Year Up. Most people know that I genuinely loved the four months that DJ was unemployed last year. Extra time with my favorite person? Help with the kids? Family time all day every day? Yes please. But I am equally happy to report that DJ started a new job just before Christmas and this place is awesome, ya'll. He is the Site Operations Manager for Year Up, a non profit that exists to empower low income young adults to go from poverty to professional careers in a single year. We were impressed with the organization while he interviewed, and we have only become more and more impressed with all that he has seen and learned since joining their team a little over a month ago. DJ was offered a few different jobs while unemployed and with each one, we felt led to take a risk and decline, believing that God had something else in store. Year Up was the provision we were believing for and we are beyond excited for him to be a part of all that they are doing in the community. This organization is legit and is doing a powerful, incredible work. What a blessing it has been to our little family so far. Plus, DJ has to wear a suit and tie to work and dang... smokin' hot, I tell ya.
The Crown. Hello, have you guys seen this? First of all, I deserve a total pat on the back because I have historically not liked movies or shows that a) do not take place in this time period or b) are unrealistic. I understand that this virtually limits my TV and film viewing by 98% and how deprived this must make me in the entertainment world. But I am really, really trying to broaden my horizon in multiple areas, and I decided to give The Crown a try despite the fact that I almost always have to watch British television with the subtitles on because I absolutely cannot understand what they are saying. Ya'll, this show is so good. Claire Foy is a phenomenal actress and I have become so engrossed with Queen Elizabeth and what on earth it must be like to try and be a wife and mother and woman while also being the head of a nation. What a difficult task and she has done and is doing it with such elegance and grace. It is fascinating and I now want to soak up all I can about the royal family.
The 2017 Christian Reading Challenge. DJ put me up to this and I both love it and hate it. Love it? Well, because I really, really love to read. Hate it? Because I just want to read what is easy or fun or peaks my interest and doing this challenge with DJ means that I am going to have to read some things that I don't necessarily care about. I even tried to pick topics that would be difficult or stretching for me because I truly do want to be stretched and educated. We each picked 6 books to read, one for each month of the year and we will read & discuss them together. DJ's topics cover racial issues, world leaders, classics, humor and recommendations from friends and book lists, whereas mine cover WWII, business, suffering, history, the reformation, and a theological viewpoint that I disagree with. DJ got January so we are currently reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, and it is a weighty, complex and sorrowful read. It has been incredibly eye opening and challenging and confusing and I admit that I am only beginning to unearth the difficult issues at stake within the African American community and the problematic reality of mass incarceration. I don't even know where to begin with articulating any of it, but my mind has not shut down since starting the book. We watched 13th as a supplement to our read and I have heard great things about Just Mercy, too; a book I hope to read soon in order to continue uncovering these issues I have never before known or considered.
Staying at home. In general, I love and am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to stay at home with my boys. But, for the purpose of this post, I am being more literal. Like, actually staying at the house. Me and the boys have just been home a lot lately which is kind of new and different for a momma like me who typically tends to stay busy. Admittedly, this has been hard. I have felt kind of cooped up and the more time at home with just me and the kids inevitably means more concentrated time on intentionally training, discipling, teaching, guiding, encouraging, playing and disciplining my boys. It's so good. But also so hard. Being a mom is no joke and there are so many days that I feel depleted and discouraged. But a lot of time at home has been so, so good for my boys. I have seen a lot of fruit in our lives as the result of not being constantly on the go. I have been given a number of opportunities to engage and pour out in ways that may have been missed if our schedule had been more full. And so, I am growing to value a lot of time at home & simplicity in our schedule. But seriously. I'm also going a little stir crazy so let's hang out, okay?
Hiking! Did you guys know that you could do this in Texas? Because I didn't. We took the boys hiking at Beaver's Bend State Park in Broken Bow, OK in December and loved it so much that I came home determined to do it more often. I am convinced it is one of the very best things for my boys, to be out in nature with the freedom to explore and discover and throw rocks to their little hearts content. And apparently, Dallas has a ton of natural trails so it is my aim to go a lot this year. A lot. Friends welcome, so come on.
Torie Lin Fitness. I used to work out in community and that was awesome. Friends and fitness should always go together. But then my workout buddy moved away, and then I moved away, and then working out with friends stopped altogether. Overtime, my work out routine looked like laughing in the face of something too challenging and choosing an easier set instead. Oh, and then following it up with chocolate for breakfast. It was getting a tad pathetic. I was losing muscle and gaining cellulite and getting out of breath when I walked up the stairs. Hello, that is just sad. And then in January, my sweet friend blessed me with a month long challenge program called Strong Her by Torie Lin Fitness and it has been awesome. She creates all the work outs for me (plus eating plans, plus devotionals, plus so much more) and wouldn't you know it, I am actually doing it and feeling it and getting my muscles back. Amen for that.
Lastly, it should never go unnoticed that I love coffee and sweatpants. So much. Too much.
Off to brew a cup,
courtney
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