In the depths of winter

Winter Song 

by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles

This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon,
it rolls in from the sea

My voice; a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light,
to carry you to me.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love

They say that things just cannot grow
beneath the winter snow,
or so I have been told.

They say were buried far,
just like a distant star
I simply cannot hold.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
cause youre not where you belong;
inside my arms. 

bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum 

I still believe in summer days.
The seasons always change
and life will find a way.

Ill be your harvester of light
and send it out tonight
so we can start again.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
cause youre not where you belong;
inside my arms.

This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon
it rolls in from the sea.

My love a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light
to carry you to me.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

And many more

Happy Birthday Hubs!

So thankful God brought you into this world and that I get to call you mine.

Love you!

Give me sunshine!

Vitamin D supplements are not enough to get me through winter. 

I think Patrick Henry once said it best, "Give me sunshine or give me a tanning booth!" or something to that affect :)

Good grief...

Don't know about ya'll, but this short week has worn me out!

Looking forward to some relaxation and snuggling :)

 

Happy Weekend, my loves!

Winter Blues

"Ohhhh fuuuuudge."

Snow. It's coming. Ugh. I feel for this cat pictured above. He is about to go CRAZY on whoever plopped that snow on his head, no doubt. That's exactly how I feel about snow. Such is life.

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness

and just be happy!

Guillaume Apollinaire

Happy Friday, friends!

Change of heart

I was already to be a grump today. You see, I'm not a fan of snow unless I'm watching it fall from inside the comfort of my home with a cup of hot cocoa, or while skiing or sledding on it. So when, I awoke today to find an additional inch or two on top of an already 5 inches of snow, I crawled back in bed for 30 more minutes. 

With eyes done up, but not awake, I somehow stumbled across this little gem of a blog that changed my mood, attitude and heart...AND, I might have even drooled a little.

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

God also gave me this Bible verse today:

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“God didn’t give us a spirit that makes us weak & fearful.  He gave us a spirit that gives us power & love.”  ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Here's to a happy, bright, albeit WINTRY day!

We're all fighting to survive

Image via The Wheatfield Shop

One of my New Year's resolutions is to read books. I came upon this resolution by the realization that now that I'm no longer in school, I have to keep reading if I want to keep learning. Whether its the newspaper, online news, fiction, non-fiction, what have you. I need to keep reading, learning and growing.

The book I'm currently reading "How to Communicate: The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Personal and Professional Relationships" sounds so wonky, but so far is a good read. I chose to read this book because I'm in the communication field and let's be honest, I could always use help with being a better communicator in all my relationships.

The book begins with the importance of listening, and goes on to discuss steps to effective listening. In the section about "Listening with Empathy" was a little nugget that is sort of a "duh," but a good duh. The section begins by saying "There is only one requirement for listening with empathy: simply know that everyone is trying to survive. You don't have to like everyone or agree with them, but recognize that you do share the same struggle."  Is it weird that I was comforted by that thought? Sometimes I feel like everyone else has their head on their shoulders or has life all figured out. And then I wonder, how do they have it all figured out at my age, and what class or lecture did I miss? Maybe I wasn't listening. Oops.

I like to think that everything that I experience, see, read, feel, etc. is God trying to tell me something. Lately, I've been praying and asking God to open up my heart and help me to love others more with reckless abandon and without fear. Maybe, this is God working on my heart. At least, I'd like to think so.

So come on God! Pull me closer to love!

My Cinderella Southpaw of a Hubs

I love being married. I can't say it enough. The Hubs and I have so much fun living, laughing and growing together every day.

Before marriage, I lived alone in an apartment, and would go to bed alone every night and wake up alone every morning. Thank GOD I no longer have to do that! One of my favorite things about being married is falling asleep and waking up to the Hubs every day. We have the funniest conversations, and make each other giggle with laughter. Seriously, such a great way to fall asleep!

Last night, the Hubs was practicing his voice impersonations of Rocky Balboa. For at least 5 minutes, the boy just kept repeating over and over "Yo! Adrienne! No! Hello!" in Rocky's low, Jersey accent. Not funny to you? Well, guess you had to be there.

This morning, I was awoken by the Hubs apparently having an action-packed dream. Remember the dog from Cinderella that would dream about chasing cats and run while lying on the floor? Well that was the Hubs this morning. Running while lying in bed. I have become desensitized to his craziness, and just laughed to myself and fell back asleep. Then a few minutes later, I awoke to someone lying on top of my back and smothering me with kisses. How can you not wake up happy with an alarm like that!?

If Cinderella isn't ringing a bell, then watch this and think of the Hubs:

The Hubs kind of wakes up with that dazed look in the morning too!

Anyways, we have the best bedtime and morning routines, and I wouldn't trade it for anything :)

Lord, increase my faith!

I'm a bit speechless today. Rare occurrence, I know. I'm not sure if it is the shock of friends' tragedy or my own selfish realization of how blessed and taken for granted my own life and blessings are. My best friend's parents' house was recently hit by a tornado in Illinois. New Year's Eve day to be exact. Janelle, my bff, immediately drove to her parents' aid, and photographed the devastation. The tornado hit her parents' bedroom and took off the roof completely. Thankfully, the tornado occurred in the afternoon so her parents had enough warning.

Today, I read that one of my favorite bloggers Life in Grace recently experienced tragedy 4 days before Christmas. At 4 a.m. on Tuesday morning, they awoke to a house filled with smoke. Within minutes, the house was engulfed in flames, but all family members were safely evacuated from the house, even their 2 pets. Unfortunately, the family loss everything, and were left with only the clothes on their backs. Here is the full story.

Edie, the author of Life in Grace, is a beautiful soul, wife, mother homemaker and follower of Christ. Her strength and wisdom are evident in her blog, as well as through her actions and thoughts as she deals with her current trials. Such faith!

One of my favorite posts was written about her daughter turning 18 and going away to college, and how she dealt with the pain, loss and brokenness of her daughter leaving home. Read it here with a box of kleenex...


An excerpt from "Stitched in blue and broken for you"
...How we labor so diligently for days and weeks and years,
and wonder if it matters at all?
Will it ever be more than a heap of yarn?  Will food and laundry nourish a life?  Can bread be His body broken?

And finally, mercy gives way.
Heartache becomes forgiveness.
Stubborn melts to grace.
Tangles of yarn slowly take form of a sweater.
Years of meals nourish a body like years of love nourish a heart.
Redemption rushes in and finishes the work.

And it did matter.
Every little stitch. All the countless hours.
Every kindness. Even every tear.
Hoping, begging, praying that she knows—
just how very much she matters.
And that she will feel in the blue-— the warmth of  a mother who loves from the broken place
and the peace of a  Father who forgives.

Today is Edie's birthday. Happy Birthday Edie! Wishing you joy, peace and of course, grace.

Please pray for my friend Janelle and her family, as well as for sweet Edie and her family, as both families begin to pick up the pieces and lean on God for strength.

Happiness is...

Charles Schulz one defined happiness as a warm puppy, an umbrella and a side of french fries. What he realized: everyday moments and objects pack a powerful emotional punch. 

Here are 10 things that bring me joy:

1. Eucalyptus and Spearmint scented candles

2. A hot shower

3. Clean pajamas

4.Cuddling in bed with the hubs on the weekends

5. A good movie

6. The glow of Christmas lights

7. A good, sweat-producing run

8. A warm drink or a glass of wine

9. A pedicure

10. Fuzzy slippers

What one small thing always makes you happy?