You Tell Me!

Hey yall! I hate that life has been so busy that I haven't been able to really post much other than photos and gratitudes and the occasional book review. I want to get back to more regular blogging though. I had recorded another video blog a few days ago, but halfway through it, the audio went out. I didn't have time to rerecord it, so it is sitting there for now.

The reason for this post is, I want to know what yall want me to blog about. I'm pretty much open about things. I have some more I want to blog about fibromyalgia, but I also want to answer any questions you have about fibro if you have any. And like I said, I'm pretty open, so if you have questions or suggestions, I'd really love to hear them.

Comments are below. Let me hear from you please!

The Very Pink of Perfection

I have been following the blog Young House Love for quite some time. I look forward almost daily to seeing what new project they are working on, what new mood board they have come up with, what baby Clara is up to, pretty much anything they post instantly draws me in.

Their blog post for today was talking about design tv, specifically about HGTV shows. When I saw this picture from Emily Henderson's Secrets From a Stylist, I immediately fell in love with almost all of it!

Nix the mirror (I actually don't mind the mirror, just the frame it is in) and the dog and you had me at hello. The pink dining room table, the floral drapes, the pendant light over the table, the vase and flowers, the wallpaper. I'm in love! The only thing I might change is the dining room chairs. I like them, but I wonder how it would look if they were chocolate brown. I love to mix pink and chocolate brown together.

The moment I saw the picture, I sent it to Russ in an email with the subject line of "I Need This!!!!!". His response was "Oh my...I don't know... :-\ ". I responded back to him, "But it's so beautiful & it's so me!!!!!". We later discussed it and made a deal. If we move to Colorado and he gets his own office, I can have whatever I want. So, I will be working on that post haste! Anyone who can help speed things along can have unlimited free Mexican food dinners in that amazing pink dining room!

Listening Changes the World

I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again. Simple, honest, human conversation. Not mediation, negotiation, problem-solving, debate, or public meetings. Simple, truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well.
Margaret J. Wheatley
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future

What would our world look like if we actually had conversation with each other? The art of talking and listening have almost become lost skills. My favorite part of my job as a hospital chaplain is getting to sit with people and hear their stories and many times, I get to tell part of my story as we journey together. I am looking ahead to the future and the ministry I feel God is leading me to start. I think a big part of this ministry will be based around conversation, sharing our stories, and walking our journeys together. I look forward to sharing more as things begin to take shape.

Family Trip to the Beach/Ocean in Galveston

Russ and I pulled off a big surprise for Damaris yesterday. Although a lot of people knew what was going on, she had no clue at all. When she got up yesterday morning, she was surprised to see that Russ and I were home instead of at work. We told her we just needed a day off and we were going to spend the day as a family just hanging out. We relaxed all morning (while she was getting dressed, Russ snuck all our swimming suits, towels, etc. to the car) and then headed out to Target to pick up a couple of things (mostly things we needed for our trip) and then "decided" to go out to lunch. I randomly picked Cracker Barrel and we headed out that direction. She didn't catch on at that point that the Cracker Barrel we went to was not the one we normally use. We ate lunch, browsed the store, and then decided to "head home". As we were driving towards Galveston, she started looking a bit confused but didn't say anything at first. When we passed over some of the water a bit before you cross the bridge, she commented that Russ had gone the wrong way and this wasn't the way home! LOL! As we began to cross the bridge, she finally got it. We stopped to change into our swimsuits (this was another shock for her because last time we went to Galveston, we just got ankle deep in the water in the clothes we were wearing) and then took a while to find a place we liked that wasn't too crowded (access point #10 for anyone interested). We unloaded, layered on 50SPF sunscreen, and headed out into the water. There was a lot of seaweed on the beach and plenty in the water, but it wasn't bad enough to cause problems. Damaris got splashed in the face by a wave as we got out a bit further into the water and she did not like the salty taste of the water. We tried to help her float on her back and float with the waves but that did not work. She thought it was cool that I could do it though. After over an hour, I was worn out from fighting the waves (really good exercise though) and headed back to the beach to get the camera and take some pictures and video (below). We had a good time and the temperature was just right with a great breeze. Russ is not a huge fan of the beach, but he stuck with it for Damaris and I. What a great guy!!!!! Damaris and I decided that we need a beach in our backyard. I know we will be going back again, well, we will have to convince Russ first! Enjoy the pictures and video below: