November tha what?!?

Hard to believe that today marks one month that Daniel started his new job at Memorial Hospital. I have bought lots of curtains since then. Mom is coming to visit on Saturday and then Leah is arriving on Thursday, they will both leave on the 20th (which also happens to be Daniel's birthday). I assume we will do some shopping, maybe a movie, make holiday wreaths, who knows....
We have gotten out and done lots of things, one if which even the locals are afraid of.. The Manitou Springs Incline (look it up)- One mile up. 2800 railroad ties. 2500 feet of vertical, some points with a 68% grade incline. And a four mile hike back down the Barr trail. So many athletes were out there running up, even saw one guy with 75 lbs in additional weight on his back and ankles. Needless to say, we were glad to get to the top with our "sea level lungs." But I might have inhaled all the oxygen available that day, but we plan to hit it up again when Leah is here!

We sold Daniel's Explorer in West Virginia before the move and have been sharing my Honda for over a month. It was nice while it lasted. Daniel, after much deliberation, purchased an 09 Tahoe, Black with all the bells and whistles. It is really nice and he loves it! He drove his Explorer since his senior year of high school, so he plans to do the same with this one! Here is a photo (it is missing the roof rack, ski rack and bike rack, haha, those are on the way of course)

My job application process is tedious and, to be quite honest, I have never had to deal with resume rejection like I am now. I have gotten several "thanks but no thanks" emails, and quite frankly, this is new for me. I have always known someone with pull and here I am with none of that. A transplant. An outsider. I have my eye on a few jobs with non-profits in the area, one at American Cancer Society and another in the corporate YMCA office as Director of Marketing and Community Outreach. I am being patient, but would really like a reason to wear a power-suit and 3inch heels again ya know?!? But regardless, the online job search and application process is exhausting enough to cross your eyes permanently.

I have made a friend here that just moved from Jackson, MS and we know lots of the same folks back home. Such a small world. We are loving New Life Church (you might own some of their worship tunes) and we have made a few friends which we invited over for the LSU/BAMA game last week. I served them red, beans and rice with cornbread since they were getting a "taste" of the SEC! New Life Church is a huge church with unending resources and dynamic leadership, we are really glad to get connected! And the church has the most published worship music in the US, only second to Hillsong in Australia. You know I am loving that aspect!

As for the weather... OH MY GOODNESS... contrary to popular belief we DO NOT live in a snowy tundra. Yes it snows but the weather here is perfect so far! Our neighbor jokingly told us, it is possible to experience all 4 seasons in one day here. But seriously, even when it snows, the sun has come out right after and it is breathtaking!

Our house is still a work in progress. I promise I will post more photos when the time is right! I am loving sharing this with Daniel and making a home together. He is wonderful, as is marriage. We are having so much fun!

I miss my family and friends something serious. I am thankful for skype, but do not frequent it enough. To my dearest friends, give a sista a call sometime!

Punk Rocker Nostalgia

I have been really nostalgic as we have approached Halloween. It's probably due to the move across the country, marriage, being an full-grown adult- all of the above.
I LOVED halloween when I was a kid, as I am sure you did too! I remember my grandparents' homemade black cat body-suits. I found them yesterday in a box in our basement and pressed my face against the cat costume; I swore I could still smell my Pawpaw's Obsession cologne. I remember one Halloween, the golf cart speeding down the street at about 60 mph with my Pawpaw dressed in the annual black cat costume and one giant gorilla passenger (one of Leah's friends). Hilarious sight to see! I realized after my grandparents passed away, that my holiday traditions were now up to me and my siblings. That I would define traditions for my children one day, the memories would be up to us!
I dressed as a punk rocker, like, 3 years in a row. I just wanted a reason to use that colored hair spray in a can. Maybe it was Bon Jovi's influence or maybe it was a silly attempt for this chubby kid to be cool and grown up like her sister. There was one year I had a homemade clown costume with facepaint, round red nose, clown collar, black leotard and turquoise pants. Sound cute huh? Well, for some reason my mom stuffed my turquoise pants with cotton to make them look oversized- except they were just lumpy and made this cute clown look like she was smuggling candy. I suppose these are the memories that gave me the confidence as I grew up.
Confidence. That is something I have been pondering as this "holiday" has been approaching. I always hear conflicting spiritual opinions about halloween. But when I think back- I think about the confidence it takes for a little bitty kid to walk up to an unknown door, ring the doorbell and say "trick or treat." I suppose confidence is gained in many other ways, but for me, I think about how excited I was to get off the school bus and put on my costume. When I have children, I want them to have these memories, even if they are terrible homemade costumes that leave behind photos to haunt them the rest of their adult lives. I can't wait to hear my doorbell tonight and give candy to little excited kiddos!

rental truck and deer horns...

Please pardon my lack of blogging, as we have just now gotten settled and internet connected in our new home. Yes, we are living in an incredible beautiful city, Colorado Springs. Please allow me to catch you up...

Daniel receives emails frequently about job openings in his field of radiation oncology. He had been working as a regional administrator in the greater DC area and did quite a bit of traveling. Soon after we married, we began praying in June and asking for the Lord to direct our decisions for where we would call "home." For some reason we felt that West Virginia was not going to be that place. Fast forward to August and Daniel learned of a few positions- one in Alabama, one in Florida and one in Colorado Springs. His gorgeous blue eyes lit up when he talked about Colorado. As much as I would love to be closer to family, I have desperately wanted adventure. I suppose meeting, dating, marrying and moving to WV to be with Daniel was quite an adventure to say the least- and NOW to Colorado. Is this really MY LIFE?

Daniel has always wanted to live "out west" and I encouraged him to apply. He applied, got a rejection email and then got an interesting phone call explaining the other guy had fallen through. After 2 phone interviews, a skype interview and a trip out on Labor Day- HERE WE ARE! He accepted the Director of Radiation Oncology position at Memorial Health (which is a huge title for a guy his age).

We sold his Ford Explorer and found a new home for his dogs- Jackson and Bella (they got a serious upgrade to 120 acres in WV!) His last day of work in West Virginia was September 28th and we packed the truck that night and drove away (with huge help from our "WV family"- Tim and Marsha Eggleston- they are truck-packing-beasts!)

We found a house to rent online, traveled 2100 miles in a Budget Rental Truck (towing my car behind us) from WV to Mississippi to Colorado! We had very little to pack in West Virginia and majority of furniture and all of our wedding gifts were in storage in MS. PS- driving a rental truck through WINDY Kansas was no joke!

So many of you have been wanting pictures of our house and such. Please keep in mind, the walls in this rental house as of right now are Beige. If you know me at all, you know I AM NOT BEIGE. I can't wait to paint, we just got permission!
But I was quick to get pictures hung on walls (if you have ever read Captivating, you understand this) along with my chic deer skull that my brother-in-law so proudly gave to me. (he said "I never thought I would see the day that you wanted a deer skull" haha)I am really embracing this "western" thing....We even live on a street named "Sundance Kid" and Butch Cassidy is one street over... ha!

Right now, we are living in NE Colorado Springs where there is a lot of development, but hope to eventually get on the west side of town where it is a little more green!
This is the view of PIKES PEAK from our BEDROOM! We got a dusting of snow the first Saturday we were here!

Some very boring shots. More later...

Simple Living (part 2)- Purpose statement

Lately it seems that you can buy art that says "live, laugh, love" or "Dance like no one is watching" just about anywhere. I like to think of these as the modern-day, "Welcome Friends" country-blue art that my mother so loved in the 80's and 90's. But there can be significance in placing the words that resonate with you in your home. Chapter 3 of Organized Simplicity helps you identify your family's purpose statement for Living Holistically within your Family's Purpose

..."We're all given a finite amount of time, resources, and talents, which makes it rather impossible to achieve that noble, yet impossible ambition of doing everything well that you want to do. It's simply not possible, and it's a poor use of energy and devotion. One of the characteristics of a responsible adult is to recognize the difference between the important and the urgent. If your desire is to live simply, it's essential to know what's the most important stuff in life and what's urgency disguised as important. Within a busy world and a culture with an infinite list of demands, your soul needs some constant, a foundation that helps you determine what you can do and what you just can't or won't, and what can wait until later. This unshakable rock needs to be something that makes sense, that's clearly defined, and that is consistent with your priorities. This is when a purpose statement proves invaluably handy. I'm talking about a real, definitive, no-holds-barred statement that says what you are about. And if you're sharing a roof with other family members, it's a statement that says what all of you are about.
A purpose statement with an end goal to simplify your life should be simple in itself. It should be timeless. It should be general, but not too general (Live, laugh, love. HAHA) If it's too vague, it won't really help in your day-to-day decision making. If it's too specific, it may needlessly paint you into a corner you never intended.
Here is my family's purpose statement: As a family, we want to glorify God. We will: Put each other first, Cultivate deep relationships with one another, Extend love to those around us, LIve simply, Be true to who God made us, Take care of our health, Be good stewards of creation, Be lifelong learners. MaryJo Wieland, writer at TurnItUpMom.com and wife and mom in New Jersey, has shared her family's purpose statement as:
Kindness: Generosity of Spirit.We show people that we care. We are sympathetic and understanding, and we act with a warm heart. Responsibility: We have a responsibility to ourselves, our community, and the environment. Faith: We believe in God and in each other. We are loyal to each other, trusting that each person has something special to offer the world. Fun: We remember to approach life with a light-hearted playfulness, to laugh a lot, and the make memories together.
Pick these questions below that resonate most with you and jot down some thoughts. Write the first answer that comes into your mind, or simply write down some words that percolate as you mull over the topic.
1) What are a few strengths of each member of your family?
2) Collectively, we are at our best when we are...
3) Collectively we are at our worst when we are...
4) If we had a completely few day together as a family how would we spend it?
5) What are practical ways we can serve each other?
6) What are practical ways we can serve others outside our family?
7) Name three things we think we could do better as a family.
8) What would people say today about our family as a whole?
9) What would we like people to say about our family as a whole in thirty years?
10) If our home could be filled with one emotion, what emotion would it be?
11) Name three adjectives we would like people to describe our home environment.
12) What are the tope four priorities we want our family to value?
13) What is the main purpose of our home?
14) What is the secondary purpose of our home?
15) what is the individual purpose of each member of our family?
16) Describe the status of our family in ten years...financially, intellectually, emotionally, relationally, communally with our environment, physically, spiritually
19) What does your family/home look like in ten years?

Start drafting your purpose statement by way of your answers. There is no right or wrong way to write this, but remember to keep it simple and timeless. Consider displaying your statement somewhere for all family members to see. It is a powerful tool. It is a major instrument in your quest to live against the grain of modern-day culture. When you second-guess your decisions of your priorities, you can read your purpose statement and be encouraged that simple living is worth it.


The next blog will share her advice on time and money! Stay tuned.

simple living- what is it?

Have you ever observed the way someone manages their life and home and thought, man, I could learn a thing or two or twelve from them. There are three people in my life that have inspired me with their simple living; and fortunately I worked with all of them (Stacey Bloodworth, Lacy Deese and Ann Hendrick). I observed healthy boundaries that Stacey and Lacy set for themselves; boundaries in how they spent their time, money and relationships- with great intention. I revered the way Ann cooks, invests in her own garden and local markets, and the adventurous-memory-making holidays and vacations with her family.
I have longed for the season of life where being "domestic" was important and appreciated; where investing in my home means more than upgrading to stainless steel appliances. I am in that season now.
When Daniel and I were writing our wedding vows, we sat snuggled up on a sofa and wrote down what was important to our home, family and relationship. I later read in a book that what we were doing was establishing our family's purpose statement.
Well, wouldn't you know....Lacy Deese recently mailed me this book for my birthday, Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (yes, that is the correct spelling).

It's an easy read, but I am not going to be that friend who insists you read every book I read. Instead, I am going dedicate the next few blogs to the concepts in the book that resonate with me. Hopefully, making it more SIMPLE for you. I will not give my opinion; just some really helpful nuggets (i love using the word nugget).

from the book..."Our culture progresses toward more busyness, more options, more opportunites to make money and my heart runs the other way. One hundred years ago, a housewife didn't have an endless selection of toothpastes. Are we any happier today that we have twenty different toothpaste brands and thirty different flavors to choose from? We're stressed. It's those endless options that make us feel like we might miss something.
From 1950 to 2004, the average American home has DOUBLED in size- what was once 983 square feet is now 2,349 sq. ft. Today, we live in homes that provide almost the same amount of room per person that an average 1950s-sized house would have provided for an entire family. And the storage business is a lucrative business, to help us buy more, clutter more and hold onto all of our so-called valuable "stuff."
Simple Living is a buzzword in our postmodern culture, and concepts like frugality and going green are trendy. But 80 percent of American households are two-income families and do not have the time or desire to transport their families around on bikes, grow all of their produce or sew all of their clothes. Simplifying your life does not mean going to extremes or creating more work. Simplifying your life is about making life better. It's about choices to say NO to the things that don't matter so you are free to say YES to the things you truly want. The definition of simple living is "LIVING HOLISTICALLY WITH YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE."

Four extra benefits of simplfying and decluttering:
More time for people: being free to invite someone over at the last minute for dinner and a card game without the fear of the mountain of laundry or food stuck to the kitchen counter. Improved Health: Our mental, emotional, and physical health is taking a serious toll because of our cluttered lives. We're stressed, easily overwhelmed, and we are not sleeping well because our minds, checkbooks and homes are too crowded with our "stuff." All of the hard work to maintain it means less time in the place meant to be your haven. Financial well-being: We never feel like we have enough money while buying things with our money that we don't really need. De-cluttering our homes and shopping carts also creates emotional freedom which directly effects financial wellbeing.An ecological step in the right direction:You'll probably use less electricity, less gas, and less water to keep your place running.

You can't do it all, but you can control what you bring into your home and what you do with your resources. Simple living means that all the parts of your life are pointed in the same direction, one that has purpose and vibrancy.

I will continue this synopsis in later blogs. it gets good!....
Heather

a former dental hygienist's lament

I am often amazed that people know very little about oral health. I was just watching a segment on the Today show about Heart Disease and the hostess was shocked that daily flossing could prevent plaque build up in the arterial walls.
The mouth is the dirtiest place on/in your body. THE DIRTIEST. And it has access to the same blood stream that goes straight to the heart.
If your gums bleed, you have unhealthy gums. Period. You should get to a point where the gums do not bleed when you floss. If your ears bled every time you used a q-tip, wouldn't you see a doctor?

If your idea of oral hygiene is quickly swabbing your toothbrush over your front teeth or popping a piece of gum to fight bad breath, the rest of us really wish you would learn a few things.

So, please, allow me:
There are two different concerns in the mouth dealing with your hygiene habits:
1- dental decay and 2-gum/periodontal disease.
Dental decay ("cavities")of the tooth often results from sugar/food that is not cleaned from the tooth and turns into maturing plaque. The "sugar" doesn't necessarily come only from candy, but also comes from carbohydrates especially all the refined sugars in our boxed foods. Most often cavities form between the teeth and in the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the tooth. The way to fight cavities in between your teeth- FLOSS DAILY. This interrupts the plaque maturing process or what I like to call the "breaks up the bacteria party." Thorough brushing the chewing surfaces of your teeth will help with cavities there.

Gum/Periodontal disease typically can be smelled by others right when you start talking. For trained noses in the dental profession, we typically can smell periodontal disease across the room. FLOSS. FLOSS. FLOSS. What happens if you don't floss? The plaque or "gunk" around your teeth matures and calcifies if not removed. This calcified plaque or "tartar" will first create inflamed gums. Fire red and bleeding. Then the calcified plaque works it's way down the roots of the teeth, eroding the bone that holds your teeth in place. If not treated, this can result in painful and expensive gum surgery. Periodontal disease is the cause of tooth loss. This is why generations before us lost their teeth at an early age.

If you have bad breath, more than likely it is NOT "halitosis," more than likely it is plaque, lots of plaque in your mouth. Talk about this with your spouses and make them a dentist appointment. (if you are in Jackson, call Belle Meade Family Dental).

Oral hygiene tips/tricks:
1- Floss and then smell your floss! If it smells like bacteria (moth balls) you have mature bacteria in that pocket around that tooth. You need to increase flossing frequency. If it doesn't go away, you need a dental exam.
2- If you brush too hard and are wearing the gums away, brush with a fingertip grasp instead of full-handed grip. The harder your you press your toothbrush down on your teeth, the less effective the bristles.
3- If you have a recurrent problem with cavities, ask your dentist for a flouride prescription.
4- do not store your toothbrush near your toilet. The air is filled with micro-sized mist from the toilet everytime you flush. Gross. I know.

I hope you learned something.
I am a nerd, I know.

I admit... (from the other side of the story)

I used to hate reading on Godly feminity and masculinity. I thought it too narrow-minded, too simplistic for all of us to fall under these labels. No one lives the same life, we all have different paths. Don't get me wrong, I had grown up reading Proverbs 31 and I believed in the beauty of a woman and her gifts and likewise for a Godly man. I now realize it was because I had not experienced the beauty of healthy pursuit and I was defiant. Boy was I defiant, having freely placed my heart in the palm of an unsafe relationship despite the warnings I had read and heard. I was not a victim. I chose to do that. Over and over again. I didn't want to believe that feelings of "safety and stability" came from a relationship with a man. I thought that was between me and my God. I wasn't in a season of waiting because I wasn't "waiting for my life to begin" like the world told me. I was living my life! I actually felt sorry for the women who didn't get to explore their own dreams and choose their own goals. After all, most women and men only complain about marriage. I didn't really hear of many "life-giving" marriages. I didn't want to succomb to what everyone thought my life should look like.

At the nudge of friends, I read Wild at Heart and Captivating over the spread of my single-girl decade of my 20's. The words lept off the pages into my defeated heart, and it eventually took a painful purging and submission to acknowledge those books were right. Very right.

Now here on the other side of the story. Receiving text messages from single girls in the middle of the night who are aching, longing and disillusioned. Married to a strong, stable man who fears and loves the Lord. A man who prizes me. For me.
You see, he (Daniel) knows his purpose in the Lord and his purpose in this world. He is confident in his gifts and talents. I don't have to help him find them. Nor, do I have to help him fight his battle, I don't have to find his adventure. Because of this, I am free to be his beauty. I am free to be his companion in his battle and adventures. His masculinity does arouse feminity and vice versa. I truly believe it. I watch Daniel in his work, his serving others, his goals, his confident strength and it makes me feel beautiful, safe and free.

I see it so clearly now. I am thankful for the pain, for it was there, that I was learning to appreciate what the Lord would eventually provide. If you are waiting, keeps your eyes open, surround yourself with wisdom and keep walking straight until you can recognize that "he" is committed to pursuing you and demonstrating desire for you to be in his life. Until then, keep straight ahead with your Lord.

Home is where the heart is. Literally.

Everyday, I take a trip to our mail kiosk. For the first few days I would find boxes from Belk packed with wedding gifts that didn't catch us before we left mississippi. Today, I found a package from Laura. The incredibly talented, stylish, and apparent experienced gift-giver Laura Pickard. (eh hem, she reads this blog). She had shown me a picture of the gift that she had ordered from Etsy and I love it even more now that I have it in person. The package lacked a packing slip or card, but I knew it was from her. She told me it was supposed to say "don't forget where home is!" It's a wooden cutting board with hearts are placed in Jackson and Vaiden, our hometowns. I love this. Perfect.

favorite color: orange

I love orange. The color. The flavor. Especially the popsicle! My wedding decor was orange, didn't care what it was, as long as it was orange. In my searching for ideas for the porch today, I stumbled across rooms with orange and turquoise. LOVE THEM.

Before wife; After wife

I am not an animal person, we all know that. But I did say "I Do" to two large dogs- a Boxer named Jackson and a Black Lab named Bella. They are sweet, well-behaved dogs with slobbery jaws and smelly coats. They have occupied the screen-in porch area of our house (cabin). By occupied, I mean, they made the screen-in porch completely disgusting. Hairy and Stinky. But it was convenient for Daniel to feed them quickly before bedtime and kept them close to the heat during the bitter winter months.
The porch is absolutely beautiful and extends around 3/4 of the house. I knew it would be one of the first things I tackled once I moved here. There is something incredibly festive, romantic and cozy about a screened area used for dining and entertaining.
The first Saturday after our honeymoon, the pressure-washer was in motion. After a trip to Ikea and Target, I have achieved my goal.
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AND AFTER!

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