Honor: Your Parents.

"do you want to do something radical? 

honor your father & mother."

-tweeted by @fortodaymattie 

I read that and stopped to evaluate my own relationship with my parents. 

Here they are:

aren't they cute? 

I love them.

A lot. And there are no words that can express how extremely grateful I am for them. 

But yes.. there are times when we disagree. 

There are times when they're mad at me.

And times when I'm not really happy with them.

It's not the most perfect relationship in the world - mine & theirs ... 

But it's not bad either. Ups & downs ... we all have them!

But in the midst of all that - I am learning what it means to honor them no matter the disagreement, no matter the circumstance, no matter whatever. 

They love me a lot. And I love them a lot too. 

They have done everything to get me where I am right now.. all the while raising 5 other kids, tending to the needs of extended family & friends and working on their own lives.  

That's amazing. 

No matter where you stand with your parents - it's clear:

Honor your parents that it may go well with you...

I am a strong believer that when you honor the people that brought you into this world - you will live a FULL, abundant & overwhelmingly joyful life. 

You HAVE to love that. 

Recap.

If you didn't know, sorry you missed out - yesterday was free Slurpee day at 7-11 ! I don't know about you, but Slurpees bring back SO many childhood memories. They were definitely a staple "fun drink" in my childhood. 

My favorite flavor is cherry & grape. 

What's your favorite?

*New pair of sunglasses. Thank you H&M for making cute, cheap things. 

Yesterday, we celebrated my brother in law's birthday at Jimmy's! I had never been before, so to walk in and see peanut shells all over the ground - it shocked me. You walk in and there are barrels of peanuts - you grab a bowl - fill 'er up - and start throwing those peanut shells on the ground. Craziness. 

The food was delicious! If you go - definitely get the Crawfish Chowder. Everyone in my family all can attest - it's the best chowder we've ever tasted yet! 

And their rolls - dangerously delicious. 

Funny conversation having to do with their signature rolls & peanuts.

Dad to waiter: "I love your buns."

Mom to waiter: "And I love your peanuts."

*Everyone dies laughing. 

Poor waiter... 

This morning I made brown rice blueberry muffins. 

So incredibly fluffy & yummy. And super easy to make. That's always a plus.

Recipe here at Hey That Tastes Good! 

And look at this! The family I babysit for on Thursdays (yes, another one of my million jobs) got me a little 'thank you' gift. Isn't that sweet? 

Their friends make it and its one of their signature wines. I can't wait to taste it! 

Today has been a great Thursday so far! 

Hoping your day is just as loverrrly. 

And since it's Throwback Thursday, here's a little treat. 

I wonder what they were thinking when they put me in that outfit. 

West Seattle 5k.

Today is a big deal for me.

I've never ran an actual race before.

Today, I ran with one the of mommas in my life - Mary and my sister Theresa.

And it was a blast!  

pre-race:

look at all those people!

paparazzi was out there! (one of my other best friends, elisa, was snappin' photos)

we did it! 

we earned our shirts :)

And now... I'm signing up for a 10k in August.

Also hoping to do a couple more 5ks in between now & then.

And doing the Warrior Dash in September.

Good Lord Almighty. 

Insta-Friday

I've found myself eating at Freshy's 3 days in a row this week. If you're ever in West Seattle, head over there {you may run into me face buried in a book, over to the left - chompin' down on a salad}. Its that good. 

I love living so close to the market. Going down there early enough to watch people set up their booths, fresh smell of pastries being baked and flowers being put out. Sounds whimsical, right? Well... it is. And it's the life that I get to live :)

And thank you Jesus for the AMAZING weather! Ice cream weather. Step out side with an ice cream that starts to melt right away kind of weather. I love it. 

But unfortunately for us Seattleites, it ends this weekend. Back to rain next week. 

It's

Friday, Friday! 

Happy, happy Friday! 

xoxo.

Mind Ya' Business.

‎"Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people's, if we are always criticizing trivial actions - which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives." - St Teresa

She couldn't have said it better.

If we don't know where someone is at in their life, why they do the things they do, what's really going on with them, their story - then we really shouldn't feel entitled to sharing what we think about them.

I've seen a lot of people shut down because of what people have thoughtlessly said to them. I've seen a lot of people isolate themselves because of what others have "confronted" them with. And all in of the name of God. 

Yeah. Sad, right? 

And we wonder why there are so many people that are cold, hopeless & feel unloved. 

Let's take a look at our own words - what we are saying to people.

Let's take a look at our thoughts - we what think we know about the person we're judging.

Let's take a look at our actions - just because we think we're doing the right thing, doesn't always mean it's right.

In a day and age where a lot of things are all over the internet - Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Instagram, etc. I do strongly believe that the virtue of "minding your own business" is STILL very important. 

Where we have no say.... we simply have no say. 

If you're reading this, I'd like you to think about the words you speak to people. They're powerful.

Powerful enough to make or break someone. 

"...to make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs..."

1 thess. 4:11

The Mommas.

Here are all the lovely mommas in my family. 

They're amazing.

Each one of them.

Amazing sisters. And my mom - she's the most amazing. {I'm sure all my sisters would agree}

I'm blessed to have these ladies in my life.

Happy Mommas Day. 

WDYWT: Babysitting Edition.

Thursdays are my babysitting days.

I get to hang out with this guy:

That's Baby J.

He's a hoot.

And to hang out with this guy... you need to be comfy.

So. Here's my comfy outfit.

AE Jeans. 

*I never really shop there, but went in the other day, these jeans were super cheap & they're probably my favorite jeans I've ever owned. 

Old Navy sweater.

North Face Vest. 

Pink Converse.

I hope you have a day during the week to get your comfy on! :)