Carry On, Warrior
It’s not often you find a book you relate to so well that you vow to re-read it every year before you’ve even finished it.
Thanks to my wonderful friend Nicky, I was introduced to Glennon Doyle Melton, her blog momastery.com and her book Carry On, Warrior. I honestly don’t even have the words to express how much I love this book. Its heartwarming, its hilarious, its smart, its inspirational. As Nicky described it before I started reading – “Its part auto-biography, part beautiful essays, all about life and Jesus and being a human.” Pretty perfect description.
What’s interesting about this book is that I could see how one could read it at different times in their life and learn different lessons each time. There are a lot of chapters about being a parent, of which I’m not currently, but when I am, I’m sure I’ll go back and read it and relate so much more.
As I’m about halfway through the book, I’ve already bookmarked several pages of her words that have been so inspirational and fitting for the time of life I’m currently in, struggling through death and grief.
On helping her sister deal with a tragic situation: “I learned that in these disasters, all we can do is tell them that their grief is real, and if it lasts forever, then we will grieve with them forever. As far as I was able to tell during those two years, there was nothing else worth saying. It was not going to be all right, ever. Everything doesn’t happen for a decent reason. I couldn’t do anything at all except feed her, hold her when she cried, pray angry prayers, keep showing up and know that time, and my home and presence would offer healing.”
To her son, on the death of their fish: “When he asked me, ‘Why Mom? Why does God send us here, where things hurt so much? Why does he make us love things He knows we’re going to lose?’ I told him that we don’t love people and animals because we will have them forever; we love them because loving them changes us, makes us better, healthier, kinder, realer. Loving people and animals makes us stronger in the right ways and weaker in the right ways. Even if animals and people leave, even if they die, they leave us better. So we keep loving even though we might lose, because loving teaches us and changes us. And that’s what we’re here to do. God sends us here to learn how to be better lovers, and to learn how to be loved, so we’ll be better prepared for Heaven.”
Y’all. I just had to share those passages. When I read the first one, I literally just started crying because she’s SO right. I don’t want people to know that just so they can understand what I’m going through, but I want to know that and remember it for when I’m helping others through their grief. Then the second passage – whether it’s a 6-year-old struggling with the death of his fish, or a 25-year-old struggling with the death of her dad, we all ask the same questions and her answer gave me HOPE.
Now is the part where I tell all of you to stop what you’re doing and go buy this book right now. I want to buy a billion copies and give them to everyone I know. And even if you don’t, I’m sure I’ll be writing at least one more blog post about what I’ve read, but in the mean time,
Carry On, Warrior
xo xo
{spring things}
{pretty in pink mani}
{pink lemonade margaritas}
{colorful minis + windblown hair}
{breathtaking sunsets}
{patio living}
{inspiration}
{farmers market flowers}
{long walks with pup}
{outdoor brunch}
xo xo
“What a lovely surprise to discover how unlonely being alone can be.”
A funny thing has happened since I’ve been married. I’ve forgotten how to be alone.
In college I cherished my alone time. Living with 2, 3 or 4 other people was often too much for me to handle. I wanted to go to my room, shut my door and be alone.
Until recently, I’ve always been someone who recharges by being alone (the true definition of an introvert they say.)
I’m so used to being with my husband that when I’m not, I don’t know what to do with myself. Being with him has become my new recharge. I still need my “alone” time, but now my alone time means me and husband time.
On a recent work trip, I spent a full day and night alone. I wasn’t traveling with anyone so I didn’t have anyone to talk to in the airport or eat dinner with. I didn’t have anyone to “get away from” and go into my room and shut my door. It was so lonely. I couldn’t enjoy the peace with myself. I couldn’t enjoy myself.
This weekend, husband was busy all day Saturday and Sunday so again, I was alone. But I did something I haven’t done in a long time, I took myself on a “me” date and spent some good quality time with myself.
I did exactly what I wanted to do – I went to Barnes and Noble. I chose 3 books I was interested in and sat down and read the first chapters of each. (How I decide which book to buy) I was in no rush. I had no one to answer to. I just sat and read. After that, I did my favorite me activity – shopping. Then, before I was ready to head home I did something else just for me – went to TCBY.
What a rewarding, comfortable, enjoyable afternoon that was. God opened my eyes to the importance of me time and gave me an opportunity to see how valuable it can be.
Tuesday nights are officially me nights now. Husband has karate for several hours so I can spend it as I please. It would be so easy to take this time to clean, do grocery shopping, be busy (which I’m so good at), etc. but instead I’m going to relax and do what I want to do.
I’m sure in a few years when I have kids, I’ll be dying for alone time. Time to just sit on the couch with a glass of wine and a good book. So tonight, I will do just that and enjoy.
xo xo
The Power of One – The Warm Heart Co.
Remember how I said I was reading a book called The Power of One? It’s an inspirational story about how one person can make a difference. Well, I’m now seeing in my own life just how true that can be.
One of my oldest friends, Danielle, is one person making a difference in children’s lives in Malawi.
San Diego, California 2005
About Malawi:
Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa, bordered by Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. The estimated population is 14.9M. The country is also nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa”.
Malawi is among the world’s least-developed countries. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population. The Malawian government depends heavily on outside aid to meet development needs, although this need (and the aid offered) has decreased since 2000. The Malawian government faces challenges in building and expanding the economy, improving education, health care, environmental protection, and becoming financially independent.
Malawi has a low life expectancy and high infant mortality. There is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which is a drain on the labour force and government expenditures. There is a diverse population of native peoples, Asians and Europeans, with several languages spoken and an array of religious beliefs.
About The Warm Heart Company:
Danielle has visited Malawi twice and in her words “it seriously rocked my world. I see everything different and left a piece of my heart over there! I sponsor 3 little girls through Children of the Nations, and I am so incredibly in love with them that I cannot even put it into words.”
She started The Warm Heart Company on Etsy selling men and women’s t-shirts. Currently, 75% of the proceeds will go to sponsoring her 3 girls in Malawi, but she hopes she can eventually support other opportunities in the country, including The Thatch 210 Project, which is re-roofing huts in the Malawi.
From my personal opinion (and husband agrees), the shirts are AWESOME, and more designs are coming.
Please please support this terrific cause and my dear friend by purchasing a t-shirt and sharing with others.
Purchase on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWarmHeart
Follow on Instagram: @thewarmheartco
xo
Advice for TwentySomethings, Post-College
I just finished reading Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse – One TwentySomething’s (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood by Alida Nugent. I’ll save my full critique for my next book review, but I wanted to share a snippet of Nugent’s “commencement speech” to fellow grads. I graduated a little over two years ago, but I think this is even more applicable to me now. It’s a little lengthy, but I promise it’s worth the read.
Constantly try to do better. Push yourself to do better than you did the day before. I’m telling you this because there are certainly going to be times when your’e not going to want to do better; you might not want to do anything but sulk. You think it was bad when you were pulling all-nighters in college? Don’t worry, it gets worse.
Don’t become stagnant – even if you’re working at a fry station, the worst thing you can do with your life now is to become stagnant in it. Nobody is telling you what to do anymore – you are your own teacher, your own boss, your own captain. You have to constantly push yourself to get better, or else you will get stuck. You are too smart and too bright and spent too much money at this school to get stuck. Do better. Become a mental athlete. Push yourself so much its sickening. Stagnant water is full of mosquitoes, remember that.
The next couple of years are going to be the best, most alive of your life. Now, I know they said this when you were graduating high school, and then they said it about the college years, but I think that is because life is always getting better. Really, the postcollege years will be some of the most fun you’ll ever have.
You’ll find people, friends, and family who you stick with not because you are in the same classes, but because you want these people to be your buddies in combat. They will meet you for lunch when you’re worried about having HPV or getting fired. They will be your lifeboat, your 2am phone call, your “I like you because understand me and not because we are in Lit 101 together.”
You will lose touch with people you thought you wouldn’t, watch from a distance while these people get married, gain weight, lose weight, move across the country, and get new sets of friends you will never meet. But you will look at your pictures of them and remember the nights you drank too much rum with them and you will enjoy those moments immensely. You will know what it is like to experience true nostalgia. It will not be a bittersweet kind of thing, because you know that it’s not as much growing apart as it is growing up.
There will be successes, and failures, and a lot of good and bad things. You will watch yourself and the people you choose to be with fall in love and get married, get jobs, get fired, get a terrible tattoo, have babies, get sick, get better, get worse, lose parents, grow older, grow smarter. Things will flash forward, pass before your eyes like the lights at a terrible nightclub.
You will feel more alive now than ever before, this I promise you. Grab this time before it goes away.
xo xo
Inspire Me: Oscar Wilde
Every once in a while you find a quote that just really fits everything you believe in, a life mantra so to speak. For several years now I’ve adopted one from Oscar Wilde as my own. “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”
While that one is a favorite, there are quite a few others I truly love as well. I hope the quotes below inspire you just as much as they did me.
xo xo
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
“The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.”
“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”
“Women are made to be loved, not understood.”
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”
You might also enjoy: Women – You Can’t Live With ‘Em, You Can’t Live Without ‘Em, Inspire Me: Stormy Tuesday, Fail Better
Women — You Can’t Live With ‘Em, You Can’t Live Without ‘Em
Thought Catalog (my favorite, if you can recall) posted 30 Greatest Quotes About Women. Here’s my top 10 I wanted to share to celebrate all the wonderful women in my life.
An elegant woman is a woman who despises you and has no hair under her arms. Salvador Dalí
I like intelligent women. When you go out, it shouldn’t be a staring contest. Frank Sinatra
If women didn’t exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. Aristotle Onassis
The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. Roseanne Barr
There are only two types of women — goddesses and doormats. Pablo Picasso
There are only three things to be done with a woman. You can love her, suffer for her, or turn her into literature. Henry Miller
And yet women — good women — frightened me because they eventually wanted your soul, and what was left of mine, I wanted to keep.Charles Bukowski
Be not ashamed women, … You are the gates of the body, and you are the gates of the soul. Walt Whitman
Women must tell men always that they are the strong ones. They are the big, the strong, the wonderful. In truth, women are the strong ones. It is just my opinion, I am not a professor. Coco Chanel
and my favorite …
Women are made to be loved, not understood.Oscar Wilde
xo xo
You might also enjoy: 32 Things You Should Stop Caring About
Inspire Me: Saturday
Amen. Enjoy your SATURDAY.
xo xo
p.s. have you checked out Kate Spade Saturday, yet? love, love. ❤
You might also enjoy: Inspire Me: Rainy Tuesday
mid-week cures.
A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for everything.
Irish Proverb
Tonight, let’s try for both.
xo xo
You might also enjoy: mid-week inspiration., rainy tuesdays.
just a few things.
After a whirlwind Vegas weekend two weeks ago, this week I headed to West Palm Beach, FL to experience my first ever commercial shoot. It was challenging, but interesting and always fun to do something different. Next month I’m off to Cleveland!
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During my travels, I found this via Lauren Conrad. What a great idea to give up something different every month?? I wish I’d found this sooner, but nevertheless I’m starting No-Fried February! So look forward to the aches, pains (and hopefully positives) that come out of this experience. Husband and I are also working on an exercise plan I’m going to share with you and see if you will join us in our journey. More to come on that.
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Books, books, books. I’m trying to read more because when I do read and finish a really good book, it is just so gratifying. I recently finished Where We Belong and Where’d You Go Bernadette, both of which I’d recommend. However, I made an impulse buy in the West Palm Beach airport knowing I had a 2 1/2 hour flight ahead – Bossypants. I finished it on the plane and absolutely loved it. Every page was hilarious, and if I hadn’t been on a plane I would have been laughing out loud the entire book. Tina Fey does a tremendous job of providing hilarity, wit and advice. As if I didn’t already love her before thanks to Mean Girls, SNL and 30 Rock, now I adoooore her.
* * *
The second book is one I just picked up that husband and I will be reading together as part of our new couples Bible study. 7 – An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess is a challenge to cut down areas of excess in life: food. clothes. spending. media. possessions. waste. stress. I hope to share our challenges with you and inspire you to do the same.
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Oh, and if you don’t follow me on instagram, (first, you should: @milledavis) here’s another tidbit you missed…
Adorable Adam Brody from The O.C. meets fashionista beauty Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl = cutest new couple ever!
xo xo
mid-week inspiration.
What’s inspiring you this week?
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Inspire me. , Fail Better, {words to live by}
Southern Glam
Saturday mornings are for daydreaming. Today’s topic: the perfectly decorated home. Here are some photos I’ve amassed via Pinterest onto my home board – Southern Glam.
Enjoy. xo
{office space}
{pool}
{high ceilings, large windows}
{outdoor getaway}
{lots of chandeliers}
{library}
{living room}
{movie room}
{secret attic}
{childrens room}
2012: resolutions via Kate Spade
Dear Kate Spade,
How do you know me so well? How did you so perfectly capture my 2012 resolutions that I couldn’t seem to form into words? Well, no matter that now, but thank you.
P.S. My birthday is this month, and if you’re searching for something to get me, Kate Spade will do ♥
Head, heels & standards
“Keep your head, heels and standards high.”
– via a chalkboard in my best friend’s kitchen, i.e. why we are best friends
Inspire me.
Who doesn’t love a great quote? Well while catching up on a dear friend’s blog (kgd) I was inspired by multiple quotes she had posted and just had to share.
Enjoy and be inspired.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. —African Proverb
Sadness be gone. Let’s be people who deserve to be loved, who are worthy. ‘Cause we are worthy.
—Malin Akerman, Happythankyoumoreplease
Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.
—H. Jackson Brown Jr.
and one via A Cup of Jo
“I must learn to love the fool in me–the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool.”
— Theodore I. Rubin, MD
05.28.11
Our wedding pictures have finally arrived! Below is a snapshot of my perfect day.
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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
– Colossians 3:12 – 17
{Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks}
{story time with my girls to calm my nerves}
{BFFL}
{so darn cute}
{olivia + emma + zoe = most adorable flower girls ever}
{my new father-in-law}
{what a studly group of men}
{the best part of the bride walking down the aisle – watching the groom}
{so many emotions}
{maid of honor + best man}
{best bridesmaids a girl could ask for}
{so epic}
{“I’ve only waited 7 years for this!”}
{beautiful mother}
{first dance}
{I definitely get my dance skills from my dad}
{my new parents-in-law}
{most incredible speech I’ve ever heard}
{bromance}
{time to party}
{so much dancing}
{and it comes off}
{pink mustang getaway car}
{one of my favorite parts of the night}
{Aruba here we come!}
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and finally the wedding video, which shows the entire evening so perfectly.
Weekend Picturebook: Colorado
The husband and I took a weekend trip to Colorado to see my parents in Loveland. Ask him how the trip was, and he’ll tell you without hesitation he’s ready to move, and after this trip, I’m inclined to agree.
{Loveland}
{Taking a shopping break with a ‘Rado brew}
{Pearl St. – Boulder}
{Red Rocks Ampitheater – unfortunately, I did not take this picture, but had to share the beauty}
{STS9 at Red Rocks – an experience we’ll never forget}
{ “cutest” Bloody Mary I’ve ever seen}
{the bike library – Ft. Collins}
{evening picnic}
{thank you Whole Foods for a delicious, unconventional picnic}
{Mom and her second baby Roxie}
{beautiful morning walk – goodbye Loveland, we will be back soon}
Fail Better
“Progress could be slow and frustrating. And, of course, that could make you angry. … we needed to fight for our rights and concentrate on the things we could control. And what you can control… is your own performance.” – Ken Chenault, CEO of American Express
“You’re gonna have trouble doing a lot of things in life, but they can be done. If you say ‘I can’t’ that means there’s no solution, you’ve given up, you’ve quit.” – Matthew McConaughey
“Don’t give up. Fatigue, discomfort, discouragement are merely symptoms of effort.” – Morgan Freeman
“Finding your passion will eventually get you to where you’re supposed to be.” – Katie Couric
“Follow your bliss… but don’t sleep with your boss. You will succeed.” – Barbara Walters
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No Matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
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Northwest Arkansas Sartorialists {Fall Fashion}
Fall is almost here! So in preparation for fall fashion, I asked a couple of my fashionista friends with two different, but equally wonderful styles to share what they’re looking forward to the most.
Daily blog reads
Tomboy Style (tomboystyle.blogspot.com)
My New Roots (mynewroots.blogspot.com, I think…)
Cup of Jo (joannagoddard.blogspot.com)
Three words to describe my style
Classic, vintage, quirky
Fall must-haves
Navy and white striped J.Crew dress
High-waisted, wide-leg jeans
Fairisle cardigan
(Plus, colored cords, pleats and menswear — with a bicycle and crunchy orange leaves to pedal through!)
One go-to fall piece I already have
Brown leather Report penny loafers. Not only are they a classic shoe investment that I’ll be able to wear for years, but they are a fun reminder of the first days of school of my childhood — yes, I was one of those little girls who wore little skirts and knee socks and penny loafers. Needless to say, I’ll be re-inventing the back-to-school uniform now that I’m older: think trouser jeans, a gold boyfriend watch, a striped blouse topped with a blazer and an ethnic-inspired scarf with, of course, the classic loafers.
Fall thing, not fashion related, I’m looking forward to the most
Caramel apple spice, from Starbucks!! Amazing!
Three words to describe your style
Classic, chic, sometimes bohemian
One store for fall fashion
Banana Republic. I can always find something that’s classy and spot on trend. 
Great fit and great choices! And their quality can’t be beat!
Foolproof fall looks
Boots boots boots! I’m OBSESSED! Oversized sweater, skinny jeans, and riding boots.. and an amazing bag. Cardigans are a must.. I’d say invest in a NICE neutral cardigan. Look for fabrics that don’t pill easily. It’s hard to tell with wool and silk fabrics – stay away from cheap merino/silk/angora they use shorter threads so it’s cheaper but will start balling up the first time you wear it! Oh, and clogs!
What fashion piece are you dying to wear this fall?
Thank GOD it’s Friday
Can I get an Amen to TGIF? It has been one of those weeks. Though I’m lazing on a Friday night, the weekend is full of fun surprises trying to stay busy while the husband is away and getting in much needed time with my girls – Saturday brunch with one of my oldest and dearest, Saturday afternoon shopping and rendezvous with my always exciting bff and Sunday decorating and gossiping with my lovely {practically} twin. And of course the much anticipated Sunday night when the husband comes home from a week away. Oh weekend, I love you.
A few lovely pics and thoughts for your weekend:
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you will be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew the woman I wanted to become.” – Diane Von Furstenberg
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder
m.davis xoxo 