Archives for December 2018

It is DECEMBER, y’all!!! Which means one thing… Christmas. Is. Coming. Woot, woot! That is just crazy.

Now, before I get ahead of myself with all the excitement I have for Christmas, I thought it would be fun to share some things I have been loving this past month! Some of my goals have been to read more, spend more time in the Bible, try some new foods (which, you will see, kinda-sorta happened…), paint/draw/do art more, listen to some new music, and just be a bit more adventurous in general. Life is so sweet and has so many incredible things to offer us and I want to make sure that every day I am setting out to soak all of it in. Without further a due, here are some of my current faves:

    1. dare to lead, Brené Brown’s newest book

I absolutely love Brené Brown. Ever since watching her TEDxHouston talk on “The power of vulnerability”, I have tried to dive deep into all of the wisdom and insight she has to offer (Note: if you haven’t watched this TED talk, please do as soon as you can! I promise it’ll change your life and the way you view your relationships, love, and just about everything. Link here.) Not only is she incredibly smart (hello, doctorate holder and research professor at the University of Houston), but she has a gift of writing in a beautifully raw, honest, and challenging way. dare to lead is an exploration of what it means to be a daring leader; a leader who embraces vulnerability and courage and cultivates an environment that fosters the development of more courageous and daring leaders. Brené puts it best: a leader is “anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential”. In a world that so desperately needs great leadership, I want to make sure that I am equipped to lead in any circumstance I am put into, whether that is within my sorority or as the big sister in my family. So often perfectionism and a fear of not always “having it together” cause me to shy away from vulnerability (actually, it’s more like get away from vulnerability at all costs because I might reveal too much of my heart and get hurt), but the past few months I have really been trying to embrace the beauty that comes when we are vulnerable and courageous in our leadership and relationships.

   2. Corepower Yoga

I have always loved working out and being active and challenging my body, but for awhile I struggled to find a workout that I thought of as something I was entirely excited to go out and do. Can anyone else relate to this struggle?! I would see cyclists and yogis and professional weightlifters and think to myself, “Okay…so…how did they develop a passion for this activity? I mean, I understand that it’s so good for their mind and body, but how do they love to workout so much?!” If I’m being honest, sometimes working out felt like a chore I needed to get done, not like something I was overwhelmed with excitement to complete… but then I found CorePower Yoga. And oh my goodness has my life changed from the moment I went to my first class. I finally get how these people love to workout so much, y’all! It’s so true what they say: find a workout/activity/class you love and go all in. My favorite class at Corepower is Yoga Sculpt, which kicks my booty and involves a heated yoga room with yoga sequences, weights, HIIT, core work, a lil’ bit of cardio, and so much more. I also love Hot Power Fusion when I’m looking for a more simple heated yoga flow and at the studio I attend, WestBend Fort Worth, they do it in candlelight. It is the perfect way to center myself at the end of a long day and challenge my body.

     3. Rodan + Fields Radiant Defense Perfecting Liquid

All my closest people know how much I love Rodan + Fields. Just take a quick peek into my under-sink organizer in my dorm room and you will see the number of R + F products I own. They’re great quality and they work– the best combo! I’ve never been super big into face makeup, but when I found out that they launched a tinted liquid glow that perfects your skin from the inside out, has SPF (wrinkles stay away!), is lightweight & oil-free, I knew I had to try it. And it is ahhh-mazing! I love their skincare products so much that I became a consultant so that my friends can buy through me. It’s the best! If you’re interested in trying out Radiant Defense or any of their best-sellers (hello, LASHBOOST! The best thing since sliced bread.), feel free to reach out to me! Or, you can head to their website to order and look around. Link here. 🙂

    4. Perfect Bars

Okay, so technically these are not solely a current favorite because I have loved them for many months before, BUT, I tried a new flavor this month that I love. Are any of you Toblerone chocolate lovers?! Cause I most definitely am. And what if I could tell you that there is a healthy, nutrient packed, peanut-butter-based bar that tastes like this delicious brand of sugary chocolate? Enter: Perfect Bar Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp. It tastes exactly (well, close enough to where you know it’s healthy but it still tastes delicious) like a Toblerone Bar, is nutritious, and a whole lotta yum. I also love the Dark Choco Peanut Butter flavor if I’m feelin’ a healthy Reese’s Cup.

     5. The Broken Way by Ann Voscamp

This book. Wow. It is just so rich and beautifully written and hard and tear-jerking and all the things. But I am so grateful that I picked it up off our family’s book shelf because it has changed the way I view brokenness and pain and all of those hard emotions that I so often want to sweep under the rug. Without giving too much away, I will say this: if you ever find yourself associating freedom or peace or joy with the absence of hurt and pain and brokenness, read this book. I am one of these people; one of the people who have had big dreams and loved hard and prayed for all of the good things to happen, but then was met with failure and brokenness and imperfection and heartbreak. Maybe you’re like me, and maybe you need to read this book, too. Ann Voscamp has helped me understand that there is still abundance in brokenness, and because Jesus is redeeming everything, I can find joy amidst my heartbreak.

        6. Love over self-protection.

As I enter into the Christmas season, I want this line to become my truth. I am one of those people that so often tries to self-protect over giving my heart, fully broken and fully beautiful, to those I love. This stems from some roots of pain and tremendous loss and a fear of being seen as anything other than “having it all together” that we all experience at some point in life. Brené Brown in dare to lead says it best: “When we get to the place that the armor is so thick that we no longer feel anything, we experience a real death. We’ve paid for self-protection by sealing off our heart from everyone, and from everything– not just hurt, but love”.

C.S. Lewis says that “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket–safe, dark, motionless, airless– it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

And boy, oh boy, do I not want to be so self-protected and hidden from feeling the things I so often want to sweep under the rug or diminish that I never feel true, wholesome, immense love for people and things and Jesus. Because love is the greatest of all things and I will sacrifice the safety net of self-protection if it means that I can love big and bold.

I hope you have discovered something new and exciting through my current faves that will inspire you for the months to come! I would love to hear some of your favorites in the comments below 🙂 xoxo.

Always,

Elle