I did a lot of reading this past year, much more than any of my previous adult years. I recently fell back into a habit of reading and I made it somewhat of a priority in 2016. I thought I’d do a quick review of what I read last year. I’ve broken the list down into two parts for your reading pleasure. Here’s some of what I read in 2016:
I did my first “currently” post here because I’d never done one and kind of liked them. Today I’m coming back at you with a second edition. Since we’re all friends here, (Right? We’re all friends??) I’ll be transparent and say that at 9pm last night I realized that I did not have Thursday’s blog post ready to go. *gasp!* And since I set a goal this month to get back to my Monday/Thursday schedule, I had to get something ready to go. Fast. Sooo….to distract from the embarrassment of my unpreparedness, let’s get on with it.
Currently I am:
reeling with excitement from the launch of Firecracker -The Store’s social media. (Instagram / Facebook) Seriously. So exciting!!
dying at how funny that sticker is on a trunk I have in the shop. Small towns can be full of a bunch of assholes…
feeling so incredibly loved from the amount of support and kind words that have been sent my way lately.
regretting committing myself to a party at my “new” house in less than two weeks.
working like a mad woman on said house.
making lots and lots of lists.
looking at what might be one of our best months in real estate thus far. Four closings just this week! *happy dance*
trying yoga. For real. Like in a class with an instructor. I’m as shocked as you are.
actually liking yoga.
writing more and more each day, thankfully.
waiting on the weather to turn. (Bye, Felicia! – that’s what I’m saying to summer.)
drinking all the pumpkin spice lattes.
thinking about Christmas.
reminding myself that done is better than perfect.
focusing on making the right decisions, being the best version of myself possible, blocking out all negativity, and trusting my gut.
What are you up to so far in September? The month is half way through and it’s been a busy few weeks already! I’m looking forward to wrapping up the month strong. What are you most excited about this month? For me, it’s the *fingers crossed* possibility of FALL!
Hey everyone! I didn’t properly introduce myself last week. My name is Ashlee. I am friends with Pamela and I also work for her. She gave me the opportunity to guest post here last Monday (you can read that post here) and she is also letting me guest post this Monday. Your regularly scheduled Pamela posts will come back soon, I promise.
Pamela and I both are list people. We value a good to-do list, a call list (inside joke, but I couldn’t resist), I even love a good pro-con list. I like to think I’m very Rory Gilmore in that sense. So I thought it would be fun to share a list of things that I am loving right now (or looking forward to). Ready? Here goes nothing:
These are some of my favorite things right now. What are some of yours? What is inspiring you right now?
Guest post by Ashlee Matthews from https://www.lovepeoplewell.com
I have been trying really hard lately to figure it all out. I just want to know certain things. What is the right thing? What is the thing I was made to do? Who do I want to be or become? I want to have it all nailed down and to know what is going to happen next or even just if I’m where I’m supposed to be currently. I can’t shake my own restlessness and I just can’t seem to find peace in my story.
I listened to Jon Foreman’s TEDx talk recently. Jon is my favorite writer and one of my favorite musicians. He’s basically just an incredible human being. Jon spoke on what it means to “live your song” and how you can do that. He suggests that inside each of us is a song and we can offer that to the world. A lot of times we wonder if our song matters. In the big picture of life, next to all of the war, hate, divorce, etc. does our song matter? . . . It does. It has power and it matters, he says. There is an empty space in the rhythm of life without your song. But that’s not even my favorite part.
Towards the end, Jon starts talking about how we have to have the ability to forgive ourselves for the wrong notes. We are going to mess up in life, we are going to play the wrong note. The act of living is messy, imperfect, and awkward at times, but we have to give ourselves grace, as we also have to show grace to those who “wrong note against us”, he says (I chuckled a lot at that line). He moves on to say that as a musician, you find yourselves making music with the tension. There is tension in the strings of a guitar, but it can make a beautiful melody. We live in the tension. We live in the struggle (amen, Jon!). We have the ability to make music with the tension in our lives, though. We can create a beautiful melody with the struggle, the pain, the hurt, the anger, etc.. I processed that thought for days after hearing his talk. I feel the tension in my life, most certainly. What if instead of trying to relieve the tension though, I made a melody out of it? What if I worked within the tension instead of trying to get out of it? Mind blown.
I was so pumped because Jon kept commanding: “Be brave. Be brave with your song.” Brave was my word for 2015. I wanted so badly to be brave, something I didn’t think I had in me. Looking back I see the bravery in that year. I see it in small acts like embracing silence and acknowledging my own feelings. I see it in the really big moments like resigning from my first big girl job and completing my first Tough Mudder. Even though this is a new year and I have a new word, I think I’m going to hold onto brave. Probably forever. It’s one of my favorite words and it’s what we all need to be, with our lives and our songs. Sure, that can be scary. What if we mess up? What if it doesn’t sound as good as someone else’s? What if we fail? All of those are valid questions and the fear is valid, yet we must play anyway. We must live anyways. Be brave.
I don’t know what it looks like necessarily to “live my song”. I think maybe it looks a little something like being myself . Maybe accepting the things I can offer to the world, my gifts if you will, and using them to make the world a better place. Focusing on the things I do have to offer instead of focusing on the things I don’t might be a good start. Living in love would be a good next step for me. Just being loving and showing others that they are loved. Then, I think it’s just being free in knowing who I am and who I am not. My word for this year is become. I want to become myself and stop trying to be anybody who is not me. God did not make two of me, nor did He make me in anyone else’s image except His own, so trying to be like anyone else is a terrible plan. I love running. I love writing. I love Jesus, chocolate, fish, tacos, tattoos, Duke basketball, large bodies of water, any kind of music and dolphins. I love to dance but I’m not very good at it. I laugh at everything. I’m clumsy. I’m smart and yet sometimes I lack common sense (ironing clothes for instance…). It’s all part of my song. It’s what makes me, well me. These things, they make up who I am and they contribute to the song I make out of my life, a song that’s all my own.
I hope that you will be brave with your song. I hope you will let yourself live your song and know that it matters. You don’t have to have it all figured out, neither do I, but maybe if we just keep playing our melody each day, letting our song set the tone, it will lead us right to where we belong.
“On that final day I die
I want to hold my head up high
I want to tell you that I’ve tried
To live it like a song”
-Jon Foreman
Be brave with your song.
guest post by Ashlee Matthews from lovepeoplewell.com
Here are some miscellaneous thoughts I had as I lied awake Thursday night:
(Business tip: If you want to go ahead and respond to a business email after hours, type it up and save it in your drafts. Then, send it first thing the next morning. This begins to cultivate a culture of business for you and teaches people when you’ll be available for business discussions. I don’t really care for the term “work-life balance.” Boundaries, however, are important.)
P. S. Someone told me that I should “be a writer” recently and it made my whole week. In reality I am already a writer. However, her insisting that I should be a legit, professional, get-paid-for-it writer was so encouraging and reassuring. It truly means the world to me when you guys comment, mention a specific post, or talk about reading the blog in general. It encourages me more than you know, and I am so appreciative! (I probably shouldn’t have mentioned “being a writer” on this random post. Ha! Oh well. It’s Monday.)
This is the “month of love” and it’s no secret that Valentine’s Day isn’t really my jam. My husband is thankful that I’ve never expected a delivery of grossly over-priced flowers or some fancy jewelry. And for the love of God, do not get me a stuffed animal. Even though I don’t get carried away in the hype of the holiday, I do think it can be a sweet day. Rather than being all about a significant other, I think it’s a good opportunity to show love and kindness to anyone…children, coworkers, and even strangers. You don’t have to be happily married, living in a two-story brick house, with 2.5 children to enjoy Valentine’s Day.
My apologies. That was a bit of a soap box moment. Even though I do have some tiny issues with the commercialization of the holiday, there are a ton of really cute Valentine’s Day items around the web. Here are links to some of my favorites this year.
I loved these handmade tic-tac-toe gifts by Joanna Gaines. This could be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like. At first glance, one would probably think that only the over-achieving Pinterest moms would do these Valentines. However, it wouldn’t really take that much effort, and I love that it’s not something that’ll be thrown away in less than a week. That longevity is a major win in my book.
These funny Valentines are right up my alley (and free to print)! I’m not much of a mushy gal, so something with a bit of humor is more fitting for me. And these are quite funny.
How to say “I love you” around the world. What a great skill to have!
We’ve been eating a lot of cheese and crackers lately. (Random, I know.) Why not use a cookie cutter to cut it into little hearts??
What a cute idea for Valentines from the kiddos to their grandparents, etc.
I’m a sucker for a cute pair of socks (especially fuzzy ones). This would be a great, inexpensive gift to hand out around the office. Or teacher’s gifts?
And I just loved this full-blown plan for Galentine’s Day. Seeing someone put so much work into celebrating their friends gives me all the feels.
This french bread pizza is more like how the Petruses will actually celebrate Valentine’s Day….except probably without the hearts.
Happy February, friends. Go wear something red and tell someone you love them!
Also, my Valentine’s Day last year and my Valentine’s favorites from 2014.
January was such an awesome month. It’s naturally one of my favorites because it’s my birthday month. I also love the “fresh start” and the emphasis on goal-setting. These things combined mean January can’t help but be at the top of my list. As we welcome the month of love, I decided to highlight a few of my favorite moments from this past month.
Hooray for a productive month! I feel like it’s been waaaay longer than just 31 days, and I’m thrilled about how much was accomplished. I’m also VERY encouraged for the rest of the year. If as much happens the rest of the year as it has in January, I can only imagine what all I’ll have to report in December!
Looking back on the month like this is fun! I think I might start a new tradition. Hello, February…can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!
This year has been a busy one! Lots of amazing things happened in 2015, and I’m super excited to look back on those. Matthew and I have sent out a “year in review” card every year except our first, and I think it’s slowly becoming what we’re known for. This year, I ordered my card from the talented/sweet/professional Becky at Pineapple Princess Design Co on Etsy. I’ve ordered from several designers on Etsy and this was by far the best experiences…even including a mix up with the printer where my cards ended up in New Jersey.
Looking back over this year’s list, I think there’s a blog post for almost each event! In case you’d like more info, here are the links:
It’s amazing to look back on these ten events, knowing that there were hundreds more that took place this year too. Sometimes if feels like the years pass by so quickly, yet each year when I make this list, I’m amazed that all of these things went down in just one year. It’s a lovely reminder that we have so much time with which to do amazing things. The trick is though, we have to MAKE them happen. If we don’t make a conscious effort to go after big dreams, life will simply slip by. Speaking of dreams, my 2016 goals will be up on the blog next week, so be sure to pop back in for that.
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas holiday and get to do all of the things you enjoy. Much love, The Petruses.
One of my favorite things to do is eat. Not kidding. I think heading out to a fun restaurant could even be considered a hobby of mine. When Matthew and I travel, we make it a point to only eat at restaurants that we don’t have at home, with the emphasis being placed on places local to the area. Since we’re so focused on the culinary experience, I thought I’d share some of our local favorites here in Monroe-West Monroe. These are the places that we’d recommend to friends from out of town and we hope you’ll give them a shot too! Be sure to tell them that I sent ya.
These are my local favorites! If none of the above strike your fancy, you might consider RawZ, BBQ West, or Trios. Monroe-West Monroe is known for its large selection of local restaurants, so you really can’t go wrong with any choice. I must admit, it was quite difficult to come up with a list of favorites because so many are good! If you hit up any of these favorites, be sure to let me know what you think! If I’m in town, there’s a large chance that you’ll see me at one of these.
Also, if you’re interested in a full list of options, check the restaurant page of the Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau. You can also find a list of things to do and a calendar of events there!
As anyone who’s read more than a few posts here will know, I write about my experiences. Some are good and some are not-so-good. Sometimes I write about lovely adventures and sometimes I write about harsh realities that I come to realize. Either way, most of my writing is grounded in experiences, whether it be good, bad, or simply insightful.
Today, I write while trapped in a small room with 19 others whom I’ve never met before. We sit here mostly in silence as we prepare to perform our civic duty and await instruction from those in charge. As I sit here in the corner, I observe those around me as I often do. I actually have somewhat of a tendency to infer things about those around me when I’m surrounded by new people. At restaurants, I piece together story lines about the relationships of those at nearby tables. When checking out in Target, I imagine what the person in front of me’s day has been like or where they might be headed next. I do not do this from a perspective of nosiness. Instead, I believe this tendency comes from an area of being simply fascinated with human behavior and people’s “stories.”
Today, as I sit in a room full of somewhat disgruntled strangers, there is so much to observe. Here are a couple of things that I noticed:
After noticing this simple concept, I began to think about the affect we have on other people. Each day as we pass through our daily routines, we come in contact with various people, some regular acquaintances and some complete strangers. Most of the time though, I think we disregard the effect we have on these people. The fact is though, we have the ability to either enhance or dampen the days of those we come in contact with. Sometimes, something as simple as a smile can transform the day of a stranger. Sometimes, picking up a dropped item for someone in our office can encourage a sigh of relief. On the contrary, if we spread a funky mood throughout the world, it’s likely to take root too.
I sat there observing the room and felt amazed and encouraged that I was able to have a positive impact on a room of 19 strangers, with very little effort even. Then it dawned on me, if I can inspire the mood of a group of strangers, what capabilities do we have within our own small groups? What chances are we missing to encourage and teach positivity to our children? What would those we work with say of our overall demeanor? I think too often we forget to consider these things. We forget to consider that we’re capable of setting a mood…both in a positive manner and in a negative. We forget that people are constantly observing our actions and often repeating them. Rather than simply reacting today, I encourage you to choose your responses wisely. Consider that there’s a world of people watching you, both openly and in secret. Consider that YOU have the ability to encourage those around you and to transform the room. If we’re all a little more intentional with our actions today, maybe we can actually change the world.
Photo from https://oppj.org/.
