OK, kids, hang onto your hats. This is going to be a fast and furious blog post! I don’t have a lot of (read: any) time to write at the moment, but there things I have to share! So hold on tight and get ready for five pretty quick takes on this lovely Friday in May.
Before we do that, though, can I just send my #thoughtsandprayers out to all the moms of school-aged kids who are just doing their damnedest to make it through the school year? We all know that May is a hot mess of crazy. Moms, God bless you for all of the half-packed lunches, late drop-offs, forgotten permission slips, and missed bedtimes. From tests and projects and “oh, here’s just one more Sign-up Genius”, good Lord deliver us!
Anywhoooooo…
1 – The New Blessed is She Planner is Here!
Friends, I have mentioned time and again how wonderful this planner is. I even wrote a whole post about it for their blog last year! I use it to plan our crazy schedule, our meals, my shopping lists, you name it. Now, I use the “big one” (aka, the original), but just in case you don’t need quite as much specificity to your planning, or don’t want to carry that beast around, never fear! There’s a mini version, too!
Right now, they are both available for pre-order. The big dude is $50 and the mini is $40. And well worth it, if you ask me! Also, right now, shipping is free if you place an order of $100 or more. And thanks a bunch for buying through my affiliate links, here!
2 – Time for a Retreat?
Oh, gals. You need a retreat, don’t you? Time to press that reset button, take a breather, and get back in touch with God and with yourself has probably never sounded better than it does right now.
Well, you may have to wait just a little bit longer for it, but please do make it a point to attend one of the BIS Shine Retreats this year! The one in Kansas City is coming up soon in June. Then comes Houston in August, Nashville in September, Annapolis in October, and DUBLIN in November!! Now, while I would love to say that I’ll be attending the one in Ireland, that’s not meant to be. However, I will be at the one in Nashville in September and I would love love love to see you there! (And if you do come, pretty please introduce yourself!)
And if you need just a little more persuasion to go, check out this post I did about the Wild retreat I went on last fall. Life changing, friends. Life. Changing.
3 – I found my Holy Grail of Mascara…for now.
Here it is, friends. After months and months of searching, this is what I have come to believe is the best mascara out there. Lights, Camera, Lashes by Tarte Cosmetics is a 4-in-1 dream come true. It lenghtens, volumizes, curls, and colors my lashes to perfection. I can wear it all day without it running down my face or rubbing off. And it even washes off cleanly and easily! What more can you want?
Yes, it’s a little pricey. It’s a cosmetic store brand and not a drugstore brand. You should expect to pay about $23 for a tube of this black gold. But, I gotta say, it’s worth it. And you know what? I’m worth it, too.
(PS – You can find it at Ulta, Sephora, and Amazon. Happy shopping!)
4 – My husband is my field trip hero.
I will go on some field trips. I have been to candy factories, an alligator farm, parks, museums, you name it. And that’s all well and good. But do you know what field trips I will never in a million years go on? The ones to Universal Studios, Sea World, or any other such amusement park.
You know who will go on them, though? My husband. This man has gone on the “big” field trips with each of our kids so far and that, as much as anything else, makes him my hero. He has gone to Kennedy Space Center with 3rd graders and Universal with 5th graders. He has ridden roller coasters and bought lunches and waited in unending lines with kids who change their mind about a ride at the last second. And through it all, he is happy and fun and everything I wouldn’t be if I were there instead of him.
Also? It means the absolute world to our kids that he’ll take the day off of work to go and spend the day with them and their friends. And that makes him their hero, too.
5 – My 20th College Reunion!
I am not at all sure how I have gotten old enough to be going to my 20th college reunion this weekend, but here we are. Tomorrow morning at 7:00 (I’m writing this on Thursday afternoon) it’ll be wheels-up for me as I head to Indiana and the place I called home for 4 years. I can’t wait to see so many old friends, but if I’m being 100% honest, I’m a little nervous, too.
I mean, it’s been a good 10 years since I’ve seen most of them. Have they aged as much as I have? Are we going to have anything in common anymore? I haven’t exactly excelled in any professional sense. Will I be judged on all that I haven’t done? And, let’s be real, today’s political climate can be downright polarizing. Is it gonna get weird like that?
Seriously, I’m just a big ball of nervous energy as I prepare for my trip. It’s crazy to me how excited I am to see everyone and my beautiful campus on the one hand. But then, on the other hand, I’m so dang anxious about everything!
Oh, well! Bring on the girlfriends, the dorm, the church, the beautiful campus and everything that comes with it. I’m going home!
