hello february!

life is ridiculously full right now. most of january was slow and then BAM! everything came at once. and most likely it will be this way for the rest of the year. it's like a snow ball picking up speed as it goes down hill. there's no slow time from now until fall.

which is why i'm seeking to be as intentional as i can about each day, the people around me and all aspects of life. way easier said than done with so many distractions and new things being added to my to-do list on a daily basis:)

i was hanging out with the girl i mentor last week discussing a specific area of life with her. i challenged her to a week long fast and told her i would join her by fasting from Facebook. 

not having that distraction has been so life-giving the last several days! a little challenging to be sure since it's one of my main methods of communicating & coordinating things with people throughout the week, but so refreshing  in this busy season! it's amazing how much more productive i can be when checking that isn't an option! on top of my normal work & running around town >> my taxes are almost done, i read two books (the virginian by owen wister (such a good classic!)  & a holy ambition by john piper), spent an evening making valentines with the chillens, got a good start on meal planning for the delight retreat, spent quality time with a few girlfriends, drafted several posts for my photography blog and much more. 

even when this little fast is over, i'm going to do my best to limit my time on there - business or personal - so i can focus more fully on what life is right now. there's this fabulous thing called scheduling your posts on Facebook…. it's a genius invention and i plan on putting it to good use:)

there is a lot of change coming this year for me & those in my life (marriages, big moves & graduations are the big ones) and in the blink of an eye, those who i hold dear will be scattered even farther from me. so i want to take as many opportunities as possible to live life with them.

another one of my best friends got engaged this weekend & i'm so thrilled for them! this is the year of weddings for my close friends and it's such an exciting season -- 1 down and 4 to go before june!

ever since december, the word grace has been on my heart. what IS grace? how i can i begin to comprehend it? what does it really mean to be covered by God's grace? what does it mean to accept  grace? how am i to show grace to those around me?

there's so much swimming around in my mind but reading through ephesians this past week has been so sweet. we've just barely started going through ephesians at church and at the rate we're going (we spent the first two weeks on verses 1 & 2;)), we'll be in it for at least a year. but i'm totally okay with that because it's so full of truth & encouragement. just reading it on my own has really helped me slowly begin to understand what grace is... so i can't wait to dive deeper through the messages our pastors bring. 

well i had a lot more on my mind when i started to write (posts like these only happen once in a blue moon around this blog! ha!) but now i'm just rambling.

here's to february!!