I’ve not been very secretive about my love of Christmas cards. It’s a pretty well-known fact that I think Christmas cards are great. In fact, I keep the previous year’s cards packed away with our Christmas decorations so that I can enjoy them again. Last week I laid them all out and looked through each photo and note that we were sent, smiling the whole time.
So, while we’re reflecting on Christmas cards, I figured I would share a few of ours from years past. You saw our first Christmasalready, but we’ve kept the tradition every year so far. It’s been an interesting progression to say the least.
Year Two – 2011
The year of the fish. Arthur, the beta fish, graced our card and stole our hearts. We decided to embrace this awkward family fish photo for all of its worth. Photo credit: Justin Salem Meyer, who is likely embarrassed to be associated with such a thing.
Year Three – 2012
Oh yeah, remember that time we decorated the heck out of our bikes and then preceded to use them in lieu of a tree that year? Gather ’round, put your gifts under that decked out bike in the living room! Photo Credit: Us running back and forth from the camera on a tripod.
Year Four – 2013
This was the year we went all over town wassailing. In case you were wondering, yes, we really did sing and play music throughout the entire photo shoot. What did you think it meant to wassail anyway? Photo credit: Cameron Lockey.
Year Five: I am SO excited to add this year’s card to the mix. It’s hard to believe it will be our fifth Christmas card already. I promise to share them soon!
Do you have any favorite Christmas cards that you sent or received? Any ideas for our next card?
There’s something I love about Sunday mornings. I’ve written about Sundays before but every time it rolls around, I can’t help but be filled with joy and peace.
I have a routine on Sunday mornings that starts with sleeping in (and if that’s not a glorious way to start the day then I don’t know what is). Depending on how long I slumber, I might start the day writing or with a cup of tea on the porch. The hubby works and plays music at a church, so it’s just me in the mornings. Sure, I miss driving together sometimes, but I treasure this little window of time. It’s a time when quiet thoughts are welcomed instead of my go-to ignore/avoid, especially when something is bothering me. No, on Sundays the whole day is simply sweeter.
As I drive to church, I play the station with gospel and soul music that usually sings a lot about “getting on the train” of some sort and lots of “glory halleluiahs.” It’s so celebratory and beautiful, I can’t help but smile and feel a calm peace. Last week, they sang about how it’s all going to work out because–Jesus. Simple and true.
During my drive, my route takes me through downtown Raleigh. Families are dressed up in their Sunday best, holding hands as they cross the street to church. My favorite moment in the drive is when I also catch a glimpse of the choir members filing in the building, wearing their long flowing choir robes. I’ve never heard what they sing, so I can only imagine it might include a few hymns written years ago but just as meaningful today.
Finally, I arrive at my church where my friends are playing guitar, mandolin, accordion, drums and bass. Wearing denim and singing about what we have to be thankful for. From the back row, I never bother to stop myself from stomping my boots and swaying to the music while singing along.
Three vastly different styles of music, all with the same purpose–to praise and glorify God.
Alright, we can agree that since it is December it’s officially acceptable to talk about Christmas, right? I know some of y’all have been decked out for weeks, but in our house we wait until after Thanksgiving to get going on Christmassy things.We bought a tree this past weekend, but it still needs decorating. We also spent some time on our annual Christmas card.
Leading up to our very first Christmas I knew that I wanted to start the tradition of sending out Christmas cards. If you don’t already do so, can I just encourage you to? Sure, it takes time and effort and can add up, but it is so much fun to both send and receive Christmas cards in the mail. Anyway, we talked about what to do for our very first card and tried to think of epic ways to say “Our First Married Christmas” to our friends and family. The bar for family Christmas cards had been set pretty high by his sister, but we knew we wanted it to be a tradition all of our own.
My “brilliant” idea was to wear our wedding attire and decorate the tree. We got married in October and for some reason I thought it might be funny. Thankfully, we never got around to trying that out and in hindsight, I think that might have looked a bit random and awkward. Less than a week before Christmas the hubby just said, do you want to go have a snowball fight and call it good? So we did. He insisted that I aim for his face (but I can’t deny that I had fun doing it).
How fitting that our first Christmas card was in the snow. Have I mentioned that the hubby worked at a church? In case you weren’t aware, Christmas Eve is a pretty big deal when you work at a church, especially within the creative arts and music department. That particular Christmas Eve, there was a snowstorm and we had a large driveway to shovel before he left. After a lazy morning in my sweatshirt and sweatpants, I threw on my coat and boots and helped him clear the driveway. Before long, he had to go but I offered to finish up. Out of habit, he shut and locked the door to the house and drove off.
So there I was, alone, on our first Christmas Eve as a married couple, locked out of the house in a snowstorm with no phone, no keys and not looking my best. Did I mention we had just moved to that house a few months before and didn’t yet know the neighbors? Oh, and that it was CHRISTMAS EVE? Not exactly the introduction I had in mind. Thankfully, I spotted someone smoking on their porch down the street so I trudged through the snow and tried to explain how my husband had accidentally locked me out. I called and he came back as quick as he could, which meant I was locked out for about an hour by the time he returned with the key. Nothing bad happened to me and it was all an accident. He hates that story a little bit, but I love it. I don’t think I will ever forget that first Christmas together in Iowa.
There was a certain innocence to that first Christmas in the snow. I will forever remember it fondly. The moral of the story is not to lock your wife out in the snow, but to cherish the little moments this season.
I had anticipated posting about my new hairdo today, but if you look around the internet or watch the news that seems rather petty. If you’ve read my blog before then you know I don’t often write about what’s on the news. I steer away from what may seem like politics or debates, not because I don’t have thoughts or opinions, but because I know I don’t have the answers. I still don’t have the answers, in fact, I hardly have the words.
This is not a post to report all the details. I don’t have a step-by-step analysis of all that happened in or around Ferguson. There are news reports and articles all over if that’s what you are looking for. I can’t tell you what to think or do, nor can I pretend to put myself in someone else’s shoes. All I can say is how deeplysaddened I am.
We live in a broken world. Death, persecution, racism, cancer, war–it’s ugly enough to bring me to tears when I think about it. Sometimes, I’d just rather not think about it. It’s easier to live in oblivion to all the pain and suffering that happens in this world. My head tries to tell me it’s like a movie and it isn’t real. I want to distance myself from what’s wrong with the world and even from what’s wrong with me, as embarrassing as that is to admit.
But sometimes we need to mourn with those who mourn. We need to open our eyes to what is going on in the world and care for the lives affected. We are called to be devoted to one another in love, even if that takes a lifetime. Because love is an action.
Love in Action – Romans 12:9-18
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
This. This is what we can do. Cling to what is good, honor one another, practice hospitality, rejoice with those rejoicing and mourn with those in mourning, bless others and live at peace. The world will continue to be broken which will keep breaking my heart, but this is my action list for how to respond both today and every day.
Oh, how I miss writing fun blog posts and articles. I barely manage to tweet these days without feeling bad for not working on a cover letter instead. Do you know how difficult it is to re-write the same cover letter 50 times within six months? Because I do.
In case you were wondering where all my writing energy has gone lately, that’s where to look. My contract position is ending next week, therefore I am all about the job search. Still. So what do these cover letters say? Oh, you know–that I would love to work there and that I have experience and that I would be a great fit. There’s a bit of resume talk thrown around from time to time, but usually just on accident. Despite all of my many hours of cover letter writing experience, it’s still pretty difficult to muster up the energy and pour my heart into a one-page summary of why a company should pick me out of the masses.
If I were to write an utterly honest cover letter, it would go a little more like this…
Dear Hiring Manager,
Hey! Thanks for posting this job that looks interesting. How many of these letters have you received so far? I’m just curious. Am I number 152 or 291? I’ll be honest and say that I do indeed want this job, but then again, I’m guessing all of the other people who have written you say that, too. I promise you I’m telling you the truth though, and that I actually want to work here. I won’t add an emoticon because that’s unprofessional, but know that I am smiling and am really excited about working here. Yay!
My friend told me about your office and it sounds really neat. I’m not sure how much to let on that I’ve found just about every employee on Linkedin at this point and even found a couple of blog posts from former employees about working here (don’t worry, all good things). This internet searching ability is really an art and could even be an asset to your team. I know that sounds creepy though, so maybe I’ll just instead talk about how it seems like you are doing such great things in the community, because that’s important to me, too.
This third paragraph is usually the same paragraph that I copy and paste into all of my applications. I know, that doesn’t sound very personal, but being number 291 doesn’t seem personal either. I can’t figure out how to tell about my experience much better than all of this stuff about my background in communications, project management and event planning. It seems like a direct match to your job description, so please make the connection. Otherwise I can add, “which is what I would do at your company” to the end of every sentence if that is helpful, but sometimes it feels silly and redundant instead.
I’m going to end this letter now for two reasons: 1. The job description you posted was only a paragraph long so I don’t know what else to say. 2. I hear your cover letter should only be a page long and we’re pushing it here, despite the fact that the font size is 11.5 and the margins are already way slimmer than most. Please call me because I sincerely want to work here and would be an excellent fit for the role. If only you could see me as more than just a cover letter, then I think you would agree. Feel free to contact me at anytime because I will be refreshing my email and checking my phone every five minutes until then.
Sincerely,
Samantha
p.s. I’m a rock star. Not the flaky musician kind of rock star, but the awesome motivated kind. Hire me!
Anybody with me? Got any cover letter wisdom or stories you care to share?
Everything is interim. Everything is a path or a preparation for the next thing, and we never know what the next thing is. Life is like that, of course, twisty and surprising.
– Shauna Niequist in Cold Tangerines
Often we hold onto this idea of stability and longevity. We (or maybe it’s just me) like making a plan. What’s the three-year, five-year and ten-year plan? As if we have any real control over it.
Don’t misunderstand, I think goals and dreams are wonderful things to have. But sometimes we clutch onto them so fiercely. When something goes awry or changes the course, we get flustered. We react in fear or fight. We cry out in the night and wonder what went wrong. The plan, the perfect plan, is no more.
But everything is interim. There is no such thing as stability or control. Whatever it is, it may be for the next few days or the next few years. My life seems like it is in total interim right now, and I can’t say that I always love that feeling. Sometimes I want to know every detail and then plan minute-by-minute what’s next but that is just not how life goes. We’re instead being challenged and tested in order to be best prepared for what is to come.
Embrace the interim.Because there is a God who has all the plans. We just have to trust in Him.
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This week I am co-hosting a link-up with Susannah from Simple Moments Stick. Please check out her blog when you get the chance and feel free to link-up your post about faith and fellowship!
So, I have mentioned how I am really trying to do things with this blog. Sure, I want to have more followers and readers and whatnot. I want to write to a bigger audience about things that matter and make a difference, but also just make connections with readers. I definitely want to continue to improve my writing skills as writing is something I love to do. I’ve found that one thing that often gets overlooked with blogging is the community in the blogging world. People share with each other and get to be friends without ever meeting face-to-face. That sounds a little weird and creepy at first, but there is some real community happening. Although I will always promote community within your neighborhoods and cities first, I think having an online community is awesome. The internet gets a bad reputation for all of the negative things that people say and do online, but there really are some amazing people doing great things online, too.
Recently, I was nominated by a few blogs (Vicki & Livi, Broken with Remedy, Shelby Clarke Blog,The Aussie Osborns, Polka Dots & Pampers) to answer a few questions as a part of the Liebster Award. I didn’t even know what hit me so I did a little online searching to find out that “liebster” is a German word and basically is a sweet little compliment/sentiment. So, with this I have been challenged to answer a few questions and then nominate some more bloggers. Without further ado…
1. How did you decide on the title of your blog?
When we were first really considering moving out-of-state I knew I was ready to write again. I had gone almost a year without blogging consistently are dearly missed it. Moving Peaces was a little bit of a play on words at first but then I grew to really like everything it encompassed. We moved from Iowa to North Carolina and still face some of the outcomes of that, but we are always moving from one thing to the next in life. As that happens though, we’re called to live in peace. Moving Peaces covers what is often a juxtaposition between the stress and busy that comes from moving (in a literal or figurative sense) with the calm and contentment that accompanies peace. 2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?
Honesty. I’m the kind of person who calls it like it is. There’s a lot of fluff I can write that might be fun and interesting but the core of who I am, what I’m learning, what I’m struggling with and what I value most will be what you read. 3. What’s your favorite pastime other than blogging?
Too many to count. I really do love writing and often have a few side projects going. I love to bike, read, play music with my husband and spend time with people. Currently though, with the job search in full force I often joke that writing cover letters is my hobby.
4. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?
Blogging really helps me to put words to some of the things I’m learning, and hopefully allows others to learn from my own stories and experiences.Writing it down for an audience forces me to really understand what I am thinking through in order to articulate it for someone else. 5. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you most like to try yourself? (What is a post you have liked written by the person who nominated you?)
Okay ladies, you all came at me at once…Vicki & Livi are giving a few date night ideas. Heather is growing a little baby bump, which is not something I’m ready to try but very cute to see. Shelby is growing the cutest little succulent garden. Neive gets creative with cooking, including these delicious sounding chocolate coconut cookies. And Natalie is putting together a fall capsule wardrobe with some cute pieces. 6. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
Usually conversations I’m having with people and generally life stories of others. 7. What is one country in the world you would like to visit? Why?
All of the countries. Okay, fine. I do love traveling when possible and am definitely hoping to take a trip out of the country with the hubby in the near future. Top of the list right now is Argentina. I’ve never been to South America nor have I gotten much use out of my high school Spanish classes yet. I should probably revisit some of the language, but naively I like to think it will all come to me once I am surrounded by Spanish speakers. Mostly, I’m excited for an opportunity to take a trip with my husband, see some of the gorgeous surroundings and get a glimpse at another culture. 8. If you have children, what are their names? If not, what are your favorite boy & girl names?
No children in this house yet. Favorite names? I feel like we’re playing MASH on the playground. I’ll be honest, I have a ridiculously long list (literally) of names that I like. I generally like names that are a bit older sounding and many of them seem to have the letter “L” in them for whatever reason. 9. A long lost relative leaves you a large sum of money. What do you do with it?
I think that will not actually ever happen so I try to not plan ahead too much for such an occasion, but I would definitely do a combination of saving it and traveling with it. 10. In your opinion, what is the best blog post you’ve written so far? (Include the link!)
That’s an interesting question. I don’t really have one in particular that I like the most or think is the best. Each month it seems to change. Most recently, I’ve really enjoyed writing a series about Finding Self over the month of October and among those posts I wrote about Being Enough, which is something I constantly have to remind myself and work through. 11. What is your favorite food?
When the hubby and I first started dating (over seven years ago…whoa!) not everyone understood it. Our close friends thought it made perfect sense as they had watched us become friends and flirt, pursue our dreams and decide to date. They saw how we reacted to different situations, together and apart.
At the time, his family and band lived a few hours away. They didn’t watch this natural progression nor did they have any idea of who I was. So when they met me, they were puzzled. Her?
I got so many questions as they tried to get to know me and understand why he wanted to date me. What instrument did I play? Did I like camping? Did I even like music? Why did I go to school so far away? What were my hobbies? What did I do in my spare time?
All fair questions to ask a person when you’re getting to know someone I suppose. But it didn’t translate. Why would my music-loving, multi-instrumentalist, boy scout, barista boyfriend want to date me? The girl who played no instruments, had never been camping and was an academic overachiever going to school in another state.
When you put it like that…hmm. Well? (Let me also mention that I was a broke college student, so he wasn’t after my money). We were both pressed by these questions of what we had in common and when put on the spot, couldn’t quite come up with an answer. We fought in circles, questioning expectations of each other and searching for answers we didn’t have. Those questions tripped us up because while they ultimately aren’t key factors in a relationship they were being treated as such. We knew we liked each other, but was that enough? Why didn’t we have all of the same hobbies and skills? Should we? Who should change?
It wasn’t until we realized we had the same values that we understood why we made total sense as a couple. Sure, we each have a hobby or two that the other has no interest in. We also both support each other and try to understand one another’s interests. All of that is fine and good, but our interests don’t truly define us.
We both see hospitality as a way of life. We believe creativity is of worth. We are deliberate in our spending habits. We care deeply for our friends. We love the same God.
These values made up who we were as a couple. Likewise, as individuals, our personal values have a greater impact on who we are than our hobbies do.
This post is a part of the Finding Self series for the 31 Days of blogging in October.
To see the all posts in this series, check out the Finding Self page.
I don’t often sit still. If I am sitting still, it’s usually with a computer on my lap (and no less than six tabs open), some laundry running and a conversation happening all at once. I’m not the type that can just sit on the porch and ponder. I’ll read a book or maybe bring a notebook to jot down some form of a list…I think you get the idea.
Sometimes the lists and the planning and the thoughts all need to just slow down. We need to get to the place were we can just be without being someone or doing something. We need to simply exist and know that we still matter without all the extra stuff floating through our minds.
Over the weekend we hiked several miles up and down a mountain. As we hiked the first mile, we chatted about goals and plans for the future, despite running out of breath with the ever-increasing altitude. By the second mile we talked about the views we were seeing and what we would eat for dinner later that night. As we hiked and climbed higher, we didn’t focus on anything but just getting there. We were only hikers then.
If you encounter other hikers on the trail, no one asks what your day job is. Seldom do people ask where you’re from. Never do they ask what you do in your free time or if you’ve seen the latest blockbuster. No one knows if you make a lot of money or if you volunteer regularly in the community.
There’s only one thing on their minds, too. The hike. Are we close? Does it get harder? Isn’t it a great view?
And as we got higher and then later descended, there was only one thing we could focus on. We could only take each step in front of us. It didn’t matter in that moment who we were. We just had to keep going.
Sometimes in the journey to finding self, we need to stop thinking about ourselves. Stop thinking about the stuff going on or the possibilities. We get to be another human in the hike of life and just take a step at a time.
This post is a part of the Finding Self series for the 31 Days of blogging in October.
To see the all posts in this series, check out the Finding Self page.
It’s strange to think that you live your whole life as you but then sometimes have a hard time knowing just what that means.
When I was little, video cameras were an odd concept to me. My six-year-old self had some strange notion that the video was almost like a time capsule of life to show to the future world. Strangers would be watching it and wonder who this cute little girl on the screen was. Because of this, every time I was on camera I would always start with, “Hi, I’m Samantha!”
Right then and there I was saying, “Hi, I’m me” and it was as simple as could be. I was introducing myself to the world and that’s what they needed to know.
Since then, it’s as if the more we “do” the less we understand who we are. We go to networking events and struggle to explain to people who we are and immediately turn to what we do at work. We try to find more things that “add up” to who we are. If I do this, plus this, plus a hobby or two and the way I wear my hair, that equals me.
I want to know when that changed. Why growing up took away our self-assurance in who we were.
My theory? We knew who we were as kids because we weren’t as focused on what we were not. We didn’t question ourselves as much or compare our individuality with our playground friends. We didn’t say, “Well, I’m not a real (writer, musician, artist, inventor, entrepreneur, athlete fill in the blank here) until I do this. We may have been jealous of a toy someone else owned, but we didn’t worry about who we were. We just knew. I’m me.
This was the year we went all over town wassailing. In case you were wondering, yes, we really did sing and play music throughout the entire photo shoot. What did you think it meant to wassail anyway? Photo credit: Cameron Lockey.
