house crush

I am a little in love with this house... maybe a lot in love... or maybe the beautiful white blanket of snow has cast a spell on me... or maybe I'm truly in love with this house. Its interesting too because generally I don't love a ton of windows in a house. I do like some! I love natural light streaming in! But there is something that freaks me out a little about the idea of too many windows allowing someone to take a little peak at me {especially at night, with all my lights blazing and me not being able to see them... peaking at me... through the windows. Do I have a phobia? All that to say, there must be a sensible balance of windows/curtains in my house}. But I love this house. I am drawn to just the build of it! I keep staring at the roof! And seeing it builds up my anticipation of dreaming of a white Christmas. Its difficult in the south to keep that dream alive sometimes... but I'm still dreaming!

Gobble On...

{*****}

to find joy in the common things,

to do our best with what life brings,

to trust that God will lead the way,

to count our blessings day by day,

to love by sharing and forgiving,

this is the secret of thanksgiving.

~Esther F. Thom

happy thanksgiving to you all! gobble on!

the best is still to come

****

I am reminded this morning by Town & Country Mom of the truest meaning of thanksgiving. Isn't it a true test of thanksgiving to still be thankful during the harsh times, the valleys... She explained, "It was faith, courage, and bravery that brought us to the first Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving came after leaving home, after suffering, after sickness, after grief. The celebration came after hard work, after toil, after struggle, after compromise. And still after such hardship and loss, people gave thanks and were grateful to God not so much because the worst was over, but because—in their faith, they knew the best was still to come."

I hold tightly to that faith, the best is still to come! And I do have so very much to be thankful for. God is good, through the valleys & the peaks! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

heavenly peace

****

Today my grandmother decided to take a walk in the clouds... its been a bittersweet day, filled with bittersweet tears...

‎"Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish." John 11: 25 & 26

please stop beating down my doorway...

Remember Just call me Jennifer Hudson... once upon a time ago. Well, lets just say I've been living by a new quote lately {ahum, see above}... and it ain't good! and Thanksgiving and Christmas are beating down my doorway along with the pizza delivery guy! Whats a girl to do! Go clothes shopping and get depressed b/c nothing in my size still fits then get inspired to join the Jennifer Hudson crusaders again? Ok, its a plan...

cozy little kitchens

{Love}

{Love}

{Love}

{Love}

I keep thinking of my future little barn, with our little apartment upstairs... my little space... and my cozy little kitchen I hope to one day have. I go back and forth between my love for white vs. lots of different random bright colors. Its a debacle {i just like that word!} I'm sure many people have. This neighborhood seems to be smothering me everywhere I turn lately. I'm ready for wide open spaces, my little barn... and my cozy little kitchen. Have a cozy weekend!

by the light of my chandelier

Yes, I'm not a big fan of laundry. I'm not sure when it happened. I never minded doing my own laundry when I was single. I used to come up to My Love's house and see clean laundry piled high on his guest bedroom bed and couldn't understand why at all... well, guess what I've been doing lately! Yep, piling clean laundry on the guest bedroom bed! I'm very ashamed... Maybe if I had this laundry room I'd be more inspired! Yes, I'll be folding my clothes by the light of my chandelier in no time! {i can dream anyway}

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington

This article/recipe from The New York Times made my mouth water. My Love and I have been a bit all over the place lately, therefore cooking has been the last thing on our minds. However, I believe I just found some inspiration! I'm off to the grocery store! Planning to surprise him with a delish meal and possibly a little candle light tonight I'm thinking...

Face Lift

Yes, as some of my thousands {chuckle, chuckle} of followers may have noticed, In My Tennis Shoes just received a bit of a face lift... nothing crazy and dramatic but it was brought to my attention that it has been looking a bit sluggish and uninspiring so the new look has commenced! Lately I've felt a bit disheartened, uncommitted and just "blah" concerning In My Tennis Shoes (and about my life in general really).

I believe my attitude is a simple reflection of the restlessness in my own heart. I feel like I need a face lift... or maybe a heart lift. With my grandmother's steep decline in health and currently being followed by hospice, it makes me reflective of her past 90 years {and what a wonderful, inspiring life she has lived!}. Watching the end of life also has a way of tugging on ones own heart and asking oneself, "Am I really living out my own life the way God intended? Am I following my own plan, with my own "grand" ideas?" Because if I'm not following His plan, my life has absolutely no potential in reaching its grand and ultimate purpose. And that's what I want... I desperately want to reach His ultimate design, I want to be burdened with it, consumed, and absolutely enthralled with His plan for my life. I know it will be beautiful... He's already at work!

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me... Psalm 51.10

fall wear

So I've decided this look I could wear all fall and be completely content. Could I get away with wearing it every other day ya think?

Ballad of the Green Beret

My dad rarely speaks about his service in the military. But on those rare occasions when a conversation somehow turns in that direction, it is a treat. You see, my dad loved serving. And has casually mentioned that he probably would had made it a career if it hadn't been for meeting my mom during that time. "She wouldn't have been able to handle it," he explained with a shrug. But he definitely would have. After hearing bits and peaces of conversations over the years I have this to conclude about that period of his life. Directly after high school he enlisted in the army, somewhere down the line he was asked to continue training and after a million "schools" later he served as a weapon specialist on a team who spent most of his time trampling in the jungle during the Vietnam War. And surprisingly, he had the time of his life. He became a Christian in the army, one of his good friends (my current uncle) introduced him to his future wife (my mom) during the army, and he has expressed many times how many valuable lessons he learned during serving. "The first time I rode in an airplane I jumped out of it" (obviously with a parachute)... to this day he still loves weapons and has an interesting collection of guns, has called the Vietnamese "cruel little varmints", still can speak a bit of Hebrew, his "language", still loves to scuba dive (in caves!), was a bit of a legend/scare factor with the round of boyfriends who entered our house, and is pretty much a rock star at 58 years old...ok, not really but is pretty much my hero. So happy Veteran's Day to all those rock stars out there! Have you heard this song? I grew up hearing my dad sing it...

Morning Glory

Seeing this movie trailer just makes me happy. Have you seen it? Can't we all just relate to this girl and all her frustrations! And I LOVE Rachel McAdams...and Harrison Ford... and Diane Keaton. Really looking foward to a movie date night and dragging My Love along as well! :)

And i think this one just looks super precious...

Have you seen any good movie trailers lately?

there is a season

So I just stopped by Post College Working Girl and totally could relate to her blog. Seems so appropriate for what I'm going through and the changing of many seasons... Still feeling down about my grandmother's condition in the hospital. But I'm comforted that Jesus is in control... and there is a time and season for everything under heaven.

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I'm sad today...

I'm actually exhausted... but I am sad too. First: Dealing with sick patients is part of my job, its routine. Yep, see it every day. Having to cope with a loved one in the hospital that may/may not necessarily be treatable is not routine for me. Shouldn't have to be part of my job. My grandma, who just turned 90 a month ago, has not being doing well and this past week her health took a sharp dive in the wrong direction. Yes, my sweet grandma is in the hospital. She actually was admitted on my floor yesterday evening after an exhausting/overwhelming 12 hrs, right before shift change. Second: Dealing with patients family dynamics in the hospital is part of my job. Deal with it every day, routine... Coping with my own crazy/angry family dynamics over this "controversial" hospitalization... not routine. Shouldn't have to be part of my job.

Yes, I said controversial. Because it currently is controversial in my usual very close/large/ loving family. This loving grandmother raised 6 kids. One daughter is an RN/RT (who married a MD), one a RD (registered dietitian), one a lab technician. Out of those medical children have come other medical grand kids (such as myself, RN, another RD... PA... RN... and the list goes on friends. Those reading this currently in the medical profession understand what I'm talking about when we are talking about completely sitting back and letting nature take its course to a 90 year old DNR woman vs. seeking alternatives, although not invasive (how invasive is non- invasive to a 90 yr old?) to a completely alert and oriented (although lethargic currently), sharp, 90 year old. Is this her old age speaking? or is it something else that could be treatable/non treatable... There is a very fine line friends and my dear family is struggling to find it.