ted talk thursday

Every once in awhile, you stumble upon a story that speaks to you. This afternoon, with Andy away for the first quarterfinal match of playoffs (GO HYPO!) and a snoozing, post park playdate pup, I was perusing Twitter and came across Momastery.

The lady behind Momastery is Glennon and she's in the business of truth telling + hope spreading. She's witty, uncensored, and generally unapologetic. She shares the good, the bad, the really bad, and that "can you believe she actually just shared that?" Personally, I find her vulnerability and honesty positively inspiring.

After a bit of blog stalking research, I've discovered she knows - be it digitally or in real life - Shauna Niequist, a new favorite writer of mine (if you haven't read her books Bittersweet or Bread + Wine, do it. Now.).

I'm confident you have 17 minutes of your day to spare - check it out.

monday musings

1. This morning on our way home from the gym, I asked Andy if we could head downtown to take some pictures. Naturally, he entertained me. And although he thinks I'm crazy, I promise when the above photo is blown up and framed in our someday house, he will thank me.

2. Per usual, we spent our Monday afternoon catching up on this weekend's church sermon. We're in the middle of a series at Saddleback called "Transformed" and today was all about being "transformed in my relationship health." I'd highly recommend having a listen of "Facing the Fears That Ruin Relationships." Rick Warren had some interesting points, tips, and tricks for ensuring relationships in your life are as rich, meaningful, and healthy as possible.

3. I recently stumbled upon the blog Married to the Game and I'm loving it. While I don't personally know Ashley, the blogger, it's so interesting to see this crazy life from another (almost) wife's prospective. There are so many ways to "do" professional sports - and life for that matter - after college and it's encouraging to know there are people out there who get it.

4. Love is in the air! We just heard that my sister and her Irish lad got engaged this weekend - congrats Gina and Kieran! Adding to that, Andy and I just put our summer activities and weddings on the calendar. With the recent addition of Anthony + Casey's love reception, our August is officially jam packed. We have six weddings in five weeks - and we'll be celebrating our wedding anniversary that month, too!

5. My next European race? I'm seriously considering throwing my name in the hat for the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon in London next October. I mean, you'd be crazy not to want to run through Hyde Park, across the bridge toward Big Ben, or in front of Buckingham Palace. Who's in?

arzler alm

Emilie introduced me to Arzler Alm a few weeks ago and I knew I'd be back. It was gorgeous yesterday - 50 and sunny - so after a fueling our bodies with Andy's homemade cinnamon rolls (divine) we were off on a Hein family hike. We layered warm clothes, packed the camera, and headed up to Hungerburg.

let the games begin

We're kicking off these winter games with an Opening Ceremonies viewing party, complete with homemade pierogies, borscht, Moscow Mules (admittedly not Russian but just go with it), and Olympic-inspired cupcakes.

enough

"I want to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude, of groundedness, of enough, even while I'm longing for something more. The longing and the gratitude, both. I'm practicing believing that God knows more than I know, that he sees what I can't, that he's weaving a future I can't even imagine from where I sit this morning.

Extraordinary, indeed.

More than enough."

- an excerpt from Shauna Niequist's Bread & Wine -