{LinkUp: Show and Tell} Intro and Resolutions

January 22…also linking up with Kelly’s Korner for Single’s Day…I’ve NEVER done online dating…so here goes! 🙂

Original Post Jan 6…I’m linking up {Wednesday} for Show and Tell Tuesday! Can we all agree it’s ok to run a day behind on the to-do list even if it is only the 6th day of a New Year?!

This week’s topic is Introductions and Resolutions.  I’m not sure I’ve ever really done a formal “Introduction” of sorts here, but I feel like most every post is look inside to who I am, but here’s maybe a few random things…

I first started blogging in 2008, right at my 32nd birthday.  I wrote a post {click here} with a few facts about me. One day I’m going to move all the posts from that old blog over here to the new(ish) blog, but that’s a project for another day…

Life has changed a little for me since that post…

I no longer work in the Corporate World, but work in Education. After a year of transition and traveling work, I taught a couple of years and am now at the Administration building for one of the largest districts in the US, a change that just took place Sept 2015.  I honestly love my job, it is something different every day with a goal of our students being College and/or Career ready when they graduate from High School. We offer dual credit programs, certifications, on the job training, real world exposure, industry focused academies and more for 16 various pathways in Career and Technical Education.

I’m now an Aunt 3 times over plus 2 bonuses. “The Littles” I often refer to are my nephew who is now 8.5 and twin nieces are 6.5! Bonus step-nephew is 15 and niece is 7. One of the greatest joys and gifts to life is being “Gigi” to the littles. They constantly amaze me with their imaginations, creativity, personality, questions and zeal for life.

My then 2-year-old Bichon will turn 10 next month!  He’s had a slightly traumatic December, but despite having had 12  teeth removed, he is on the up and up and just about back to his typical personality. Funny how dogs can become such a part of your family, he’s definitely my buddy and I’m thankful for all the days and seasons he’s forced me out of the house when I wish I could just stay inside with my tears.

I have always had a creative desire and have done various creative things throughout my life…sewed when I was a kid, made jewelry, blogging and for the last year consistently been creating lettered art, {more here}. Words are one of my very favorite things and I love putting quotes, verses, mottos, encouragement, reminders, anniversary, wedding and other occasions on a canvas for someone to see and remember. Up for debate is an Etsy Shop, we’ll see if that gets off the ground later in 2016.  For now, you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram, I’m always taking orders and have a few pieces in stock ready to go.

 

Additionally, I love bargain hunting and fashion, which if you’ve been around here, you’ve seen lots of my “what I’m wearing” posts {most recently click here}.  I’m a big fan of Target and since I’m tall (5’9″ plus I typically wear 3″ or 4″ heels) I pretty much buy all my pants from The Gap.  My favorite is still Jeans, but I do love dressing up from time to time. The best bargain I found recently is a fleece onesie, much like the girl who showed up on the Bachelor in her onesie, I’m still looking for “the Onesie” for me. I might wear mine to the grocery store, but  probably wouldn’t for a national TV debut.

My Faith…without it I can’t imagine what my life would look like.  Honestly, at 39, single, having been through lots of job change, moves, hard friendships, broken relationships, family changes and my own selfish ways, I would be a complete mess if it wasn’t for my faith.  I BELIEVE {my 2015 word, more here} that God is for me, knows me, pursues me, loves me, challenges me, disciplines me, gives me dreams, promises to me, unconditionally accepts me, wants me to succeed, and takes me back every time I mess up without conditions. The grace of Jesus is overwhelming to me.  I am thankful to have been raised in a Christian home, for parents who pray for me daily, for mentors and people who invest in me, for a church that teaches me and the people who walk alongside me.

I’m really not much for resolutions. However, this week at work in our team meeting we drew our resolutions (vs writing them)…one we want to keep and one we want to change, then shared with our group. See why I love my job?? I already had these things in mind, so it was easy to put to paper…

2016 Keep: Last year might have been one of my favorite resolutions to date, and also one of my most successful…fresh flowers in my house. Simple grocery store flowers, but I have loved having them in my house on the kitchen bar, where I start my mornings, and I plan to keep having flowers this year. (If you love flowers, don’t wait for someone to buy them for you, treat yourself!) First flowers of this year are my favorite kind of roses; bit antique looking with touch of green on outside petals…

 

The other thing I plan to keep is my word of the year. I’m settling on my word in January, will keep it throughout the year as a secret word and watch how it unfolds and see what God teaches me through that word in 2016. Here’s links to the last couple of years…

2016 Change: Words. I love words. Lettering them, reading them, words of encouragement sent (& received) in snail mail, writing them on my blog, speaking with my people and as a speaker….I want more of all of those in 2016. And, specifically words in prayer. So I’m focusing on that starting 2016 with the book “31 Day of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer”

If you’ve made it to here, thanks for reading and I hope you’ll be a regular around here!  I wish for you the best in 2016 – we are not promised easy, but we are promised God will not leave us nor forsake us, no matter what comes I will continue to believe that truth.

Blessings,