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Ready, Break!

August 2, 2012 by Kelli

I like to call this Portrait of an iPad.

I am on technology overload this week and I’ve hit the burn out zone, which can only mean it’s time for a much needed break.

Sometimes the constant noise leaves me feeling emotional, unsure of myself and altogether irritable so I’m just going to take a few days off to collect my thoughts, get a little rest, clean that mystery stain on the couch and try to solve the issue of the ants in the bathroom.

WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM?!?!

In the meantime, I’ve seen some really amazing posts online this week. I will leave you with the words of those who are wiser than I am and will hopefully come back next week a little more rested and a little less grouchy.

Shaun’s post on why bigger crowds are less compassionate rumbled through my head all week and gave me much pause for reflection.

He also launched the new and improved Compassion Bloggers site and it’s clap your hands awesome. You should check it out!

Becke’ strung together words in the most beautiful way yesterday nearly leaving me breathless. She is ridiculously talented.

Sophie made me laugh out loud (LOL? No…) with her exciting new heights of under-acheivement.

McKayla Maroney rocked her vault leaving me a little stumped as to how on Earth the judges could have given her any less than a perfect score. Perhaps they are robots, incapable of emotion? Her post vault reaction also made me wish I could bring her home with me and put her in my pocket just so I could pull her out and have her jump up and down and say “Yay,” every time I needed a little cheering up.

Angie Smith wrote about her table and managed to make me cry in the process.

The Olympic Swimming Team’s cover of Call Me Maybe makes me so very happy. It will make you happy, too. How cute is Missy Franklin?!

That’s it for me this week. I’m off to take the kids to the park, buy some school supplies, hopefully take a nap and spend a little time just being quiet today. You know, I remember a time when the internet wasn’t around, when there weren’t 52,000 TV stations to watch and when the only thing that tweeted were birds.

Because I’m that old.

Does anyone else ever feel like they’re on sensory overload? No? Just me?

Super…

Filed Under: Blogging, Compassion International, discipline, Life, Sports Tagged With: Break, Internet, Life, Links, Olympics, Quiet

Read with Kleenex

December 12, 2011 by Kelli

Today I want to give you a few links to some of the most powerful words I’ve read on the internet these last few months. These writers are real, honest and have an incredible knack for weaving word pictures in such a way that makes you stop cold and think deep.

Refreshing.

The pastor of the church we have been visiting preached a sermon this morning titled Come Before Winter. Apparently it is an annual tradition for him to preach this message and I really wish someone would have warned me ahead of time how emotional this message would be. Although, it’s probably best I didn’t know, because I may have been tempted to skip it altogether.

The theme was centered around Paul’s final letter to Timothy when he urged him to come back to Rome quickly, before winter set in and travel across the Mediteranean would be impossible. Paul knew he had little time left and there were still words he wanted to say to his beloved Timothy.

The message? Life is short and goes by in an instant. What are we doing to seize every opportunity while we are here on this Earth to glorify and honor God with our relationships, our gifts and talents and the tasks set before us? He finished his message by reading something he wrote about his youngest child, who will graduate from high school this spring. This was written days before he would watch his son play his final football game.

Get your Kleenex handy.

He was born on an October weekend 18 autumns ago. I was proud then. I am proud now. He has graced my life and blessed me in immeasurable ways. And now it’s his senior year. It’s the last week, the last game. It was bound to happen. Where did the time go?

Read the entire story here.

Folks, there were grown men throughout the sanctuary blubbering like small children, most of them crowned with silver hair. It was the kind of morning where you walk around with a burning lump lodged in your throat and you laugh inappropriately just to keep from crying.

Or maybe that was just me…

The next two ladies are hands down two of the most amazing bloggers to grace the internet and I’m not just saying that because I happen to know and love each one of them dearly.

Okay maybe I’m a tiny bit biased.

Becke’ not only has an amazing, God-given gift for photography, but she also has a deep and profound love of scripture and understanding of grace. Oh, and she just so happens to be my sister-in-law. If you’re not reading her blog, I really encourage you to do so. You will be blessed. And you might be slightly jealous of her pictures….

God wants light in His house so we could see. The seeing would enable generations to hope for the one Good Olive, the one who would be beaten in that Garden of Gethsamene (garden of oil press), in order to bring true light.

Read the full post here. And then look at the rest of her posts. Just be prepared to go deep because Becke’ takes you to church when she writes. You can also go ooh and aah over her pictures here.

And then there’s Wendy. I’ve mentioned her a time or two…because she’s awesome. And she may write one of the most refreshingly honest blogs on all the interwebs. She’s sincere and real and bold and she writes with a humility that is like a breath of fresh air. Wendy is an actress and a writer and she oozes creativity. But more than that, she is a wife and a mom and she embraces those roles fully and completely.

Joy is not dependent upon our circumstances, the health of those we love, or how physically well-rested we are; JOY comes from abiding in Him, ever thankful that He abides in us.

Read the rest of this post here and then go read some more of her posts. I actually had a difficult time choosing which post to highlight.

Speaking of life moving quickly - this kid is going to be FOUR this week!

There are a lot of places where you could spend your time online. But I hope that by reading the words of these bloggers you find yourself encouraged as you see their genuine authenticity. And I pray that as you head into your week, you find yourself feeling blessed and renewed.

I pray the same for myself. A word to the wise – don’t drink caffinated tea at night. You could just find yourself up and kickin’ at 2:00 am. Not that I would know anything about that…

Blessings, friends.

Filed Under: Blogging, Random, writing Tagged With: Encouragement, faith, Great bloggers, Links, refreshing words

Takin’ Care of Business

August 23, 2011 by Kelli

I haven’t slept well the last couple of weeks. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been walking around in a sleep deprived stupor. By the end of last week I was barely functional by 2:00 every afternoon. So this week I have made it my mission to get my behind in bed no later than 10:00 every night when the real fatigue strikes. Usually I push through that fatigue and go to bed at midnight or later only to find I’ve got my second wind and I can’t sleep.

Apparently I’m getting old because that no longer works for me.

Dang it.

I am proud to announce, however, that for two nights in a row I have received 8 or more hours of sleep. And the strangest thing has happened – the little red squiggly lines in my eyes have disappeared and I have been able to function in the afternoon hours.

Guh-lory!

This, however, means that it’s been a little more difficult to do my bloggin’ thang. I like to write blog posts at night before bed and work on my book in the early morning hours. But when I go to bed too late, I can’t get up early and it becomes this terrible catch 22…or something like that. Mostly it means I’m a tired mess who’s only half accomplishing worthy tasks.

Alas, that was a terribly long lead up to telling you this: I have nothing to write about today. But I have some lovely links to throw your way!

Have you read Stuff Christian Like? I have heard a lot about it and have read it here and there, but this post made me laugh so hard that I think I will have to officially add him to my blogroll. I know…he doesn’t even know how lucky he is, does he?

Did you know I have a Facebook page? Is it wrong to shamelessly promote myself in such a way? Ahem…well, I do have a Facebook page and if you “Like” it I will make sure to send you a telepathic high five.

Did you know that Angie Smith has a new book coming out? She is some kind of amazing. I can’t wait to read it.

Speaking of books, this one isn’t new and the rest of you have probably already read it since I’m sure you’re all way more on top of these sorts of things, but I started Ann Voskamp’s book this week. Uuuummmm…If you haven’t read it, you’re not my friend. Wait! That’s not right. That’s a terrible thing to say! What I meant was, you should read it – it’s spectacular. Her writing makes mine look anemic and sad. Which is okay. Now go buy her book, then visit her blog.

Okay. That’s all for today. I’m off to have a practice morning of school with the kids. They’re going to be thrilled when they find out. Surprises are just so much fun, aren’t they?

Filed Under: Random, shameless self-promotion Tagged With: Angie Smith, Ann Voskamp, I got nothin', Jon Acuff, Links, Random

Link it Forward

April 28, 2011 by Kelli

Well I don’t have much to say today. Landon and I both have colds and we are snuggled up together on the couch, coughing and snorting and rubbing each other’s backs. I’ve got plenty of thoughts and ideas rolling through my head, but none of them feel blog worthy.

It’s a constant balance, this blogging thing. While I enjoy the journaling aspect of blogging, I have to remind myself that this isn’t a true journal. I can’t pour out my every thought because with several hundred people stopping by each day my thoughts aren’t so private in this tiny little square of interweb. I see other bloggers who share intimate details of their lives under the label of bold blogging, but I just can’t do that. I only share about 4% of our lives on this site.

The rest is just for me.

I’m happy to share what I’m learning, what makes me laugh, how I feel and our every day lives, because I think it’s fun. But sometimes, I just have to be quiet. Sometimes I don’t feel funny. Like today, when my nose is running like a faucet, I’m three days without a shower and my throat has been licked by the flames of hell.

Not. Funny.

But other things just aren’t for sharing in public. Sometimes I just need to process with a few friends, or my husband, or God. My blog is only a journal of the things that I feel are appropriate for the world to know. Ya know? 🙂

So today, instead of wasting time writing about nonsense (something I’m really good at), I’m going to direct you to some new sites I’ve recently stumbled upon that I love. I’ve also finally updated my blogroll to include all these lovely bloggers. So without further ado, I present you a few of my new favorite blogs:

– Bohemian Bowmans: Jessica is funny, sarcastic and incredibly sharp. She loves Jesus, she loves Compassion and she loves her kids who, incidentally, are terminally cute.

– A Holy Experience: You don’t find writing like this very often. Ann has a way with words that makes your skin tingle and your eyes water. She is a poet, a master at prose and a vivid storyteller.

– (in)courage: Many of you have probably already heard of this site, as I had many times before, but I only recently began visiting and reading over there. If you’re looking for encouragement, this is the place to go.

– The Nester: *sigh* I love Nester’s style. I sat and talked with her a bit at Blissdom and she is equally lovely in person. I had never been to her site before then and now I stop by frequently. I can’t wait to get into a new house and begin decorating it using some of Nester’s tips and advice. Seriously, she’s talented.

– Faith Like Mustard: Megan and I “met” through this site and I love her sweet heart. It’s always encouraging to stop by her blog.

So those are a few new sites for you to visit and fall in love with. Happy browsing, happy reading and happy laughing. I’m off to take some drugs (easy…it’s Dayquil) and drink some green tea with lemon to soothe my burning throat. Then I think I’ll sit outside and soak up a little vitamin D because Glory Hallelujah the sun is shinin’!

Filed Under: Blogging, Random Tagged With: (in)courage, A Holy Experience, Bohemian Bowmans, Faith Like Mustard, Links

Friday Links

December 3, 2010 by Kelli

– Shaun Groves wrote this post yesterday that made me laugh out loud. If you’re not reading Shaun you really should be. He’s a great writer – genuine and funny. Plus, who doesn’t love a guy in his thirties with a mohawk, right? Or is it a faux hawk? Anyway, read the post.

– Another blogger I love is C-Jane. Her perspective on faith and God are very different from my own, but I love reading her thoughts, learning more about what she believes and laughing at her posts. She’s an amazing writer and is very engaging. She’s a daily read for me. I particularly enjoyed this post. (A few Cliff’s Notes: She calls her husband Chup or Chupa, her son is the Chief and her daughter’s name is Ever Jane. This will help when you’re reading the post.)

– Nicole has an awesome advent plan for her boys. If I were crafty, I’d be all over this. But I’m not. So I just look on in envy…

– A few years ago I had the privilege to work alongside the awesome Dana Loesch. While doing this I got acquianted with her husband who is a wickedly talented musician and producer. Recently Chris and his team at Shock City Music filmed this music video to go along with a song that he co-wrote. Becky Kelly is the singer. The song is really beautiful as is the video. It’s a great reminder of what the season is about. Enjoy.