a face lift

Hello. Thank you for being patient while I spent the last six months gathering my thoughts and taking a break from the blogging world. A lot has changed since my last post- we'll get to that later. I decided it was time for a little spring clean up and a fresh face to the blog, hence the new title. With my time away, and (most recently with Blake traveling for work) time to myself, I spent some time reflecting on things I was focusing my time and efforts into, and come the end of the day, how they were leaving me feeling- empty and exhausted. I then took some time to get to the root of the matter, which only left me feeling ashamed and wasteful. It all could only mean one thing: All these things I was focusing on was only a reflection of my heart. I was so busy focusing on things of this world and trying so hard to make people happy, that I was wearing myself thin, and giving my Savior the tail end of my life- which was next to nothing by the end of a routinely busy day. And this broke my heart, because I have been giving Him nothing while He has been showering my life with blessings beyond all measure. And I have been far from grateful. This called for a reevaluation of my time and an elimination of daily duties and a reprioritzation of new priorities. The top of my list: To find a quiet place. A quiet place brings my mind and heart into alignment with a Savior aching for my attention and my time. There I can listen to His voice and enjoy the one thing I was made to crave, a real relationship and dialogue with Him. It sounds so easy when put so simply, but again, for me, it's not a cake walk if Im not disciplining myself to find the stillness in that quiet place.

mills lake

i don't even know where to begin... so much has happened here in Colorado. i'm about to throw up a lot of posts in the next few days, just so i feel good about myself and this blog. i don't want to skimp any seasons we go through out here in Fort Collins. they're all so magical...really. 


for starters, i finally got a job. while i was searching and searching for an architecture job, and getting no bites, i decided i needed to jump outside that box. With the help of some friends in our church, the Lord opened a door and i was able to snag a customer service job at Otterbox. for those of you who aren't familiar with Otterbox, i'll sum it up for you... based out of Fort Collins, they design cell phone covers, and they're so popular, you may have one and not even realize it. you might be thinking... customer service? but listen here folks: I LOVE MY JOB! 


Absolutely. Love. It.


working customer service at Otterbox, is right up there with working for customer service at google or pixar. the environment is impeccable. yes... "impeccable." we're not a company. we're a family.. and i can feel that everyday when i go to work. i have the pleasure of talking to wonderful people..and not so wonderful people, but it's amazing the power i have to completely transform someone's day. for example:


i spent about 20 minutes on the phone just this week, with a man named lee, who wanted to get some latches replaced on his Otterbox dry box. he was in his early 60's: a father, kayaker, and loving husband. he chatted with me as if i was his own daughter. as the conversation carried on, he shared that the otterbox he was getting new latches for, had been a christmas gift from his 30 year old daughter, who had since recently passed away from a 4 year battle with melanoma. we talked about her life, and how she loved running marathons... we talked about my love for running, and how i'll never run a marathon. he expressed he hopes to run one in honor of her one day. i even caught him choking up as he spoke of her several times. he was so thankful i replaced his case's latches..that's it. that's all i did, and he was deeply moved by the gesture. 


later that night, at home, i couldn't help but replay our conversation in my head. crying, as i shared the story with blake, i told him that i felt like i needed to do something a little special for Lee's family. while at work the next day, i contacted my boss, shared the story with him, and with that, he gave me free reign to come up with something creative to do for them, at the expense of the company. 


flower's are being delivered to lee's house tomorrow.


i don't care if i ever hear from lee again, but it's conversations with people like lee that make me absolutely love and appreciate my job. we made his day just with a latch replacement. you won't believe the reactions we get from people when we send them full case replacements. we make their day, and that makes mine. 


so that's the update on my job. now to back track a bit and share a little bit of Colorado's beauty with you. in early october, barrett came to visit us for a long weekend, so we decided to head up rocky mountain national park with cori and john, and hit the trails to Mill's Lake.

bulla, we really loved having you come visit! 

fall wreath complete.

i know fall is still the season of the south, from what i can remember about southern seasons, but it's completely disappeared from co, for sure. so i figured i'd post my fall wreath in all its glory. happy winter to my co peeps... and happy fall ya'll in the south!  

wreath woes.

i've always been SOOOO unmotivated to put a wreath up on my front door. couple of reasons why: 1) i'm really really really picky and critical when it comes to selecting wreaths. i don't prefer a wreath with a lot of stuff on it- i like my wreaths clean and contemporary. sleek. modern. the problem: you don't come across many of these kind. 2) i spent so much time looking at lovely wreaths for sale and the hefty price tag that went with them and got to thinking that i would never be able to afford my own wreath, ever. 3) when i did stumble upon some good diy wreath ideas, i never could conjure up the time to make one... but, alas, with my 12 hour work weeks these days, i have plenty of time on my hands- not to mention, a husband who travels a lot for work. and being alone with a lot of time on my hands does not make for a good combination.


so, i've decided to craft a wreath for the halloween/thanksgiving season. and depending the outcome, i may just have to craft one for christmas as well. we'll see.....


now for some inspiration

my favorite

{side note: i've decided my blog is in need of a name change. and i'm stumped... anyone have any creative ideas?}