Saturday, January 14, 2012

Home - revisited

Three months ago, I issued you a challenge. Remember? I never fully circled back, though I did give you MY update and gave you an extenstion through the end of the year
The Challenge: Have people over to your house between now and Thanksgiving. As long as they come in and stay long enough to sit down, it counts. I'll be asking how it went!
So now I want to know!  How did it go??? What are you doing NOW to open your home this year? Fill me in!

I've been stretching my boundaries a bit. A few months back I opened my home and started leading a bible study a couple times a month. I threw the party I told you all about. I've had friends over hear and there. I've been happy to invite people over at the spur of the moment for two reasons. #1 - my home stays cleaner and less cluttered when I routinely have people over and #2 - when I routinely have people over, my impossibly high standards of perfection lower to a more normal level. Know what I do now? I let people into my home when there are dirty dishes in my kitchen sink and hair on my bathroom floor!

SHOCK   HORROR   Really, I need to keep up with both of these a little more, but I'm not letting them hold me back.

My next challenge? Can I make my home kid friendly? Hmmmmm.......

(Don't forget, leave a comment with your own story of how you met this challenge.)


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Facebook?

It's been almost six months since I broke-up with Facebook.  I've had an account for just my family since then, plus a "page" for this blog. I've felt the itch now and again. I've also enjoyed the freedom. When I started dating The Boyfriend, I realized I hadn't considered how my family-only FB related to that sort of relationship. I tried over-thinking it, since I'm so good at over-thinking things. I finally said to myself, "Forget it! You did this because FB wasn't fun anymore. Don't let it add stress again. You want to be "friends" with The Boyfriend, then do it!" (though in my head, I called him Josue, because I really only say The Boyfriend on this blog and at work, not in the rest of my life) So I did it. I asked him to be my friend. And then I asked him to be in a relationship with me. On FB, since these things were already true in real life, just in case I've confused you. And you know what? THIRTY-SEVEN of his friends, many of them my friends as well (just not on FB), hit that little "like" button. And that made me smile. And this is how I knew I made the right FB decision. Because it lead to smiles and only smiles.

And then the other night I thought about contacting someone and realized I didn't have a phone number for them. Or an email address. And that if I had a normal Facebook account, it would be super helpful and easy. So yesterday I said, "What the hey!" (because good girls say hey), and friend-requested some people. I was going to rule FB and not let it hold me back.

Now, you might wonder if you can be my friend. I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I haven't created a set of rules for who can be my friend and I don't think I will. What I WILL be doing is following the spirit of RICH & FOCUSED that I wrote about back in July. And if FB tries to run my life again? You can be sure I'll be doing what I need to keep my priorities straight.  Facebook is SECONDARY to real life. Not the other way around.

If you've struggled with Facebook, consider pulling the plug. You can read HERE why I did it back in July. Social media is constantly evolving and the way we let it interact with our lives needs to be monitored. Don't be afraid to make a fresh start.

Oh, and don't even THINK of asking me to play FarmVille. Really. Don't.

And as an aside, I'm avoiding making my Facebook commercial as much as I can. I'm not "liking" businesses just to get coupons. They just aren't getting that power over me.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Pose for me, pose for me

I love photographs that = memories. I would much rather take pictures than buy souvenirs on a trip. I love the stories that are held in my photo albums. A few weeks ago I was given the privilege of participating in a photoshoot sponsored by my church leadership and Ginny Filer Photography. The church was prepping for a new website that launched this week (which looks AMAZING [because Jenna Jones Designs rocks too!].) We took pics we would need for the site and Ginny was gracious enough to take extra pics for all of us. It was a lot of fun and I'm so excited to have new memories of my dearest friends!
(You can check out the official public album HERE on Facebook.)

I really do love hospitality!  I'm offering you a muffin and coffee right now.

 There were also some fun color effects!















(more pics after the jump)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Happy just to be

Over Christmas I was down in Florida visiting my family and while I was there I managed to make it over to the beach twice, once with my mom and once alone.


There is nothing like sitting on a warm beach.
The wind.
The sun.
The waves.
The salt in the air.
The seagulls. (Really, I like them.)



I spent a little more time there then I should have one day, just soaking all that up. My back soaked up a little TOO much sun...I should have known better. But it was very much worth it. There is something therapeutic about listening to the ocean. It manages to clear your mind and heart unlike anything else.

If you live within a decent driving distance from the ocean, make a little trip. Cold or not, just go and sit an hour. Dig your toes in the sand and let the majesty of creation surround you.