Thankfulness on Thankfulness on Thankfulness.

First things first: I GOT A LIBRARY CARD. For the first time ever, I updated my licence as soon as my address changed, and I did it for the sole reason of getting a library card. 
I don't understand why everyone doesn't have a library card...it's completely free, as are all of the books you get to check out. FREE BOOKS. ANYTIME. ALL THE TIME. HEAVEN. I got most of the books in this stack just because the covers were pretty and the plot looked interesting. If I hate them, it's fine, because they were free. Get yourself a library card! And then tell me what you're reading so I can read it too...for free. 
I think the biggest thing I'm thankful for this week is how I've been pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I've been going out with Jack, just me and him. We did our first solo big grocery shopping trip, a Target run, tried out a support group (that sounds depressing but it's more of a bible study/built in friends) for doctor's wives, and even went to church by ourselves. 
High school me would be shocked. College me would be shocked. Really, me three months ago would be shocked. I don't go places alone. I get intensely anxious over situations where I don't know people or where things could easily go wrong. But I did it. 

Yes, it was uncomfortable. Yes, my hands shook as I was driving to meet up with a group of women I didn't know. Yes, I felt anxious and out of place and overwhelmed a few times. Yes, the above picture is an accurate depiction of taking Jack new places. But I did it. And I'm so thankful that I did! Because next time will be easier. And the next time will be even easier. And even in the most anxious of moments, getting to carry this sweet little bub around Target, or rock him to sleep in church? Thankful, thankful, thankful. 
I talk a lot about thankfulness. I know that sometimes, when someone is always talking about the positive, it can come across as a little forced and maybe even fake. So I wanted to give you a quick behind the scenes peek over here. 
I have a sinus infection (true life: I just typed "science-infection" three times in a row). My throat and ears are killing me and it's just not fun. Jack is currently doing this new thing where he skips his nap and then laughs/cries/screams because he's so tired, but he doesn't want to sleep. I need to do the dishes, and the laundry, and probably a lot more, but I've decided to have coffee under a blanket instead. 
It is loud and stuffy and messy up in here. 
But that doesn't change the fact that I just feel so thankful for my life. 
In reality, your life is probably always going to be full of good things, and it's going to be full of not-so-good things. There will be times where the balance makes it so easy to be thankful, and there will be times where the balance makes you just want to cry with how unfair life seems. But there's always going to be good and bad. If you look for the good, it's there. If you look at the bad, it will drown you. 

So why not look at the good? Why not celebrate it? Why not drown your days in thankfulness? 
Life is so much better that way. 
What are you thankful for this week?

The Little Things.

So much of day-to-day happiness is caused by little things. Catching an unexpected green light, dinner turning out to be delicious, the smell of coffee in the morning, getting a good night's sleep. Things we don't really think of as noteworthy, but they make us happy all the same. 

I say cheers to those ordinary things that make life beautiful. Cheers to the things that, when added up, make us so much happier. Cheers to the mundane, boring, and blissful. 

Ordinary, little things making me happy this week:

Fall colors. I just can't get enough. It may be 1,000 degrees outside, but every store I go in is covered in reds and golds and mustards and I'm loving it.

Well-done fries at Chick-Fil-A. If you've never tried this, you need to cancel your lunch plans and hit up a drive-thru. Order your fries well-done and 1) You're guaranteed to get steaming hot fries, and 2) they're crunchy and just perfect. 

Friday Night Lights. Rewatching an old favorite while doing mundane things like laundry just makes me happy. 

Pumpkin everything. It's the most delicious time of the year.

Fall decorations. Nothing says happiness like waking up to get your coffee and being greeted by a cute little scarecrow sitting on the counter.

Pumpkin scented candles. They make me all sorts of happy. 

The Autumn in New York music station. Full of old songs that make me swoon and remember why this is my favorite season of all. 

What little things are making you happy lately?

5 Planner Hacks: How to Get the Most Out of Your Planner.

I live and breathe by my planner. As much as I like to feel adventurous and spontaneous, I also know that if I don't write it down in my planner, I'll forget it. Twice a year, new planners and pens and notebooks grace the shelves of Target and inspire me to organize my entire life: January (New Years) and August (Back to school).

The thing is, planners can get really overwhelming really fast, and can end up getting thrown back on the shelf with several empty months left. This usually happens because A) It just became too overwhelming to use something like that every day or B) It didn't help as much as you thought it would and you feel like you're wasting your time.

Over the past three years, I've become extremely dependent on planners, and I really think they make my day so much easier and save so much time. I use one every single day. Here are the best things I've found to help get the most out of using a planner.

Write everything down. This is the most important thing! I think sometimes planners don't work because we're really just liars (or maybe just extremely optimistic) when we write in them. For example, we'll write:

• Respond to emails
• Schedule blog post
• Conference call
• Get things ready for party. 

When in reality, this is what that list means:

• Respond to emails
• All 10,000 of them. Cry a little. 
• Schedule blog post
• Figure out what the heck to actually blog about, because I have no ideas. 
• Actually write blog post.
• Take pictures for post. 
• Conference call
• Take notes during the call. 
• Send notes to everyone. 
• Scramble to respond to questions asked during call, and send emails answering them. 
• Get things ready for party. 
• Clean the whole house because I'm having people over. 
• Go to the store so they actually have something to eat. 
• Cook said things for them to eat. 
• Take a shower and try to actually look presentable. 

See? Big difference. If you look at the first list, it looks like a deceptively easy day and you can end up wasting most of the day and panicking when it's 6:00PM and you've only crossed one thing off the list and HOW could this happen if you used a planner?!

I write down every single thing I want to get done. From how many glasses of water I want to drink (not joking) to making my bed to sending specific emails. It can feel silly at first, but having exactly what you expect to get done written down in front of you helps you manage your time better. Plus, more things to mark off just makes you feel more productive. 

Write things (somewhat) in the order they need to be completed. If you need to turn something in by 8:00AM, try to write it near the top of your list. Otherwise you end up getting to it around 3:00, and that's not fun.

Use a highlighter to mark things off instead of scratching them out. I just started doing this last month, and it's so helpful for when I need to go back and see exactly when I did something. Plus, it makes your planner look neat and colorful, so it's a win-win.

Have a separate "running to-do" list. Whether it's a section in your planner or a notebook or a list on your phone, have a separate area for all the things you need to get done eventually. That way, when things pop in your head, you can write them down somewhere with all the other things you need to do, and you'll also have a list to reference when you're planning your days.

If you can't find a planner that works for you, make your own. Seriously! Everyone is different, and every season is different. If the planner you bought doesn't cut it for what you need, there are plenty of free printable to-do lists online. Put them in a binder and you've got a planner! Or, it can be something as simple as a notebook with the date written at the top of each page. Whatever works for you, use it.

Whatever you do.

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

Whatever you do. 

Whatever. 

I read Colossians 3:17 in the She Reads Truth thankfulness plan I'm going through right now, and those three words spoke volumes to me.

I wrote this blog a few weeks ago about how my life can feel pretty ordinary sometimes.  Right now, I don't have anything extravagant going on.  Anyone could do my job.  Nothing spectacular has happened with my writing career yet.  The biggest part of my day is spent typing numbers into a computer.  And honestly, that can make me feel really unimportant at times.

Whatever you do. 

I don't know about you, but I consider something done as a representative of Jesus extremely important.

Whatever you do. 

So if we're going to take this verse as truth, that means even the smallest, most minuscule tasks--they are important.  Not because of what they are, but because of how we are supposed to do them: as a representative of Jesus.

Anything and everything, including doing laundry and inputting numbers into a computer, is suddenly important.

That gives me passion for my day.  It gives me motivation to do the best that I can do in every area of my life because of who I'm doing it for.  And it definitely makes me feel important.

Happy Wednesday, friends.  Whatever you do today, do it well.




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