Anybody else feel like life just completely takes you for a ride sometimes? So much so that your health, fitness, mental wellness, sometimes hygiene.. (who’s really gonna notice if its Dry Shampoo or real Shampoo, right?) all take a hit – meanwhile your brain hasn’t even had the time to connect the dots fast enough to notice what’s happening?

That is my entire life wrapped up nicely, with a janky little hand-drawn bow in the place of a real one, and delivered to you in one fully written sentence. But I’m here to tell you today that, yes, I feel totally out of control – but it is OKAY to feel that way. You know why? Because GOOD THINGS are happening in my life. 

God is blessing me with big, big responsibilities at work and enormous opportunities to grow myself in areas I never knew I’d find success in. We finally welcomed a puppy child into our family – the cutest little Yorkie named ~Boone~ (after Boone, NC) that I’ve wanted for so many years but never felt I had the time to care for. And what JOY he has already brought to our household! My sisters have given me the honor of helping them each work out jobs and housing in order to move to Atlanta and start a new chapter of life, that also happens to be closer to us!!!! AJ and I just kicked off a series on Instagram called “Fearless Fridays” where he has already received interest from SO many people wanting to share raw & honest tidbits about their faith and how God has transformed the way they approach their daily lives – a HUGE and impactful initiative for us (and, of course, I had a blast designing the logo). 

Our new house is getting some fun renovations. We painted a couple accent walls & our kitchen cabinets, bought a kitchen table, and just got new tile put in all the bathrooms (home-owning is SO much more fun than renting). We got to go to App State’s homecoming this year and stay in the most beautiful cabin ever, alongside like 1464362 of our closest friends that share some of the best memories of our lives with us. AND it’s holiday season, my favorite time of the year!! We spent our first Halloween in the new house passing out candy to trick-or-treaters with little Boonie in his pumpkin costume, wine in hand, and Hocus Pocus on the tv (no better way to do it, if you ask me).

But on the flip side, there are plenty of things NOT going so well for me. I use to meal prep, now I eat Chipotle for like every single meal (DoorDash is dangerous). I use to go to the gym 3-5x per week, now I pat myself on the back if I go once. We absolutely LOVE our church down here, Passion City, but more often than not I find myself opting out for sleep and a podcast on Sunday mornings (that is, when I don’t forget what day it is). Remember when I said I got a puppy? Potty training is so much fun… Oh and don’t even get me started on sleep – I’m either wide awake, wired with every moment of my workday racing through my mind, or knocked out the minute my head touches the couch pillow. 

My anxiety has taken over, aka, my nail biting is out of control. Like I said, Dry Shampoo has truly become my best friend. Sometimes I find myself envying people who are bold enough to chop it all off, because hair can be SO HIGH MAINTENANCE. My husband has fully owned the tidiness of our house – I have been zero help in that area lately. Oh and I’ve got a prescription that has been sitting for literally 10 days now, at the CVS that I pass on my way home almost every single day… yikes. I have not written a single blog since August. I haven’t read a book since June. And you know it’s bad when I can’t even remember the last time I watched Friends.

My point in sharing all of this with you is to speak to how AWESOME it is that the good can always outweigh the bad. It’s how you choose to see it that changes your experience & your overall happiness. Let me bring it to the Bible for you real quick: Ecclesiastes 3 (one of the easiest reads if you’re not a big reader) talks about how there is “A Time for Everything” under the sun:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

It’s OKAY that not all things are going great for you at all times. There will be a time where the aspect of your life you’ve neglected most will come back out to shine. One thing I’ve learned is that no matter how old people get, we will NEVER have it all figured out. Life is too full of the unexpected. You may do very well for a stretch, but something new is bound to pop up and derail your perfectly planned-out week. And just the same, you may be going through a horrible phase right now, but the sun is shining at the end of that tunnel – and the tunnel is never as far away as you think.

I’m thankful that the reason all of these routines and habits of mine have fallen by the wayside is because I needed more room for the BLESSINGS God has sent me this year. Who freaking cares if I’m feeling a little fluffier & haven’t had a proper pedicure in 6 months when my sisters are moving TEN minutes down the street from me, my new puppy brings me so much happiness when I walk in the door each day, my hubby and I are starting a faith-driven movement across the internet, and my job is super fulfilling?

I SURE DON’T. 

Roll with the punches, guys. Keep trying. Take care of yourself. And take TIME for what you care about, because time won’t set aside itself for you. Life is beautiful. God is faithful. And the bad times will never discredit the good times.

Sincerely,
A 25 year old just trying to stay humble & grateful while acutely aware that there are not enough hours in the day.

<3

Mi Famillia