21 things.

1. i take 2 gummy multivitamins daily. i never forget because i get too excited about them. they taste like gummy bears. even if they secretly had no nutritional value they would probably still enhance my life greatly because of the joy i get in eating them.

2. i just scrubbed my bedroom floor on hands and knees, then i sprayed the carpet with febreeze and lit a candle.... its feeling heavenly in here.

3. i am so thankful that this week is short. its been crazy. we need some rest. i'm also super excited to eat turkey and go Christmas shopping.

4. Shaunny is out of his cast and into a boot. He is still on crutches, but only for two more weeks. He is so great.

5. i LOVE being 25. i don't think i've told you that yet, but i seriously love it. i feel like i've been 25 since i was 17, but now i actually make sense. i loved being 8 and i loved being 19... and 25 is the newest favorite.

6. i am deeply grateful for the friendships i have. friends near and friends far away... they are like family  for us and i am realizing lately what a special gift that is.

7. I eat a lot of carrots and hummus. I think because it's easy and yummy and healthy. I might actually eat too much of it. I'm not really sure how to tell...

8. I eat dairy. I eat gluten. I eat bread. I eat meat. Just in case you were wondering.
((Living in LA I often feel like a minority in those departments.))

9. my mom and I both love to give lavish gifts.

10. Meredith is spending Christmas in Canada with David and his family.

11. I'll be spending Christmas in Michigan with Shaunny and the fam.

12. i love white Volkswagen Cabrio's.

13. i'm thinking about making some Christmas stockings. my friend Melanie did one over the weekend and it is adorable. Anthropologie was her inspiration for the design.

14. I really do believe that the success of my future is largely dependent on the friends I choose and the books I read. My newest book is called "God loves ugly". It came highly recommended from several trustworthy pals.

15. i would love to be fluent in Spanish. and German. and French. :)

16. gifts and words of affirmation are my love languages.

17. You are more valuable than you realize.

18. You are also wayyyyy more beautiful than you know.

19. Me too.

20. sometimes i get scared that i'll fail my life and i find myself trying to prove that i am enough. lately God has been teaching me that He chose me BEFORE He made me. He chose me before i had the ability to succeed or fail or anything at all. He created me in joy and loves me regardless of how "good" i do. i don't need to please people because people are broken and their perception of me is going to be flawed no matter what they think. i am far worse than most people know, and far better than some others would believe. God has the final say on my life and He is pleased. End of story.
(phew.... huge sigh of relief)

21. I started this new thing where i treat everyday like it is super important. I begin by figuring out the date. (today is the 25th of November) Then i pray and thank God for filling my lungs with air. (because He wouldn't have me here if it weren't important) Then I go through my day with a sense of purpose, looking for opportunities to receive His love and ways to share it with others. It has been wonderful. (I knew today was important right away though, because it begins the one month count down til Christmas! hohoho!)

Thanks for stopping by!
(PS. I took a selfie while typing this post. Now you can feel like you are here with me!) 

The latest Beauty Arise video.

By our sweet Anna Bishop. Her thoughts on living in the moment.

a prayer for Hillary.

on the day of her daddy's memorial. 

Lord Jesus, 

Thank you for Hillary and the incredible family you have given her. Thank you for her Daddy and his faithfulness to the Grant family. Thank you for times when you prolonged his life and kept him here longer than doctors anticipated... and thank you Jesus that even though this feels too soon, you will carry the family through. Thank you Lord for the truth that Rick is healthy now, he is at peace in your presence. Thank you for eternal life, that Hillary will see her Daddy again one day. Thank you for filling Hillary with a heart of gratitude... Even when she is shattered, her words are still rich with love and thankfulness for this life you have given her. Your grace is so obvious in her.

Im asking you now, as our Heavenly Daddy, that you would strengthen my sister. Hold her heart steady as she goes through this day remembering all that her Dad and has been for her, and for so many other people. 

May your comfort pour out on her like the freshly fallen snow... 

You know how she loves snow. 

Give Chris the grace and strength as her husband to know how to best love her today. Thank you for what an amazing man he is for her. Comfort her through him and please draw their hearts even closer together as they grieve. Thank you for Abel. This little man is a gift straight from your hand Lord and I praise you for bringing him here this year. Thank you for his name and the reminder to "breathe". Hillary will even need help just breathing sometimes Lord, please use her precious baby boy to help her with that. Thank you for the joy he brings and the way he, and his beautiful new cousin Arrow, are lighting up this family in the midst of such a dark time. 

Please bring comfort and hope to the entire Grant family. Thank you for the wife that Kathryn has been for Rick all these years. Thank you for her faithfulness and strength to face hard times. Renew her strength today Lord and remind her that you will be "her husband" and you can meet her needs. Please surround her with close friends and family to remind her of how close you are to her right now. 

Thank you for Taylor and what a wonderful older sister she has always been to Hillary and the other three siblings. Such a beautiful role model. Reveal more of your love to her now Jesus and show her that you see her. Not just that you see everyone, but please show her that you see her, and that your hand is upon her life. Fill her with hope for the future in a way that only you can. 

Bless Ashton and Grant and sweet little Arrow. Thank you for bringing them together in marriage and giving them the gift of a daughter. Please protect their family and speak to them about your tender love for them. Thank you for all of the incredible gifts you have put within Ashton and I pray for continued opportunities for her to use those gifts. Please fulfill her heart and satisfy her with your presence. As Grant and Ash love on their little girl, show them your own love for them as your children. Take care of all of their needs please Lord. 

Thank you for Tristan and Kieran. What amazing men they are. Lord as the youngest in the family they have gotten the least amount of time with their Daddy. Please redeem that somehow. Please heal their broken hearts and keep the memories of their Dad so alive in their minds, that they can continue to learn from Rick's example of how to be men. Give them strength to finish high school and enable them to feel your love and presence in their lives, even in times when no one around them acknowledges you. Fill them with joy and with dreams for their future. Thank you for their humor and positive attitudes, use those to bless people, just like you did through their Dad. 

Jesus you so often use broken times to reveal yourself to the world. I pray that you would do that in Hillary's life. I know you already have been, but I'm asking for even more. 

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach... And these will be the first big holidays that Rick will be spending in Heaven with you Jesus... Please fill the void in Hillary's heart with a sense of deep love and peace. Comfort the family like never before, and teach them how to grieve. 

May joy not bring them guilt, but may joy bring healing. 

Rick would want joy for them too. 

Thank you for this family in my life. 

Thank you for the gift of friendship with Hillary. 

Thank you for the way Rick loved me. 

Please carry them today. 

And one day here soon please bring me back to Colorado so I can encourage them and love on them in person. 

I trust to you do even more than I can ask for or imagine in their lives. 

You are faithful. 

In Jesus' name. 

Amen.