Thankful for: A Change of Scenery

We've been house sitting for the last couple days.
And while it's always a little bit inconvenient,
I've enjoyed the change of scenery.

I wake up to a different view
from a different backyard.
I wake up at a different time
to feed dogs I normally don't see.
I get to shower in a different bathroom
and use a different soap and shampoo.
I drive different windy roads covered in greenery
and see different people on my way to work.
I stop at a different coffee shop
and get something other than 'the usual.'
I see the world differently.

And when I drive home,
I stroll along the coast,
soaking in every last glimpse of sunlight
before it sneaks back over the horizon.
I try different restaurants
and play with dogs I normally don't see.
I peal away from chores
and from computers
and I see the world differently.

Thank you, Lord, for this change of scenery.
Thank you for the little beauties and treasure I get to delight in.
And thank you for eyes to see.

Thankful for: the Time Change

I'm all for long summer days
don't get me wrong.

But there's something encouraging
about the sun already being up
when I get out of bed in the morning.

There's something inspiring
about its' rays peaking through our blinds.

And there's something majestically jaw-dropping
about the gorgeous sunsets I see
in my rear-view mirror
as I drive home into the darkness after work.

Today, I'm thankful for the time change.

God,
Thank you for the beauty of your creation.
And thank you for the reminder this Sunday
that how we spend our time
is a reflection of the priorities of our heart.
Continue to open my eyes
to what you have for me during this season of life.
May I not be in constant battle with the Ticktator,
but may I find peace in Your timing
and in the beautiful reminders
that time is in Your hands.

Three cheers for me

I'm going to brag for a second

partly because I need to remember this
and partly because, well, I'm proud of myself.

It may not seem like a big deal to most,
but if just for a moment
I felt like I mastered the art of "flexibility" today.

You see, I plan our meals out to the tee every week
I gather all the right ingredients
Nothing less, and hopefully nothing more.
And the only flexibility I build into our meal schedule
is room for "I don't feel like cooking tonight."

Today, I had planned for BBQ Chicken and Asparagus.
But then Jeremiah asked if his friend could eat over
so I decided to make Steak Fajitas
(Jeremiah and I share a chicken breast, but I had bought a lb of steak)
Change #1. Go team!

Then when I came home from work,
Jeremiah's friend had left, but the hubs mentioned how hungry he was.
I didn't want to make him wait while I cooked the meat,
so instead I threw together everything I could find
to have appetizers for dinner
Change #2. Go team!

I know it doesn't sound like very much,
but every step away from rigidity and towards flexibility
is a thing of beauty in my life.

Three cheers for me.

So for dinner...
BBQ Meatballs, Pepperoni and Cheese Stacks, Flatbread and Hummus,
and Macaroni and Cheese Balls in Marinara Sauce.

Friends

While I mourn for the friends that are now
monthly-coffee-date friends
instead of every-minute-of-every-day friends,
and the friends that are now
scheduled-phone-date friends
instead of in-the-same-zipcode-and-timezone friends,
and the friends that are now
stalk-em-on-facebook friends
instead of run-into-them-in-the-halls friends,
and the friends that are now
not-really-friends-at-all friends
instead of the best-friends they once were...

I rejoice over the friends that are now
love-em-to-pieces friends
instead of just-strangers-from-bible-study friends,
and the friends that are now
family-members-turned-friends friends
instead of well, just family,
and that very special friend of mine
that is now my married-to-him-so-i-can-kiss-him-anytime-i-want-to friend
instead of just my boy friend

Oh how the times do change
and oh how the heart does grow

[Spare] Change

Seasons change.
That's the very nature of a season.
And change, well, is just a weird phenomenon.

Change can obviously be good (the coming of Fall!), bad, or relatively indifferent.
But rarely does it go unnoticed.
Especially by my body.

Even if I don't consciously usher in the new seasons as they come, my body reminds me that a new season is upon us.
Whenever the seasons change, my body is temporarily out of service. Allergies, headaches, nausea... it's always something.

And it's almost always a reminder to me that change is here and it's time to welcome it, instead of refusing it with ever fiber of my being as my body seems to do.

Change brings [spare] change (pennies!)... I just have to take the time to pick them up.