clean and strong

Well friends. We're doing it. We started Monday and it was not as hard as I had expected. Sure there were some moments of weakness, but I didn't give in. Because the result will be worth it: Clean and Strong. That is the motto for May. To let you know how serious we are, Abby and I are using the bathtub and bicep emoticons to encourage each other this month - get it? Clean and Strong :) We're proud.

So what is this journey we are taking? In a very small way, it is a journey back to the basics - away from processed foods and toward healthier living. No dairy. No meat. No white flour. No alcohol. No sugar (well except fruit). Similar to The Daniel Fast but with a few changes of my own. For about 2 milliseconds, I thought about enforcing the "No coffee" rule and then I laughed and decided I would just drink it black and see how it goes (it's going well, thank you). We are using few spices and seasonings and working to enjoy food the way it is naturally. I'm not gonna lie - I did grocery shop at Walmart this week for my fruits and vegetables, but it was 10:30 on Sunday night and let me just tell you that the shopping options were limited...
Enter Lesson #1: Planning ahead. Eeeesh. I know I'm not a great meal planner, but the last few days have shown some serious needs for improvement in this area. For the last (little ish) while, I gave up planning ahead and decided that running through Taco Bueno or Chick-fil-A was going to have to do. Doing this every once in awhile is great - I am definitely not anti-fast food, but I want it to be the exception, not the rule. So I will be training myself to plan. (Yes, Ali, I will be taking any advice you have to offer, oh wise and thrifty meal planner extraordinaire...)

Growing up, my mom always said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. So that's what we're doing: Changing our habits. For 21 days, we are simplifying and refocusing and fasting. We are learning and hopefully these lessons will stick (ish - I'm not hoping to become crazy - just smart. And clean and strong :)
I guess really this all started because of reading Jen Hatmaker's book, 7. I love the way this book is written: She is not saying that everyone should do her "experiment", but she is encouraging people to look at their lives and see where they've missed the point or gotten off track. Basically her 7 experiment was to focus on a different area for each month of 7 months and fast and dig deep to the root of all of the excess. For example, during food month, she only ate 7 different foods; then in stress month, she paused 7 times each day to pray; during clothing month, she only wore 7 items of clothing and so on. The book is convicting and hilarious and absolutely not judgmental or pointing fingers. She admits we're all apart of the never ending cycle of more until we stop it. I so appreciate her take on all of this. So, when Abby asked if I wanted to simplify for a little bit, I easily said yes...
Today it's fine. Tomorrow maybe, maybe not :)
But there will be grace and encouragement along the way...

so it's been awhile...

i didn't think anyone was still checking this blog, but it turns out that someone is - my blog status page shows that one person checks each day - even after months of no blogging whatsoever. so for that faithful viewer (and for you others who received the email notification saying "COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK IN HER (2nd) BLOG DEBUT, KATIE, THE GIRL WHO NEVER WRITES ANYMORE!" haha)...

so i have been wondering how to re-enter the blog world - do you address the long absence? do you need to write something that will change lives? do you ignore the fact that you haven't written publicly for 6 months? these are the questions and the problem is that i don't have answers. honestly i am not sure what happened. I had been so faithful - blogging about thanksgiving every day and then i missed a day and then one day turned into two and three and four and so on.... this type of things happens to me occasionally so i shouldn't be to terribly surprised...

"I am going to be a runner!" you announce to the world. so you train and run a half marathon and then a year goes by and looking back you can (shamefully and quite literally) don't need a full hand to count the number of times you ran...

"I am going to eat Paleo!" so confident, so sure... well maybe i'm going to eat Paleo on weekdays (weekends are so hard) but Friday counts as the weekend right? and my favorite day of the week is Thursday so my weekends sort of begin then. but Mondays are just so hard anyway so probably i shouldn't add to that stress. i mean is Paleo really worth it if i only eat it two days a week? probably not... hey Katie, do you want to go to Chuys? Mr. Chopsticks? Chick-fil-a? Roosters?..... why yes, yes i do.... i'm sorry Paleo who?

not that i don't ever stick to anything - i guess maybe it has to really matter to me. and i'm not saying this blog doesn't - but maybe that i forgot that it mattered? ya maybe that's it...

for the most part, i do consider myself a loyal person - for example i am incredibly faithful to (and defensive of) my family and friends. because honestly i have the best ones around. and when i look at the last several months, i am overwhelmed at how they have been there for me in difficult times and in times of celebration. one will call just to check in on like the worst day i've had in awhile. one will schedule a 2 hour phone date so we can (finally) hear what is going on with each other and then she'll ask questions that tell me she knows my heart and cares so deeply for me. one will help celebrate small victories (because she knows that for me, they are not small). one will cry over the phone because, even a couple hundred miles away, she simply knows. one will call to see if i'm going to Bible study and when i say no (for no good reason), she'll show up to pick me up. several will meet me for breakfast, lunch, happy hour, coffee, dinner, dessert, wine, or whatever works because we don't want life to pass by and us forget to know each other. they will sit with me on patios, in restaurants, at my apartment, at my mama's house, by the pool, in a coffee shop and they'll ask and then they'll listen. gosh. one thing i know for sure is that i am blessed by the people around me.

so what has been going on in the last several months? well in some ways it has seemed like the longest stretch of time there has ever been. and in other ways i feel like it absolutely flew. isn't time bizarre? 

well i moved, had a sweet family Christmas, went to California by myself (best trip ever - maybe more on that later, but i'm not making promises...), went to Abilene (a couple of times), went to Galveston, celebrated many birthdays, went to OKC, went to Canton, started my own business with Mary Kay (WHOA - talk about a whirlwind), celebrated my childhood best friend getting married, celebrated the first "four blonde" baby (and the second on the way EEEK!), applied for new jobs, found out about several babies on the way (please let ONE of them be a girl!!), celebrated engagements, studied the book of James with incredible women, joined a home group (who am I?), laughed a ton, cried a ton, drank more coffee than anyone should ever, read several books (goal for the year is to read a book a month and i'm happy to say i am well on my way :), listened to new music (thanks, Jenny!), caught up with blogs i love (one of which reminded me yesterday that the purpose of her blogging is to document life - like her own little scrapbook - thanks, Shay! - which is what this originally was for me anyway...) 

i will say that i am so happy that it is May :) warm weather in the afternoons and cool evenings is heavenly. i plan to spend the better part of this month outdoors - either on a patio or by the pool or walking around Canton (see you Saturday!) i have plans to spend time with good friends and am gearing up for summer which is my favorite time of year. (hello, Fourth of July!!! ...visions of fireworks dancing in my head.... yes, fireworks dance, okay?) so thanks for hanging in there with me and thanks to my incredible friends and family for just being there - sometimes "there" is all i need :)

happy May Day, team!

here's to new beginnings!

ps if you haven't heard, Starbucks is so excited about May, they are bringing back Frappy Hour! Half priced frappes from 3-5 on May 1-10! :) you are welcome.

original source: http://kikicomin.weebly.com/thanksgiving.html

Her prints for Christmas are also beautiful :) 

remember

It's so easy to let our emotions get the best of us, isn't it? I mean sometimes I'm just walking along and out of nowhere (okay not exactly out of nowhere, but relatively unexpectedly), I am overcome with anxiety. My emotions just take off like a spaceship and suddenly I am soaring into another dimension. I know some of you are reading this and thinking that I must have some type of anxiety disorder or something and maybe you're right. Or maybe of we're honest, this happens to us sometimes. I just forget that my emotions can be deceiving and sometimes they tell me that everything is going to go wrong and nothing will turn out right and I believe them. Actually now that I think about it they might be right, but just coming from the wrong emotional state. Let me explain.
If my emotions tell me nothing is going to turn out the way I think it should (note: remind me to tell you later about the word "should"), they might be right, but is that a bad thing? Or is it just what it is? Maybe what I think is the right way or the best thing really isn't. Maybe there's actually someone orchestrating this whole deal and maybe (just maybe) it's not actually about me. Whoa. Revolutionary, I know. So when my emotions get the best of me, what do I need? Truth. I need truth. I need to know the promises of God so that in anxiety-ridden turmoil, I can remember what I already know - that I am loved, that God cares about me, that I have been redeemed, that this life is not the end of the story. And you know what emotion comes out of those truths? Yep. Gratitude. A great and overpowering sense of awe at the fact that I deserve nothing and yet have been given so much. A sense that, even when I am melting down because I don't trust the One who is in control, He is for me and my heart swells with thanksgiving. A long time ago I was given a daily devotional called "My Utmost for His Highest" (written by Oswald Chambers). I was told that this book would change my life and honestly, I read a few days, but wasn't really super into it. Every once in awhile I will pick it back up and read a day or two, but for the most part it sits on my dresser with a few other books holding up a vase and serves a merely aesthetic purpose. For some reason I spotted it today while I was putting on my makeup and decided to read today's devotional. Here's the first sentence:

We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus.

Insert the gritting teeth emoticon at the end of that sentence. Oh dear. After the meltdown that I had yesterday and the gentle reminder that I received last night that my emotions are not always telling me the truth, I read that sentence and knew that the fact that I spotted the book today was a gentle calling from my God to remember Him in truth and in love and in gratitude. Ann Voskamp would call this eucharisteo - to remember and give thanks. And isn't that the point? It is definitely my hope for my 21 Days of Thanksgiving.

to remember and give thanks

a thankful heart is a happy heart

Does anyone remember that Veggie Tales song??? You know Junior Asparagus is sitting with his mom and dad singing about an apple pie while that gigantic shopping mart is being built? I think it's from Madame Blueberry??? No? Just me then... Well that song has been stuck in my head for days.
...because a thankful heart is a happy heart. I'm glad for what I have. That's an easy way to start....
As a (former) die hard fan of Veggie Tales, I will defend it to the ground, although there are some odd lyrics to some of the songs - I mean get serious, Larry, everyone does not have a water buffalo and no matter what you say, I cannot believe that your lips got stuck in a gate, ever. I don't even think you have lips... Anyway I'm sure I had a point.... Oh yes.

I'm glad for what I have. That's an easy way to start.

Today, I truly am glad for what I have. And honestly, some days that's all I can muster up the strength to be thankful for. I have been given a roof over my head, food to eat, an incredible family, and friends who know love me no matter what. And that is definitely something to be thankful for. The interesting thing is that when I actually stop to consider what all I am thankful for, the gifts seem to just pour in - I guess I could probably chalk that up to lack of awareness on my part. Surely these things have always been there. Like that beautiful gigantic house across the neighborhood from us, or the guy working at Chick-fil-a who wished me a blessed day, or the bright red trees around Denton, or my parent's neighbors who have lived there longer than we have and apparently put their Christmas lights up every year on November 1 - each of these things - so simple and special could be missed if I'm not looking for gifts. And that's what they are: gifts. Things I have taken for granted, rather than truly appreciating the woman who doesn't want to waste a second after Halloween by not spreading holiday cheer. Simple gifts. They are overlooked, but not hidden. If we look for them, we will find them.

What gifts have you seen today?


PS Today is 11-12-13 in case anyone missed that :)

sample girls

Today is a very special day. Not only are we still celebrating 21 Days of Thanksgiving but it is also Monday, which means it's...

Meet-Someone-New Monday

Don't worry, I have a great plan to combine the two. Tonight I was blessed to spend a wonderful evening with two incredible friends. You know how every once in awhile friends just click? Like Bert and Ernie or Robin and Lily or Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston? It's just meant to be. Well these two girls would fall into that category. They have known each other since before their awkward stages and endured the absurdity of middle school together (how any of us survive that trauma is beyond me). They have gone through rocky phases where they didn't know if they would remain friends or even be acquaintances and now they are rooming together in a quaint little apartment in Dallas. They have hard moments, but they understand each other. They laughed hysterically tonight as they told stories of the things that go on in their apartment - little quirks that they both have and how hilarious they think each other are. They have been through a lot. And somehow, through the grace of a loving Father, they ended up in the same city and sharing the same space. And they know that it is a blessing. At different times tonight, they each expressed how much they love that they get to live together and I was filled with a sweet kind of comfort as I listened to two girls, who are younger than me, share what they think about this bizarre stage of life we are all in. They are wise. They battle the world together and consistently remind each other who they really are and that work does not and will not define them. They are defined by so much more. I'll let you meet them separately: one here and the other here but if you ever get the chance to hang out with them together, you should. You can probably find them at Central Market, where they have become known as the sample girls, or at Starbucks, drinking coffee as they discuss matters of the heart. These girls are such a blessing to me and to each other. I am so glad I know them and even more glad that they are only a short drive away. I am thankful we were able to sit down and talk and laugh and express fear and anxiety and share wisdom and laugh and talk and laugh some more. So so very thankful. Actually thankful doesn't even begin to cover it...

Thweet, Wheels and Yougs together again. Love you ladies, more than you know :)

...and be thankful...

A few days ago, I began here to explore the importance of giving thanks. It hasn't been but a few days of writing and thinking through thankfulness and so far it has remained on the complete forefront of my mind. That day I started this topic/series, I just felt like I needed to remind myself to remember (yes I see the ridiculousness in that statement) the goodness of God. So I began writing about it. Since I set somewhat of a goal to write consistently about this, it has forced the topic to the front of my mind and I'm so glad. Looking and finding gifts everywhere has been a source of pure joy for the last few days. Not that every moment has been flawless, but I just keep realizing that I have much to be thankful for. And wouldn't you know that in pure God fashion, today Matt closed the service at The Village Church by reminding us of the importance of thanking God for His goodness toward us. He preached from Colossians 3 and the whole podcast would be worth listening to, but the end was especially impactful, as I have been practicing thankfulness. Colossians 3:15-17 says:

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 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. 17 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.

And be thankful.
And BE THANKFUL. Matt encouraged us to stop comparing our lives with others and to quit cataloguing all of the things we don't have, but instead start focusing on all we have been given. Multiple times, he said to become an expert on how good God has been to you. (You can't access the whole podcast yet since it was just preached today, but later this week, you'll be able to listen here - it's Week 11 of a twelve week series called "Recovering Redemption" and I would definitely recommend the whole series).

Let us remember to give thanks to a good God, who in love, gives abundantly to us and 

may the Lord help us grow in gratitude.