Archive for the 'It’s a Girl Thing' Category

May 12, 2008 @ 5:14 pm | Filed under: Family,Friends,It's a Girl Thing

Several of you have emailed or called, wanting to know how it was to turn forty. So here you go – a photo journey through one very memorable – very special - week in my life!

May 4, 2008 @ 10:51 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me

“Let’s go to dinner tonight.”

I was walking past, on my way downstairs, when Mike’s words caused me to pause.

“Okay…” 

“Let’s go around seven.” Mike barely looked up from his computer. “Sound good?”

“Sure.” I went on about my business, aware in a really weird way that something was just a bit off about his dinner suggestion.

He walked me into the restaurant promptly at 7:15 that night and I saw them immediately. A long table filled with friends and with balloons and with all kinds of reminders that I was turning…forty!

These friends were actually the women who serve with me on our WOW (Women of Worth) committee. I was beyond touched at the gesture but it was when I opened their gift that I felt the tears in my eyes and the joy in my heart.

Nestled inside of a great box filled with everything from popcorn to Funyons (there’s a story here!) to chocolate chip cookies was a hard-back copy of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. This is the book that WOW is using this year as a base for bible study groups and a fall retreat.

Inside both covers were words penned by these women, very special individuals who’ve come to mean the world to me. Each of them bring such talent and creativeness to our group. They serve tirelessly and willingly, and they share with me the burden that I carry for the women in our church.

Girls, you made my day!

You helped to make turning 40 a really special time in my life!

May 1, 2008 @ 2:03 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me

“Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life.”

I first saw them a month ago, in passing, and walked on by. Although – I have to admit – I did turn around once and look back.

I saw them again two weeks ago and, this time, picked them up and got a closer look. Big mistake. It was love, or at least intense interest, at first touch. But the price tag caused me to swallow hard and put them down again.

Except I went back yet again, and – this time – decided to try them on. I’ve only felt this way a couple of other times about a pair of shoes. And once with a purse – my Coach bag. But there are just times when nothing hits the spot for a woman quiet like a great pair of shoes. Particularly the shoes that practically scream out your name.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. We have no 6 1/2 in stock.”

“Sevens?” Maybe I could make them work…

“Seven-and-a-half is the smallest we have. I could call around to the other stores…”

“Sure, that would be great.” I stood at the counter and listened as she made the calls, but no luck. My shoe was no where to be found in the metroplex.

Ordinarily I would have taken it as a sign by this point that this pair of shoes was just not meant to be mine. But somehow I knew that wasn’t the case. For someone like me, who doesn’t get a thrill out of shopping and who is only very rarely drawn to a piece of clothing or accessories, you just know when something is right for you.

This shoe…needed to be mine.

“Ma’am, may I order this shoe for you?” This was the manager of the department who’d overheard the last part of my conversation with the sales clerk.

And that is how this great pair of shoes came to be mine. All mine.

My instincts were right.

When I slip them on, I feel… great. Especially right now, when it feels good to remember that not only am I somebody’s mother, these shoes are a four-inch stilletto reminder that I am indeed…a woman.

April 21, 2008 @ 12:49 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing

We all learned a little more about ourselves when we read this, right?

I love my Coach bag. Really, I do. It will always be special to me, and for many different reasons. It was my first purse ‘splurge.’ And – even though it took several months for me to finally bite the bullet, so to speak, and actually spend the money, I have to say that I have absolutely no regrets.

Since it was bought with money from my book royalties, this bag will always be somewhat special to me. If the day ever comes when I no longer carry it, you can rest assured that it will have a permanent, cushy home somewhere in the depths of my closet. It will be with me for life.

Having said all this, imagine my surprise a few weeks ago, when a friend of mine purchased The Bag’s cousin! How can I say this….I think I may have experienced a moment of bag envy! And then, of course, I immediately felt shame that I had even let myself give the cousin a second glance…

I love my bag. Really,  I do.

But it has some really good-looking relatives too!

March 31, 2008 @ 11:33 am | Filed under: Friends,It's a Girl Thing

Sometimes a smile and the face of laughter is all the caption you need!

This photo was taken one year ago at a ladies retreat and – YAY! – that same annual conference is only THREE DAYS AWAY!

I have no doubt that the speakers will be awesome and anointed.

I have no doubt that the music will be inspirational.

I have no doubt that the Spirit of God will move in a great and mighty way.

And I look forward to all of that!

But you know what?

I really just can’t wait to spend three days laughing and loving God with these women – my friends.

March 17, 2008 @ 7:53 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,It's funny!

Comedian Anita Renfroe, who made an Internet splash with “William Tell Momsense,” a song about motherhood, is now a special “Good Morning America” contributor addressing issues important to all women — like hair, handbags, and all things girly.

Clutch, hand bag or purse — whatever the name of your all-inclusive accessory, it can say a lot about you. Whether you love those over-the-shoulder boulder holders or tiny totes are your thing, your pocketbook is telling the world more than you realize.

There are at least four purse analogies.

More Is More Better

This lady is the one who never really got over carrying the diaper bag and still wishes she had something that large. She normally has like a full snack bar and a working pharmacy down in her bag and is prepared for every situation in life.

•  The upside: Should you ever find yourself in jail, she’ll be the only one in your group of friends with a MacGyver 7-in-1 tool to bust you out.

Basic Tiny Toter

This girl can get the whole contents of her day into seven square inches. I don’t really understand this woman, but you can bet if she can do this that she’s got some control issues.

She probably pays her bills ahead of time and has her sheets tucked in real tight on the corners of her bed.

•  The upside: Should you ever find yourselves in jail, she’ll be the only one with the unlimited AMEX who can bail you out.

Serial Monogamist

She gets one purse and sticks with it for 12 years. She’s the kind of person for whom you occasionally have to do what we call “a purse intervention.” Now she’s also loyal and if she’ll stay with this purse for 12 years she’ll hang with you.

•  The upside: Should you ever find yourself in jail, she’s the only one in your group of friends who’ll be out on the sidewalk holding a candlelight vigil with a sign that says, “My friend is innocent.”

Purse Schizophrenic

This woman changes her purses more often than she changes her underwear. Sometimes she doesn’t know how she’s going to feel after lunch so she’ll occasionally carry a purse inside of her purse just in case her mood changes.

•  The upside: If you find yourself in jail, she’s normally the reason why you’re there, BUT she’s also the one who’ll sit right there with you in that jail cell saying, “Isn’t that the best fun we ever had honey?”

March 12, 2008 @ 1:01 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me

Friendship is the golden thread that ties all hearts together. – Unknown

Welcome to my blog!This is the place where faith and fiction bring friends together. A place to share the wonder of being a friend, a wife, a mother, a writer, a teacher, a student…bu

It’s the place to share the wonder of being a woman. 

But – most of all – it’s the place to share the joy of being a daughter of the King!

It’s a place where I hope you’ll discover glimpses of God’s grace as He continues His work in, and through, me.

Visit often, and bring your friends along! For each comment left from now until the end of April, your name will be placed into a drawing for a $50 gift card to Bath & Body Works!

So don’t lurk – sign in and join the conversation!  

July 9, 2007 @ 2:39 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing

 

April 1, 2007 @ 10:19 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Soul Food

Texas UPC Women’s Conference 2007

March 27, 2007 @ 3:04 pm | Filed under: Friends,It's a Girl Thing,Pure Sunshine

The proposal for Finding Faith is sealed in an envelope and will be dropped off at Post Net on my way home this afternoon. (I would pause here to do a little happy dance except I’m sitting in the library at school and that would draw WAY too much attention my direction:) In a few short days it will find its way to the desks of my publishers while I wait to hear if it is a story they desire to represent.

There is something that feels so extraordinary about sliding those freshly printed sheets of manuscript inside an 9×11 manilla envelope and preparing it for the mail. While the manuscript is still not complete, this is the point in the process where I can draw my first deep breath and take a brief moment to relax. Inside this envelope is the proposal and sample chapters, the equivalent of my heart and soul and the complete vision that I carry for this story.

For the next few, brief days the story is more or less out of my hands as I wait to hear the verdict. The story has crystalized in my heart and mind and – for me – the most excruciating part of the process is just about over. While I wait to hear back I will work intensively to finish the remaining chapters and then begin the satisfying process of layering in more emotion, conflict, and spiritual threads throughout the story.

But first…(drumroll, please)

I’m off for a girl’s-only weekend with my friends!

After I complete three exams (count ‘em – THREE – how on earth did THAT happen?) on Thursday morning, I will finally be free to hit the highway around noon. We will be attending a ladies retreat a few hours drive from here and we’ll be sharing, laughing, eating, crying, and worshiping, (in no particular order) during our time away. I always come home with my soul rejuvenated, my mind refreshed, and my heart overflowing with the beauty of friendship.

The above picture is of me and my roommates. These are the women who feel the heartbeat of my life. They uphold me in prayer, make me laugh until I cry, and always, always, always challenge me to be a better person. I thought I had great friends as a little girl but these women have revolutionized the whole meaning of friendship for me.

Of course, it helps that when I suggest an authentic Irish dinner for St. Patrick’s Day, they jump on board with energy and enthusiasm! Despite the fact that none of us knew the definition of "authentic Irish food." Regardless that not a one of us had ever attempted such culinary wonders in the kitchen before. And – for the record – the meal was a complete hit – delicious, prepared to perfection, and enjoyed by all.

The best part was the process though. Just moving around the kitchen together – reading recipes, seasoning the lamb, boiling the potatoes for the colcannon, stirring the braised root vegetables, and baking Bonnie’s scrumptious carrot cake. Occasionally we’d bump into one another, getting in each other’s way and fumbling for various pots and pans, but laughing and joking the entire time.

There are some things that money just can’t buy.

One of them is friendships like these.

Another is the peace that comes with sealing a small segment of your dream in an envelope and sending it on its way with a whispered prayer.

Today, I’m thankful for both.