ENCOURAGED IN HEART

There’s a gap between the woman I am and the woman I want to be.

Much like control top panty hose or spanx, I’d like to “mind the gap” and be mindful of where two points don’t meet (or overlap but that’s a different post for a different day). Ahem…

In Ross, I practiced behaving more like the woman I want to be and less like the woman I am.

Last week I had lunch with a dear girlfriend at a fab Italian restaurant. I ate like the woman I wanted to be. I had a cappuccino, goat cheese salad and dessert. I didn’t need to eat every last bite because I was satisfied.

For my fellow recovering eating addicts, you know what a big deal this is.

(Please note I did not write “sip” because I’m minding the gap and not delusional, okay? I’ll forfeit bites of Italian rum cake over sips of Italian coffee. Delicious coffee wasted is just.not.right.)

I’m allowing time, a gap of space and practice for God to mold me from the woman I am to the woman I want to be. The woman I believe that He wants me to be.

Celebrate progress where and when ever you can. I just did. Celebrate here!

Where do you want to mind the gap? What are some traits of the woman you want to be? Next given opportunity, will you practice being her to mind (and bridge) the gap?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I see joy all around! Let me count some ways..

The Fink Christmas cards were mailed on time (despite a shipping hiccup that delivered a box full of Kwanza cards to my door step)…

The indoor manager is illuminated…

The outdoor manager is inflated…

compliments of duct tape. We are so ghetto!

We have snowflakes floating freely outside that are making my heart hum, I’m dreaming of a white Christmas Bing Crosby version of course!

My family (minus a very important one) are all around. The presents were “eagerly” unwrapped and currently the air is sprinkled with Star Wars and Ben 10 DS games sounds.

After this hot cup of coffee, I fully intend to beat the Finkster in a dance-off of Wii Just Dance 2! Which really would be a Christmas miracle cause he’s been smokin’ all of us this week!

And, let’s not overlook that COSTCO’s now selling spanx.

JOY is all around!

But the grandest JOY I know, is the Presence…not the presents. Jesus’ presence anchors me on stormy days, provides peace on the so-so days and expansive joy on the great days, like today.

I prayed for all my EIH friends, that you’d experience His Joyful Presence this day!

As the joy campaign closes here at EIH today, I pray it begins anew in each of our lives! I wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Where do you see joy today?

tags: christmas, COSTCO, joy, spanx

Question:  What do you get when you drink a Starbucks VIA Iced Coffee with dinner?

Answer:  Me, blogging at 11:00 pm…(If you want an iced coffee coupon, click here!)

First of all, those suckers are G-O-O-D!  Second of all, they have caffeine, and I’m currently feeling the effects.  I’d like to take this opportunity to blame the high levels of caffeination for sponsoring this post and randomness…after talking to some friends, it seems that I’ve been negligent in posting updates.  So here are some random, and overdue updates.  That and, I need some advice.  The advice part first…

Bride Stacey’s wedding is right around the corner…41 days until the big day!  You picked the bridesmaid dress, counseled in the undergarment department and now I haven’t the foggiest idea of what kind of bling to wear.  The dress is actually mocha colored and the body…well, I think it’s more than safe to say that I’m not at 4% body fat people.

Simple earrings…chandelier…hoops…pearls…diamonds…rhinestones – I dunno.  Do you?

And as for the undergarments, I just gotta go there.  I hooked myself up, spanx you very much.  That is, after glistening getting into em’, I’m now a proud owner.  Spanx is good stuff, literally.

But the more difficult part was finding how to keep the girls, “high and lifted up” – if ya catch my drift.  After trying many options, I found the one.  It is more like the rubix cube of bras, or the Transformers of lingerie, but this one, a Lily of France Extreme Options has a spin wheel to accompany it.  It promises 62 WAYS TO WOW!  And I thought I was a hard worker…

I don’t need 62 Ways to Wow, I just need 1 Way so there’s no Whoops.

I bought both the slogan and the bra.

Never. Never in my life have I seem an undergarment work so hard and promise so much.  The spin wheel, really? Really. I needed it.  The pictures too.

Moving on…

Weight Watchers is going awesome!  I’ve been able to stay under my goal weight and enter into my third week of maintenance.  Once successfully at my sixth week of maintenance, I become a “Lifetime Member” which is required to be employed for them.  I’ve not yet heard back from Weight Watchers about my employment inquiry, but will keep ya posted!

Last randomness to report is that while our current home remains on the market, our dirt sweet dirt is turning into our home sweet home.  We’ve broken ground,

and started laying the foundation!

Woo-hoo!

Well, I think we’re all updated with the floating randomness in my brain as well as running low on caffeine so I think it’s time to lay my own foundation…to bed!  No more randomness, just some sleep! Night!