Thankful Thursday!

It's another warm, sunny day here in central coast California. Today, I feel empowered to be grateful and thankful to the extreme. I am so blessed. I am so lucky.

Today, I am thankful for:

Cozy mornings with the Coastie.

My sister and her courage.

A car to travel to and from work, home, church, errands, and friends.

A long chat with a new accountability partner.

My young adults' group at church.

Apples.

The commissary only one hour away.

A stocked fridge and pantry.

The view out of my office window.

Clean water for drinking, bathing, and cooking.

Psalm 143:8

Sleepytime tea.

The Harry Potter book series that has kept me so entertained.

Planning for my big milestone birthday. I'm so blessed to be healthy and happy at 30!!!

What are you thankful for today?

Blessings are all around you. Be grateful today!

An Interesting Read: "The 31 Slump"

I read an interesting op ed piece today at the website XOJane. The author chronicles her career-life from her early 20s to early 30s. As I read through the piece, I thought "Wow! It's like she was reading my mind! I didn't know other women my age felt like this!"

You can read the entire article here.

Essentially, I felt comforted that other women in my age bracket were wrestling with the same questions that keep me up at night.

What do I really want to do with my life?

How are others perceiving me in my current career choice?

What would happen if.... I changed careers? I didn't use my degree? I stayed at home? I earned more than my spouse? I went off the beaten path? I had kids? I didn't have kids?

I've had a few moments of brutal clarity and honesty with myself the past few months. After a traumatizing ordeal with my first job in social work in California, I've been able to lick my proverbial wounds through counseling and an "easy" job. The odd thing is that I'm mostly satisfied and content with my work and volunteer efforts and finally breathing again. Mostly. There is still a part of me that I'm still trying to steal myself to face:

Am I truly content where I am? Or am I still terrified of being judged by others and thereby motivated to change courses yet again to fit "their" perfect mold of a working 30 year old female with an education?

Am I terrified for history to repeat itself and to be so quickly verbally thrashed, shamed, judged, and demoralized by another superior?

Am I terrified of what others' are saying about me "back home?"

Am I terrified of what I may or may not regret in 30 years?

I'm not sure what the future holds. I do know that when I chose my career path at 25 years old, I had NO IDEA that I would be where I am today - living in a small, essentially rural middle-of-nowhere California town where nepotism is the ONLY way of life. It's crazy and unnatural to think that the choices I made in my early 20s from a severe depression and boredom should determine my next 60 years. Yes, I like helping people. I am kind, compassionate, and smart. But does that mean I'm locked in to one particular method of helping people for the rest of my life?

I'm in my 30 Year Slump, to borrow from the author's words. I'm open to the idea that this "slump" will become a milestone in shaping me for the next 5, 10, or 20 years. I'm open to change. I'm open to being brave. I'm open to releasing my fears of others' perception and opinion of me.

Now I just have to be open to taking that first step out of the slump.

Maybe next year.

Thankful Thursday!

We are so thankful that it is 2014! What are you thankful for so far this year?

Today, I am so grateful for:

My new women's Bible study group. I already adore these ladies and I'm excited/apprehensive of the work God will do within me with our new study.

A good night's rest.

A wonderfully supportive, funny husband.

A birthday party to plan and THE most fabulous dress to wear!

Wonderful friends here in California and some amazing "girls' nights" I've recently had with them.

Warm, sunny weather.

Knowing I am healthy and whole.

The Unity daily devotional prayer book. It is so encouraging, positive, and uplifting!

Conversations with my sister as she begins an exciting new chapter in life.

Cards from two dear sweet friends and my mother while I was going through my health scare. I still have those cards!

My place of employment.

Be thankful today for all of your blessings!!!

It's a New Year. Is it happy?

Welcome back to The Coastie Life!

The Coastie and I have had some tumultuous months recently. Not as a couple. Oh no. Because of everything that has happened to us, we are more closely knit and secure than ever before. I'll do a quick recap for anyone who is just curious to know.

August 2013: We had to move out of our rental home. The property owner wanted to move in her daughter, so we got the boot. Talk about stress! The government wouldn't pay for this move, so we had to do it all on our own dime. Luckily, we found a cute (albeit smaller) home still in our sweet little town. We give all the credit to our dog, Buttercup, as she was the deciding factor with our new landlords. They said they liked her sweet personality out of all the dogs that they had met during the application process. Homes that allow dogs are extremely rare here, so we're lucky we made the cut!

September 2013: We experienced the joys and sorrow of parenthood in just one week. We will forever be changed by this month, but again, we are closer than ever. We truly believe that our angel is now watching us from Heaven.

October 2013: Pretty uneventful. Still recovering from September.

November 2013: The Coastie heads off to a 5 week school for federal law enforcement officer training. He did exceptionally well! I could not have been more proud of him. Plus, he got to go home to see his parents and a UT football game. We met in Tennessee for Thanksgiving and got to spend several wonderful stress-free days with our families. We definitely felt rejuvenated and loved when we left!

December 2013: I ended up in the emergency room with a health scare. Thankfully, cancer was ruled out right before Christmas, so we were able to relax and celebrate the holiday just the two of us. Even more than that, in January we found out the health issue had miraculously disappeared! My doctor could not explain it, but I know that God's healing hand was on me and allowed His Glory to be revealed in my body. Praise God!

So, here we are - 2014. What will this year bring? The Coastie and I have no idea. We are half excited, half terrified. We are so exhausted, tired, broken from the fall of 2013 that we enter 2014 with our hopes soaring, but our shoulders set to prepare the weight of whatever may come. This year, our goal and hope is just to BE. Yes, just to BE. We are being intentional to love each other, love each day, and enjoy the moment where we are, right now. We want to reclaim our joy in the Lord. We want to stop looking back, stop licking our wounds, and stop looking forward. We want to just BE.

It's a New Year. Is it happy? So far... yes!

The one thing we do know: our God is an awesome God and He will be with us every step of the way.

" 'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' " Jeremiah 29:11

We Re-Committed

Just recently, we re-committed the United States Coast Guard! The Coastie's current commitment was about to expire, so we thoughtfully made the commitment to continue on this great Coastie adventure.

This was the first ceremony of any kind I have been able to attend as a military spouse. Most of them had taken place out at sea while the Coastie was underway. So I was overly excited about one of the simplest ceremonies in the military. But, to me, this particular ceremony, in this particular political climate held a lot of significance, commitment, dedication, and sacrifice on our parts. The Coastie kept calling the ceremony, "her enlistment" (in speaking of me) because it was the first time since we've been married that he has re-enlisted. So, in a far-fetched way, it was my enlistment. Even though it was the Coastie raising his right hand and swearing to protect and serve, it was also my time to reflect on my commitment to this life of service and sacrifice.

We toyed with the idea of civilian life, but we're not ready. We're not ready to leave behind the security and brotherhood of this life. We're not ready to give up on our dream and passion of serving our country. We're not ready to give up on adventure, seeing new places, or trying new things. Sure, we could find ways to do these things as civilians, but we actually LOVE what we do and the life we painstakingly create for ourself day after day. And as we say in the Coast Guard, Semper Paratus: Always Ready. Since we are not ready to end our commitment to service, we will continue to be ready to serve, protect, and sacrifice.

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Semper Paratus

Thankful it's almost Fall

Happy Thursday! Not much has been happening in our quiet lives here in California. The Coastie and I are just floating right along through life. So this week, I am thankful for:

A full-time job right when the government shuts down. God provides for our family!

The strides made by Congress to ensure military families are paid and provided for during this time.

The support of our family and friends.

The decision and ability to come home to Tennessee for Thanksgiving!

Facing bittersweet memories of the past with grace (only by God's mercy).

Learning.

"Wo"manning up to get the tough stuff taken care of.

Fun activities with friends.

Sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.

Rain in Central California! It's a miracle!!!!

A good night's rest.

Our pets who keep us company.

Our cozy little home.

And making 3 dinners in one morning! Whew!

Be thankful today for all of life's little blessings!

Friday's Favorites

Welcome back, Friday!

It's time to bring back Friday's Favorites: a random assortment and ponderings of ideas/products/activities/nonsense that I like.

As some of you may know, I don't explore much on the internet. Ever since giving up the-social-media-site-that-shall-not-be-named almost one year ago (next month), I've used the computer even less. I didn't even get on Pinterest for about 4 months! *shock and awe*

But I did manage to find this blog about cats thanks to Pinterest. I have entertained myself for an hour (okay, maybe more than a few) with these posts about a cat named Mittens who likes to text his owner.

WARNING: These are incredibly funny, witty, and smart conversations between a cat and human. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and possibly pee a little from all the laughter you will experience. They make me die a little inside from sheer hilarity. I also want to run home right now and squeeze my cat, Mr. McGee, and teach him how to text.

Enjoy and happy Friday!