DelightStruck

Goldfish Swim School  is a valued partner of DelightStruck Jen (and the Lou, aka Baby Girl), and we kind of love being able to share our swim story with you. Happy reading. It's Tuesday. Baby girl's favorite day of the week. I love how BIG her grin gets on Tuesday evenings as she bops down the stairs in her swim suit, with towel and goggles in hand and asks if it's time to leave yet for her weekly Goldfish Swim School Swim Force session. Positive Waves at Goldfish Swim School Carmel Yes, we have the foundation of Goldfish Swim School lessons under our belt, but I am still constantly amazed at the progress she continues to make as a swimmer through their Swim Force swim team - really amazing positive waves in so many ways. A lot of that I think is because of her amazing teachers. They push her, in the kindest most encouraging way I've ever seen. Because of them, she wants to do her own personal best each and every week. It's not really work in her head either...

I've always loved fresh starts. I love New Year's. I love the beginning of a new school year and the excitement of a new job or a new home. I even love the hype of a new diet, even though for most of my life the diet thing has been short-lived. There is just something that makes my soul sing when a fresh start is involved. Our family has a big "fresh start" coming very soon. We are moving from my beloved Fortville to somewhere I also adore... just in different ways. We're moving to where I grew up - Carmel, Indiana. The decision has been something our family discerned for months, and the time is right for us. Now for those of you who know me as Fortville Mama or Fortville Jen, don't lose heart. I'll always have a soft spot for #fabFortville, and you'll see it pop up on the Delightstruck Blog from time to time. Here We Come Carmel I'm excited for all this move is going to bring us. Closer to family on both sides. Less travel to see two new swee...

So in dreaming up a name for my new blogging adventure, I was inspired by a book I was reading last Advent. See that story here . It talked about when is the last time you were awestruck, and why we don't allow ourselves to be awestruck as much as we should. Awestruck. Yes, please. I want to be in awe of my life more! I want to savor the simple joys. My sisters have teased me forever about my obnoxious love of the word delightful. I may overuse it slightly. What can I say. I'm a lover of words and some words just speak to my soul. So there I was with the gorgeousness of awestruck swirling in my head and a longtime love affair with delightful. As Winnie the Pooh would say, think, think, think. In swoops my awesome friend Kara Fleck, who also is a lover of words. Probably why we're kindred spirits like that. You can find her great reads here . She is awesome, and I adore her. Plus she knows how to knit like a rockstar, and I only wish I knew how to knit. Kara said w...

When was the last time you were awestruck by everyday life? If you are like me, not as often as you should be. I've let the busy of life take hold of me, and I'm constantly running to keep up. I'm out of breath and exhausted, peeps. Not exactly the life I wanted to be living when I quit my full-time job two years ago in order to savor more moments with my two precious hooligans. Where exactly did I go off course? Back during Advent 2016 I was reading Rediscover Jesus by Matthew Kelly and pushing myself to grow a bit during the season. A few pages in I came to this, "When is the last time you were awestruck by Jesus? Why is it that we won't allow ourselves to be awestruck by Jesus anymore?" Wow. Those two lines rocked my world. I used to be a girl that delighted in nature walks, a warm cup of coffee, dinner around the table, baking, family game night, Saturday morning snuggles with the hooligans, Christmas movies, farmers markets, the music at mass, libra...