Growing up I used to spend a few weeks out of every summer in Austin, Texas, with my Mimi and Poppy (aka Melba and Cecil – yep, that’s right Melba and Cecil.) I absolutely loved my time there. Austin was (and still is) my favorite part of Texas. Plus, my Mimi had all the makings of a legendary grandmother. She loved each of her grandchildren unabashedly. And she was crafty. She could make dresses for my dolls, mend my clothes, and whip up a mean pie.

One of my favorite things to do when I was visiting was to play with the a girl about my age that lived next door. The neighbors had an open door policy and I would spend hours over there. We loved to read tales of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, check out their bee hives, and play with the dozens of bunnies that were caged in their backyard.

Sometimes I couldn’t be troubled to leave for lunch and so they’d welcome me to their table. As their guest, I knew that I had to be on my best behavior.

One day as I was finishing my lunch, I said proudly, “This is the best fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever tasted.”

And my friend’s mother quickly explained, “Honey, it might taste like chicken, but that is not chicken. It is rabbit.”

And immediately a light bulb went off in my head and I realized I was eating one of the fluffy white bunnies from their backyard. One of the bunnies that I had spent hours admiring. (more…)

A couple weeks ago, I got a very generous email from Rachel at INO Records offering to give me some CDs to giveaway on my blog. Get this…I even got to choose between three artists – two I knew and enjoyed (Fee and Phil Wickham) and one that was not on my radar (Jonny Diaz). And what did I do? I asked for her to send me the Diaz CD to check out. I got her to send me the Diaz CD because I much prefer introducing people to new things than giving them more of what they already know they like so….

Today, I am giving away Free Stuff. Today, I am giving away 5 copies of Jonny Diaz’s CD “More Beautiful You.”

It is the first time I’ve ever tried giving away anything so this post is called “Free Stuff, Take 1.”  We’ll see how this works. And if it works well than there will be a “Free Stuff, Take 2″ and so on and so forth. (Can you tell I am a kind of random mood and not sure how to do blog giveaways?)

Anywho…back to Jonny Diaz. Jonny Diaz is a former collegiate ball player who is making a name for himself in the music business. In fact, he was recently nominated for the Dove Awards’ Best New Artist of the Year. (more…)

At the end of last week I was grouchy. Seriously GROUCHY. As I said here, I was feeling overwhelmed and just a little sick of it all.

But then this weekend, I got a gift this amazing series of gifts from God. This weekend He blessed me big time.

EVERY EXPERIENCE I had left me energized, renewed, and reconnected.

It was glorious. Absolutely GLORIOUS.

glo·ri·ous

1 a : possessing or deserving glory : illustrious b : entitling one to glory <a glorious victory>
2 : marked by great beauty or splendor : magnificent <a glorious sunset>
3 : delightful, wonderful <had a glorious weekend>

It’s as if He wanted me to know, to understand, to fully embrace, how much I am loved. He wanted me to know how much I am loved by others. And more importantly, He wanted me to know how much I am loved by Him.

His message to me was received. (more…)

Sometimes I am just plain GROUCHY.

It is NOT PRETTY, but it is TRUE and REAL.

Yes, I know. I don’t really have ANYTHING to be grouchy about. All my fundamental needs are being met. I have a wonderful job, a loving family, and this fantastic group of friends. I belong to an incredible church. And I live in a country where I am allowed to dream of possibilities and work to make them a reality. I am set. Life is good.

But that doesn’t stop me from having days where the grouchy feelings cascade over me, mind and soul.

And today is one of those days where I am a little worn out with it all. Seriously…

I’m sick of being single. Sick, sick, sick of being single.

I’m sick of hearing that my friends wished they knew a man who was worthy of me. (I mean, what IN THE HECK does that mean?)

I’m sick of failing to find the right balance between doing too much and being really tired of being still.

But mostly, I’m sick of listening to myself complain.

So…

I am going to start thinking of things that make me smile. (Yes, I have probably seen The Sound of Music one too many times.)

I am going to think of things that are undeniably happy like…

Exploring the glorious Hill Country of Texas with my wide-eyed and totally precious nieces. (more…)

On Saturday, my friend Alece, came to stay with me and go see the Help Haiti Live Compassion benefit. Needless to say we had a great time. The concert was incredible. And I absolutely adore spending time with Alece. She is easy to be around, smart, authentic, and just a little sassy.

But do you know what my favorite thing about her is?

Alece is Ordinary.

When you meet Alece, you meet a girl who is instantly relatable. You meet a girl who seems just like you and me. A girl who seems ordinary.

You don’t feel uncomfortable being real with Alece. You aren’t constantly worrying about if you are smart enough or Godly enough. Alece makes you feel completely at ease. It’s as if she is nothing out of the ordinary.

But then you start asking a few questions and Alece’s story comes out. And you realize that she is not, in fact, ordinary. She is actually quite the contrary. (more…)

Late last week, my friend Trish called. She needed my help. Her plans had suddenly changed and she was scrambling to find folks to keep an eye on her three boys over the weekend. She asked if I would be willing to hang out with them on Sunday night. It was such an easy assignment. I told her, of course, I was more than happy to be able to help.

I hung up the phone feeling energized. I loved knowing that Trish trusted me enough to watch her precious sons. I loved knowing that I was on Trish’s radar as someone who could come through when she was in a pinch. I loved knowing, if for just one night, that Trish needed me. And I loved that I would have the opportunity to do a little something to show Trish how much her friendship means to me.

It made me realize something. I love helping others. But I HATE asking for help.

It’s stupid really… (more…)