Am I The Only One?

Who wears an outfit two days in a row if I only wore it for a short while the evening before?  Needless to say I wore it for less than 3 hours last night and today, in an attempt to get out the door quickly, I threw the whole thing (well, clean under things of course!) back on.  Which leads me to why you get a snap shot of me in the Trader Joe bathroom today.  I suppose I could have posted it claiming it was from last night, but I'm just keeping it real.

Jeans:  They're my old Old Navy ones that I paint furniture in...shh.

Flats with Metal Studded Bows: Gap

Handbag:  Gerard Darel

Long Black Shirt: Gap

Leather Jacket:  Jaeger

Scarf: Charity Shop, England

Necklaces:  Bead For Life*

Earrings: new silver hoops I picked up today from a lovely little locally owned jewelry store!

Sunglasses:  Gucci

I love outfits like this, a bit high end, a bit low end, but none of the high end I actually paid full price for.  Which sorta suits me just fine (I *might* be working on being less tight fisted).  

Bead for Life is an organization that teaches Ugandan women how to make beads from recycled magazines to make gorgeous necklaces.  Ashleigh of Heart & Home, whom I met at the conference had these necklaces.  I couldn't decide, she said to just take two, and I've been speaking about them ever since!  31 Bits is a similar organization that is also amazing.  If you're looking for a great Christmas gift that has some meaning, please shop these stores, or consider hosting a party.  It's a beautiful way to support women halfway around the world.  (Bead for Life also has shea butter products as well as loose beads if you want to create your own necklace!) 

Not What I Expected

The Relevant Conference can be broken down into three parts for myself.  

First, joy.  I immediately met many amazing women.  I heard words of encouragement.  I even won something from DaySpring.  I was filled with joy as I waited for what the rest of the weekend would bring.

Second came tears.  Something hit me early on Friday and I spent most of the day crying off and on.  I will share some of it in a later post.  However I can tell you that I had been pretending I didn't mind that G is deploying next year (I had, after all, encouraged him to go).  But I already missed him, missed talking to him, missed sharing all the wonderful things going on with him.....and we had been apart less than a day.  Six months?  No way.  And the fact that it isn't a choice made it even more difficult as I came to terms with how hard it is going to be.  There is no asking him not to go.  The day just kept getting better and better (please note the sarcasm).  The conference did get better and better, but my day kept going down hill as one thing after another left my eyes red.  Nothing bad, just things I really tend to avoid thinking about--- a difficult task when God is so present and telling you it's time to face them.  

And then came hope.  Hope that I can make this blog what I want.  Hope that my marriage is going to be fine as we learn to communicate better.  Hope that I was going to be okay no matter what storm came.  We ended the conference in celebration, long talks late into the night, and hope for the future.

I needed this.  I so, so needed this.  I needed a weekend away.  But more than anything I needed to really connect with women who see the world so similarly.  Women who can be kinda crunchy.  Women who love being women.  Women who struggle.  Women who daily try to remember to lay those struggles at the feet of God and stop being so hard on ourselves.  The last night we listened to a phenomenal speaker, Ann Voskamp, and when she mentioned her husband saying something to her about a nasty case of perfectionism I knew what it meant.  I, too, struggle with trying to have everything together and mentally beating myself up because of my life's mess.  I needed to hear the words from these amazing women.  I needed time in a place filled with God. 

I wrote this post in my head after hearing Ann that last night.  I had fought a headache as I tried to stay through her talk.  After I went back and took a scalding hot shower, something I rarely do.  I remember thinking, "This is bad for my skin, but good for my soul."  That hot shower was the physical manifestation of my weekend.  Something painful that led to goodness.  I got out of that shower, went and sang, went and spoke to others who like me needed this. 

I am so glad I went.  I learned less about blogging that I thought I would (due partially to my missing a couple sessions to connect with other women) but more about my life.  Hopefully there will be a Relevant11.  I think a yearly break to focus less on life, more inwardly is a great thing.  And the coming home made me even more glad as I greeted G with a smile, grabbed his hand and felt His hand in my hope. 

Half-Pint House

As you know, in October I am headed to my first ever blogging conference, Relevant10.  I am super excited, and I would love everyone who wants to come to be able to come.  Megan of Half Pint House is selling items she sews to try and make it to the conference.  Please go and look at her cute stuff in here store!  She has cute bags, totes, and business card holders!  All can be found in her shop here.  Also be sure and stop by her blog and see what she's up to!

These are the business card holders---she's giving them to Relevant attendees who post about this! Yay!  I've been collecting so many cards lately as I meet people, then I misplace them, so this will be handy!

Looking Forward To October!

So I just registered to attend the Relevant Conference!  I am super, super excited!  I am planning on looking for others to room with, not only to save money, but to get a full experience of really getting to know these women!  


This past year has killed me.  My marriage and my life in general have suffered blows and struggles, many I haven't even begun to talk about.  It's been a hard road, but one that ironically led me to a place where my faith is stronger than ever.  Things are not perfect, today we realized we had a roof leak, right on top of our dining room light fixture.  I freaked out terrified that if we hadn't caught it, it would have caused a house fire and could have killed us or our dogs, but G stepped in, called the guy and is having it taken care of (once the rain stops.....it's been torrential here).  We still have things we're struggling with, but taking it day by day.  


The Relevant Conference will give me a chance to connect with some bloggers I look up to for how they are are wives and mothers.  To connect with women who like myself try and do so much, and do so joyfully (obviously something I am working on).  I was excited months and months ago when Sarah Mae mentioned putting together a conference, I even told G right then and there that I wanted to go.  And he has been supportive the whole way (though Lord only knows what he will do with himself with a whole weekend without me!).  Lately I questioned whether or not I would fit in (I am painfully shy at times, and it tends to come across as snobby), but decided that I needed to get over it and start being the woman I want to be.  I asked G today "What if I decide I don't want to go later?"  His response?  "You'll go anyways."  He's not being cruel or unkind, simply stating that he knows I need to go.  And I'm trusting that old phrase of my maman's "Everything happens for a reason."