When I go to bed, I'm cataloging the things I did during the day and the things I didn't get to finish. When I wake up in the morning, I'm mentally making a to-do list of what's to come. It's exhausting.

Last night was supposed to be my "me" night and I spent a lot of it working - going through photos and scheduling fb posts. Then I was was flipping my mattress and changing my sheets right before I got into bed (late). What's a girl to do?

Is anyone else out there a planner? How does it work for you? Do you have the ability to slow down? If I don't make plans, will things get done?

Yesterday, I read a post about Spring Cleaning Your Life - I just got rid of a lot of clothes. Now maybe I need to get rid of some priorities or procrastination tools - anything that's not serving my life for the better. (That's so hard to do!) Maybe it's that I need to ADD nothing time/white space to my calendar. Create a space. Hmmm.

Anyway, time to get up and at it. I'm listening to the rain and wondering how long it will last - maybe I'll get to wear my rain boots today!

xo.

I read a lot of interesting and GOOD posts on the internet in the last week-ish, so I'm here to share
with you!

1. Daylight savings time is here and that can make sleep difficult. Here's a list of 10 Sleep Remedies from Lauren Conrad.

2. I love before and afters. I love inspiration and organization. I love Naptime Diaries. Clearly, I love this post - before and after office organization with Jessi!

3. Some words about Amazing Grace - how sweet the sound.

4. 18 Habits of Highly Creative People.

5. 3 things that Create a Meaningful Life - with Donald Miller and Shauna Niequist.

6. Does money stress you out? Look at it in these ways and take a breath.

7. Well, this is just a dream come true by local lovely Olivia Rae James.

8. I bought these to wear for my new job. I love TOMS.

9. Speaking of TOMS - watch this video and get more info here. I ordered the Malawi and add visiting that cafe to my bucket list.

10. This. So many beautiful words from Emma Red Velvet.  And just a side note - this pie looks amazing.

So, if you're off this weekend - you're not working or traveling or planning a wedding (that's normally what I am doing) - then take a look at these words, ideas, and photos from others. Lemme know what you think!

xo.

Recently, I attended Storyline Conference with Donald Miller (and many amazing other people) where I learned that if you're not loving the story of your life, then re-write it. Yep. Just change it.

Then, I found this insta pic from a while back that includes my "five core values" and I started to measure the things in my life by them. Is my job in line with them? Are my relationships in line with them? Are the things I fill my time with in line with these values?

I know I can change my story. I know these are five really important values. I'm trying to be courageous enough to do it - to change my story and live these values. I can change what I do and how I do it and who I do it with. I can change the way I speak to people - I want to speak life. I want to show love. I want to hold people closely. I want to live a life that Jesus would be proud of. 

That doesn't mean I'm not going to eff up. I will probably still yell or cry or eat a whole pint of ice cream. But that's ok. It really is. Life is like that sometimes. But living it for something bigger than you really changes your direction and perspective. And, for the first time in awhile, I feel like it's all going to be ok rather than a giant weight sitting on my shoulders.

"Saying yes to happiness means learning to say no to people and things that stress you out." - Thelma Davis

Let's talk about California.

First of all, it is quite the hike. Three thousand miles and five hours in the sky. But it is most definitely one of my favorite places to be.

And after all that travel - what could possibly want more than a California Burrito? So that's what we did - walked around the Gas Lamp until we found the perfect, doors open, sunny spot to eat. There is nothing better than Mexican food in California. And for those of you haven't had that luxury - you should know a California Burrito means carne asada, guacamole, onions and french fries rolled into edible goodness - and we washed it down with my first taste of Horchata.

Fortunately, not the last taste of Mexican food we had during our stay, but some of the last bit of sunlight we enjoyed...

It rained the next 3.5 days we were in San Diego, but it didn't stop us from having an amazing time.

There was still coffee. And acai bowls. There were still walks around the Gas Lamp. There was still Coronado. There was still that time I walked across a submarine and down the hatch and into the torpedo room. There were still giggles and games and Law and Order SVU marathons. There was home cooking and eating out. There was fam jam time in Encinitas. There was not so much sneaking onto the train, but still fear of being kicked off.  There was the FARMER'S MARKET which I cannot say enough about - the almonds, the flowers, the samples, the rain, the peanut butter, the EVERYTHING. (Seriously, if you need one good reason to visit SoCal - the Farmer's Market selection might be it.) There were BBW sneak peeks and purchases. There were the beautiful beaches - the sand that doesn't stick to you. There were SEA LIONS. Arf. Arf. Arf. There was the beauty of the sun setting over the ocean. There was so.much.mexican.food. I can't even begin to describe the deliciousness. And oh em gee - the donuts! San Diego Donut Bar is a must.

But most importantly, there was friendship. My friend Megan and her husband Josh opened their home and lives to Nate and me. It is really such precious time we get to spend with the people who enhance our lives so much. I could imagine how crazy my head would be if I didn't have Megan to share all of it with. The beauty of her marriage and the love those two share inspires me to build my life with Nate. And I'm so glad the two of them (Nate and Megan) got to hang out and be friends! Two of my very favorite people in my very favorite city. They took me to "class" every morning and picked me up every afternoon. Such sweet care I was given.

What I'm hoping is one day I can create and offer the same hospitality and beautiful experiences to my friends when they come visit me in Sunny SoCal. I'd love to pay it forward.

For some pics from my trip - instagram!

For more true awesomeness about San Diego read here and here.

For more on my amazing Storyline experience... Check back soon!

I am experiencing serious California separation anxiety. And I miss Megan.

As you may (or may not) know, I spent some time in San Diego last week visiting one of my favorite people and attending the Storyline Conference.

Game changers.

The whole trip: the conference, the city, the friendship, the travel. And sharing it all with Nate.

I want to write about every day, speaker, event, and moment. I will. I hope. I feel like there is too much good stuff to share. (I'll have a day off on Sunday, so that's our best bet!)

What I will go ahead and share are the BIG things that stuck out to me -

1. Jesus didn't hold people accountable; he held them closely.

2. COMMUNITY. How can you over serve the people in your life?

3. Humans were designed to have deep, meaningful experiences. Those experiences are likely not linked to the American definition of success. But know that life is too short and too important to spend your time not being passionate. It is possible to create a new story.

I'll leave you with those nuggets for now.

xo.