It seems that the running theme of these monthly update posts is busy-ness. July was no different; in fact, it was the busiest and most chaotic month yet. We visited with Dennis’ family on the farm and then returned to the farm to lend a hand when Logan had the first round of seizures. We went to the Smoky Mountains with my family. I wrote articles and curriculum and designed a custom wedding suite. Dennis tore apart the master bath and slowly started rebuilding it. It was a crazy month.
And when things get crazy, I enter survival mode. I stayed up late to complete my work and neglected running. I got farther behind in my Bible reading and struggled to maintain any sense of order in our household.
I always thought that if I just worked a little bit harder, if I was a little more disciplined, that I would be able to do everything and be everything, but that’s just not true. I’m discovering that a disciplined life is only possible if the life is structured for discipline. I’ve been trying to introduce discipline to my life by addressing separate pieces of the whole, but it’s like trying to neatly stack books on an overflowing bookcase. There’s no room for it.
Hence the decision for Micah to start preschool. On one hand, three hours a day doesn’t seem like much, but on the other hand, it more than doubles what I had previously. It gives me precious quiet time alone to read the Bible, and it allows me to work during work hours and leave it behind when the day is over. That means that I’ll have more time to do things like go running and maintain meaningful relationships and actually be intentional in all areas of my life.
At least, I hope it will. We shall see how it goes. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated.
Until next time, grace and peace.
Sigh. It’s hard to believe that yet another month has passed. In all honesty, June was really about reclaiming my life. At the beginning of the month, I was utterly and completely overwhelmed by all that I had piled on my plate. Between my writing deadlines, Minted challenges, VBS, youth camp, and plain old everyday life, it was a pretty wild ride.
I’m starting to realize how much I crave order in my life. If I’m going to work, I have to have an organized workspace. I need a clean desk and an empty inbox to really concentrate. The level of disorder in my home is a direct reflection of the disorder in my priorities and attention as of late. When I closed the etsy shop, I did it because it had become priority number one. I let everything else slide when I had orders to fill, and I became obsessed with selling more cards and making more money. Sales are good, but I couldn’t keep up with the pace I had set, and our lives reflected it.
Stepping back for a few moments was really good for me. During the time that the shop was closed, I was able to go to Centrifuge with our youth group, and it was completely refreshing. To be honest, I never really expected to be on the receiving end of the teaching there, but the camp pastor, Chad Poe, spoke directly to my heart and really encouraged me to refocus my attention. I had become very intentional about building my business, but I had lost sight of the things that truly matter.
All of that to say, June has been a month about being intentional with my time and attention. I have continued to run regularly, and it has helped me tremendously to leave the house and work behind for a little while and simply hit the pavement. I’m still reading my Bible, but I’m also still behind. As I frenetically tried to catch up so I could check it off my list, I realized that I was missing the point. I was rushing through the reading for the sake of saying that I had completed it. So I’ve decided to release myself from catching up. I’ve developed the discipline of twice daily Bible reading; now I’m working on reading it with intention, which is something that I should have been doing all along.
As I type this, the household is back in order and manageable again. It’s my goal to keep it that way.
Until next time, grace and peace.
Can you believe that another month has flown by? This one has been particularly busy for me, and it’s been reflected in my lack of discipline in many areas. When life gets chaotic, it seems that my disciplines are the first to go. I’m seven days behind in my Bible reading, and for most of the month, I was pretty lax about exercising, but both of those areas are currently improving.
I guess the biggest news in my resolution to be more disciplined and intentional is that I’ve started running again. Last week, I downloaded the C25K {Couch to 5K} app, and I’ve actually been using it. I like the fact that it maps my runs and keeps track of my pace. It tells me when to run and when to walk, and so far, the workouts have been manageable. Of course, I’ve only completed week one, but still, it’s better than nothing.
Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed and participated in my first real 5K. I’ve walked in a 5K before, but never have I attempted to run in one. I knew going in that I wouldn’t be able to run the whole thing, but I probably ran about a third of the distance. Not too bad, considering that my training consisted of two days of running prior to the race. Here’s evidence of my participation. Please don’t judge me for the unflattering finish line picture.
The 5K was fun. My next goal is to actually run one from start to finish. Maybe by the fall. We shall see. In the meantime, I’m going to keep running in an attempt to develop more discipline in my life.
Until next time, grace and peace.
Well, it’s time for another update on my resolution to live a disciplined and intentional life in 2011. It was, again, a busy month, but I think that’s just the way life is. Does anyone else wish you could just slow it down for a few minutes?
At any rate, April came and went, marking the passing of an entire third of the year. Where has 2011 gone? It seems like it just started! As I look back at where I was on December 31, 2010 and where I am now, I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made. Here are a few of the disciplines I have established:
Daily Bible Reading. I’m up-to-date on M’Cheyne’s Bible Reading Plan. That’s not to say that there aren’t days that I skip a couple of chapters, but by and large, reading four chapters a day has become my custom. When I wake up in the mornings, before I even get out of bed, I pick up my Bible off the nightstand and read two chapters. At night, Dennis and I read our Bibles together, which means that we hold each other accountable for our reading. That has been invaluable.
Paying off the Student Loan. That’s right. You heard it. The student loan is gone. Sallie Mae is no longer welcome in our household, and I, for one, hope we never see her again. I spent the first quarter of the year contributing every bit of profit from Senojal Designs, as well as all of my writing income, our tax refund, and Dennis’ bonus check to the student loan. And it’s gone. Never to be seen again. Next up? Paying off the Honda. We should have it paid off within the month, and then we’ll be screaming “WE’RE DEBT FREEEEEE!” along with my good friend Meredith.
Blogging Regularly. Maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve been posting much more frequently than I did in 2010. That’s directly linked to my decision to establish more discipline in my life. To simply sit down and write for the sake of writing. Whether I have something to say or not. Just write. There have been a couple of weeks where life has gotten out of control and snippets had to take the back burner, but by and large, posting at least three times a week has become a habit. And that’s a good thing.
Exercising Frequently On Occasion. Honestly, this has been my biggest struggle. It’s not that I don’t enjoy exercising or that I’m too lazy to get off my tail, it’s just that I can’t seem to find a way to make it fit into my day. I’ve all but given up on my plan to become a runner. I’m pretty sure that it’s something that will never come naturally for me. BUT, I am committed to get moving at least a couple of times a week. Which is better than not at all. I’ve been walking several times in the past month, thanks to a walking buddy and my sweet husband. As the days continue to warm, I’m hoping that this too can become a part of our evening routine.
And that’s about all I can think of right now. I have so much farther to go, but it’s good to celebrate the small victories along the way.
How are you doing in your resolutions?
Until next time, grace and peace.
I blinked, and March was over. Seriously, that’s how it felt. I had a whopping three weeks in between writing deadlines, and silly me thought it would be a good time to get life in order. I did manage to clean the master bathroom, shop for flowers, clean the entire house, host a baby shower, print, design, sell, and package lots of stationery, play outside with Micah, attend a women’s conference, teach Sunday school, write on here occasionally, and go running a grand total of 4 times.
Doesn’t just reading that make you tired?
Oh, and I also dragged out the sewing machine that my mom gave me last year and embarked on my first set of projects: {1} appliqued onesies (that I failed to take pictures of!) for my dear friends Heather and Kristen, both of whom are having baby boys, and {2} decorations for the shower that I hosted for Heather.
Micah and I traveled to the big city a few times for various doctor’s appointments. She turned 18 months old and received her last round of shots until, wait for it, kindergarten! My child won’t have another “well baby” check-up. Ever.
Let’s see, what else happened this month? My parents came for a quick visit, we {the youth of IBC} tackled a major cleaning/painting/putting make-up on a pig project in the youth building at church, and I took lots of pictures of the randomness that is our life.
Grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, bills, and all the other things that I do day in and day out kept me pretty busy.
But I’m not complaining.
I’m just making excuses :)
Seriously, I’m planning on jumping back on the running bandwagon tomorrow. And then maybe next week, I’ll get brave and start getting up early again.
We shall see.
Until next time, grace and peace.
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