Blog-Tember Day 3 | Summer Favorites

Today’s Prompt: Now that summer’s at an end, share a list of favorites from this season

I’m way more of a fall girl. I love chilly nights, scarves and boots, crackling fires and the anticipation of the holidays. Blistering hot days and nights are really not my thing. And congested traffic due to tourism makes me want to hide out until every last beach towel vacates the beach. 

But this summer I am grateful to say I was able to do so many fun things! Scott and I were gone a total of 6 weeks this summer which enabled us to have many adventures. I'm grateful we were able to "play" so much because studying for state exams can be very dry.

 Here are some of my favorites!

• Feeding the horses at Lost Canyon Camp.
• Shopping with my mom and my auntie for fall decorations.
• Thunderstorms at Lost Canyon Camp.
• Seeing the seals in Monterey.
• Being a bridesmaid in a dear friend's wedding.
• Seeing the Grand Canyon with Scott for the first time!
• Flying to Florida to surprise my mom for her 60^th birthday!
• Staying at our cabins in Minnesota for a family reunion and seeing all my cousins.
• Paddle boarding with Scotty.
• Zip lining through trees and lakes at Lost Canyon Camp.
• Fishing with Scotty and my best friend's parents on their lake in Minnesota.
• Meeting my new baby nephew, Anson.
• Jet skiing and inner-tubing with my sisters.
• Passing my Law and Ethics Exam!
• Being asked to be a godparent by some of our very good friends.
• Pool parties.
• Organ concerts with Scott and Lenny at dusk.
• Fiesta Island walks with Lenny and Scott.

What were your summer favorites? Did we share any similar activities? 

Blog-tember Day 2 | My Current Goals

Today’s Prompt: Share a list of your current goals

My achievement and perfectionistic nature has a love/hate relationship with goals. If I make a goal I will do whatever it takes to achieve it.   So it’s good because I’m disciplined but also scary too if I have an unhealthy goal. 

I love nothing more than lists! I make weekly lists for Scott and I. It is so satisfying to check the boxes off! 

So here it goes:

• Plan Scotty’s 29^th birthday (cocktails and croquet at the park!)
• Clean out my bedroom closet and guest room closet
• Get back into taking vitamins! (specifically Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Fish Oil for body pain)
• Finish my study program for my clinical state exam
• Take clinical exam
• Become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist!
• Go on vacation with Scott (England and Scotland in November!) and enjoy my life

What's on your to-do list for the fall? Can't wait to find out! 

Blog-Tember Day 1 | Hello friends!

Hello!

I am so EXCITED to be part of my 3^rd annual Blog-Tember Challenge hosted by the lovely and creative Bailey Jean at Brave Love Blog.

For the past three years I look forward to the month of September. It pushes me to write every day for 30 days. It’s a challenge and discipline I really love. Every year I meet new and inspiring bloggers around the world who share their hearts and lives.

Today's Prompt: Introduce yourself however you like! Pics, vlog, collage, your choice!

My name is Heather and I live in San Diego with my husband of 3+ years and our sweet little puppy, Lenny.

Professionally I am a Marriage and Family Therapist and have been practicing for the past 4 years with adolescents, elementary aged kids and their families. I am currently in the midst of working on becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. So far I have passed the State Law and Ethics Exam back in June and have one more exam to go. My State Clinical Exam is scheduled for September so you will probably hear a fair amount of moaning over here (and lots of pictures of coffee and essential oils to keep me going)

My husband Scotty works for Young Life College and we just got back from spending a month at Lost Canyon Camp with high-schooler’s and college kids. This was our first assignment and it was really fun to spend so much time in nature and breathing in fresh mountain air. I did a lot of studying here too (as well as feeding the horses) J

I value creativity, relationships, exploration, self-care, gratitude and spirituality. My faith in Jesus is really sacred to me. It is my anchor.

I’m all about advocating for those who are vulnerable, the under-dogs, those who feel like they aren’t enough or don’t have enough. I’m all about self-care.

I care about my family and friends immensely. They make life exquisite.  I care about helping people feel safe in their own skin, in their own gender, in their own stories and in their communities. I want to be a soft landing place. 

I’m passionate about mental health, educating on healthy body image and recovering from eating disorders, normalizing anxiety in adults and nightmares in kiddos. I love educating on feminism and integrating it with my faith. I’m passionate about shame resilience and owning one’s story. I'm also passionate about good local coffee. 

I’m in love with my husband Scotty.

I tend to lose my keys and phone constantly, get angry when I'm hungry, struggle with summarizing, externally process everything, forget about grammar due to excitement (sorry!) and get migraines when I'm too stressed. 

I always look forward to seeing my friends and visiting my family as well as planning out sister trips. I always look forward to celebrations, Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving and travel. I always look forward to clean sheets, and a trip to Marshalls or Target.

I’m crazy about my puppy Lenny. We got him in March from a rescue in our local area. He’s about 9 months old and he’s a mix between a shepherd, pug and beagle. I am completely head over heels for him and his fuzzy little head. I'm also crazy about autumn. I cannot wait!!!

I really enjoy cold brew coffee, pedicures, essential oils, writing, reading, Amazon Prime, Kate Spade planners, candles, nature, swimming,  bookstores, puppy time, date nights, yoga, Thai food, braids, writing letters, comedy, browsing Target, learning, chocolate, pretty wrapping paper, traveling to new places, water color painting, mail,  washi tape, the smell of Christmas trees, finding meaning, wildflowers (especially lavender), popcorn, the smell of rain, thunderstorms, gin tonics, a clean house, Children’s literature,

I could do without (read no thank you) hot days, long lines, junk mail, the cost of living in San Diego, kidney beans, traffic, sexism, racism, airports (although I have a love/hate relationship with them) and a culture obsessed with being thin, dieting, and working out. I could also do without feeling itchy cause it's the WORST. (mosquitos, eczema, heat rash etc. )

I can't wait to get to know my fellow bloggers! Please feel free to say hi below! And if you'd like to join and link up, click here!

WHY ADULTS NEED TO PLAY*

I climbed the steep hike huffing and puffing, sweating and swerving on the narrow trail. My friend, Laura and I were almost to the top, just a few more steps. My harness felt heavy and the my heart pounded inside my chest. The altitude was high but honestly my nerves were a bit high. Once to the top of the mountain, I could see everything, the trees, the hills, the camp, and the lake I would soon crash into with a force I could not yet comprehend.

Laura and I had the trained guide at this station make sure our harnesses were tight enough as he hooked us up the zip line above our heads. The only thing left to do was to run and jump off a piece of wood that stuck out over the mountain. It was liking a diving board but a very VERY high one. I had thought of turning around. I could do this once I was zipping down the mountain of course but why did I have to literally walk off a chunk of wood into thin air? I could crawl off I suppose but I what I really wanted was to get it over with already. The suspense was too much. My friend and I counted to three and took off running (read nervous skipping/trotting) into thin air and down we raced to the lake. It was absolutely exhilarating. All I could think about was the feeling of flying down the mountain. After we collided into the lake I felt so refreshed and invigorated, laughing at my shrill screaming the whole way down.

This past year something was missing from my life.  I was very good about date nights, my work schedules, my self-care routine, connecting with friends, eating enough, getting enough sleep, generosity and pursuing my faith. However I think I completely left play time out of the equation, partially because working and studying for my licensure exam was so overwhelming I couldn’t think about anything else except trying to schedule in self-care like a massage or pedicure from time to time. But time to play? There was no time for that.

To be honest, I think I forgot how it felt to play this past year. We know how developmentally important it is for children to play and for our pets to play, but do we know how essential it is for adults to take time to play?

This summer I was lucky enough to remember what it felt like to play. The school year ended, I passed my first exam and Scott and I were off on many adventures of traveling to see family and to work at Young Life Camp. We got to paddle board on a lake in Minnesota, jet ski and inner tube with my sisters, ride a giant swing at camp, zip line down a mountain in Arizona, play with paint, go down water-slides in the middle of the night, go to pool parties, pick wildflowers and lastly spend time playing with our puppy. Puppies really know how to play. They are so present and in the moment. They smell and taste and feel everything right as it’s happening.

There’s something about play that makes everything come to life. The color is brighter, the smells more noticeable, the sensations more sharp.

Research shows that play actually helps shape our brain. It can help develop empathy, open up the imagination, foster creativity, and can actually help navigate complex social groups (the most surprising one to me!). **

I’d like to think play also develops resilience in us. It helps create this deep reservoir that we can draw from when life gets tough as it inevitably will. It can helps stay present and remember that our worth really isn’t tied to our productivity (as I remind myself daily).

I am excited to start integrating more play into my life. I’m curious to know how other people play. I don’t want to always have to go on a trip or back to camp to learn how to play. I want to figure out how to do it in my own backyard. How do you play?  What is one thing you did this summer that felt invigorating and fun?

*Please avoid googling "adult play" #yikes

** Research done by Dr Stuart Brown (Psychiatrist) and Dr. Brene Brown (LMSW)

The Longest Table

Today I'm still reflecting on the past month Scott and I had at camp. Scott works for Young Life full time and part of his job is going on a camp assignment for a month every summer. Our assignment was at Lost Canyon in Arizona, up in the mountains, about 45 minutes from the Grand Canyon.

There were a lot of things that stand out to me about our camp experience. The smell of fresh mountain air every morning is something I miss terribly. I also miss the way everything cools down after a thunderstorm as it was monsoon season there. I'm completely nostalgic as it's 90 degrees in San Diego and Scott and I don't have air conditioning. (there is no rain in sight, just blinding heat). I miss living in staff housing where I was constantly surrounded by people working for the same goal. I miss having people cook and clean for me (thank you work crew, you are the best, thank you to my #campcrush, Scott for cleaning our toliets. #iloveyou)

But I keep reflecting on how I just felt saturated by God's presence while being there. It felt thick and rich and alive. Every day the staff spoke good news into high-school kids lives. They spoke hope. They acted in love. I know I'm not a camper or a high-schooler but they reminded me that God is still alive and well. With every dish they cleaned, they let kids know their worth and value. With every mint on their pillow they reminded kids that they were thinking of them. With every zip line and horse-back ride they let kids know it's okay to be kids, to play and have fun and that this place is safe.

One night the whole work crew set to work to throw a banquet for all the campers. The staff hauled large tables and chairs down to the the lake. The chefs prepared easily transported food. The campers dressed up for the occasion and came to dinner expectant. I won't do it justice when I write about it but I'm hoping this picture will do a little bit to give you a visual of what I saw. All the kids gathered around the lake, around this very long table to eat and be together. I found it to be so sacred.

It reminds me of Jesus when He talks about inviting everyone to the banquet.

"Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, and crippled and blind and lame...Go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled" Luke 14:21,23

Everyone is invited. Everyone is in. The table is long enough.

And we are told to pay special attention to those that are socially more vulnerable, you know the ones with physical disabilities, the orphans, the widows...the ones who don't have access to resources. We need to take notice of those who don't have easily attained privilege...the ones who don't feel safe in their skin or in their gender or in their home. Those who culture has deemed "crazy" or "worthlesss" We are to invite them to this very large table that I am convinced is long enough and wide enough to hold us and all our differences and all of our vulnerabilities. Love doesn't run out. It can hold us. We don't have to tell someone there aren't enough chairs for them or there isn't enough food for them. There's always enough.

But we have to be the one to pull out the chair for them. We need to set the table for them. We need to invite them. They won't come if they don't feel wanted.

 If you're white and have grown up in a middle class lifestyle you hold lots and lots of privilege. So let's use it for good. Let's extend ourselves for those who have less. And let me let you in on a little secret: We've all been vulnerable from time to time. Remember when you have felt vulnerable and scared and alone? Remember when you felt like the under-dog? Access those feelings and then go set the table for your neighbor, cause you've been there and even if you can't understand fully, you know what it's like to feel fragile and scared. Add an extra chair. I promise there's room.