virtual {coffee date}

Good morning friends!  I'm so excited to be launching Saturday morning coffee dates and I hope you enjoy while sipping on a cozy cup of Jo'! 

Photo c/o Pinterest

If we were having coffee together I would share with you that this morning started out very frustrating and was turned around by one smile.  Isn't is miraculous how one smile can really change your whole attitude?  I was supposed to go to bootcamp, and after driving down to the beach I noticed that no one was there.  The location was moved and I wasn't told.  I decided to make the most of my morning so I went on a run when I got home, and on my run I saw a woman running in front of me who turned around when she saw me with a big, bright smile on her face and she said "morning!".  It was at that moment that I smiled, and all of the frustrations from the morning vanished.  I was out of my selfish thoughts and moving forward to making the most of my day.  I was so encouraged to tell everyone I saw on my run "good morning" with the biggest smile, spreading that joy. 

If we were having coffee together I would tell you that today I have to say goodbye to my nearest and dearest friends before she moves to northern California.  Our friendship started our freshman year.  We were roommates in college, she was my maid of honor, we have shared life in a very special way.  And I'm filled with so much happiness as this move is such a blessing for her and her husband, but at the same time I'm saddened that our coffee dates, hikes, long talks, nail painting, and wine and cheese time will now happen when we visit one another.  It is rare to find a friendship like ours. 

If we were having coffee together I would tell you that we are jumping for joy over here because we leave on a cruise on Monday!!!  Daniel was able to get a good chunk of vacation time off, the first time in a couple of years.  He is beyond thrilled to not have phone service where work can call and wake him up at 6am every morning.  I'm excited to sit, relax, and just connect with my husband.  We scheduled a kayak tour in Catalina and I'm most excited for that.  Plus, my passport finally came yesterday (I still hadn't changed my name after 4 years of marriage) so we can cross off that stress factor and start packing!!!  

If we were having coffee together I would share that we are looking for some place to live and it has left me with a huge mix of emotions.  This summer I was planning on turning our guest bedroom into a nursery, gutting out the closet to make room for baby, and begin decorating.  We've known we would need to move soon, it just seemed to sneak up on us very quickly.  These past few weeks I have witnessed so many woman of faith talk about courage, about taking a leap of faith and really living life. Moving is scary for both of us, since it is something we haven't really had to do.  Thinking about where to live, where to raise our family, where to build a community all crowds my mind.  And we've had so many very serious and hard conversations about everything, but we are constantly encouraged by God's grace to take a leap of faith and know that He will provide for us no matter where we end up.  I am encouraged to ask for God's grace to give me courage, courage to do what others might think is crazy, courage to stand up for myself, courage to believe God will provide!