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• Wearing a huge puffy jacket that goes to your knees while wearing a skirt is worth it if its below 30 degrees out. Brrrrrr
• My new love: Tall americano with white chocolate mocha and room for cream
• No alcohol January is officially over!
• New book (Bittersweat: Thoughts on change, grace and learning the hard way) is on its way! The anticipation is too great. You know those books that change your life forever? Well, this one will... actually already has. Thank you Bethany! And I have to include an excerpt so you can maybe understand what I'm about to jump into (and and expect a ton of posts on this book): This collection is an ode to all things bittersweet, to life at the edges, a love letter to what change can do in us. This is what I've come to believe about change: it's good, in the way that childbirth is good, and heartbreak is good, and failure is good. By that I mean that it's incredibly painful, exponentially more so if you fight it, and also that is has the potential to open you up, to open life up, to deliver you right into the palm of God's hand, which is where you wanted to be all along, except that you were too busy pushing and pulling your life into exactly what you thought it should be. So, this is the work I'm doing now, and the work I invite you into: when life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.
• Homeopathy... a bit unsure, but have to give it a shot! Please knee heal faster.
• Second Chances by Paper Route... great song
• Kiwi and blueberries are the best combination
• How do you find the perfect merino wool hoody? I've searched every online store. No one has what I want. In these moments I often wish I was a clothing designer.
• I need decorating ideas for my room. Its still too boring... almost like there's too much wall space.
• I'm going to be Chinese tonight and celebrate Lunar New Year... and eat tons of amazing chinese food. Yes!
• Oh and I need to do laundry. ASAP.
• And because I can never post anything without including a little substance (and by the way, this applies to everything): So, we might as well learn that our freedom to indulge must include the freedom to abstain - otherwise its not freedom at all. It's slavery. - Richard Dahlstrom

A Willingness

There comes a time in life when our beliefs will undoubtedly be challenged, and we have the opportunity to respond in a variety of ways. We can either immediately become defensive, thereby aggressively shutting our hearts and minds to differing ideas that may lead to incredible possibilities. Or, we can have an open willingness to understand something opposite of what we know and believe in.

But it all starts with willingness... the willingness to step outside of boxed rules and to critically think about something different. This is the key contributor to growth. It has the power to either correct where needed, or strengthen what's already been built upon. And we are indeed called to it; test everything and be encouraged and ready for the inevitable growth that will sprout forth.

The hardest part will be hearing and discerning truth amidst the jumbled clutter... and then of course, there's the action that must spring forth from truth. That part's even harder.

Needless to say, I'm being challenged a lot right now... and many of my beliefs are being strengthened two fold. However, others may be requiring action of some sort. It's a process... But it all starts with a willingness to ask for truth... and at least I know I've got that covered.

In case you're wondering

• You know how they say that everyone gets pooped on by a bird once in their life? Well, my time almost came yesterday... lucky me, the bird needs a bit more target practice.
• I don't suggest ordering a grande vanilla latte in hopes that you won't drink as much coffee in the morning as you usually do. Let's just say the drip coffee downstairs is already calling my name.
• Everyone needs an exit plan for those catch-you-by-surprise moments in life that you'd rather be anywhere else right then. I'm still forming mine. I think it'll have to do with dogs, cardigans and cheesecake... yum, i love cheesecake.
• A conundrum. Not only a great word, but also when you love the early mornings where you see your breath and the sun is just coming up over the clouds and you think to yourself that life couldn't get any better... but then realize that you're shivering like a polar bear without fur because its freezing.
• When you're looking for a substitute to diet coke, make sure and read the label before you buy the product because if they both have the same ingredients, its not worth switching. Btw, what's worse? Sucralose or aspertame?
• The weekend plan. Laundry-ing, grocery shopping, cupcake decorating, clothes returning, yoga-ing, bathroom cleaning, friend hanging, bath and book reading, sleeping way in-ing, vino-ing... you know, a bunch of good times-ing.
• And in case you're wondering... yes, I'm a dork... which is a silly person and should not be confused with a whale penis.
• Happy Friday!