For Him by Her

This Georgetown Girl got to experience a true Gilmore/Georgetown Girl day yesterday on the Square at the Christmas Stroll! I love the Stroll and all of the little festivals that come to the Square during the fall and spring. Most of them are filled with cute vendors, good food and music. My favorite part though is that I can pretty much just walk to the square and run into all of my friends from this cute little town. Some of my more "cool" and maybe more age acting friends may think I'm such a little loser for loving this so much, but I don't really care...The grandma in my soul loves this little part of life.

I have had great luck finding gifts for family and friends all of the years I have been able to come to the Stroll, but this year, I had to buy this trinket for myself. I love this hat! Not only is it unique and just plain cute, it has Jeremiah 29:13 handwritten inside, on darling fabric, that just adds another little touch of spunk. The gals that own this little business and that were working in the booth were so sweet, too. I loved all of the fabrics they used for their signs, and by golly, even their bags were just precious. I have to admit, I even told them that I wish I could quit my job and just come work with them to make these darling hats. They have an Etsy shop, and although her shop is on vacation until January 1st, you can order these hats there! Just search "For Him by Her" on Etsy!

I want to be creative like so many of my friends are being lately, and like this sweet gal, create cute things like this, either for me to wear, or to bless others with, just to add a little jazz to all of our days, but at the same time, bringing your heart and mind to our Abba, Father. Over Christmas break, I hope to create!!

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

-r

Capitol 10K!

Mist. Rain. Humidity. Hills. Traffic. FUN! Even with all of those obstacles, the Cap 10k is a race I cannot wait to RUN again next year! My friend Rachel and I tried it for our first time today, both of us had never run or walked in too many races before either. It was a blast! We chose to walk the 10k since neither of us had really been training, but about half way through we started to run/walk about every half mile and it felt great. We are so excited to start looking for more 5k's and 10k's to run/walk, and to hopefully make it to a half marathon someday.

I think the part that makes this race so great is AUSTIN. I love the beauty of this city, even in the center of a city! The race is full of great people, a lot of whom dress up in silly costumes, like the Ketchup man above. There is also live music at some point in each mile. I will be going to see some of these bands in the future, for sure.

Want to join us next year? I can't wait!

-r

He is risen!

i love spring! with it comes all new things: new leaves, flowers, green grass, warmth, life and freedom. on this Easter sunday, my heart rejoices because Jesus has overcome death and He is risen, my giver of life and freedom is alive, powerful and mighty to save! He was sent to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and to release from darkness for prisoners. He came to bestow on us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of morning and a spirit of praise instead of despair. (Isaiah 61)

my heart has been eerily quiet though this week and this holiday weekend. just still and quiet, which is good. while i love spring, it has been a busy spring for me and i don't think my heart does all that well being overly busy. some people thrive on it, i think i come to a point where i just shut down and crave a quieter time, but i don't really realize i need that time until my heart quiets me down by itself. until God quiets me down on purpose.

so now i sit, on easter sunday evening, after a very lazy yet refreshing weekend. and what do i do? i play with my blog, and then realize i haven't written a single word on here in months, and thankfully it gets my heart stirring, the quietness has let me rest and escape the busy world for a little bit, and now i am ready to worship my King, my savior, the love of my life. i confess after a winter of seeking Him desperately, i didn't seek him as much as i should this spring, and i feel the void in my soul. but now i am ready, and am so excited to hear what He has to tell me, good, bad, or if i hear nothing at all, i will be patient and wait. i am excited because i know i will be in the one and only place my heart is at its fullest, with my Risen Savior.

happy easter!

This and That

I love 3 day weekends! My good friend and I talked about how lovely it is to enjoy a Sunday evening without having to worry about going to work on Monday, and it so was. While my weekend was pretty calm, I really cherish the fact that I was able to spend time with several dear friends, without leaving Georgetown. I also cherish the fact that I was able to enjoy the beauty of God's creation without leaving Georgetown, either. This little town grows and grows on me!

Today, though, I have not felt well (probably good that there was no school for that reason, too). So I got to playing around with the blog design a little when I couldn't stand the sickdom blues any more...What do you think? I almost went as far as to download a new header, but I didn't have the energy to use the different programs and all to make the header work (nor do I really remember what I did last time...I'll save that for a day when I feel better!)

Just wanted to say hello and jot down a few thoughts-I am excited for things that this week will bring-excited to teach my kids, to start a new bible study tomorrow, and to get to enjoy the warmer weather we have coming our way. At the same time that I am excited for this new week, my heart feels heavy for the people and children of Haiti...I know the best way for me to help right now is to pray and give monetary support. I feel though that that may not be the only way God has me helping in the future. I'll write more on that later-as it becomes a little more clear to me and as more ways to help develop in the time to come.

Wishing you a joyful week!

-r

Oh, and if you are wondering if I have been doing the Bobby Bones Workout Challenge-the answer is kind of-every day is tough! Every day on the weekends is better... :) and a few during the week. His workout regimen is insane-no way could I work out the way he does! And, he never wrote back to take me out on my birthday, so that kicked away some of my motivation, too :) haha Guess he'll be missing out on one cute, sweet birthday girl date!

the bobby bones workout challenge!

hi friends! well, since my last post i have felt much better, and am so thankful for that. maybe the teenager is gone (well, the bad parts of being a teenager i guess)! anyway, let me share with you a new challenge i am going to take on, starting today, that will help me meet a lot of my goals i have shared with you in the past.

its bobby bones' 45 workouts in 45 days challenge. any other fellow listeners out there? i listen to the bobby bones show every morning as i get ready for work, and love it (you should all listen, too)! bobby, amy, lunch, and carlos all let me start my day with laughter, and the thing i love about them most is that they are real people who make you feel like a friend, even though you are just listening. i have to admit, i follow them all on twitter, and saw one of bobby's tweets today: that he is setting a goal for himself, to work out 45 times in 45 days, no days off, unless he is sick. quite a lofty goal, but he has invited others to join him in this challenge.

i read his tweet just after i got home from a refreshing, long bike ride to the lake. so, today's workout is done! i am going to jump in the boat and accept this challenge. i think it will be great for me, for so many reasons, but i think it may actually happen because there will be many others out there doing the same thing, and blogging about it. strange, but i think this real but not so real support system may help me stick to it, for reals. :)

want to join? visit bobby's blog at http://bobbybonesworkout.blogspot.com.

for me, just in case you are curious, i plan to work out in a few different ways: some days a long bike ride or run on the trail, others working out at home before work, and then sometimes i'll go to the rec for a yoga class or for a swim. does yoga count bobby? :)

excited about changes to come!

-r

p.s. bobby, if you read this, the challenge ends on my birthday, february 11. want to take me out to celebrate? :)

The teenager is not all gone, i guess...

I have just had one of the most humiliating experiences (deep down to my soul humiliating), and the only person I could be embarrassed in front of was myself-my silly kitty wasn't even around for this one. I am not sure why I am blogging about this for all to read, but I just feel like I need to-like it will be theraputic to my hurting heart, that it will help me and other women to resist feeling this way ever about themselves.

I had the day off today-first weekday off of my holiday break. Pure delightfulness was this morning for me-even though I was cleaning and organizing-it was just so nice to be HOME on a Monday morning instead of dealing with all of the normal Manic Monday tasks. Then I ran some errands, did some Christmas shopping, and then it was home to get ready to head out to a Mary Kay Christmas Party. Yes, I became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant a few months ago, and am LOVING blessing ladies by helping them feel pretty, which makes this story EVEN more ridiculous. So, I'm home with just enough time to get all snazzy for the party-my thought is I have to be looking pretty good, seeing as how most other people there will be dressed to the 9's, probably. (Note: Number 1 bad thought in my mind) I curl my hair, put on eye make up (which I hardly ever even wear), put on real lip gloss (colored I mean), and feel almost "pretty". I then put on my new headband that I picked up for myself today in the midst of shopping for others, and then I feel pretty. No lie, NLR, whatever Bobby and Lunchbox mean by that, I felt pretty. It is rare for me to feel that way (sorry, I have always struggled with this one-ask my mother if you want some funny stories!). Then, its is time to change out of my sweats I had been running around town in all day and put on the snazzy, MK worthy outfit. The moment I had it all on (it inclued tights and boots...took a couple of minutes) I felt more ugly than I had felt in a long time. I don't know why this just sprung up and happened to me, but the outfit just didn't work. Maybe its the extra candy and sweets I had been eating since Thanksgiving and the minimal working out I had been doing, maybe it was the outfit. I tried on a different shirt with the skirt and boots I had on-hopeless. Then the teenager in me came out-the feeling like I was so ugly that I just could NOT go to this party, could not show my face among all of the other beautiful people that would be there. So here I sit, at home with my kitty, not at a party. I am so ashamed of myself.

I write this not because I want pity or oohs and aws from anyone. I write this so I will not let this happen to myself ever again. I feel so, so silly and so much like an awful friend for not going to this party. Why on earth would I worry about my looks in front of getting to have fun with some friends, or to get to visit with some friends? I write this because I am sure other women out there have felt like this at one time or another, and I think it helps us women to realize there are others out there that have moments like these. I think it helps me to move on from a bad moment in my life when I admit my mistakes to someone, so I can hear it out loud-helps me to realize my own stupidity on some issues that I have with myself. But most of all, sharing this with you right now helps me realize and know that I don't want to feel like this again ever, that I am almost 28 years old and I don't want to be having these teenage like feelings ever again. It helps me realize that something needs to change in my life to prevent me from feeling this way. I have 2 things I pray for strength in doing to change right now:

1. Let HIM become greater, and let me become so much less.

2. Stop eating the sweets, return to phase 1, return to my bike rides and runs, where Christ does seem to become so much more in me and I so much less.

That's all for now, from this adult woman, who is hoping the teenager will be all gone by morning...

I wish it were Sunday...

I'm back! I have been the worst blogger ever. I miss the days (the few of them) when I would be so excited to sit and write here. I remember literally finding moments all throughout my days where I would think, "I have to write about that later!" Today was a delightful Sunday, even though it was the first rainy Sunday we've had here in a while. I feel so rested and motivated for the week ahead, and yet, just because today was so great, I am sitting here at 7:40pm on a Sunday evening wishing that tomorrow wasn't just another Manic Monday, as I am sure a lot of you are feeling right now, too...

This Sunday morning, I woke up at 6:30! Even though that is later than my usual week day rising, I still woke up wishing it were a little later. I decided to not let my energy go to waste, so I got some house work tasks checked off of my list before I went on a bike ride...in the misty rain! I had SO much fun on this bike ride-I have fun on all of my rides, but this one was just adventurous! I ride my bike on the hike and bike trail here in Georgetown that goes from my house all the way across town to the lake. It is a beautiful trail-I hope you can all join me on it some day! Anyhow, I think what made this bike ride so enjoyable was the fact that I had a determination to make it to the lake before it really started to rain-and there was no turning back for me today-I really wanted to make it so I could see the pretty fall leaves changing, and burn some calories at the same time (damn halloween candy...). And, of course, when I am so motivated and determined to accomplish a goal, there is always a road block for me to conquer...And my road block this time was that the city is letting water out of the lake through the dam (the trail follows the San Gabriel River to Lake Georgetown), so there are about 3 places on the trail that are no longer trail, but river. I am so proud of myself for riding my bike right through the rushing water and mud to make it to the lake! My shoes were certainly waterlogged and covered in mud after the first 10 minutes of my ride, but it was all worth it. The beautiful fall colors I saw on my ride made it worth it; the refreshing graces the Lord gave to my heart though them made it worth it. I love a bike ride that 'leaves' my heart feeling full and my body a little smaller!

After my bike ride I went and visited with a dear friend who I haven't gotten to see in a while, and her stories filled my heart with more graces. I love you sweet friend! Thank you for sharing your friendship with me!

Now I rest and reflect on my day, with my kitty, my Sweet Baby James, my Kiki Bo Bo (yes, I am a horrible mother for calling my boy kitty Kiki, but somehow it just came out and he responds to it...) laying across my chest, and wait on a delightful soup to be ready for me to eat. Why can't every rainy day be so great? I hope that I remember this rainy Sunday, the determination and graces that it brought to me-and I hope that when I feel like its a gloomy, rainy day in my heart, I will receive motivation and joy from the love that this day gave me. Lord Jesus, help me remember this, this freedom and grace I feel through you.

Until next time...whenever that may be...my prayers are for you to be filled with joy and blessings in your heart as well!