PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014

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Okay, one last post on 2014...I promise! I just couldn't leave 2014 without looking back on the BIG moments. 2014 was a wild year. Here are my personal highlights...

I RAN MY FIRST HALF MARATHON

It has been a long time goal for me to run a Half Marathon and last May, I DID IT!!!! I was hoping to run the Good Life one in October but things didn't pan out. I'm hoping to run the Goddess one in June though! I talked a lot about running last year, and I plan on running just as much. Now that we're all moved in, I have NO EXCUSES.

CLICK TO READ MY HALF MARATHON RECAP

 

I WAS A BAND GROUPIE IN REDDING

Last Summer I travelled down to Redding California with James and some others on our worship team. The team all did Bethel's School of Worship. I went to a few sessions but mainly sweated my face off, ran, swam at the local ymca pool, did summit homework and hung out alone at the house we rented. To be honest, it was a lonely time for me. But it was a REAL GOOD time for me. I looked back on posts and realized I never did actually candidly shared about my time.

I absolutely loved the first Sunday we were at Bethel. The worship was incredible (obvs) and then Kris Vallotton spoke on empowering woman to be leaders and preachers...come on!!!! I was over the moon. During the week I spent a lot of time by myself. Now we need to get one thing straight..I am an extrovert. I am a people person. I can spend time alone but I don't love it. I love being with people. I love talking with people. I LOVE PEOPLE. Extended alone time makes me go crazy. Thank goodness I listened non-stop to the Divergent audiobook to make me think I was with people. The crew was at school almost all day and night that first week. That was hard. They were experiencing so much and I barely had time to debrief with James.

And the conversations I did partake in (with James and others), I didn't really find myself agreeing 100% with. I was frustrated!! I wanted to relate, but I couldn't. And then the next Sunday came. Martin Smith led (amazing OBVS!) and this Ray guy preached. I totally did not relate to his message AT ALL. And at the call (which I can't remember) I found myself as one of the few who did not stand up to respond. But then he makes a statement where I had my "Thank You Jesus, I'm not crazy" moment.

He shared an analogy that some people are like boats and some people are like buildings.  He didn't say being one was bad and the other was good. He said how the church needs both buildings and boats. I would go on to quote him more but I would totally get it wrong....but let's just say artsy/creative/musician types tend to be the boats and non-artsy/more analytical/I guess a bit more consistent? (ahhh, I'm really not trying to offend anyone!!! Sorry if it sounds offending!) types tend to be the buildings. I had a revelation right there. I WAS A BUILDING IN A ROOM FULL OF BOATS!!! No wonder I wasn't relating to anything. 

It made me realize two things: 1. I missed my building people. 2. Our churches need a lot more of them boat people in leadership because often it is the building types who are in leadership.

Once I realized how differently I was programmed than everyone I was surrounded by, I enjoyed myself a lot more. We are all unique and that is a good thing.

We had a ton of fun on that trip and God showed up in massive ways. I'll never forget it.

READ MORE ABOUT MY TRIP TO REDDING HERE

 

I LEARNED ABOUT BLOGGING AT ALT SUMMIT

My assistant/encourager/bestie aka Courtney and I travelled to Salt Lake City to attend ALT (I attended and she explored). Never have I ever had a desire to go to Salt Lake City. The city was kinda blaaah in my books but ALT was amazing!!! I learned SO MUCH, heard from Oh Joy! and MARTHA FREAKING STEWART! Ate amazing food. Met amazing other bloggers (like miss Annie Reeves!!) and just had a really fun time. 

READ MORE ABOUT MY ALT EXPERIENCE HERE

 

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE

And of course, as you've heard a ton, we bought a house....all because of God's amazing grace!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!!

READ MORE ABOUT OUR HOUSE BUYING PROCESS HERE

 

Other incredible highlights of 2014 include

And oh so many more adventures. 2014 you were grand. 2015, you got big shoes to fill!

Can't wait to chat soon about 2015 goals and one words!! Can't wait to hear from some of you!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

ONE WORD 2014 RECAP // SARAH

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Hello again! Yesterday I shared my reflections on my one word for 2014 and today I have my amazing friend Sarah (and it also happens to be her BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!!!!) sharing her reflections on her two words for 2014. You can read Sarah's post from last year here. 

Take it away Sarah...

FAITH & COURAGE [the recap]

2014 was the first year I have embraced the one-word concept, and I found having the frame of reference for the past 12 months so beautifully life-giving.   I travelled throughout Europe for three months, and found some hard moments where massive faith was needed.  There were times (I admit to crying alone inside an Irish Mcdonalds one Saturday night!) courage was needed to dust myself off and keep going.   While travelling was breath-takingly beautiful at times, it was also one of the hardest things I have done in the last few years.   From cycling 300 kms to facing my quiet thoughts, I needed to embrace the good and the bad and make intentional choices to keep moving forward.   

Coming back to Canada I had to step out in both faith and courage to re-establish myself.   New house, new car, new office... and then take a risk and head off to Bethel for school of worship with some of my band.   To be vulnerable and honest and have courage to try again in relationships.   Looking back, those two words (I am going to claim that since it was my first year of the one-word challenge, I decided on TWO words that go together perfect!) I can see how many times I was required to use them.    I've been pondering my 2015 word for the last few weeks and looking forward to what framework it will bring as I continue to step out in faith & courage.

 

 

Thanks so much for sharing your recap Sarah! Loved seeing God move so incredibly in your life. He showed up big time :) Can't wait to hear your word (or words!) for this year!

 

Happy Monday everyone!

xo,

s.s.♥.

REFLECTIONS ON MY ONE WORD FOR 2014

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Well it’s that time again..the time when I look back on my one word for 2014.

This has been the third time I’ve chosen one word for the year. (Check out the previous one words here- 2013 & 2012)

 My word for 2014 was LOVE.

If I told you it was a easy word for the year, I would be lying. The Lord took me on a journey this year, that is for sure.

Here’s a few things I learned:

 

1. YOU GOTTA START WITH LOVING YOURSELF

Loving yourself is important. And no, I’m not talking about being weirdly obsessed with yourself. I’m talking about having a healthy view of yourself. As you read in my post, BIKINI BRIDGES & KICKING SELF LOATHING TO THE CURB, 2014 was the year that I experienced true freedom from self loathing. It’s been one wild ride and I owe all the thanks and praise to Jesus. I always thought that I would live with body image issues my whole life, that it was something that every woman had and that was normal.

Let's get this right- it may be the “norm” but it’s NOT how we ought to live.

Thank goodness, God convicted me of not loving myself how I ought to. His truth set me free (and it can set you free too!!!!!) and I am happy to say (or sing Bif Naked’s 90s hit…) I love myself today.

 

2. LOVE KEEPS LOVING

So much of my 2013 word (walk) was about persevering, about keep on keeping on. And I faced that once again in 2014. A lot of my prayers sounded like, “Oh Lord, help me to love today…as hard as it is, I choose to love.” I took a lot of deep breaths in 2014, breathing in His selfless love and breathing out my selfishness.

And don’t get me wrong…there were many times where I failed at love. There were times where I resorted to my natural selfish state. I’m in need of His grace so much. It’s only through Christ that I can love others above myself and that I can keep on loving through circumstance.

 

3. LOVE IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT ANSWER…EVEN WHEN THE HATERS HATE, YOU KEEP ON LOVING

I’ve shared with you before that I’m the “glass is half full” type of girl. I’m a big fan of positivity and when negativity approaches, I usually run for the hills. This year I was faced with some negativity. Something was going on and I was the victim. In this situation, a very wise person gave me some very wise advice. My natural reaction was to become hardened, to become weary of others, to respond with spite. But this wise person told me what I needed to do was to be like Jesus. Love with humility. Respond with love and a humble heart, not with a proud and arrogant one.

 That advice saved me from so much unwanted negativity. I learned that people are people. People will hurt you, they will say mean things, often these things are done from a hurting heart but oh, how things turn around when you respond with love and humility.

 Love is always the right answer.

 

 

Just the other morning I read Romans 12 (in the Message). WABAAAM! It was like my whole year was summed up in the passage.

 

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

 11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

 14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

 17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

 

How amazing and practical those words were to me. 2014...the year of love.

Have you got a word for 2015? I would love to hear it! I will be sharing my one word for 2015 later this week! Please email me if you would like to share yours! laura at ssheart dot com

 

xoxo,

s.s.♥︎

YOUR FAVOURITE POSTS FROM 2014

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Happy New Year friends!!! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and NYE. I'm baaaaaaaack! The past two weeks have been on crazy whirlwind. We're completely moved into our new house and gave back the keys to our old apartment yesterday. HELLO TO A NEW CHAPTER OF LIFE! 

I am SO pumped about 2015!...including stuff for here! I have an editorial meeting with the SSHEART team tomorrow (team = one encouraging friend, Courtney and Coco of course!) But before we look forward can we take a minute to look back on 2014! 2014 was incredible, and I want to soak it in. The next couple days I'll be sharing my personal highlights from 2014 and of course my reflection on my one word for 2014. But first, let's take a look at YOUR FAVOURITE POSTS FROM 2014!!!!

10. THE ONE THING I WON'T DO AT ALT SUMMIT

As I got ready for ALT Summit (which was an incredible time of learning and growth for me as a blogger), I made a determination: I was not going to let comparison grab hold of me. Comparison will get you NO WHERE. I decided to not compare myself to other bloggers and instead celebrate others. CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

9. WARDROBE // 8

This post featured James and I all dressed up for a friend's wedding. CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

8. HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE // STOCKING STUFFERS

This post received a lot of hits because Ban.Do pinned it (THAAAAANKS BANDO GIRL GANG!) It pretty much sums up my style...pastels and gold and cats all the time please and thank you. CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

7. THAI PEANUT CHICKEN RICE BOWL

My favourite thing about this post is how many of you actually made it and loved it!!!!! Seriously, that gets my heart sparkling at turbo sparkle speed. This year I want to step up my cooking game so look out for loads of recipes! CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

6. WARDROBE // 4

This was a fun little shoot on a crisp spring day at Beacon Hill Park. Man I'm gonna miss being one minute away from that park. CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

5. 5 THINGS I'D TELL MY HIGH SCHOOL SELF

peonies.jpg

Oh high school. Thank goodness that chapter of my life is long gone. But if I could go back and chat to Laura circa 2001 here is what I would tell her. CLICK TO READ THIS POST.

 

4. ONE WORD 2014 // GUEST POSTS

These were my favourite posts from 2014. I looooooved hearing so many different fantastic people share about their one word for 2014. It's so amazing to see how God speaks uniquely to His children. Count on more of these for 2015!! If you want to share your one word for 2015 email me at laura at ssheart dot com xo CLICK HERE TO READ THE POST.

 

3. TIME TO CELEBRATE & OTHER HOUSE RELATED NEWS

The biggest thing to happen in 2014 for us was BUYING A HOME!!!! It was a crazy adventure. Thank you for all your kind congrats and support. So thankful! And yes, this will bring a plethora of future posts...just you wait!!! CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

2. WHY YOU SHOULD WEAR CLOTHES THIS HALLOWEEN

This one was my second most viewed post this year!! In it I shared a few reasons why people should wear clothes on Halloween...scandalous costumes are so overrated.... CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

1. ON BIKINI BRIDGES AND KICKING SELF LOATHING TO THE CURB

And THE MOST READ POST OF 2014 was talking about my journey of overcoming self loathing. God took me on a wild journey this year and I experienced COMPLETE FREEDOM from body image issues...it has been INCREDIBLE and I am so thankful for His grace and freedom. CLICK TO READ THE POST.

 

Thank you for reading and sharing these posts. It means so much to me that words that I or others write in this space can encourage and inspire you. Let's keep making the internet a better place. 

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

HELLO + HOUSE UPDATE

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Hiiiiiiiiiii. Excuse me if I sound crazy in this post at all. I'm currently sick and it's making me cray cray. I think some of that dry wall dust creeped into my lungs (and maybe my brain too?) and caused some sorta irritation/cold season. But I'm slowly on the mend... PTL!

Now onto what you probably came here for...HOUSE UPDATE!!!

SSHEART

AH. This week has been INSANE. One week ago we got the keys and then James had a Christmas gig and then I turned on the kitchen tap and it wouldn't turn off and then my mom, sister and nephew came over and we couldn't turn the tap off and then my dad came over and we found the water shut off in the crawlspace and then we noticed that the old owners left us a ton of Christmas presents aka old junk (but a few gems, like those lovely cat magnets on the fridge, cat wearing a sunhat? sign me up.)

James started renos the next morning (and they got a new kitchen faucet, hallelujah!! And the seller's realtor removed all the junk left behind) James has been working non-stop, like 16 hour days...I miss him. I took a bunch of photos this weekend but didn't get in before the work started. Thank goodness I took some when we first viewed the place. SO many posts to come.  

We've had soooo many family and friends help out. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!!! Seriously, we feel so blessed. Everyday I'm just like THANK YOU JESUS FOR MY AMAZING FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!

Since I've been sick, I haven't been able to do any work on the new house...it sucks but I'm packing up the old house and eating copious amounts of chocolate. 

Love you to the moon & back,

s.s.♥︎.