some say boo

Others say moo.

(I wish you could watch him walk from behind, and see his tail swish.)

This morning, my boss lurked in my dark office with a freaky mask on, and jumped in front of me upon my arrival. I screamed and jumped a mile. We all know how well I do with creepers on Halloween.

Between the adorable costumes on toddlers and the scary masks on grown men, I got to thinking about how everyone hides behind some sort of disguise at one time or another.

They're afraid, but wear the mask of bravery.
They're grieving, but wear the mask of stoicism.
They're worried, but wear the mask of confidence.
They're lonely, but wear the mask of busyness.
They're hurting, but wear the mask of wellness.

We all struggle, we all want to hide our imperfections, and we all work hard at creating the perfect costume to accomplish just that.

When that one kid went ravaging through your candy bowl tonight, did you think he was ill-mannered? Or did you think that maybe he doesn't have parents to teach him any better?

When the little girl could barely speak trick or treat, did you assume she wasn't well socialized? Or did you think she could be the one bullied in her class at school?

Did you think that those parents had it all together, with their perfect kids in perfect costumes, with a perfect house down the street? Or did you wonder if maybe they were in the middle of a financial crisis? Or were having tough times in their marriage?

While some Christians are hating on Halloween (someone, explain that to me), it's been a reminder to me that behind the masks, there are stories being written, and hearts that are broken and dirty, just like mine.

And often, the cute little ones?  They just want the good candy.

Happy Halloween, folks.  I hope you got lots of treats!

right about now (the one after the georgia-florida game)

Random bits of life happening in my world, right about now:

loving: the score of this game from Saturday.

Did you hear me squeal out loud? I definitely did, listening to the final call on the UGA broadcast in my car. No shame here.

reading:  A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken.

I've only just begun, but I've been warned that it is an intense and passionate memoir of a man digging deep to reconcile inconceivable loss with the faith he knew to be true. I imagine that where those extremes intersect, Beauty really does become tangible, and his love story will become his Love story. Incidentally, C.S. Lewis drifted into the lives of the author and his beloved, and letters between them are included in this book.

excited about: these three navy paint samples sitting on my kitchen table. They are waiting patiently to be displayed on my wall, so I can decide the winner. Oh, I hope I like one of them.

missing: Little Man. It's only been eight weeks since I saw him last, but that's a long stretch in baby time. How can I not miss this face?

trying to: decide what my next cooking adventure will be. I made chicken pot pie this weekend for the first time, and those leftovers are dwindling.

enjoying: a marble hot chocolate from Starbucks. Do you know this trick? Half white, half dark chocolate? Since I don't drink coffee, this is a go-to splurge on chilly days like today.

using: Ace bandages and Advil like they're going out of style.

wearing: a new sweater I received in my recent Stitch Fix package. It's great for a lot of reasons, but especially because it doesn't scratch the living daylights out of me. It's soft and cozy, like it's already been broken in, just for me.

waiting on: my couch to arrive. They told me 6-8 weeks, "maybe sooner," but it looks like "sooner" isn't in the cards. I keep telling myself God's timing is perfect.

planning: to run this race in January (I have a thing for races related to food and beverage, apparently):

Do you think they'll serve me a marble hot chocolate at the finish line?

singing: "No One Will Ever Love You" by Connie Britton and Charles Esten, that is, Rayna James and Deacon Claybourne from ABC's Nashville. Yes, I absolutely downloaded that song after last week's episode.  Don't judge.

needing: Buddy the elf to magically transform my dad and two brothers into people who are easy to shop for. I sure do love them, but my word, they stump me every Christmas.

learning: that I make a terrible, terrible rehab patient. This ankle injury is so very frustrating, and more importantly, driving my personal athletic training team crazy. Christopher and Jay, I don't deserve your patience, and I owe you both.

listening: to ESPN's 30 for 30 episode, "The Ghosts of Ole Miss" about the forced enrollment of the first African American at the university. I'm only half listening, and I have no association to Ole Miss other than a working relationship, but just seeing James Meredith interviewed makes me tear up.

wishing: I designed Christmas cards for single people. It's feeling like my 2012 design is right out of Struggleville, USA.

doing: a Bible study, in which the accountability gals and I meditated on this scripture last week:

The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
For who knows a person's thoughts, except the spirit within them?
In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
-- 1 Corinthians 1:10-12

I can't stop thinking about it. (I'm pretty sure that's the point of studying it to begin with.)

praying for: the families affected by Superstorm Sandy this week. Mercy, the photos are stunning.

dreaming of: a day coming soon when I will run again. And I'm not even a bona fide runner. If you're not limping around for one reason or another, take a minute to be grateful!

What are you up to right about now?

get your (stitch) fix

At the risk of sounding entirely too interested in the things of this world (you read my recent post about shopping, right?), I can't not share about this little styling adventure.

Meet Stitch Fix.

Stitch Fix is an online styling service, designed to deliver a handful of clothing pieces to your doorstep and some unexpected spunk to your wardrobe. Here's how it works, in its simplest form:

And here's the process with my personal experiential notes:

1: request an invite

Click here to fill out some basic info and "request an invite." That gets the ball rolling, and over into the Stitch Fix court.

2: give them your stats

Stitch Fix will send you a Style Profile (don't stress, it might take a week or so to hear from them), in which you give them important details about you, your style, your preferences, and your budget. You can also specify items you may not want to receive. (For example, I was wary of pants, so in this shipment, I requested no bottoms.)

You get to judge some sample outfits to help direct your stylist, like this:

3: schedule your fix

Each fix costs $20, so even if you hate everything they send you, you're only out one Andrew Jackson. Select a time that you wish to receive your package of goodies. Big perk: Stitch Fix pays for all shipping.

4: stalk the usps and track your package

5: try on the goodies in the comfort of your own home

It was seriously like Christmas.

And isn't it great, that each piece offers some ensemble suggestions?

(Can you even get over the fact that this top has koi fish on it? It was a sign.)

6: decide what you want, and what you don't

I was shocked to love everything in this package. I was more shocked that everything fit. (And one item will likely even be a Christmas gift for someone ... shhhh!) They provide the packaging and shipping label for your "no thanks" items, and you drop those back in the mail within three days.

7: give feedback and settle up on the keepers

The stylist did pretty darn well with my first round, but feedback will help her be even better when I do this again. The feedback section is both guided and open-ended, so you have the opportunity to be thorough and detailed.

And a couple of important notes on payment and obligation:

• If you decide to keep everything in your box, you get a 25% discount on everything.
• If you decide to keep anything in your box, your $20 styling fee is applied as a credit toward that purchase.
• Although you will be invited every month to schedule a fix, you can skip it. No obligation to ever do it again. (But I will be.)

Seriously, people. Get your Fix! You might score a new favorite something, and when asked where you got it (and I hope you will!), you can say, Oh, I'm not sure.  My stylist found it somewhere.

thankful thursday #101

Last year, my work siblings dragged me kicking and screaming to a haunted house for some "team building."

And it was horrible.

This year, I was adamant that I would not participate in any Halloween-centric team building unless it involved a pumpkin carving contest.  The haunted house just wasn't worth the anxiety.

Nothing has been planned at this point, and I'm grateful for that.

Instead I will be attending a Halloween festivity tomorrow night with some friends that is my favorite kind: per the invitation, a no-costume party, at a "not so haunted plantation" (also known as, the modest home of my friend Donna).

We're going to eat Mexican food and play games.

Am I boring?  Maybe.

Am I thankful?  Yes, indeed.

Are you festive for Halloween?  Dressing up?  Scaring kiddos on the front porch?

No matter, I hope you find something to appreciate this week.  Go on, be grateful!

shopping and a beloved tradition

I'm kind of a moody clothes shopper. It takes time and patience, and I'm usually running low on both of those resources. I'm either feeling it, or I'm not.

I also usually prefer to shop solo, but Nikol and I do have a little tradition which I have grown to love. She is a solid shopping date.

We ventured out tonight for our annual Dansko Expedition. She actually needed a new pair; I did not. She bought a pair; I did not (please, hold the applause).

(Had this red leather pair been there, however ...

... I confess I might have been more tempted. She is so pretty.)

To honor tradition, though, I did snatch up these cute boots (something is better than nothing, folks) ...

... in a sort of gray-ish, pewter color. They are short, you see, thus avoiding the fatted calf dilemma. You can bet I will take advantage of a season where low boots are the trend.

We also ventured into some other favorite shops, and giggled our way through a few fun purchases. Is there really any better way to approach shopping?

There's this one store, where basic t-shirts sell for over $100 (?!) -- to be clear, not one of the aforementioned "favorites" that we patronized. We dreamed of perusing the inventory there, and casually asking the clerk, Excuse me, ma'am?  Is this price listed in pesos?

I wish I had the guts to really do that. I think I would laugh about that for months.

In another store where we were both trying on clothes (namely in my case, one of those tops that looked great on the rack and not-so-great on), I asked Nikol through the wall, Have you ever been totally humiliated for even trying something on?

And in yet another fitting room, I audibly spoke to no one in particular, This is awful.

Out loud, I rebuked today's fashion trends. Someone tell me I'm not the only one.

Nikol and I agree it's good to try on things that stretch us a little bit. That's the No Guts, No Glory philosophy. We also agree that sometimes those items would have been better left on the rack. That's the Know Your Role philosophy.

Finding the balance is key to a) maintaining sanity while shopping, and more importantly, b) sparing your close friends from having to say to your face, Do not do that again.

What are your shopping philosophies? Or horror stories? How do you make shopping bearable?

thankful thursday #100 (the giveaway)

After last Friday's little tumble, it's been a sad week for exercise. I was hitting a nice running routine, and I was bummed to have it interrupted.

A perfect time to practice some gratitude, wouldn't you say?

On the up side, sad times are always delicious times in my world, because let's face it, I'm an emotional eater. This week of food indulgences probably shouldn't be in the I'm-thankful-for category, but I'm making it so. I have eaten well this week and enjoyed it.

And on the more legitimate up side, the ankle is healing up and the swelling is going down. I sure do take it for granted that my body can be pushed to run five miles, and when it's had a bad day, heal up when it needs to. It won't always be this way, so for now, I'm grateful.

Now, the giveaway!

So fun. I loved reading your thankful posts; they really do make the heart overflow. I hope yours did.

I really wanted to send some cards to everyone, but I stuck with the plan and selected two random names. I could have drawn names out of a hat, but that might have appeared shady, and well, I'm not shady.

So to be above board, I did it online, for-real randomly, and here's what I got ...

(drumroll, please)

... and ...

(Don't you just love how there's an exclamation point at the end of each selected name? It's like I really did draw your name out of a hat and squeal with glee.)

Katie and Deana, I will pop those in the mail to you tomorrow. Maybe they'll arrive just in time to brighten your Mondays.

Thanks, y'all, for humoring me, and for celebrating one hundred posts of gratitude. Here's to one hundred more!

Be thinking about how you're going to spend these cards, you two. Go on, be grateful!

hello monday (slow moving)

This weekend gave me a beat down, and I was dragging this morning.  How about some hellos to ease into this week?

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Hello, unwelcome injuries from a Friday morning trail run tumble.

You do not make for pleasant weekend company.

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Hello, no running this week.  What will I do with my evenings?  Clog purchase, maybe?

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Hello, new fall nail polish color.  Sephora, you are so overwhelming to me, but your Under My Trench Coat nail polish is impressive.

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Hello, upcoming giveaway.

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Hello, Mississippi State.  It's always good to be back and see some of my favorite people.

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Hello, mums.  You really do make it feel like fall on my front porch, and I hope I can keep you around for more than one week.

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Hello, Little Man enjoying an October swim with your dad in Florida.

I know you two are having fun together!

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Hello, mid-point of college football season.  It's all down hill from here!

Happy Monday, friends.  I hope this week is happy and full.

thankful thursday #99

This weekend is my alma mater's Homecoming, which I never get to attend because of my job.  Boo.

But, I have a dear friend -- a fellow native Athenian, in fact! -- through whom I can live vicariously.  She is faithful to come to town for the festivities when she can, and better, her parents come too!  I love that they embrace her college as if it were their own.

Her parents had me into their home a bajillion times when we were kids, and I'm grateful that I get to return the favor tomorrow!  They're all coming over for dessert, and I'm pretty excited to serve up these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars (why yes, yes they are as tasty as they sound), and brownie sundaes (because I have it on good authority that Cassie's mom loves a good brownie!).

Now, for the 100th Thankful Thursday giveaway!

When I first started this series, it was really about habitually and intentionally looking for the good around us, even for something simple.  Practicing gratitude internally. 

What is being increasingly revealed to me, is that gratitude should also be practiced externally, overflowing to the people around us every day.  Sadly, in my life, I might think I'm grateful for a person, but I don't thank them actively.

Gratitude is good for the heart.

But what if it was shared, too?

Simple math tells me it might have twice the impact.

So, those two cute sets of note cards up there from Bella Louise Paperie are up for grabs. For free!  Here's how:

1. Before the 100th Thankful Thursday post next week, leave a comment on today's post with something you're thankful for.  Or a person.  Or an experience.  Or anything you want.


2. Promise that if you win this little giveaway, you will send grateful words on these cards to friends, family, coworkers, whomever, not because they gave you anything.  Just because you appreciate them.


3. Next week, I will randomly select two people from the list of comments and announce them. I'll ship them right to your doors.

That's it.   And just think!  If you're one of my two readers, your odds are phenomenal.  It can't get easier.

So here we go.  In honor of #100, go on, be grateful!

it's finally chili

One of the grossest things I see on a typical game day is hot dog chili.

I do not understand it, but folks love them some chili on their franks, and you know that at a football stadium, that chili is not homemade.

It is straight-up, right-outta-the-can, dog-food-lookin' chili.  And it. Is. Gross.

On a brighter note, I have grown to enjoy homemade chili that's not too runny, not too heavy, and not too spicy, but a solid go-to recipe has eluded me.

Until now!

I've been dying to break out my favorite piece of cookware ...



... and well, the high temperatures have lingered around here.

But last night, I went for a short run in long sleeves (yes, Fall, yes!) and couldn't wait to give this recipe a whirl.  It was super quick, and I have high hopes it will be even better as leftovers.

Simple Turkey Chili

EVOO, a couple of swirls around the pan
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 onion, chopped
1 c. water
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 16-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-oz. can chili beans (mild), drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Chopped red or green onions, for topping
Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
Sour cream, for topping

1. Don't be intimidated by the endless list of ingredients.  Most of them are spices you already have in your pantry and need to be used anyway.


2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Season turkey with salt and pepper, and brown.  Stir in the onion, and cook until tender.


3. Add water, tomatoes, beans, and garlic.  Stir well, and season with the remaining ingredients.  If you like a thicker chili, take a potato masher, and press the contents a little bit.


4. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for thirty minutes.


5. Dress your bowl of fall goodness with toppings that you fancy, and let it cool.  Burned taste buds will not serve you well.

It's finally getting chilly here, people.  It's gonna be a great fall!

segregated

This really happened to me at church not too long ago.

nice lady:  So, do you have kids?

me (a little taken aback at her first get-to-know-you question):  No ma'am, it's just me.  I'm single.

nice lady:  Oh, I'm sorry.  Wait, I don't mean that being single is bad ... I just meant ...

me (only half-way trying to alleviate her embarrassment): It's really okay.  I know what you meant.

And I do know what she meant.

She isn't in the minority.  On the whole, I'd suggest that the Church doesn't know quite what to do with single people: how to engage them, how to include them, how to minister to them.

She felt badly that she implied that singleness is inferior to marriage and children, and maybe that she had spotlighted it as my reality at all.

I admit that my flesh enjoyed watching her squirm, and at the personal rebuke she seemed to have self-inflicted.  That was not-so-Christ-like on my part.

But I couldn't stop thinking about that conversation, and I couldn't help but wonder -- and grieve -- how the Church has found itself in such a segregated mess.

In Sunday school classes of young marrieds, or singles, or college and careers, or senior adults, no one feels segregated; indeed they are comforted by the uniformity surrounding them.  They feel normal, and like the others; they fit.  We gather together and grow with those in the same life phase, we're told is the strategy.

Believe me, I have known the benefits of this structure.  When I was visiting churches and looking for a place to serve, it was comforting to find others who were "like me." Some of my dearest friendships were born out of this model.

However, I sense that somewhere along the way, a dangerous undercurrent developed that has left us struggling to value, or seek out, unity with brothers and sisters outside our own church-defined classification.  What happened to the command in Titus 2, that older men and women should be training up younger men and women in the ways of righteousness?

It's easy to develop a narrow-mindedness, and lose the ability to mingle with and learn from people outside the circles in which we live.

More concerning, though, is that buried within this self-centered tunnel vision, we unknowingly buy into the lie that our particular life phase marks a more arduous path of sanctification.

When we began the process of adoption, we experienced the Gospel in a way like never before.

When I got married, sin was revealed to me in a way it would never have been if I were single.

I have never known a more painful refining process than having been single for so long.

I have grown more in my understanding of God the Father as a parent than I ever would otherwise.

Recovering from the depths of my addiction has, hands down, brought me closer to Jesus than I ever would have otherwise.

I believe all of these statements can be true, because, praise Jesus, in all of His mysterious sovereignty, God knows exactly how, and at what pace, and at what cost, we all will be sanctified, until the day we stare Jesus in the face.

For some that means enduring the loss of a loved one.  For others, persevering through an illness or unemployment.  Some will experience broken marriages, and others will long for marriage for a lifetime.

I don't think that nice lady who stepped into an awkward conversation with me thinks of herself as superior to me because she is married with children.  She might open with a different question next time she decides to meet someone new, but otherwise, she and I are the same.

Segregated.

But we can't be segregated by our "life phase," because on every road of every believer, God is faithful to challenge our hearts in every way, for as long as we roam this earth, so that we have the opportunity and privilege to become more like Jesus.

None of these paths is superior to another, and we can cling to unity in that truth alone.

thankful thursday #98

Mercy, how did it get to be October?

Never mind.  I'm thankful it's here.

{via Cardigan Way}

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This October, we are excited and scared that Little Man is officially on the move.
It's so fun to watch him toddle along.

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I'm headed to the Midwest for work this weekend.  Glory to God, I'm working an 11:00 a.m. game, so I'll be cozied up in my hotel room watching football by late afternoon.  Can't wait.

The Weather Channel is telling me the high for that day will be 52 degrees.

Holy, beautiful boot weather.  Happy to see you again!

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Did you know there're only 88 more days until 2013?  No need to hash out details on why, but I'm thankful that's coming down the pike, too.

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#100 is around the corner, too!  Here's a little taste of the promised giveaway:

{via Bella Louise Paperie}

Check back next week to see how these cute cards can be yours.

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What're you appreciating this week?  October?  Go on, be grateful!