The Kitty Cat Debacle

After church Sunday night, Chelsea and I stopped for a delicious Hardee's supper. The boys weren't feeling Hardee's and went elsewhere. When we got home, I walked inside the house and the first thing I noticed was a cat standing at Micah's feet. What?! I said, "Where did the cat come from." Chelsea immediately freaked out and shared her irrational fear and dislike of cats with us! The next two hours were spent attempting to give said cat away. Here's the problem with people who may want cats. 

A-they either hate cats with a serious passion or B-they have too many cats already. I posted it on Facebook, text several friends, and begged several others to no avail. We couldn't keep it because of Chelsea's crazy fear...but also because Micah and I are strongly allergic. But-since it was super cold last night, we felt like we needed to take care of the cat for a night. AND because my friend Jill told me she wouldn't stop until this poor kitty got a home and that it was extremely sweet. I couldn't (even with an extreme disdain for the feline) just let it freeze! We tried to put the cat in a box in the garage and she continued to jump out or wiggle past any barriers we had. So, we just shut the garage door. Micah and Chelsea went to their room and the cat started whining at the door. Additionally, our two dogs barked at the door loudly. I then convinced Moose to get the dog cage from the yard and put the cat in the cage in the garage. Ok-problem solved. Then, Monday morning, I was going to take the cat to a shelter. I released her from the cage and she took off. We played cat-and-mouse (or girl and cat) for approximately thirty minutes until I finally gave up. Kitty cat ran outside and I thought all hope was lost. However, when Micah got home, cat was waiting and ready to come into the garage again. We were finally able to corral the cat and get it taken care of. Phew-nothing like a fun cat story! 

A New Groove

As I got ready this morning and scrolled through blogs and Facebook posts, there was a recurring theme: "Getting back in the groove". For better or worse, people are talking about getting back in their groove after the holidays. They love it, they hate it, they were praying for a snow day to delay it, etc.

This concept persuaded me to think and reflect on my opinion. I am grateful that everyone is going back to work and school and "the norm" so that I can find my new groove! Quitting your job in December has many advantages and disadvantages, but one in particular is that you don't have to hit reality straight on. You still feel very busy because you have decorating, baking, cleaning, and shopping to do. You have teacher-friends who are also not working, you know students out on break. It is simply like a winter vacation-how lovely! Then come the questions, "What is this going to be like when they go back to school?" "What am I going to do when the days and weeks are ahead?"

I had a groove. I got up at 6:30, got dressed, checked my social media sites, went to work, worked really hard emotionally, mentally, and physically, came home, ordered take out for dinner (grin), did a various evening activity and went to bed. On my weekday off, I would shop for groceries, clean house, do laundry, and find some hang out time with my mom. It was a busy groove, but it was mine. It was comfortable. It was draining. It left very little energy for anything outside of work. So, I made a change. But-it's still new. It's uncomfortable. It's quiet. I'm not asking for a new to-do list--I have one of those! I am in the midst of a major house renovation, writing 6 months of discipleship curriculum, and 'keeping house' for myself and my sister-in-law as we share her home for the next month. No, I don't need more time fillers. Just time. Time to figure out my new groove. Time to adjust, to create a schedule, to follow a planner (because, well, I'm type-A). Yes, we've hit post-holiday back-in-the-groove time and I'm with the masses who are excited about it because this time it means I get to take steps toward a new groove, a new normal. I honestly don't know what's ahead--and that feeling is a mixture of extreme anxiety and mild anticipation, but I do know that it's going to be fun in the meantime.

As I dig a new groove, I am grateful for a moment of quiet on the couch this morning to just breathe. Hopefully, this groove will be much more in line with where the Lord has placed me and much more rewarding for my family!

#Savillelifeinpictures2014 Week One

#Savillelifeinpictures2014 is fully underway! My goal is to document my life by finding something positive or fun to snap a quick picture of every day in 2014. It will be like a visual scrapbook for me over the course of the year!

Day 1: Starting the New Year right with greens and beans!

Day 2: Watched my "baby" brother get his first tattoo. Oh my-crazy!

Day 3: Out to eat and Clemson-game watching with my love.

Day 4: A little comic book store action while we waited on our time at Sky Zone. We had a blast!

Today's kids

Today I did something that was neither fun, nor planned. I went to the funeral of a young mom. The daughter of this lady ran cross country for Micah's team. This daughter (T) showed so much grace and class that I was truly touched. Upon learning that her mother had passed, we text T to get details. In her text back to us, T made sure that we were aware how grateful she was. She ended the text by saying "I hope you and your family have a wonderful new year!" What?! Her mom had just died and she was concerned with being kind and mannerly. It made me think...how selfish are we? How often do we spend our time consumed in our own world? T certainly encouraged me to look outward and show grace and kindness to those around me. Fast forward to today...we encouraged the Cross Country team to come to the funeral and support T and her family. 24 team members took time out of their winter break, in the middle of the day, wearing their team shirts to support this friend. It took my breath away. How precious to be a part of such a team. I have been blessed with extra time this summer and winter and the ability to run with this group of kids. They reach across grade boundaries, levels of competition, and backgrounds to love on and encourage one another. Today was a culmination of that camaraderie. When you hear people speaking hatefully about today's generation and youth, I am encouraged that there are many who choose love and choose kindness. I'm so proud of T and the rest of the cross country team. Join me in praying for T's family through this difficult time.

New Year...New Resolutions

So, the first post I posted this morning was supposed to go up yesterday. Then, this one today. However, I obviously don't understand the "Schedule" feature of Blogger. I'll get it though.

Every year, I sit and reflect, groan and moan, and then make several resolutions. Then, every year around April, I've broken them all.

This year is simple, though:
I am going to run 1000 miles.
I am going to take Jon Acuff's Empty Shelf Challenge . (I would strongly encourage you to do this too!)
 I am going to cook at minimum two days each week.
I am going to complete all the days of my spring and fall Bible studies.

The year of 2014 will hold several firsts and "new" things for our family! We will take several fun vacations, have a kitchen remodel, attempt to figure out what my "next career step" is, and I'm sure many surprises that God has in store for us. I am going to attempt to find a little bit of Happy in every day, document it, and post weekly #Savillelifeinpictures2014 on the blog. You can also follow these daily posts on instagram @1988Megan or @TheMooseIsLoose86.

2013 In Review

Blogging is officially resuming for this family! We will certainly do better. Moose and I had a fun year in 2013-it was full of some crazy events, some exciting events, and some normal days! So-to begin 2014, we will have a fun year in review!

January: had a fun beach trip to start off the year! Celebrated my 25th birthday--yay for lower car insurance :)

February: Went on a fun kids retreat to Great Wolf Lodge with our church.

Did my first Grand Opening of 2013 in Tullohoma, TN.

March: A certain husband of mine defended for his PhD in this month! We were so nervous and excited for this day to come and felt so thrilled that Moose passed with flying colors! I took this picture while in the drive through of a certain restaurant...at the exact moment Moose called to tell me he had passed!

April: We celebrated Moose's 27th Birthday!

May: Moose graduated! He got a "big boy job"! We had a super fun party! This was a big month for us :) 

June: We spent basically every day by my brother and S-I-L's pool. Yay for living only one street away and doubly yay for summer.

July: My brother, his wife and I flew to Maine along with our grandparents. We met up with my parents and two sisters and enjoyed a week in my favorite state! I was a little sad that Moose couldn't join us, but had to be grateful for his J-O-B!

                  



August: I did a Grand Opening in New Jersey, visited NYC, and had pneumonia!

September: Moose and I met my sweet nephew, Noah, for the first time. Moose's sisters have a fun trend of having babies while I'm away on Grand Opening adventures!

 

(I make and sell these fun prints. Let me know if you're interested in one!)

 We spend a long weekend with the Saville family at the beach!

October: We did lots and lots of running! and watching running! Both of my sisters ran XC for the high school team, which my brother  coaches.

The big moment: the boys were second in region. I love this face!

November: This was a huge...huge month! Cross Country State

We saw our Tigers play in the Valley for our one and only time this year

Oh, and I quit my job of 8 years! It was time to walk away. This was an incredibly emotional time, but Moose and I trust that it is right .


December: A tiny little pipe burst in our kitchen...causing over $20,000 of damages. We are still living with my brother and sis-in-law who have been SO gracious to share their guest room with us.

We also celebrated Christmas with both of our families :) Yay! It's my most favorite time of year.

What a fun and adventurous year! We are excited to see what 2014 will hold!

Struggles and Musings

I know, I know, it's been awhile. And to be honest..the post upcoming is not my own. I am both linking and copying BekaStays below. It truly personifies a huge struggle in my life and her perspective on it.
Read:

beka stays faithful : being an exclamation point

(Someone call Hallmark. That title sounds like it was born to be a Made For TV movie. That should stop me from continuing this post…but it won’t. Here we go!)

For the life of me, I can’t remember where I found/heard this quote, and every search I’ve tried in an effort to find it again has come up empty. But recently, in an article or interview or something related to having good posture, the interviewee said this,

“You should try to walk like an exclamation point, not a question mark.”

She was referring to not hunching over, as per the curved top of a question mark, but what she said is bound to stick with me for a long time. For me, she was speaking to an issue much deeper than standing up straight. She drove an arrow straight through my Achilles heel.

I do walk like a question mark. Because I think like a question mark.

Sometimes it’s inconsequential. As in,

“Did I just trip? Over air? Again?”

Yes. Yes you did.

But most of the time they’re more pointed questions. As in,

“Am I doing this right?”

“Do they like me?”

“Are my dreams unrealistic?”

“Am I good enough?”

Confidence is definitely not my strong point. There is nothing I’m more confident about than my lack of confidence. I don’t just question certain aspects of my existence, I generally feel as though I am altogether questionable. As a person of steadfast faith in God, with a laundry-list of scriptures that refute having a questionable worth, and a pile of tangible evidence to the contrary…one would assume this should be a non-issue.

And yet (and it’s a big AND YET…) it is. I’ve been plagued by crippling self-doubt for as long as I can remember. I’d give you examples ranging from elementary school to the present day but they all end in me being…wait for it…crippled by self-doubt, so they’re fairly anticlimactic. Suffice it to say: I’ve gone more than a few rounds with insecurity.

And I’ve prayed, OH LORD, I’ve prayed, that it would just be taken away and given a makeover. That in a half-hour TLC special my lack of confidence would be shampooed, blown dry, and transformed into radiant self esteem. But it doesn’t seem to work that way. At the the of the day I’m still completely unsure of myself, no matter how much I try to will or wish it away.

This year, instead of pleading to win the battle, I’ve just given God the daily wars. I’ve started praying that somehow, God would use all of these unfounded doubts for his glory. I still hope that at the end of the journey I’ll emerge with a Christ-centered confidence that cannot be shaken. In the meantime, I’ll be happy to simply be faithful in this era of life. The one in which I trip over my words and flat surfaces on a daily basis.

But I’m also going to make a concerted effort to be an exclamation point, not a question mark. Not just to stand a little taller (which is a bonus regardless for someone who hovers just over 5 feet), but to really LIVE like an exclamation point (!). To turn, “Will this work?” into, “This will work!” To stop thinking, “Can I do this?” and start thinking, “I can do this!”

(Please note that this line of thinking also lends itself to other endeavors. To wit: “Should I have that brownie?” becomes, “I should have that brownie!” I’m already loving this new psyche.)

But seriously, I’m really going to focus on changing my punctuation. Because even if it’s hard to wholeheartedly believe it at first, I’d rather live with enthusiasm than with doubt. Doubt only sees the fear of what might be impossible. Enthusiasm sees the joy of what can be possible. Isn’t that the preferable option?

I don’t think there is a better current example of this theory than Tim Tebow. By the media’s standards, he has no reason to be confident. Even by football standards, his confidence had to waver a bit after homeboy put up a completion percentage and total QBR in the twenties during the Broncos regular season finale. He had to have had some doubts about his abilities.

Didn’t he?

No one gave him even the slightest chance against the Steelers in last night’s wildcard game. It wouldn’t just have been easy, it would have been normal for him to think, “We backed into the playoffs. We’re playing the defending AFC Champions. We’ve been clobbered by three weeks of crucial injuries and crushing defeats. Maybe I can’t do this. What if it’s really impossible?”

He definitely could have gone that route. Been the question mark. And no one would have blamed him for it. But did he?

Well, HECK no! If this isn’t the personification of an exclamation point, then I’m not sure what is:

[ photo : denver post ]

What did he have to say after the win?

“We just kept believing.“

Apparently so. And look at what has happened so far as a result! And who’s to say how much further they can go!

And how different would everything be if there was even the smallest margin left for question marks instead of exclamation points?

We’ve each been given a unique purpose. World famous professional athlete or unknown local blogger  – the status makes no difference. Our job isn’t to doubt or question our purpose, but to get excited about it! I feel like I’ve been given something visual and something verbal. But I’ll never make a difference with those abilities if I continue to ask, “God, can you really use me?” instead of proclaiming, boldly, “God, you can really use me!”

If I ever decide to tattoo a verse to my forehead (and it’d be great if you all wouldn’t let me do that), this would be a good candidate:

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

[II Timothy 1:7]

Amen.

Go forth, and be ye excited? excited!