Deep Thankfulness

We can all be thankful for our families, husbands, wives, kids, food, possessions, and so on but this Thanksgiving lets dig a little deeper: What is it that we are truly thankful for?

In my community of friends this year there has been a lot of heartbreak some have been harder than others. When I look back and take stock there was a lot of really great things that happened too; pregnancy, new jobs, relationships, engagements, marriages and healings from health conditions. I was talking with a close friend of mine one day who was struggling with the weight of the events of this year and as I listened I began to recount all the good that had happened to them and as I reminded her of those things the heaviness lightened and more joy crept in. I really want to encourage you to take a look at your past year individually and communally taking in the good with the bad and to be truly thankful for those things (even some of the bad). Thankfulness is accompanied by Joy, and don't we all need a little more of that in our lives?

I am personally really thankful for two things this year; first being that I made the biggest commitment of my life to Carl this year and have promised to live our lives together honoring God. I am obviously thankful to be married to my best friend but I am truly thankful for the mutual agreement we made in front of our friends and family on April 5th, that we would truly live selflessly for one another. There is so much security that I now have knowing that we are one and together we get to live adventurously, serve God together and deepen our relationship for the rest of our lives. That's not a simple task and making that commitment was not made lightheartedly either.

Secondly, I am thankful for my sense of stability. For the last 5 years I have been crawling through different avenues trying to attain permanent residency (hold a green-card) here in California. The not knowing whether I was going to have to uproot and move back home was always stressful, I was unable to make real future plans. Within that time period I was unable to travel outside of the United States for two years, which meant I didn't visit my family for a total of three years or get to go on any vacations or mission trips. Now I hold a permanent residency I have the stability to deepen my roots, settle in, plan for my future and have freedom to go wherever I want.

So take a few minutes to think, journal or whichever way you process and remember the blessings from this year. Go a little deeper this year and be truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving Lovelies <3

High Heels :: High Hopes

On a lazy Sunday whats better to do than meet up for a roomie breakfast date and catch up on deep and fun details of each others lives.Getting up at 8am in order to take a shower, pick out a cute outfit and have some morning cuddles with my handsome is an early start for me (I love to sleep in and wake up slowly).

I've started to lay out my outfits on the bed, so I can carefully piece together the details from which color pants to the delicate pieces of jewelery rather than trying on a million different combos and getting hot and frustrated. This morning I grabbed my current favourite slashed black jeans, cozy stag jumper, trusty black leather riding boots and newest graphic tee that I found in the middle of an overstocked Target sale rack for only $5. I love tees that have cute little sayings on them, I am still on the hunt for a coffee slogan tee.

CottonOn: Stag Jumper / Forever21: Sunnies / Old Navy: Black riding boots /

 Target: Graphic tee / Guess: Slash black jeans 

He is the best, he let me steal him away from watching his packers Sunday football game. I giggled as we walked back to our house hand in hand as I realised the difference in my husbands photography taking outfit compared to my photo shoot outfit.

 

Sister Sister Sister

 
************************************************** 
Francis Gillespie 

We are three sisters
Three sisters are we
I love each of you,
And I know you love me

We're not always together,
Life sometimes keeps us apart.
But we're never separated
We're in each others heart.

Now I know we've had our troubles,
But we always get thru.
The real message is you love me,And I also love you.

We have had lots of good times
That we'll never forget
Sometimes we worry
And sometimes we fret

But if God ever gave me
Something special you see,
It might have been the blessing of,
Three sisters are we.

The Lord above has gave me lots
Of happiness and glee
But the most special thing he did was
Make us sisters, all three.

**************************************************
 

This poem touches something so deep inside me, the bond and sacredness of sisterhood. I am the youngest of three girls and we are as thick as thieves. I am so blessed to have an incredible relationship with these two. I know that if am I need of advice, a giggle, a listening ear, accountability, anything that they are there no matter what. We have lived together and we have lived in three different countries at times but no matter where we are we are constantly communicating via whastapp, email, facebook, instagram, facetime, skype, basically any form of social media or communication daily.

We had our bumps in the road growing up but who doesn't, siblings fight no big revelation and I don't know where in the timeline we switched from being sisters to best friends but I am so honored that they are mine. With a five and three year gap between us we have entered different stages of life, sometimes in a different order than you would think whether it was university, traveling, marriage, or parenthood but we are always right there to support, encourage and celebrate one another. This is key, the secret...selflessness, we are always putting each other before ourselves. Every member of my family serves each other, celebrates the wins, commiserates in the lows, supports one another and is always willing to be together at a drop of a hat. Selflessness is love and we love wholeheartedly for each other all the time.

  From the outside looking in we are the weirdest, silliest, and ridiculous lot when we are together having an undeniable bond that no name change or distance could break. We are the 'Hart girls' or what we like to call 'the originals' as we are lucky to have welcomed David, Aiden, Alana, Neil and Carl into our beloved family.

Rebecca, is my eldest sister, wife to David and mama to the handsome Aiden and beautiful newest member of our family Alana. She is gorgeous, wise beyond belief, takes on every new challenge with patience and confidence, master of multitasking and always the first to help when anyone is in need. She inspires me to be the best me there is, the real me not what I want to project but who God has created me to be.

Kari, my middle sister. She is one of the most selfless, caring, compassionate people I have ever known, and lives life to its absolute fullest. She is bold, beautiful, full of unending talent and wears her heart on her sleeve, her love is bigger than this world. She inspires me to be a big risk taker, she adventures into the unknown and ALWAYS comes out on top. 

Sometimes it is hard for me to live in a different country knowing they are all together but this is my adventure and maybe one day it will lead me back home. For now I get the privilege of building my life with Carl in California with our first trip traveling home together this Christmas for two weeks to show Carl my old stopping grounds and enjoy some much needed and always wanted family time.

I am truly blessed and transformed by these two women. Thank you for being the best sisters in the world.  

We are three!