Muffy's Sweet 60th

I thrive off of routine - off sameness and checklists and a consistent rhythm. It keeps me calm and gives me a perceived (though often false) sense of control. But sometimes? All I need is to break free from my routine. To stop checking things off and to just be. To let go of control and to give up the grind. 

And that's exactly what last week looked like for my family.

My dad planned a 60th birthday trip for my mom, so all of my siblings + their babies headed down to Rosemary Beach to celebrate her.

I was fortunate enough that the trip fell between my old and new jobs, so I was able to completely unplug and focus on this beautiful family of mine.

Our days consisted of coffee by the pool in the morning, followed by family runs, poolside workouts, Nuke 'Em, ocean swims, bocce ball and, of course, afternoon iced coffee. We talked, we read, we laughed, we ate a lot.

  

Our nights consisted of dinners grilled by my dad, relaxation and early, early bedtimes. 

Ever since we were little, my parents talked about creating a bunk bed room for us to sleep in together, because we always wound up in one another's rooms growing up anyway. This house made our dreams come true, with two bunk rooms - one for the adults and one for the kiddos.

Every night when our 9:30 bedtime rolled around (not kidding), it was so fun to cruise up to the same room. 

We were lucky enough to celebrate both my mom's, as well as Duke and Ryan's birthdays while we were there.

We wanted to shower my mom with extra love on her 60th and, as part of it, we brought Chinese lanterns. We thought we could each make a wish for her year ahead as we let them go. 

But, even the best laid plans can go awry. And ours did just that.  

As soon as the first set of lanterns took flight, they bee-lined for the trees surrounding the pool. One lantern made it into the abyss, while the others got caught in the height of the branches. Instead of saying wishes for her year, we were hosing the trees down while praying we didn't light the entire community ablaze. 

Duke and I hosed the trees down, while Ryan climbed up in one and shook a lantern out.

I wish we could have sent off well wishes for my mom, but the memory of us all scrambling and getting ready to stop, drop and roll is a way better memory.

The entire week reminded me how good it feels to slow down and that the checklists aren't what give us worth. It reminded me that our relationships and the way we love and connect with one another are the most important thing. And it reminded me that the vacation life sure is the good life. :)

I hope you had a wonderful week!

When is it going to be your turn?

This year, Chris and I have ten weddings on the docket, not to mention the bachelorette and engagement parties, as well as the showers. Starting this month, the remainder of the year is, in no uncertain terms, wedding season. 

I was talking with a friend about it recently and she said that she was so excited to celebrate her friends throughout the rest of the year, but she couldn't help but wonder when it was going to be her turn. 

The phrase "my turn" has come up with a lot of my friends lately and I noticed that a post I wrote in 2014 recently moved to the top of my most frequently read list. So, while I'm still trying to pull together pictures from my family's trip to the beach last week, I thought I'd repost it for anyone who might need to be reminded. Don't forget - you are beautiful, you are enough and your life doesn't not begin when you get married. 

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This picture of Sally, Melissa and me is one of my favorites. We took it at Oyster Fest, which was almost exactly two years ago. It was springy in February and we got up early and had mimosas and the sun shone all day long. It reminds me of one of my favorite times in Atlanta - when we were all becoming friends and everything was new and exciting and we'd never even been to Oyster Fest before. 

I always think of that when I look at it.

But you know what else I think of? How right after we took this picture I started crying. And they had no idea what to do because I'd never cried in front of them before. How I told them I was sad that all of my friends had boyfriends and I didn't understand why I couldn't find a nice guy and finally just said, "when is it going to be my turn!?"

You get it. Right? So many of my friends want to know that. And so much more.

Why aren't they getting asked on dates?

Why aren't they meeting any quality guys? 

Why do all their friends keep meeting nice guys and they don't?

Why is God making them wait?

What is wrong with them?

When is going to be their turn?

And I get it. I so get get get it. I've had that feeling so many times. After bad dates and break ups and nights when I felt so alone. It's lonely. And loneliness is far worse than actually being alone. It's not having someone who knows you, gets you, makes you a priority.

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I don't know why some people get married at 18 and others have to wait until 32 and others at 55 and others not at all. I don't know why we all have to experience these trials differently. 

But I do know that, even though it can be an uphill battle, the best thing we can do is enjoy the right now. 

We cannot waste this season of life because we're tired of waiting for the next one. It might feel like winter in your love life - a little cold, not a lot blooming - but spring will come.

God is doing something. Big time. Two years ago, when that picture was taken, I was so sure I was ready. I think I even told my friends: I'm just ready! And I really, really felt ready.

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But God has done crazy cool stuff in my life since then. I've been broken down and built up 37 times. I've felt more real joy than I have in years. I've learned so much more about who I am. I've learned to be comfortable in my own skin and am finally living less for perfection and pleasing and more for the right things.

And it's not even over! Things are happening every day, and I am so grateful that God knew better. I thought I was ready, but, as it turns out, I was wrong. I'm a big time work in progress and the work is just getting started.

You are Enough, You Have Enough, You do Enough

This week marks a full three months since we set our New Year's Resolutions and the end of Lent. What we set in January might have gone away and come back again by now.

I didn't make many resolutions at the new year, but for Lent, I decided to give something away every day. I wish I could find a way to describe how good it felt. In a nutshell, it gave me the feelings of (1) making others happy by giving them things, (2) while also purging my own life of things I don't need anyway. I have more white space - both physically and emotionally.

Why am I telling you this? To tell you I'm awesome? Definitely not. Just the opposite, in fact. To publicly address the question I can't get off my mind:

Why was I hoarding so much stuff I didn't need? 

I feel sad I've held on to these things for so long that I'm now living easily without. I feel sad I gave away 10 bags of clothes and I still have plenty to wear.

When did I become a slave to consumerism?

This challenge has changed the way I want to live. I feel like I have momentarily broken the more-is-more-mentality in my life. I want to stay outside the circle; I don't want to fall back into the aggressive cycle. I don't want to look at my possessions as an extension of myself or an addition to my worth. I want to look at them for what they really are: possessions.

And, honestly, I want to break the more-is-more-mentality in other areas of life. With my calendar, relationships and words. I don't want to be constantly piling on more and more until I break, but instead practicing an attitude of enough. An attitude of wanting more.

I want to be energized by the abundant good in life and not drained by the wanting. I want to feel peaceful and abundantly filled with Christ's love. I want to believe that I am enough, I have enough and I do enough on this good, Good Friday.

life lately

Happy Wednesday readerfriends! I haven't done many life updates lately, so I thought I'd share some around these parts. Here's some of the good stuff from the last few weeks:

Sharing: On Robyn's blog today. Go check her out :) She has awesome words to share.

Loving: My Fresh Harvest (c/o) veggies. Siberian Kale came in my most recent box and it was unreal fresh. It was easily the best kale I've ever had. Yep! Best ever. (If you're new around here, get the download/a referral code for Fresh Harvest.)

Eating: I recently made this Sriracha Lime Chicken salad for Chris and I and it rocked our worlds. Nothing says fresh like grilled pineapple. Hello spring!

Reading: The Cuckoo's Calling and Scary Close. Too soon to share my thoughts, but so far, so good!

Obsessing: Over the Espresso Pull Bar at Argosy in Atlanta. I went with some girls for brunch last Saturday and tried the Original. Holy cow. Espresso, coconut milk, almond milk and chocolate. Needless to say, it was like a dessert. And amazing!

Rejoicing: That spring has arrived {and April!}. I head to the beach with my family this weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday and couldn't be more excited about it.

Happy day! Do good out there!