Phenomenal Woman

My years at Syracuse University were amazing gifts to me. Lifelong friendships. Endless opportunities to learn and grow as a person. Spending my college years at SU was one of the best decisions of my life. It became so normal to attend incredible events, games, concerts or parties any night of the week. Maya Angelou was one of my many favorites.

It was my sophomore year. My good friend, Julie, always knew the exciting stuff happening on campus and would invite me along. So, we grabbed dinner in the dining hall and walked across campus to see Maya Angelou like it was no big deal. My 19 year old self didn't really appreciate it as much as my 29 year old self does now. I'm thankful for the memory.

lifelong friends

When I heard the news of Maya Angelou's death this week,  I remembered that night. She read us her poem "Phenomenal Woman". Can you believe I can still hear her voice reciting it? If I had simply read through the poem myself, it wouldn't have been the same. I can hear the places she paused and the places she added emphasis. It was my first poetry reading and I was captivated. It made me feel so officially college-y. I can't believe that was ten years ago! I remember it like it was yesterday.

"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me..."

- a portion of "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou 

This week, I listened to Maya Angelou reciting the poem again. Thanks to news stories, my Facebook newsfeed and Pinterest, I read through many of her quotes and poems. Once again, I was inspired by some of her words. 

Jesus is love. He is my rescuer.

Birthday Girl

May has been such a full month. Our weekends were filled with trips. Our days were filled with lots of life. Most of it was really good stuff. Some of the busyness was just life timing. Some of it was probably some scheduling overload. I'm thankful for all the special trips, gatherings and celebrations we enjoyed. With that comes an awareness that we need to change our pace and shift our priorities a bit as we head into June and the rest of the summer or we will burn out!

I'm looking forward to a weekend at home. Since my birthday is this Monday, I guess this is officially my birthday weekend. What? Don't you figure out which weekend your birthday is closest to and claim it as your birthday weekend? I've been doing that since I was a little girl. With the exception of celebrating some life moments at a couple of special parties this weekend,  I don't have any plans beyond being in the backyard with my family, playing with the girls, finishing up the garden with my guy, reading a lot (maybe even in the hammock), blogging a bit, unpacking suitcases, reorganizing life and creating lots of space to enjoy, pray and breathe. I'm looking forward to some quality time with the Lord. My soul needs some rest.  I'm sure there's no better way to spend the last days of my 28th year then refocusing my heart on Jesus and finding refreshment there. Everything else is just a sweet overflow.

I can also guarantee you that I'll probably get pretty nostalgic and recount lots of memories in my quiet moments. My favorite birthdays. The best years. The hardest years. The ups and downs of 28. The most transforming moments. My relationships.  My dreams for 29. It's really no secret how sentimental I am, especially when it comes to life milestones. I'm totally the friend who can't stand to only write three sentences in a card when there is a heart full of memories to share. At least having two little girls vying for my attention all day long will keep my mental sap to a minimum!

That being said...I'll leave you with these throwback gems.

with my momma at about age 2

with my daddy (first Christmas)

 Here's to 29! I'm thankful for the gift!

Friday Favorites

Some of my favorite things lately...

1. Have you seen these little colored EOS lip balm eggs everywhere? I've been a Burt's Bees girl for years, so I didn't buy one to try right away. But, my mom brought me one as my "Easter egg" this year and I'm loving it!

2. My latest library read: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

3. This book is really challenging and encouraging me as a parent! I'm trying to take my time, but don't want to stop reading it. I'm praying that these biblical concepts would continue to transform our family into one that loves and respects each other well.

Love and Respect in the Family : The Respect Parents Desire; The Love Children Need by Emerson Eggerichs

4. I have the best memories from my childhood of my brother and I playing card games with my Nagymama and Nagypapa after dinner. We would go through seasons. For months, we'd be on Rummy 500 kicks. Other times, we were playing round after round of Uno. Or as my Papa would call it, "You-no". We would laugh and have fun for hours.Another game, we loved was Skip Bo. I think all games, from cards to board games, are a ton of fun, but I also associate sweet family times with those focused hours of playtime. Those are treasured memories for me today. This week, I happened to be walking down the game aisle at Wal-mart and saw this:

I was so so excited that I told Abby we were skipping rest time after lunch and playing cards together. Even though the game says ages 5 and up, Abby caught on right away and thinks it's so much fun! It takes enough skill that it is fun for adults, but is basic enough for a young kid to stay engaged in. Perfect! As much as I love Candy Land...it's not often that I'm up for three more rounds. I was the one who wanted to keep playing Skip Bo. We have played many times since. It's a new family favorite. Here's to more treasured card game memories...

5. Now, this is a big deal! I have been resisting this moment for at least two years. I officially made the switch this week from my paper planner to my Google calender. Joe has been asking me to do it for a while now. I knew it was time. It really has made life so much easier and helps Joe and I communicate about our busy schedules. If I need to make an appointment, I just have to open the calender on my phone and not only do I see mine, but Joe's schedule overlapping right onto mine. Ohhh how this is already helping with miscommunication and over scheduling! I can even make it really colorfully coordinated.

6. I just shared a list of my current kid's book favorites on our family blog. They make good additions to a library visit or to give as a gift to a special kid in your life.  

7. Have you heard about the new movie that's coming out in theaters on May 9th? Mom's Night Out is "an endearing true-to-life comedy that celebrates the beautiful mess called parenting." Everything I've learned about the movie indicates it's a fun, laugh out loud comedy with a powerful message that will help mom's gently connect with God's truth and perspective about motherhood. They share about the heart behind the movie here. It sounds like a great movie to go to with friends, but also a completely family friendly movie that everyone can relate to! It's not just for women. I'm only bummed I won't be able to see it opening weekend. Not sure how long it will be in theaters for, but I'm hoping I have a friend or two who might want to see it the following week? (hint hint friends)

8. Need an idea for dinner tonight? Pasta Milano is a favorite I discovered a couple of years ago. It's what I'm making for dinner tonight. This Macaroni Grill Copycat recipe also makes a great freezer meal. I like to double it and freeze one for later. It's a restaurant quality pasta dish. A great meal to share.

9. Then, I found this. The glitter band. Could there be a more perfect accessory to remind me to embrace grace and glitter? My good friend, Ashley, and I made them our BFF bracelets excited they would remind us to embrace Jesus and His work in our lives daily. Embracing grace and glitter! I love it!

etsy shop: kaitlinkendalldesign

10. Running is not my favorite thing, but the idea of getting over it and accomplishing something like a 5k has been a goal of mine for a while. I'm not looking to become a marathon runner, because I've learned to EMBRACE the fact that I just don't love to run. In college, my friend, Julie, would get so excited when she decided it was a perfect day for a run. I would watch her in amazement (and confusion) as she would return from a six mile run through the rain (no big deal) totally energized and feeling good. For a while, I thought I just needed to train myself to love running that much. While training would definitely help to some degree, I've learned that the look on Julie's face after a really good run is the same look on my face after a really good (insert intense aerobic dance class here). Zumba, please! So, I've become ok and learned to embrace the fact that I don't love running as much as other forms of exercise. BUT, there is something to be said about getting over my mental barriers and running for longer than three minutes. I might not be interested in running for recreational purposes, but to overcome my own personal roadblocks....yes!

I've always said if you want me to sign up for a 5k, your best chance is a color run because let's face it...the run has to have some fun incentives (like making me all colorful) for me to be excited about it! Long story short, my dear friend Heather, eliminated any chance I had of making any more excuses by surprising me with early birthday gift. She signed me up to run the Color Me Rad race with her in October.  The website says...Color Me Rad: Your excuse to let loose. So, here goes...no excuses...I'm preparing to let loose! And so excited to get geared up with friends and RUN a 5k together. Thankful for sweet friends who know me well!