Travel bloggers...

My two favorite travel bloggers are back on the road! I really enjoy reading about their adventures! You might too!

Rantin n Raven (A Life Made Simple)

We had the privilege of meeting Derek, Teresa and Cassia earlier this year as they passed thru Central Texas and we are hoping they pass thru again this year!

CozybeGone

We haven't met Jer and CJ YET... but she has followed our blogs for a while when they were preparing to hit the road and now they are living their dream! They have plans for Texas and we are hoping to meet them soon!

Lately, in pictures

Mason jar to-go cup!

Morning coffee

My favorite Fall mix!

My grandmother passed away. She was 96 years old and a beautiful lady! 

While it is a very sad occasion, I did get to spend time with my little sister and my favorite 3 year old. They flew into Austin and spent a couple of nights with us before we drove down to the Valley. And one "must stop" is Torchy's!

This photo is blown up large and hanging in my Grandma's house. We were going to try and recreate the photo but never did... Kelli is missing in this photo cause she wasn't born yet! It was the first time in over 30 years that all the cousins were together.

My brother and dad

I got to see family I haven't seen in a long time!  And yes, we ate Mexican food!

My mom, me, Kelli and Kenzie

My cousin, Tracy and my brother... I think they look a lot alike!

Leaving the Valley... I miss those palm trees!

My dad's name scratched into a mirror

My mom made fried apple pies... they were so good!

I love open shelving in the kitchen... in photos. Thought I'd try it to see if I like it in real life!

Authentically me...

My "one word" for 2013 is authentic. I thought I'd share some thoughts and things I've learned in living out my word. Some days I'm so "confused" as to authenticity in my life... and other days, I'm right on it!

• Slow is a word that keeps coming up to go with living authentically. For me, it's slowing down enough to hear my own voice which I constantly pray is the Holy Spirit inside me. Slowing down even in simple tasks like sweeping (how the name of my blog came to me) is hard for me. I'm a "get-it-done-quickly-but-well" kinda gal. But being intentional about being in the task I'm doing is what this year has been about for me. One of my challenges for September was to hoop 30 minutes a day for 30 days... So I would set my timer on my Iphone and turn up the Itunes radio and get after it. Well, I found myself wanting to check to see how much time I had left often! When I caught myself doing this, I reminded myself to just enjoy the time and the "hooping flow" as I've heard it said. It made it more than just a thing to check off my list each day. I started actually looking forward to it most days. And yes, I did it every single day for 30 days!

• I truly feel like our home is authentically us. We still have a lot we want to do and that will come in time, but what we've done so far fits us and a lot of it we agreed on and some things we've compromised between each others likes. But a couple of months ago I felt a restlessness that I wasn't sure what to do with. Maybe we've been on the move so much for the past 4 years that it's hard for me to think of settling down in one place. I know that my heart's desire is to be content where I am. So I'm working on seeing what I have been blessed with and not seeking what's on the other side of the fence. I have a great life and am appreciative of it. I just see so much more and wonder if that's where I *should* be! =) Now that a couple of months have passed since I wrote this down, I am feeling much more content here in Small Town, Texas. This lifestyle has so much that we adore!

•  Two quotes that spoke to me recently: Nurture an inner life instead of concentrating on the outer trappings to achieve personal harmony. (This may be key to my "bloom where you are planted") and, Invest my emotions in authentic expression and not in specific outcomes. (Relinquish all expectations).

• I'm growing out my gray hair... again. No more coloring for me. I just turned 52 and I'm okay with that. I don't feel the need for people to think I'm 10 years younger and there's a lot of freedom in being just who I am. This is my second time around for going "natural" and I even said before I'm never coloring my hair again, yet I gave in. Fighting roots is just not a battle worthy of my time or money. 

• Still exploring who I truly am and getting out of my comfort zone. I tend to think in terms of "if it's uncomfortable, it must not be me"... but I don't think that's entirely true. I do want to grow and change in ways that are beneficial to me and also just try new things that interest me to see if I'm committed to those things... which involves leaving my comfort zone.

I love the way focusing on one word for an entire year is a way of learning more about myself at the same time changing in ways that I desire. I don't actually sit down each month and make goals toward authenticity. It's more of an organic flow or movement. And a lot of it is in thought which leads to changed behavior.