nine :: thirty days of thanks :: not alone

It's no secret...I've mentioned my thoughts on adult friendships being so much harder than those of our youth...I've mentioned my difficulty connecting with women on a deeper level past the surface chit chat. Oh wait, I think I actually have difficulty doin' the chit chat thing too. ha ha. These thoughts can leave me feeling isolated, like there is something wrong with me, that I'm not trying hard enough. Then there's the real world where you feel like you get chewed up and spit out every time you attempt to make connections with people. Oh, that's just me? :) Well, recently I read this and this written by other women who also struggle with these types of connections and you know what? I was encouraged. Why? Not because they struggle to...but because I am not alone.

We talk up community and togetherness all the time in Christian circles and I'm not saying that is wrong, there is definitely an aspect of the Christian life that must be lived out in some kind of community. I am just recognizing that isn't always easy and each person's community doesn't always look like the next person's. Life doesn't always work out with a cute little bow wrapped around it. Try harder, get more involved, put yourself out there, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes the most encouraging thing is someone else being authentic enough to admit that they too struggle and you aren't alone. And it is for that reason, I am thankful today...to feel slightly less alone in being "different" even for just a moment. :)

five :: thirty days of thanks :: road trips!

Road trips with friends are so fun! I don't get to do stuff like this often so I am thankful for the chance to hang out with a good friend on a trip celebrating "all things quilty" at the Houston International Quilt Festival. :)

There was shopping...




laughing and total sillyness...


admiring of beautiful creations...


eating...


impromptu photo shoots...





and so much more! More pictures here. :)