[waiting for sandy]

This morning I woke up, looked out the window and thought "it's just raining. This hurricane business isn't so bad!"

That's when it dawned on me: the hurricane hasn't actually hit yet.

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about this storm.

At first I wasn't. At first I thought, "this isn't going to be a big deal." But last night the boardwalk in Ocean City was destroyed. Eight foot swells are expected.

Did I mention that the storm isn't here yet?

Needless to say I've been praying my butt off all morning. I've dealt with tornados and earthquakes, but never a hurricane.

A friend posted this Facebook status: "The good thing about this storm? Makes me remember what is important in life :)"

And she's absolutely right. Yes Sandy is a big storm, especially once she turns into Frankenstorm. But you know what? This is a new chance. This is a chance to reflect, to reorder priorities, and evaluate life.

Do I know how the next few days will play out? No, I don't.

But I do know this: I will be okay. No matter what, nothing will happen to me that is not in His plan. So I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity to reflect and grow closer to Him.

[fired up]

We all have things that fire us up, that get our blood pumping and make us feel so alive. Lately I've been taking a look at my life and figuring out what fires me up.

Friday night I talked with a new friend over a bonfire. It was my dear friend's Halloween party and we had ducked outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. That talk got me thinking, about my future and about my present. I've been craving creativity and challenge in my life. I'm ready for more. 

There are going to be some changes around here in the near future. Not quite yet though--right now I need to get through Sandy. Bring it on Sandy: I've got my water, non-perishable food, and pre-brewed coffee ready to go.  If you're in Sandy's path, please stay safe! 

Back to the point: what fires you up?  I challenge you to take some time today and discover what brings you to life. Most importantly, I challenge you to go do it! 

Download your own graphic to fill in with what fires you up here!

[four score]

Last Sunday Katy and I took a road trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania!

Gettysburg is about two hours outside of Baltimore, so it was just perfect for a quick Sunday afternoon getaway.

I love road trips so much. I love not really having an agenda. I love just exploring. I love that you can stop at random things you spot along the way, like....

The Mason-Dixon Line...

Some chickens hanging out in someone's backyard...

And a really scenic Christmas tree farm!

Once we stopped making random pit stops, we finally arrived at our first destination: Gettysburg National Park. We popped into the visitor's center to plan our attack. Just in case you were wondering...Gettysburg is NOT walkable. We asked and got laughed at by the guides. The good news is the park is free to just wander around and they have really good maps that lay out driving routes and small walks you can take. There are markers at each spot explaining what you're looking at. 

We decided to take a little 15 minute hike along the high water mark trail, especially since it started at the visitor's center. The trail took us through some forest then along the Northern front of the battle. Each state had a monument marking where their troops were positioned. We also got to see the spot where Pickett's Charge came to an end. I have to say, even though I'm a Southerner, the North had a much better strategic position on this one. They were on the top of a gently sloping hill while the South was across an open field, charging at them like sitting ducks the entire way. 

Naturally Pennsylvania had the biggest monument of them all. You could actually climb up a set of narrow spiral stairs and walk around the top of the monument. Naturally that's exactly what we did!! Here's the view from the top:

Part of the reason we wandered over to the Pennsylvania monument was that we heard cannon fire, which was confusing because the battle ended YEARS ago. It seemed to be coming from near the monument so we scuttled over. Once we were on top of the monument we found the source of the noise:

 

An artillery demonstration by men in civil war uniforms!! Unfortunately I was not able to get a picture of the cannon actually firing. Even though they fired it twice, it scared me both times and I missed the shot. Those things are deafening; they had to do a warning before firing it and wait 10 minutes in between each shot!

By the time the demonstration wrapped up it was close to 1 and we were both starving. So we headed back to Katy's car.

The main square in Gettysburg is absolutely precious! We snagged lunch at a local diner then coffee from a coffee shop named The Ragged Edge. After lunch and a whirl around a bakery and winery, we plotted our next move. We decided that since the actual winery would always be open, as would the battlefield, we would instead hit the National Apple Harvest Festival! The festival's been going on in the middle of some apple orchards for 50 years. It was soo much fun!! In addition to everything apple (from apple pizza to apple hot sauce to apple syrup), there were antique cars, craft booths, and a petting zoo! They had a whole section devoted to antique tractors: 

After a couple of hours at the festival, we were both stuffed full of all things apple (seriously they shouldn't have given away so many samples) and a bit sleepy. We decided to head back so we could be ready for work the next day.  Naturally we made one more pit stop along the way: a scenic little apple orchard, which I totally trespassed into to get the perfect apple shot:

I must say, if there's ever a time to go to Gettysburg, it's in the fall.

[five]

Image from here.

On my TV: NBC's Grimm! True confession: I'm not a Once Upon a Time fan. Grimm is much more my speed when it comes to fairytales :).




On my speakers: "Yours Forever" by the Generationals. The song, the video, it's all so adorable!

Image from here.

On my nails: Sinful Colors' Cream Pink. I could pretend like this is for breast cancer awareness because it's October. But let's be honest: pink's just my favorite color.

Image from here.

On my wish list: Anthropologie's Transvere Placket Sweater. From the color to the collar to the cut, there's nothing I don't love about this sweater.

Image from here.

On my brain: Pinterest. Oh how I miss it!! I've almost cracked several times. Why did I think this would be a good idea again??

[pinaholic]

Two in one day?! Apparently, yes. Apparently I'm feeling a bit deep today.

Anyways.

A while back I discovered this website called Pinterest, which I'm sure many of you are quite familiar with.

I decided just now that I'm doing a Pinterest fast for the next month. So from October 10- November 10, I won't be pinning nor will I be getting on Pinterest.

Why?

Image from here.

A number of reasons, really.

We'll start with the evolution of the site itself. It's still a wonderful tool for organizing recipes, craft projects, outfit inspiration, etc. But every time I go to kill a little time on Pinterest I end up on the "Popular" page. And every time I see multiple pins of people attacking each other over something someone pinned.

For example, today I was on Pinterest and spotted a pin with an atheist quote on it. I'm (obviously) not an atheist myself so I didn't repin or like it. I was about to just scroll over it when the comments caught my eye. Someone calling themselves a christian commented on the pin, attacking atheist beliefs. Naturally a debate ensued. Naturally Christians were referred to as illogical, stupid, unthinking, judgmental and close-minded. Naturally atheists were referred to as lonely, sad, cold, and unfeeling.

Why? Why do we do this to each other? Why do we attack each other's tattoo choices or religious beliefs or makeup options via social media like Pinterest?? Pinterest is supposed to be a digital cork board where people can collect things they want to remember or that inspire them or that they just plain like. That's the way it was when I first started using the site. Why the animosity?? It happens on the popular page constantly. Someone posts something pro-Jesus and a bunch of people comment about what crap Christianity is. Someone posts a picture of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart in American flag jackets and people get up in arms about how that's degrading to our military.

I could dedicate an entire post to this topic, but for now it's enough to say that this type of behavior is part of the reason I'm staying away from Pinterest for a little while. A small part, yes. But a part none the less.

Another part is the time-sucking factor. Has anyone else noticed the fact that it takes FOREVER to find the bottom of a page on Pinterest?? Not only that, there are so many categories of pins to browse that you could lose hours of sleep and productivity perusing pins. Okay maybe I've done that.

Image from here. 

Okay okay maybe I've done that more often than I care to admit. And that's a problem. I have other things I want to be doing. For example I say "I'll do a little writing when I finish looking at the women's fashion page of pins." An hour later and I'm just beginning to find the bottom of the page. It's time to get ready for bed and once again, I haven't done any writing.

Part three of my reason for giving up Pinterest temporarily is a bit more spiritual in nature. It can be boiled down to one word: envy. Sure I've lost weight but not enough to pull off that fabulous outfit I saw on Pinterest. Sure I've got a wonderful life here in Baltimore but it's not as good as it could be if I was living in one of those fabulous destinations on Pinterest. I'm not a good enough cook, neat enough housekeeper, or a creative decorator/crafter.

I don't feel necessarily envious of the people on Pinterest. It just makes what I have not seem like enough.

Image from here.

Yes it's good to have goals to strive towards. I'm striving to be a better financial steward. I'm striving to make healthier choices throughout the day. I'm striving to keep my home organized (okay that one's not as optional--when you don't have much storage space, things get messy fast if you're not on your game!). I'm striving to dress appropriately for different situations in my life and put my best face forward, so to speak.

But in all that striving it's important to not lose sight of what I've already been blessed with. Everyday I stick to my budget is a victory. No I can't afford a trip to Europe or those fabulous pumps yet, but I am getting there. Every Thursday I step on the scale and see a lower number is a victory. Every pair of pants that used to be too small but is now too big is a victory. Every risk I'm willing to take is a victory. Every night I go to bed and it doesn't look like a bomb went off in my place is a victory. I have wonderful friends. I live in a wonderfully fascinating city. I have a phenomenal, loving, supportive family. And two really really cute birds that actually do seem to like me :). I've made a meal plan for the month, bought all the food, cooked all the meals.


When you're constantly perusing Pinterest it's easy to forget all that.

And that's the biggest part of my decision to take a temporary leave of absence. I'm sure I'll be back; after all there are some really great recipes I want to try! But for now Pinterest and I must go our separate ways.

Oh Pinterest, I will miss you so!

[stewarding]

Lately I've experienced a bit of a shift in viewpoints.

My whole life I've been massively unconcerned about money. It really didn't have much meaning to me. Since I didn't really ascribe much meaning to it, I was too quick to spend it. After all there'd always be more, right?

Here's an example to illustrate the way I used to think about money. Let's say I went grocery shopping with $100 worth of grocery money. I'd only spend $60 of the money. I'd drop my groceries in my apartment and head straight to the mall to spend the remaining $40. But when I got to the mall I'd find $50 worth of clothes that I really wanted. Let's be real: $10 isn't that much over $40. So I'd spend $50. Then I'd pick up dinner on the way home, cause what's another $15?

I think we can all agree that attitude is just a recipe for disaster. Naturally, rent or other bills would come due and I'd be short. So I'd stress. I'd cry, lose sleep and eat poorly. I'd cancel plans with friends and generally crash and burn.

I know we're called to be good stewards as Christians. But for years I thought that only applied to the environment and our physical bodies. I mean, how much did God really care about money? Sure there was the parable of the servants that were given coins by their master. The servant that was praised was the one that multiplied the money he was given. But that was just about using our talents and skills, right?

I mean if being a good steward applies to money, then surely it just applies to the wealthy. I mean, those with money to spare are called to share their wealth and use it to advance His kingdom.

It turns out that I was wrong.

Being a good steward also means being financially responsible, regardless of how much money you have. You could be scraping by or raking in buckets full of money. It turns out that the parable was also speaking about money.

So I've been taking steps to change my approach to my finances.

Remember that example earlier?? Well that actually happened last Saturday. But here's how it went down:

I went to the grocery store to buy my groceries for the month. I'm trying to limit the number of times I set foot in a grocery store each month; I was buying far more than I really needed. Much of what I bought went to waste, as did the money I spent on it. I estimated it would cost me about $100. It only cost me $62.

Wanna know what I did with the other $38?

Nothing. I saved it.

For once in my adult life I saved it.

But that's not the only change I've made.

I've been leaving my debit card at home when I go to work. The 7-11 in the lobby proved too tempting and $2 here and there adds up when you're doing it at least twice a day for 5 days a week.

Instead of shopping on my day off work Monday I tackled a home improvement project that I've been meaning to do for a month (more on that soon--I still have a bit of work to do before it's all done and ready to be shared!).

Every morning when I wake up I read a bit from my devotional while my coffee brews. This morning the devotional was all about the fact that we're called to be good stewards. And you know what the devotional talked about? The fact that everything on earth, including manmade creations, really belongs to God.

Including manmade creations.

Like money.

I think that qualifies as confirmation that I'm on the right track.

Hey, if I can get my weight back under control (I'm wearing single digit pant sizes again for the first time in 7+ years!), I can get my attitude toward money under control too.

Image from here.

[reading rainbow]

Last weekend the Book Festival was in town!!

Every year these little white tents line the Monument and the parks around it during the last weekend of September. Each little white tent holds a publisher or a local bookstore or maybe a local organization or charity. The point is, they all have books for sale!!

The prices are ridiculously cheap too--majority of the books are less than $10.

There are numerous speakers as well on everything from children's books to cooking to anarchist literature. No seriously--I listened to a speaker on anarchist literature for a few minutes. What can I say? She caught my attention.

There was a train for the little ones:

There were people in costumes running around the fair as well. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a shot of Mother Goose but it wasn't for lack of trying! Instead, I did catch a shot of some folks promoting Enoch Pratt Free Library, which is right across the street from my church.

Oh and these flowers were just gorgeous, even if they weren't part of the festival:

I must say, the highlight of the whole thing was that I finally got to go into Peabody Library. Y'all. If you're ever in Baltimore: GO TO PEABODY.

How beautiful is that?? They have all these phenomenal old books, some of which were out on display.

These ones obviously were not out on display; these are just their regular stacks. But they were pretty amazing too.

I mean, the skylight, the marble, the columns, the wrought iron, the books, the smell of old books. I can't even... Oh goodness it was like heaven in there.

What can I say? I'm just a huge nerd at heart.

And I'm totally okay with that.

[five]

Image from here

On my nightstand: still working on Perfume. It just keeps getting better :)

Image from here

On my speakers: California by Mindy Gledhill. It's such an adorably upbeat song. I can't get enough of it this week!

Image from here.

On my nails: New York Color in Prey of Grey. Super impressed with this super cheap nail polish.

Image from here

On my agenda: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Katy. After a rough start to the week, we decided to spend a half day poking around Gettysburg and the nearby apple festival on Sunday. I'm super excited to get out of the city for a little while!

Source: stylezen.net via Courtney on Pinterest

On my wish list: Something in this wonderful yellow color I keep seeing. I don't care if it's pants, a jacket, a skirt, a shirt or a dress--I just want this in my closet! I love it paired with that turqouise necklace too. And can we talk for a sec about how awesome that scarf is?

[jumping the gun]

I have this problem.

I get so excited about the upcoming holiday that I tend to decorate far earlier than I should.

For example: my Halloween decorations went up on Saturday.

I know. It was September still. But I mean, it was almost October. Right?? It's October now, isn't it?

You see the Renaissance Festival ended up falling through. Money is tight and with tickets at $22 a pop plus the cost of food and drinks, I decided that staying home would be a better option. Don't worry--I'm not becoming a total hermit, just making some changes to my spending habits.

It's kind of my new mission to live as inexpensively as possible. Sure I've been somewhat forced into this as the result of having a job that provides the world's most awesome experience coupled with the world's tiniest paychecks (seriously why does it have to be one or the other? Why not both? Okay, the answer is probably because I'm only entry level. And I'm not barred. Yet. Oh and the economy or something.).  But I'm turning it into a sort of game instead of losing sleep over it.

Anyways.

Halloween.

That's what this post is about.

I love Halloween. I love fall. I love the weather, the activities, the food, the clothing colors, the clothing itself. I love scarves and jackets and jeans and tights and boots. I love jewel tones and hats and berry colored lipstick.

So. Much. Love.

Naturally I had my windows open, the Halloween Pandora station on the radio, and an apple pie in the oven while I was decorating Saturday. Don't judge.

I have been good though--I bought a new door mat last week and I've waited a whole week to put it out.

Back off.

That was really hard for me.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one that does this.

Somebody?

Anybody?

Beuller?