You guys. I saw an email from facebook about a sweet friend of mine who wrote to me and probably didn't know I wasn't checking FB anymore so I wanted to respond and BAM. Sucked in. (Not really.) I scrolled the news feed for about a minute before it made me feel awful again so that was an easy way to log off. Facebook is a dang battlefield! Opinions criticism opinions criticism occasionalpositivepost politics religion critcism opinions VOMIT.

This is not a judgment. It's just not good for ME.

To my sweet friends who consistently post sweet and uplifting things on the daily..more of THAT in the world, please. I have cool friends.

Anyway, the rest reminded me of something our friends used to talk about regarding life as relates to piñatas. That's right. Let me explain:

Imagine that you are, in fact, a piñata. Fun, right!? You're a colorful, unique, handcrafted piñata. The "supposed" to be candy filling (or, let's say..healthy fruit snacks if you're Chris Tate..or just straight up blueberries) is all of the stuff you put into your brain. Your awesome piñata filling is what you ingest into your mind throughout the day.

Now...we know what happens to all healthy piñatas......they get the junk hit out of them. They get rammed and beaten and tossed around untillllllll.............all the innerds fall out.

What's going to fall out of your piñata?

Praise? Thanksgiving? Scripture? Positivity?

Or a load of crap.

Now, I'm not saying you should live a life ignorant of all things negative. And I'm also not saying that facebook is the only source of negativity out there (obviously.) But things that are negative+critical+POINTLESS (that is, they serve NO purpose other than to create noise and drama) are the things I'm talking about.

I am NOT talking about posting news and other relevant real world issues (although I do have a pretty low tolerance for this, too, but that's a personal matter.) Maybe you have a magic piñata shell with an advanced filtration system and you can easily sort out the bad from the good so that when you get hit with the bat of life, if you will, you spill out things that are wonderous. I applaud you. I have no such ability.

If I do get back onto that mess of a social media site..I will have to force myself to delete the ones who consistently junk it up with pointless chaotic banter.

Hear me when I say this: I am SO thankful for sites like FB when it comes to gathering prayer troops..we had hundreds and hundreds of people praying for Ellie thanks to it. And I know others have similar stories. But..you get my point.

That is all.

[stepping off my soap box]

I've been on a stinking ROLL in the exercise world and let me tell you why: Chris and I do SO MUCH MORE when we live in a place surrounded by sidewalks. Sounds ridiculous. We could easily get in the car and drive to places that are conducive to running and biking and playing..but when it's all around you it's just plain easier. We've lived in 5 places in the last 2.5 years (HA. Crazy.) But only 2 out of 5 of them had access to sidewalks right outside the door. The rest were all off of busy highways that nobody would really dare run or bike on except out of necessity.

It's super bike/running friendly down here and there are literally sidewalks that take you to anywhere and everywhere. We biked for 12 miles a bit ago all across town and never had to leave a stretch of sidewalk.

Point:  sidewalks+bike lanes=the coolest.

Lastly-have we told you about our New Years Challenge with Bob and Em? It's no ordinary New Years Resolution list. It's a year long, month to month BATTLE TO THE DEATH, kidding, where we get strikes for each "offense" and then at the end of the month whichever couple has the most strikes has to do something awesome for the other couple.

I'm not sure who is winning at this point but here is some of our list, in case you want to strike up a challenge with a friend:
1. No White Wheat (100% Whole Wheat products only) An easy one for us since we've been doing this since forever BUT eating out/with other people makes it more challenging.
2. "Natural Sugars" only. Fruit, honey, etc...those are fine..plus a few more, like technically yogurt and things such as that have added sugars..but you get the point. We're talking chocolates and sweets and sugar in your coffee (or anything), etc.
3. Four STRENUOUS workouts a week.
......and so on.

Don't worry, we have one cheat meal a week.
Don't worry, we're going to win. Muahahahahahahahhaha.

;) Love those crazy Funciks.

To end, stealing this from Lizzy

“I have learned to kiss the wave that drives me against the Rock of Ages.” -Charles Spurgeon

                              

Today Chris had two interviews. 

We've been getting settled in to our new home and church(es) [more on that in a second] and the like, and I'm happy to say that Chris has not one, but two interviews tomorrow at MUSC. Raise your hand if you are surprised!

"But the Christian knows that he not only cannot and dare not be anxious, but that there is no need for him to be so. Neither anxiety nor work can secure his daily bread, for bread is the gift of the Father." -Bonhoeffer

Alright so I told my sister-in-law I would help her decorate her shelves. we finished them today and I'm loving them. Silver isn't my go to because I just don't really have any, but Caroline has tons of it so we had an easy time putting it together after shopping for some fun additions . :) excuse the iPhone picture.. Didn't have my canon on me!

We've been everywhere! Hence no time to sit down and type + no wifi yet. We're pros at this whole moving thing at this point, but we probably won't have internet for a few months, which I secretly love.

First, some business matters: I am largely OFF of facebook. If you've sent me a message and I haven't responded, that is why. I may delete it, maybe just won't check it..but if you see any "updates" it's solely because sometimes I post directly from instagram onto facebook..or log on and post my blog and log off.

Here's why: facebook makes me feel icky. Also, during Christmas, I logged on when I shouldn't have and saw many a gorgeous baby in front of many a Christmas tree........and as joyful as it made me for my sweet friends..it devastated my still fragile heart on our first Christmas without Ellebell. Soooooo basically I thought to myself, "No good can come of this anytime soon or ever." and then I threw my computer against the wall. Kidding. Almost. So when you see this link on facebook and you're like..she was ON facebook why didn't she respond to me!? It's because I'm posting this link and then running away.

Call or email instead! Or straight up facetime me at my email so I can see your face.

We had an otherwise good holiday, especially because two of our best friends got married, and Lizzy was home from Nigeria. She's back there safely now and you can continue praying for her and following her adventures at the link I have posted to the right!

As of the 10th of January, Chris is a registered nurse. Crazytown. I can't even believe it. He's in the process now of looking for jobs, so pray for the right one to come at the right time..no worries there. It's amazing how you stop worrying about things like getting jobs when you see how dramatically God moves in other ways. The healing he's done in my heart has been so life changing and drastic and unreal that worrying about a job seems wildly trivial. Funny.

Ah, but still, in the midst of healing there is still pain. The pain of moving on, the struggle of certain experiences without our first little one....(the ocean is a biggie) and the pain of meeting new people whose first questions are usually "Aw, how long have y'all been married?" quickly followed by, "Do you have any children??" Cue the sharp pain in my chest and the internal conflict associated with telling too little or telling too much or straight up lying for the sake of someone elses comfort in the social sphere and then all the sudden I'm worried that I've been thinking too long and not talking enough and hi nice to meet you I promise I'm not crazy. Messy. And okay. Each of these small social interactions remind me of Ann Voskamp's words, “Losses do that. One life-loss can infect the whole of a life. Like a rash that wears through our days, our sight becomes peppered with black voids. Now everywhere we look, we only see all that isn’t: holes, lack, deficiency.” and I'm allowing myself to wade through the emotions of that without feeling guilty or pressured to step into a place that is neatly and beautifully packaged on the outside and wildly fake on the inside. Workin on it. Although I do know (and have experienced) that a life of "infection" and "void" are not what I am to expect, nor what I will settle for. Just a part of the process.

I am going back to work this Friday, and will most likely work until the next time I give birth (not pregs, for those wondering) so that's happening, and we're on this mission to pay off student loans like SO FAST.

Did I mention we consistently feel like small children on Christmas every day because THE BEACH and the salt in my lungs and I don't care what you say, I love the smell of pluff mud. I love living 15 minutes away from my nieces. I am trying not to have the idea of every sibling of mine (biological + in-law)(and also parents) living within 10 miles of me. I watched too much Parenthood and now all I can think about are spontaneous dinners and game nights and awkwardly having to tell each other that we need some time apart. CRAZYFAMILYCOMMUNEDREAMS comin' atcha.

Come visit us, people.
xoxoox