I mean, let’s all just sit back and think about how ironic it is that I chose savor (read last year’s post here) as my word for 2020. In a year that so many people wanted to run away from and forget (me included, at times), I truly feel like God gave me the opportunity to sit back, hand Him my stresses, and enjoy my new and perfect baby. In hindsight, I will continue to savor those moments of Sullivan’s first year for the rest of my life.
Read Moresavor (v): to enjoy food or an experience slowly, in order to appreciate it as much as possible
For the last few years, I have chosen a word (or words) to shape my focus for the 365 ahead. You can read about last year’s word, freedom, and find links to 2017 and 2018 on this post. Sometimes, the word I choose doesn’t make immediate sense to me, and the context plays out throughout the year. Other times, I feel like I have a moment of revelation, which happened to me in 2018, with my word abundance. It’s not any sort of hyper-spiritual practice or something I feel tied to doing forever, but I really enjoy goal setting, and I think of choosing a word as a mindset goal.
Read MoreOver the past 9 years, I’ve shared some extremely raw and honest things on this site and on my daily IG stories/posts, and I’ve meant every one of them, but hear me when I say that no one knows me from the small snippets I’m choosing to make public. Social media cannot replace human connection and the intentionality behind asking real questions. If you feel “caught up” with a friend or family member because of their Instagram, I can guarantee that you’re missing out.
Read MoreIn this season, more than any other, I am constantly aware of how different my life looks from the lives of each of my friends. Truly, we are all in different places. Some are single and still navigating the dating scene, while others have been married throughout their entire adult lives. Some friends are patiently waiting for a baby, while others are celebrating birthdays and milestones for multiple children. I have friends with military spouses who are getting moved all over the world, and I have friends who have never moved away from their hometown. Each story is challenging, purposeful, and needed, but as women, we have a tendency to isolate ourselves because of our circumstances.
Read MoreI chose my word for 2019 back in October when I was listening to the That Sounds Fun Podcast by Annie F. Downs, one of my favorite authors and speakers. She was interviewing Alex Seeley, a pastor in Nashville, who said, “Just because you’re saved doesn’t mean you’re free.” The line stuck with me for days, and I knew that freedom was my word for the coming year.
Read MoreI’m currently sitting alone in my studio; the clicking of the keyboard and the flurries of snow outside are the only sounds I feel like I need to write this down. Tomorrow begins a new year, and for the third time, I’m picking a word to be my “theme” for the 365 days ahead. In 2017, my hardest year of the 26 I’ve lived, my words were trust and thrive, and I wrote a whole post about how that shook out here. I ended last year in lot of pain and confusion, with very little confidence that 2018 would turn a corner. And yet, the word I chose for 2018 was abundance.
Read MoreTeaching Pure Barre has taught me that there are 2 kinds of people in the world. There are people who drop out, and there are people who stay in it. Now, before you think I’m about to get up on my high horse about exercise, I will tell you the absolute truth - of course I have dropped out of exercises in Pure Barre before. My teachers know the ones I hate the most, and there are positions that are sure to have my leg hitting the ground if I’m not on my game. But, I’m not talking about having perfect form and endurance - I’m talking about becoming someone who fights for it.
Read MoreToo often, I’ve bought into the lie that I need to be strong enough to carry a painful situation or the weight of someone else’s words and actions. Subsequently, I pray for my ability to suck it up and shoulder it, rather than pray for help.
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