Food For Thought Friday

It’s Gonna Be A Sunshine-y Day!

 

Untitled

We are ECSTATIC today! We were nominated by Lindsay, who authors one of my favorite blogs to read, The Newlywed Notebook, for a Sunshine Award!

blog award

 Rules of the Award:

– Post 11 random facts about yourself
– Answer 11 questions for the blogger who nominated you
– Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award
– Write your own 11 questions for them to answer
– Notify them that you have nominated them

11 Random Facts 

  1. Our favorite tv show to watch together is 7th Heaven. We started at the beginning and are currently in the 6th season.
  2. We are the proud parents of three fur babies – 2 pups and 1 kitty (Lucy, Caroline & Daisy) – and are excited to bring home our 4th pet (another “big dog”) when we sell our current home, and move! No, we are not crazy! 🙂
  3. We rarely call each other by our “real” names…Yes, we are still super lovey-dovey and all about sweet little pet names. ❤
  4. love icing. Craig loves cake. Perfect match.
  5. Craig likes his socks to be folded…like a shirt or a pair of shorts, rather than rolled up like normal people. 🙂
  6. We have begun to realize that our not having a child this first year and a half + of marriage has been a blessing in disguise. We have really grown as a couple and fallen even deeper in love, and once we have the blessing we can’t wait for of little Jonah, we will never again have this luxury of “just us”.
  7. I have suffered with eating disorders. Eating & self-image are daily battles for me. I have seen countless therapists and read every book on the subject, and the ONLY two sources of REAL help to my (beginning) to overcome my issues are God and Craig. I am one blessed girl to be where I am today. Thank you, Jesus!
  8. Some of my favorite things to do are be on stage singing or speaking publicly. My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t even like speaking over the intercom while flying the plane. Pretty sure that would be my favorite thing about being a pilot… 🙂
  9. Craig & my dad are the only two people on earth I know who could have a bar of Ghirardelli chocolate or a bag (regular sized!) of M&M’s and take more than a week to finish it. Give me an hour or less…
  10. Unless it is a Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks, I drink my coffee black, and Craig is the coffee maker in our house – even though he doesn’t drink it.
  11. Craig and I sometimes pretty much always coordinate our outfits with each other. It always makes for a pretty photo-op! 😉

The Questions…

 1 | What has been your favorite vacation so far?

Definitely our trip last year to Rome, Italy! You can see more here about our AMAZING trip! A close second would be our honeymoon to Grenada – Oh my goodness. If you get the opportunity, GO. THERE. Here’s a link to that post.

2 | How many siblings do you have?

Pier: Just one. But he is a wonderful one. 🙂 I have a brother, Paul (or P.S.J.R as I call him), who is 28 and an Atlanta Bachelor (Ladies?!?!)

PS.EDIT

Craig has two beautiful sisters: Mandy (pictured below on the left) & Jenna (pictured below at the bottom of the pyramid), who live in the Twin Cities of MN.

Sisters

3 | Heels or flats?

Depends on the occasion…I love heels…but the older I get, there’s just something about the comfort of flats…Sounds like a trick question to me! 😉

4 | If you could own one exotic animal (not a typical pet) what would it be?

A monkey, of course! (It’s one of Craig’s many nicknames…)

5 | What is your favorite blog post you have written?

Hmmm…That answer is an ever-changing one, but I suppose when it comes right down to it, it’s a toss-up between these two: Head In The Clouds or We Give Up!

6 | What’s your favorite type of music to listen to when you’re rocking out in the car?

This used to be a very different answer… Now it would be my Spotify “Starred” playlist which includes Matt Redman, Hillsong, Charles Jenkins’ “Awesome God”, Elevation Worship, Mercy’s Well, Colton Dixon, Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Bethel Music….and a little bit of old school Randy Travis. 

7 | What’s one guilty pleasure?

Sugar-free Klondike Bars & ACTUAL movie theater popcorn with extra butter!!!! This is part of our “old married couple routine”  – Sitting on the couch with a Klondike Bar together (The sugar free one I eat is aptly named, “Slim-A-Bear”) or going to the movies and sharing the biggest tub of popcorn ever…but it’s ‘okay’ because it counts as dinner!

8 | Why did you start your blog?

Interestingly, we originally started the blog because we got off of Facebook and needed a way to share “our world” with friends and family. Over time, God led us to share our infertility and our ever-closer walk with Him with others and our blog ‘today’ was born. Through this blog and the people we have gotten to know through it, God has showed us so many things and spoken to us in so many ways!

9 | If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Do calories count? If not, then PIZZA AND PASTA EVERY NIGHT and ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I’m part Italian?!? 🙂

10 | Are you an introvert or extrovert at heart?

At heart, I am probably a walking contradiction combination. I love the spotlight, but at the same time, I could easily be a hermit and only watch people from the periphery… I have a sneaking suspicion all people are actually a contradictory combination of the two…

11 | What’s one irrational fear you have? (hey, we all have them 🙂 )

Bugs, spiders, anything creepy crawly… Right after I graduated from college, I was living in an apartment – alone – and saw a roach on the wall – all the way across the room. It wasn’t moving. It was just hanging out there on the wall behind the television. But I was completely frozen. When I finally got the courage up to move, I sprinted across the tiny apartment to the laundry room and stubbed my toe HARD against the washing machine. I jumped up on top of it and my toe was bent to the side… Yep. I broke my toe trying to escape from a stationary roach 15 feet away from me. 

We Nominate You!

this girl decor
run roll repeat
the veil of chastity
waiting for baby bird
biblical homemaking
coffee beans and bobby pins
flawless faith
cherishing everyday beauty
grown by grace
a calm persistence
road to baby abraham

For YOU To Answer…

  1. Knowing what you know now, would you go back and RE-DO your past or would you keep it the way it is?

  2. What is the one thing you wish you would have done but didn’t?

  3. If you could be ANYONE for a day, who would it be?

  4. What fragrance/scent reminds you most of your childhood?

  5. What is your BIGGEST pet peeve?

  6. Where do you HOPE to be in life in 10 years?

  7. If you had to choose one, would you own a vacation home in the mountains or at the beach? Which mountain or beach?

  8. What is your favorite comfort food?

  9. What Bible verse has gotten you through the toughest of times?

  10. What is the BEST song for your workout or run to keep you motivated?

  11. If there was only one piece of advice you could give to your child (future or current), what would it be?

Ooooh I cannot WAIT to read these answers!! Especially after this afternoon’s embarrassment…. Y’all. I was on a GLOBAL CONFERENCE CALL. I was listening LIVE in the conference room where our company president was speaking. I had turned BOTH of my phones to silent, and chose today to wear a new dress and REEEEALLLY high heels… So all of a sudden, DURING THE LIVE CALL, my phone decides to play – at full volume – “Don’t Turn Around” by Ace of Base. And I RUN out of the room (as fast as I can in sky-high heels), and try to turn it off, but it freezes. I finally get it to stop. I double check that the volume is off (It is.) I make sure that, even though it turned itself on, iHeartRadio isn’t on. (It isn’t.) I go back into the conference room.

And 2 minutes later, it happens AGAIN.

Needless to say, this time, I left my phone in the neighboring conference room, just in case it decided to take hold of a mind of it’s own….HOW EMBARRASSING!!!!!!!!

The moral of the story is: Turn your phone OFF. Don’t trust SILENT. 🙂

Oh, and don’t worry, this Friday will be What’s Up Wednesday – You’ll get to hear all about our big weekend trip!

Until tomorrow,
signature heart

 

Food For Thought Friday

FOOD For Thought & (Spiritual) Food

Friday2

Good Morning and Happy First Friday of 2014!!

On this Food For Thought Friday, I was sort of stumped about what to write…and that isn’t typical for me. I usually have plenty to say – as most who know me might agree. 😉 After this morning’s Pure Barre class, Craig and I chatted on the phone and tried to come up with something…But neither one of us had any ideas or anything weighing on our minds that seemed worthy of a “FFTF” post…

And then I checked my e-mail when I got to the office this morning, and saw my YouTube update, and one of the videos was this one:

And I knew that this was what we were meant to share today.

Just take a gander at the lyrics:

“10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)”
[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy nameThe sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name

You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

[Chorus x2]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I’ll worship Your holy name
Lord, I’ll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
Jesus, I’ll worship Your holy name
I’ll worship Your holy name

How apropos for a new year: “The sun comes up, there’s a new day dawning; It’s time to sing your song again. Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.”

We are actually working on this song with our choir at church, but I almost like it better as a ‘solo’ piece…So maybe stay tuned? 🙂

So the take-away for this Food For Thought Friday should be to allow God to work in your 2014 like you have never allowed Him before. No matter what happened before or what is going to happen down the road, walk right by His side. Let Him be your strength.

That’s a hard pill to swallow for us strong-willed folk…But the Jesus Calling devotional for January 1st says, “Come to me with a teachable spirit to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Today’s Jesus Callling devotional reads, “Learn to hide in the secret of My Presence, even as you carry out your duties in the world. I am both with you and within you. I go before you to open up the way, and I also walk alongside you. There could never be another companion as devoted as I am.” (Reference: Psalm 31:19-20; John 16:33; Romans 12:2; & Jeremiah 29:11)

Let the verses above and this beautiful and heartwrenching song melt over you this morning. Really take a moment to think about letting GO and letting God this year…

One more piece of “Food For Thought” today… With Thanksgiving and Christmas now over, many people forget that charities are still in need of donations beyond “the holidays”. Consider this today, and search out an organization like the one below in your own community. (Or you can certainly use this one!)

Click on the logo for more information! Food is something we all can certainly “afford” to give! (And if not, let me know, and Craig & I will send you some food!)
 

Happy Friday Everyone! Stay WARM wherever you might be!!!

Lots Of Love,
Signature