The Muffuletta, Starburst Jelly Beans, and Hannah

Happy Friday!

Sometimes we just need to take a moment and invite the heart of a high school student back in and picture ourselves nearly running to our cars on Friday after classes are over. I remember that feeling of not running but feeling like I could scream and jump and dance at the beginning of a blessed weekend. WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! The truth is that my mom life doesn't make Saturday look much different than Tuesday but still - a kick in our heart perspective can do us a lot of good from time to time! So FRIDAY I welcome you with joy, a little thrill and an open heart.

May I continue to just warm up my typing fingers? After all, a two month plus break from blogging makes jumping back in a little stark. So I thought I'd just share some thoughts from my week. Wish I could hear yours. If there's one solitary thing that irritates me it's a one sided conversation. So even if you don't comment or email or message or anything - just talk back to me in your own mind. It will be fun!

First, I'd like to tell you about something not-too-fancy but yummy that I recently ate: the Muffuletta sandwich from McAlisters. Truly, it was no gourmet sandwich. In fact, it was nothing compared to the original sandwich which can be found at Central Grocery store in New Orleans. But I just found myself loving it entirely. It was turkey (I subbed that for the normal ham), provolone cheese, and Gambino's olive salad with a thin slice of salami capping the whole pile off. It was different and it was good! Certainly not everyone's taste buds would love olive salad but mine DID!

Not my exact sandwich, but you get the idea:


I'd also like to report that on Monday (day after Easter), I had a half a bag of Starburst jelly beans left. I threw the bag away. Let's celebrate the little victories people.

I wonder what you've been wishing you could eat recently? Sometimes I just find myself thinking about things that I haven't had in a while and plotting when I will fit each thing in :). On my list now: Pho Ga and Bun Cha Gao from Viet Huong, French Drip sandwich from Charlestons, a croissant from Stone Horse, a mix from Braums (vanilla with Oreo and Heath), and Chicken Sagwala from India Palace. Thinking I'll need some time to make it all a reality, ha!

Drooling:


Oddly enough my random thoughts blog post seems to mostly have to do with food. You know - I asked the Lord to put something on my heart for this post and clearly - food it is. Don't you kind of love the thought of God Almighty totally enjoying a meal or dish with you???

Have you cooked anything new recently? I'd love some new recipes to throw in my mix. My requirements for recipes are as follows: it can be a little lengthy in required ingredients, but my total prep time cut off is 30-45 minutes. Not that you can tell from the above thoughts, but it needs to be not too heavy on cheese, creamy things, butter, etc. But it MUST be HIGH on taste. I'm specifically feeling a good salad recipe could be appreciated. But, I love Italian, French, Asian, American, soups, salads....yum. So seriously - shoot me some of your favorite recipes! Next time I should post the recipe I have for peanut chicken. It's so yum. That is - if you like nuts, lots of curry, tomatoes and chicken :). Also - I'm on the hunt for a good chicken and rice recipe. A few years ago, I tried a pretty basic recipe and it was - well, basic. And a little bland. I like interesting things. But I remember loving chicken and rice casserole as a kid and I'd love to rediscover it. Thoughts?

Prepare yourself as my thoughts are now transitioning off of food.

I had a frank conversation with the Lord this week that ended up being quite fruitful. I was a tad frustrated. With the Bible. Frustrated with my interactions with the Bible. Frustrated with feeling like I was going through the motions but there was no mojo. Done with the no mojo. I told Him that I NEEDED Him to show me what to read. I told Him I was desperate. I want to know Him more and more. I want to learn Him through His word. I want to discover the Scripture....but I'm not in a Bible study right now, I am not feeling a reading plan, and I am done with (for now) randomly opening the Bible and seeing what pops out. It is time to dig but I don't want to dig out of my own ideas - I want Him to show me what to dig into. We aren't always in the place. I have enjoyed so many studies, reading plans, etc. But it's just a different season. Well, He answered. It was a quiet answer that one could argue may have been my own thoughts.... read the story of David. The whole story from start to finish. So I started a few days ago.

David's story begins in First Samuel - around the sixth chapter. It seemed natural to start at the beginning of First Samuel and lo and behold, He met me there. It was alive. He was there. It was the story of Hannah and her very real experience of being barren while her 'sister wife' had child after child...and on top of that antagonized Hannah about it. Can you even imagine? It's hard enough to wait when others are not having to wait at all - but then to be blatantly antagonized over it? Brutal. Hannah's prayer of thanks as she gives Samuel to the Lord absolutely captivated me. She speaks from a healed heart. But she also says some startling things about Him.... one statement alone grabbed me:

1 Samuel 2:6 "The Lord kills and brings to life."

Well, that's a little offensive. The Lord kills? Doesn't that mess with our theology? But, the truth is that when you've been allowed to walk through loss or trial, you come to realize that although many of us don't admit we expect a pain-free life, we are shocked and shaken when the pain comes. I mean, it's just shocking! But one thing, I know to be true: this God is a man of mystery. He is not to be formulized, reduced to very many 'always' or 'never' statements.

This woman who had born years of grief over a barren womb could say - that yes, the Lord does allow things to die BUT He also brings things to life in a way that only He could. Who is like our God? There is no rock like our God. There is no one who can bind up and heal hearts like He can. Oh man. If you're looking for a story to read, 1 Samuel 1-2 are calling your name!

There is beauty that words cannot capture in both death and life. God is the God who cares in our loss and in our gain. The night may last for a while, but the morning comes. It does come. It does.

I do sincerely hope that your weekend is delightful. That you and me both decide to be a little thrilled by it and to kick our heels up. That you eat something really enjoyable. And that you find Him. That you knock down His door if it's been a little quiet recently. Because this we know - He's longing to be with us.

Happy weekending y'all!
Abi

The Typing Fingers Have Returned....

If you are reading this post, bless your heart. For real. I can make no guarantees that it will be five minutes worth reading but it does warm my heart to think of you sitting there and grimacing through with me.

I'm not even certain what I will write about today. But something urged me to the point of writing today so here I am, and here you are. Once again, I say with all sincerity, bless your heart.

It's Good Friday - a truly beautiful day of remembering if you are a Believer. You'd think that I'd have something poignant to say about this weekend we call a holiday but is so much more than that. I wish I did! My heart is moved today.

Although I will say - on an Easter candy note - why, oh why, are Starburst Jelly Beans SO GOOD? My top three Easter candies are those, the malted milk robin's egg things, and a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg. Praises!

There's so much I wish I could say but the words just won't flow today. This post is my proverbial - get back up on that horse effort. It's time to write again and I have simple belief that the words will start to flow if I let the fingers type....but it may take me a few tries.

I wonder how you are today. Are you grabbing a brief moment of solitude while reading in the midst of a harried day? Or has it been a beautiful day of calm? My day has been more on the calm side - if you can believe it! My dearest Mom took Liam for the day so that I could work on cleaning my floors, make homemade lemon bars for a Passover meal at our house tomorrow (what - didn't you know that lemon bars are a sacred element of Passover???), prepare an Easter basket and wrap a girlie birthday present for my niece who turns one today. It's so funny what a nice day it's been even though I've been working. Those infrequent days of quiet are true mommy treasures. An opportunity to think a little more clearly, listen a little more intently, and vacillate between worship at IHOP and Pharrell's Happy. A girl on her own can do these things!

Speaking of Easter baskets...what a thing they have become! I think my apple falls not far from the tree of my mama :). She always did Easter baskets and they were a lot of fun...candy, eggs, and goodies...but most of the gift element had to do with something that would be spiritually encouraging. For us - that meant years and years of Adventures in Odyssey! Caleb and I fell asleep listening to those tapes for years. So now - I just can't bring myself to go out and buy special toys to fill the Easter basket! This year, it's a paperback version of The Beginner's Bible 'The First Easter', a kids book version of the story of David and Goliath, and then...some fun sidewalk chalk. And that's it! LOL. Well...I must correct that. Starburst Jelly Beans and my friend Libby's amazing cookies will be making an appearance. Seriously - these are the best sugar cookies...hands down. I'd like to think myself some low level of expert in all things sweet - so take my word for it. Wink wink!

I pray wherever you are - that you have the opportunity to consider Jesus today. Maybe you've walked with him for years or maybe everyone's talk of Jesus has become easily disregarded over the years. Either way - just consider considering him today. Consideration can be the beginning of something beautiful.

May your weekend be full of grace and peace. I am going to be reminding myself of those two words as I prepare my home for a Passover celebration tomorrow night....sometimes my ugliest moments occur when getting my house ready to host! Let's just go ahead and put this down on screen - I'll be back next Friday with my typing fingers. Thanks for helping me ride again even though the ride was all ramble.

Much love,
Abi

PS...Go ahead and find yourself a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg this weekend. When all is said and done, it will be worth it ;).

A Story from Austin: IF Conference Recap

There is no other word for this moment other than 'MERCY!' Mercy seems to be such an appropriate word during so many of my blog posts lol. Could it have taken me any longer to get this post done? I mean, it probably could have, but I've put it off for looooooooong enough.

I've struggled with the words for this one again and again. The experience for me was great, difficult, amazing, challenging and so much more. So it's a little hard to put all of that into a post.

Here's a little excerpt from my blog the day after IF ended and I had time by myself on Sunday morning:
(click on the picture if you need it larger)

So here's to trying to summarize my experience at the IF Gathering!

First, let me just say that they pulled off one amazing experience for the attendees. It was incredibly thought through and intentional at every turn.

Venue: Austin Music Hall

My first surprise was SO MANY of the women there were from Austin. I had been a part of a Facebook group and from that exposure it seemed that there were really a lot of people in the same boat as I was: intended to go with friends but tickets sold out too quickly, so going alone. I was expecting to get there and be surrounded by people who could relate. Not so much! A LOT of groups.... a lot of big groups from Austin. In fact one girl even mentioned to me that until she got there she had not realized that it wasn't an event exclusive to Austinites! My friend from college, Brittany, was my saving grace. Truly. She was there as a volunteer so we didn't get to experience the sessions together but she saved me a SWEET seat near the front right from the beginning. I would have been on the last row had it not been for this girl! We haven't seen each other since college but she was exactly what I needed over the weekend and she was a breath of fresh air. I ended up staying with her at her friend's house in a delightfully large queen bed with plenty of space for two! We had SO MUCH great conversation and she was the highlight of my trip.

Brittany and me!

Downstairs view:

The table setups were beautiful:

View from upstairs (where it was just chairs), looking down:

So here's the deal about me. I am not without my insecurities. By the grace of God, I have come into so much healing from the Lord but like so many of you - I have my vulnerable buttons that are still works in progress. Well, the seat that Brittany saved for me was amazing. It was up close and personal. It was also smack dab in the middle of a group of very sweet girls. Very sweet girls who had been friends since college - which went back more than ten years. They were so kind to me and made a point to pull me in as much as possible. Truly. But, sista, there is just no way around the awkwardness that is jumping right into the middle of a group of girls that has been friends for more than ten years. Do you laugh at the jokes you clearly don't get the punch line to? Do you ask for the back story to each story you can only halfway follow because - hello - you just weren't there. Do you try to really establish relationships with these new friends or do you act aloof because again - hello - we are parting ways in a mere 16 hours. I would say that I muddled through the dynamic fairly well but must be honest in saying that it was a distraction for me. My emotions were frustrated to be dealing with what seemed to be old feelings of insecurity. Until at one point on Saturday, it was like the Holy Spirit gave me a little shake and said 'ABI! It's not you! It's not your problem! It's a weird situation and most anyone in your shoes would find it to be.' Well thank you Lord for truth! So it wasn't the social dynamic I imagined walking into for the weekend, but I think it was exactly what the Lord used to prod me to the points He wanted to make.

Me (pink sleeve) and the group of girls....see? Very nice!

I could pull out my notes and try to recap each speaker but I'm not kidding when I say - there were so many speakers that this post would never ever see the light of day if I did that. So I'll just rattle off my highlights:

Jennie Allen
Rebekah Lyons
Christine Caine
Ann Voscamp

And I will tell you why each of them were highlights for me.

Jennie Allen - I barely knew who Jennie Allen was but she is someone the Lord is definitely using to call up the next generation of women in the Body of Christ. That sounds pretty Christianese but I don't know how else to say it. She's the visionary behind IF and the thing that stirred me so deeply about Jennie was her normalcy. She was no superstar. She was you. She was me. She was just 100% committed to what she felt the Lord was asking her to do. She's a mom of a handful and a wife and a writer and a visionary. If you're not familiar with her, become familiar with her.

Rebekah Lyons - I really want to be her friend someday. Rebekah is one of those people who gets up to speak in front of 1,200 and somehow makes you feel that it's just she and you sharing a story together. She told a transparent story of the journey the Lord has taken her on over the past years. She and her husband moved their family and organization from Atlanta to New York City a few years ago. She told the humbling story of the anxiety attacks she began to deal with as a New Yorker and the 18 month struggle she endured with the Lord through it until healing came. What a normal, transparent woman. She said this: "Calling is where your talents and your burdens collide." Let that roll around a bit! She also encouraged each person to think back to themselves as a child....what purely thrilled your heart as an 8 year old? Sometimes those are the things we should remember when pursuing what God has for our lives. Like I said, I really want to be her friend someday.

Christine Caine - I mean she's power packed. But the thing she said that STILL rings in my ears is 'Why would I allow what happened for the first 18 years of my life to dictate and color how I lived the next 36 years of my life?" She's 48 now as was referring to a lot of trauma she endured up until she was 18 years old. She wasn't saying that it's not important to allow the Lord time to heal but rather that there comes a point where we wake up and choose to walk in freedom. She also kept driving home the point that you can be delivered but not free of something. I think the semantics are a little confusing, but the heart of it is right on. You can allow the Lord to 'deal' with something in you but still allow it to color your heart. It is possible however to walk with a new heart. Again, let that roll around a bit!

Ann Voscamp. Oh Ann. She did a number on me. Her content was deep and it was rich. But more than anything, she was the one God used most for me over the course of the weekend. I have not read her book, I read only a few of her blog posts, and I had never seen or heard her in person. May I just say, Ann marches to the beat of her own drum. She fits into no mold that I can think of. Her physical voice sounds like no one else's. She is dramatic. Words flow and swish and sway out of her. She is poetic. Her hair is different than anyone else's. While many sported long flowing locks of femininity, she styled short angular hair. I mean, truly, she was in her own category in just about every sense. Which leads me to what the Lord was sharing with me in a snowball kind of way throughout the conference:

Somewhere along the line many years ago, I became convinced that I needed to filter myself. It had both noble and wonky origins. Noble in the sense that I wanted to filter my words and expressions in order to take in to consideration how they would impact the person I was communicating with. That's good. Wonky in the sense that I also wanted to not stand out too much, to be able to identify the normal in any dynamic I was in and flow with that vibe, etc. I'm not even sure that makes sense to anyone but me. But it's been a very real presence in my life. Sometimes it is GOOD to be filtered because it makes your words count more. But for me, I think the Lord pulled the covers back on how out of balance my filter has become.

Frankly, I hesitate to even share that because I'm still uncertain as to what He wants to do with that. That filter has become so entrenched in my way of processing that I don't even know it's there most of the time. It's the thing that thinks through my words before I speak to make sure they make sense. It's the thing that holds me back from saying truth because it sounds whacked out. It's the thing that holds me back from saying something if I feel the recipient won't agree or get it. It's the thing that makes me hold back the free flow of who I really am from time to time.

Now, this isn't to say that you don't know the real me. You do! I just think there's more. I'm not sure how the Lord will choose to deal with it because it's really going to take a lot of work on His part to walk me through even realizing when I am filtering!

But man alive, as I was processing the next day over breakfast, He was pointing to Ann Voscamp and saying 'Now THERE is a woman who is unfiltered, Abi! Let her example stir you to put it all out there.' And then, as only He could...He set me up for one of the most sacred moments of the entire conference.

I got to the airport and savored my alone time in a seat at a random gate and then about ten minutes before I was supposed to board, I walked over to my gate and leaned against the windows. A few minutes later I looked up and my eyes immediately fell on a head of short angular hair bent over something in her lap. My heart began to pound out of my chest. I started to sweat. It was most definitely Ann Voscamp. Everything inside of my flesh screamed 'noooooooo don't even think of approaching her!' while my spirit knew that I was at the right place at the right time and there really wasn't much of a choice as to what was about to happen. My sweating went to a whole new level. She was sandwiched between people seated and waiting to board so I knew if I went over to her - there would be nothing private about our exchange. Felt like the Lord bolted my feet to the ground and told me to just stay where I was. Of course, they start boarding our SouthWest flight where you line up before entering the plane. And yep, she walks straight over to me and slows to a crawl just in front of my face. Voice shaking "Um, are you Ann?" She smiled so warmly and said yes. "I, um," (start crying - not even kidding) "am not going to talk to you for more than two minutes so don't be freaked out. But, I (through tears that only come from sensing the spirit of God so strongly you have no other choice) just wanted to say thank you (gulp gulp) for being so unfiltered this weekend. It meant so much to me. And if you needed any encouragement in the wake of the conference - let this be it. What you did mattered." Those words sound so smooth as I type them.... let me assure you they rambled out of my mouth as I cried through them....not smooth.

I'm not going to share what Ann said in return because it was so personal to her that I just don't feel it's mine to share. But long and short, she started crying just about when I did. She hugged me so tightly and looked me right in the eyes and encouraged me to really go for it. That it's worth it. It's worth it all. We exchanged for probably two minutes and then it was over. I didn't stop crying for five minutes straight after we parted ways though. It was holy ground we stood on and it was the Lord calling me into the unfiltered way. I still don't even know what it means. But I want to find out. She was human and real and deeply affected by God. Lord, do your work in my heart.

What a long post right? And did I even give a very good recap of the conference? No! LOL. But I am thankful to let what has been churning in my heart, out.

The If Gathering will hold another conference next year in Austin. February 6&7. Please don't make me go alone again next year!!!!

P.S..... This is me Saturday morning before the second day of the conference. So. Tired. Please come with me next year and share this exhaustion with me:

Austin Bound, Heart Expecting

I think it was sometime last summer (2013). I read a link that Jen Hatmaker posted about the first ever If:Gathering in Austin, Texas. I'm not a conference junkie but my heart pounded out of my chest as I read about it. From that moment, I knew that I had to be in Austin on February 7 & 8.

This was one of the videos I watched that absolutely grabbed my heart (click on the words, 'the bigger vision'):

If : Gathering - The Bigger Vision from If Gathering on Vimeo.

Did you watch it????? I WISH YOU WERE COMING WITH ME!!!

So the funny thing is that when I first heard of it, I had this vision of caravaning down to Austin with many kindred spirits - together ready to just show up and see what happens. So many friends were interested! I logged on about 35 minutes after registration opened....any I got one of the last spots available. In under one hour, 1,200 women from all over the U.S. scooped up every single spot available. Wow! All of the sudden, I was going and I was going - alone.

All of the sudden I AM going and I am going alone!!! LOL.

But man, a few minutes of hearing Jennie Allen's heart and I knew that I simply could not miss this. It was as if she was speaking words from my own heart and I barely knew her name. Calling women in this generation to seek the Lord together? Yes. It's not about one big name but about many? Yes. It's about a deep conviction that big things are about to happen in the Kingdom with women? Yes.

Most of the names of those in leadership are unfamiliar to me. And I'm going without a compadre but somehow it seems sacred to be going alone. How often am I ever really alone? No diapers in my purse, no checking my phone to see how much longer I have before I need to get back to the big boy and the little boy, no one to think about but myself really. Now that's just ridiculous!

And get this - I'm staying with my good friend's sister....who leads a big college ministry at UT. She lives with a handful of girls. And she won't be there. I am literally going to sleep in Danica's bed in a house full of girls I don't even know the names of. Ha! At this point - why not up that ante???

Did you know that if this video grabbed your heart though, you can be a part of the conference FOR FREE from your own computer or phone??? They are streaming the live conference to anyone who would like to join. If you're in Tulsa, you can join other groups of girls participating in the live stream at both Sanctuary and Believers Church.

So, I'm off today. Off to follow the crazy beat of my heart. Off to gather. Off to say, 'I'm all in.'

Want to see pics??? I will be documenting my experience and then I'll be back on Tuesday next week (or maybe before!!) with what happened.

So, sweet reader, may your weekend be restful. May it be stirring. May it be - dare we say? - life changing.

Much love,
Abi

Learning How To Fight

Happy Friday Reader Friends! I took a little two week break from my Friday posts to do a little processing but here we are together again. And I like it! My heart has come to love our interchanges on Fridays. Wish I knew what was on your heart today, too. If you feel so bold, feel free to share in a comment or email or message.

How do Fridays find us so quickly? SO QUICKLY.

I've been pondering a truth recently and I wonder if you can relate?

There are times when turbulence hits our lives out of, seemingly, nowhere. Maybe it's a relationship that suddenly got tense, a job suddenly comes into question, a really bad day out of nowhere, the realization that none of your pants fit (don't underestimate the turbulence of ill-fitting clothes!!!), the loss of a pregnancy, unwanted news, or the list could go on. Bottom line, sometimes things can feel that they have turned upside down in one instant.

If you're anything like me, my first and very instinctual response is to DO SOMETHING. Like yesterday. Since I believe in Jesus, that often means that I feel the urge to pray up a storm. And if I could pray up a literal storm - all the better.

I don't think that's all wrong. I am a firm believer that He hears my prayers and interacts with me there. I am firm believer that He acts on my behalf. But - I've also come to the conclusion in my thirty two years that He and I have different definitions of good and bad at times. Yes? Yes. It would be so very nice if that weren't the case. If we both saw situations in the same light - what is good is good and what is bad is bad. Now certainly - our definitions line up a lot of the time - just not all of the time. And those 'just not all of the times' are the ones that can really hang us up.

So what's a girl to do in those moments of shift?

Fight, sister. Fight, brother.

You are to fight. You absolutely are to go to battle. The most violent tool I've come to know is the most opposite of my instincts:

Trust.

Trust. Trust. Trust. Trust. And then come back to trust. And from that place, I go, by His grace alone.

Trust is not a place of inactivity or victimization. Trust is more powerful than you could imagine. Trust and leaning into trusting Him declares to ALL that - there is nothing that can shake you from His love. Take it all away. Take the relationship away. Take the job away. But you will not take me away from trusting Him. I think that ultimately, the goal most often when the turbulence comes is to cause you to FEEL vulnerable, susceptible, or attacked. And those feelings breed fear. And it's really hard for trust and fear to live in the same house.

We are only humans though, I think you can agree. Perfection of response is not ever going to happen....unless you're just way different than I am. Which is entirely possible! LOL. But it's not that we will never feel fear. I simply want to open my heart to trust more than I open it to fear. Because trust comes from truth. Fear comes from one who has my worst intentions in mind, certainly not my best.

So yeah, you better believe I'm going to fight. But I'm going to fight from a place of trust instead of a place of fear. Fighting out of trust feels a whole lot different than fighting out of fear.

It's like taking a deep, cleansing breath. And that just feels so very much better than a lot of short shallow breaths.

Let's breathe deeply together because we can trust. You can trust and I can trust.

Happy Weekending Y'All!

Abi

2014: Choosing Important over Good

Well, my friends. Let's pretend we're having coffee together once more. I wish I could have a coffee date every day of the week - don't you?? I love everything about coffee dates - good conversations, cozy coffee shops, the rich smell of beans as they grind, the sound of steam pushing out of the espresso maker. Love it all.

Happy New Year!



I wonder how your 2014 has rolled out in these first ten days?! Mine has been surprising. Surprising. Good surprising but wild-ride-ish, too.

There is something about January that is sacred. It's a beautiful thing to have a fresh start and to sense a re-invigorated energy for purpose and vision.

The direction I've feel like is paramount for this year is "I want to choose do the important things over the good things."

Something tells me most anyone could relate to that. How full our lives can become with truly good things. With commitments that are meaningful to others and meaningful to ourselves! But what if we took a mini step back and breathed for a moment to say - "Now. Let's see what is important for me to do this year. Show me what is good but not important as I approach 2014."

Let me tell you right now, there are important things for you to do and lean in to this year. Take it to the bank. But there are countless good things that are not bad at all. In fact, they may be in the highly important category for someone else. But for you, good can suck up all of your energy so that when the important thing presents itself...there's nothing left to give.

Important isn't always big. It may be small and quiet, as a matter of fact. And your important may look confusing to someone else. But I think it will be worth it to choose the important over the good - in the end.

So onward 2014 Soldier! On to an important year! May you have the grace to see clearly and forgive yourself when you miss it a little (because no one gets it perfect).

Much love y'all and happy weekending!
Abi

Let's Go To Paris

Seriously. Let's go.

My house is in what I will lovingly refer to as 'recovery' from a truly wonderful Christmas and New Year. It's going to take me days to see it in to full recovery - so why not take a moment and go to Paris before I get back to it?

I have been to Paris once and it was three and a half years ago. I was skinnier. I wasn't a mama yet. And it absolutely swept me off my ever lovin hurtin feet. We got to do some traveling that I cherish before we had Liam. That's kind of where we spent our money instead of on nice cars or nicer than Gap clothing :). We WILL return to traveling before long - I'm thinking even with littles underfoot it would be worth it. Anywho, Paris sounds romantic but it took me off guard. The first few days were spent trying to acclimate to a new city that seemingly spread out with no end. But a few croissants later, I was hooked.

My mom tells a story of going to Paris on a high school trip and staying in a convent with nuns. Their breakfast each morning was french bread, butter and hot chocolate. Now listen - that's enough to make anyone fall in love and it's not far off from what I ate every single day I was there.

This afternoon, I craved Paris. So let's go! Here are some of my favorite memories from our trip a few years ago:

Our delightful bed and breakfast - check out La Villa Paris if you need a great place and a great price.

Our first adventure out - to the Marais - where we started to fall in love with the city:

The first of many risotto dishes we savored:

Notre Dame!

The back of Notre Dame with the gardens:

Are you surprised we tracked down espresso???

And check out that blue cheese. A few lunches consisted of blue cheese and French bread for me - happiness.

Shakespeare and Company bookstore! A treasure trove:

Let the love affair with French pastries begin:

After our first fun dinner in Paris in the Rue Cler:

One of my very favorite pictures of my husband, for reasons I can't put words to:

Glory:

He loves sculpture. Happy camper at Rodin's home/museum:

Let the love affair with French pastries continue:

So beautiful at night:

The Louvre. I crave a return visit.

Winged Victory, my favorite piece of art:

One of my favorite us pictures.

Love.

Love!

LOVE!!!!

Strolling the Seine.

Last evening in Paris, savoring the glow of Ile Saint Louis.

Wish I could make out in Paris with him RIGHT NOW!

I think this post was entirely self-indulgent LOL! I hope you got a little getaway too but if you didn't - thanks for baring with mine for a few moments! Now, back to the bedroom and piles of clothes. And back to that commitment to be in fighting shape for our tenth anniversary in 2015. I am hopeful that I will have had another baby by then and I will be ready to be SKINNY again. Praises.

Happy weekending y'all,
Abi