Like Beyonce.

Whew. Forgive my lack of posting as of late. The sickness that took me the edge of myself has finally receded. I don’t know what kind of Yankee Bug that was, but good gracious. You Wisconsinians know how to grow ‘em!

I have a great plan for all the things I need to tell you this week [including but not limited to] :

• Lake Geneva
• a pizza that burned my chest
• the Chicago Fire soccer team
• my column in a magazine (including a giveaway!)
• rear-ending a family after they dropped off their eldest at college
• dirty feet
• some books that I must MUST tell you about
• and how I almost moved into the house next door.

Life did not stop when my respiratory system was overrun with mucus-a-plenty. Nor did my ability to brainstorm what I would like to blog about [apparently].

Also. I worked on that list during church [forgive me].

I’m a little late telling you this, but oh, y’all. It is a FUN month at (in)courage. Free stuff like EVERY DAY. Crazy, but true. Cause it’s our birthday. One year. One year of pure writing bliss. I adore (in)courage. Click on this beautiful button to see more.

[Literally. I just typed "beautiful bottom." Don't click on anyone's bottom. It's not polite.]

Today is my official catch-up freelancy day. So I will be writing the articles I owe [cough.(in)courage.cough.], responding to my email inbox and bloggy email inbox which both overfloweth, and conducting meetings throughout my day at Frothy Monkey [obviously].

Two delightful birthdays occurred over the weekend : Ansley and Melanie. Both women have stepped into super important places in my life and I refuse to picture it without them. Send some birthday love if you have the time, bloggites.

Phew. Can you tell I’ve missed you? It’s like I just want to tell you everything in one breath. Your turn. Catch me up. Did you write an awesome post that I need to read? Did something awesome/sad/cool/noteworthy happen recently that I’m totally out of the loop on? Are you pregnant? Engaged? Going on a date? Making a new recipe?

Just tell me how you are. Cause I’m nosy like that.

I have literally never said this before and I’m afraid I will never say it again. But this article, Turning, is probably my favorite thing I’ve had the pleasure of writing. I’m so so proud that I get to post it at (in)courage- it’s like my beach house for writing, so I go there as much as possible.

I don’t say all this “favorite article ever” junk to brag. I say this to say, “you better check it out cause it’s all downhill from there.”

But I will brag about this. My friends Amber and Ash have done their second installment of Amber&Ash- a super cool idea where Amber, a stylist, gives Ash a room to design based off of a stylish outfit (Ash is an interior designer) and then Ash gives Amber a room and she makes a sassy outfit to fit the room. It is possibly one of my favorite things to read.

Amber’s blog = outfit to room

Ash’s blog = room to outfit

Y’all have a great weekend. Mine is packed with great friends in town, a wedding, a baby shower, time at the pool [fingers crossed], brunch at Marche, finishing my talks for Lake Geneva, and pretty much running full force into as much awesome as possible.

TGIF, people. TGIF.

First of all, thank you for your sweet comments and personal emails you sent yesterday, and for the last week, regarding the floods here. In fact, I got multiple emails from people headed our way to help volunteer. Amazing.

Here’s a few things for you on your Tuesday.

Tuesday is always the day that new music releases and I am THU-RILLED to tell you about a musician you may not know. Jake Ousley. He’s a sweet friend of mine and I absolutely love what he writes and how he sings. He’s also REALLY funny. Which you know goes a long way with me.

His first EP releases today. And if you have $5.94 that you are willing to drop on a new musician, this is where you should do it.

Here is the link to iTunes. Enjoy, my friends. Kentucky Moon is a personal fav of mine. Also, someone you know VERY well wrote his bio, so you can read that here.

Also, my friend Ishita has launched a new online magazine called fear.less. Now. Let me tell you. Don’t start reading unless you are willing to be brave- personally, professionally, all of it. Because these stories make you want to be the best you. Really, it is amazing and inspiring and I think you’ll love it. [That's why I'm telling you about it. I don't tell you about things I think you will hate.]

Also, I have a new Get Fit Segment that aired last week and I am SO SO proud of it. Unfortunately, they won’t let me embed it [whah whah], so I’m just going to have to beg you to CLICK THE LINK and watch it. Please?

[And I'm only telling you this because we are such good friends, but I was SO SICK on the day we filmed this. Like, flu-ish. That's why my voice sounds like that of an SEC linebacker.]

I also forgot to tell you [whoops] that my monthly article published at (in)courage last week. It is about the Get Fit Challenge, so if you have heard enough of my jabber, forget it. But if you’d like to hear another part of the story, head on over.

Also remember that I’m at Flying Solo all month, blogging about being single and finding community.

Also thanks for loving me even when I send you on a wild click chase around the internet.

Tomorrow I will limit your clicking and I’ll just tell you about my new job.

Cause I actually have a real job. In Nashville.

Weird, but true.

I have so many things to tell you about.

Just things. That are great. And I’m a big believer in sharing. So let’s do it.

EASY CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• My sweet friend Natalie has made it to the Top 10 to win a worldwide travel internship. Would you take literally two seconds to vote for her? You don’t have to give any info- just click a button. Done-ski.

GOOD SOUNDING CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Dave Barnes’s album came out this week and y’all. People. Can’t. Get. Enough. I know I told you about it a few weeks ago, but here’s the link to the album if you haven’t gotten it yet.

GOOD SMELLING CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• My dear friend LoraLynn and her family are adopting a baby. And to help fund that, she has made her own laundry detergent that you can buy online. Seriously. MADE HER OWN SOAP. That’s dedication, people.

Here’s the link to HOPE SUDS.

Even just purchasing one bag of detergent would absolutely make a difference.

YOU’VE ALREADY READ THIS CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Today at (in)courage, I am writing again about my friends who took me on a date. Because you, my people, seemed to really like that article, I reworked it and put it over there. HERE’S THE LINK.

FAV PRODUCT CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Thanks to my dear Nester, I won a coupon holder/organizer from Jamie at The Organized Shopper. People. You need to look around her Etsy site. You mamas won’t be able to resist.

PAINFUL CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Lyndsay and I barely survived this kickboxing class. And she was brave enough to write about the monster who taught it.

MOST AWESOME CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• What are some awesome things you’ve read this week? What have you written this week? Listened to this week? Purchased?

Share with me, bloggites.

It was that kind of weekend. The kind of weekend that you put up on a shelf and stare at for a little bit, and then say to yourself, “that was a keeper.”

I told you last week that one of my Nash-BFFs Betsy was in town. She moved away after Christmas and was here for a bit. She kinda just makes Nashville balance for me, so it was a gift for her to be here five days. [She also isn't easily impressed by my stories or humor, so she keeps me humble.]

Also, my friend Drew was in town from Washington, which ruled. It never stops amazing me how God decides which friendships stick in life. Drew is funny and normal [and a magician, so, who doesn't want a magician in their life?] and when all our friends stood around chatting before dinner Sunday night, he fit like he had always been here.

I’m grateful for pretty weather, Johnny Depp movies in the theater, Baja Burrito, the Get Fit Challenge pushing all my buttons, girlfriends who sit at Frothy Monkey and quote text messages from boys, dinner conversations and vacation planning, daylight savings which leads to longer days, and a God who loves me enough to call me to a new city and then bless me extravagantly once I am there.

Also.

I’m grateful that God consistently takes the hardest experiences of my life and turns them into beauty. He tells a better story with my life than I could ever write. This particular experience won’t ever get a lot of airtime, but I really felt led to share part of the story over at (in)courage today. Check it out if you have time.

Also.

I’m thankful that we have OUR WINNERS over at the giveaway page. If you didn’t *exactly* win, you can grab your own copy of the best new music out there from Dave’s website and Matt’s website.

I’m super excited to see Annie Parsons today. That’s what I’m talking about, Monday. Way to step up after such a solid weekend.

What better way to start off the week than to share what makes us glad. So I wonder, would you share one thing about your weekend that has you feeling thankful this Monday morning?

While I’m hanging out with my peeps at home, I wanted to let you know about a couple of things.

• I have a new article up at (in)courage. It’s all about the song “There’s A Hole In My Bucket.” Obviously.

• I wrote a new post on the ole Annie Gets Fit blog.

• There is a new video on the Get Fit page- my friend Annie and I are making a bean salsa medley thingy. Very healthy and very tasty. Watch the video HERE and then the recipe is RIGHT HERE. And though there is no cheese in the recipe, there is much talk of cheese. Per usual.

[The other option is to watch the video right here. It's larger and easier to see and I really do want you to try this recipe.]

• Thanks thanks THANKS for your prayers about my foot. It has healed well and I am back to exercising on it. [Not that I HATED having a day off or anything, but I am glad to be back to my workout regime.]

[Things I never planned to say: "glad to be back to my workout regime."]

See y’all tomorrow.

First of all, you people love you some instructional videos. I feel like linen closets near and far are being transformed. Brings a tear to my organizational eye to hear so many of you making strides in folding areas of your life. I salute you, new members of the fold. [Literally.]

I’m so stinkin’ glad y’all liked the video. Cause you have NO.IDEA. how fun I think it is to make those. So. I have some ideas cooking…. I’ll be in touch. We can’t let that flipcam go to waste, now can we?

Now cam we?

[I have a pun guru named Dave. I hope this post, twice punny so far, is making him proud.]

This is my favorite day of the month. The day that I get to post over at (in)courage! This month is about grace and in order to complete the writing assignment, I had to use google. I know. I’m an idiot. CLICK here to read the post. [It's short. Cause I value your time.] And I discuss milkshakes. Seriously. Need I say more?

And just while I’ve been writing this post, I got a comment over at (in)courage from a sweet bloggy friend in Australia. AUSTRALIA, y’all. This world gets tinier every.internet.day. Me likey.

Hope y’all have a great weekend.

[I'd like to make one more play on words, but I don't want it to get overly pun-gent in here.]

ZING!

[My work here is done.]

Confession: I love having my picture taken.

As ridiculous as this statistic is, I’m going to give it to you anyways: I am currently tagged in 512 pictures on facebook. FIVE HUNDRED AND TWELVE. That’s a lot of “say cheese.”

Including this picture- I’m the second from the left in the blue dress. With eight of my beautiful friends.

Seriously. How cute are these girls?

There’s a lot more to this story, over at my bloggy vacation home….. check it out!

(in)courage.me

When my grandmother passed away about a month ago, we were kindly flooded with emails, phone calls, plants, and sweet cards, and food.

Lots and lots of food.

That I am still paying for, in the fatty kind of currency.

And Mama sent tons of thank you notes. I sent a few. A paltry few compared to the piles she had to mail.

But there was this group of women from our church, my mom’s best friends for years and years, who really went above and beyond in their preparation of food for our family.

I know. It’s just food.

But it tasted like love. Like friendship.

So though Mama mailed one to each of them [be ye not concerned, southern women, they did get a proper thank you note as well], this is my thank you note.

Click on over to my bloggy vacation home to read the article dedicated to the wonderful women who loved our family so well that day.

(in)courage.me

A few years ago, my sister Tatum lived in Ghana as a missionary. So in what is considered the most surprising decision my father has ever made, we went to visit her for two weeks.

My only request was that I wanted a souvenir that spoke to me about Ghana and about God. And though it was my first choice, Ghana doesn’t do airbrushed t-shirts or license plates. [I know, I was disappointed too.]

So I bought a ring in Ghana. Adinrka symbols are found throughout the Ghanaian culture, so I researched the symbols and found the exact one. The one that would always point me to God and remind me of Ghana. In a small jewelry store that looked and smelled of 1945, I found that symbol on a silver ring.

To read the rest… head over to my bloggy-vacation home- (in)courage.me.