Dear Houston: One Last Time

via // Southern Living

For the Old Shack on 7 1/2 Street [And All My Other Riches]

Sometimes goodbyes slip through the cracks.

And sometimes they are long, like a deep breath in

the middle of the night and a red light in Texas.

But more than that, they are richer moments;

They are Mexican coffee beans in the morning and

chairs around a folding table,

Tightly held hands while we pray - just to be sure of the other.

I need the goodbye, but perhaps you do too

and I never realized it until now -

when I miss the house on the corner with the dolls in the window

and ceiling-long bookshelves;

The bald man skating along Allen Park Way who never stopped dancing

and little girls under blanket forts made for telling stories.

I take a deep breath and it's gone in two minutes:

Floods of rain storms and fogged windows

Sewing machines, cement roads, apricot orange teapots

Dusty boots, scruffy dogs like

Egypt the puppy and

Nervous conversations. Hands I never shook.

What I've Learned in An Eight to Five Job [Part Two]

{Because this is what I look like when I work, of course}

After working at my new job for more than a month, I wrote a post on what I've learned so far in an eight to five job. I also mentioned I would add to the list, but before I do, I am happy to report that I am still in love with my job. Seriously, I feel so blessed to be able to write all day and work from home. If you have the opportunity to work remotely, I highly recommend it. It's not for everyone, but if you can figure out how to stay on task and keep out distractions, it has so many perks. 

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Here are a few [additional] things I've learned so far in an eight to five, work-from-home job:

Boost productivity: Figure out the time of day you are most productive.Through trial and error, I decided to dedicate a certain chunk of my mornings to my more challenging projects - because mornings are when I am most productive. I tend to write faster during this part of my work day, so I try to knock out the research-heavy, time-consuming projects then. I'm not sure if everyone has a consistent time of day they are most productive, but it's worth looking into. Keep track of what you get done throughout the day and try to pay close attention to when your mind is most clear and prepared to tackle work that requires more concentration. 

Utilize your breaks: Occasionally, I would work through my lunch break to get projects done or I sat at my desk while I ate, checking Facebook or sorting emails. While I thought I was maximizing my time, I actually worked slower because I didn't have a sufficient break to get up, stretch my legs and let my brain rest. I discovered that taking a whole lunch break not only helped me stay on task and energized throughout the day, it significantly impacted the quality of my work. You may think your efforts to work through breaks are best to get the job done, but I have found that stepping away from the screen - even to watch my dog run outside for a few minutes - does wonders to my work and mood.

Navigate your work habits: Learning to navigate the uncharted waters of a full-time, work-from-home job was really intimidating to me. Before getting into a predictable routine [which I tend to do sometimes], I decided to try different things. I found that, to my surprise, I work best without music, depending on the project. Working in bed or on the couch is usually a no-go, unless I've had three cups of coffee and even then, it will probably only slow me down. Discover what works best for you, especially if you work remotely. Can you be productive in coffee shops? Do you have a method for keeping out distractions and phone calls? What about a ritual for generating creativity? Maybe you don't have too many 'work habits' and that's okay. I will say though, finding out what works and what doesn't has made all the difference in my everyday work schedule. 

Improve your business acumen: If you are entering into a job with a high learning curve, spend some time learning about the industry's vertical, "lingo" and current trends. In my job, I am constantly writing for a number of different industries. In the beginning, I practically got heart palpitations every time I needed to write for a law firm or a real estate agency. I was uncomfortable writing about certain industries and terminology, and you could tell in my writing. I was advised to be intentional in what I read and I would inevitably improve my business acumen. Instead of getting stuck on Facebook or blogs, I try to set aside a little bit of time to read Forbes or other helpful sites. Reading topics I am not normally inclined to read, like science or technology magazines will expand my knowledge of different industries. You may not need to know a lot about other businesses, but if you are new to your job, chances are you need to learn more about your company and how it fits into the industry. Don't be overwhelmed, but rather, set little goals to gain knowledge in unfamiliar areas. 

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That's all for now... I'm sure I'll be revisiting this list in the near future. 
Do you have any tips that work for you? How do you stay motivated and productive during the work day?

Dear Orlando: When August Comes Around

park ave

Saturday Farmer's Market

winter park

I can't believe it's finally happening! We're getting ready for our move to Winter Park, FL but we still don't know the exact date of our arrival. We know it will be before August 1st, and we also know that once HR sorts through Aaron's paper work, it will be a quick transition. We're trying to prepare physically and spiritually. Homesickness is something we want to keep a close watch on, especially now that we've been through a year of tough growth here in Houston. We're going to miss a lot about this place, but we're thrilled to be able to take what we've learned and apply it in a new place. 

Spiritually 

We want to prepare spiritually, praying that just as we have been called to go, we would follow in trustful obedience. Moving is mentally and physically exhausting just as it is spiritually difficult. It's easy to feel uprooted and removed from church community during a move, and sometimes even disconnected in trusting God's provision and perfect plan. Ultimately, we want to pray that we would get plugged in to a Jesus-centered, reverent church body, jump right into service and invested relationships and stay positive about where we are - living in the present. We would love support and prayer in this. 

A trying exercise for me is staying positive throughout the stressful details and our overall new chapter of life. When we lived in Raleigh and found out about our move to Houston, we were shocked by the negative responses we received. I was already so terrified to leave my friends and family that I let that negativity affect me. I was a barista at the time, and every customer that walked in could see "change" written all over my face. When they asked about my life and I told them the news, I heard disappointing, negative words over and over again. I began to think there was nothing good waiting for us in Houston, and I'm sad to say that it completely affected my life here -- also partly because I knew Aaron would be gone for months at a time for a year long program. 

But there was good waiting for us here, and I genuinely wish I had been more open to seeing that sooner. That being said, I am [so far] pleasantly surprised at my own positive attitude! WOO! If you know me really well, you know that I can be an "Eeyore" sometimes. But I'm starting to feel like Winter Park is going to be a wonderful place for us, and I'm also beginning to see the value in shutting out other people's negativity. I'll take a little pat on the back the next time you see me. And some chocolates, please. 

Physically

While moving is often an exciting time, I don't think any uprooted friends of mine would deny the fact that there is so much to do - before hand, and when you first get there. I'm preparing for the obvious challenges, like how to drug my cats for a 15 hour car ride with us and our lazy traveler-hound dog (this is a legitimate concern, people). But I'm also bracing myself for a smooth landing, making check lists of what needs to get done when we get there: New drivers licences, setting up utilities  findings a veterinarian, doctor, dentist, etc. We're even developing a strategy for fighting off my enemies, reclusive and obsessive nester/homebody. I've decided that even when our place is a mess and there are boxes everywhere, we have to get out of the house, see the area and meet people. We plan to explore and get involved, counting all we have to be thankful for. 

On that note, here's what we have to be excited about:

• An address with a walk score of 91! YES! As a one-car family, we are stoked. 
• A smaller, cozier home. We don't need as much space as we have now.
• An accessible community center a few blocks away with an exercise room, outdoor pool, yoga and HELLO - cooking classes. Let's just say as a girl who can hardly hold a knife confidently enough to cut a tomato, I am thrilled about this.
•  Park Avenue with plenty of shops, restaurants and arts events. This place is too cute (and dangerous for my wallet).
• Disney, Universal and Sea World. Need I say more?
• New Smyrna and Cocoa Beach are very close by. Loving it already.
• Lake Eola Park, a 43-acre recreational park we keep hearing about that is in the heart of downtown. Apparently there are free concerts at the amphitheater and a lot of fun outdoor activities. 
• The Winter Park Farmer's Market every Saturday that we can walk to. 
• We hear there are plenty of solid, reformed churches close to our new place. Also a plus, obviously.

In the midst of all the check lists and chaos, I'm keeping these positives and more at the forefront of my mind - striving not to let thoughts turn into imaginations, which then turn into strong holds. Above all of the excitement to look forward to, I am holding fast to the truth that we are called to Winter Park for a unique purpose, and that no place will be our "heaven." Even so, we want to live our lives joyfully and abundantly, giving God the glory. 

My Quest for Modesty: The One Piece Unicorn

Let's face it, ladies. When we see those gorgeous models on Pinterest sporting the fashionable one piece, we think, "Now that is modesty done right." And for a second, we actually want to purchase the one piece over the skimpy, sexy two piece -- sparking a rush of empowerment because we're actually rejecting what society puts on us, right? We sit at our computers scrolling through picture after picture of tall, skinny beach babes, sticking up our metaphorical finger to a world that objectifies women. We're all like, 'take that, sketchy creeps at the pool! Take that society, I'm going to be a modest woman that demands respect!' And then you cackle at your computer screen because you think you are so, so awesome for withstanding the temptation of buying yourself the seductive high-waist bikini. 

Okay. I get it. One pieces aren't exactly the face of modesty either, especially the modern, hip ones with the cut out sides and the cut out holes on the chest and weird cut out stripes (seriously? I have to know what those tan lines look like). I also get that it's really easy to buy into the whole thing. That even as a married lady, it's easy to feel the pressure of looking a  certain way for the world to see. Overly-sexualized clothing, even "modest" one pieces, don't just grab the attention of lustful men. Women envy them. That's why we hate ourselves when we see these tall, skinny knock-out women in one pieces (which, let's be real - how many of these women, with zero body fat, are actually wearing one pieces rather than two pieces?) saying things like 'I'm going to have this itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini body **as we put down the tub of ice cream** It's just the way of the world, and quite frankly, this obsession with 'less is more' really bums me out. 

So I started my quest for modesty, particularly in a search for a bathing suit. Now let me pause right here to tell you something important: I don't think two pieces are wrong. I don't judge my friends who wear them (I own two myself) and I don't sit atop my fold-able "holier than thou" beach throne when I wear a one piece. Also, my husband is not making me wear a one piece. I truthfully decided to venture into the land of forever pale bellies on my own, honestly out of curiosity more than anything. Sure, as a christian woman, it strikes me as a topic I should fully consider on all sides - this modesty - and just why or how one should go about finding it. 

But before we get our sassy swimwear bottoms in a bunch, let's just get something straight: My interest was in finding a fashionable, affordable one piece because to tell you the whole truth, I was skeptical that they even existed. You know what I'm taking about. The simple, sophisticated yet stylish one piece that doesn't break the bank - the unicorn of all swimsuits that doesn't leave unwanted tan lines. Ah - the tan lines. My one beef with one pieces. I have a lot of weddings to attend this summer, and I'm not trying to have criss-cross, halter top tan lines. So where can I find this dream suit? A strapless, yet modest (as modest as it can be for a strapless one piece) fashionable gem?

Well. a few clicks online can show me where they live -- expensive stores like Anthropologie and J crew (expensive to me, anyway). And this made me laugh. $120, $150 for a (rather plain) one piece? Ha! Good one, you beautiful twist bandeau tank with the tasseled sayulita poncho. Luckily for me (or so I thought), I was heading to the beach, where gorgeous one piece unicorns frolic about endless surf shops, beach boutiques and nearby strip malls. 

Wrong. At least in my experience. 

Now, my parents live in a sleepy beach town, so I wasn't really expecting high fashion swimsuits, even in nearby surf stores. I still searched surrounding stores, including Walmart, Target and Peebles, thinking, "surely they will have something." But, alas, they did not have a single strapless one piece. Some beach stores I went into didn't have one piece swimsuits at all. Now, I wasn't really expecting Walmart or Peebles to wow me, but Target is my jam, so I was shocked to only find tankinis and plus size one pieces. 

It wasn't until my last surf shop stop that it hit me just how strange it really was. Skinny women in magazines - sexy, tall models bombarding the internet in stylish one pieces, and it was all  unattainable. Every store I went into only markets one pieces for overweight women who in someone's mind, didn't have a "bikini body." One pieces aren't regarded as fashionable swimwear alternatives unless they're on the cutting edge, and by that I literally mean the edges are cut all kinds of crazy. In my mind, the only places in which stylish one pieces exist - in my size - is in high end retail stores. So where is a skinny girl to go who wants to find a modest, semi-fashionable, affordable one piece? 

The employee in the last surf shop caught on to my frustration and asked me what I was looking for. When I described my unicorn to her, she stared at me for a second, and then she said, "but you're really skinny. You should just wear a two piece." At that, I surrendered my dream of ever finding an affordable diamond in the rough, and semi-joked (honestly, more in amazement) with my mom on the way home about how a thin girl can't choose to be modest in this day and age (at least without dropping some serious cash). Why is it that every store I went into didn't have my size? Or if they did have small one pieces, they looked like this:

Now I have to give Target props I really do, because they actually have one-pieces, even strapless ones, and some of them are really cute. But the only ones I could find were either swim dresses, tankinis or XXL. I know there are always going to be exceptions, and if you're a small gal who found an affordable, strapless one piece, I commend you. I'm sure they're out there somewhere. I haven't given up my plan to find one. However, I have admittedly adjusted my budget toward prices I never initially thought I would pay. But I think the awkward elephant in the room is that we actually have to search for them. Our culture dresses it all up, sometimes even calling it "modest," but unfortunately, striving for (fashionable) modesty in our world is often like searching for a unicorn.