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Thursday Three

October 15, 2015November 5, 2015Samantha Gratton

I’ve been gone and out and about. Here’s a quick summary of what has happened in the last two weeks.

1. Goodbyes are hard when it feels like you just said hello. A good friend of mine from college and her husband came to live in our fine state but then sadly were relocated a few months later. As much as I hated to see them go, I was so glad for the short time we had together to reunite and be a part of regular life for a time again.

2. Lots of work makes for lots of long days. That sums it up, right? Jobs, freelance work, side projects, additional work commitments–you name it. It’s not super awesome to blog about, but it’s what life has looked lately in our house…which means our actual house looks like a disaster, and we’re just hanging on one day at a time. So, if it’s been in awhile, I’m sorry. Everything feels hard to keep up with right now. I’m tired of that being the case (and tired of being tired), but it’s the reality. The little time we have in between we try to, you know, see each other and talk but even that we seem to be behind on lately. It all feels like too much, but work things seem to be the hardest things let go thanks to a desire to do good work, to provide financially, and to achieve our potential.

3. Faraway family is better in person. As much as we’re grateful for Skype, you can’t hold a baby, hug a niece, or play catch with a nephew over the internet. While it’s definitely time to be done with traveling for awhile, it was good to see these relatives on the West Coast this past week.

Playing Piano | Moving Peaces

Thursday Three

October 1, 2015November 5, 2015Samantha Gratton

Back to our regularly scheduled programming after a brief week of no blogging because it was all a bit too much. So, let’s go ahead and make this a two-week round up of what’s been happening around here.

1. I attended Influence Conference. There may be a bigger recap at a later date as three days can hardly be summed up in a few sentences, but I was so glad to have the chance to go for the final year of this event. After buying my ticket a year in advance, in some ways it was different than I expected but that might be because I’m in a different place and have done a lot of different things since last year. I spent my time listening to some powerhouse speakers, writing my thoughts in cursive, and meeting some incredible women.

2. I got a new logo! I know you thought something looked different, but no, I didn’t get a hair cut (ha!) so it’s a good thing that wasn’t your guess. My friend Jordie did a wonderful job helping me out with a design so I could have business cards for my blog in time for the conference. We’re still working out some of the details for the layout of the blog and how it all works together, but I am so pleased to have this. She was incredibly kind and gracious to me, and I am so grateful for all of her hard work.

3. We snuck in one last trip to the beach. Going in the off-season means it’s cheaper…but you run the risk of it being cold and rainy, which was exactly what happened this time. We still managed to find a few good hours of beach time and played in the rain before returning to Raleigh for another day of exploring. Nevertheless, we had a great time on our 4th annual trip with this fun family we just so happen to be related to.

Thursday Three

September 18, 2015November 5, 2015Samantha Gratton

Hey there! For this week’s three, I started writing this from a cute little coffee shop in Indianapolis (and then finished it several hours later). What?

1. I’m on the road again. Because I don’t go out of town enough or something. It’s been a crazy few weeks, and I feel I’m in a new place every few days lately…probably because that would be accurate. I told you this was a full season, didn’t I? This adventure is in the name of the Influence Conference, where a whole bunch of women get together to talk about blogging and influence and faith…or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Sessions officially start tomorrow so I’ll be sure to give you more details about it in the days to come!

2. Having priorities means making sacrifices. I don’t think we can have it all. That’s maybe not a popular opinion, but I think it helps us to realize that we must focus our priorities on what we really want to achieve.

3. I’m more of an introvert than I thought. Being surrounded by people or being “on” for a certain amount of time tires me more than it used to. I find more peace in the quiet by myself, but I don’t think anyone is extroverted or introverted all the time. I think it’s more about striking a balance between the two in a given day or week. So maybe your extroverted job means you need more introverted personal time or vice versa. Maybe your introverted self loves a party every once in a while to change things up or your extroverted self loves reading a book. Finding what your preferences and needs are allows you to seek out the people and/or the extra space when needed, and I think that is such a valuable lesson.

p.s. That picture? Yeah…it had nothing to do with any of these three. Just a picture from this week with my favorite guy.

Thursday Three

September 10, 2015September 10, 2015Samantha Gratton

It’s been an entire week! How? How?! The week has gone fast but the days have been long and tiring. I hate the overuse of the word “busy”, so recently I’ve taken to saying that we are in a very full season in life right now. It’s a good season with a lot of great things, but full can be overwhelming and stressful just the same.

1. Prep work doesn’t look flashy. A lot of my days and weeks recently have been preparing for the long-term–whether in writing, working, blogging, or relationships. There’s a reason you don’t often buy tickets to watch sports teams practice or attend musical rehearsals. I’m in that hard work behind-the-scenes phase, but don’t have much to show for it.

2. Birthdays are the best (when they aren’t yours). I think most people feel a little weird on their birthdays past the age of 13. There’s a mix of expectation and disappointment and introspective thinking that hit you all at once. Lucky for me, it was the hubby’s birthday so I had a grand ‘ole time inviting people over for a surprise ice cream get-together to celebrate another year of his life.

3. Summer is for side trips. Most years it seems we take our week-long trips in the fall or spring (it’s so much cheaper that way), but we try to squeeze in a day or two of exploring or rest throughout the summer. After spending one weekend near the mountains and this past weekend at the beach, we’re grateful for the many opportunities to see some natural beauty in our state and glad we got to spend some time with family.

This Week’s Three

September 4, 2015Samantha Gratton

It’s Friday, and I’m just now getting to the weekly recap. Whoops. Here’s a few questions that I think are worth asking…

1. Do you have to? Sometimes you have a lot to do but then realize you don’t have to do it and really need to take a nap or call a good friend instead. A lot of this week I’ve been stressed out by my to-do list, only to step back and see that only a small fraction of it had to be done by the deadline I had given myself. There’s usually something that can wait a day and take a backseat to the things that are really important.

2. Did you take the chance you had? All summer long I’ve said we’ll get to a baseball game. A simple and small thing, but it didn’t happen last summer and here we are at the end of the season. With a packed weekend ahead, Monday night was our last chance, and I’m so glad we took it.

3. Who do you want to be like? I think we are each individuals with unique talents and dreams, but I also think we are greatly influenced by those around us. This weekend, my three-year-old niece wanted her hair to match mine, regardless of what it looked like. As we get older, that admiration may take a different form, but I think there’s still value in it. If there’s someone who you appreciate or respect, it’s worth realizing what it is about them that you would like to learn from and work towards. Maybe it’s their values, commitment, skills, work ethic or wisdom. Who are those people in your life? Are they the right people to learn from? What is it that you admire most?

Thursday Three

August 27, 2015Samantha Gratton

What a long and interesting week it has been. Hard to sum up, but I’d hate to leave you hanging, so let’s talk about this week’s three.

1. Sometimes you have to say yes and sometimes you have to say no. The more I need to say no, the more I realize I care too much about what people think. Saying yes often looks more adventurous, but saying no (when necessary) looks boring or lame.

2. Writing takes time. Lately, I’ve been really trying to branch out with my writing and have sent off pieces to a few new places. This week a slightly re-worked blog post on Freelancers Union and a guest post about Argentina showed up, while a few other pieces were submitted. I’ve loved the challenge and welcome the opportunity, but have noticed a decline in posts on my own blog. So bear with me as I continue to find the right balance.

3. Change is hard. Some people love change while others say they hate it. In reality, it’s all about context, but regardless of good or bad, change is hard. Transitioning from one thing to another is difficult. You say goodbye to the old and welcome something new. A new job, a new friend, a new routine, a new role, a new home, a new challenge–the new can be exciting and/or terrifying, but it takes a lot of getting used to. Sometimes during that process we either cling too tightly to the old or are too quick to dismiss all that was good about the old in hopes of better embracing the new. Lately, there’s been a lot of change…slow and subtle change, yet simultaneously way too fast and all at once. I’ve felt some resistance, some excitement, and a bit overwhelmed in it all. The best I can do is appreciate the life I’ve had and look forward to what is to come.

This Week’s Three

August 14, 2015Samantha Gratton

Yep, I failed at writing my Thursday Three on Thursday, so this will have to do. It’s been a full week, lots of good and a bit of not-so-good, but by the end of each day, I feel spent and then I realize I can’t do it all.

1. The less you have, the less you lose. There are times we all want more. More feels good and makes us feel like we have more worth and must have accomplished more to acquire more. But living with less means you rely on less, so when something happens it doesn’t carry as great of an impact. This week I got rear-ended so my car is super scratched up (it’s a long story and kind of strange) and our air conditioning went out. The good news is, we don’t have fancy cars, and we don’t own our home. So, the car might just look like that for now. And thankfully, we don’t have to pay for the A/C to get fixed as renters. In the meantime, we were supplied a small window unit to cool our home which might not have cut it, but thankfully we keep our home at a balmy 81 degrees in the summer so we hardly felt a difference.

2. Being active is awesome. I don’t have a gym membership, I don’t have a set fitness routine and I don’t have any shakes to sell. I do try to live an active lifestyle though, so instead of meeting for coffee I might say “let’s go on a walk”, and I’m always up for a bike ride or a game of tennis. This week included all of those things, and I loved every second of it, despite the North Carolina humidity.

3. School supply season is always a little inspirational. I may have spent far too long wandering the aisles of crayons, pencils and erasers this week. I carefully chose a planner and a new notebook and thought of all the days to come. It’s the start of a new season and regardless of how many years it has been since I’ve been a student, I always think of fall as the start of a new year. New pens and planner in hand, I’m ready for it!

Thursday Three

August 6, 2015August 7, 2015Samantha Gratton

Every hour in my day seems to fly on by and suddenly it’s Thursday. I feel like I can’t keep up with the clock…it just keeps going. Whew. Welcome to the (almost) weekend. You made it!

1. Growing up is like growing a garden. We’ve loved having a garden this summer–there’s nothing quite like some fresh tomatoes and basil (with cheese, of course). We’ve expanded this year’s garden to also include okra, spinach, cucumber, kale and a few herbs. But let me just say, it takes work. It requires daily attention, cutting out the bad and elements completely outside of our control (like good weather and no rabbits). In the same way, personal growth and development takes time and effort, working through and eliminating the bad and faithfully waiting through the variables we simply cannot control. A garden is the perfect reminder of that process.

2. We all have strengths and talents. Mine just happens to be writing incredible to-do lists. While you may never see me performing that in a talent show, it’s still pretty significant and can help out the people around me. So, use your talent. Even if it doesn’t belong in a frame or on a stage, it can still make an impact.

3. Rest is important. We live in a culture that praises busy and expects constant work. The problem is, that’s not sustainable, healthy or necessary. Yes, use your strengths but also, set aside time for rest. You can and should take some time to rest every day, every week, every month and every year. Take a break. It’ll be okay.

Thursday Three

July 30, 2015Samantha Gratton

It’s that time. Time for the weekend to be here and time to look back on the past week. Let’s do it.

1. You are stronger than you think you are. Put that on a cat poster. This week a friend of ours invited us to use his guest pass at a local climbing gym, and it was pretty awesome. I’m short and clumsy, so rock climbing may not be best suited for someone like me, but I went anyway. The majority of the time we were bouldering (read: no ropes), so I was hesitant to get very high or make bold leaps. By the end of the night though I had taken more risks and walked away with pleasantly sore arms and blistered hands as my reward. Worth it.

2. Ask for help anyway. It’s not dumb to ask for help. We all have stressful things happening from time to time and it’s okay (or even good) to ask a friend for help when you need it. Or just to listen. Sometimes listening is more helpful than anything.

3. Reflect a little. Take a quick summary of the things happening in your life. You might be surprised at how much is going your way. There might still be bad and hard and ugly, but it’s important to see life as a whole sometimes and not get bogged down by the details, good or bad. Oh my gosh, and don’t let me tell you how to live your life. These are some of the things I tell myself…and if you want to listen that’s up to you.

Thursday Three

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015Samantha Gratton

This was a week of simply being, so I’ve got three things to be more often.

1. Be willing. Some opportunities are there, you just have to be willing to take them. This is definitely one of those, you-never-know-what-could-happen kind of things…but for real…you never know. I took a chance this week on a few of those opportunities. Not sure how they’ll turn out, but so glad to know that I went for it anyway. Sometimes it’s just a matter of extending the invitation, hitting the submit button or doing that thing you said you were going to do ages ago.

2. Be thoughtful. Who is someone that wants to hear from you right now? Who can you be a good friend to or how can you brighten someone’s day?

3. Be spontaneous. I’m a big planner so spontaneity is something I enjoy but not something that always happens. The highlight of my week by far was this impromptu, dressed up date night. When you realize you have an old Groupon, and you’re pretty hungry at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night, it’s suddenly an adventure.