DelightStruck

The year I finally took a leap of faith and embarked on trying to live the life I had always wanted to live, but deep down had always been too afraid to, a wise co-worker (an engineer - go figure), asked me a question that became an important catalyst for change in my life. What was the question? A simple but profound one.  He asked: How many summers do you have left?  Say what?  Not as in how many summers until my own journey comes to an end, but how many summers left that my sweet babies are little. He advised that it's important to make the summers count, build the memories and be fully in the moments that matter, because before you know it, your kids are 18 and on their way to their own adventures. The day he asked me how many summers the answer was 9 and 13. Now the answer is 6 and 10. As they say, time waits for no one. I'm sad I wasted so many summers. Now don't get me wrong, we did fun things over the summers like local museums, the pool, festival...

When you're Dave Ramsey-ing it up, gift giving can be a conundrum. You want to stay the course and reach your goals, but it's also fun to celebrate those you love as well. In late 2017, Coach Man and I began to try to think about gift giving in a whole new way. It was the first year that we didn't go overboard on Christmas and have regrets come January. We're beginning to see that gifts aren't always necessary, and often the gift of time is more precious. That's not to say there aren't times when a gift is appropriate and your heart just wants to do it. I'd say for this mama it's when a moment calls most for a delightstruck gift. Something within your budget and full of meaning. This past weekend was one of those. It was my MIL's 60th birthday. A milestone and definitely a day to celebrate someone we all love dearly. My sister-in-law and I put on our thinking caps to identify the perfect gift! It started the weekend before! We had the c...

So I turn 39 this week. Where the heck did the years go? I find Five for Fighting's 100 Years playing in my head often. Well, okay, I admit it... it's on my Spotify playlist. I've been thinking a lot about this 39th year of my life and what I want it to be. Where do I want to be when I get to 40? Who do I want to be when I get to 40? I'm not fearful of the big four zero. I kind of like the woman that I've become over the years. I'm totally in awe of the milestones she's tackled. Yes, there's a few things I'd love to improve, but overall, I like her. After some serious thought, I've decided to celebrate the year of 39 for twelve whole months! I'm going to savor each moment of 39, and I'm going to take you all along with me. Oh, and there's a list. I love lists! 39 adventures. Things I've never done, things I haven't done in forever, things I just want to do more of just for the heck of it, and things that I dream of b...

Do you find yourself thinking what the heck does she mean by all these DelightStruck moments? Simply put, it's embracing the simple delightful of everyday and being in awe of your own life. Okay, how do I do that? How do I chase DelightStruck moments? It's not hard, peeps. It's about learning to take note of the simple things that make each day special. Appreciating right where you are and noticing what and who is around you.  Just a few simple rules to better chase DelightStruck moments: Unplug.  Put the phone down, close the laptop, let the house be quiet. Look up from the those screens and life's noise and just take in what's around you - loved ones, friends, pets, nature, art, music, a book...the simple warmth of the coffee cup in your hand.  Slow down. Our lives are filled with busy. Purposefully leave moments open. And if you are thinking I don't have time for that... Oh my friend, you so do. Being too busy zaps our energy and makes us l...

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...