The Summer of Party Rock

This weekend marked the end of Summer 2011…and while the Texas heat is bound to last at least another month or two,  I kiss tan lines and flip flops goodbye and reminisce over the last few months. They have been some of the best in my life.

This summer has been full of celebrations, and how fitting it is that the Billboard song of the summer was “Party Rock Anthem”?! Every time I hear that song I think of my husband “shufflin” on the dance floor. And I have to smile. It’s a great song. It is happy, light-hearted, and fun—completely descriptive of a summer that was much the same. I am so thankful for all that I have had to celebrate, and for all of my amazing family and friends that have helped me do so.

This summer season, for me, started with a brand new nephew born on May 7^th. Pierce James Mahoney has already become such a sweet and delightful member of our ever-growing family. I’m in love.

A beautiful bridal shower in Michigan, a brand new (and first!) home in Dallas, and two graduations (Congratulations, again, Mike and Abbie!!), topped off an unforgettable May.

June started off with a birthday celebration for Brian, and then an unbelievably fun weekend in Vegas with my girls! We literally danced all night. And every club played the theme song of the summer—“Party Rock Anthem”.

A surprise birthday celebration for my mom(planned by my wonderful Dad) and last minute wedding plans made June hectic and so, so fun.

July started off with my fiancé having the flu…and simultaneously getting married. July 2, 2011 was one of the best days of my life. Everyone I love so dearly was in one place and I got to marry the man of my dreams. And it’s only getting better. Our honeymoon in St. Lucia was idyllic and I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful and romantic setting to start our marriage.

July ended with Brian and I settling in to married life in our new home, and relaxing after being crazy busy with the wedding.

August began with yet another celebration; Marmie and Ryan’s wedding. It was so fun to be able to celebrate with our friends! August also found me changing jobs, and beginning a whole new chapter in my career.

September brought Kris and Lindsey’s wedding in beautiful Colorado, and an absolutely amazing time for Brian and I to enjoy the mountains in the summer with family and friends. Finally, this last weekend we headed to Arizona to say goodbye to summer with my in-laws and the Jakubuses as we laid by the pool. A perfect end to such a memorable summer.

This summer has been full of celebrations and, yes, party rockin’. As I look back on it, I realize how blessed I am to be surrounded by family and friends who I can share some of the best moments in my life with and, conversely, share in theirs. 

So here’s to a fabulous fall, and many more celebrations to come! 

Everyday I’m shufflin’.

That's What I Love About Sundays

Sunday is the best day of the week.

It is a day of rest. A day to catch up. A day to take it easy. To spend time with my hubby...and enjoy every minute of it.

I love Sundays.

I love waking up late and staying in bed while sipping my coffee.

I love seeing friends at church, and I love calling my parents just to chat.

I love Sunday brunch with mimosas and Sunday drives with my man.

I love playing in the backyard with Froggie, or simply napping on the couch.

I love getting all of those little things done around the house that are put off all week, and I love that it makes me feel caught up and prepared for Monday.

Football all evening is a must, and a lazy, late dinner coupled with a glass of wine complements it perfectly. 

Sunday is just a great day. I always end it feeling refreshed, and equal parts accomplished and quiescent.

That's what I love about Sundays.

The Girl with the Big Pink Bow

I remember the day I started first grade. We were living in  Philadelphia at the time and I went to class in a pretty little dress with flowers on it, something that is oh-so-appropriate for a little girl in South Texas (where we had moved from).

Not so on the East Coast. All the kids laughed and made fun of the big pink bow I had in my hair. It’s as if they all new exactly what to do, what to expect, how to dress and how to act. And I was way behind the curve. I’ll never forget that feeling.

I remember moving back to Kansas (for the second time) and trying to catch up where I left off with friends I had once had…but it was different—they had changed and so had I---and again, I was the new girl.

Going to SMU, not knowing a single person, made me feel like I had that big bow In my hair all over again.

And finally, starting a job in Cleveland, than another one in Dallas, and now one at Hilton Worldwide—I’m bringing the bow back three more times.

For much of my life, I feel as though I have had to play catch-up. Everyone around me has always  seemingly been on a level playing field where as I am struggling to understand, to become acquainted with the people and the environment that surrounds me. It’s like there is a handbook that I have not been privy to--one with all the answers--that I have never been able to figure out.

Now, do not misconstrue what the purpose of this soliloquy is. I am not feeling sorry for myself. If anything, I am thankful for the perpetual and unanticipated changes I have had to absorb throughout my life…and this is for two specific reasons.

One, is that I can adapt. I do know how to deal with change, how to be new, how to reach out for help, and how to make connections and relationships. Adapting is something I am very well-versed in.

The second reason I am thankful for the change I’ve dealt with is because it makes me realize how amazing it is to be grounded somewhere. To be able to put down roots. To have a husband who is so steady and just takes life as it comes, a home that is truly mine, friends that I can call anytime for anything, and a family that does not need to be physically close by to be a permanent fixture in my life.

Apart of me will probably always feel like I have a big pink bow in my hair and that I am transparently new and inexperienced. But I am willing  to accept the challenge to learn, to grow, to change and to adapt.

Congratulations, Kris & Lindsey!

September 4, 2011

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. 

~Audrey Hepburn 

My Hope is Found.

Ten years ago floors fell out beneath thousands of people. Planes plummeted from the sky, and America watched in horror as terror struck our country.

Ten years ago I was thirteen, barely old enough to grasp the concept of what was going on...at twenty-three, I still feel quite young and naive. But I know what it is like to have my blanket of safety stripped away.

Innocence was a distant memory after September 11, 2001, and in the years since, as many friends have volunteered their lives to serve our country in the war against terrorism, fear has laid claim to many of my thoughts.

It is hard to find hope in a world that shows the capability of destroying so many innocent lives. It is hard to trust that terror does not, and should not, reign. 

But then I think about the thousands of firefighters and policemen who selflessly laid down their lives to save the horror-stricken New Yorkers and Pentagon workers. I think about the brave passengers on Flight 93 who chose to sacrifice themselves to save thousands of others. 

These men and women are heroes. Their actions in critical moments saved countless lives, and their bravery and self-sacrifice will not be forgotten. 

But ultimately, still, I have realized that my hope can not be found in these courageous people. There is only one place my hope is found, only one solid rock on which I stand.

Yesterday my church opened it's new, much larger sanctuary in order to accommodate its growing numbers. The Pastor challenged us to not focus on the building itself, as there are no guarantees in this world. His message, on September 11, 2011, was that everything in this world is fleeting. 

Towers may fall, health may decay, relationships may fail, but God is constant. He is the Rock, the solid ground on which to stand. It is in Him that I should look for safety, for refuge. 

The world may crumble around me, terror may strike my beloved country, and heros may fall, but God is still greater.

In Him alone, my hope is found.