What If We Were Thankful?


As we gather around the table with friends and family this year, let's remember to celebrate the many blessings we've been given! It's easy to brush quickly past Thanksgiving and go straight into the Christmas season, but take a moment and enjoy the time with loved ones, fully experience the moments, make fun memories, cherish the conversations, and make a list of some of the things you're thankful for. I'm reminded of the statement that goes, "what if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for?" In light of that, how would that change our prayers? Would we be more attentive to the little things in life? Would we take things for granted as much as we do? I think we would rely less on routine, and be more conscious of every little thing. Life would take on a magical wonder, and there would be a way of graciousness and humility about us. What if we decided to be truly thankful, regardless of our circumstances? No matter where we are in life, we have been given many blessings. Challenge yourself to give thanks for the simple things...breath, sunshine, health, a smile. It will revolutionize the way you view life.

Colossians 3:15-17 says,
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Enjoy some good food, fun, and time with friends and family!
0

The Perfect Holiday Outfit








(Top & Belt: Lilly Pulitzer, Skirt: Shop Konfetti c/o)

I love hosting parties. It is so much fun to celebrate with friends and family. With the holidays right around the corner, there's a lot of events and parties that fill our calendars. Between the office parties, get-togethers with friends, and your own celebrations, finding something fun to wear can sometimes be a challenge. What helps me is to put together a little 'go-to outfit' that will always look and feel great. When I'm hosting parties, the last thing I want to be doing is fussing with my outfit, or worrying about being uncomfortable. This year, I've chosen this adorable plaid skirt and silk top pairing to be my stylish and comfortable ensemble. Party skirts are a real closet staple. Here's a few more ways I plan to wear it this season. 

(click image to view all looks)

Which look is your favorite?



3

Spaces Between

(for best results, click play then read the post!)

I can picture it so vividly that the sound of breakers crashing on the rocky cliffs below is almost faintly heard. One of my favorite moments was standing on the edge of the coast of the big island of Hawaii, wind blowing my hair, and watching the waves crashing below. There's something about the way that nature is untamed and unbridled that is absolutely mesmerizing. I could have stayed on that ledge for hours simply breathing in the salty ocean air and letting my mind wander off to beautiful places. Sometimes you come across those wildly beautiful, and almost magical places where your imagination can simply run free. When we're back at home, involved with the day-to-day activities of life, it's easy to forget about those spaces between daily activity--the glittering bits of heaven on earth--and simply slip back into routine. Perhaps it's a case of wanderlust, or the fact that I've been studying for so long lately, but oh how I enjoy looking at photos that remind me of the dreamlike places where your mind can do what it was created to do: enjoy beauty and praise God who made it.

The challenge is to find those moments, wherever you are, and enjoy them. Too often we are so quick to document them, or to view them through a lens, but stay in the moment. Drink up the beauty by being fully present. Maybe it's not a perch on a rocky coastline, but perhaps it's a conversation with a good friend, time with a loved one, a favorite song, moments curled up reading a good book, or a walk in the park. Whatever that space between the day's demands may be, find it and enjoy it. We need those moments of imagination and creative wandering. Take a deep breath and d r e a m.
0

3 Things You Should Do Everyday


Chai Tea Latte, please. Grande. We order our daily coffee, drive to and from work, complete tasks...all almost on autopilot. We're running from here to there, wondering if we have enough time to add this and that. Life gets busy, doesn't it? We keep our schedules full, and our days brimming over with things that need to be done. In the midst of all the areas of life we attend to, it's easy to forget about some simple things that make the most difference. Here's three things that, if done everyday, will benefit you in an incredible way. Want to live an amazing, fulfilling, happy life? Here's how it's done.


1. Choose a good attitude, regardless of your circumstances. 
(Each day presents a choice. Choose to be happy!)

2. Set some goals for yourself. 
(Remember, goals should be measurable, achievable, and passion-filled!)

3. Give to others.
(Time, talent, resources...a smile. You always have something to give.)


Simple, right? It's often the small things that, over time, make the biggest difference.
Try it. I think you'll be delightfully surprised.
Happy Monday, everyone!

0

He Said, She Said


"Hey, did you hear about so-and-so? I can't believe they would say that! Did you see them at the party...what is she wearing? What did he say about her? Do you think they are friends still? I heard..." On and on the talk swirls...gossip is everywhere. It's often a habit that many don't even realize they have, except when it comes back to haunt them. We talk about others--what they say, how they look, and what they do--but do we ever think about the power that words have? James 3:6 says that life and death can be found in the power of the tongue; this is serious! Gossip is deadly to relationships, success, happiness and to others. If we want to live a fulfilling, abundant kind of life then we need to get a handle on what comes out of our mouths.

It is one thing to watch our words, in the sense that we speak positively about situations, but another to decide to disengage from gossip, and to leave conversations that take a negative perspective on someone else. What would the world be like if we decided to only encourage one another, to use our words to build each other up? Here's the deal: there's a lot of competitive comparison among human beings. For some reason we fear that there's not enough beauty, brains and talent to go around, and so one person's gifts are coveted by another. So many people miss the incredible reservoir of unique talent, incredible potential and ability within themselves because they are so focused on talking about and wanting what others have.

The challenge for you and I is to begin to look at ourselves as individuals, not a product of cultural norms or people who need to meet standards of "beauty" or "talent", but people of purpose. Each person has a reason for being on this planet, and they have been given the perfect mix of abilities and capability to accomplish those tasks, with the help of grace and faith. Instead of limiting our abilities to talking about what other people are doing, let's encourage one another to accomplish great things, become the best versions of ourselves, and speak life into others. Choose to be positive, watch your self-talk, and talk only about things that will benefit you and other people. You'll find that the drama, negativity and poor self-esteem seem to quickly fade when the attention is taken off them. Pursue excellence. You have been given an incredible opportunity: live it!
2
Back to Top