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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Things You Only Hoped For

     I was still in My Church Outfit.  That is the mark of a busy day when you realize it is 8 o'clock at night, and you are still in your tights and boots and dress.  It is funny- you know- church culture.  When you grow up in The Church, you learn, at a very young age, that you go to church and you eat lunch and then you go home and change your clothes and everyone takes a nap.

Am I right?

So odd was it, that I was still in my church clothes, that one of my friends even made mention of it.

Me. In my church clothes.

We had People over.

That's right.  People.

To watch wrestling.

Meh. Wrestling.

I snuck away for a minute.  The t.v. was loud.  Our voices louder.

People. Wrestling. Church clothes.

I longed for a minute to myself.

And then I remembered 1,000 Sad Things.

Being dateless.  Being house-less.  Moving home after college and feeling Very Alone.

Here I was- with a house full of people and Entirely Too Much Food, and I couldn't help but pull on my Skinny Jeans*, think about this quote and be grateful.

Source: wanelo.com via Holly on Pinterest


With that being said, do you remember how much I hate January?  Today is the last day of January.

 It hasn't been so bad.  Thanks be to El Nino or Global Warming or Whatever Phenomenon has bequeathed us such a Mild Winter.  Today, we saw the low 60's.  Huzzah and whatnot.

Tomorrow is a new month.  Let's celebrate.


How do you feel about the January/February transition?  What's you got to celebrate, hm?

*I never thought I'd get into the whole Skinny Jeans Revolution but my word, are they comfortable.

Love,
H.


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Time Travel Tuesday

It is Tuesday, right?

Tim found this online....


which lead me to this Christmas song (hence the need for time travel)


which in turn lead to this....(make sure you watch for the cute ending!)


Not gonna lie.  Sort of inspired.


Love,
H.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

You are the prize


     I'm not the one who originally said this, although I really wish I was.  This quote was made by a man named Lee the Pastor and can be found in Tara Leigh Cobble's newest release, Orange Jumpsuit.  

     You might remember last year, I read her second book and it prompted me to pray a prayer that changed my life in a way that I could never have imagined.  In fact, we are still navigating through those changes.  But I am trusting in God that we will have a happy ending.  Maybe not a happy ending, but an ending that will prove to be "enough."

This year, her third book as inspired me to spend 2012 focusing on God.  It's that simple and yes, it's just that complicated.  All rolled in to one.

     Anyway, it is interesting because you'd think this quote only applied to single women, but I find myself trying to live it's truth everyday.  I try to look at Tim and say to myself, "You are not his mother."

     And then, last week, I noticed he was gathering his things for the gym while still wearing his slippers.  Trying desperately not to be *that* wife, I refrained from reminding him to grab his tennis shoes.

     He is a good husband.  And because of that, I'm not going to tell you how the story ended even though it's pretty funny.

You can probably guess.

     With that being said, you should read her books.  You really should.  It feels like you are reading one long email from your best friend.

Go here for the down low.  http://taraleighcobble.com/#/home

Love and no more swords,
H.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Wonderful

     It was the obvious choice, really.  Our town only has a handful of actual "sit down" restaurants.  Fast food, 2 chili parlors (because, in case you didn't know, Cincinnati is famous for its scrumptious chili), and then this place.  I guess you would call it a diner.  Known for it's grilled cheese, breakfast bar and good pie.  Neither one of us were in the mood for chili and we wanted to sit and chat for a while.

Process of elimination.  We were eating here.  

We turned the corner.  As I  followed the hostess to our booth, I noticed her right away.  She looked exactly the same as she had in high school.  Sweet.  Quiet. Pretty.  She recognized me and we exchanged greetings.  It was good to see her again.

She was with a man.  I was with my mom.

Not that there's anything wrong with being with your mom.  Quite the opposite actually.

But, you know, when you run into so and so from high school, you kind of want to be on the arm of a handsome, young doctor.

You know.

I swallowed my pride and we exchanged small talk.  Her family is fine.  Work is good.  Life is busy.

We parted ways and returned to our respective 'dates.'

Later, she was ahead of us in line to pay the bill (diner-style).

We approached the check-out counter and the cashier asked, "How was everything?"

To which My Acquaintance replied day-dreamily, "It was wonderful, thank you." 

"Wonderful?" I scoffed (in my head).

That seems like an odd way to describe your experience at [insert name of restaurant here].

Words like, "Okay."  and "Fine."  seemed more fitting.

It wasn't until years later that I would understand her response.

It was wonderful because she was in love.

I didn't understand until years later, when I met Tim and started speaking the same language.

Love and how handsome is this guy?
H.


Linking up with Casey 

Photobucket

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Time Travel Tuesday:Dec. 25th

 I know I'm way late on the whole Christmas theme, hence the need for time travel.  
This is what Christmas Day looked like for us.  6 adults, 6 dogs, one baby and lots of good food.  
Our hearts and our bellies were full.  
If you look closely, you will spy my favorite childhood ornament, "us" circa 1985, a Santa statue carved by my dad, and my grandpa's homemade card (Can't find my Christmas cards I just moved Merry Christmas 2007 Love you all Pop)

Love,
H.

















Monday, January 9, 2012

Father Time or How we spent New Year's

I am hereby declaring this Time Travel Tuesday.  This is the part where I tell you about The Stuff You've Missed otherwise known as The Stuff I've Neglected to Blog About.

This week?  New Year's.  Oh. New Year's.

I am going to be 100% honest with you.  Last year at this time, my husband had just lost his job and to tell you the truth, that left a bad taste in my mouth all year even though I tried really hard for it not to.

I just couldn't shake it, and I was ready to see 2011 pack its bags and go.


In the middle of December, we found out that Tim's best friend (who happens to play for these guys)

 had booked a show near Cincinnati.  This meant we would get to spend The New Year with one of our best pals (the one with sunglasses), listening to some fantastic tunes and partying "with the band" like make shift rock stars.

Or something like that.

On the way to the show, I caught sight of something brown floating above my nose, reflected in the windshield.

Spider.in.my.car.

Spider in my car.

Tim squished it against the ceiling, and I saw it fall and then we couldn't find the body anywhere.

And I knew, in my heart, that 2011 just wanted one last dig.

Spider carcass... in my purse.*

Well played, Twenty-Eleven.  Well played.

But we had fun anyway.  We stayed up entirely too late and squeezed as close to the stage as we could possibly get and the music was so loud, I could feel it re-set the rhythm of my heart.  Do you ever feel that?

Good Vibrations.

Exactly what I needed.

The next thing I knew, I was singing at the top of my lungs with a huge smile plastered on my face like the huge cheeseball that I am.

I love that my life has become surrounded by so much music.**  It is 99% my husband's doing, but it's a blessing for me, nonetheless.

Love, resolutions, hope, and all that cliche' New Year's Stuff,
H.


*Later, Tim found the carcass hanging from his hat when he went out the next day. Gross.  Better him than me, I suppose....seeing as how he used to kill bugs for a living.  Karma's kind of a jerk that way, I guess.

 **The Band is called Our Hearts Hero.  Their Christmas Album is super fantastic.  You'll want to listen all year.  See for yourself.









Sunday, January 1, 2012

One Thousand Gifts- A Guest Post


     I was leafing through some emails- Things I Knew I Needed to Get to- when I stumbled upon my friend, Carmen's guest post submission.  In one giant sweep of emotions, I knew without a doubt, that this needed to be my first post of 2012.  
We've got plenty of time to catch up on my blogging hiatus (everything's fine) and Life Lately.  
Thank you for this post, Carmen.  Happy New Year to you all.  
This is a Guest Post as part of a series on Good News here at yourstrulyh. Please email me at holls_y@hotmail.com if you are interested in participating.       
       Good news. I’m so glad that Holly picked this as her guest posting series because, doesn’t the world deserve more good news? Isn’t the world starving for good news? I’d say so.
     I blog at Life Blessons, where I’ve tried to make it part of my mission to take time to share more of this good news, whether it’s celebrating what I’m learning in my faith, what I’m mixing up in my kitchen, or even just taking a leisurely stroll with my husband through the woods near our house where we say naught a word but simply drink in the scenery.
     So as I contemplated what to write for this series, I started thinking about the fact that good news is all around us—if only we have the eyes to see it, to notice it, to embrace it. 
     It reminded me of Philippians 4:11-12, where Paul writes, “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation…”
     The fact is that Paul had to learn these things. They do not come naturally to any of us. If we want to find joy in our life—to see the good news swirling all around us—we have to learn how to do it. 
     In the book One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp decides that the way she is going to learn this is by keeping a list of all the things she’s thankful that God has given her each day. His little gifts of sunshine and a warm griddle and the dancing moonlight. Little things. As I read through this book and her list, I kept waiting for the big stuff she’s thankful for. The revelatory ones. 
Honestly, I started to scoff a bit at all the little things that made her list.
     Then I read this: “The miracle of eucharisteo, like the Last Supper, is in the eating of crumbs, the swallowing down one mouthful. Do not disdain the small. The whole of the life—even the hard—is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole.”
     Learning to seek out an attitude of gratefulness in even the smallest of things… I hadn’t realized how important that is. Because there are always small things for me to be thankful for: the artwork on the wall that makes me smile, the healthy pumpkin-oat muffins I made for breakfast, the cardinal that skips along outside the window. We need not wait for the big things to give thanks, to see that there’s good news waiting for us at every turn. 
     It reminds me of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas story, when it says, "The Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."
      Yes, seeking out the tiniest of details and seeing them as gifts from God and thanking him for them helps my heart to grow bigger, each and every day. 
Joy is always given, never grasped.
God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy.
— Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

Carmen lives with her husband in Georgia, although she misses home-sweet-home Ohio and all her dear best friends there, including Holly! She chronicles what’s going on in her life—the lessons and blessings of it, what she likes to call her “blessons”—at Life Blessons.

Love and anyone who uses the word infinitesimals is okay in my book, 
H.