Life Inspired

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*free

Life moves fast. And when you're not intentionally slowing down and really SEEING every moment...you will miss something! With this in mind, every day for the past week my dear friend Alicia and I have been documenting our daily life (morning and evening) and sending them to each other via iPhone.

*holding hands

*togetherness

It has been such a sweet way for us to connect and feel closer to each other even when we're miles apart. When I see her photos come in for the day, I am GIDDY with excitement! It's been so fun to see each others lives in this way and it causes us to be mindful about catching all the little moments...our life "inspired". Be sure to keep an eye on her blog as well...she'll be posting some of her images too (and they're amazing!).

*bliss

I will be sharing more of these photos with you...because they make me happy! And, more importantly...I am sharing them because I am trying to turn over a new leaf. Imperfect, pressure free blogging :)

*immersed

I've blogged before about how much I LOVE "phone photography"...and the gritty, unedited glimpses into life that they provide. I don't have time right now to edit lots of photos, but I can do this! It takes me moments instead of hours...awesome.

I still love my "fancy" camera...but at this season of life, I'm loving the on-the-go, compact accessibility of my iPhone camera. I've never been a big scrapbooker/record keeper, but I do that with my photos. And someday, I will make a book of all of these photos for my kiddos to treasure.

I am also starting a Flickr group called Life Inspired and I would love if you would add photos of your own. See you there!

**apps used: ShakeItPhoto Hipstamatic

*sisterly

Glory

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The day started off really good...I was listening to the radio and one of my favorite songs came on.

I caught a glimpse of Your splendor In the corner of my eye The most beautiful thing I've ever seen And it was like a flash of lightning Reflected off the sky And I know I'll never be the same

*Third Day :: Show Me Your Glory

Glory. Hmmmm...I love that word. As I listened, I sat down at my computer to look up the lyrics. Life was good.

But then...it turned into one of "those days". I wasn't feeling grateful. I was cranky. I didn't feel God near. As we drove into town that night, these were the scenes before us. Brilliant sunlight shining out from the clouds and a rainbow splashed across a dark and dreary sky. In an instant, I thought..."GLORY".  I was reminded of that morning and the song.

I love it when He speaks to me so clearly...through His creation and music. Two methods that I can understand easily. I watched the sky...and my heart finally understood what He had been trying to tell me all day. If He has the power to create these works of art in the sky, He certainly has the power to work in my life.

Once we've seen God's glory...we are NEVER the same. But thankfully, He is ALWAYS the same. He never changes. He never stops loving me even through my darkest days and my lack of faith. He is patient and loving. He is LIGHT...the rainbow that cuts through even the darkest of days.

Real Life

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For the past few months, I've been rather quiet online. My desire and inspiration to blog ebbs and flows...and lately I've been feeling quite introspective. My heart is aching to spend more time with Jesus and spend less time thinking about me. I seem to have have lots of words and thoughts flowing...but my words want to stay inside for some reason. I need time to really sit with myself and figure out what is going on in this brain of mine before I open it up and share with others.

Sometimes the internet is an amazing open road for me to wander upon. My heart skips a beat when I come across something that speaks to my soul. But it can also be completely overwhelming. So many people to catch up with and connect to...I open my Facebook page and immediately close it. It's like walking into a huge party that has been going all night long and I just don't have the energy to mingle :) If you have emailed or sent me a message on Facebook lately and I haven't answered, please don't take it personally. Feel free to send another message to jog my memory. It's been hard to keep up with it all and "real life" has been much more attractive. And we've been busy busy busy.

I would love to start sharing more of my "real life" with you. Often times, I feel like I have to to write a "grand" topical blog post and the sheer intensity of that endeavor makes me want to run away and hide. So instead, I think I will try to share snippets. Photos, links, quotes...things that are inspiring me. I'm thinking about doing a "photo a day" project again (but with my iPhone) or perhaps some video blogs.

So I'll start today. Here are a few things that have my affections this week, online and off:

  • I've been making TONS of ice tea. Every morning, I make a big batch of unsweetened mango raspberry mint herbal tea and then add just a touch of Sweet Leaf Mint and Honey tea. Heaven.

  • We're living at a beautiful state park in Colorado right now and the view from our window is amazing! Trails, pelicans, lakes, and mountains, right out our front door.
  • I experienced hot yoga here for the first time. I got up at 5:30am 8 times before we moved to a campground farther away and then I quit going regularly. It rocked my world. I brought my mom and she loved it too. Getting up that early is probably what threw a wrench in my online activities because I started going to bed earlier...and my prime time for browsing the web was 10pm-2am. My body is thanking me for getting out of that routine!
  • I'm obsessed this this CD. Best kids music ever!

  • I'm looking forward to the Boulder Farmer's Market tomorrow morning and a little trip up the mountain to Nederland. I'm going to hoop in the mountain air.

  • My mom has been staying with us for the past 2 weeks and my dad came for the last week...and they left yesterday. My heart is light with joy as I recount the amazing memories we made...but it's also heavy with the weight of goodbyes.  Above is a photo from the balcony of our hotel room in Golden. We spent one amazing "getaway" night there during their stay...eating, drinking, laughing, and being refreshed. I love them so.

Have a wonderful weekend!