just write: heartbeats and time.

always chasing after something, 
even when we’re not sure what it is.
we chase down every possibility, 
because we hate the words, “what if?”
we don’t have too much money,
but we don’t really mind. 
we’d rather pay our dues 
with our heartbeats and our time. 
because we know there are things
that money cannot buy, 
but if we have each other, 
we swear, we can almost fly. 

This is Life. This is it.

I've been reminding myself lately, this is life. This is it--the good and the awful and the boring and the magical--this is it.

We can talk all we want about hustling and planning and dreaming and scheming (all things I talk about and love and do very often), but none of that actually matters if we're not living our current life.

There's a really big difference between existing while looking towards the next thing and actually living. Yes, you have to work. You have to plan. You should dream and hustle. But if you are too busy with those things that you miss the good that is today, if you're too busy focused on the future that you miss the magic of the present, isn't that a waste of this part of your life?

Of course, we all hope to live nice, long and fulfilling lives. But we have no assurance of that. And I have to say, there have been phases of my life recently that if it were to all be over, it would have been a shame, because I was way more focused on the future than the present, and that's not really living.

I want to live so vivaciously that if it all comes to a screeching halt and I'm suddenly hanging out with Jesus, that no one around me would feel sad that I didn't get to make it to the next big thing I was always talking about. Instead, I would want people to remember that I lived my life fully alive.

The smallest shift in attitude has really been life changing for me. Do I hope to have my dream career in the future? Absolutely. And I'm still working my backside off to get there. But should that stop me from writing for fun now? No. Could I come up with drastic changes I could make over the next five years that would make my marriage better? Sure. But why not make it the best it can be today, the day I'm actually living in?

As an adult, you have to plan and save and all those other adult-ish things. But I'm learning that in no way does that mean you can't also enjoy every single day. Because if today was your last day, it sure would be a shame spending the entire thing planning and saving for tomorrow.

Your New Favorite Blog: Whimsical September.

Hey! My name is Erica and I blog over at WhimsicalSeptember.com!

Can "family" be used as an adjective? I sure hope so because that's what we're going with! Everything I write about somehow revolves around my family - how we're fixing up our 1980s home, what we're eating (healthy, non healthy, quick, fancy), our road trips and vacations, parenting wins and fails (ha!), curveballs that my husband's Army career throws at us, how we celebrated this birthday or that anniversary - the whole nine yards! I try to keep things real and light-hearted.

I actually started my blog during the sophomore year of college in 2008 during the Stone Age of blogging! For years I used my blog as a way to keep track of big and little life events, and sometimes I'd post multiple times a week and other times I'd only post a few times a year. I absolutely love that this blog has captured my entire relationship with my husband - from the time we started dating all the way through the birth of our first child and beyond! I rebranded my blog one year ago and have been consistently blogging ever since!

Easy question! My favorite book is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I've never read a book this size as fast as I did the first time (two days). I read it in 2010 shortly before my husband commissioned as an officer in the Army, and this book gave me so much perspective and insight into the turmoil going on in Afghanistan that I knew my husband would see one day (and he has). I love that it's written as a historical fiction as well. Hosseini's writing is detailed, eloquent, informative, and gripping.

I've written over 300, so picking just one is really tough! I'm going to pick the post that had me sobbing the whole time I was writing it - a letter to Hadley on her first birthday. Whimsical September: A First Birthday Letter to My First-Born.

I'm sure any parent would say this, but my answer is definitely my 14 month old daughter Hadley! I keep wanting to freeze every stage she's in because it's just so much fun, but then she gets bigger (of course) and I find that I love the next stage of her life even more! She's in the stage right now where staring contests are her favorite, and she bursts into giggles right after we start one. I could go on and on! Parenthood is a trip. 

Something else that's been making my laugh? HARD? The Bachelor. I'm 27 years old and still completely obsessed with the show. This season has a handful of girls that just make me want to cover my eyes and die of embarrassment for them while simultaneously dying of laughter at their silly antics. LOVING. IT.

Erica has the cutest blog name, the cutest little girl, and the cutest little pup. Comments have been turned off so you can go say hi to Erica and check out all the adorable things on her blog! You can find her on facebook, instagram, Pinterest, and twitter!

just write: eight thousand and seven hundred chances.

sometimes when people say to me, 
"do you remember when?"
I have to really stop and think,
for I’ve changed so much since then. 

more than eight thousand and seven hundred hours 
to make up a single year
eight thousand and seven hundred chances
to make my old self disappear 

I’m quite a bit different than I was
just fifty-two weeks ago,
because I’m changing, bit by bit
with each new place I go. 

I change with everything I see, 
and everything I do,
and I’m becoming a new person
by adventuring with you. 

Fighting the Blank Page: Seven Ways to Overcome Writer's Block.

I'm stuck somewhere in the middle of having all kinds of creative ideas and having the worst writer's block ever. In the spirit of trying to lean towards the former, I thought I'd share some things I've been doing that are helping me fight writer's block and actually make myself write, instead of staring at a blank page all day. 

Turn off Netflix. And the TV, and the radio, and every other electronic device that is distracting you. I am the worst about watching Netflix "only until I think of something to write." Spoiler alert: it never happens. So turn it off and start writing.

Read a chapter in a book that you're really, really into. There are few things that inspire me as much as falling in love with a book, because it makes me want to write something that other people will fall in love with. So when you're having a hard time feeling inspired, pick up a book that's given you that feeling, and then use it to power through some words.

Give yourself a change of scenery. Go to a new coffee shop. Write from your couch instead of your bed. Take your notebook outside and write. Switch it up and trick yourself into feeling inspired.

Read some of your own words. What's something you're proud to be the author of? A paper from a college class? Your favorite blog post? A journal entry from the best day ever? Read those things. Read them to remind you that you can write, that you like writing, and that eventually, one day, you will once again write something you actually like

Look up writing quotes.  My sweet friend Brooks shared this list with me last week, and it was exactly what I needed. If you love writing, it's almost impossible to read a list of words about writing and not want to write some of your own words.

Set a timer. When all else fails, sometimes you just have to make yourself write. So set a timer for 10 or 15 or 20 minutes, and don't stop writing until it goes off. Even if the words you're writing are just ideas and aren't complete sentences, just keep writing them down. Nonsense words are better than no words.

Just keep doing it. Keep setting the timer. Keep forcing yourself to write the nonsense words. Keep writing, "write 500 words" on your to-do list. Just. Keep. Doing. It. And one day, you'll wake up and realize that you want to write, no bribing or forcing involved.

How do you fight writer's block?

just write: place by place.

I cannot stay too long here, 
for there’s much too much to see. 
but if you’re feeling up to it, 
would you come along with me? 
I’d love to stay here with you, 
but really, I must go. 
there’s too many places I haven’t been
too many faces I don’t yet know. 
but if you come along with me, 
we could be the lucky two.
and we’d see every single bit of it, 
place by place, just me and you.

10 (More) Lies Every Girl Tells Herself.

See part one here.

1. "Taking an hour out of my day to make a perfectly colorful, numbered to-do list will mean I will get all of these things done." 

2. "I am going to throw these shoes away when I get home. This pain is so terrible, I will remember it and never ever wear them again." 

3. "I need sleep, so I'll be much happier if I snooze my alarm and skip the shower.  I'll be so well rested, it won't even bother me that my hair resembles something from a horror movie."

4. "I'm not gaining weight..I've just been drinking a lot of water. It's water weight." 

5. "I'm so confident, I'm going to go out with no makeup. It won't bother me that you can tell everyone else spent hours getting ready and I'm in yoga pants...no, I know look naturally amazing." 

6. "I will totally not regret getting scammed into buying every product the lady at Sephora used on my face. In fact, it's not a scam. I will use every single one of these every single day and it will be worth every single cent."

7. "If I pay all this money for this gym membership, I will have to use it."

8. "If I buy the obscenely priced meal replacement shakes, they'll actually work as meal replacements and I won't have to keep buying shakes and second lunch." 

9. "The right time to have this giant, potentially relationship-changing conversation is the second it pops into my head. No matter that we haven't eaten all day and are running late--the sooner we talk the better."

And, my most recent favorite...

10. "I can definitely pull off this crop top."