Yes (wo)Man

Last year one of my unconscious goals was to become more generous. With time, money, myself; whatever in my power to give. This summer, I just started voicing this goal in prayer and began to extend myself a bit more and a bit more and now apparently I am bat@#$% crazy. I'm sort of not understanding who this new me is, but I'm planning to roll with it. I am, in point of fact, saying yes to everything asked of me these days. Need a volunteer? Sure! Need me to bring over dinner? Why, of course! Need a gift for a teen mom? (I've seen Teen Mom and it without fail causes me heart palpitations...) So YES, yes, and yes.
In no way am I a crabby hermit, but I have in the past been a fierce defender of my alone time, the over-extended, and against schedule-induced insanity. One of the greatest lessons I learned from my mom is that you can make your own schedule and limit was causes you stress. She doesn't wear a watch. Etcetera.
However, I realized this past year that this philosophy which is for the most part a positive thing was limiting my generosity. Not really Christ-like and while there is a season for everything; finding the balance between self-preservation and good works is a constant.
So that said, need something?
It's the perfect time to call...

Bemusings: On Honesty & Authenticity

This theme keeps popping up and I have long since given completely up on the idea of coincidences. So in the (Holy) spirit of God moving in my life, I'll bemuse for a bit on the topic. Recently I have had two friends wear their hearts on their sleeves, which I suppose in this modern world is the equivalent of posting said heart on their respective blogs. Though their themes are in some ways the same, they both wrote with grace and authenticity; without apologies or excuses or cover-ups and for that alone among many other things: I am lucky to call them a friend. Here is Becca's story; Here is Anne's.
Reading these stories has made me dig a trench even deeper into this concept of becoming truly authentic. I am a firm believer that as we share and rejoice in our inequities; Christ is magnified. His work can now be seen, because he has rescued us from loneliness and isolation; little deaths all on their own. Isolation kills our spirit each minute we play a party to it. There is a fine line between being private (which there is certainly a place for) and being ashamed.
While we're on the topic, I believe there is a distinction between being honest vs. being authentic. Honesty, while inherently good can double as a front for self absorption, verbal diarrhea, and the like. Want some honesty? I love tulips, my favorite color is green, I don't like showers, my favorite song is Wild Horses, oh and two days ago my three year old gave my 7 month old a black eye by throwing a block directly at her face from across the playroom. But I digress...
Authenticity involves having faith; it is expressing who you are and what's going on with grace and truth without using that truth as a crutch. I desire to be real, really who I am. Giving myself grace while still moving forward and growing in Christ. Is this all possible? I believe it's the authentic version of "having it all."
Yours truly,

Trick or Treat...started out: Trick

We were wondering where all the little goblins and gouls were? This is Halloween right? Dusk, no one. Hmm...
And then all of a sudden: MAD rush! We (again) had a wonderful time with Stendera's! The chipettes ran from house to house gathering candy like it was going out of style. Here are my favorite shots of All Hallows Eve. Enjoy!
Happy Halloween, everyone!

Halloween Humor

Honestly. I could NOT ask for a funnier, sweeter friend from high school. This is Manzo, one of my favorite favs. She is one of my best friends from home and comes up with THE best costumes at Halloween. She sent me these and I am dying. Can you get over them? She says she enjoys wearing costumes that allow her to carry around a little white dog...I'm thinking she loves to pretend to be mentally unstable? BINGO.
Two years ago: Michael Jackson. I really think the stuffed tiger adds the perfect ambiance, last year the creepy villain from The Silence of the Lambs (please note the bucket AND lotion she's carrying; also got to love my other BFFs from high school here too: shout out to Pfau who truly does Flavor Flav justice) and then this year's awesomeness: Mugatu from Zoolander! (That's her boyfriend Joe as Zoolander...). I am now positive her outfits will be a regular Halloween post:



Maybe you might not know her, but after seeing these, don't you want to? ugh. Love her.

Halloween Preview

Introducing the Chipettes and Alvin (i.e. the roadie? Frontman? Not sure). More to come...

Carving Party

The girls and I did our pumpkin carving today! We almost always paint them instead of just carve; it's more my comfort zone. Aside from Harper's meltdowns at not being involved (sorry Harp, babies don't get to use a paint brush here) it was fun!

Mahalo

Thankful. That's what I am right now as I type this. We celebrated FIVE years of marriage this week in paradise! Time to relax, reconnect, and take stock. We had a wonderful time in Hawaii and of course like every time we've been; it was too short, but safe to say I am excited for June when we all go back as one big Bell/Birky/DJones family! Highlights of the trip?
The sun
The coconut shrimp at Aloha Mixed Plate
The hike (oh, don't worry it was like 6 miles, yikes!)
Time to simply read a whole book and watch a whole movie AND discuss it.
When the long boarder going full speed was hit by the car door (double yikes!)
When Ty said to me: "Chels, if you want James Bond, the Daniel Craig version; you'll have to get used to me wearing shorter swim trunks." (where upon I promptly reminded him we are not European...)
AND lastly, how we can just be you and me.
Below are my favorite pictures of our time together (sorry, there are many!):