in sync

so yesterday i was so tickled to have a real life phone conversation with tara!

i declare, this world is truly is a small one.

to think 19 years ago, while pregnant with savannah,

gregg & i attended a church pastored by andy stanley.

& now, savannah is attending one of (andy's) northpoint community's locations

in athens

where tara & hubby live

where tara's hubby works!!

i mean seriously what a small world!

i'll be the first to admit, i spend a little too much time on facebook.

gosh that's painful to admit

but there it is

& today thought i'd sync things up a little between my fb account & the blog.

most mornings i do pull up smk's page & check out all her cute photos.

no i don't stalk every conversation but i love to see her in all her glory, especially on game day.

(hoping i don't get an early morning text telling me something along the lines of ...mom, that's so creepy that you downloaded my photos.)

go dawgs! 

yesterday

while i was on the phone with cutiepie tara,

another call came in...

turns out little bit had missed the bus.

& fear not, she only waited about 3 minutes for my callback.

but anyway, we're riding along & she tells me...

"mama, i've been asked out three times this week, by three different boys"

"WHAT?"

insert rolling eyes here. her's. not mine.

"but don't worry. i told the last one....walk away buddy, just walk away"

there were hand motions. it was hysterical. hysterical i tell ya!

recently had this little visitor hanging out in the family room with me.

& i will tell you, i did make an attempt to send him back outdoors.

on my own.

but he sorta creeped me out scurrying so quickly.

couldn't get a single one of my girls to help the cause...

thankful for husbands who do insect control.

 

have you died & gone to heaven

with one of these in your hand yet? 

& before you go & judge me.

i do order it nonfat, decaf, 1 shot, no whip & light on the mocha

and

it still tastes great!

so proud of madison &
her two recent personal biggie accomplishments!!
atta girl!


~~~

& finally
wanted to share some specials with you over at Tiny Prints
who is currently running various new bundle specials available for you!
these offers will change weekly for you & give you savings up to 35%

& for you brides, Tiny Prints is also offering a special free bridesmaids card for you too!
"like" the page & that will give you the promo
also

if you note "send it to me first" option you will receive your free card!

~~~

alrighty...

the plan is to shut down facebook for the rest of the day.

baby steps.

changes

this is how i figure it.

i'm a predictable person.

i'd love to say i'm adventurous and spontaneous.

but the here's the naked truth:

i sit in the same area at the same church i've gone to for 10 years.

if i find a restaurant i like with an entree i like, chances are i'll order that entree each time i return
which will be frequently.

the servers (most of them) at my favorite mexican spot, know my order.

i go to bed around the same time each night.

i vacation in the same area.

i went to nursing school specifically to take care of children with cancer

&

i still work at the same pediatric hospital in which i did my internship back in 1991.

if i like a book or movie, chances are i read it or watch it more than once.

i don't like it when my friend and her family move to nebraska.

or when the power company slaughters the dozens of bradford pears
that have lined my property for the last 15+ years.

i guess it's safe to say i don't accept change very easily.

i know. snore right?

i would love to say that change excites me

that i thrive on new adventures

but it doesn't & i don't.

if someone could please make these characteristics sound more positive, i would love it

i don't want to sound like an old predictable stick in the mud.

but in the midst of change
i can feel relationships strengthen despite distances.
i have had more heart conversations with those i love,
even though i don't visibly see them as frequently.
in the midst of change, i have a front row seat as those whose lives are changing
are deepening their own walk with the Lord.
in the midst of change,i am forced gently reminded to look outside myself
& depend on others.
while i don't prefer to be needy, i have found strength through some
of the best friends i feel like i've had in a long time.

a landscape company is coming today.
they'll start planting trees. lots of trees.
with all my beautiful bradfords gone, the view i currently have is less than pleasant.
( dan's probably cracking up at that comment as i've loudly grumbled and complained about it for weeks)
it's expensive. it's labor intensive.
but the view from my back porch will change again
& will be beautiful.
one day.

& one day,
i'll be okay with all the other change that's going on my little world.
my view is slowly starting to change.
the view from my heart.
& it will seem beautiful again too.

~~~~

"The beautiful thing about change is that it provides a contrast for the people and things that offer us strength and stability. These steady things in life become so visible when everything else is swaying. I treasure these times of change. My family is moving, but at the same time and in all the ways that count - we don't move at all."

kristin armstrong, found here

 

for the love of tomato soup

last week we were blessed with some unseasonably cool days.

gorgeous breezy days

& even one rainy day.

i can't remember the last overcast rainy day we've had here in atlanta

so i really savored that one.

best thing to do on a rainy cool day is make some soup.

i've posted once or a dozen times about how much we love

edie's spicy tomato soup.

which is caroline's favorite....even requested for her birthday dinner back in the spring.

my little herb garden in the back yard has done fantastic this summer

but i can tell my basil is on it's last leg

fear not

mr. manners is not allowed to rest his chin on the table

but he snuck a quick move on me while i was photographing dinner.

he cracks me up

he loves all his raw veggies....carrots, brocoli & cucumbers.

i would love to know what his little mind is thinking...

probably something along the lines of 

why are these humans ignoring me.

i love my veggies.

pass the tomato soup woman!....please

while we've warmed back up again

i can feel fall is just peeking at us around the corner.

looking forward to finding some yummy soup recipes.

would love to hear your favorite!

"evil is real. and so is courage" President Bush

 

 President George Bush gave what, in my mind, had to be one of his best speeches

yesterday as he dedicated the memorial in Shanksville.

He said & i quote, that "one of the lessons learned on 9.11

is

that evil is real.

and so is courage."

i believe each of us will be forever changed by what occured that horrific day.

the stories of bravery,

courage,

and the thousands of selfless acts of heroism

will forever inspire us

& make us each so proud to be Americans.

My heart & prayers go out to the families that lost a loved one that day.

There are no words....

~~~~~~

We will never forget...

i want to be someone's aibileen

after taking a few years off from dance
caroline has asked to return.
she went last night & took ballet, tap & jazz
& LOVED it!!

when i picked her up last night (after 3 hours of class),
she was meeting with the studio owner and one of the teachers back in the office.
they were praising her for being such a natural.

i looked over at caroline....
she was beaming & smiling & sweaty & so very happy.
it was a priceless moment.

 

honestly
in the 5th grade, she sits on the brink of those years
where their little self esteem can truly take a beating.
i really hope ( & plan on telling them) the two ladies
know what a seed they planted in her spirit last night.
how powerful the words we speak over a child.

the last few days i've thought so many times about the now famous words
of aibileen from The Help
"you is kind. you is smart. you is important."
aibileen whispered those words in mae mobley's ears over & over.
usually while she was being neglected by her own mama.

while i probably will never be anyone's hired help
i will have many come & go through my life.
i pray that i seize those fleeting moments when i have a child
or an adult for that matter
sitting in front of me
& like aibileen to mae mobley,
like the dance instructors to caroline
&
plant those priceless words of encouragement in that person's heart. 



the last couple of days i have read some of the most tender comments, notes, emails and responses. so many of you, whether your personal mountain has been a walking through the valley of the shadow of death

or your personal mountain has been one of trying to be all things to all people, 

can relate to wearing a mask.

honestly, i think we all can.

my prayer for each of you

is that you rest in His hand today, His protective hand,

the hand that created you

&

really know Him.

He goes before you

He sees every tear

& He loves you

and longs to give you exceedingly more than you could ever dare to ask or dream.

teresa, miss comment #24

i'd love to send you a copy of Grace for the Good Girl

please link over through my email & send me your address.

Teresa said... I love your blog and especially this post! Thanks for sharing your heart and your amazing photos

my own version of the good girl & a giveaway

let me start out with two disclaimers.

#1. these images have nothing to do with today's post.

#2. i've sat here for an hour trying to figure out a cute way to start unpacking my thoughts

& how to share them with you

about my personal good girl.

i didn't come up with anything funny so i'll just let it roll from here.

in Grace for the Good Girl 

one of my favorite lines is the following:

"you are not responsible to have it all together.

you are free to respond to the One who holds all things in His hands".

while i know that in my mind

there have been many times in my life where knowing it in my heart

& then living it out

where almost impossible for me.

when gregg was sick

& definitely after he passed away

i needed to keep it all together.

all of it.

together.

what started out as a defense mechanism

ended up as an unrealistic goal for me to keep.

i knew everyone was watching how i was handing one of their own worst nightmares.

being a christian i felt the extra pressure to make sure

that my behavior , by no means, scared anyone away from the Lord.

i wanted to be ok.

that even when sad awful things happened to those who believed in Jesus,

it would still be ok.

apparently ok to me was the following~

my good girl.

let me introduce her to you & i hope we'll still be friends.

(i physically just felt my shoulders slump in shame as i begin)

my good girl is a fun vibrant balance of a christian.

she loves jesus

she sure is happy all the time.

yet also is real.

as long as real ends up coming back to happy.

she has a dynamic personal walk with the Lord

she does not violate the 10 commandments

she loves others. effortlessly.

& she looks good while keeping all those plates spinning

preferably in the current fashions.

yuck. right?

well, when i became a widow

i needed things to continue to be ok.

i needed to be ok.

i needed others to believe i was ok.

because the Lord truly was carrying me in His almighty right hand.

i felt Him like never before.

but i would not let anyone see my sadness.

my vulnerability.

my need.

& my fear. 

no way jose.

i didn't want to be sad. broken. needy.

good girls aren't needy. they're needed.

when anyone asked how i was doing

i usually figured they really didn't want to know.

or have the time to listen.

i knew they wanted me to be ok.

so , that's what they got.

"oh i'm fine. really. perfectly fine"

then when i'd hear the "i don't know how you do it"

while that frustrated me, as if i had a choice not to do it,

it validated that i, me, paige, was strong.

that i wasn't needy.

whew.

mission accomplished.

sadly

my "i'm fine. i got it." attitude was a lonely place.

all by myself. doing fine.

it gave the illusion that i didn't need anyone

& surely didn't need God.

ironically

He was giving me strength to mommy 3 babies

& keep my mind intact all along.

i totally high fived emily when i read the following~

"i have spent most of my life avoiding weak. 

i don't want to look weak, act weak, or even give the hint that i am capable of weakness.

but if you are feeling weak?  Well, now.

That's a different thing all together. I can tell you how weakness is the door

to strength and how Jesus calls us to a life of weakness so that he can be strong.

and i believe it. 

for you."

Christ chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. 1 cor. 1.27

sounds a little off to me, but what do i know?

clearly 

what i thought i knew

is wrong.

His grace is what's enough for me.

His grace is what i needed to help me when i had three in carseats

by myself

His grace is all i need when i sat alone and nursed my newborn

by myself

His grace was all i needed 

to let go

to let the sadness & the weight of the reality of death

wash over me.

i was afraid it would drown me.

yet

He promised me in isaiah 43.2
when you go through deep waters,

      I will be with you.
   When you go through rivers of difficulty,
      you will not drown.
   When you walk through the fire of oppression,
      you will not be burned up;
      the flames will not consume you.

allowing myself to be weak

allowing myself to be seen

allowing myself the freedom to not have it all together

allows His strength & His grace to carry me.

which is how He planned it & wished it to be

all 

along.

we all have our personal good girl image in our mind.
the character traits that add up to be her.
in grace for the good girl, emily so tenderly and sweetly
will walk you through how to lay down that mask.
that mask that you hide behind
& take His hand
lean into His strength.
your good girl will still be there,
she just won't rule your thought life anymore.
i promise you'll feel better.
showing your beautiful, real face
not that old mask.


if you made it through this epic post,
i'd love to high five you
and then
give you an opportunity for me to send you a copy of this fantastic book.just leave me a comment
& i'll pick a random winner later this week.
xo