Savoring The Stillness

Well hi, friends!

I know it's been a while. Finally, all of those posts about being so incredibly busy caught up with me and the ultimate crash occurred: on the heels of a nasty cold, I got the flu- which knocked me out for days!

Sometimes we need those little "wake-up" calls, even if it's in the form of a shivering, feverish, aching mess. Even if your family gets to go to the lake and you don't. But I heard the message, loud & clear: too much! I needed a break, and so my body checked out on me.

I got lots of sleep. My wonderful, thoughful friends drove me to the doctor, left soup on my doorstep & mailbox. My mom came up for some TLC. And two weeks later, I'm finally feeling better.

Yesterday, in defiance of the whole sick thing, I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5K in my neighborhood. I had to walk a couple of times, but it was so nice to just do it- do put my legs and lungs to work. Being healthy is SUCH a blessing! Certainly something to appreciate.

But also something to appreciate- being still. One of my favorite Bible versus has always been Psalm 46:10, which starts "Be still, and know that I am God." That whole "being still" thing can be so challenging for me. But when you're sick, you appreciate it so much more. And not just because when your fever soars to 102 you literally have to be still to keep your head from spinning- but because it puts so much in perspective!

Things get taken care of at work. Unanswered emails eventually get tackled. Friends & family come to your rescue. And you get so wrapped up in the Hunger Games that you can't stop reading for days.

Really, you just discover that all of those "must-do's" and stressful things weighing down on you are not worth the stress at all. Worth your time and passion and attention, yes- but when it gets that stressful, that burdonsome- it's time to take a step back and re-evaluate.

Funny how a fever can make you delerious and clear-headed, all at once!

So, I'm back in action. Back to the emails, back to the running, back to the grind. But I'm also taking it easy; enjoying my successes, my health.

Busy and still, all at once.

Sometimes you have to seek out those still moments, and sometimes they smack you in the face- but I challenge everyone, me included, to find those "still" moments this week and savor them!

Auction-Cold-Birthday-Awards Show-Week!

Wow... this week.

Do I sound like a broken record yet?! Every week seems to be busier than the week before. And this week was seriously no exception!

But in the past 10 days, I have spent time with friends & family, eaten copies amounts of cake & champagne, worked hard, played hard. So, can't complain.

Although my body did plenty of complaining in a knock-you-out-on-the-couch-for-24-hours kind of way earlier this week.

We'll get to that.

First- pictures from last Friday's "Single in the City" auction!

My sister, mom, me & dad before the auction got underway.

My friend Leah, my sister, and my friend & co-worker Bonnie before I hit the stage. I'm getting really nervous at this point....

... so why not dance?!

Then we calmed down long enough to take a real picture.

 My favorite & only dad- happy birthday this week, dad! (We're celebrating at the lake house- I can't wait!)

And my pretty mom in her lacy top!

Moments after I was "sold" at auction (proceeds go to charity! That makes it less crazy... right?) we headed back to my house for cake & champagne.

What an amazing birthday! And to top it off, my big present:

I've had my eye on this West Elm desk forEVER and it looks just perfect in my office! In fact, I'm sitting at this little beauty right now.

So after all of the weekend fun, I came down with a MISERABLE cold that left me couch-ridden all day Monday. And Tuesday, my actual birthday, I rallied and made it in to work. I kicked off 28 with a runny nose, a fever, a sore throat.

Fortunately, I recovered in time to produce a great event Thursday night I've been working on for weeks. The Tulsa Press Club Newsies Awards! (Essentially the "people's choice awards" for local media.)

Julie Chin (in the pink) is a former meteorologist in town and a current superstar- she emceed the event! It was a joy to work with her. (Check out her blog!) Andrea Myers was the lead on the whole evening, and she did an amazing job. It was a big success!

The Auction Network production team was (mostly) all in attendance. Lots of talent!

And now this weekend, I enjoyed a a girls night out with new friends, a ranch auction for work & drinks around a cozy fire.

2012, you are busy. And I'm embracing that. But you are also SO full and rich! I'm trying to soak up every day of it.

Here's to another busy week, I'm sure!

Crash

One of the best things about living a healthy lifestyle is being able to read your body when you are unhealthy.

Seems like an odd statement, right?

Yesterday, I posted about how my body was dragging a bit... busy few months, etc. And between that post and now, I went from dragging a bit to being fully dragged down! I have a major cold. The aches, the sore throat, the constant runny nose. Trying to avoid strep, a sinus infection.

When I fall, I fall hard!

I usually spend the first few hours of being sick in full denial. I tossed and turned all night. I woke up early, convinced myself to take a shower for work. Decided work wasn't going to happen. Took a nap so I could make a lunch meeting. Decided that wasn't going to happen, either.

I probably should go ahead and cancel my evening plans, huh?

I got auto-immune hepatitis when I was a teenager, the product of taking a daily medication that my body didn't like very much. Since then, I've been very conscious of what goes into my body. My mom can tell you how hard it is to get me to take Advil sometimes!

I like learning how my body ticks; what makes me feel good, what doesn't. Learning what the warning signs are, preventing sickness- or taking the right steps to get better. I like to do most of this naturally, without medicine. I'm not against it- and everyone's body is different. I just like to take a more organic approach, if I can.

So for today, I'm letting the responsibilities fall away. I'm about to take my second nap of the day. I'm going to stay warm- soups, teas, steamy showers, comfy blankets. Let nature take it's course, listen to my body, and let myself crash for a day.

But if tomorrow- my birthday, of all days!- rolls around and the mound of Kleenex keeps growing... I'm going straight to the doctor and leaving with a prescription!

Sunday Musings

I keep saying it, week after week....

...but I'll say it again: 2012 is off to the craziest start!

Friday night, I participated in a charity singles auction and celebrated my birthday with family & friends. I'll post more about that this week, once I get all of the pictures together! But boy, was that a fun night.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here- and I can't believe March begins this week! (After my real birthday on Tuesday, of course. Not trying to skip too far ahead here.)

I can feel my body dragging just a little bit. Since January 1, I have been going going going, non-stop. And as I continue to check things off the "master list" of events this year, I find I need a little more sleep... a little more down time, just to stay sane and healthy.

So, today I will spend some uninterrupted quiet time buried in my devotional. My run won't be rushed. I'll enjoy the weather, and enjoy this sweet girl:

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday on tap!

New Season, New Storyline

Driving to work early this week, I've noticed something that immediately lifts my coffee-deprived spirits:

The sun is starting to come up earlier!

Just in the last week, the sky has started to lighten up at the tips around 6am. There's a glow on the Eastern horizon. And since I drive east to work... I get to bask in the glory of a blue-tinged sky for a few minutes before starting my work day.

I know we are just a couple of weeks away from "Spring Forward" and then it will be light plenty early- and I am ready. So, so ready.

I used to be such a "winter" girl. Cold, cloudy, rainy, wintry. Maybe my years of working the night shift turned me into a dark-lover! 

And over the past few years, that's changed. I still love a cold day- and give me storms any day.

But I want to see the sun in the morning, and sit on my back patio in the late evening, with the sun just beginning to set. I'm already craving those 6am runs because it's too hot by 7am. 

OK, maybe not that extreme. 

I am ready for warm and sunny. I'm ready for my first lake house trip of the year in a couple of weeks. I'm ready for our camping trip, set for early May. I'm ready to hit the ground running- literally- and take advantage of every inch of Spring and Summer. Swim, bike, run. Let's do it.

Every season is glorious in it's own way. I love Fall for its warm coffee, red leaves & scent of fireplaces firing up for the first time in months. Winter's crisp air, lots of blankets on the bed. Spring for the rain, the newness & freshness. And summer- what's more vibrant than summer? You're fully awake in the summer.

But the transition from season to season- that's really something amazing. 

I'm doing a 10 week devotional right now by Jan Silvious- "Same Life, New Story." She talks a lot about looking at things from a new perspective. Embracing change, embracing the way God can change the storyline of our life. 

Change is hard for me- but just like the seasons, it happens whether we like it or not. So why not bask in it? Allow God to shift our focus, or perspective? Allow Him to change the seasons- and change our hearts?

Lent begins today- and I don't have anything in mind to give up. But I can guarantee that 40 days from now we will be fully immersed in a new season. So I commit to embracing this transition- from season to season, and from one storyline to the next one God has written for me.

UP

The weeks have been getting away from me lately! Just when I think it's about to slow down... the pace picks up again, double time!

I seem to have a million projects going on in 2012- from my full-time gig at Auction Network to my True Blue freelance project (Tulsans, have you seen our commercials on KJRH?) to life in general. I know you all hear me on that last one. Life itself takes up so much time; who knew?!

This busy time is at times trying and stressful, but also extremely rewarding. Opportunities are opening up like never before. Finding time to break away for a swim or a girls' night is difficult- but I am fully embracing the fact that this is my life right now- and I wouldn't have it any other way. At 28 27 years old (28 next week!) I am loving the fast pace, the long days, the selfish Saturdays, and- dare I say it?- the change.

And in the midst of this crazy year, we have this:

Oh yes, folks! It's Single in the City in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

And there's yours truly in the top left corner. Smiling. Because auction is fun! Auction is what I do for a living!

Auctioning yourself for a date... for charity... is terrifying.

The event is this Friday night, for anyone with an inkling to attend. It benefits Make A Wish Foundation. Drinks, music. And a date auction! What more could you ask for?

My family will be there. My friends will be there. And afterwards, we'll drink champagne and eat cake- because next week is my birthday, after all.

Whether you're UP to your ears in joy, UP all night with a new baby, sucking UP to a new boss or yes, UP for auction- let's all agree to embrace the season of life we're in.

If there's cake and champagne in the mix? Even better.

Cupid & Cops

I knew the second the cop pulled behind me I was going to get pulled over. On Valentine's Day!  Broken tail light? Nope. Artwork gone awry? Never! Expired tags? Ding ding ding.

10 hours earlier, I drove to work in a misty-romantic? spooky? foreboding?- fog. I worked a long day. We lost power for two hours at work, missing multiple auction broadcasts; people in the broadcasting world know that losing airtime is never good. I got a mysterious eye infection. Put a fork in me; I was done.

 And as I headed home, I decided to go pick up a birthday present for a friend.

You always think about that when you get pulled over. If I had left 5 minutes earlier.....

Yes, my tags were expired. Yes, I knew it- but I kept forgetting to get it taken care of. Yes, I moved, and the notice to remind me to get my tags renewed never made it to my new address.

The officer kindly tells me he could- he should- tow my car. Expired tags are serious, folks.

But he didn't- which I am truly thankful for- and then said, "Is someone at home going to be mad you didn't get this taken care of?"

I informed him I was a single gal, thankyouverymuch, and that it slipped off my radar.

Single girls love explaining their single-minded slip-ups on Valentine's Day, in case you wondered.

Also today, I stumbled across a Bible verse in my devotional for the second time in two weeks. A verse I love to the core. I got a surprise Starbucks gift card. I ran three glorious miles. And I enjoyed- ahem, am enjoying- a rare, celebratory glass of week-night wine.

At the end of the day, it's simply another day. Break-ups happen. Break downs occur. Patience runs low and tags expire. But the fog always clears to a sunny day- and every day is a good day to say I love you.

....Although next year, I'll opt for Cupid instead of the cops.