What is your “go-to” Starbucks order?
A grande, hot, chai tea latte and a bacon gouda breakfast sandwich (if it is close to breakfast or lunch time).
This combo was something I craved (and was actually able to keep down) during my both of my pregnancies. And even now, is one of those comfort food combinations that’s like a hug. It’s perfect to get on a chilly, overcast day. Or in the summer. (Though, sometimes I’ll sub a passionfruit tea for the chai if I’m feeling it.)
Write about a habit you are trying to change.
It’s fitting that this prompt came up today, as I am one chapter away from finishing the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. (Which, is a wonderfully FANTASTIC book that has already helped me reframe my ‘all-or-nothing’ way of thinking and has SIGNIFICANTLY impacted my W.O.T.Y. (word of the year) journey with PROGRESS. (Honestly, it helped me pick my WOTY in the first place!)
I have about 5 habits I’m actively working to change this summer:
I am using a combination of a habit tracker (a sheet of paper I can check off each day as I complete my new habit) as well as earning rewards after a certain number of days in a row. (Star Wars merch I’ve been wanting, Olive and June nail polish (it’s the BEST), etc, etc.)
I’m hopeful it will go well… but successful or not, I’ll update at the end of the summer!
What are FIVE ways your spouse won your heart?
List FIVE songs you’re loving right now:
Discuss FIVE weird things you like.
List five places you’ve never been, but would like to visit.
Someday… I’m going to experience these places.
Write about something that is part of your routine that you enjoy.
I absolutely love the ritual of making a cup of tea. It is something I do at LEAST once a day… usually more. This isn’t something I’ve spent a great deal of thought or time on, and it isn’t structured or mandatory… it just kind of happens and has evolved over the years.
While I make breakfast, I select a mug (out of my continually growing collection) that fits with the theme, mood, or event of the day. (I have mugs I love to use on rainy days, snowy days, a watermelon colored mug for summer, Disney Starbucks mugs when I’m feeling nostalgic, Denver Broncos and Sumo mugs for game/tournament days… etc., etc.) Usually, the tea I pick for the morning is black tea like English Breakfast or Yorkshire Gold. Occasionally I am in the mood for Japanese genmaicha (the BEST green tea with toasted rice) or Good Earth’s Sweet & Spicy. Anything usually works for this morning cup…as long as it has a bit of caffeine.
Sometime around 2 or 3 pm… sometimes earlier, sometimes a bit later… I’ll have an afternoon cup of tea. Depending on what my energy level is looking like, sometimes I’ll have Earl Grey or another choice from the morning caffeine selection. If I use a tea cup, this is usually the time I do that. Occasionally, I’ll try to have a small treat with it too. It’s fun to feel fancy and slightly formal in the middle of a regular day.
At bedtime, I LOVE a good cup of peppermint tea! I’ve also got other caffeine free herbal teas in my stash… when I feel like mixing it up. I’ve got a few small mugs (5 – 6 oz) that I use for my evening tea. I may, or may not, have learned (the hard way) that a large mug of tea before bed guarantees a middle-of-the-night bathroom visit.
I love my tea so much, that when I travel… I usually take an electric kettle and tea cup with me!! It’s just such a fun way to slow down, take a few minutes to rest, and enjoy something tasty.
What are your top 3 pet peeves?
(In no particular order.)
I could spend more time giving examples of all of these… but I’m not in the mood to dwell on negative things today. (*Someone* woke up with some great motivation to get things done… and I’m not gonna waste it!)
–Write about a piece of advice someone gave you that you’ve never forgotten.
In case I haven’t mentioned it in a while… my dad is a retired USAF Lt. Colonel who piloted fighter jets. Throughout his Air Force career, he got to know some really neat people and became good friends with some of them. One guy in particular visited our home a handful of times. I don’t remember his name, but he was one of those quiet, smart, and genial men, who was either in the service at one point and then worked in intelligence, or was a government contractor with one of the intelligence branches (think: top secret/confidential).
While most of my memory about him is fuzzy… there was one evening during my senior year of high school that he stayed in our home. I vividly remember we were waiting for dinner to be served and while we waited… my dad, this man (let’s call him “Lou”), and I were talking in the living room. “Lou” was sharing some fun stories about his life… experiences he’d had, famous people he’d met. I was completely fascinated.
It was during that conversation that he gave me some advice I have tried my best to live by: “Say yes to new experiences… as often as you can.”
And no… he didn’t mean illegal things, or things that would harm (like drugs). He just meant, if an opportunity to travel somewhere new, or try a new hobby, or meeting new people presented itself… “Say yes.”
It was that advice (along with God’s peace and provision) that helped me push passed fear and insecurity when new things DID present themselves.
Like the time I said “yes” to going on a mission trip to Japan with my university. Which lead me to meet someone in the JET programme… to which I applied and was accepted… which led to to my first job after college graduation and a life changing experience living and working in Japan for a year.
And saying “yes” to being a camp counselor in Texas during two of my college summers… even though I lived in Colorado… and that meant I had to drive (by myself) almost 1,000 miles one way… WITHOUT a GPS device or smartphone technology (or even good cell phone reception on many of the state highways), or cruise control (my purple Suzuki Swift was SO basic). Nevermind the impactful life lessons, new skills learned (sailing/high ropes/etc), and amazing people I met working at camp itself. I felt like I could do ANYTHING after that first solo drive.
Or when my college roommate and I went to San Francisco for Spring Break our junior year of college, stayed with her uncle (who works for the national park service and knew all the best places to go and visit), and spontaneously signed up to be an extra in a tv show that was filming in Los Angeles… and the crazy drive down there and back (a 24 hour trip)… but getting to meet (and HUG!) Dean Cain, Jeremy Sumpter, and saying hi to Christopher Lloyd in passing… (and getting to watch all of them act… and getting to see what it looks like to be on a real tv set…) It was more than I had thought I would get to experience in my life!
To be fair… all of these examples are from my college days. It was definitely easier to “say yes” before I got married and had kids… now there are more things to consider: time restraints of school, work, finances… and just my own personal energy to do things… sometimes the answer isn’t “yes”, it’s “not right now” and sometimes… the answer is “no”. But just because I don’t get to say “yes” as often as I’d like, doesn’t mean that I haven’t made AMAZING memories when I can! Some of these are grand and travel related, some are relational, some are seemingly minor… like changing a part of our daily routine to spontaneously get happy meals or ice cream. All are meaningful.
“Lou”, I am eternally grateful for the advice… I’ve never forgotten it!
Delighting In Each Moment 