I don’t even remember the first time I got on an airplane. I just know that it was before I was deductive enough to ponder (and be terrified of) the concept: a very large and heavy metal object takes off into the sky and then an hour or so later lands hundreds of miles away. Because you have to admit, it is a very strange concept.

But since I had flown successfully for as long as I could remember, I never was afraid of flying. (more…)

One of my favorite “love stories” is Love Actually. You know the one with Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, and tons of other folks? The one that features 8 intersecting “love” stories. Some that make you laugh. Some that make you scream at your television. Some that make you smile so hard that your cheeks hurt. And some that make you cry.

There is something about that movie and the way in which it portrays love that resonates with me.

I guess it is because Love Actually reminds us that: Love is not just about romance. Love is not always tied up with a pretty bow. Love is not necessarily predictable. Love is seen and felt more often than it is heard. Love is often painful. But love is beautiful in its uniqueness. (more…)

I could kick myself (actually I am pretty sure I am not coordinated enough to make that happen, but you get the point, I am annoyed with myself.) There were SO MANY cameras and digital devices out during the holidays (even 7 year old Macon was snapping shots with a camera Santa brought her) that I was lazy and relied heavily on my iphone to capture our Christmas memories.

So admittedly this random bunch of photos instead the beautiful gallery of my dreams but at least you will get to share in some of my favorite Christmas moments from 2009.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I did. I loved being with my family. I loved watching the girls open up their presents. And I loved getting pampered at Pinehurst. (I know, it is about building character not being comfortable but a little pampering sure is nice.) (more…)

It is December 21 and for some strange reason it is just now hitting me that Christmas is around the corner. (Although I’m still not quite sure what has happened to 2009?) Regardless…I am finally starting to feel festive.

I am just plain giddy as I think about the week ahead. Here are just a handful things I am looking forward to: (more…)

This is the third post in my “Drafting Blueprints” series. The series is prompting me to think through what I want to do with my life as a first step for creating a life plan. I have already tackled getting married and getting fit.

So here we go, Part 3…I want to get my hands dirty.

It is easy for me to dream of changing the world from the comfort of my living room couch but I lately I have felt called to do more. I want to go to the ends of the earth. And I want to get my hands a little dirty. (more…)

Last night I had dinner with Spence Smith, Keely Marie Scott, and Ryan O’Quinn. I had never met Keely and Ryan before “in real life.” But they were even cooler than I imagined.

I had so much fun. It was one of those nights that was completely energizing (something I don’t take for granted in this season of Christmas parties and holiday hoopla). It was one of those nights when I reconnected with how much I love interacting with new and interesting people in a small group setting (not at cocktail party setting, that kinda freaks me out).

We talked about Compassion International. We talked 90210. We talked Battle Star Galactica (or “BSG” as I learned it is so aptly called).

We talked blogging. We talked steaming techniques (I’ll note the girls at the table had not-a-thing to contribute to this conversation). We talked books. We talked Glee. We talked Pioneer Woman. We talked Cross Point. (more…)

This is the second post in my “Drafting Blueprints” series. Basically this series in an excuse for me to think through what I want my life to look like, who I want to be, so that I can begin compiling a life plan.

In the first post, I admitted I want to get married. So today I thought I’d tackle something a little less, how do I say it, well a little less humiliating. (Kidding. Kidding. In all honesty putting the whole marriage thing out there was so worth it. You guys were incredibly supportive and encouraging.)

I want to get fit. (more…)

I talk a lot about life plans and living intentionally but really that is all it is, talk. Sure, I make a concerted effort to think about decisions in terms of “where this get me where I want to go” but I haven’t done the work to really draft a blueprint of what type of life I want to build.

I’ve found that the most difficult thing for me is admitting I want things that I might not get, creating goals that I might not achieve, dreaming dreams that are just that, dreams. (more…)

A couple of months ago, I was gathered with some very smart ladies at Cultivate Her and having a discussion about relationships. (No, not the juicy kind.) And my wise friend Eve Annuziato said something I keep coming back to.

Eve said that when she turned 30 she sat down and created three lists: Very Important People, Very Draining People, and Very Negative People. Once her lists were complete, she intentionally figured out how she could invest more time and energy in her “VIPs.” Inversely she intentionally reduced her interactions with her “VDPs” and “VNPs.”

The minute I heard this I was completely energized. As I began to visualize myself scaling back on some of the painful relationships in my life, I felt instant relief. (more…)

When I started blogging several months ago, I assumed that most of my readers would be my family and friends who can’t keep up with my day-to-day activities because of geographic challenges. Boy was I wrong! A huge majority readers are people I have never met “in real life.” They are people, like you, who I would like to get to know better.

So I have created my first reader survey.

I hope this survey will empower me to do two things. One, get to know you better. And two, make some improvements on the functionality and content of my site.

If you would do me a HUGE favor and take 5 to 10 minutes out of your busy day to answer a few questions, I would be immensely grateful. Immensely grateful.

Here’s the link to get started.