DelightStruck

Things just got real, peeps. Okay they've been real for quite some time, but dang, they just got really real. I was trying to be adult-like and make sure we had the proper level of life insurance for our family, as the big 40 rolls in this month. Guess what? I got rejected - yep, rejected due to my weight/build. No talking to my doctor, no taking my stats and testing my blood and pee. They decided purely on weight and build. Hmmm... okay God, it was amusing last week when you gave me fresh content for my planned Faith Friday series on hard things , but this week I was pretty sure I had the cycle of defeat topic covered. Guess not. So I'm short. I'm not petite and dainty. I'm short and a plus mama. I can remember being an average weight in my youth years, but that pretty much ended when I hit adolescence. Past 12, it was ALWAYS a struggle. Looking back, it was probably tied to the imbalanced hormones and insulin resistance of PCOS, plus the intense cravings for carb

Long ago I used to tip toe around the hard things in fear, collapse in a puddle of tears or hide in the comfort of my bed. I am the baby of nine children. Growing up the spoiled brat I was often was, I hated the hard things. I wanted them to disappear and someone else take care of them for me. I let the hard things take me under every single time. Somewhere over the years I figured out that it didn't have to be that way and EVERYONE has hard things. Go figure? So this past Wednesday was a day full of hard things. I must have needed some fresh, hot off the press, content for this blog, eh? I woke up with a migraine and was scheduled to be a panelist at a mentoring SCORE workshop on marketing. I coffee-ed up (which is a way better saying than cowboy up, by the way peeps), found the Excedrin extra strength and off I went into the crazy January rain. As I drove to the workshop my passenger side windshield wiper flew off. Good grief - at least not my driver side one. Made it through t

This post is brought to you by Delightstruck Jen partner Goldfish Swim School. We've been spoiled, and you should be too. Really, peeps. This past week The Lou embarked on a new chapter in her swimmer girl journey. We had our first practice with a local competitive swim team. I know she's ready, the folks at Goldfish Swim School Carmel advised they think she's ready, but we were SO NOT READY for the culture shock of a bigger swim team environment. We've been spoiled by the totally Delightstruck experience of Goldfish Swim School. It's been the perfect place to nurture baby girl's passion for swimming over the years. The continuous year-round swim lessons and a year of of their Swim Force team have built such an amazing foundation for her. As I sat in her first competitive swim team practice this past week, I noted how many things are different from Goldfish Swim School : I'm not in the comfort of the air-conditioned viewing gallery for par

Last year a good friend gave me a devotional called Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst. I picked it up a few times in 2018, but I've really been diving into it this year with purpose. My favorite thing is to bring it along with me to the chapel at church and ponder in the quiet with Jesus. This past week I dove into a section that touched on the rhythm of rush and how we lose sight of the best version of ourselves when we get sucked into the busy busy rush of life. Yep. We have to slow the rhythm of rush in our lives so the best of who we are can emerge.   - Lysa TerKeurst So where does all the rush come from? Mine comes from running my own freelance business, weekly client meetings, kids to run to school, sports and other activities, a husband who coaches in addition to his day job, groups at church, keeping our house running smoothly, keeping up with friends and family and somewhere in all of that finding time for self-care and a prayer life. What is at the center of your b

As a writer, I adore words. I always have, even as a little girl. They're like old friends to me. My 2019 word of the year is conquer, along with two supporting words - contemplate and celebrate. The three together may seem random and odd, but to me they all go hand in hand with the growth I have in mind for this year. 2018 was a year full of hard things. No worse than any other people's hard things, but still hard things. We moved, a new job for Coach Man, new schools for the hooligans, navigating a new high deductible insurance plan that does not cover insulin for the type 1 diabetic in the family (#insulin4all - but we'll chat that in another blog, because oh do I have some things to say), a health discovery for one of the kiddos and a major medical issue for Coach Man right before Christmas. It was definitely a year that kept us on our toes, but also a year filled with joy as we tackled the hurdles head on and with purpose. Well, we are a football family, so tack

Hello, my name is Jen, and I just tried  Café Patachou for the first time EVER. Is there a support group for that? It was on my 39 Adventures list and time is growing short to get that wrapped up, peeps. I don't usually write about each of the 39 adventures, but this one calls for its own feature.  How have I never been here?! Okay, I know. Coach Man. He'd say it's girly food and suggest something else and I'd give in and think I'll try with my sisters another time, but I never did. Their website says they're "A Student Union for Adults Since 1989," and I am  pleasantly surprised... that statement, 100% accurate. I stopped in today at their Hazel Dell, Carmel, Indiana location for lunch. A chilly winter Wednesday, why not treat myself to a delish lunch? Everyone should have a date with themselves once in awhile. I've passed the location tons of times and always thought it looked cozy. Stepping through the door didn't disappoin

Hello 2019, a fresh year... full of things that have never been . - Rainer Maria Rilke Oh the joy of a fresh year! My favorite thing to do on New Year's Day each year is to explore the adventures we want to embark on during the next 12 months and pencil them in on a fresh new wall calendar. It's one of my favorite Christmas presents under the tree each year that I give to myself. A fresh new Susan Branch , Gooseberry Patch or Mary Engelbreit calendar. It makes my heart giddy. Simple things, peeps, simple things. I think it goes back to my sweet mama. She always gave me a new calendar each year for Christmas. I miss her deeply, but I feel like she delights up in heaven each December as she sees which one I pick for the year ahead and how we fill it as a family. Now in the few days before New Years Eve, I ponder the year past and my word of the year ahead. This year's word is conquer, and because I can't play by the rules with a single word, two supporting words