Thankful

I have so many things to be thankful for. Here are just a few: 

I'm thankful for the love and grace of God in my life. This means everything to me, and I wouldn't be where I am today without His love. 

I'm thankful for my husband. He is my best friend and I couldn't imagine doing this life without him. 

 

I'm thankful for family. I've learned never to take it for granted and to cherish time with the ones you love.

I'm thankful for my friends. I've never been one to have a ton of friends, but the ones I do have are the kind I can always count on. 

I'm thankful for my dogs! I know that may sound silly, but they really are like family to us, and they bring us so much joy! 

I'm thankful for our home. It's not huge and fancy, sometimes it's messy and cluttered, but it's ours and we love it.

 

I'm thankful for provision- food to eat, clean water to drink, clothes to wear, and a roof over our heads. So many people don't have these basic necessities, and we are so very blessed to have all of these in abundance. I never want to lose sight of that in the constant push we feel for more.

 

I'm thankful for my job. I don't always feel like getting up in the morning to go, but it's a great job, I work with great people, and it helps to pay the bills!

 

I'm thankful for all of you, my readers! It's still kind of crazy to me that there are people who show up to this space to read my words. But I am so thankful for it, and for the amazing community of bloggers I have met.

 

I'm thankful for the legacy my parents left me of their trust in God, their kindness, and their integrity. I am so thankful to have such wonderful examples.

 

There is so much more I could say, but suffice it to say, I am truly blessed.

 

I'm going to take a little break from blogging for the next few days to unplug and really soak in my time with Adam and friends. I will be back on Monday to recap all of the Thanksgiving awesomeness! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Enough already!

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."- Philippians 4:12

I have been thinking a lot about contentment lately. Probably because we are trying to actually stick to a budget these days and really watch where the money goes. It really does open your eyes up to how much frivolous spending goes on without your even realizing it. It's also made me think twice before purchasing something: I'll stop and think, do we really need this? Could we get by without it, or do we have something already at home we could use instead?

A silly example: lotion and body sprays from Bath and Body Works. I have SO much of that stuff, and they are all partially used bottles! Really?? So instead of being drawn in by the latest delicious scent (You know what you're doing, you evil BBW), I'm trying really hard to consider what I already have at home and focus on using that up before I buy more. I mean really, how many bottles of lotion does one girl need anyway?

Or clothes. Clothes are a BIG one for me. I love to just go look at all of the cute clothes, the latest styles and find great deals! But do I really need yet another pair of shorts or pants? Or another pair of heels? Or are the 6 pairs of shorts and who knows how many pairs of shoes I have at home just fine?

That's just a couple of examples, but thinking this way is really making me realize just how much STUFF we have, and how so much of it is unnecessary. So many people in this world survive on the true bare necessities of life, like food, water, shelter. And so many don't even have those.


Now I'm not at all saying that it's bad to have nice things and enjoy the blessings I have, because that's certainly not the case! There is nothing wrong with enjoying a shopping trip and indulging in a treat! But if I'm not careful, I can so easily slip into the mindset of "more stuff, I need MOAR" and feeling like all of these things are something I NEED rather than something that would be nice to have, but it is no way necessary to life, or even necessary to happiness.

In fact, the more I feel that drive to buy, buy, buy, the less true joy I feel. Because those things, while they may provide temporary happiness, don't in any way feed the need for true satisfaction and contentment. They just leave you wanting more.

It's so easy to look at what everyone else has, nicer car, nicer house, nicer clothes, and feel like your missing out on some crucial part of life. But then, are those really the things that make life worth living, the things that make us truly happy?

I'm learning that it comes down to the fact that when you have true peace and joy, you can be content in any situation. Whether you have lots of extra money to buy whatever you want or whether you have just enough to get by.

So instead of feeling frustrated when I want something and it's just not in the budget, I'm going to work on being thankful for the amazing blessings that I already have, both the material blessings and the infinitely more important blessings like love, grace, friendship, peace, and joy.

About Me

Well, hello there!

Welcome to my little blog. It's nothing special, really. Just a collection of my thoughts, hopes, dreams, and ideas.

Let's see, where to begin...

My name is Julia. I'm married to a pretty awesome guy named Adam.

We have no kids, unless you count these precious little furballs:

Which I do.

Yes, I dress my dogs up in clothes. What? My husband would prefer I didn't, but how can you not appreciate this cuteness?!?

I work a perfectly regular 8-5 day job that pays the bills, and by night Adam and I are cake designer/decorators. It's my creative outlet, and though it does have the tendency to drive me batty, I love it.

                      

I LOVE to read. Like seriously, I am ALWAYS reading something. Sometimes two or three somethings at once. Even if it's a book I've read 5 times already. I mainly read Christian Romance, Historical Fiction, and Chick Lit, with a little Suspense thrown in.

                        

I love music. Who doesn't right? I pretty much can listen to any genre, I love it all. Pop, Country, Alternative, Hip Hop, R&B, (some) Rap, Rock...Except maybe the stuff where they scream the entire time. That's where I draw the line. Basically Pandora is my best friend.  Adam has certainly expanded my musical horizons since I met him. Can you even believe I had never heard of Chris Cornell, Incubus, or Foo Fighters before he introduced me to them?! I was pretty sheltered growing up, but I'm cool with that.

Shopping. Real original, I know. But shopping has to be one of the best things ever. One of my favorite things to do on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon is grab a coffee and head to the nearest store (Target, Old Navy, Ross, etc.) and just immerse myself in aisles of clothes and shoes and pretty things. Shopping and reading are the ways I unwind and relax.

I'm one of those Christians, which to me just means I've been given the greatest gift I could ever know, God's mercy and love. I love Jesus and strive to be more like Him and love people the way He does. I fail, but that's why I'm so grateful for grace. His grace has been with me through every moment of my life, from the "best day ever" kind of times, to the "darkness and despair" times. To me grace has many meanings, including His ability and willingness to turn bad into good, ugly into beautiful, old into new, broken into whole. My mess into His glory.

Anyway, that's the basics of me. I look forward to venturing into this bloggy thing, I'm not sure how good I'll be at it, but I'm willing to give it a shot! Here goes!