I stink at taking advice. I really do!  It goes in one ear and out the other. I always jump to the conclusion that the person who is giving me the advice doesn’t really know me or the whole story.

I don’t listen to anyone. I like to figure things out on my own and do them when they’re my  idea. (Eric knows this.) I anticipate that I know what things will be like in the future, but then when they’re not, I ask, why didn’t anyone tell me??? But maybe they did, and I just didn’t listen…

I’m stubborn. (Like my mom. And I’m afraid I’ve passed it on to Rooney!)

Case in Point

We had a friend over a while ago. I asked him how his day was. He said it was discouraging. I listened to him, asked a question and then offered this:

“You have to have days like that. They teach you something.”

And I kind of surprised myself. Because that same exact day, I had cried not once but TWICE about missing Rooney (this was back before I got my new job). I kept telling Eric that I just wanted to see her more or stay at home with her.

Well, as I so matter-of-factly said to our friend, I have to have days like that. Because they help me realize what I really want, and if it goes on long enough or if the intensity of the emotion is high enough, I just might take a leap of faith and change my circumstances. (And I eventually did!) I was learning that Roo means more to me than any career.

Why do we give advice so much better than we take it?

I really am trying to change this. When someone tells me what they believe to be a universal truth, I ask more why questions to get to the heart of what they are really saying, and then think through how I can apply it to my own life.

Because other people are smart and there are plenty of people I can learn from.

P.S. This may seem to contradict what Eric wrote earlier this week. I think there is a difference from taking advice from strangers and taking advice from those who God has put in our lives to help us discern things. Here’s to hoping I can tell the difference.

Happy Friday! We’ve got some (random) things on our minds…we’d love to hear your opinions in the comments!

1. We (occasionally) want to post more than five times a week! If we posted on the weekends, would you come? Or would you rather we posted twice on some weekdays?
2. It’s that time of year…for Christmas cards! We’re getting ready to order ours from Minted (see last year’s card). They’re our favorite way of non-digital communication. Do you want one? Let us know by filling out the contact form below.
3. Have you seen our footer? We’re still fine-tuning our new design for maximum awesomeness.
4. I’ve been reading Proverbs daily this month. It’s bold, in-your-face common sense that you probably already know, but we all need reminded of. I’m going sprinkle in a few of my favorites as quote posts.
5. We put our Christmas tree up last weekend. Rooney hasn’t taken much interest in it yet. It’s a little early, but we missed out last year because we were trying to sell our house. Plus, we will be gone the next two weekends. ‘Tis the season!
6. Rooney woke up at 3:23 am last Sunday morning and was instantly crying (I was on duty). This has never happened before. Do kids have nightmares at this age? Even when she is teething she doesn’t cry like that. I might have nightmares thinking about her crying…
7. We’re trying to organize an early December overnight getaway just the wifey and me. I’m super excited, as I feel it’s much needed. The big question is where to go and what to do. Omaha, Kansas City, Iowa City/Williamsburg, and Minneapolis are all on the list.
8. We’re planning a master bedroom makeover including an accent wall made out of used pallet boards. That is how much of my Christmas vacation will be spent. I love DIY projects!

Submit Your Address Here if You Want a Christmas Card

[contact-form-7 id="5572" title="Contact form 1"]

Hey friends – quick update. We were in Okoboji last week, introducing Rooney to the place we fell in love and got married. She also got her first (second and third) boat ride!

We were gone for nine nights and also attended both of our 10-year high school reunions. Went on a couple dates. Ran a 5k. And went parasailing! We tried to be sneaky and scheduled posts for last week ahead of time (well, I missed on Thursday, but there was still some good stuff to read here last week).

So, this is just a short post to say…we are back from vacation. And a vacation with a 4-month-old is really not a vacation It was a much-needed break from our day jobs and a chance at full-time parenting. Which is great! But different than we’re used to! You understand?

Rooney is either teething or going through a growth spurt. Or both?! We’re missing sleep and are kind of a mess. Tonight I just really need a date with my husband, so we’re heading over to the couch for a little Friday Night Lights on Netflix. (We’re in season three and it is oh so good!)

Next time we’ll schedule posts for the week AFTER vacation so we can dig ourselves out of the laundry pile. This week might be a bit sparse, but maybe we’ll rally and surprise even ourselves. Have a great week!

i’m thankful for our car, even though it breaks down from time to time.

i’m thankful for my husband, even though we don’t always speak the same language.

i’m thankful for my job, even though some days i’d rather not work. (but, really, our company is quite good to us.)

i’m thankful for our house, even though we desperately want to sell it.

i’m thankful for our budget, even though i don’t always have money to buy what i want.

i’m thankful that we have enough money to buy food, even though sometimes i dread going to the grocery store.

it’s all about perspective. what are you thankful for?

“…to know there is a better story for your life and to choose something other is like choosing to die.”

–Donald Miller

Do you want an easy life or a great life? Is it possible to have both?

No one really wants to experience pain, conflict or suffering, do they, even if there’s something great at the end? Something great that God has planned for us?

I’d like to think Eric and I have been living better stories with our lives for the past few years than we were before. We read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller last winter, and it’s really stuck with me. We also were able to hear him speak in person about the book. The main takeaway is that to live a life that would be movie-worthy–the stories we all love to celebrate–pain and conflict must be involved. Except that when we encounter pain and conflict, we don’t like it.

Truthfully, if most of our lives were made into movies, they would be incredibly boring to watch.

On a small level, for the past two weeks I’ve been “suffering.”

Continue Reading…