Re-entry, Grace, & Getting back to Counting On...

Aaah November!  For the love of it all - it's my Favorite!

Sure - it used to be October, but then October got all busy and bossy and left me forgetting why I loved Fall and Pinterest Parties and the Slow Down and the Counting On of all the ways He blesses.

I needed a week or so to just stop the madness... slow it all down again and make all the Should Do's and Should Have's simmer down.  I needed to give myself permission and grace to stop all the things and take a week off!  No bossy lists... no busy schedules... no pressure... but instead some decompressing time, some sleeping in time (can I get an Amen?), some processing and praying through time... some breathing room.  And can I just say:

It was Oh. So. Nice.

So here we are, already well into November when I realize I had fallen out of the habit of writing the gifts down... I hadn't listed them one by one for weeks! All the travel and teaching and touring knocked me off center and out of my routine... in all the best ways - but still... I can't help but wonder if I would have remembered to count on in the midst of the Bossy, if I would have processed and prayed quicker... if I would have drowned out the negative with more authority and praise.  I will never know for sure - but one thing is true... All is Grace.  

And so we begin again...


#1622 - Handmade Notecards prayed over and written out for some fellow Allumies!

#1623 - Phase 1 for InMercy met (well - at this point... Phase 1-4 complete, and early!)

#1624 - Scheduled another Women At Risk Jewelry Party for next weekend! Can not WAIT!

#1625 - Our little Garden, still flourishing and flowering - even into Fall!

#1627 - Kayelyn in her responsibility and getting to classes not only on time - but early! (One wouldn't know how much of an issue this truly was for pretty much ALL of her school years up until now!?)

#1628 - Getting two tickets to attend Women of Faith in Tacoma - even after it has sold out! (Thank you Jesus!)

#1631 - Seeing my brother in law who is battling cancer... and praise God if it doesn't look like he is winning... and all because He won. (The diagnosis was not good, but they are doing some natural things that are making a HUGE difference!)

#1632 - Candles, ya'll!  It's finally Fall when I start lighting all my lovely scented candles!

#1634 - #1635 - 3 Gifts Orange: My new Purse; my Leopard Print infinity scarf;  all things Pumpkin!

#1637 - #1639 - 3 Gifts Falling: Plans, into place; Leaves, ever so gently; Walls built up that don't belong!

#1646 - #1648 - 3 Gifts Returned: Love & Devotion... the give & take of family; friendship - near & far; Grace - given and received!

#1652 - #1654 - 3 Gifts Said: "I love you" - always a gift; "I appreciate you/Thank You"; "You've made a difference..."

#1660 - The smell of Wood burning and leaves burning... hanging heavy in the morning air!

#1664 - Making it over the pass at an ungodly hour in thick fog with time to spare when catching our flight!

#1665 - #1669 - Safe Flights - on time; Personal Screens on plane - plugged in, watching movies side by side with my Honey (making the flight across country not seem quite so long!); Easy Layover at JFK with Gates close to each other; Biscoff & Mumford & Sons while flying the friendly skies; FINALLY - a bed to collapse in just outside of Charleston.

#1670 - My Honey - so willingly going to be by my side wherever the Lord leads us! He was with me at Allume... praying & supporting & loving me when I needed it.

#1671 - #1771 - #Allume
(OK... not really... and yet... in some ways - it's oh so true! I'll give it at least a dozen!)

      #1671 - The Amazing Allume Team... so welcoming and friendly!

      #1672 - Meeting friends in real life who have already been friends online!

     #1673 - Worship & Prayer... it was all over this conference and oh how it blessed!

     #1674 - Keynote Speakers who BROUGHT IT each time, and with such love & grace.

     #1675 - Dayspring Prayer Lounge - yep... I spent me a LOT of time in there!

     #1676 - #Allume Swag Bag (Oh - you don't even know!)

     #1677 - Sneaking off with my Hubby to walk around gorgeous Greenville, SC



     #1678 - Amazing coffee - ALL the TIME... (Just Love Coffee Roasters)

     #1679 -  Cupcakes/Cake Pops that were The Bomb! (The Chocolate Moose in Greenville)

     #1680 -  Impact Opportunities - writing cards out in the Dayspring Lounge... praying and getting direction from God on how to love in each one!

     #1681 - Meeting some of my favorite people/bloggers/authors and still trying to honor them without falling into idolizing them! (Who wants to make anyone feel worshiped? Not me!)

     #1682 - My Honey... quietly there... knowing what I needed, when I needed it. Knowing when to hold me close, remind me to breathe, and push my introverted self right back out that hotel room door to go back to the conference! (Allume was amazing... and it's no surprise that while I loved it - I also felt very much so under attack and unable to connect... my Honey knows how to deal with me... and with the accuser!)

#1683 (-#1783... ha ha - ok - no... I won't do that again!) - Biltmore Estates (Thank you Logan and Deb for continually suggesting that we go... we loved it!)

#1684 - Walking around in Asheville, hand in hand... strolling and people watching and simply unwinding and breathing in deep.

#1685 - Charleston Resort & Marina... need I say more:

#1686 -The gorgeous Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge, strolling down King Street... wandering around in Battery Park... trying Grits and Collard Greens and Hushpuppies and Crab cakes and Sweet Potato cakes and Fried Green Tomatoes... cramming in everything Southern we could think of! (How did I not try any desserts, ya'll? Red Velvet? Anything? Well - those cake pops were delicious... but what is Southern and dessert that is not pecan pie? I couldn't think of a thing?)

 #1687 - Magnolia Plantation & Gardens... so peaceful and relaxing... and the scent of Gardenia's was so intoxicating!

#1688 - Well Hello Mr. Atlantic! It's so nice to meet you! (A day or two at the Isle of Palms!)

#1689 - Unwinding at Poe's Tavern... incredible Burgers and Slaw!

#1690 - Stumbling upon 100s and 100s of Egrets in bushes along a creek... they were oh so vocal about it too!

#1691 - EARLY flights mean gorgeous Sunrises! (and a cross country trip means I am closer to home and to my girlie!)

#1692 - Hubby went home to our girlie while I stayed in Tacoma and met up with another blogger/friend/kindred sister in real life so we could attend the Women of Faith conference!

#1693 - Women of Faith Conference (Amazing Speakers & Worship again... Christine Caine, Jen Hatmaker, Judah Smith, Anita Renfroe, Kari Jobe + more!)

#1694 - Finding a ride home with friends... reconnecting and meeting new women (of faith! ya see what I did there?)

#1695 - The Surprise of seeing my Girlie come pick me up! Eleven days apart, in different time zones, is just too long - too far away! We all agreed!

#1696 - The Processing of All the Things... 

#1697 - and Grace for letting it take more time than I want!

#1698 - Completing #31Days without missing a day, even in the midst of all the travel and busy!

#1699 - Finding silence... after 31 days, finding peace in knowing it's ok if I have nothing to say for awhile!

#1700 - Good Morning Girls Thankfulness study... which is what has prompted me to get back to counting and writing it down! 

#1701 - Re-entry to my regular routines... my small group of ladies met last week and I shared about my trip and both conferences I attended.  This week (tomorrow) - we will watch some of the Keynote Speakers from Allume! I can't wait to share the gifts with them!

... and that brings us up to date! 

What about you? What are you thankful for this month? Do you have big Thanksgiving plans coming up?  Any traditions that you do that help to remind you and your family to count gifts and give thanks for all the ways He pours out blessings? If so, I'd love to hear it!








I am linking up with Ann Voskamp at the Multitudes on Mondays