12 Holiday Resolutions Via "Go Mighty"

Last year, I realized there are a things I must do during the holiday season, or I feel under-celebratory — like I missed everything and I’m starting the New Year off-kilter. So these are my holiday resolutions for 2013:
1. Hang a wreath on the front door. I can buy it, make it, whatever. It just makes me happy to have a reminder that these few months are celebratory. Nice things are happening, and I am a part of them.
2. Arrange a Thanksgiving dinner with all the crucials. Turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie, apple pie, spiked cider. And some decorative gourds. That shit is going to look so seasonal.
3. Host a leftovers party. Ask friends to bring whatever’s still in the fridge or what’s left of the bourbon. Invite friends who are willing to nap.
4. Obtain a tree weeks before Christmas. You’re going to do this eventually, just get on the stick. Pine fresh living room for weeks!
5. Stock the advent calendar. Oh man, the kid goes nuts for this. And all the presents are so satisfying and tiny.
6. Send cards. Send them in enough time that people realize they’re still on your list. That way they send you something back. And you can make one of those slightly terrible card-wreaths, and sigh with contentment every time you open your mailbox and find real mail.
7. Get new pajamas for Christmas Eve. For the kiddo, and also for me. This is the present we unwrap the night before so everyone gets new PJs for lounging on Christmas Day.
8. Purchase gifts before December hits. I like getting everything online in enough time that Etsy will wrap it for me. I also like to order small host gifts in advance, so I have something thoughtful to bring to parties and I don’t have to squeeze in a visit to the corner store for a bottle of wine en route.
9. Trade stockings with another single girlfriend. Stockings are my favorite part of Christmas morning, I love filling them and opening them. Important.
10. Open the house up on Christmas Day. Bake cookies so everything smells nice. Put out a ham and sandwich fixings. Receive guests in your jammies.
11. Wear a sparkly dress. New Year’s almost doesn’t count if I’m not wearing sequins. I will also need a paper hat, a party blower, confetti, new chonies, and an early dinner reservation.
12. Make no-fail New Year’s Resolutions. Last year I ate so many doughnuts, you guys.

An Excerpt on Tom Hanks

In this month’s Esquire, Tom Hanks talks about gaining weight for Cast Away and then losing sixty pounds for the scenes where he’s supposed to be starving:

“Eating everything you want is not that much fun. When you live a life with no boundaries, there’s less joy. If you can eat anything you want to, what’s the fun in eating anything you want to?”

Hey Cowboy

I went home for the summer and met someone. Not to put too fine a point on it or anything, but I have the greatest best friend. He lives 463 miles away from me now.
We had our first date three weekends before I drove back to college for my fall semester.

So now I'm here and he is there. School has still been really good but I do miss home a little but more than I did before which turns out to be an awful lot. My mom makes sure to always tell me to "be productive!" when I talk to her. sometimes she switches it up and sais, "make sure your focusing". Which always makes it so much easier to focus (no it doesn't). But I still focus so there won't be any "concerns" which has sort of become a little joke between Jd and I. My mom is my biggest support and I have no idea what I would do without her. The way she balances me is always such a relief. I miss her very much.

Media is on our side.

We vidoe back and forth...
This is his niece. So precious.

"Pair App" the app for just the two of us!! "Texting, sharing,. videos, photos, sketching together, thumbkiss (WOOOOHOOO THUMB KISSES!!!!) and more"

It's the best chessiest thing in this world.
I love it and he will learn to love it ;)

So here’s to "pair", evening phone calls, and videos that give us big boosts of energy to last until we get to see each other next. We can toast to that.

At 20 Years of Age

The dugger's tipping on our 20's. Please, don't condemn us! Don't read these and think that we think that we have perfected them. We just put our heads together with the internet you know? I mean...we know.

1. Let your concern lie in the hands of your maker. When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.
2. Be responsible. It pays to take life seriously, but enjoy the journey with a sense of humor.
3. Don't promote yourself.  Quit networking your skills, just be memorable.
4. Babies are Cute. If your not ready, enjoy other's. Don't make your own.
5. Consider the source. If you’re worried about someone who dislikes you, first ask yourself whether they themselves are degenerate. If they don’t like you, that’s not a problem. That’s a sad mis understanding because you are great.
6. Be all there. If you feel like you can multitask, you can't. Don't think that you are giving your family quality time when you are constantly on your phone during that time.
7. Don’t waste your time. If you have to chase a dude, move on. You’ll know when you’ve found a healthy relationship because it won’t confuse you.
8. When in doubt, shut up. Silence is a smart negotiation tactic, the best option when you’re processing how to respond, and always more productive than lying about what you’re thinking.
9. Find an age-appropriate style. No one wants to see a 20 year old in beige slacks and a wool blazer ALL THE TIME. Buy trendy clothes, wear the wavy dress, do something ugly with your hair. Be part of your generation, so you can laugh at the photos later.
10. Be polite. It keeps doors open, lessens the potential for misunderstandings, and increases the odds of getting invited back to the houses with home cooked meals.
11. You look good. There’s no such thing as the hottest person in the room. Everyone is attracted to something different, so just take those odds and run with them.
12. Choose good company. Ask yourself if a person makes you better or drains your life force. Be with funny people.
13. Enjoy your body. Odds are you’re more beautiful now than you will be again.
14. The lack of money isn't everything. God blesses those who bless others.
15. Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say. We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.
16. It takes a pretty good boyfriend to beat no boyfriend at all. There’s no loneliness as deep as feeling alone in the company of someone you love.

Just for fun, Look...

Songs of Action

The distinction between the song and the action is crucial. When I lay my prayer and lift up my hands in time of singing and dancing as a total sacrifice to our God, He begins to show me glimpse of his mercy and compassion. Overwhelmed by the realization, I dance on the desire to run away from my anxious urges towards rebellion. I shout and scream and jump on the very face of the enemy that keeps me away from the most loving and faithful experience all of us deeply desire, our God... the one we play our instruments for and sing praises to His name forever and ever and ever and ever.

Then I walk out of the church were relationships battle my selfishness and good character clashes with my pride, when my anger competes with peace and when depression rivals the very joy that is always possible in God's name. I find myself daily competing with one of the most well knows worship songs

I will seek You in the morning
I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

This song has the purest and most wonderful strings of words, but words are so much cleaner than the process.

Will I seek you in the morning when my sorrow was so full last night?

Will I learn to walk in your ways even when they kill every bit of my fleshly desires?

Will I give you the place to lead me step by step when it's not the direction I want to walk?

Will I follow you all of my days even when I have the option to give my life to other things?

I greatly appreciate the admit to struggle when help is in the seeking. It is the most attractive thing to me. In my opinion, even the purest of Christians should have knees that don't feel at home until they hit the alter of repentance.

With that said, I need to repent.

I have an anxious urge to fight for justice in my life. Let me uncover anything attractive about that sentence...I have an anxious urge towards rebellion. Relationships are hard and ridiculous and sometimes they feel completely pointless. Here NOW, I am telling you, if I took some of my relationship issues to a judge, I would walk away in freedom with everyone on my side. For this I should be shamed. If I were seeking God this morning, He would have told me to bless those who curse me. He would have told me to love my friend more than myself.

My identity doesn't come from the lyrics of a worship song, it comes from the drive the song takes me to. I'm not praying for the desire to make you my identity, I am declaring that I will walk in full entitlement and all the responsibility that comes with being your daughter. For all you've done, and for all you are, I will adore you with my whole life. My legacy is clothed in your character.

I will sing to you all of my days

And when my actions fight against the words of the great songs of love towards You,

Lead me back to repentance as I meditate on your word

I will sing the song until the fruit is produced

Makes Me wanna take the backroads home

Me and Jo were left home alone today. My sister went with her friends and my parents ran errands. Brake our hearts why don't you? So we went out.

We went on a very successful "find something to do drive"

If you ever, by complete accident, ever find yourself in Lubbock Texas..

Tech Cafe Drive In

Despite your better judgement, you'll need to eat it.

Me and Jo went the long way into town and decided we might as well

He fell in love

I almost did

Alright so let me explain all the food. This ended up being an all day thing. We ate for lunch, had a snack, and went to dinner. We did shop some little shops, but who needs to know about all that when the food was so good.  This next little place was one we've been trying to find for a while. Arrogant Texan. It is a vintage candy/ice cream shop. It was pure accident that we found it today. We were walking down the Tech avenue, shopping and complaining about our sad feet when we found it. The location was hidden by nearby construction. The decorations and candies and ice cream flavors were so cute. Flavors like: Rootbeer float, gummie bear lovin, Texas toast etc...

And That was the day we had.

The town around the Lakehouse

After hours in the car with two babies babbling and humming and making weird noises when they sleep, we finally made it to our little lake house. As soon as we made it the worst thing imaginable in the whole wide world happened. My whole entire camera body stopped working. So, cheers to the tears and android photos. This trip is not going to be mega pixalated for anyone.

We got here, looked at our cute house, unpacked our stuff and then headed to the grocery store. Blueberry pancakes and fruits and coffee and yummies for the rest of the mornings of this week.

Monday

The more popular thing to do when you see antique shops is shop for antiques...unless you are 2 years old and your name is Bethany. We kept her happy with desserts. This is the absolute truth, if I get back 5 lbs. heavier, she is going to have some explaining to do.

 

 

BleuBird Vintage is a blog I am absolutely in love with. Absolutely. Her clothes are the most adorable things I have ever seen and I am not over dramatizing or exaggerating. I'm telling you, she is the best. So obviously I have tried to buy stuff from her. Three times I have tried and on all three of those defeating times, the item was sold out. It's been quite the quest to get a hold of her cuteness. So, get excited with me... on our sixth antique store, I find this dress. Guess who made it?

Done Deal.

All day long I held Joy Renee and all day long I smelt the sunblock that was layered on her soft pasty indoor skin. She stayed sweet enough for me not to mind all that much.

The best thing is getting the shoreline all to ourselves. We walked up and down for a relaxing 45 minutes before baby was hungry. I'd like to go back... Like, right now.

Tuesday
We drove to Fort Worth
& shopped & shopped & shopped

Sitters. Me and Joy were the sitters.

 We hit the big stores and let the other ladies shop while we took advantage of the big red couch.  

By the time we got home at 1:00 A.M. We were Cheescake factory full and all together upset at the whole entire world. Everyone crashed fast. 

Our little minin trip was really nice and generally, pretty relaxing but, everyone is ready for Lubbock again. Babies are fun and sweet and googly and wonderful and nice and pretty and lovely BUT

They are ready to go home just as mucha as we are. It basically feels awful to be in the car with them at this point. The only thing keeping us from being home is another seven hours in the car. Pray for us.