Ah...Summertime...and Questions.

Do you ever have questions without answers? You know, those questions that make you stop dead in your tracks? I do. And I've been having a few of those lately.

About what? You may ask. Well, that's not going to be revealed. Just questions. Questions that eat away at me…that fill my thoughts, dreams, and days. Questions that I try to find answers for…but no answers can be found just yet. These questions take time. TIME. Ugh. Sometimes it feels like a horrible 4 letter word that never seems to fade. Well, it does NOT fade because it's time…and time just continues to go…even when you desire it to stop or pause or fade, or become less prominent. It's always there. Constant. Steady. It comes and it goes, and it is present. Always present. Our whole lives, we'll live with time. In a way, it's comforting, but not when you want to pause and think, and ponder, and consider. And you want to do all those things in a safe space, where nothing else can occur to mess up the current progression of thoughts. Am I making any sense, here?

Do any of you have these times or seasons in your life? Where things arise and you just want TIME to stop. So, you can regroup, figure it out, and move ahead with confidence, knowing that this is the right next step. I sure hope so. Maybe comment and let me know. 

What else?

Well, it's summertime here. And most places, really. I've never really had good summers in my day. But this has been a good summer. A great one, really. I have a wonderful boyfriend who I'm seeing. I was able to go to Kansas and visit my family, which was wonderful. I'm missing my nieces a LOT about now. I've done some fun stuff this summer. One of my best girlfriends came to visit me in DC, and we had a lot of fun exploring the City and just enjoying spending time with one another.

Oh! And this past Friday I got to see one of my all time favorite people in whole world – LynAnne Weist. She's pretty great. If you don't know her, you should. She's an excellent friend, and I love her so! Anywho – she's back from being out of the country for a year…and she's in Pennsylvania. Yup, that's right – good 'ole PA. But only for a week. So last Friday, I rented a car and drove down to spend a few hours of goodness with her.  It was great. Really great. I got home at an insanely late time in the morning, but it was SO worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. So, that was pretty awesome. Another great part of the summer.

And for the most part, the weather has been decent. Last week is an exception, but other than that – much milder than last summer. By far! Oh – I am going to the beach in a few weeks, and I'm SUPER stoked about that. And I have a new job that's gonna be pretty exciting and worthwhile. Plus, it pays better, which is a bonus. Hopefully, that means I'll be able to purchase a car in October. Well, sometime this fall, at least. That will make life a thousand times easier.

That's all for now. Questions….and summertime. Yup. That's where I'm at. And I'm choosing to trust God with all those silly questions. That makes it a bit better. Cuz He knows the answers and knows what's best for me – now and always. So, I will trust and continue to put myself in a place of rest and submission to His will…not mine. Until next time, continue to follow Christ faithfully, dear ones. You will be loved.

- - Tina Lou

Thoughts...

Hello there,

I know, I know...it hasn't been very long since my last post. I realize this. But I need to write. So, here you go!

Ah, life. It's such a funny and fickle thing, ya know? One minute it's going great, your heart is soaring, the future looks bright and promising....and the next, well it's not going well. Why does that happen sometimes?

I guess by now, I should expect the unexpected to happen, because it usually does. It should be absolutely NO surprise to me that things pop up in one's life that you don't see coming. That's just the nature of this thing we call life. I guess it's how we handle those bumps in the road, those unexpected arrows flying our way that matters.

Because until life is no more, we will have things come up that we never, in a million years, could have anticipated. And that's okay. It makes life interesting. Varied. Challenging. And, as one of my friends would say, "It builds character."

This past weekend, I had a few unexpected bumps in the road. Nothing that can't be overcome or worked through...just unexpected bumps. That's all. No worries? Right...

I can't remember a time in my life that I've been good at the whole, "Let's not worry about this. Everything will turn out fine. Just fine." First of all, I dislike the word fine. Why? It's lame. It's a copout. And I think of the Italian Job, when they say what it stands for - F.reaked Out I.nsecure N.eurotic E.xcited. Secondly, I like to be in control. I like to know what's coming, what's right over the next bend. Ask those who know me well, I'm always thinking ahead. Always. Thus, sometimes, I worry. And consider, and plan, and fix.
Yeah, so anywho - how do I deal?

It depends. Sometimes, I freak out. Mostly, I think about how to resolve or move past whatever the situation may be. And, because I have "Strategic" as a top strength from Gallup's Strengthsquest, I immediately think of numerous solutions and then drop some down and end up with 2-4. Pretty quickly I choose what I think is the best option. And then I proceed. So - that's the default for me. But sometimes, it's really hard and I get scared. It's at those times that I cling to my good friends. I pour out my heart, ask for prayer and guidance, and of course - seek the Lord.

In the midst of a few "bumps in the road", I'm determined to...
- Keep my head up.
- Believe life will improve.
- Trust my King.
- Listen to my friends.
- Pray a LOT.
- Breathe
- Try not to focus on the bumps too much, even though it's hard.
- Continue to work through the issues.
- See how to do things differently next time.
- Continue to love and forgive.
- Embrace the truly hopeful future (even though it doesn't feel too hopeful right now)
- Take one day at a time...and one step at a time.
- Be patient. (I'll have to try REAL hard at this one!)

Yes. Life happens. Things come up. Surprises hit you in the face. Life keeps moving...it doesn't pause or slow down or stop. We have to keep going too! And thankfully, we have the comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit to lean on and let be our sustenance. And for that - my friends, I am thankful.

Here's a photo of me this morning. Hopeful for a brighter day than the last; optimistic that life will improve, even if the odds are against me; ready to face the day - joy in heart.


Thanks for listening. For trusting and believing that we continue to grow as we journey on this path called life. The bumps, the decisions, the people in our lives create who we are today. Let's choose wisely, dear ones.

enJoy this brand new week. For it's NEW - clean, and fresh. A clean slate....a blank canvas, waiting and ready for the paint of your life to be splashed across it into a beautiful picture.

Embrace. Live. Love. Breathe. Experience. Hope. Be.

Until next time,
Tina Lou

An extended holiday weekend

Ah, the smell of fireworks being blown off all around you. What a beautiful thing.
This past weekend was full of family, food, good
times,laughter, fireworks, and memories made. My boyfriend and I flew down to Kansas on Thursday night and stayed through Monday. We had a great time!

Friday was a perfect day spent with my family. In the morning, the four of us went to the golf course and hit a bucket of golf balls. We had a lot of fun! When we headed back to my parent's house, Rachel and the girls had just arrived. We enJoyed a morning of good times with them and then went to pick out fireworks! At lunchtime, we celebrated my older sister's birthday. See pictures below:

Here you can see Elaina, Birthday lady (Rachel), me, and my boyfriend, Grant

Elaina helping Rachel open presents.
She got a bunch of K-cups (coffee) for her Kerig coffeemaker. :)

In the afternoon, we just enJoyed hanging out with the girls and unraveling lots of black cat fireworks. After a bit, Kelly joined us and my mom's brothers & sisters and my grandparents. It's been a while since they've all been together - and it was really good to see everyone and have them meet my man! :) We had a great time grilling out, blowing off fireworks, eating great food, and just hanging out. Definitely a memorable trip! After they headed back to Mac town, we retreated to the air conditioning where we played Catch-a-Phrase with my grandparents. Good times. In the evening, we said goodnight to the two cuties and us adults headed outside to blow off fireworks and Roman candles....and eat some more yummy food! See some more great pics from the day:

Mimi and Isabelle Ruby hanging out in the shade.

My beautiful niece Elaina Marie :)

Me, my boyfriend, and Mimi chilling

Auntie Tina reading Elaina a Dr. Suess book in the afternoon

My sis, Rachel laughing with Mimi about something while Isabelle sprawls out and Uncle Mick looks on at the cutie pie. :)

Yay! I love this one of all of us. The two couples. :)
Kelly & Rachel and then Grant and me.
I have a great sister and brother-in-law. Love them a Lot!

The rest of the weekend we spent with my boyfriend's extended family. We had a lot of fun. Saturday was full of golf in the morning for the guys and pedicures for us ladies. :) Naps and a meat fest for the guys. Hanging out...buying boxed fireworks for the night show! And then we went to his Aunt & Uncle's place and enJoyed some food, played washers, hung out, ate homemade ice cream (yum!), and then had a nice little firework show there. Sunday we went to Journey the Way in Wichita and heard his cousin, David Campbell speak. It was excellent! Afterwards, we visited Mead's corner - a beloved coffee shop that I miss from living in Wichita. Then Grant & I went to visit his Grandpa. That was a great time...he's an onery fellow, but it was real fun. In the evening, we had dinner with his brother, niece, and mom. That night we just relaxed and watched a movie, which was very nice after a busy couple of days. On the actual holiday, we packed up and visited my brother John and then headed back to head to the airport.

Overall, it was a great weekend! I loved visiting Kansas, but am glad to be back in the big city of DC now. :) See some other photos from the weekend below:

Me and my boyfriend's niece, Kaylin on Saturday night.
She's enJoying some yummy chocolate sheet cake. :)

Me and my brother John. It was so good to see him!

Well, dear friends that's all for now. I'm thankful for our country's freedom! I hope you had a lovely time celebrating...and hopefully relaxing some too. Let's see what the rest of the summer brings!