hello friday, hello sunshine

Happy Friday, Friends!

I know I've been a little more out of the blogosphere than usual this week, but life happened and at the end of every day this week, sleep trumped all. Speaking of Trump, I ended up taking a vacation day today and am watching The Inauguration as I write this. Let's Make America Great Again! Now, on to my favorites for the week.

The sun has returned. I was driving home from the office and I felt this strange warmth coming through my driver's side window, and I even felt the need to put on sunglasses. I couldn't believe I was actually seeing the sun! I can handle cold, but I need the sun to shine. And it feels like it's been days upon days since it has.

tuesday talk and 10 random facts about me

Hey Friends! I am linking up with Erika for Tuesday Talk, and since I completely missed Erin's 10 on the 10th link up last week, I'm going to mix and mingle the two today. I'm going to share a few random facts about me as though we just met and we're chatting over some hot chocolate and donuts. Yum!

Let's chat.

Hey there, I'm Trista. It's super nice to meet you, and I'm really glad you're here. I can just tell we're going to be fast friends, can't you?

fridays are my favorite

Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you have had a fabulous week! My week has been a little on the chaotic side. It's my busiest week of the month at work, and then I missed Monday because of a migraine. I can't imagine it had anything to do with the crazy weather here in Kentucky... I mean it was close to single digits at the beginning of the week and then we broke 70 on Thursday. In reality, only God can do that and that in itself makes it pretty cool (aside from the headaches, of course).

Since it's really Thursday night, and I'm once again coveting the feel of climbing into the cool of the sheets in my bed, I'm going to share a few highlights from the week and go do just that. By the way, does anyone else absolutely love that feeling?

Last Saturday, I did something I haven't done in ages. I laced up some roller skates and took off. I was terrified of falling and breaking something, but I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it came back to me. It was Little J's first time and it was NOT pretty. He was so stubborn, and he refused to listen to me when I tried to coach him on how to keep upright. He fell no less than 100 times. After about half an hour of constant falling, he finally managed to stay up some. I was thankful when that birthday party came to end, I did not want to have to make a special trip to the ER!

my eulogy: something to consider

On Sunday afternoon, we attended a celebration of life of a young woman who lost her battle with cancer. The eulogy was exceptional - describing the life she lived, how she lived it, and how her life and example inspired and impacted others in so many positive ways.

While fighting back my own tears, it occurred to me that if this were my eulogy, the same that was said about her could not be said for me. I began to think about how my eulogy would read. Please don't take this as morbid. If anything, it was a humbling experience - one where this young woman has again inspired and positively impacted the life of someone else, even after her passing.

Trista. Beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I imagine that's similar to how it would begin. What I struggle with is the beloved part. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, beloved is synonymous to darling, cherished, dear, favored, favorite, fond, loved, pet, precious, special, and sweet. Related words are admired, adored, appreciated, esteemed, relished, revered; prized, treasured; and preferred.

I am loved, I wouldn't dare say that I am not because I know that I am. I am blessed beyond all measure. But I wouldn't say that I deserve the beloved title. Why, you might ask? Because I am definitely the inferior version of myself, of what I know I can be. How would my eulogy read according to me?

friday favorites: a few books and a royal oops

Happy Friday, Friends! Our first week back to the grind has been a bit of a challenging one. The boys have struggled with getting to bed at a decent time, therefore mornings have been a bear. Plus, I can't seem to find my brain or snag enough zzz's, so I feel like I'm functioning in slow motion. Combine the two together, and I'm pretty sure we're our own version of The Walking Dead (have never watched it, by the way, but it seemed like a fair comparison). Bring on the weekend!

I suppose it's no secret that I draft these lovely Friday posts on Thursday nights, and since it's quite possible that I might just fall asleep at the keyboard this round, I'm going to recap my favorites from the week as briefly as possible. Promise.

I started reading The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis to Little J this week. We're reading one chapter at night before bed. I wasn't sure how'd he take to chapter books, but so far, he is loving it, and so am I. It has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the week.

2017 goals: a new year for new commitments

Happy New Year, Friends! Welcome to the 17th year of the 21st century. Hard to believe, isn't it? I did most of my growing up in the 90s... I choreographed dance routines to Ace of Base in my driveway, recorded myself singing alongside Shania Twain on a cassette tape, and watched Dirty Dancing over and over again without my parents knowledge. The county fair was the event we looked most forward to and sports, thankfully, spared me from a lot of farm work.

Those times seem like ages ago. I've been out of high school almost 15 years and college a little over 10. Time absolutely flies, and truly does go by faster with each passing year. I'm determined to slow 2017 down. If you have any advice on how to make that happen, please share!

I've spent the last few days mulling over the year ahead and what changes I'd like to implement in order to better my quality of life. I could do this better, this life thing. If I could choose one word for 2017, I would choose BALANCE. I am the type of person that throws themselves wholeheartedly into something, so much that I end up burnt out. I have done this in the past with work, blogging, reading, television, dieting, exercise, etc. I am certain it is possible to enjoy all of these things at once as opposed to only one of them for a season.