To say it's been awhile since I blogged would be an understatement, so let's get over it and move on. ;)
I was telling someone recently how different my life looks today than it did a year ago. Not some big transformation like a huge weight loss (outside of pregnancy my weight has maybe fluctuated 5 lbs over the past 20 years) or even the addition of more children, but in small subtle ways. It's really been in two different areas: my relationships and a healthy environment.
For all of my life I have seen my loquaciousness as a curse -- I just don't shut up. The past few months I have come to realize that the way God made me is not a curse, but a blessing. I have an ability to talk with anyone and engage them in conversation and make them feel welcome. And God has used this gift this past year.
I spend a lot of our summers at the neighborhood pool with my kids. To be blunt -- I will talk to anyone hanging out at the baby pool and that is how I met my friend Christine the summer of 2013. Fast forward...her husband and Walter became friends through brewing beer and they invited us to their New Years Eve party. We had a wonderful time and through Christine I began to meet new people and develop relationships with people in my neighborhood (she also introduced me to RumChata with Fireball whiskey that night). Christine asked me to attend an essential oils workshop in March and, since I try to go to almost anything people invite me to, I agreed to go.
At that March workshop, I learned all about the natural God-given power of Young Living essential oils and decided to start using them. I've never been a fan of going to the doctor or using medicine, so this was right up my alley. Plus, last November I was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma (after cracking my rib from coughing) and wanted some alternative ways to manage it. As they say, one good things begets another...I decided that spring to grow an organic garden in my backyard and started using Norwex cloths for cleaning (clean with just water!). I wanted to get the harmful chemicals out of my house. I'm now addicted to my oils and love sharing them with others, enjoyed delicious organic vegetables from my garden all summer, clean (house, laundry, dishes, etc.) with only Norwex and other natural cleaners, switched to using Arbonne products for skin care and shampoo (fruit based with no harmful chemicals) and recently made homemade deodorant! :) The changes are subtle but huge.
I have also continued to grow my relationships with my neighbors and have made amazing new friendships. Friends that I treasure and look forward to spending time with and hanging out. I thank God for every single one of these women and for the privilege and opportunity to engage in life with them. I am learning to listen and just be -- I pray that God uses me to be a light to my neighbors and that when they see me, the see Him.
I am blessed beyond measure. Thank you, Lord, for all you have given me. Your mercies are new every morning!
Here are some recent pictures of my family. :)
I was telling someone recently how different my life looks today than it did a year ago. Not some big transformation like a huge weight loss (outside of pregnancy my weight has maybe fluctuated 5 lbs over the past 20 years) or even the addition of more children, but in small subtle ways. It's really been in two different areas: my relationships and a healthy environment.
For all of my life I have seen my loquaciousness as a curse -- I just don't shut up. The past few months I have come to realize that the way God made me is not a curse, but a blessing. I have an ability to talk with anyone and engage them in conversation and make them feel welcome. And God has used this gift this past year.
I spend a lot of our summers at the neighborhood pool with my kids. To be blunt -- I will talk to anyone hanging out at the baby pool and that is how I met my friend Christine the summer of 2013. Fast forward...her husband and Walter became friends through brewing beer and they invited us to their New Years Eve party. We had a wonderful time and through Christine I began to meet new people and develop relationships with people in my neighborhood (she also introduced me to RumChata with Fireball whiskey that night). Christine asked me to attend an essential oils workshop in March and, since I try to go to almost anything people invite me to, I agreed to go.
At that March workshop, I learned all about the natural God-given power of Young Living essential oils and decided to start using them. I've never been a fan of going to the doctor or using medicine, so this was right up my alley. Plus, last November I was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma (after cracking my rib from coughing) and wanted some alternative ways to manage it. As they say, one good things begets another...I decided that spring to grow an organic garden in my backyard and started using Norwex cloths for cleaning (clean with just water!). I wanted to get the harmful chemicals out of my house. I'm now addicted to my oils and love sharing them with others, enjoyed delicious organic vegetables from my garden all summer, clean (house, laundry, dishes, etc.) with only Norwex and other natural cleaners, switched to using Arbonne products for skin care and shampoo (fruit based with no harmful chemicals) and recently made homemade deodorant! :) The changes are subtle but huge.
I have also continued to grow my relationships with my neighbors and have made amazing new friendships. Friends that I treasure and look forward to spending time with and hanging out. I thank God for every single one of these women and for the privilege and opportunity to engage in life with them. I am learning to listen and just be -- I pray that God uses me to be a light to my neighbors and that when they see me, the see Him.
I am blessed beyond measure. Thank you, Lord, for all you have given me. Your mercies are new every morning!
Here are some recent pictures of my family. :)
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