WARDROBE // 5
When it comes to dressing up, you'll most likely find me done up twice a week...the other five days you'll find me in an outfit like this one. I'm all about comfort and these nike rosche's (from complex in Victoria) are a DREAAAAM. I walk to work in them everyday and my feet are thanking me for it. Does your style lean more to the dressy style or casual style?
Long Sweater - Forever 21 (last season but here's a fun one for this season) | Long Tank - From my sister-in-law (but here's one that I'd buy) | Leggings- Forever 21 | Sneakers- Nike | Watch- Kate Spade Sunnies- Aldo (last season)
Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Mine was very FULL with coffee dates, running, speaking engagement, birthday celebrations, church & father's day lunch but it was FUN. I'm heading into Monday a little tired but hey, that's ok!!! AND I fly to ALT tomorrow!!! Sooooo much to do.....
How was your weekend?
xoxo,
s.s.♥︎.
THE ONE THING I'M NOT DOING AT ALT SUMMIT
One week guys!!!!
One week today I will be in Salt Lake City at Alt Summit getting ready to listen to Oh Joy speak!! I know, I know. I've been talking about this for MONTHS! But time has flown by and now here I am, less than one week away!
So I've been checking things off my list trying to get myself ready...
Business cards- CHECK!
Travel arrangements- CHECK!
Finding out where the nearest Chick-Fil-A is- CHECK!
Outfit planning- Getting there...
There are a few more things on my to-do list but I'm not too worried, it will all get done.
I also made a not-to-do list. Well not exactly a list but a determination.
I determined what I'm not going to do at Alt Summit:
Compare myself to others.
For as long as I remember I've struggled with comparison. I remember comparing myself in grade 6 to my friend who decided to be the first to wear a two piece bathing suit. She was also a lot skinnier than me and that frustrated me. In that situation, at that young age, I saw comparison develop into this monster in me who was clothed in envy and bitterness. That monster followed me for years...even after I became a Christian.
For years I found myself thinking thoughts like this...
"I'll never look like her."
"I can't believe she got him."
"If only I was that skinny."
"Well at least I'm smarter than her."
And the horrible thoughts went on and on and on...
Comparison only lead me to be filled with envy and bitterness. Envy and bitterness are NOT kind friends to have. They eat away at your soul. Like Theodore Roosevelt said, comparison steals your joy. Instead of celebrating others, I tore them down in my head and also ended up tearing myself down in the process. This sickness ate at me for years and it wasn't until a couple years ago that I finally started to address it.
I've had enough of comparing myself to others. God created us uniquely as individuals. He created you. He created me. We're different and that is AWESOME. How dare I judge someone. How dare I harbour awful feelings towards someone. How dare I get envious because of someone else's success or joy.
So I have this defence mechanism when that little comparison monster tries to rear its ugly head. When I find myself starting to compare myself to someone else, I start thinking encouraging thoughts. How can I encourage them? How can I affirm them? How can I celebrate them?
I saw this displayed so clearly as I ran my first half marathon in May. I didn't see myself competing against others. I saw all of us running towards the prize, the finish line...together. I didn't compare myself to the other runners, instead I celebrated that they were running the race as well. They weren't my competitors, instead they were my co-labourers. Each person's race looked differently and that was ok because we were all in it together.
And it's the same thing with blogging. I blog to add a bit of sparkle to someone's day. And I know there are a lot of other bloggers out there who blog to make the internet a better place. Some people have 300, 000 viewers a day and some people have 30. And that's ok.
So I made the determination. The one thing I'm not doing at Alt is- comparing myself to others.
When I walk into a room full of successful bloggers, I will not shrink back in insecurity.
Instead, I will choose to learn from them.
I will choose to be inspired by others.
I will choose celebration over comparison.
I will choose to be a person who encourages and affirms.
I'm kicking that monster to the curb.
over & out,
s.s.♥︎.
ONE WORD 2014 // COURTNEY
I'm very excited to introduce you to one of my favourite people in the world...COURTNEY! I've had the honour of being friends with Courtney for the past four years..the beginning of our friendship was kind of a funny thing but you can read more about it here. Courtney is one of my closest friends and one of the first people I go to for advice, she's crazy wise and just so wonderful so listen up to her one word...!
"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." John 14:27 NLT
I started out 2014 with a bang! I turned the big 3-0. And no matter what anyone says, turning 30 does make one look at their life. Most people would head into their thirties thinking about all that they have accomplished and what was in store for the next 30. However, I was one of those people who started to look at all the things I hadn’t accomplished. All of the things I had yet to check off as complete. And then something changed.
When Laura suggested we all pick one word for 2014, I immediately thought my word was “patience”. I just had to be patient. If I kept waiting and was patient enough things would fall into place. Here I was, 30, and there were things in my life I had not yet experienced and its hard not to worry that they never will. I was convinced I just needed to pray for more patience and to wait for those things to happen.
It soon became clear that I didn’t need patience. What I needed was Peace.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
A few years back I did the Esther bible study by Beth Moore. There is a verse in Esther 4:14 that ends with the phrase “…for such a time as this.” That verse has always stuck with me. I so often look for what is yet to happen, spending time worrying about where I’m “supposed” to be, I was missing out on an amazing portion of my life. Life isn't a race. There are no first place ribbons for being the first person with a degree, the first person with a house and yacht or the first married.
A wise person in my life helped me to realize what a blessing it is to be 30 and in my position. A position of great possibility. I have dubbed this year, the year of Courtney (and yes this was stolen from a TV show). Taking time to live in the now. And I have found the peace that has turned this year into a time of looking at what’s happening right now, instead of what isn’t happening. I don’t want to miss out on the moments that life is measured by. Moments like when your bestie buys you a present to show you she's proud of you. Or hearing your nephew tell you he loves you 80,260 times to the moon and back just because he actually does. Those are the moments that make my life meaningful, that make it important.
I’m sure I will have my moments of questioning or doubt. But I need to have remain confident in the fact that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, that I have been called for such a time as this.
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.” Thessalonians 3:16 NLT
THE ROAD TO ALT | SSHEART BUSINESS CARDS
If you saw me at church last night, there's a high chance I gave you my business card. As I told you last week, business cards are a thing at Alt (the upcoming blogger's conference that I'm going to a week Tuesday!!!) You meet and network with a lot of people, so giving a business card will help keep the connection alive.
I spent a little while designing my cards a few weeks ago. To be honest, when the cards arrived I was a bit disappointed. They were missing that little sparkle. But upon browsing pinterest, I discovered what I needed to kick them up a notch: a hot pink painted edge. YES.
So I DIY-ed them while James and I watched X-Men and I am SO HAPPY with the result. So ladies (and the gentlemen who read this), I present to you my business cards...!
Who could have known that a simple pink highlighter would give the exact look I wanted!
I'm over the moon with them! It's a good thing, because I got a little eager and ordered 500 LOLZ. That being said, if I see you in the next little while, be prepared to be given a business card or two :)
Happy Monday everybody!
xo,
s.s.♥︎.
FRIDAY FAVES | MY BEACH ESSENTIALS
Hands up if you're going to the beach today?
You can bet your bottom dollar my hand is up. Want to hear what I got planned today? Lake run, grocery shop (yes, I'll be picking up a $4.44 peony bouquet from Rootcellar) and then BEAAACCCHHHHHH all afternoon. I'm grabbing my library book, filling my sip sip tumbler full of ice water and then heading to the beach to read and tan for hours on hours....YES. TGIF.
Here are my beach essentials:
1. Wildfox Beach Tote | 2. Garage Flip Flops | 3. HBC Towel (we got two as wedding gifts and LOVE THEM) | 4. Ban.do Sip Sip Tumbler (I love my tiny hearts one!) | 5. Wildfox Sunnies | 6. Forever 21 Sunflower Bikini (I bought this one last month, ha!) | 7. Clinique Sunscreen
Happy weekend everybody!!!!
xoxo,
s.s.♥︎.