printable is downloadable as a pdf or jpg and is sized to be able to be sized down or up depending on how big or small you would like this in your home! it is mint/black colored and uses various fonts. I will soon design some in neutral colors with one font (different options) and be selling those very soon! enjoy! please let me know what you think and in which room of your house this will hang :)
xo
Kris
Recently I have found that the word "goodbye" holds so much more weight than I would prefer to give it. I have also found that it is a word I have grown to really hate-it's causing a lot of tears these last few weeks.
I think it's pretty common news Chris and I are moving to Texas…Wednesday. We leave on a 6:30 am flight and will be Texan's by 11:00 am CA time. People keep asking me…is it surreal? Scary? Weird? Exciting? Are you nervous? Are you sad? Yes. Yes. and yes to all of the above. We knew since last fall this was a plan in the works and by spring time of this year we knew God confirmed all of our prayers for answers, guidance, peace and location. Some of you may not know the true heartbeat behind this move and many are wondering (Texas?? Really..?).
I guess I will just start with-kids [your kids] change everything. Mayah has changed me in more ways than I can ever explain and she is my world. And with our second baby on the way, we know that with these blessings we call Mayah and Aria, come new dreams and hopes. Not so much for us, but for them. And while I would love to be able to afford my children every dream we have for them and those that will grow within their own hearts here, reality hits and we know some goals just aren't suited to thrive in the California market. I want to stay home with my babies while they are little and soaking up this new world. We plan to plug into a dynamic and spirit led church and grow within the body. I long to connect with women over the things of God and minister to them. My husband has dreams of writing a book, speaking across the nation and world for that matter and we have goals within our ministry and personal life we've yet to share. In trying to make a long story short, much of what we feel God has placed in our hearts and the values we have and plans we have-Texas seemed to be a very attainable and worth while avenue. So we have prayed and prayed and prayed. And asked for prayer, prayed some more and felt God speak. And with how amazingly only God could work, every tiny detail of this process has just been seemless-we would have been foolish to say "no" because it was the harder road emotionally.
I know our friends and family would never ask us to give "this" up and we know with certainty that God has called us to Texas. And so, we walk in faith. Our house has sold and like only the favor of God can prove it's been a huge blessing. We don't have a house yet in Texas. Chris doesn't have a job and we've sold our cars and many of our furnishings. I grow more sad to leave my loved ones as time ticks closer to our departure, but I know we go with love and support. We have friends willing to host us while we look for our dream home which God has made a way for us to afford. Chris has interviews lined up the day after we arrive and we get to purchase new cars for our growing family as soon as we arrive. And while the sadness I feel for how much I am going to miss our friends and family is very real, so much so that it makes me feel like I am making the biggest mistake of my life; I have no fear. God is with us. We are allowing him to lead us and as long as we have each other we will be alright.
Leaving those I have spent my entire life with and the only place I have ever lived and known to call "home" does feel surreal. To leave it all and not be able to see these precious people daily or weekly and sit and talk face to face--it feels unnatural. When I think about how much I am going to miss everyone it makes me not want to go. I try to not get emotional in the presence of others because once I start I just cannot stop. This is just the hard part of this process and I know we have to get through this. Lately, I cry a lot on my own and let it out when I can. Truth be told much of my mind is occupied by everything we need to do to move, get there and what will go into finding our home and preparing for this new baby. I get preoccupied. But when they leave my home, when we hug goodbye and the door closes. The solitude is evident and I realize what is happening. I am saying so long to a very big part of my life but find confidence in what we are trying to create for our girls. The opportunities we strive to pave the way for and the God centered life above all else-we owe it to them and ourselves. I am very excited for this next chapter in our life. I can't wait to get started and I feel blessed to have this opportunity.
I don't like "goodbye's". The finality of them make me uneasy and honestly it isn't realistic. I plan to continue to share life with you guys. My heart is heavy because of how much I will miss everyone, but I feel beyond privileged to have known and loved friends and family that make it so hard to say goodbye…
So I won't say it...I won't say goodbye. This is just "be seeing you" and I love you, I love you, I love you.
...
Of all the beautiful things I have ever beheld, all pale in comparison the little wonder that is my girl. My 30 inch, 20 pound, one year old blessing. She is strong willed, hilarious, adventurous, sweet and loving. She fears nothing and loves unconditionally. And of all the wonderful things I could say about her and all the ways I can build her up and encourage the amazing little thing she is becoming, I know some day my baby girl will encounter the hurtful side of words and my heart breaks.
Words were meant for edification, encouragement, support and love. We were made to speak life and positivity; truth and destiny. My heart is that she would never ever be torn down by anyone, especially another girl. Sadly, the truth is that many use their words to hurt others and I can't say I blame them for that behavior, at least not the full blame. The media encourages bad girl-on-girl behavior and hate. Gossip, slander, name calling, lies, deceit, disregard and lack of self control are taught by the television and movies our daughters watch. Poor body image, low self-esteem and self pity are side effects of reading magazines geared toward girls (or women for that matter). Music demeans women and values we should cling to. Bullying in schools seems to be more and more prevalent and has been carried into parts of the cyber world parents can't keep up with.
Every female alive no matter their ethnicity, social status or age has experienced some sort of pain that comes from the syllables that escape another's mouth.
Ugly.
Stupid.
Unwanted.
Useless.
Fat.
Weird.
Loner.
Loser.
Worthless.
Fake
Nobody.
And more labels I cannot bear to type out, for I know the little eyes that might come across this post.
You know what? Words hurt. They cut deep and last a lifetime for some. They are spoken by strangers, so called friends, family members and even mothers. Groomed to think social gossip and the occasional dis is just a part of "being a girl", too many young ladies are taught that it is acceptable and normal. My own experience at the receiving end of harsh talk still stings sixteen years later.
Growing up I was skinny, small, lanky and shy. I had a big nose, crooked teeth, scrawny legs and chipped nail polish. I didn't know there was anything wrong with how I looked until I got to middle school and some of the popular girls made it their daily task to remind me just how ugly, unpopular and alone I was. I would spend breaks and lunches in a bathroom stall, eating my lunch next to someone doing their business. On field trips I was never picked to be anyone's "buddy" and in high school approaching school dances hurt because I knew no boy would ever ask or even look my way. My daily joy, confidence and purpose hung within the balances of the hurtful words spoken. Young lady, I know what it is like to feel as alone and invisible as possible. To be reduced to about 2 inches tall and sent hiding behind doors and under under my covers in tears because I felt so down on myself. I let them win.
To think that one day my precious, innocent daughter could possibly feel exactly how I and so many girls this very second feel...heartbreaking doesn't even begin to describe it. I cannot, I will not allow it. To the best of my ability I have to try and change this way of life so many have engrained in their minds. We need to teach our girls to go against what society has skillfully programmed and what many of us tend to teach without even trying. I forgo the nose job I so desperately wanted as a teenager, because I am so much more secure in myself now. And if my daughter should grow up to have the same nose as her mama and her mama, I don't want the nose job I got to tell her there is something wrong with her and we should fix it. I don't want the obsession with body image to trump the focus on who she is on the inside and how she treats others (and herself). I never want her to hate who she is or what she see's in the mirror. I never want her to make another girl feel badly about herself either.
My child is worth it. She is worth so much more...they are all worth so much more. We are all examples to the generation behind us whether we want to be or not; good or bad, right or wrong. My hope is that we learn to model what it is to support our sisters in life. That we show females how to speak good things over one another rather than tear each other down out of jealousy, hate, ignorance and hurt. We have a responsibility and we need to start now.
So if no one has ever told you...
You are beautiful. Really.
You are worth far more than the most valuable diamond anyone could find.
You do have so much to contribute to this world and there is a purpose and destiny there for you, you'd be amazed.
There is nothing wrong with your waist, chest or shoe size.
Rock those glasses.
Embrace those braces.
Your curls are fierce and that smile, infectious.
Freckles are beyond cute and your nose, hair, teeth, stomach and thighs are exactly how they should be.
There was no mistake made when the wonder that is you was created and you are a one of a kind beauty.
Fall is insanely close and since everyone around me seems to be "fall-ing" in up with their pumpkin spice lattes, boots and costume shopping, I decided to make a little "fall" happen for my own home. Here are some printables I designed and plan to hang in the house! Even though browns, oranges and maroons are typical fall colors, I kinda love the turquoise and tan! It's my favorite color :)
Anyway..if you want to display these as much as I do, I have added links so that you can download the whole set or just the ones you want! They are 300dpi png files which is a fancy techy way of saying they are hi res and good for printing and enlarging if you like (or scaling down if that's what you prefer). Enjoy! Let me know what you think!!
