5 Minute Friday: Every Day

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

Every Day

Every day I wake up. Much earlier during the week than on the weekends. The mornings have a routine about them. I get up, shower, get dress. Some mornings I crawl back in bed to watch the news and put on makeup. Some mornings I plop down on the couch to eat breakfast and finish getting ready.

Every day I go to work. The drive used to drive me nuts. Now I actually enjoy the time. It may be the only time I have to myself all day long. No expectations from anyone. Just driving. Listening to my favorite morning show. Singing loudly at the top of my lungs. Talking on the phone. It's my time.

Every day I come home. Some evenings I end up alone. Other times Hubs is at home with me. Mostly, we're at home. It's where I like to be after a long day at work.

Every day I go to bed. I could go to bed at 9:00 but Hubs doesn't exactly work that way. I read, watch TV, get good and sleepy. And then it's time for bed.

Every day my favorite time is the time we spend right before sleeping. The time when we're laying in bed, talking about anything and everything. Dreaming about the future. Laughing about some random joke. Fighting over who steals the covers every night. Just being together.

Then it's time to sleep.

Every day.

5 Minute Friday: On Forgetting

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

On Forgetting ...

Whenever I forget something, my mom is fond of saying, "Oh no ... Just imagine what you'll be like when you're my age."

Well ... here are a few things I will not forget.

The day I married my best friend.

The babies I cared for in Africa.

The friends who kept me sane during that one year in pharmacy school.

The women who mentored me during middle school and high school.

The community that I had in small group after graduating from college.

The opportunities I've had to be part of ministry that is so much greater than myself.


Yep. Those are things I surely won't forget!

5 Minute Friday: When Seasons Change

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

When Seasons Change

The time between seasons is one of my favorite times of year. It seems that all of the best parts of the passing and upcoming season are all rolled into one. For instance, summer is coming soon. In about two months, the air conditioning and every fan in our house will be cranked on high ... and it will still be too hot to breathe ... inside. I don't even want to think about outside. But right now it's perfect. The flowers are blooming, the nights are cooler, the sun is shining, and the springtime rains have let up a little. We can actually enjoy the weather! This week we even had a "cold front" swing through ... what a nice break to wake up to temperatures in the 40s and 50s!

But it's not just about the weather. It seems there are so many things to look forward to! Especially this summer. Birthdays, holidays, a mission trip, a summer with my cousin, a weekend getaway, our anniversary, parties, baby showers, weddings. There is so much coming in the next few months of summer!

But for now, I'll just enjoy the calm before the (good) storm.

5 Minute Friday: Deep Breath

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

Deep Breath

I almost laughed when I saw the prompt for today's 5 Mintue Friday. I've been reminding myself to "breathe" all day long. It's just been one of those days.

As the day went on, though, I realized that I wasn't just reminding myself to breathe and make it through the day. Instead I was breathing prayers ... begging God to just help ... and humming that chorus "Breathe on me." It's really been one of those days.

Knowing on my way to work that there was potential for it to be a day from you know where.

Breathe on me

Learning this morning that our precious pastor of prayer, a godly man, went to be with the Lord this morning.

Breathe on me

Learning that Jonathan needed surgery to clear up an infection in his skull/brain.

Holy Spirit, breathe on me

Sadness all around.

Take thou my heart 

Trying to hold it together and get some work done.

Cleanse every part

Recognizing that in the midst of a pretty horrible day, God is still in control.

Holy Spirit, breathe on me

5 Minute Friday: If I knew I could, I would ...

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama. So what if it's Monday, right?

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

If I knew I could, I would ...

If I knew I could, I would go back to South Africa. I would find the kids that haunt my dreams. I would bring N and T home with me and give them a forever family.

If I knew I could, I would take a road trip for weeks or months or maybe even a year. I would stop all along the way and see whatever I wanted. Whatever struck my fancy in the moment. I would see the country's biggest ball of yarn and Old Faithful and everything in between.

If I knew I could, I would not worry about money. I would make a living taking pictures. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Somehow my brother "stole" this dream ... and made it totally work. I'm so proud of him.

If I knew I could, I would find time for some of the creative, crafty ideas swirling around in my head. I would put my stuff on etsy and raise money for a good cause.

If I knew I could, I would say everything exactly right. The way I mean for it to come out. The way it sounds in my head.

If I knew I could, I would look up friends that I've lost touch with. We'd have a cup of coffee (or Dr. Pepper) and catch up on everything that's happened since we saw each other last.

5 Minute Friday: Hard Love

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

Hard Love

With this being Good Friday, it seems appropriate to talk about Hard Love. I mean, what love could be harder than sending your Son to die for a world full of foolish, sinful people? People who won't believe in You. People who won't appreciate the sacrifice? People who won't love You back?

It seems to me that would be the hardest.

God sacrificing everything to save His people.

And so many of us won't ever love Him back. And those of us who do love Him ... our love is so inadequate.

Humbling to think about.

Good Friday isn't really that good if you think about it. The only thing that makes it good is the resurrection that happens three days later.

Life makes the death good.

And really ... God makes it all good.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were an offering far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

5 Minute Friday: On Distance

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

On Distance

A number of things immediately come to mind when I think of distance.

Friends who don't live in the same city as me. Some live on other continents. Emails and Facebook help close the gap that miles create, but it's not the same as being in the same living room, watching movies, drinking Coke, and laughing until we cry. Some live less than two hours away. I don't know why those two hours seem like such a great distance but we never see each other as often as we'd like.

Marathons. I've seen a lot of those 13.1 and 26.2 stickers on the back windows of people's cars. I always wonder if the sticker represents an actual marathon or half marathon completed. Or a goal. Or just wishful thinking. I find it hard to believe that so many people have actually completed a marathon. Maybe I'm wrong, though. Today, Hubs told me about a "marathon for fat people." I think it's really just for people who aren't as hardcore and in shape as true marathoners. But it's a marathon completed in a week. I could do that. We walked at least one or two marathons on our vacation last month.

Distance also brings to mind perseverance. I guess what I'm really thinking of is "going the distance." You know ... not giving up. And that brings to mind words like courage, guts, intestinal fortitude as my middle school choir teacher would say, discipline, faith, integrity.

This is completely scattered. But that's what came to mind today ... on distance.

5 Minute Friday: If you met me ...

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules?  Write for only five minutes. Don’t edit. Don’t over think. Don’t stifle your creativity. Easy enough, right?

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

If you met me ...

If you met me for coffee, you'd find I don't actually drink coffee. I love to meet for coffee, but I never order the actual coffee drink. Hot chocolate or apple cider are my "coffee" drinks of choice.

If you met me for lunch, we'd go somewhere near my office ... maybe Chick-Fil-A or Momma G's. If we had some extra time we'd settle in for The Fish Market. Yum!

If you met me for dinner, I'm not sure where we would go. I hate choosing restaurants. I mean, what if you didn't like it? In high school, my friends and I always ... I mean ALWAYS met at Applebee's. We're still carrying on the tradition, since Tricia and I met for dessert there about a month or two ago. I do love Mexican food, though, so I'm always up for cheap, good Mexican food.

If you met me at the movies, we'd go see something funny or romantic or maybe if we're in the right mood something a little sad. Nothing scary or too intense. And nothing terribly crude.

If you met me at the park, there are two great parks between my house and work ... depending on which way I drive. We could walk in the park. I got engaged in one of those parks. I could show you where.

If you met me at the mall, we would definitely shop for shoes. And maybe pajamas ... I love pajamas. And definitely stop in at The Loft ... it's my favorite. And we could watch the kids ride the carousel.

5 Minute Friday: A Few of My Favorite Things

It's time for 5 Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.

The rules? Set a time for five minutes. Use the prompt to write for five minutes - no editing, no censoring, just be creative and write. Stop when the timer goes off. Easy enough, right?


A Few of My Favorite Things

Timer set for five minutes. On your mark, get set, go!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. I love that song ... and better yet I love the movie! If only coming up with a list of my favorite things was as simple as singing a song and spinning around the room!

I've never been great at choosing favorites. I don't like saying that this is THE thing I like the most in a particular category. But for a few of my favorite things ... here goes nothing.

I love spring and fall. Not so crazy about hot summers and freezing cold winters. The weather right now is absolutely gorgeous! Warm enough for flip flops but cool enough for sweaters.

I love watching movies. Disney cartoons are a favorite but anything funny or romantic is also a huge hit. Or a superhero movie - like Batman or Spiderman. :)

Chocolate ice cream, brownies and I certianly can't leave out Dr. Pepper. Although that seems like more of an addiction than a favorite thing.

It's harder to write for five minutes than I thought it would be. Without editing, come on?

Live theater is another favorite. I got an email today that a local theater company is performing Annie and Hairspray this summer. I'm already recruiting friends to see them with me. Any takers out there?

STOP