Rollahcosta of...

Do you know that moment on a roller coaster when you're going up this really big hill and you don't know what the drop on the other side is like? You don't know whether to be excited or puke or BOTH. You just know something is coming, so you hang on for dear life and go with it. After the first hill, it gets a little easier. You look forward to the adventure of it all. Heck, you might even let loose and throw up your hands.

That's my life right now. We're getting to the top of the hill, and I'm about to scream my head off. But it's one awesome ride, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Blessings!

5 Things in Life I Learned From Being a Community Gardener

It's the end of an era. Well not really. It is actually the last blog post in my very first COMPLETED series. I feel like I can conquer the world now. Okay. Maybe I'm a little more excited about this than say the rest of of humankind.

To be honest, when I stated thinking about this series, I had 4 solid ideas for posts and one kind of eh idea. As the end of the series got closer, I was starting to get a little worried. Would it have to end with such a boring post? Standing in the community garden, holding my very first harvested onion, I had my Gru moment *LIGHT BULB*. I would write about the lessons I have learned as a community gardener. Now I know what you're thinking - this isn't a gardening blog. No worries. Not all lessons learned in a garden are about gardening.

Holding the first onion harvested out of the community garden



Here are the 5 Things in Life I Learned From Being a Community Gardener:
1. Playing in dirt is pretty darn fun.

2. Balance is key. The garden, like life, takes a balanced mixture of quality materials to grow and be healthy. Being out of balance affects everything from your health and appearance to the fruit that you bare.

3. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. The thing you think is a pest might actually be very beneficial to the garden. Sometimes the "pests" have value.

4. Be flexible, but be strong. When the wind and storms toss you about you can bed and not be broken.

5. Gardening has the ability to bring communities together and get people talking. I love when people stop by and chat or just come out to look at the garden. I love how people have come together to build it and take care of it. I know it has definitely been a bonding experience in my family.

Blessings!

5 Things in Life I Learned From My 5-Year Old

I can't believe that I am on the fourth installment of this series. I know I'm a couple of days behind, but my philosophy is better late than never. In the past, I would have probably gotten bored around day 2. I know. I know. I'm that kid in right field chasing butterflies instead of keeping my head in the game. They say that the first step to recovery is acknowledging the problem. In that case, I'm half way to becoming a responsible human being.

Blog 4 of the 5 series is about the lessons I have learned from the Dude. No not that Dude...

This Dude...

This is C5. My favorite little dude in the world! *Sappy alert * I've mentioned before that I never thought I would be a mom, but I'm so glad that God thought differently. Once this dude started dancin' around in my belly, I knew there was something amazing about him. He has the best little heart. He's goofy and adventurous. A hug and a smile from him makes my day.
I'm learning things from him everyday, but here are 5 Things in Life I Learned From My 5-Year Old:

1. Everyday is an adventure - face it with anticipation!

2. Laugh. Laugh a lot. Laugh when you're happy, and don't be afraid to laugh at inappropriate times.

3. Sometimes all someone wants from you is to spend time with you. Your time just might be the best gift you can give them.

4. The simple things in life can be the most extraordinary.

5. There is nothing in the world like a child's faith. They still know that God can do anything...and they're not afraid to ask.

Blessings!

5 Things in Life I Learned From Being A Church Secretary

I'm a church secretary. It's a job title that encompasses a lot of different things. It's rarely boring, often surprising, and occasionally bizarre. It's the job I was born to do, or maybe I was born doing it??? For most of my life, I watched my mom be a church secretary. I spent a lot of my time in church offices doing something. If there's a job in a church, I've probably done it. Being a church secretary is something I never thought I would "grow up" to be, but sometimes God has other plans. The time in my life I have served as a church secretary (in 3 churches actually) have been enlightening, rewarding, and challenging all at the same time. I have been blessed and confused all at the same time. I've met some lovely people, and some not-so-lovely people.

In honor of Administrative Professionals Day last week, here are the 5 Things in Life I Learned From Being A Church Secretary:

1. I may not always understand His ways, but I know that God always has a plan.

2. Just because someone is church-folk doesn't mean they're going to be nice. People are people. Don't hold that against God.

3. Love your neighbor as yourself - even when they are driving you bonkers. Just remember you've probably driven someone crazy before.

4. Nothing compares to seeing the light of Christ shine through someone.

5. It's not your job to please everyone, but it is your job to please the One who matters most. Balance and boundaries are key, because someone will walk right over you and keep tap-dancin' on your face if you let 'em.

Blessings!

5 Things in Life I Learned From My Pig

Everyone, this is Jack. For today's royal occasion she is Lady Jackalean of Bedfordshire. Most days she's known as Jack, Jackie, Jack E. Piggles, Fatty McGee, or Fatso. Here's a bonus lesson I've learned: Don't talk about your pig, Fatso, when someone of the heftier persuasion might accidentally overhear you without having a picture of said pig available to display.

Jack is a potbellied pig aka DIVA. She was adopted from the Living Nativity scene at our church last Christmas when she was just a wee itty-bitty piggy. Isn't she a little cutiepatootie? My husband would probably beg to differ (I love you, Honey!). Jack lives for eating, scratching, eating some more, scratching, eat...well you get the point. She barks like a dog and sleeps under a blanket with her head on a pillow.

So on day two of the 5 series, here are the 5 Things in Life I Learned From My Pig:
1. A little mystery keeps life exciting. I think this one deserves an explanation. When we adopted Jack, we were told that she was a he. We respected his/her privacy for the first few weeks, but it soon became obvious that she was a girlie.

2. Take time to slow down a little - get a good back scratch, smell the flowers. Being in a hurry is overrated. Watching someone else who is in hurry chase you out of the backyard and into the house like a mad lunatic is priceless.

3. Sometimes you have to throw your weight around to have your voice heard.

4. Hiding your head under your favorite blanket will not make your problems go away.

And last, but not least...

5. The grass may be greener on the other side, but there might be a mean person on the other side chasing you out of the neighbor's yard.

Blessings!

5

Yes. It's true. I'm going to attempt another blog series. Nothing quite as dramatic as the last one I attempted about dealing with my anxiety. This one is going to be short, sweet, and to the point...5 points to be exact. Most of all, I think it is going to be FUN! And lets face it, we all need a little fun in our lives.

So in honor of May, the 5th month, being just around the corner, and C5 (Yep, he's the 5th) being 5 for just a couple of more months, I've decided to do 5 posts (hopefully in 5 days) with 5 points. Do you see a pattern forming here?

5 is the a fun number...at least in my house it is. Doing a little background info about the number 5, I saw that the Biblical meaning for the number deals with grace and redemption. It has to do with lives being moved by the Spirit. That just made me think how much I have been blessed by God's amazing grace. Life in the Spirit is never boring!

So lets kick off the 5 series with 5 Random Things About Me...
1. My favorite radio talks shows are about fishing, cars, and gardening.
2. My uncommon phobia is a fear of balloons popping. This is either considered globophobia - the fear of balloons or ligyrophobia - the fear of loud noises.
3. I'm a community gardener.
4. I'm in the process of reading the entire New Testament. I've probably read it all over time, but never in order from beginning to end.
5. I collect tattoos. I've got about 13 right now.

Blessings!

'Chelle Part 9,994 - The Mommy Years

I'm relatively convinced that my son is the reason for the glut of sequels coming out of Hollywood. Ok. Maybe the dude isn't the reason for the massive amount of sequels, but he definitely helps keep the sequels in business. In his short life of 5.75 years, he has been conditioned by the Hollywood machine to ask for sequels. Here's how a recent conversation about movies went: "Momma. Momma. Can we watch that crack movie?" "You mean 2012, Dude?" "Yes, Momma." *Momma turns on the crack movie.* "No, Momma. The NEEEWWW crack movie. Not this one." "This is the only crack movie, Bubba. There isn't a sequel." "Well they should make a new one. This one is old." This generally happens with every movie we watch.

Maybe I should tell him that 2012 is a remake of another movie? Nah. Besides, I'm a sequel gal myself.