and me?

The answer?  It’s not genes.  It’s Willpower. 

Last year, the Beau and I decided that we wanted to change some things.  We altered our diet, signed up for a 5K back in Virginia on Thanksgiving Day.  My dream of becoming a runner was going to become a reality.  We ate well all of October and November, ran the 5K, then proceeded to enter the debacle of all food debacles– we hopped on board the Holiday Rollercoaster of Food–too many loops and too fast to even comprehend. Everything we’d worked so hard for was thrown out the window once we saw those homemade rolls and sweet potato casserole on the Thanksgiving dinner table.  We had no willpower. 

As you may know, the Beau and I turned 30 this year.  I was (and still am) exited to enter such a great decade.  Many of my friends secured great jobs and started their families in their 30′s.  What do I want to secure?  My life.

We hit 30 and realized a lot of things on our “30 before 30 list” had gone unaccomplished, we knew that we had even more important things we wanted to accomplish that weren’t even on that list. How was it gonna happen? How could we avoid the Rollercoaster?

You see, we, rather, I–am privileged to be able to get out of bed every morning, wipe the sleep out of my eyes and pull on some running pants.  My childhood goal of being a runner WOULD be fulfilled.  Why? I know folks who can’t even get out of bed on their own.  I have not treated my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit that the Word says it is.  I have been lazy, made excuses and sat on the couch way too long.  I went to my 10 year High School reunion excited to have a fiance on my arm, but left feeling sad that I looked the same as I did in High School.

Sidenote: Let me get something straight.  Beauty is within the eye of the beholder and COMES from within.  I am not talking about wanting to look more beautiful on the outside by being a certain weight or size.  I know that I am beautiful, because God creates all things to be beautiful. What frustrates me, is that I have taken his creation and not been the best steward possible to be healthy.

So, we ran that same 5K this Thanksgiving at about the same pace as the year prior.  We started training again after our birthday and vacations were over, although our food choices still were not dialed in at 100%.  However, this time, we left the race and didn’t board that Rollercoster.  We rode the kiddie version, still indulging in some holiday treats, but not feeling nearly as humiliated that we’d just reached a goal and then succombe to the lack of willpower to be even weaker than we were before.  How did we do it?  Willpower. How’d we get the willpower?

We realized that we had 2 legs that not only could make us walk, but make us run. 

The Beau and I both have very important people in our lives who have challenges that do not allow them to walk freely without assistance or walk at all.  We run for them.

When I get tired, I think of them.

My Mom.

The freshman soccer player in my class last year injured and out for the season.

My friend who just had major brain surgery at age 30.

My grandma who had foot surgery at age 80.

Minds rattled by anxiety.

Football players dreams crushed by a career ending injury.

Brothers and Sisters in the armed forces protecting our freedom–they run through much more challenging circumstances than I.

I run for them.

Quick back-story–in May of 2010, she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Vasculitis on top of her Rheumatoid Arthritis and that snowballed into many, many other health issues including a blood clot that went to her lungs and diabetes.  She has been in and out of hospitals and rehab since May 2010 and was encouraged by her primary care physician that living on her own is not safe. 

Just go ahead and click play as you read the rest of this post…and I dare you not to smile. 

So, we are excited to share some good news!  It looks like Mom could be joining us in Kentucky at a facility in our town in the next 3-6 months!  This is a huge blessing as we actually have a timeline to work with. She would be located just down the street from our house and it will be SOOO nice to have her closer.  I have been very impressed with the personnel at the facility and the facility itself.  In the meantime, she is now considered a long-term care patient at the rehab facility  in Virginia and needs to move to Salem to a facility that has long-term care beds.  We’ve been discussing this option and when is the best time for this move to occur, but it is really also an answer to prayer as she would be much closer to her sister and Mom while we wait for a bed here in Kentucky to open up.

So, in the meantime, we are looking at moving Mom out of her apartment, cleaning and purging, figuring out what items need to be kept and stored, where to store them, what items need to be donated, etc.  We’ll be traveling there in the coming weeks to help with this process.  Since we know that she will be coming here fairly soon, we can take our time throughout this process.

A few things we would love to have you join with us in prayer about are:

• The moving process–quite overwhelming as mom is in rehab and we live here.  Prayers for success and productivity when we travel there soon.  Also for discernment on when to put in the 30 day notice on her apartment.
• Mom’s anxiety–This is a huge change for her and after a year and a half of being in limbo and on lots of different medications and treatments, her nerves are shot, so thinking of moving is really doing a number on her.  Please pray for peace to invade her heart and mind and that she will be able to relinquish trust that God has every little concern she has in the palm of his hands!
• The facility in Virginia she will be moving to temporarily–for roommates, nursing staff, doctors, etc.
• The facility in Kentucky–she will have to find a new Primary Care Physician here, as well as adjusting to living in a new environment.  Although it will be wonderful to be closer to Lewie and I, she will undoubtedly miss her sisters, brother and Mom in VA.
• Continued prayers for healing that she will one day be able to live independently again.

Thanks for your continued support as we have navigated this journey.

Best,

But perhaps I’m wrong.  I see and hear of people taking down Christmas decorations, having the winter blues now that the holidays have past and feeling a sense of restlessness now that all the celebrations are behind us.  I guess I can see what folks are saying–there is such hubbub, such pageantry with Christmas that sometimes (myself included) we forget the entire reason for Christmas, so when all the “holiday cheer” passes, there’s a bit of sadness that comes with that.  How  quickly we forget that Christmas is not about seeing family and friends, gathering for big meals, spending hours perfecting new recipes and pulling out old standards.  It’s not about hours of rehearsal for Christmas services, shopping for that perfect gift, and trying out all the new wrapping and decorating techniques one has found on Pinterest.

So if that’s NOT Christmas, then what is?  It’s anticipation.  Epiphany.

Ever had an epiphany?  That a-ha or light bulb moment?  I had one earlier this year.  I continue to reference how that has shaped many of my conversations, prayers and thoughts over the past few months.  I think about that morning, sitting on my couch having my morning coffee with God when He really opened an area of my heart I had been so closed off to.  I remember driving to work that day in tears so overwhelmed with what God was birthing in my life.

Christmas is about a birth also.  But not just the birth–the anticipation of that thing–that person–that changes everything.  Having many friends who have had (or are expecting) babies, the anticipation, the preparation and celebration isn’t just on the day of birth.  There’s a long time of preparing, painting rooms, updating gift registries, discussing parenting styles and expecting what life with that little one will be like.

Advent is marked by expectation and anticipation in preparing to celebrate the coming of Jesus. 

So we celebrate Jesus’ birth.  We attend Christmas eve services, make a birthday cake for Jesus (heard of so many more families that are doing this!  Our cake was always red velvet with a miniature manger scene on top of the cream cheese frosting), sing “O, Holy Night.” Then we go home, attend those holiday dinners, rip open the gifts without the slightest idea how much time and labor was spent on those bows and then we’re done.  We go home, take the Christmas CD’s out of the player, change the Pandora station, put the holiday movies back in storage and then once we’ve mustered up enough energy, we pull those storage bins out and start putting those decorations up.  No more lights.  No more mistletoe.  No more candy canes. Christmas is over.

But how quickly we forget!  Advent doesn’t end with Christmas.  Christmas is just the beginning!

One of my dear friends just recently had her first baby in October.  I went to the hospital the morning after she was born.  24 hours earlier, that little darling was still cozied up in her mama’s belly.  We celebrated God’s goodness that day.  And when I saw them at our Christmas Eve service at church, I was just as excited to see that little bundle of joy.  The celebrating doesn’t end with something new and exciting and straight from God.

This is the climax of the Christmas season.  I wasn’t wrong–it IS still Christmas!  Get the lights back out, deck those halls–it’s still Christmas!

I love holiday traditions.  I love celebrating all season and holidays.  I want to be better next holiday season remembering the true meaning of the seasons–Advent, Christmas, Epiphany–and not give in to the commercialized hubbub.  I have improved this year, but there is till a long way to go.  Lighting the advent wreath, reading the advent readings in our home, opening one (small) gift each day from Christmas to Epiphany.

So how will YOU celebrate this awesome ending (that is really a beginning) to such a wonderful season.  How do you typically celebrate something really exciting?  Have a party!  We just so happened to have invited some folks over for dinner on January 6th–completely coincidental.  But now, I think I’ll be planning a dinner party every year on January 6th.  And not feeling so badly that my tree typically stays up through mid-January.  There was a reason all a long, I just didn’t know it.  And when I say “Happy Holidays”–you’ll know the reason there also.

Happy Holidays, ya’ll!

Warmly,

Faith Nicole

I love all the seasons–definitely call me a four season gal.  Although some have my  heart (fall) and some I’m not super fond of (summer), I love how they all have their time and appreciate them all for the different things they bring.  It’s been an unusually mild “winter” so far this year–not until later today will I whip out my heavy winter coat.  There’s something about winter that for many of us, signifies the culmination of all holidays–Christmas.  What I’ve noticed in recent years however, is that when you get right past the Christmas season in many stores, delving through the piles of clearance-marked lights and wrapping paper, you’ll find an abundance of something else that very oddly, signifies winter for many.

I’ve found myself in these aisles myself the past few years.  It’s an odd place to be.  Here it is the dead of winter and I’m looking for what??

Running gear?

Yes, it’s that time of year when we all make that “New Year’s Resolution” to get in shape, go on a diet, make lifestyle changes whether it’s to drink, smoke, or gamble less.

For the past few years, I’ve re-framed my own personal view of the resolution to that of an overarching goal.  What is that one “thing” that I want to do that I hope infiltrates every area of my life.  If you know me at all,  you’ll know that I’m a visionary.  And one thing visionary people like me do is set goals.  It’s hard to see the future come to fruition if there’s not a step-by-step plan in place.  Now, if you’ve known the me of the past few  years,  you’ll also know that I’m learning  more and more to let go of planning everything out in life.  This is due to a few things–namely being God reminding me daily that He is God and I need to let go of the steering wheel from time to time.  I also have this amazing reminder daily in the flesh.  It’s that man I pledged my faithfulness to a few years ago “for better, for worse, for planning and spontaneity.”

So even though I’m learning more and more about not getting too stringent with goals, wanting to be realistic  and set attainable goals, I still get this urge to sit down this time each year and create a laundry list of goals for the upcoming year.  My new planner even has a spot for me to write them out in!

Are you kidding? I've got to get you coming back to read future posts about my goals! No spoilers here!

So with all that said, I’ll be posting here and there over the next few days and weeks about some things that I want to do/see/become in the new year.  As you’ll remember, last year’s goal was to “Be Better”  and while I do feel that we are better in some areas, there is always room to grow.  2011 did give us quite a start on some goals in which to be better and I look forward to sharing what is on my heart for 2012.

Are you a goal setter?  Thought about any for the upcoming year?  Perhaps you aren’t a goal setter–you are not alone (click with caution for those of you who are more like me…)

If you haven’t thought about it–no worries.  Why should you set a goal in the first place? Stay tuned for my thoughts on that…

Warm Regards,

Faith Nicole

Have a specific focus for your blog–don’t cram it all into one blog.

Pick your focal audience and write for them.

Don’t do food, renovating, spirituality and family all in one blog.

I see those same blogs having a blog for their “thing”–be it organizing, home renovation, cooking–and a new additional blog for their family life. I look at the consistency and frequency with which they write.  I wonder how they do it.

Then I remember that for many of them, this is their full-time job.  Or at least a part-time job.  They are running ads, have sponsors and are trying to create a life for themselves by being a stay at home mom, dad, family or at least part time stay at home ____.

So here I am coming back to my blog after a season of distance wondering how to change things.  What’s the one thing I’m passionate about enough to blog about on a consistent basis?  Is it the renovation of our home?  Or the meals we cook on a daily basis?  What about my spiritual journey and what God is teaching me?  My professional interests?  Perhaps it’s to help family from far away stay in touch with what our day-to-day life looks like?  But when I look back over the life of pliable, I see that it’s peppered with all these things.  There is not one consistent theme.  I have so many interests, I cannot fathom only focusing on one of them and to me, that seems to be a little messy.  My life for sure cannot be put into pretty little boxes, tied up with bows and presented on this forum without a little mess.

I recall in grade-school participating in a 4-H project.  I made it to the regional competition.  My presentation?  Gift Wrapping.  That’s right.  It was a combo of public speaking and also creating a poster board expressing the outline of our project.  I was a master at Gift Wrapping.  Fast-forward to the present and many days I sit behind a screen and wonder how I can magically put the thoughts that are rolling around in my head in some coherent blog post.  Will it make sense?  Will anyone read it?  Will anyone care enough to comment?

Then I’m taken back to the moment a few months ago.  That A-Ha moment in my morning quiet time where I was really pondering some big life questions and I remembered how much I love writing and how little I get to do it (or rather, create space in my schedule for writing).  And what is it that I love again about writing?  The entire writing process.  Not for the comments of friends reading (although feedback is good).  Not for the conversation I wish to be sparked that isn’t (again, that would also be great).  I miss writing for the opportunity to practice that “gift-wrapping” process.  I have been wrestling constantly with the culture of busy-ness we’ve created and live into on a daily basis.  Perhaps I’m not commenting on other friends blogs for the same reason they aren’t commenting on mine–we can’t slow down long enough to FULLY read a post, much less give feedback.

So, here’s a post where I didn’t really answer the question I posed, just experienced some of the writing process that for me, gets my mind moving.  What to write about?  Whatever seems to be striking me that day.  Will I have a theme?  Will I write about certain things on certain days?  Perhaps.  But that day is not today.  I will write when I feel the urgency to write.  I will try to be more frequent, but not guilt myself if I’m not.  I will aim for more engaging and interesting topics, but sometimes life is not engaging or interesting.

My topic?  Write to write, Faith.  That’s all.

Best,