on the contentious woman...

"...a constant dripping on a day of steady rain and 
a contentious woman are alike..." 

- Proverbs 27:15

During the past week, I've been reading a Proverb a day (because wisdom please!); I've noticed the idea of The Contentious Woman. She is mentioned roughly five times in Proverbs (Proverbs 21:9;19; Proverbs 26:21; Proverbs 27:15) depending upon translation. The Contentious Woman given to argument or strife; she is quarrelsome, characterized by controversy and provoking. There is an absence of peace and faith; truly, she is the opposite of the woman characterized in Proverbs 31 who has no fear for the future, who laughs, who builds up, who brings life to those around her. I feel like the Lord has been really opening my eyes to this contrast of character; He brings to mind recent conversations where I've asked unnecessary questions, tried to provoke thought, to control, change and gain clarity... places where I've been seeking answers from man, not from God.

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"...contention roams in my heart when there is fear and insecurity, 

a lack of peace and trust in God to be who He says He will be..."

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So, what makes a woman contentious? What makes a woman argue and provoke and be a "constant dripping", or in other versions, a "leaky faucet"? I don't know about every woman, but I know that contention roams in my heart when there is fear and insecurity, a lack of peace and trust in God to be who He says He will be. I don't think that I am a consciously contentious woman, but I definitely see myself becoming one. I have contentious tendencies. When I am operating out of fear for the future, out of the insecurity that the Enemy plants in my heart, then I am prone to quarrel and strife, to provocation and urgency. The only Person who is built to carry our contentious spirits is the Lord; we can come before His throne with any sadness, any question, any heartache, any grievance and upset. For me, becoming contentious is not something I strive for, it is something that I become when I am not rooting myself in truth, grace, and love.  
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"...if I am filling myself with the truth of the Living Water, 
there is no need to become a "leaky faucet"..."

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I do NOT want to be characterized and motivated by fear and insecurity, but rather out of peace and security. A woman who is at rest in her identity in Christ is not contentious, THAT is the kind of woman I desperately desire to be. If I am filling myself with the truth of the Living Water, there is no need to become a "leaky faucet", to be seeking affirmation and answers from places that simply just cannot provide such things. There is beauty in His control; when He is in control, that means that I don't have to be! And where there is that kind of freedom, contention has no place. 

Am I a woman who is prone to peace or prone to provocation? 

Am I constantly seeking affirmation, constantly asking questions, 

or resting in the security and knowledge of Christ?

(PS: I think this applies to men as well, just saying.)

on what I want the younger (and older) girls to know...

I want you to know that you are both beautiful. You and the girl you are comparing yourself to; you are both worthy and lovely and absolutely amazing in very specifically different ways. 

I want you to know that it is okay to think boys are cute and fun, because they are cute and fun, but they aren't meant to consume your whole life. You are a whole person, whether you are in or out of a relationship. 

I want you to know that the list of things you want in a future husband changes, and praise the Lord for that because the most important things are not that he loves dogs, plays football, has brown hair, and listens to country music. 

I want you to know that a Jesus centered life is better than a Pinterest worthy life.

I want you to know the power of Jesus, the true power of who He is and what He does with our lives. He died for your sins and three days later rose from the grave, conquering death and claiming victory for humanity. He can redeem, restore, provide, prepare, lavish grace, love, and truth. He can take everything you have done and turn it into something beautiful, even the ugliest of things. 

I want you to know the power of dancing and singing and laughing.

I want you to know that God is big enough for your emotions. You are allowed to be mad, sad, excited, frustrated, confused, messy, and wild. 

I want you to know that you should eat the fries, buy the dress, say the nice thing, smile at the boy, read the book, go to the beach, buy yourself flowers, take a trip.

I want you to know that life is too short to be uncomfortable in your own skin.

I want you to know how important it is to find a mentor, for someone to show you how to live for Jesus in the middle of the mundane. Invite someone into your life to keep you accountable, to be a shoulder to cry on, a person to laugh with, a sister to encourage you in truth, and someone to come over on a Friday night with pizza and ice cream and a chick flick (preferably written by Nicholas Sparks, amen?).

I want you to know that the way you treat people matters. 

I want you to know that life is full of really good things. But there is a difference between good things and godly things, learn to discern the difference. 

I want you to know that we were never meant to "have it all" and "do it all".

I want you to know that there are worse things than gaining weight, a bad haircut, not having a boyfriend or a husband or kids, not having enough "likes" on Instagram, or not being invited to the party. It is far worse to be unkind, ungrateful, ungodly. 

I want you to know the value in having fun and not taking yourself too seriously. Give yourself some grace. 

I want you to know that life is hard, but God is good. Seriously. He is the treasure.

I want you to know that the church is powerful and is the most beautiful source of encouragement and community.

I want you to know that you are loved. SO FREAKING LOVED. Just because you aren't loved by the people you want or in the ways you want, doesn't mean you aren't. 

I want you to know that I am cheering for you, don't give up, you've got this.

on the lines of hope...

Ever since we were kids, we were taught to "color inside the lines".

This never bugged me. I loved lines. I still love lines. In a weird way, they give me freedom, they tell me where I can go, they tell me where I am safe. Throughout the past month, the theme of these lines has been popping up. Lines and lines and lines...

"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places, indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me..." 

- Psalm 16: 5-6 (NASB)

"The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as

they are to your future in Heaven, kept taught by hope..." 

- Colossians 1:5 (MSG)

The lines have fallen in pleasant places because they are tied and taut by hope; they are beautiful and not reckless. God is not a reckless Sovereign, He knows what He is doing and He knows what we need. Sometimes, it's hard to see the lines as good; maybe the lines fell and you ended a relationship or friendship, or cancer snuck in, or you lost a job, or you are going through the treacherous "post-grad" period, or death happened. But even in our discomfort, we are safe. The lines are painful and confusing and grey, but we know the God who put them there and His intent is not to harm us or confuse us, it is to draw us closer to Him, to use the boundary lines to bind us to Him. The lines are placed as an act of love and grace; sin must be kept out, holiness must be kept in. We continue to hope in the God of our circumstances, not in our circumstances. 
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"...the lines are painful and confusing and grey, but we know the God 

who put them there and His intent is not to harm us or confuse us..."

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As I think about my life, where the lines have fallen, I am grateful that the Lord loves us enough to step in. He protects us from the good to reserve us for the godly. Friends, this is a truth that I have been needing to preach to myself daily. I want to be a woman who embraces the seasons and the lines that are provided for me, not resisting them or doubting them. I want a heart that rests within the boundaries, a heart that dwells in peace inside the lines, having no desire to jump outside of them. I want to color inside the spaces that the Lord has placed before me, filling them with vibrant color and beauty. I want to trust that His boundaries for me are greater than the boundaries I have for myself, that His ways are truly higher than mine.
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"...a heart that dwells in peace inside the lines 

has no desire to jump outside of them..."

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I don't know where you are today, what boundaries you're living in or trying to resist, but today, rest knowing that God is aware of your heart and needs, He is fighting for you, protecting you, pursuing you. Lean into the lines that He has placed for your life, because in that, you will find Him and He will meet you there, He will meet us there.

on guards and walls...

Hi, my name is Kristi, and I am a Feeler.

It's hard living life as a Feeler. Being a Feeler means I filter life through my heart, not my head. Being a Feeler means I bear my burdens and the burdens of others in a very serious way. Being a Feeler means I am quick to trust and quick to love; it means discernment and gut instinct over fact and formula. I tend to love people and things when love doesn't make logical sense. My heart carries a lot within it, and by a lot I mean A FREAKING LOT. I like this about myself, I truly do, but sometimes, having a big heart means you need to install big boundaries. Because when you wear your heart on your sleeve, when you love everyone and everything with all you have, you are exposed to a serious amount of pain, rejection, and false hope.
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"...sometimes, having a big heart means you need to install big boundaries..."

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Recently, I can feel myself beginning to install walls around my heart; big, hefty, Home Depot-type walls. The walls are being laid brick by brick, sort of haphazardly and unintentionally. There is no rhyme or reason, there is just construction. Where once there was liberty to hope, there is the beginnings of a hedge. 

The Bible speaks of the heart as both a wellspring and as wicked. In Proverbs 4:23 we are warned to guard our hearts and in Jeremiah 17:9 we are told that we aren't to trust it. A wellspring bent towards wickedness, that's our heart. Wellsprings and wickedness and walls... What do we do with all of that? (Seriously, asking for a friend myself.)

In an effort to try and understand my own heart and my own hopes, I am resting in a place that says guards are healthy and needed. Guards are healthy, walls are not. Guards are meant to keep something safe while walls are meant to close off. A guard allows my heart to be protected, a wall confines my heart to be hidden. In my plight to keep myself safe, sometimes I end up closing myself off completely, and that is not a tendency that I want to cultivate. 

We all want to be safe. We all want to be protected from pain, from embarrassment, from shame, from false hope. Friends, there is nothing worse than a false hope, of this I am absolutely sure. And this is why I want the walls... I want the walls because earthly love does fail. Earthly love disappoints and expects too much, it has too much potential for pain.  But, in the fear of false hope, we cannot lose all hope. While I was listening to the words of Ellie Holcombs "Love Never Fails", my prayer echos her words: "Oh Lord, help me to live like love never fails..."
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"...in the fear of false hope, we cannot lose all hope..."

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I want to live like love never fails, because real love is unfailing. I want to live like love never fails, because love itself offers as a wall of protection. I want to live like love never fails, because I don't want to live like love fails. When we live like love never fails, we love without fear and without expectation and without walls. 

His hope is secure and His love is unfailing, I am praying my heart finds solace and comfort in that place, and that I allow His secure hope and unfailing love to act as guards, protecting me and softening me from the walls I continue to build.

a coffee date...

If we were on a coffee date, I would be drinking iced coffee with coconut milk and agave. We would sit at a hole in the wall coffee shop around the corner from my apartment that has string lights and chalkboard signs and the cutest everything.

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you about my car accident.

If we were on a coffee date, maybe we would talk about my Whole 25 (not 30, oops) journey and how I am actually teaching my body to love running. This is weird, like, I actually look forward to putting on my workout things, heading to the orange groves, and pushing myself to run. My body is starting to crave this and it is kind of awesome.

If we were on a coffee date, you would tell me about your marriage, your children, your plans for the summer, your heart and where it's at with the Lord right now.

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you about how God is faithful to keep cultivating things in my life. My personal theme this year has turned into a sort of "fruit of the Spirit" tilling, and I really like being aware of that work. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about writing and influence and about your voice, my voice. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about the safety and protection of others. We would talk about how we need to love our people, protect our people, and never apologize for it.

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I knocked a few books off of my reading list, but have so many more to go! I also keep adding to the list, so, cheers to that. (Currently, Wild and Free is in my purse!)

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about the women in your life. The young ones, older ones, married ones, single ones, hard-to-love ones, generous ones, life-giving ones. 

If we were on a coffee date, I might introduce you to The Southern Shirt Company. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would walk away feeling refreshed, thankful for each other and for a good, good Father.

If we were on a coffee date, what would you need to talk about today?

on impatience and perseverance...

One thing that I have learned to be true about Jesus? He is not subtle. When Jesus wants you to do something or learn something, you know. And lately, I know.

At the beginning of this month, I read Annie Downs new book, "Looking for Lovely". I may or may not have finished it in two days and everyone needs it in their personal library. Please go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy right now. She speaks A LOT into the idea of what perseverance looks like in her life, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. She even got a tattoo (which is not happening for me because I am indecisive and hate all kinds of pain). 

This year, I studied through Acts with a group of women at my church. Paul and the early church knew what it meant to persevere in every sense of the word. 

Twenty one days ago, I started Whole 30 and running (again), which, enough said.

For the next few months, my church is making our way through 1 & 2 Thessalonians. This past Sunday, we were encouraged in the way of perseverance. 

Are all these things a coincidence? Absolutely not. Jesus is purposeful and intentional and answering big heart prayers. My theme this year is cultivate, and He is doing just that, building parts of my faith that I didn't really know existed, strengthening parts of it that already do. Perseverance seems grueling and exhausting; the connotation seems negative. We tell people to persevere when they are weak and hurt and amidst a trial, but what about persevering through normal things? Like maybe young motherhood, singleness, a mediocre job, financial problems, the last semester of high school, a transition in ministry, or cleaning your house after a long day of work? Is perseverance only reserved for the hard seasons in life? 

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...underneath the normal is the hum of God doing the unseen, 
and to see that, we must keep going.

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Right now, my life is not hard. My money is spent on normal adult things, morning coffee, and the occasional adventure or new dress. My time is spent with people I love and who make me laugh and remind me of truth. My relationship with God is good and abundant. And still, there is this quiet whisper underneath all of these studies and sermons and seasons... "Keep going." Sometimes we need that for our everyday, run-of-the-mill lives because underneath the normal is the hum of God doing the unseen, and to see that, we must keep going (because I don't know about you, but I want to see that stuff, the stuff that Jesus is working on underneath it all).

Perseverance is good and necessary regardless of your season or status because it's a means of sanctification. He uses it to make us more like Him, to mold us into strong, loving, gracious, truthful people. Because we don't know what the middle of the story holds and we don't know how the story finishes, but we do know the God who does. We persevere because we know Him. 
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The opposite of impatience is not patience, it is perseverance...

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And recently, my heart has been so impatient and full of questions and wonder. I sat in my chair a few weeks ago, letting the truth of Scripture wash over me, contemplating the lives of the early church, and it struck me... The opposite of patience is not impatience, it is perseverance. When I focus on being patient, I feel stuck and trapped, but when I focus on perseverance, I feel hopeful and aware of what God is teaching me. Patience is birthed out of places of frustration, perseverance is birthed out of places of focus. For me, patience is seen as the last straw, almost like a coping mechanism for when my personal desires are not met. Maybe the goal isn't to become patient, but to build up endurance, to persevere. 

God never calls us to begin, He calls us to finish and to finish well, and by His grace that is actually possible. Perseverance is good. For the student turning in their last assignment of the semester, perseverance is good. For the man who is waiting until marriage and fighting the temptation of pornography, perseverance is good. For the woman wanting a husband or babies or grand babies, perseverance is good. For the new mom who is washing milky bottles instead of washing her hair, perseverance is good. For the person who is interviewing for job after job and facing rejection, perseverance is good.

And so, we persevere, I persevere, because He who calls us is faithful and will give us the grace to endure and to finish. 

a coffee date...

If we were on a coffee date, it would probably look more like big cups of vanilla almond milk and a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about influence and impact. This weekend, I was reminded of the weight of shepherding the hearts of and showing my high school girls Jesus. It's a good weight, but a weight nonetheless. Who are you shepherding? Who are you showing Jesus to?

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you about the hard places that my heart has been in the past couple weeks. The prayers that are being prayed are new, and not just new for the situation, but new to my whole 26 year old life. It's a little scary, but God is in control and is in the business of being sovereign (unlike us).

If we were on a coffee date, I would gush about Paul E. Miller's "A Praying Life". This book has changed my theology of prayer in all the good ways. I would ask you about your prayer life... How do you pray? What are you praying for? What are you afraid to seek God about?

If we were on a coffee date, I would also gush about "Looking For Lovely" by Annie Downs. Y'all, I bought this book Saturday morning and I was finished by Sunday night. Her writing just gets me, and the best part? IT FEELS LIKE A COFFEE DATE. If you want to borrow it, just let me know, but you should probably buy your own copy because you will want to highlight all the things and write little notes in the margins. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about "Fixer Upper: Season 2". That coffee shop couple? HOLY MOSES THEY ARE PRECIOUS. Joanna and Chip, can you a.) make me a house and b.) be my best friends? 

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you to read "When Nothing is New" by Greer Oharah. Everything she says here is so good and needed, especially in a culture that expects, creates, and yearns for constant movement and mountain-top experiences. "We find depth when we walk along the same path everyday." YES. SO GOOD.  

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about money and how I am really trying to be a responsible adult with my tax refund, loans, etc. 

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that Scrivener is hands down the most brilliant software to ever happen to my life. It is built for writers and is so dang simple. I actually got really emotional about it. Does that make me a nerdy girl now? 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about my relationship with my dad. We would talk about the new hope that I have, that maybe the path to redemption is near. 

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that my heart is longing for the summer. For those of you who know my inner most being, you know that summer is not my jam, so this is new for me. My heart is craving the beach, a good book, a big acai bowl/balboa bar, and bonfires. Really, I am just so excited for summer adventures. 

If we were on a coffee date, I would ask you how you are doing, what you are reading, and are you just as obsessed with Joanna Gaines as much as I am? (Honestly, I may need an intervention.)

on reading in 2016...

Carrying on with the idea of cultivating growth, this year I want to be very intentional about what I read. I love words, I love highlighting them and circling them and putting them on Post-Its throughout my common places (my bathroom mirror, my desktop computer at work, my planner) to remind me of ideas and truth. 

Over the past month, I have asked friends all over America what they have been reading and what I should be reading. I have also scoured Instagram accounts and blogs of my favorite authors to find out what they have been reading. Through all of this highly skilled and effective research, I have carefully crafted my list of books. 

I can't tell you how excited I am about these, because a good portion of them are new and written by some of my most favorite writers! 

(all images found via Amazon)

My goal is 12 books in 12 months, which I feel is very manageable. I am excited to have something to stretch me and grow me each month. And because I am Type A, I have planned out all of the books I plan to read throughout this year...

"Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert

"A Praying Life" by Paul Miller

"Search for Significance" by McGee

"Looking for Lovely" by Annie Downs

"Wild and Free" by Jessica Connolly and Hayley Morgan

"Why Not Me?" by Mindy Kaling

"Love Does" by Bob Goff

"Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown

"He Speaks in the Silence" by Diane Comer

"A Prayer Journal" by Flannery O'Connor

"Emotionally Healthy Spiritually" by Peter Scazzero

"Present Over Perfect" by Shauna Niequist

There you have it, my list of reads for 2016! Honestly, I hope I read more than what's listed here, but I am trying to be realistic (again, I am great at starting, not finishing!).

So friends, what is on your list?

* I would like to add "The Power of Other" by Henry Cloud.

on cultivating...

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness…" 

- Psalm 37:3

Themes are a relatively new idea for my walk with the Lord. Before then, I made all the resolutions about all the things (weight, relationships, organization, etc.). In 2014, I focused on the idea of discipline, coming from Hebrews 12:11 and in this past year, I focused on being still, coming from Psalm 46:10. These past two years have been hard and good, growing my understanding of God and myself like WOAH.

Looking ahead to 2016, I have a slew of goals and things to be excited for (like a trip to Ecuador, my second year working at CBU, a bunch of weddings, new and old ministries, and some BIG personal projects!), but I want to be focused on the idea of growth… cultivate.

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Cultivate: to prepare; to use for the raising of crops; to loosen or break up soil; to foster the growth of; to improve by labor, care, or study

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Lately, I feel like the Lord has been loosening a lot of the soil in my heart; and honestly, some of the things that have come from that process have been pretty surprising. The more I experience that, the more I want of that; as those spaces loosen and break up, I find that there is more desire and room for Him, which is everything. The past year I learned what it meant to rest in the Lord, to be still (which is an active state of obedience and choice), and I am praying that God is using this past year as a springboard into this one. 

This year, I want to cultivate; to cultivate something requires work, intention, focus, and that is what I think the Lord has been pressing on my heart. I want this year to be one of growth, of study, of prayer, of action, of labor; I want 2016 to be the year that I decided to put my work pants on and really dive into all that we have access to as a child of God. I don't know about you, but I know that I haven't even been close to tapping into the fullness of the Holy Spirit, of the Word, of my community. I want this to be a year of full journals, empty coffee cups, and highlighted books; a year full of tables, coffee dates, and good, hard conversations; a year of adventure, of faith triumphing over fear, of new things and old things. 

One of my favorite bloggers (who has a book coming out soon and I can't wait to get my hands on it!), Jess Connolly, just wrote a beautiful post titled "This Is Not A Flower Year" and it resonated deep. Jess stated that "this year is not a year of flowers, this is a year of deep roots and growing trees." And you guys, I really love that. Her post is all about being intentional and being aware of the working God is doing (cultivating!) in your life. SO DANG GOOD. 

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would stir within me, that I would be open to His tilling and sifting. I pray that I would truly learn to dwell in His land and cultivate faithfulness during this year, whatever that may look like. 

What are you focusing on this year?

all the things: november...

Holy Moses, IT IS DECEMBER. We are less than one month from a new year and maybe that gives me a little bit of anxiety. November was really fun and busy; I resurrected my inner athlete, blasted (and am still blasting) Adele every single day in my car, and had some good food.

Here are all the things of November:

Athletic Things: I participated in not one but TWO athletic things this month and my team won both. Our Annual Broom Hockey Championship with our high school students was this month, and we KILLED it. I also played in our Young Adults Turkey Bowl, and they KILLED it (they meaning the others on my team because watching football is one thing, but playing is a whole other thing entirely). This month, I am just thankful to be a winner, because I always lose everything.

Incourage Post: This month I was featured over at Incourage and it was so much fun! The response to my writing was so humbling… To hear that your words were needed, that they were an encouragement, that they spoke truth into someone’s life season… It’s maybe one of the best feelings in the world. I love writing, I love being able to use my gifting’s for God in such a way. If you haven’t read it, pop on over HERE.

Adele: I mean, do I need to elaborate? This entire month my car-dancing, car-singing, and car-crying has gone to a completely new level. #allthefeels

When She Gets a Yes: You guys, this article is gold and rubies and all the other precious things. You need to read this, whoever you are. Pop over HERE.

Friendsgiving: This should really be called Pantsgiving, because I gained about 14 pounds after that dinner. We had enough food to feed thirty people AND have leftovers. I am so thankful for friends who have become family (and for friends that cook really great food).

Short and simple, because I am already anticipating December will be a very long list of good things.

                                        How are you doing post-November?

He Is Establishing Good Things...

Holidays are my jam.

I love spending time baking treats, picking out the perfect gifts for friends and family, planning and attending parties, going to church events, traveling, and Black Friday. I am a Type-A, list making, over-packing, what-if, always-be-prepared-like-the-girl-scouts kind of person, and the holidays bring out the best of that side.

But in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, something unaccounted for will always surface. You forgot your passport at home, you forgot your aunt is allergic to almonds, you forgot your best friend’s gift on your kitchen table, or you have been driving the north freeway for two hours and just realized you need to be on the south freeway (true story, people).

We can make mile-long lists and set alarms and make three trips to Target, but sometimes things just don’t go the way that we expect. This is true about life in general. Some of us thought we’d be married already. Some of us expected to be serving God overseas by this time last year. Some of us planned on the adoption finally going through. Some of us never planned on battling infertility or miscarriage or losing a child...

Join me over at Incourage (HERE) to read the rest!

the familiar friend & a guest post...

Happy Monday to all you lovely people!

Today, I am over at my friend Courtney's blog, Familiar Friend, sharing about stillness and fear and how trying harder is not necessarily running faster. 

Grab a cup of coffee and head over to the post HERE. 

a coffee date...

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I have started something BIG. I can’t really tell you what it is, but just know that it is big and good and life giving, a deep-rooted, God-sized dream that has been in my heart for a long time.

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about what we have been reading lately. I have picked up “Let’s All Be Brave” by Annie Downs (#kindreds) and it is SO GOOD. Like, Jimmy Fallon so good. It has brought me to tears from laughing and also from the ugly cry. If you don’t have this, pick it up now! I also snagged Melanie Shankle’s newest book “Nobody’s Cuter Than You” and can’t wait to start it! What are you reading this month?

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about how I finally signed up for Netflix (welcome to the 21^st century, Kristi, I know) and how I found my new guilty pleasure: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”. It is hilarious and mildly inappropriate and just perfect. Also, I am binge watching “Friday Night Lights” and “Gilmore Girls”. Send help. Or popcorn and Junior Mints.

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about singleness because that has been the thing I have been wrestling through lately. Not in a struggling way, but in a way that is good and healthy and full of learning. And because of that, this past week has really been a doozy; I have experienced full-range of emotion and completely confess that I have been “that girl” to a lot of my friends. Gosh, I am so thankful that they like me in the midst of those moments!

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I have switched all my emojis to the African-American version because it is the best thing.

If we were on a coffee date, I would ask you if you have any big summer plans and vacations. We would also talk about how crazy it is that summer is literally around the corner.

If we were on a coffee date, we would probably be at a Starbucks and if we are already talking about summer… Did you know they are releasing a S’mores Frappucino? I don’t drink the Frappucinos, but this one might get me…

If we were on a coffee date, what would you want to talk about?