Something New

It just hit me. This crazy idea that I probably shouldn't have to implement, but will, because Lord knows my heart needs it. It hit me just now as I was thinking about going back to work tomorrow after this Thanksgiving break. I wanted to post a picture to my Instagram to convey how truly unenthusiastic I am about getting back to my normal schedule, but then I reconsidered. How often do we- actually, just make that I- complain via social media about my daily struggles? How much more do I complain about these struggles to other people directly? I'm not talking about real heart-breaking, life-changing, let-me-share-my-heart-so-I-don't-implode struggles. What I'm talking about are the everyday complaints. "It's too early." "It's too cold." "It's too hot." "I don't wanna (fill in the blank)." My blanks are usually a combination of "go to work, do school work, do house work, do anything that I just really don...

Have you ever heard that cliche Christian phrase "I'm too blessed to be stressed!"? I've always kind of smirked at it when I hear it, thinking it sounds a little too good to be true. How can someone truly not be stressed simply because they have a lot of blessings? I don't think there's anyone out there with no stress in their lives. I was thinking about the reversal of the phrase this past week "too stressed to feel blessed" and I realized that this is too often my own attitude towards life. On many days, my life can feel heavy, hectic, busy, and far from "blessed." It's those days when I wake up feeling sick, when I have an argument with my husband, when my students at work are disobedient and wild, when I have mountains of work to do, when my house is disorganized the day before an event I'm hosting, when I am consumed with anxiety or thoughts about the people I've lost, when prayers don't seem to get answered. Please tel...

Hey there, blog world. It's been a while. I have been contemplating starting a blog again and tonight just seemed like as good a night as ever to re-start Something New.  Only a few new things have happened in the past 3 years...just kidding. Let's just call this time in my life transition central. Good transitions, wonderful transitions even. But change is hard, regardless of the beautiful implications they may have. Have you ever been there? New job, new life stage, new house, new friends? All at once? Beautiful, wonderful transitions. This is where I am right now. I just moved into a condo a year and a half ago with more space than I have ever had to myself with an amazing husband to whom I have only been married to for a year and a half! I moved across the state and started a new job. I love my life, but stress is not far from me at all times. I have suddenly become someone who stresses out about dishes being left in the sink, the laminator at work not being hot enoug...

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up with a heavy heart? Today was one of those mornings. On top of feeling overwhelmed and faithless, I was also battling a head cold, which makes every emotion seem 10x worse. So, I begrudgingly made my way out of bed and found myself curled up on my favorite loveseat overlooking a some trees whose colors have just started changing to brilliant red and orange hues. Cuddled up in a soft blanket and with my Bible on my lap, I began to pray. I have found that writing out my prayers like a letter to God has always helped me to solidify my emotions and really connect with my Maker. So this morning I wrote down my heart and for the first time in a long time, I didn't hold back. Why is it so easy to refrain from praying deeply sometimes? I have found that in times of distress or anxiety, I sugarcoat my prayers. "God, I'm kind of scared about this, but let's talk about something else instead..." I distract myself from th...

It's Saturday night, and I find myself home with a mug of lemon ginger tea, a cucumber facial mask, and America's Next Top Model. Ahhh...there's a pile of homework sitting next to my bed, but for now, I'm just going to rest. So call me a dork, but I've always been fascinated by personalities. I've probably taken the Myers-Briggs Personality test a total of 10 times (maybe even more). If you've never taken it, you can take it here: Myers Briggs Personality Test.  Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because my personality results have always classified me as being an extrovert. While I do agree with this, seeing as I'm generally more energized when I'm around other people, I also have found that my "Me Time" is extremely valuable, especially as I get older and busier. There are some days when all I want is to sit back with a warm cup of something (preferably, coffee) and just breathe. Jesus took time to be alone regularly. Matthew 14...

So I'm starting a blog. This has been one of those random thoughts I've kept in the corner of my brain for the past couple of years, but I've always been too busy, scared, and let's face it, lazy, to actually start one. But here I go.  As I senior in college, this may not be the most opportune time to start add something else to my list of priorities, seeing as every moment of every day seems to be constantly filling up with meetings, homework, lesson plan writing, etc...but something new always excites me! In many ways, this year is a symbol of a new chapter in my life beginning. There are so many things to process, so many things to worry about... As the unknown lies ahead, what better way to process these new beginnings than to document them here? Writing is a way for me to express my creative, candid, and crazy musings. And trust me, there will be many. If you're reading this, I hope you'll continue to read my heart over the next few weeks, months, y...