tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91988773402101153142024-03-14T01:46:41.782-07:00naptime diariesJessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.comBlogger1374125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-78870653061956707922014-04-04T04:00:00.002-07:002014-04-04T04:00:48.640-07:00Caroline's update: a week in Haiti <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<i>Hey friends! You might <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2013/12/passion-project-haiti-help-support-our.html" target="_blank">remember back in Decembe</a>r we had a day dedicated in our shop to our dear friend/photographer <a href="http://www.carolinero.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a>. All profits from the shop went to raise money for her trip to Haiti. Today she's back to update us on how the trip went and what she's been up to. </i></div>
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<i>Caroline is one of the best photographers I've ever met and her passion is also crazy contagious. I'm so grateful she's one of my people and I'm so grateful she's sharing her story with us today. Enjoy, friends! - Jessi </i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHeY77FAzkQ/Uz6NLFmevEI/AAAAAAAAPQI/Jkrti9rUaas/s1600/Haiti.bb_0022(pp_w760_h510).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHeY77FAzkQ/Uz6NLFmevEI/AAAAAAAAPQI/Jkrti9rUaas/s1600/Haiti.bb_0022(pp_w760_h510).jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s been almost eight weeks since I returned from working in Haiti and I’ve been at a loss of how I should write about this trip, these people and these stories. I’ve had a ton of friends meet me for coffee or dinner to hear my stories which I am so grateful for and I’m an open book for wanting to talk about it. My people know that I don’t tell stories quickly-I tell them with all the detail for you to feel the moment, the situation, the intensity-I want you to love and ache and be as excited as I was. And putting all of those stories into words on a screen is <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">hard</em>. Anyone who has gone through an experience with a group of people that you’re <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">no longer with</em> knows how hard it is to come to terms with the real world after that experience is over. It’s a balance of wanting to let those experiences and relationships change you but at the same time, realize that the real life you return to is hard. Going back to running a business is hard. And time consuming. And frustrating when the world has taught us that emailing is more important that maintaining relationships and meeting deadlines is more important than being a part of a change in a broken nation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I’ll try to show you with pictures and with words because that’s what I do.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGsH5_F_scU/Uz6NKsHZvmI/AAAAAAAAPPw/AzA1EK5iOwk/s1600/Haiti.bb_0001%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGsH5_F_scU/Uz6NKsHZvmI/AAAAAAAAPPw/AzA1EK5iOwk/s1600/Haiti.bb_0001%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t5WfTT6-rzs/Uz6NKsEygMI/AAAAAAAAPP8/yXneWCAqztE/s1600/Haiti.bb_0005%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t5WfTT6-rzs/Uz6NKsEygMI/AAAAAAAAPP8/yXneWCAqztE/s1600/Haiti.bb_0005%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I could say that the heart of the trip was love or service or joy or any of the other genuine emotions that both our team received and we were able to give but from my perspective, it was about </span><em style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">giving hope</em><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Coming into the trip, our team didn’t know what we were going to be doing. Heck, we didn’t even know each other. We came from all across the continent as professional photographers and entrepreneurs (with a student, a firefighter and a few nurses sprinkled in) wanting to serve with the skills and talents that we had. What we </span><em style="border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">didn’t want </em><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">was be there without a purpose. We didn’t want to come in wearing matching t-shirts, hug the kids and disappear only to post photos on Instagram for our friends to double tap.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So we didn’t.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XMx9Uh7QxD4/Uz6NKvB4vvI/AAAAAAAAPP0/cHrAZ-jWzHA/s1600/Haiti.bb_0018%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XMx9Uh7QxD4/Uz6NKvB4vvI/AAAAAAAAPP0/cHrAZ-jWzHA/s1600/Haiti.bb_0018%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83qj8X4iQSA/Uz6NLgu_WgI/AAAAAAAAPQM/kIv2SjAxxB0/s1600/Haiti.bb_0030%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83qj8X4iQSA/Uz6NLgu_WgI/AAAAAAAAPQM/kIv2SjAxxB0/s1600/Haiti.bb_0030%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the week, we worked with </span><a href="http://childhope.org/" style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Child Hope International">Child Hope International</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, an organization in Port-au-Prince that encompasses a school, a clinic, a boys home, a girls home, a feeding program and a transitional program. As part of their schooling, the older kids take classes to help bridge the gap between aging out of the orphanage and heading into the real world where the unemployment rate is 82%. But as we all know, there is a large difference between merely knowing the skills of baking sewing, metal working, jewelry making, screen printing and computer tech and being able to use them to profit, thrive and grow.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So that’s where we came in. Throughout the week, we were able to teach the kids business classes, help them verbalize and write down their <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">why</em> of why they do what they do and work with the staff to talk out obstacles and how to get over those walls. And of course, photograph/film all their programs for an upcoming project that we didn’t even know needed to happen until the last few hours of our trip.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jG0owjzJ6cg/Uz6NLQituxI/AAAAAAAAPQE/-us1Ja-uJx4/s1600/Haiti.bb_0023%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jG0owjzJ6cg/Uz6NLQituxI/AAAAAAAAPQE/-us1Ja-uJx4/s1600/Haiti.bb_0023%2528pp_w760_h510%2529.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ccDdn64Etv0/Uz6Nu-WtudI/AAAAAAAAPQU/3RPlSjZudh8/s1600/Haiti.bb_0002(pp_w760_h510).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ccDdn64Etv0/Uz6Nu-WtudI/AAAAAAAAPQU/3RPlSjZudh8/s1600/Haiti.bb_0002(pp_w760_h510).jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the people…the people on this trip…gosh. We came from all over and connected immediately on so many different levels that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain to those who weren’t there. They are SOLID, fearless, hilarious, boldly-loving, world-changing people that are some of my new favorites.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">So here goes. The week in pictures from not only me, but my whole team of photographers (with a few stories thrown in). And team-thanks for helping me tell this story with your photos! Below you can also watch the video made about the Passion Project trip to Haiti! </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/87759943">Passion Project // Haiti 2014</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/joshnewton">Josh Newton</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Photos and adventures by this fearless team: <a href="http://joshnewton.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Josh Newton Photography">Josh Newton</a>, <a href="http://www.david-grube.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Dave Grube Photography">Dave Grube</a>, Andrew Barlow, <a href="http://ctysonphotography.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Chris Tyson">Chris Tyson</a>, <a href="http://www.jeremyjamesroloff.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Jeremy James Roloff">Jeremy Roloff</a>,<a href="http://www.jeremykester.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Jeremy Kester">Jeremy Kester</a>, Darryl Kuehl, <a href="http://www.carrielogan.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Carrie Logan">Caroline Raush</a>, <a href="http://jed-photo.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Jessica Eileen">Jessica Drogosz</a>, Hannah Drogosz, Caitlin Woodsen, Taylor Jetton, Katie Eckel, <a href="http://www.katemeyerphotography.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Kate Meyer">Kate Meyer</a>, <a href="http://www.ashaferphotography.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Aundrea Shafer">Aundrea Shafer</a>, <a href="http://tamara-lockwood.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Tamara Lockwood">Tamara Lockwood</a>, <a href="http://janeammonphotographer.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Jane Ammon">Jane Ammon</a>, Melanie Maczuga, <a href="http://www.denisenicolephotography.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Denise Saucedo">Denise Saucedo</a>, <a href="http://www.alyssaturnerphotography.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Alyssa Turner">Alyssa Turner</a>,<a href="http://kgoodphoto.com/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Kelsey Goodwin">Kelsey Goodwin</a> or check out the hashtag #haitipassionproject2014 on Instagram.</span></div>
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<a href="http://s197.photobucket.com/user/eliaspc/media/Slide1_zpsfe084174.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Slide1_zpsfe084174.jpg" border="0" src="http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa93/eliaspc/Slide1_zpsfe084174.jpg" height="255" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In other news? Meet you guys back here Monday? It's a big, big day for Naptime Diaries blog + shop. We'll be launching two new websites and our spring line of prints and new products. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">PLUS a big sale! See you then! </span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-63839714804012896942014-04-03T03:50:00.004-07:002014-04-03T03:50:53.184-07:00My Before Heart <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/search/label/revelation%20wellness" target="_blank">third post in a series</a> about my journey with <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Revelation Wellness</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The last time I blogged about the journey I'm on with Revelation Wellness, I talked about being humbled and hopeful enough to take a "before" picture. It was a little scary putting a picture of myself, unedited, in not the most flattering clothes or lighting on the internet for all to see - but it was also refreshing to be honest and real about where I'm at. It got me thinking - I really wish I could give an adequate "before picture" of my heart at the start of this process. Maybe for some of you it would be really familiar and maybe for some of you it would be shockingly disturbing, I'm not quite sure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a few people email, text, or comment after that post and say - "you know you're not seriously obese, right?" and I get it. I've always known that the really serious issue with my health and my heart as it pertains to weight has never been the number on the scale - but the state of my spiritual and emotional health. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was that reality, my heart reality, that made me reach out to Alisa to get help in the first place, not my weight or my frustration over not being a certain size. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Without trying to sound too dramatic or being an intense Debbie Downer on a Thursday morning - can I just tell you guys, my heart before picture was really really bad? I'm 29 now, but this is an internal battle I've been fighting for LITERALLY as long as I can imagine. My earliest, earliest memory of relating to my body is of genuinely hating it. My major life occurrences and celebrations are dotted and lined with the memory of what size I was or how I felt about my body that day. My strongest memory from my wedding? Not having my eyes locked with my husband as I walked down the aisle, but genuinely questioning whether or not my back looked fat those sitting in the pews. My body, or my feelings about my body, have given me social anxiety and have led to insecurity that hurt my relationships. These thoughts and issues have affected my intimacy with my husband, my freedom to play with my kids, and they've dulled my passion to minister to other women. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My hatred for my body was at an all time high a month or so ago, even though my body weight wasn't. Maybe you're thinking that's incredibly sad (you're right) or maybe that sounds incredibly familiar (I'm sorry). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Well, here's the good news gals. </b>That was my before picture. And it's one that is literally never coming back. Two days into my study with Revelation Wellness, I had more freedom than I'd ever had. A week in, I was starting to feel like a new woman. Yesterday, at the start of my fourth week - I found myself standing in front of the mirror, praising God for my stretch marks and the parts of my body that would've left me in tears a few weeks ago. I kept laughing through happy tears and wondering, "<i>who is this girl? where is this coming from</i>?". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not sure who this girl is, but I know who my faithful God is. He is the One who is not satisfied with the before picture. He is the One who says that if we seek Him, He will be found. He is the One who says that it is for freedom that He sent His Son to free us. He's really the One doing the work and I am so incredibly grateful. And I'll just keep telling the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you can relate to my before heart picture, I cannot suggest spending some time on the <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Revelation Wellness</a> site enough. Be encouraged by <a href="http://instagram.com/alisakeeton" target="_blank">Alisa</a>, try an <a href="https://www.revelationwellness.org/membership-area/weight-less-to-feed-more-at-home-program-signup/" target="_blank">at-home program</a>, watch a few free videos. <i>Don't stay in the before. Hope for the after. </i></span></div>
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Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-18163099196497432632014-04-02T04:31:00.000-07:002014-04-02T05:35:46.867-07:00April Goals! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been a few months since I blogged about goal setting and specifically, my own goals. I'm still using <a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" target="_blank">Lara Casey's power sheets</a> and loving them so, so, so much. Every month, a few days before the month starts - I take an hour or two to go over the worksheets and I find them so incredibly helpful to remind me where I was pointed in the first place, to see what worked and what didn't, and take stock of where I'm at. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm still working from the <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2014/01/the-big-five-2014-goals.html" target="_blank">main five desires that I set at the beginning of the year</a>, and each month I just break those down into monthly goals based on where I'm at. I'll tell you, February - the goals just didn't happen. I'm not quite sure what happened in February - but somewhere between the launch of the church and the Lent calendar, I just lived. And I'm not bummed. I mean, we launched a church plant and kept four kids alive. It's ok if some books didn't get read, you know? </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Because of that, when I set my March goals, I basically revisited my list for February and added a lot of grace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Here were my monthly goals for March & how those ended up. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- join Nick in working on our family budget (he's plenty capable, but I've been really needing to understand our money for a few years now so I can be more intentional): <b>done!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- make a room plan/to-do list to organize each room in our house: <b>done!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- execute two rooms on the list: <b>done!</b> My office & kitchen & living room are mostly done!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- get exercise routine in order: <b>done!</b> I stopped going to Barre because the timing wasn't good for my family, but added back in more running and that has been really life giving. Also shifted our schedule so I can work out in the morning again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- go to doctor's appointment for myself to check hormone levels + make sure all things are functioning properly: <b>not done. Will get done!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- take big kids to well child visit at new doctor: <b>not done, but scheduled for this month!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- identify family rhythms to watch: <b>done and done!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- rebrand Naptime Diaries blog + shop logo, start spring line: <b>done!</b> Can't wait to show y'all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- pick face wash + find someone to do my makeup: <b>done!</b> I went with the <a href="http://sarahg13.myrandf.com%20/" target="_blank">Refine line by Rodan + Fields</a> and I have a plan to get my makeup settled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- finish The Circle Maker: <b>allllmost done. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here are my April goals! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The new blog + <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" target="_blank">shop websites</a> launch on Monday the 7th (woohoooo! Make sure you're following <a href="http://www.instagram.com/naptimediaries" target="_blank">my instagram</a> and the <a href="http://www.instagram.com/ntdprints" target="_blank">shop instagram</a> for sneak peeks), and ya'll - I'm not even ashamed to tell you that I've gone to the DMV twice in the last few weeks to get a driver's license. I have to take the tests because I've moved in and out of state so much and um - I haven't actually done so great in the passing of the tests. But! April is my month! I'm finishing up getting my passport so I'll be all ready for the <a href="http://www.themochaclub.org/2014/02/05/headed-to-kenya-wanna-come-too/" target="_blank">Kenya trip in May</a>! Most of the stuff on the list is FUN because getting these websites and the spring line of prints and products finished is going to be a huge push of work in the beginning of the month. That's why the back end is heavy in fun and celebration. And you know I'll be celebrating heavily when Nick and I finish our 40 day long <a href="http://www.daniel-fast.com/" target="_blank">Daniel Fast</a> on Easter! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So that's what is on the books in April over here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm linking up my goals with <a href="http://www.thetinytwig.com/" target="_blank">The Tiny Twig</a> and her monthly goals post - what's ahead for you this month? Work? Refreshment? Abiding? Celebration? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>I want to hear! </i></span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-73134743884350684962014-04-01T03:23:00.002-07:002014-04-01T03:23:41.281-07:00Let's Get Wild!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today is a really fun day and I'm really excited to share a little more about <a href="http://wildlyco.com/" target="_blank">Wildly</a> with you guys. This isn't a paid or sponsored post - this is a friend gushing over another friend and the amazing business she just started. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hayley, aka <a href="http://www.thetinytwig.com/" target="_blank">The Tiny Twig</a> is my online partner in crime in so many different things. We founded The Influence Conference and <a href="http://theinfluencenetwork.com/" target="_blank">The Influence Network</a> together. We speak into each others blogs and encourage each other in our writing, speaking, and various endeavors. We're also really good friends and our families love being together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you can imagine my crazy excitement when she told me a few months ago that she wanted to start an ethical kid's clothing line that would help mamas dress their kids in a cute, affordable style in the least fussy way possible.<i> I was straight up overjoyed.</i> And today - it's finally here, <a href="http://wildlyco.com/" target="_blank">Wildly Co</a> has officially launched!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here's what you need to know about Wildly! It's run by Hayley and Mike Morgan and it may look like just some fun t-shirts, but this is only the beginning. Their plan is to develop an ethical kid's clothing line that is a complete capsule wardrobe for kids - but these amazingly cute tshirts aren't a bad start, right? All the shirts are screen printed by hand in their home office and the quality is impeccable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's what you need to know about Hayley as a mom. <i>She's a fantastic one.</i> She's a mother of boys and a leader of women. She has her finger on the pulse of what is cool and fun, while being incredibly grounded in what is real and important. Today I am buying my kid's a few Wildly t-shirts and supporting an amazing family + a fantastic dream. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I unashamedly think you should too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can check out the <a href="http://wildlyco.com/" target="_blank">Wildly Co website here</a>, or follow them on <a href="http://instagram.com/wildlyco" target="_blank">instagram</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/wildlyco" target="_blank">twitter</a>!</span><br />
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Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-18610345028341917882014-03-31T05:15:00.001-07:002014-03-31T05:15:16.113-07:00Inspiring Women Vol. 1 - Natalie <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ladies, can I just say thank you so much for taking the time to fill out the survey last week? We had five times the number of responses that I hoped for and it was such a blessing to be able to use those as we pray and cast some vision over what Naptime Diaries will look like in the coming months. We heard a few things loud and clear: more biblical reflection, more family, more real life, and more inspiring women. I'll be sharing the results + future plans more next week, but I thought I'd start with a segment I had planned for a while now - Women to be Inspired By. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the next year, I'll be highlighting and interviewing a few women who really, really inspire me for various reasons from various stages of life. Some are great bloggers, some are amazing mamas, some pastor's wives, some artists, so on and so forth. Today is a really special day because we're highlighting Natalie from The Busy Budgeting Mama AND we're also having a fundraising day in the shop for Natalie and her family today. Go ahead and read her interview and see below for fundraising details! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A little more about Natalie:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I lost my best friend through a violent act of domestic violence. It rocked my world and my faith. I have shared on my blog my experience with learning to grieve. I wrote a children's book called <a href="http://www.mommyhasanangel.com/" target="_blank">Mommy Has an Angel</a>. It's a children's book for grieving mothers. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I recently faced health issues that really were a cross for our family. After all the suffering from the pain and scariness of the unkown they were able to determine the cause and even discover, just by chance, (because of all the testing) a cyst that was precancerous and could have killed me years down the road. I'm home recovering now and so blessed by the support of my family, friends and complete strangers! It's been a very emotional and scary time but my faith has never been stronger. I had different experiences in my long hospital stay that convinced me of the power of prayer and that God had a plan for all of us! HE sees the big picture.</span></span><br />
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<b>1. What does a typical day in your life look like? </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">We just moved to Charlotte, from Pittsburgh, so our daily life is a bit different! </span>We really felt called to be in Charlotte and took a leap of faith that it was the time and place for us to do this. This decision to move, and be closer to my family and to grow our business <a href="http://happymommybox.com/" target="_blank">HAPPY MOMMY BOX</a> here in Charlotte, was made before my health issues happened... So how we get down here was a bit more hectic than planned, but we are here, and feel such peace and are just trusting in God! Because of my surgery I'm not able to do much physically but am getting stronger every day. My mom and husband have done so much of the baby lifting and grunt work. But my "typical" days are slowly coming back! </div>
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I'm a total night person, so of course I was blessed with children who like to wake up before the sun, just to help get me to heaven. We feed the crew breakfast and immediately we are asked when lunch is. My mom is homeschooling my nephew and my oldest daughter so while she schools the big kids, I mix blog and business work with playing with my two younger ones. Lots of coloring and taste testing of play food. Some days they play quietly and are busy little bees and I can zoom through the morning knocking off my to-do-list. Other mornings, I just have to give up until everyone is napping. We do a <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1325240613" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">10:00</span></span> snack that is never forgotten by our little snackers. (we have countdowns. They think about <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1325240614" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">ten o'clock</span></span> snack at bed time the night before.) We are all about trail mix and gold fish in this house. Nap time is my go-time as far as work. If you are wanting a visual of my style during this exciting day.. yoga pants and messy hair in a bun. Most days I put some make up on...it makes me feel alive and I prefer to not scare anyone who comes to our door. If I'm losing my mind being indoors, we used to go out to a park.....or Target and IKEA. </div>
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I can't wait to have more energy to do that with the littles, but we are easing back into that! Once we survive the 50/50 post nap melt downs (you never know) we power through till dinner and bed with playing and working. I kind of want to add in something glamorous and crafty like I style a photo shoot and do some quilting... but these days, we are in survival mode and we all kind of do a cheer when we get to bed time. I usually do some work in the evening and catch up on e-mails. My husband and I love watching netflix and texting each other in emoji language.</div>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">2. What inspires you to do all that you do?</b><br />
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<i>I guess I just feel this sense of appreciation for the time that I have here on earth</i>. I lost my best friend through an act of domestic violence.. She was a beautiful daughter mother sister best friend.. and It really engrained in me that we really don't know how long we have here to do the work that God wants us to do. I've always known from when I was a little girl that God had a plan for my life. He inspires me. He's given me souls I'm supposed to reach, I pray for them every night. and It makes me want to be open to be His instrument in every area of my life.... the mom and wife tasks and my blog and business tasks!</div>
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<b>3. When you hit resistance, that feeling that you don't want to keep going for whatever reason, what helps you push through?</b></div>
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Oh yes. We all have those moments we want to text our husband a slew of scary emoji faces followed with "can you bring me home a mocha frap before I lose my mind with these kids??" <i>But it's in those moments I try to step back and think about WHY I'm doing what I'm doing. </i>A lot of the time I am VERY guilty of overloading myself. I've learned that there is a thing called prioritizing. And that if you take a step back and make a list... marking down what is urgent or really important, followed by things that you WANT to do or would be NICE to do...it helps you feel more capable and you can make a plan to actually accomplish these things that are making you angry text your husband haha. (lovingly)</div>
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I know I would NOT want them to know that I make microwaved s'mores more than a normal person should. Thank you whoever invented the microwave. and smores. But seriously......... <i>I guess I would want them to know that I love the Lord.</i> I'm married to a man and a mom to three kids and my goal is to get them to heaven. I love to be creative and celebrate motherhood. I love to dream big and hate to do laundry. I have had sufferings in my life, like so many of us, but have held onto the words my mom told me when I was a little girl, "Don't waste a single tear, offer it up for the souls that need it."</div>
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<b>5. What is one suggestion you have for women who have an idea, business, dream, or passion that they want to pursue and they're not sure where to start?</b></div>
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<i>Go buy a pretty binder and then find the pens that you hid from your kids. </i></div>
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Start writing ideas!! Don't be afraid to dream big. My mom was always a list maker...so I get that from her. Make a list of tasks that you think you need to do to accomplish the idea, business, dream or passion you want to make happen! If you have a final idea of what you want to accomplish...think about the steps you concretely need to do to make that happen. I don't really work slow....I'm known for having an idea and then buying the domain that night haha. I haven't always chosen to do the projects I dream up, but I've always written them down to get them out of my head! It helps to make some first steps to get the ball rolling and help make things happen! And share your ideas with people who inspire and encourage you.... getting their feedback and their expertise!</div>
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<a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K7mioM-1pzg/Uzh9AKEf93I/AAAAAAAAPNo/nwDNGfvCd9Q/s1600/NATALIE2.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you might know, about once a month we dedicate a day in the shop and "fundraise" for a particular organization, cause, trip, or family. This month we approached Natalie and her family and asked them if we could raise money for them. You may or may not have followed Natalie's most recent health struggles and hospital stay, but you can <a href="http://www.thebusybudgetingmama.com/2014/03/my-hospital-tour-and-reflections.html" target="_blank">read more here</a>. Today, every single penny of profits from sales in our shop will go straight to Natalie & her husband to help pay off hospital bills and all the other expenses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can follow Natalie on her <a href="http://www.thebusybudgetingmama.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/thebusybudgetingmama" target="_blank">instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/busybudgetingma" target="_blank">twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/busybudgetingmama" target="_blank">facebook</a>! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Head over to <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" target="_blank">Naptime Diaries Shop</a> now, love on the Lesnefsky family and grab some scripture for your home! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-64772144542804337552014-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:002014-03-28T07:29:49.617-07:00A day in the life at Naptime Diaries!<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's post is by Jacey, the Naptime Diaries Shop manager! She also just released an amazing new eBook - <a href="http://www.thebalancedwife.com/intention-ebook" target="_blank">Escaping Reaction, Embracing Intention</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monday starts before it’s light out, bundled in a blanket on the
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<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This feeding my spirit and my soul, nourishing myself for the
week to come? It’s my time with the Lord, but it’s also on our Naptime Diaries
daily tending list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Jessi put it during a 2014 vision planning session, “<i>If we’re
going to run a business that makes Scripture prints, we’ve got to be in the
Word personally every day</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We rarely do the important things in life by accident, and one
of the best ways I’ve learned to get to the essential but not urgent things is
to do them first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m in the Word while my phone stays on my nightstand, sometimes
reading the same verse over and over while I focus my ping pong mind away from
last night’s dreams and TV shows, away from my mental to do list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I eat my breakfast and check on the emails that came to our
shared Naptime Team account over the weekend, a text comes in:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iGaqCYpzwlo/UzWGoE5YeXI/AAAAAAAAPM4/YXV2Q-AIHbU/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iGaqCYpzwlo/UzWGoE5YeXI/AAAAAAAAPM4/YXV2Q-AIHbU/s1600/coffee.jpg" height="136" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tall black coffee, please. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I swallow a last gulp from my oversized mug before combing my
hair and exchanging sweats for jeans, pulling on the boots I wear everyday
during this spring that can’t shake winter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By 9:30, I’m pulling up at Jessi’s, equipped with gold polka
dotted notebook and a list of questions. What do you think about this
collaboration? That guest post? Where are we on this project? That overdue
commitment?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jessi wisely copies me on every email in which she agrees to do
something so I can follow up. She is trustworthy and reliable, but an email can
easily slip through the cracks because of the high volume. I act as a safeguard
so that we can keep commitments or say no up front.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coffee in hand, Nick, Jess and I structure our meeting around
three categories: profits, projects and problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">None of us are “numbers” people - seriously, we had to get
outside help to learn some 7<sup>th</sup> grade formulas - but a focused
intention this year is to hone in on those numbers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Projects are the fun part, where our creative minds come alive
and we get to envision the end result months before Jess puts pen or brush to
paper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve had some growing pains the past few months as we’ve
changed almost every aspect of our fulfillment process. We work through the
details but don’t get bogged down in them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A growing small business requires both hardcore work in the
trenches and flashes of long term vision on a daily basis. Thriving means
shuffling between the grunt work and the visionary; pivoting between marketing,
creating, and customer service, sometimes all in the space of an hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By lunch I’ve answered emails, and I’m getting an order together
for our print fulfillment center. Jessi eats lunch standing over Cannon’s high
chair or at her computer, and I do the same. We shout back and forth every so
often. If her voice sounds tender, I come in to make eye contact while she
gives me the lowdown in between salad bites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How long I stay at my desk depends on the priorities I’ve set
for the day. Are there urgent and essential tasks I need to complete, things
that need to happen today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A balanced, intentional business requires constant shifting and
reevaluating. Some days, I put in a full day printing labels, fulfilling
orders, and answering emails at my desk. Others, our meetings or lunches last
longer, because we’re pinpointing the icky feeling I got from that article or
discussing that inspiring book she read this weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyA">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Intentional living doesn’t mean becoming a robot. It means
setting your intention, following through, and showing up the next day to do it
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bio: Jacey is the shop manager for Naptime Diaries.
She’s passionate about living intentionally in the face of real demands, the
unexpected, and human nature itself. Her book on the topic, <a href="http://www.thebalancedwife.com/intention-ebook"><span style="color: #000099;">Escaping
Reaction; Embracing Intention</span></a>, released this month. She writes about
relationships, faith and personal growth at <a href="http://www.thebalancedwife.com/"><span style="color: #000099;">The Balanced
Wife</span></a>. She lives in Charleston, SC with her husband, Mike, and golden
retriever, Jack.</span></span><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: #0400;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-32327232048462314202014-03-27T02:00:00.000-07:002014-03-27T03:07:23.587-07:00speak your mind, sister friend <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/naptimediaries2014" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OvDRahQ5Ye0/UzNzvdX4tgI/AAAAAAAAPMk/Va5ZLL4hBWk/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been quiet over here this week and here's why: <b>Spring is here</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spring for us this year doesn't just mean trying to unbury ourselves from the heaps and heaps of winter clothes that have piled up on the closet floor. It also means revamping Naptime Diaries and giving it a little spring refresh and that has me working, working, and not so much blogging, blogging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Come April 7th, the shop will have a new look and the blog will have a new look and there will be FIFTEEN new prints <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" target="_blank">in the shop</a>! And we have a quick favor to ask you: would you take a minute and <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/naptimediaries2014" target="_blank">fill out our reader survey</a>? As we move forward writing and designing and trying to creative inspiring content, we want to be sure that it's mostly in line with what this community is longing for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish I could take you all to my favorite spot on the beach and drink coffee together, but instead - after you fill out the survey, look out for a surprise! Fill out the whole survey and a thank you page will pop up with a coupon code to be used in the Naptime Diaries shop! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, we'd love to hear from you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/naptimediaries2014" target="_blank">Speak your mind!</a> </span></div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-14635856949086074102014-03-21T02:00:00.000-07:002014-03-21T02:00:08.663-07:00now, some AFTER pictures! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday I talked about <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2014/03/my-humbled-hopeful-before-picture.html" target="_blank">before & after body</a> transformation pictures, but how about today we talk about before & after OFFICE transformations? You guys. A month or so ago, my office was in BAD shape. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was part office, part church storage, part kids dumping ground, part Jessi's unorganized mess. I shared a sneak peek of how bad it was on instagram, but in case you missed it - here's what I was working with. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kZMtq5Tsq7s/UytPEmtIdyI/AAAAAAAAPL0/PES0mJBNcSs/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kZMtq5Tsq7s/UytPEmtIdyI/AAAAAAAAPL0/PES0mJBNcSs/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can barely look at that without getting a headache now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But now! Nick, <a href="http://www.thebalancedwife.com/" target="_blank">Jacey</a>, and I have worked all month and we finally have all three of our offices semi settled. Nick has an office upstairs off our kid's room and he built a little office for Jacey out of some dead space in our house that wasn't being used - we'll show off Jacey's desk soon! But my office is not just for me, it's for Jacey and I to meet in, it's for meetings, it's for creating, and it needed to be a good place for storage of a lot of the stuff we have to keep on hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Soooooo, here is the after! </b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b4ag0dCqzqE/UytNVORZtFI/AAAAAAAAPLY/FofQWJMF344/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b4ag0dCqzqE/UytNVORZtFI/AAAAAAAAPLY/FofQWJMF344/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zdDIGHatop4/UytL4bScMHI/AAAAAAAAPKE/Txlp9JloYE4/s1600/DSC_2292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zdDIGHatop4/UytL4bScMHI/AAAAAAAAPKE/Txlp9JloYE4/s1600/DSC_2292.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These four 8x10 prints are currently in our shop and they're four of my absolute favorites. Clockwise from top left - <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/frontpage/products/ephesians-5-8" target="_blank">Ephesians 5:8</a>, <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/frontpage/products/psalm-27" target="_blank">Psalm 27</a>, <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/frontpage/products/grace-upon-grace" target="_blank">Grace upon Grace</a>, and <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/frontpage/products/free-in-deed" target="_blank">Free Indeed</a>. That big old canvas over there on the left? That's one of our new spring line prints and it will be available April 7th! <b>With many, many more new prints! </b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ygLTqUKYh2U/UytL6CXMmpI/AAAAAAAAPKU/vx4ncIxDltg/s1600/DSC_2294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ygLTqUKYh2U/UytL6CXMmpI/AAAAAAAAPKU/vx4ncIxDltg/s1600/DSC_2294.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That massive crate holds my kid's backpacks, jackets, and various things that don't have a place. You know how it is. Everybody needs a place to put things that don't have a place. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D2HUWtc0zjA/UytNdusVq9I/AAAAAAAAPLg/26TSsvrQQ_4/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D2HUWtc0zjA/UytNdusVq9I/AAAAAAAAPLg/26TSsvrQQ_4/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought while I was showing off my office, I'd show y'all one of my favorite tricks. I keep two huge white poster boards in my office for staging photos. I use them myself for instagrams and quick pictures and our amazing shop photographer <a href="http://www.carolinero.com/" target="_blank">Caroline </a>uses them when we do big product photoshoots! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1G8stKWyZQ/UytL7vMDhfI/AAAAAAAAPKo/ceHx93laE7k/s1600/DSC_2304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1G8stKWyZQ/UytL7vMDhfI/AAAAAAAAPKo/ceHx93laE7k/s1600/DSC_2304.JPG" height="638" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITTHhYcA--o/UytL84buPhI/AAAAAAAAPLE/JqT4kY3DFqs/s1600/DSC_2334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITTHhYcA--o/UytL84buPhI/AAAAAAAAPLE/JqT4kY3DFqs/s1600/DSC_2334.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These rolling shelves (and the white desk) are all from <a href="http://www.cb2.com/" target="_blank">CB2</a> and they're invaluable for us! It's so great to stack all our shipping supplies and other supplies and also be able to roll these in and out of the way as needed. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W-AbpV5dIrg/UytOAEiEryI/AAAAAAAAPLo/TculT2t0CW0/s1600/photo-94.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W-AbpV5dIrg/UytOAEiEryI/AAAAAAAAPLo/TculT2t0CW0/s1600/photo-94.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another thing I'm really excited about in the office is this huge content calendar <a href="http://www.thebalancedwife.com/" target="_blank">Jacey</a> and I had made. We needed something visible we could look at every day to connect over things that we have going on in all the different small business spheres - new product launches, Influence Network classes, or due dates for projects or writing assignments. We made it by designing a 24x30 calendar and then buying a plexiglass frame off Amazon. This way, we can write on the frame and easily erase it when needed! </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--urjQmHvpSk/UytL9SZSbiI/AAAAAAAAPLI/w2pqAWntGYM/s1600/DSC_2342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--urjQmHvpSk/UytL9SZSbiI/AAAAAAAAPLI/w2pqAWntGYM/s1600/DSC_2342.JPG" height="460" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Lastly, everyone needs a soft place to land right? </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My favorite part of working from home is when a friend or my mom or my husband walk in my office and plop in that chair by the sun and chat for a bit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank YOU for stopping in and seeing our new office! </span></div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-84532008466595499842014-03-20T02:00:00.000-07:002014-03-20T02:00:00.814-07:00my humbled & hopeful before picture <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">This is the second post in a series about the weight loss/transformation </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">plan I'm doing through </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Revelation Wellness</a> - Weigh Less to Feed More. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been craving that before and after picture. Occasionally bloggers I love will post one on instagram and I'm just inspired and floored. A few weeks ago, when Stephanie "Honey Holden" <a href="http://instagram.com/p/kzXWt2yi7N/" target="_blank">posted a before + after picture</a> from her wellness journey, I immediately messaged her and just told her how inspired I was by her. I'd see those pictures and just hope, pray, hope - that one day I could have a before & after picture. But there was one major problem. I wasn't willing to have a "before". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I told Alisa, I'm not sure what led me to breaking down and emailing her and I don't even super remember doing it. I sort of knew in the back of my head that I'd be seeing her at <a href="http://www.jesusatthecore.com/" target="_blank">Jesus at the Core</a> later that month, but it was definitely an impulse decision. Now, a few weeks later - I have a a few of her incredible teachings under my belt. I have her daily accountability and the workbooks on my desk that I'm pouring over every chance I get. And sure enough, this past weekend, I got to meet her sweet self (and pick her up! - see pic below) at Jesus at the Core. The event in and of itself was so incredibly life giving. Alisa, along with <a href="http://www.jesusatthecore.com/" target="_blank">Brooke Boon</a> of <a href="http://holyyoga.net/" target="_blank">Holy Yoga</a> (and their amazing team of helpers) spoke so much truth over us as we moved our bodies and the Lord moved in our hearts. But you know what was the predominant feeling I had? <b><i>I was crazy humbled. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've gained and lost over 50 pounds twice since I was 18. I've read more vegan cookbooks and articles on metabolism than I could count. I have studied nutrition and stood on the scale, but still -<i> this is where I am</i>. My heart, is kind of a mess as it relates to body image. My body, is out of shape and not where it once has been. I need wisdom. I need leading. I need the Lord. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm two weeks in and I'll tell you this - the Lord is showing up. I am truly walking in new found freedom as it relates to some serious food addictions I had. I am starting to agree with the Lord that He will, He IS, doing a new thing and He is growing me. I'm seeing fruit as it pertains to my body and what it is able to do. But a few weeks ago? I knew what I needed to do - <b>I needed to take a before picture</b>. I needed to admit that I needed help. So, even though she never asked for it, I took one and sent it to Alisa. I told her - this is my before picture that I've never wanted to take. Instead of hiding and never growing, I want to be humbled and hopeful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now I can even share it on the internet with joy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No funky camera angles or instagram filters. No flattering outfits or makeup to distract you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was me a few weeks ago, and by God's grace I'll never be that girl again because as my body is growing and finding freedom, my heart is leaping ahead - never looking back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In hope. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In humility. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because it is for freedom that we've been set free. </span></div>
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If you're looking for freedom as it pertains to health + wellness, I can't suggest checking out <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Revelation Wellness</a> enough. Alisa has at home programs, online programs, videos, and so much more. She is all about Jesus and she is out for freedom for women. </div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-14357742924452736182014-03-19T06:10:00.003-07:002014-03-19T06:10:50.005-07:00the story of us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Awhile back, a friend said to me "<i>I like reading your blog but I miss the days when it was more about who you are and less about what you do. I understand why it can't always be like that, but I still miss those days</i>."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it's true. What started as a family blog/place to dump my heart thoughts has morphed into more. As our small businesses have become our job and as our family and ministry has become our life, it feels really easy to protect what is our life and blog about what is my job. Life feels sacred, the good and the bad of it. The car rides with kids pinching each other and babies crying in the night. Cuddle sessions on Sunday afternoon and moments curled up next to my husband as we pray and share our fears. <b>Sometimes the fuller life gets, the more I want to hide it from the internet. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BUT. I don't want to look back on this blog and not remember what our family was like. One of the biggest blessings of having blogged for 9 years is that I can look back and remember. So today, I thought I'd just give a quick family update - a story of us, who we are right now, from my perspective. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Nick:</b> Our patriarch is leading us well. He's following Jesus and we're following him. Nick is full time working for the church now and handed almost all of his responsibilities with Naptime Diaries to Jacey and I. He still primarily works from home, which is a straight up blessing to me. He spends his days studying and praying, meeting with new church members, meeting with other people in our city, serving at our kid's school, and planning and strategizing for the church. I surprised him with a bike for Christmas (which was the hardest thing in America to surprise someone with) and he's started riding a good bit. For fun, he works out and occasionally watches sports. For fun, I tell him he needs to have more fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Elias:</b> Elias turned seven at the end of January and most days I'm not sure who is parenting who. Ebug wakes up faithfully at six every morning, so him and I get to spend that first hour together - squished together on the couch as I read the Bible and he plays with legos or reads a book. His heart is in such a cool place right now, as he's all of a sudden exposed to the world in so many new ways - but he wants to be tethered home too. He reads his Bible every night in bed and he does a wicked english accent. He loves legos and anything electronic. His hair is so thick and beautiful, I feel like it must hurt his head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Glory: </b>Glor just turned six last week and I swear in my head, she is still 4. Maybe 5. Not 6. The only word to describe her is JOY. She is so full of joy. And even when she's not, when she's mad or fussy, she makes us feel joyful because she's so stinking cute. She serves her heart out - often asking multiple times a day, "Is there anything else I can do?". She loves Frozen like every other little girl in America right now. She likes Irish dancing, which is hilarious to watch. She gets dirty quicker than anyone I've ever met and her smile is infectious. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Benjamin: </b>Oh Benj, son of my right hand. We've seen more growth in Benjamin in the last year than I ever could have imagined. He is growing so soft, but he's still so unlike the rest of us in some funny ways. He's grumpy and sarcastic, isn't quick to show his emotions, and he is really, really, really genuinely funny. One of my favorite moments of 2014 was a month or so ago and he was going to sleep. He still sleeps with his same camo blanket that he's had since he was six months old, even though it barely covers him. I couldn't find his blanket anywhere and he was slowly becoming distraught. I finally found it and after I covered him up and as I walked away, he called my name. I looked back over my shoulder to see him beaming the biggest smile, with his arms outstretch, wanting a hug. It was so, so loving for him and I stored it in my heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Cannon: </b>Cannon, Cannon, Cannon. What can be said of the baby that has me wrapped around his finger? His dad & siblings too. Cannon JUST started consistently sleeping through the night about a month ago, at 13 months old. He still has off nights. He is crazy strong willed and loud like no other. He loves playing ball - a yellow tennis ball is like his girlfriend. He loves waffles and blueberry cereal bars. He's starting to say a few words occasionally - uh oh, Dada, the occasional "no", he says "yeah!" all day long. He likes staring out the front door and watching the neighborhood cats and he went from walking to running in about one day. I still hold him like a baby once or twice a day and man, I am so grateful for him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Me? </b>My days are norming out more than they ever have in my adult life. Busy weeks and slow weeks are starting to all look the same. I wake up early to be with the Lord and Elias. I get the kids ready for school and then stare into space for a few minutes when Nick takes them. I start really working around 8am and work pretty hard till noon every day while Cannon plays, naps, or I have a nanny. The rest of the afternoon is a flurry of errands, cleaning, Cannon, a little bit of work, picking up kids, neighbors over, working out, cooking, and cleaning some more. I love weekly date nights with my husband, our new church and these amazing relationships I'm developing. I'm completely humbled and feel like I have so much growing to do in my three biggest passions - motherhood, the church, and health + fitness. I keep a candle lit almost all day, I finally found the perfect lipstick for me and I rewear my outfits a few days in a row. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is our story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not perfect, but man are we blessed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is who we are because He is who He is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Thanks for letting me share. </b></span></div>
<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-79308171353993347022014-03-18T02:00:00.000-07:002014-03-18T02:00:03.818-07:00A Special Day + Guest Post from Lauren <div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b>Hey guys, below is a guest post from a gal who has my heart. <a href="http://adventuresofjackandme.com/" target="_blank">Meet Lauren, a blogger and mama</a> who has lived through some serious heartache. I'm so grateful to have her sharing on this day specifically & she'll get to tell you why.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today is a very special day for our family. Today is Trisomy 18 Awareness Day. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1851948714" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">March 18th</span></span> marks this special day because the date represents what Trisomy 18 is. The date of 3/18, describes this syndrome because Trisomy 18 means there are 3 of the 18th chromosome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before 2013, I never thought about trisomies or genetic disorders. Ever. I took a genetics class in college and remember learning about trisomies and other genetic syndromes. I remember learning about Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome, and thinking that it would be hard to have a child with it. Then I vaguely remember learning about a few genetic disorders and my professor off-hand saying they were bad news and always fatal. I ever so vaguely remember thinking how awful that is and that would be the worst. Never thought about it again after my sophomore year of college. Until last year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trisomy 18 [T18], also known as Edwards Syndrome, is the presence of an extra 18th chromosome, and it is a fatal chromosomal syndrome. Our second son, Gabriel, had T18. And that is why I am sharing about the syndrome on this day. I want to raise awareness of T18, but mostly, I just want to share our Gabriel's story. It's a powerful story and one worthy of sharing. One that is laced with God's power, His will, His love, His grace, and how He redeems. Our lives are being transformed from ashes into beauty because of the work God is doing in our lives through our precious baby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's a little more of our story. I was 20 weeks pregnant with our second child, and we were really excited to find out the gender - hoping for another boy! My husband and I went to that appointment which started normal. It got awkward but I didn't think too much about it until the ultrasound tech told us there were some problems. The OB who we had never seen before, and never saw again, was caught by surprise by what he was seeing. He told us there were problems with the heart, brain, and stomach, and they thought there was for sure some Down's Syndrome in there. When we asked him how bad it was, he told us we should consider terminating. We never considered it. The next day we saw the perinatologists and genetic counselor who told us after a two and half hour ultrasound that they thought our baby had Trisomy 18. We didn't know what it was. When I told the genetic counselor I had never heard of it, she said "that's because it's known as the fatal syndrome." With those words, we broke down. How could our baby die? It made no sense and hit us harder than we've ever been hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We went home to process it. We shared the news and decided to share our story with others. And the work God did through our precious baby G was and continues to be amazing. Our lives have been forever changed. We are a family of 4 with only 3 of us here together. We are a broken family who misses our 4th Morgan. We are a family who visits the cemetery all the time, appreciating the beauty in our picture of brokenness. We are a family who talks about death and loss and Heaven with our two year old frequently. We are also a family who is being healed by our Healer. A family who has seen glimpses of God that we could never have imagined seeing. A family who has been bathed in grace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While losing our son has been the worst part of our lives, being his parents has been the richest blessing. Our sweet G has touched more lives and spread God's message of hope further than my husband or I ever could have. Walking through 2013 was horrible, but it was also a privilege. So on this day, I want to encourage you. If you are a woman who has experienced a loss -- a miscarriage, perinatal, or infant loss -- know that you are not alone. Know that you are loved and that there are other women who have walked this path and survived it. Know that God walks each step with you. And above all, I pray you know the hope that we have in Christ, for it is what fuels us to face each back-breaking day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you or someone you know can relate to this, I would love to connect! Please let's talk and share the bond we have. If you are a woman who wants to know how to support a friend through this -- be there. Love on them, do things for them without them asking. Just show up. And if you are a woman who has never experienced this before, thank you for reading my story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can read more about <a href="http://adventuresofjackandme.com/" target="_blank">Gabriel on my blog</a> and can always find me by email at <a href="mailto:laurengmorgan@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">laurengmorgan@gmail.com</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jessi, thank you so much for allowing me to be in your space today to share what is the deepest passion in my heart. Your love and support to me over the past year has been remarkable, and I am always thankful for you! </span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-77783488507451282512014-03-11T02:00:00.000-07:002014-03-11T02:00:08.032-07:00why is it easier to worship in the dark? <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M8GqBgX-SXE/Ux36K1v2SbI/AAAAAAAAPHE/S1oRU3QTmes/s1600/a-166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M8GqBgX-SXE/Ux36K1v2SbI/AAAAAAAAPHE/S1oRU3QTmes/s1600/a-166.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Hannah Arnold - Visions Photography</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Sunday will be our third monthly church service of our church plant, Gospel Community. It's been such a joy to see the church and the community grow and gain steam, and our services have been like sweet little markers so far - gatherings to really physically see what God is up to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The building we meet in is also our kid's school and it's beautiful and new and the room where we have worship has light pouring in, just pouring in through the windows. I noticed this past service, I was having a really, really hard time just letting go and singing to the Lord. Sure, there are still a good amount of jitters and nervousness there as it pertains to being the pastor's wife - but I was just having a hard time really getting genuine as the music played and the songs were sung. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought back to two months ago, when it was just us - in our living room - lights off and loud music playing. Worshipping, praying, intimate, and honest. And I realize - I tend to worship better in the dark. My favorite time of day is the morning when it's dark and still and I grab my Bible and hit the cool spot on the sofa and get real with Jesus. Just me and Him. I can write crazy things or murmur like a madwoman. I can get up and sway around my living room and pour out my heart. And what happens in the dark is good and beautiful and I never want to lose it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then I think about heaven. How it will be intimate and personal, but also most of the descriptions I see in God's Word are very corporate. Very together. Very lights on. I think of what happens when I'm in corporate worship and get a glimpse of my husband worshipping, my sister, or that gal who I knew is in the midst of a trial. Some wild fire bubbles up inside of me and I believe in Him more. I believe that He is good and He is working because I see it in their lifted hands and their earnest faces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today, this week, I'm pressing in and trying to worship in the light. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll keep doing it in the dark because that is what is real and intimate for me, but I know doing it in the light is good for all of us too. </span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-78548093353324021042014-03-07T02:00:00.000-08:002014-03-07T02:00:06.873-08:00let's talk about it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I emailed Alisa from <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Revelation Wellness</a> in a fury before I changed my mind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd been looking over her website for weeks, knew I was going to meet her at the Jesus at the Core event, and I just had to bite the bullet and ask for her help. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started blogging over seven years ago because it was such a sweet place to process the tender parts of my heart. I could write and process and then also share what the Lord was doing, in the hopes that other women would be encouraged. Over time I found what I think a lot of bloggers find out - it gets harder and harder to talk about the REALLY tender parts, because then the whole world knows and you feel exposed and it's just not a great way to feel. And that was my story with blogging about food, weight loss, body image, etc. I talked a little bit about it after having Cannon, but mostly I realized I had nothing to say. <b>Nothing has changed in my body and very little has changed in my heart after a year of having our fourth baby.</b> I haven't lost a pound (and kept it off) and I haven't lost the icky feeling that I don't recognize this body I live in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had my first meeting with Alisa this past week and I sat on my office floor and answered her biggest question, "What made you email? What's gotten you to this place?". <b>And that's the only thing I have to share right now. The tender part of my heart that I want to offer up in hopes that it will be encouraging and life giving and a soft place for someone to land today.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have experienced freedom - first hand and I've seen it with my eyes in others. There are parts of my heart and life that I thought would always feel broken or busted, and the Lord has poured out His spirit on them and made them new and fresh and better than ok. I know freedom, because I know Jesus. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I do not walk in freedom as it pertains to my body and my health. I feel insecure about being seen, having my picture taken, and basically getting dressed. <i>And my head is tired from the back and forth of believing lies and fighting lies, believing lies and fighting them again. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know that it is for freedom that Christ has set me free and I know that freedom is already here. I am ready to walk in it, to put some tools in my tool belt and have someone wiser than me speak into my heart and life and diet and fitness. I have experienced freedom and I am ready to experience it in this area too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will y'all stick around as I get tender once again? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I'm not the only one who is tired and longing for the abundant life He already has for us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A note on what I'm talking about:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Alisa Keeton</a> is the founder of <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Revelation Wellness</a> and I'm currently enrolled in her <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/take-a-class-2/weigh-less-to-feed-more-2/" target="_blank">Weigh Less to Feed More</a> program. My plan is to show up & be honest about what is going on in my heart, but if you're looking for real wisdom and inspiration on body/weight/image freedom - I highly suggest following Alisa as she follows Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you're local - I'd love to see you at the <a href="http://www.jesusatthecore.com/2014/03/04/march-14th-15th-charleston-sc/" target="_blank">Jesus at the Core</a> event next week! <a href="http://holyyoga.net/" target="_blank">Brooke Boon from Holy Yoga</a> will be there as well as Alisa from Revelation Wellness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And me. And I can't wait. </span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-18166909819120476022014-03-05T05:57:00.000-08:002014-03-05T05:57:26.236-08:00The first day of Lent: it's not about points<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's the first day of Lent, and as it's been a big fuss for our family and business this year - I want to take some time to blog though the heart-thoughts and prayers that have made us so passionate about this season. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's the kickoff and wherever you go today, you're bound to hear someone talk about what they're giving up or what they're putting on. Maybe you're giving up chocolate or coffee or both. Maybe you're limiting your TV watching or social media consumption. These things are beautiful and good and I love that Lent is rooted in rhythms of self-denial so that we can become more like Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>But the most important thing I'm reminding myself today is that Lent is not about points, it's about walking</b>. It's not about doing something better or executing the Christian life in a more tidy manner. The entire point of Easter (and thus Lent) is us celebrating that the work has already been done for us, on the cross. We have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus and no amount of tidying our lives will make us more holy in our Father's eyes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The work has been done. The sacrifices have been made. We are not earning points. We are just walking closer. And picking up rhythms that help us to get quiet, draw near, and talk with our Father in this special season. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I'm preaching to myself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven't gotten one of our 40 days with Jesus reflective journals, <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/journals" target="_blank">you can still get them here</a>. They're undated & don't say the word Lent so you can start tomorrow or a year from now and you'll be right on track. So excited to walk through this season with y'all. </span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-61233365077763690632014-03-04T02:00:00.000-08:002014-03-04T02:00:06.502-08:00who is coming behind you <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm in an interesting position because I'm in the middle of the road. There are some areas of my life where I'm just starting a long trek - church planting, raising KIDS, writing, speaking, and living an overall healthy life. There are other areas where I've been walking for a few years - <i>blogging, motherhood in general, marriage, and having a relationship with Jesus</i>. I'm rounding the corner to thirty so there's really nothing in my life I'd consider myself an expert in, but there are things I feel more seasoned in than others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing I've noticed about women in Christian culture is the way we respond when we're a few steps ahead of someone. There are always exceptions to the rule, but I feel like we are very quick to warn, caution, or even straight up frighten the women who are coming behind us. It's the baby shower syndrome, you know? Or even the wedding shower syndrome these days. You know the scene I'm talking about - some sweet gal with a swollen belly or heart full of romantic dreams is sitting in the middle of the room and suddenly the conversation takes a scary turn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"oh just you wait - you're in for a wild ride."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"when you have two kids, you'll understand."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"it's fun for a little bit, until the honeymoon is over."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"enjoy these last days of freedom!"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"these are going to be the hardest years of your life - but they'll be rewarding."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I've been that girl.</b> I've been both girls, really. I've been the scared one opening the gifts and I'm ashamed to say I've been the one trying to warn the sweet lady with all the hopes and dreams. Ladies, WHY do we do this? I'm sensitive to it now because here I am, at the beginning of so many different new walks and I'm noticing the words women have for me. Some beautiful women in my life have used my fresh naivety to speak wild hope into me and it has forever changed the way I want to encourage those who are coming behind me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact is - someone is behind you somewhere and someone is watching you. Whether it's in motherhood, marriage, ministry, work, your walk with the Lord, or even just the way you dress - someone is behind you, following you as you follow Jesus. And they are holding their breaths waiting for you to turn around and tell them, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"It's going to be ok. It's going to be great."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"You can do this. Jesus in you is strong, even when you feel weak."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"It might feel hard - but He has equipped you and He will work in you."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"I'll be there for you, every step of the way."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The best is yet to come."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who is coming behind you and how can you encourage them? I'm starting with me, refusing to be the ominous lady at the shower - scaring the one who is opening the gift and looking to me with hopeful eyes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's be the ones, at the end of the road, who are saying, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>"I knew you could do it. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>I knew Christ in you was more than enough." </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-58351956599813025532014-03-03T02:00:00.000-08:002014-03-03T07:26:16.254-08:00let's get to the heart of it <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, March feels like a good time to circle the wagons and get back to the heart of what's at hand. If you're a goal-setter or a plan-maker, you probably spent January and February taking steps forward and making things happen. Maybe some went well, maybe you feel like you're back to square one on other things. I have areas where I set goals and saw great fruit, and I feel like I had some plans or ideas that have needed restructuring or more heart-work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we set out to make our <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" target="_blank">Naptime Diaries Shop </a>plans for the year, we set March as a catch up month. We obviously will still sell prints and run our shop, but we're not releasing anything new and we don't have any big projects planned. <b>Our major goals?</b> Clean + reorganize the office spaces (more on that next week), stabilize our rhythms as a business, freshen up our websites, and get back to the heart of why we do what we do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Scripture is crazy important to us. </i>Knowing that people are reading, absorbing, learning, and being blessed by God's Word is the most important thing. It's a blessing to us that we get to do it creatively, in a way that hopefully is incredibly inspiring to people. So this month we're circling the wagons and getting back to doing what we do: working to get scripture in as many homes as possible, in the most creative + inspiring ways possible! And I thought I'd let you guys in on a little bit of that process this month. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, we try to start most seasons or print releases with a mood board. For winter 2014, I was feeling crazy uninspired so my great gal Hayley at <a href="http://www.thetinytwig.com/" target="_blank">The Tiny Twig</a> made a moodboard FOR us, which was a huge blessing. As we prep to release a spring/summer line of prints and as I design for the blog and style photos for social media + promotions, I'll try to rely heavily on the following moodboard! It's inspired by summers on the East Coast & West Coast and COLOR. When I made this moodboard I was thinking about <i>picnics on the side of the Atlantic Ocean, afternoons painting with my kids, jeweltones, hiking in the pacific northwest, waking up in a cushy + classic bedroom, or taking naps in an eclectic bohemian bedroom. </i>It might sound disjointed and crazy to you, but to me it all fits! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fFPtG0z-_2o/UxN7eEzn9gI/AAAAAAAAPFo/Dr4nJto4izQ/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fFPtG0z-_2o/UxN7eEzn9gI/AAAAAAAAPFo/Dr4nJto4izQ/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from the top: <a href="http://www.houseofrym.com/living-room/go-undercover-blanket-119" target="_blank">House of Rym blanket</a>, one of my instagram pictures, <a href="http:/#!218" target="_blank">Yolanda Sanchez painting</a>, <a href="http://www.nenaandco.com/" target="_blank">Nena & Co bag</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/116915574/modern-emerald-pink-decorative-designer" target="_blank">Whitlock & Co pillow</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/188517934374916047/" target="_blank">driftwood shelf</a>, sailing picture, pacific northwest, <br />bedroom inspiration, one of my instagrams of ocean</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next thing I did for this season was really get visual and specific about the homes we design for. I always tell small business owners they should KNOW their customer and bloggers that they should KNOW their reader. Where do they read your blog? What are they typically wearing? When they use your product, where is it in their house? When I worked at Anthropologie, I thought one of the wisest things they did as a company was name the lady they were designing + merchandising for each season. Each collection of clothing had a name, she had a whole story, a personality, a job, and we knew what her family was like. It was all imaginary - but it helped the company be intentional about their customer, their branding, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I try to do the same and be intentional about who I'm designing for and what she'd like on her walls. While I like the customers that don't fit the mold and still love our product, here are some of the homes + ladies I tend to keep in mind when making our prints. You might recognize a few of these gals! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-06hufK9NRLA/UxN7gTp1rPI/AAAAAAAAPFw/5wCgnOT5N4Q/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-06hufK9NRLA/UxN7gTp1rPI/AAAAAAAAPFw/5wCgnOT5N4Q/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="460" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A. This picture is straight from the home of Erin over at<a href="http://blueeyedbride.com/" target="_blank"> Blue Eyed Bride</a>. Erin is a blogger & a sweet friend of mine. I haven't been to her new house (though I'd sure like to go), but I picture it classically decorated with a youthful flair. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B. Next up, I love this picture of Jessica from <a href="http://blueeyedbride.com/" target="_blank">Jessica N Designs</a> sitting near her Ephesians 4:2 print. Jessica is a young mom, an entrepreneur like me, and when I see pictures of her home or studio - it looks really eclectic and bright. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C. One of my favorite houses I've ever hung out in is my friend <a href="http://blueeyedbride.com/" target="_blank">Ellen's</a>. It's a crazy beautiful mix of traditional, creative, bohemian, comfortable, and on trend. It's the kind of house where you feel like you can put your shoes on the couch and talk for an hour - but you also look around and think, "I want to go home and do THAT in my house." Ellen was one of my first handmade business friends and I still design with her in mind - <i>would Ellen want this</i>? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">D. I've followed <a href="http://blueeyedbride.com/" target="_blank">Promise Tangeman</a> for years online and she is one of the most inspiring + creative ladies I know. When I see glimpses of her house on instagram or her blog, I take note. She seems to be edgy in her home decor, while also really organized and tidy. I definitely think of homes like hers when I design. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. Lastly, I try to watch women who are most definitely taste-makers like <a href="http://whitneyenglish.com/" target="_blank">Whitney English</a>. Whitney has impeccable style & is an amazing designer. Her home decor is really classic, but super timeless. I love some edgy, bohemian home style - but I still want our prints to be traditional enough to fit in a home like Whitney's. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>But again - the heart of it is the heart of it. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No matter how people's homes look, our desire is to provide inspirational art that reminds people of God's Word and encourages them in their days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What's on your plate for March? We'd love to hear. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And do you have a space you'd like us to keep in mind when making our prints?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tell us about it! </span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-13707719652074242862014-02-28T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-28T02:00:01.608-08:00the real deal about Stitchfix <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lHV8ohJfY7w/Uw9ib0m44FI/AAAAAAAAPE8/eTdgk-IloQI/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="536" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank">Three StitchFix items in this picture - the fun coral sweatshirt I would've never picked out, the jeans I wear EVERY DAY, and the lady purse that I'm so glad I have now. </a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am really, really excited to finally write this post! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been brewing for awhile! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A very quick explanation of <a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank">WHAT StitchFix</a> is. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- It's an online personal styling business. You pay $20 and fill out a really detailed profile of what your body, style, and budget is like and what you need clothes for. You schedule a "fix" and wait. A personal stylist in California looks at your personal profile & puts together a box for you of 5 items, sends it to you. You try on said items. If you keep anything, your $20 fee goes towards whatever you buy. If you keep nothing, you send it all back for free & just pay that first $20. If you keep it all, your entire order is 25% off! Repeat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2013/08/schoolmomclothes_29.html" target="_blank">tried StitchFix back in the fall</a> and my love has been growing and growing and growing. I got to meet some of the minds behind the business and the stylists in September at <a href="http://www.theinfluenceconference.com/" target="_blank">The Influence Conference</a> and I was so blessed by how lovely the women behind the business truly are. Since then, I've really utilized StitchFix to try and WAKE up my style, try things I wouldn't typically try and get out of the normal rut of my yoga pants & camo jacket. I'll be the first to tell you <i>my first few fixes were not perfect,</i> but through trial and error and really direct communication - I've been able to make it really work for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to go to Q&A format now to hit some of the most frequent questions I get asked when I talk about StitchFix on i<a href="http://www.instagram.com/naptimediaries" target="_blank">nstagram</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How much are the clothes?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You set your price range. I've never seen anything less that $25, but I set my prices pretty low, so I've never seen anything over $75 or so. I still wouldn't typically spend $75 on a clothing item, but I'll explain that below. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_mHBaDILG6E/Uw9jQ2gAyBI/AAAAAAAAPFE/defD-LFuwmg/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="486" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>HOW are so many women affording StitchFix? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank">Referral credits. Referral credits. Referral credits. </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everytime someone uses your personal link (that StitchFix provides you with) to sign up for their first fix, you get $25 in clothing credit. That $25 over time adds up. I know lots and lots of bloggers (and a few non-bloggers) who rarely pay for clothes and get fix after fix after fix all funded by their referral credits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>But what if you're not a blogger? How will people get your referral link? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a lot of ideas here! Don't assume that if you're not a mega fashion blogger, you'll never see that $25 credit. <i>Here are a few tips on ways you could share your link outside of blogging: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- share a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/188517934375399882/" target="_blank">StitchFix image on pinterest</a> with your referral link (that's the gift that keeps on giving! think about how many times it could be repinned - this is where most of my referral credits come from, I think) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- share your link on Facebook and encourage friends to try</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- make it the link in your instagram homepage & show your fixes on there</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- email a group of friends and plan a "stitchfix night". You could all get fixes, a bottle of wine, and have fun trying things on - even swapping what you got! They could all use your referral code! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- most of all, don't believe that if you don't have a million online followers, you won't get any referral credit. one person = $25. $25 of FREE CLOTHES. 3 people = $75 of free clothes. That's a lot in my book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you have to do it every month? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope! You can do it once a year or sign up for a fix to come automatically! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_MgiWzieEtE/Uw9kFN97O3I/AAAAAAAAPFQ/8aFnNrVIUAc/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="486" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank">When I first saw this shirt, I was like "blech! ick! no!" and now, it may be may favorite shirt that I own. Margaret knows better than me!</a></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it easy?</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! You order online, they send it to your door, with a styling guide for each item. When you're ready to send back, you pop in the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope & give it to your mailman. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What if I've done it and I was disappointed? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's up to you, but I'd try again. Try to be as specific as possible and give your stylist feedback. I also asked to keep the same stylist for each fix, Margaret, because I feel like she really really really gets me. Now, she sends me things that I would NEVER pick out for myself, but really push me style wise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But I am really, really specific.</i> And I give detailed feedback on things I don't keep so she knows why not to send them to me. I also <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/naptimediaries/for-stitchfix/" target="_blank">made a pinterest board</a> that I shared with her & I send a note when I schedule my fix with any events, weather changes, body changes, etc. That has seemed to help a ton. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oBwgvRR6xL4/Uw9l07qkVZI/AAAAAAAAPFc/iUA0lVq6so0/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank">I'm not sharing all my fave goodies in this post, but I share a lot on instagram using the has tag #naptimerunway! </a></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So is it really worth it? </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really vote yes, even if you don't have hundreds in referral fees lined up. It will stretch you and push you in your style (if you're into that kind of thing). It puts new and fresh items in your wardrobe without leaving your house. I also like it because as a married gal, it involves my husband in the shopping process and I find that when Margaret sends me really fun & funky things - he is way more likely to say "<b>BUY THAT</b>!" when he sees it on, in our home, and imagines the fun dates we could go on if I was wearing it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Overall, I am love love loving StitchFix. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And would I be sad if you <a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3026259" target="_blank">used my referral link</a> to get your first fix? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Girl - you know I wouldn't! I like free clothes too, you know! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Try it out & see! </b></span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-92175592666525749882014-02-27T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-27T02:00:01.082-08:00Let's rebuild a school together. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lrGdRvnw-E8/Uw6o-AiqLsI/AAAAAAAAPEs/eo7UvYR1fBM/s1600/rebuildpromo.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember that $10,000 that Annie Downs was raising for the <a href="http://www.themochaclub.org/purpose-projects/10k-purpose-project/" target="_blank">New Dawn School</a> in Kenya? Remember how we are planning on going and visiting the school and blogging about it? Well - the good news is that the $10,000 is RAISED,<b> the even better news is that we can keep raising money! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, 100% of the profits from sales in our shop go towards the New Dawn school - all the extras needed, supplies, extra money in the budget, etc! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go head </span><a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">over to the shop</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or check out more about the </span><a href="http://www.themochaclub.org/purpose-projects/10k-purpose-project/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">purpose project for the New Dawn school here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-47437073934470041392014-02-26T04:45:00.003-08:002014-02-26T04:45:51.378-08:00Two Important Announcements! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/journals" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-HJ-f4yLq4/Uw3gH81aMiI/AAAAAAAAPEY/5Z9bnHMkQOM/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="532" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's a big day in the <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/" target="_blank">Naptime Diaries Shop</a> for two reasons! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. It's the last day to order one of our <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/journals" target="_blank">40 day undated reflected journal</a> in time for pre-Lent delivery. You don't HAVE to do the journal only for Lent, but that's what we'll be using it for and we'd love to have you join us. At this point we have hundreds of friends who will be joining us, if you'd like to as well - make sure your order your Lent journal by 5pm EST</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Our <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/products/march-printable-bundle" target="_blank">March printable</a> is in the shop! This month's printable is still only $5 but it comes with a monthly calendar, weekly planner, two notecards, phone + laptop wallpapers, 4 scripture memory cards, two 8x10 prints, and a sheet for writing notes/to-do list. It's one of my most favorite so far! </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/products/march-printable-bundle" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Slide1_zps0d212cda.jpg" border="0" src="http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa93/eliaspc/Slide1_zps0d212cda.jpg" height="479" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you all are having an amazing Wednesday! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One week till Lent! </span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-53813235761279944232014-02-24T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-24T02:00:04.516-08:00It doesn't have to have a point. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QK7w8wIwEyk/UwqpI2UN_xI/AAAAAAAAPD8/Hfm3yIWnAIQ/s1600/photo-86.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QK7w8wIwEyk/UwqpI2UN_xI/AAAAAAAAPD8/Hfm3yIWnAIQ/s1600/photo-86.JPG" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nick and I ran away this past weekend, for about 36 hours to Asheville, North Carolina. His birthday had been a few days before our first church service and Valentines day was a few days before our second service, so both were pretty overshadowed by what was going on in our lives and it had been awhile since we'd just been alone and quiet together. We're both what I call "fake introverts" - meaning we're people-people and like to talk and host people, but on the inside we're pretty intense introverts and need alone time fairly regularly. And we have four kids and we're planting a church and run online businesses, so if we don't run away to Asheville or somewhere else occasionally - we might implode. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first twenty or so minutes of the drive, we held hands and REALLY talked. We talked about our wishes for the coming 36 hours and agreed, we wanted to be together, we wanted to hike & read, <b>and we didn't want the trip to have a point. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're producers, him and I. It's not a beautiful part of our hearts and lately, we're feeling less proud of our ability to get things done and more convicted of our need to let things go. This hasn't always been our story. If you had a serious talk with our friends from five or six years ago, they'd tell you, we were a (beautiful) mess back then. We could barely take care of ourselves and we lived the life of the younger brother in the story of the prodigal son. <i>Always in trouble, seemingly a mess, in serious need of help. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But time and small business and God's growth has changed us, and here we find ourselves - absolutely living the life of the older brother. Putting in the hours and trying to do x, y, and z and making sure that every single part of our day is intentional and has. a. point. I try to combine eating with other activities and I have lists upon lists upon lists. We are goal setters, dreamers, and doers. I don't want you to get the wrong impression that we're perfect task masters either. We're still messy. There are always dishes in our sick & library books to return. I typically have way too many emails in my inbox to respond to and there is usually a laundry basket with folded clothes sitting on my bedroom floor, screaming at me to put it up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that being said, this weekend we swung as hard as we could the other way (the right way?) and nothing had a point. We hiked in the not-most-beautiful area and without a destination in mind. We held hands and walked in silence. I laid in the hotel and looked at the ceiling while Nick read books with his headphones on. We talked a little over our meals, but mostly just smiled at each other. It wasn't a retreat to grow or build or change or get ahead. I didn't catch up on emails during the drive or even pick up any of the 6 books I brought along. We just needed to breath and be and see the Lord's creation and connect with Him again - not as servants, but as sons and daughters in whom He is already well pleased because of Christ within us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The wasn't a point, but there was purpose in the rest. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grace. Grace was the purpose in the rest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And maybe that's not a fitting message for Monday morning when all the things are a flutter and buzzing around you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Or maybe it is. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>There doesn't have to be a point. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>But there can be a purpose. </b></span></div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-32375257364553498152014-02-21T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-21T03:34:23.400-08:00three reasons I do yoga <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5QPP8y_DsA0/Uwa3CS3TdnI/AAAAAAAAPDY/XzzgMQA5cR0/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5QPP8y_DsA0/Uwa3CS3TdnI/AAAAAAAAPDY/XzzgMQA5cR0/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">a disclaimer: this isn't a debate-ish post about whether or not it's ok for Christians to do yoga. You're totally welcome to your opinion, but I believe it's an exercise that can be redeemed and done without worshipping sun or the earth or whatever the poses were designed for. I believe worship is a heart issue and even though the debates about yoga make me squirmy, when I check my heart during yoga - it feels like it is pointed at the Lord. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm so excited to blog a little bit more about my yoga journey over the past few months. Well, maybe years? Up until last year, I'd done a little bit of yoga on and off for exercise or community - but I'd never thought much about it. Then one day a year ago, I found myself in Fort Wayne (before we moved to Charleston), dreaming and kind of speaking some best case scenario prayers out over my life. I was describing where I pictured myself ten years from now to my friend, with the full knowledge that the Lord can do whatever He wants. I pictured us in Charleston still, with a ten year old church, teenagers getting ready to go off to college, hopefully writing books and still constantly hosting people in my home. But I also pictured myself doing yoga. Waking early & grabbing my mat, getting still and moving all at once, worshipping the Lord in quiet and moving my body before all my people wake up. <i>It might sound silly, but it was my picture. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason why I like to ask women what they want their lives to look like ten years from now is because that end (hopeful) picture changes how you live today.<i> At some point you stop putting off building that picture and just pick up the yoga mat and start doing it.</i> So that's what I've been trying to do little by little the past few months. I'm not crazy good at it. I can't do super fancy poses. I'm still learning all the names of the moves and I fall a good bit, but here are the reasons why I keep going. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. My people do yoga. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Alllll the ladies in my city do the yoga. </i>The people who go to church and the people who don't go to church. They even do yoga in our kid's elementary school. There is no getting away from it and I can either choose to be separate from them or be with them, with different intentions. It is one of my greatest opportunities to be in this world & not of it. I want to know the women in my city, and more specifically - I do pray that one day they would know Jesus and have a relationship with Him. And this is one of the main places I can meet them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. It's making me stronger. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't posted much about <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/search/label/whole%20ladies" target="_blank">weightloss/health journey</a> in the past few months, but ya'll it's been a straight up hill battle. I love yoga because it's not about beating my body or hating my body or subduing it. It's about connecting with it and celebrating how God is making it stronger. When I leave barre class or spin, I can tend to feel flabby and straight up behind. When I get done with yoga or running, I might feel sore, but I don't feel like I'm beating my body up. I feel like I am stretching & strengthening it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. I have met some life giving ladies who do yoga.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have run into some incredibly life giving gals who run <a href="http://holyyoga.net/" target="_blank">Holy Yoga Ministries</a> & I've been really blessed by what they do. They incorporate yoga & Christian worship in a beautiful way and when I hop on their <a href="http://instagram.com/holyyogaministries" target="_blank">instagram feed</a> or use <a href="http://www.holyyogashop.com/" target="_blank">one of their DVD</a>s, I'm ultimately super blessed. AND! I'm going to be meeting some of them at this event coming up in March. <a href="http://instagram.com/brookejboon" target="_blank">Brooke Boon</a> (the founder of Holy Yoga) & <a href="http://www.revelationwellness.org/" target="_blank">Alisa Keeton</a> (the founder of Revelation Wellness) are choosing Jesus at the Core, an event here in Charleston that is a two day wellness event to promote wholeness and community. Yes, I very much like both of those things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're local or semi-local to Charleston, want to meet me at <a href="http://www.jesusatthecore.com/" target="_blank">Jesus at the Core</a> in March? I WON'T be the yoga/wellness expert in the front row & I will be the newbie in the back, soaking it up and tumbling a bit. ALSO! The event is FREE. I'd love to meet you there! </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.jesusatthecore.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Et_b8bg_YGE/Uwbfal7idYI/AAAAAAAAPDo/zK2ISeUwffg/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="170" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about you? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's giving you life and helping you find your people these days? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I'd love to hear! </i></b></span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-49535408396114719812014-02-18T03:17:00.000-08:002014-02-18T03:17:41.633-08:00on church planting & provision <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time this posts, it will have been a little over a month since my <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2014/01/the-story-of-church-plant.html" target="_blank">last update about our church plant</a> and we will have had our second service. For a catch up - Nick (my husband) and I are planting a church in Charleston, SC. We moved in June 2013 with five other friends and spent our first six months here acclimating to the city, meeting our neighbors, praying, and building the early culture of our church. On January 19th, we launched with our first public service and we're meeting monthly till September on Sunday mornings, but weekly we're having family groups. To read a bit more about our church planting story - here are some catch up posts: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2013/05/chest-pains-church-planting.html" target="_blank">Chest Pains & Church Planting</a> - thoughts before our move to Charleston</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2013/06/telling-story-of-sending.html" target="_blank">The Story of Sending</a> - leaving Indiana </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2013/11/missional-in-thick-of-it-part-one.html" target="_blank">Being Missional in the Thick of It</a> - part of our plan </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/2014/01/the-story-of-church-plant.html" target="_blank">The Story of a Church Plant</a> - our first service</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We sat the other night with our friend Brittany and even though we weren't meaning to, we ended up spending an hour or so just telling her our story. Brittany lives with us, she has for almost five months, and I've known her fairly well for over two years - but somehow there felt like huge chunks of our life that she didn't know about. <i>Like, for instance?</i> We lived in some intensely bad financial situations for a few years. Like, well below the poverty line bad. There were super dark days where we'd gather up our quarters and our dimes to buy enough bread and peanut butter to last us a few days or we'd pray for just enough gas to get to church and home. Our hard financial season isn't something we are embarrassed about, and even though it was incredibly difficult - it was in those days that we got to truly live the gospel with one another. We were a far cry from the young and hopeful couple that had gotten married a few years earlier, we were just busted kids having kids trying to do ministry and figure life out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't mind remembering those hard days for another reason, and that is because we truly learned that the Lord provides. Though our bank account was bleak and the economy was tanking, we never went hungry and our kids never missed a meal. We were never evicted and our power wasn't ever turned off. Our Father worked straight up miracles over and over again to take care of us. And now, we can boldly pray with confidence when people we love are struggling with finances. We can look them in the eye and tell them - <b>He will provide, and then walk with them because that particular struggle will never be quite so terrifying to us again. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bad news in this story is that I somehow stopped really praying for provision. I trusted God for provision and learned to thank God for how He'd provide financially, but I stopped seeing the other needs in my life as something I could cry out to Him and ask Him to meet. I'd find myself slumping forward into my own reality, assuming it would "always be this way" in several different areas of life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other day a friend challenged me because I said "<i>that's just the way it is</i>" regarding two separate things in the same conversation. And I'm so glad she did. My personal issues, our circumstances, pain in relationships, issues with our kids - that's never just the way it is in the Lord's economy, right? <b>All things are subject to Him and He can provide, shift, grow, and change our circumstances however He sees fit.</b> When we ask Him for something, His answer may not always be "yes, right away!" - but He is still good and wants us to ask. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In light of that - here are some things I've seen him provide (outside of money) for us in church planting so far. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- A few times when we've really needed it, friends (and new friends) have gotten in our face and asked us how they can pray for and/or serve us. Nick and I tend to plow ahead without asking for help, and these people in our life are really helping us start new rhythms. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- One day when I was particularly burdened by church-related meetings, my mom texted me and asked if I could stop by the place she was having lunch. It was 2pm and I hadn't eaten. She held my baby, ordered me some sweet potato fries and just let me talk for a minute. There have been so many little provision-like-moments like this in the past month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- The Lord provided a worship leader for our monthly service in January, February, and we already have someone lined up for March. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Our "team" has almost doubled in a month. In the midst of people visiting and figuring us out, we've had a handful of people say they're all in and jump beside us to serve and move forward as a church. This has been beautiful and so encouraging. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- I feel like the Lord is providing such sweet intimacy with Nick and I as we navigate these early months. It's been a huge blessing to turn to one another and then the Lord together for wisdom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I'm learning. I'm learning to see my needs, learning to believe He wants good for me, and remembering to ask my Father for help. In all the things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether you're a church planter's wife or in ministry or not, I'm sure you've seen the Lord provide in ways you didn't imagine possible you've seen Him provide for things you forgot to ask for. <b>I'd love to hear from y'all - what are those things? </b></span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-42624968574782110852014-02-17T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-17T04:30:34.662-08:00known versus knowing <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm hearing it all around me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bad news that we are building a culture, a generation, that is obsessed with being known. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We apparently desire fame, we build our identities on mountains of likes & followers, and our kids? When they list their dream jobs, they say - celebrity. It's not the thing they want to do to change the world that pushes their heart, but the being known for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I am the first to say, I get it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few years ago, I was a baby blogger, constantly just updating the world with my thoughts, unsure of who was listening or if it mattered that I had anything to say. I'd see those more well known than me interacting on twitter or listen to them speak at conferences, and something would well up inside of me and feel tingly and <i>hope - hope - hope</i> that one day people would look and listen to me. And I hoped it for the good reasons, I genuinely believed, so I could give God much glory and inspire and encourage. But I had to be known first, right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The truth of it is, a few years and several thousand followers later, I am still not known. I was listening to <a href="http://homefries.com/show/the-simple-mom-podcast/first-draft/" target="_blank">Tsh and Shaun Groves' recent podcast</a> as they talked about fame, and I was so comforted and so discouraged by their words all at once. Shaun said that his few years of fame were more damaging to his soul than anything else in his life - and they both commented on how backwards it is for our souls to be known and not know in return. I feel that in my gut and I know that a) with each follower gained, I am not more known or understood - I often feel more isolated and less able to share and b) something inside of me deeply longs to know people back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is why I think the message of influence is SO important. Desiring to use your influence, rather than build your own fame, is a game changer. When we want to make the most of the influence God has given us, we recognize that the influential way we treat our children or our spouses or our best friend is just as life shifting as the way we tweet to thousands or speak to hundreds. This is not lip service for me and I believe it with every shred of my being. I believe that the hand I firmly place on my husband's forearm in the midst of his hard day is as influential as the most life giving words I could ever muster up to write to the thousands. The more value someone places on your voice and your presence, the more incredibly influential you are in their life, thus the more they are able to take what you give them and share it with the rest of the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while I think it's good and worthy to utilize our influence, wield it for the glory of God or the sake of the dream we're pursuing - I want to know the firm boundary lines. I need firm structure that keeps me from gathering up the whole sum of my perceived approval or visibility and calling that "known" or replacing my identity with it. Moreover, when my head hits the pillow at night - I want to be certain that I'm certain that I've known others more than I've been "known" or seen myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to know, for the most part, how my sister and my mom are doing and how I can pray for them. I want to remember the exact fleck of gold that is in my oldest son's eyes. I want to have seen that shadow cross over my friend's face when she mentioned that thing, so I can remember to go back and ask her about it and be there for her. I don't want to know (or care) how many people unfollowed me on instagram that day or what the general response was to that thing I put on Facebook. While I'm grateful for influence and the call to wield it for God's glory, I'd rather know than be known, and I don't think those things are mutually exclusive. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The future starts now, with us. The studies they'll do five years from now, ten years from now, on our kids and our kid's kids? We dictate how they'll come out. With hope I am declaring that I'll do my part and use my voice to make sure they don't say that our obsession with psuedo-celebrity only snowballed and that we laid down influence for fickle and false bits of fame. Today, whether you're known by thousands or you're known by dozens - you have the opportunity to KNOW ever before you. I pray that we, starting with me, live lives of such dedication to knowing + loving + being. This way, when we step on our platforms of influence - what is seen is an overflow of reality and passion rather than us getting it backwards with the bulk of our time being documented and known, with small dips into the well of seeing and hearing others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd rather be know than be known, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and I have a feeling you're with me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you with me? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today marks the day we start selling tickets for our <a href="http://www.theinfluencenetwork.com/" target="_blank">third annual Influence conference</a>. If you're not aware of what Influence is about - it's about allllllll this. We want to help women make their online life mean something, help them grow their creative endeavors and steward their influence, and we are also all about the gospel at the core of who we are. We'd love to have you. </span></div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-30301373156141466702014-02-14T06:07:00.002-08:002014-02-14T06:07:31.963-08:00He loves us so much. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">See what great love the Father has lavished on us, </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">that we should be called children of God! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How would your day be shifted if you really, really believed 1 John 3:1 was true? How would your day be changed, how would this world be changed if you shared that truth with others? Through your words, actions, and just the way you live? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's do it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Let's show the world some real love. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(feel free to save + share this image) </span>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9198877340210115314.post-86243571095467431722014-02-11T02:00:00.000-08:002014-02-11T07:02:14.733-08:00Let's talk about Easter & Lent <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/journals/products/2014-lent-reflective-journal" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WUReEXbuRhc/UvmIL1PLD3I/AAAAAAAAPBU/t2Gtf1bKPPA/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="284" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should say, off the bat, <i>I'm no easter or lent expert. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a religious studies major in college, but I can't say that I remember all the nuances or the different variations of how people celebrate the holiday that revolves around Jesus' birth and I can't really define how lent came to be. I am, however, a lady with her intentions set on squeezing every last ounce of God's glory from my days - holidays included. Our advent calendar was born out of a need - I wanted a way to redeem the cultural celebrations I saw around me and make the season leading up to Christmas meaningful for my family in a beautiful way. Our lent calendar last year, was the same. This year's <a href="http://www.naptimediariesshop.com/collections/journals/products/2014-lent-reflective-journal" target="_blank">reflective lent journal</a> is a little bit more slow-paced and quiet way to celebrate, but I'll be bringing the intentionality all the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twice this month I'll be helping out with classes that are meant for women who'd like to do a little slowing, quieting, & planning whereas lent is concerned. First, over on the The Influence Network tomorrow night I'll be teaching an online class called <a href="http://theinfluenceshop.com/collections/frontpage/products/walking-with-jesus-preparing-for-lent" target="_blank">Walking With Jesus & Preparing for Lent</a>. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We'll consider some of the benefits of slowing down and getting closer to the story of Jesus ourselves. We'll spend time planning intentional times to celebrate Lent & Easter in our communities. The class is $10, but anyone can </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">purchase - you don't need to be a member. You don't even need to be available at the time of the class (9pm EST), because we send all the videos from the classes to anyone who signs up! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Also, for local gals in Charleston - I'll be teaching the same class & format and you can find the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1403348996588215/" target="_blank">event information for that here</a>. It'll be February 24th at 6:30pm! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b><i>I'd love to connect during one of those!</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Also..... fun news over at <a href="http://theinfluencenetwork.com/" target="_blank">The Influence Network</a>! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">We announced our 2014 conference speakers;) </span></span><br />
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Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771219694662156043noreply@blogger.com0