Project 31: Day 8: Beauty Secret

Day 8. Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)? Share, please!

Wow. Not really. I should not be your go-to person on anything beauty/fashion/makeup related. I'm just not an expert, and I do my own thing.

I guess if I had one tip to give, it would be: sometimes mascara is all you need. Sometimes it's all you need to make you feel gorgeous on an average, ordinary day when you're just out running errands in jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe I'll post a picture later.

Project 31: Day 7: Melanie

Day 7. Write a blog to encourage another beautiful woman.

I've been praying about who God would have me write to encourage. The same beautiful woman comes to mind each time. I am beginning to understand what it means for God to lay people on your heart and that there is a reason for it. I have no idea why, but I'm pleased to write a little backstory about why and how she has encouraged me followed by a few words I have to say to her.

How We Met:

Melanie and I met and got to know each other summer 2007 at the campground where we both used to work in the housekeeping department. I'm the second on the left, and she's the one on the far right. We were at similar places in our lives at the time, and we had some great discussions. We both got engaged within weeks (it may have been more like days...I can't remember exactly) of each other. Well, the summer ended, but as people do, we added each other on Facebook to stay in touch. We didn't really converse a lot over that next year. She was a senior in college, and I was struggling getting my first "real job". It was fun, however, to watch each other wedding plan as our wedding dates were one week apart! After our weddings, I eventually discovered she had a blog, and though I hadn't started one yet at the time, I remember occasionally reading hers. I probably didn't comment much, but I enjoyed reading about the adventures of her and her husband.

The One with Her Blog That Has Encouraged Me :o)

Then she wrote this blog post about how her husband quit his job in a grad school program and how they were trusting God to provide for them with no real source of income. I remember reading how she wasn't freaking out. I knew that God must have been giving her a peace about it. I knew that was awesome and I definitely respected her for it, but I have to be honest, part of me still thought, Oh my goodness. It's so irresponsible to quit a job without another lined up. God will provide but you have to work hard. You can't just expect Him to drop money in your lap. Not that I was placing judgment on them. Like I said, I knew God would provide, but I guess I was freaking out for them just a little bit. I think knowing God will provide and being faced with having to totally rely on Him to provide are totally different things. I remember reading that to Nate. We commented that we could never do that, but on the other hand, good for them.

Well fast-forward two years. Melanie wrote this post about what had happened in the two years following and how Kevin wanted to be a pastor now, a decision he never would have made had he not originally quit his PhD program. God did a MAJOR work in me in the approximately two years in between these posts. For some reasons that were very important to me, I felt I needed to leave a job I really loved doing about seven months before I actually did leave. I had thought about it a lot. I had prayed about it. I had talked to my husband about it. We had prayed about it. I read what happened with Kevin and Melanie and was so encouraged. I remember sitting at McDonald's with my husband the day I quit my job and looking at Kevin and Mel as an example of trusting God to provide and what that really means practically. I absolutely could not believe we were considering something similar. I wanted God's will first and foremost. I was scared out of my boots, but I did it. God gave me a peace that I can't even describe to you. Nate and I both knew it was the right thing for me to do, but it was one of the scariest things I'd ever done.

Fast-forward another 5 months. In those few months, we experienced much frustration, much tightening on the finances, and many, many, many conversations about our future. In mid-December, God did a huge work in our lives. With very little warning, He basically dropped the perfect job (nanny for my niece AND freelance graphic designer) into my lap and in a matter of a week, we were moving to Texas. It was extremely sudden, but we knew with almost no doubt that it was what God wanted. For more info on this, you should probably read this and if your really bored and interested go ahead and read this too. My husband, Nate, had to quit his job and when our HSA (health savings account...a form of health insurance) runs out, we will have no health insurance. This trumps quitting my job as one of the scariest things I've done. Now suddenly, we were in Kevin and Melanie's shoes. We were doing some of the idiotic things for Christ* that they had done. They have been blessed beyond measure. God has taken their willing hearts and made something beautiful. Their ministry is flourishing. It is absolutely beautiful to watch.

The Part Where I Encourage Her

Melanie, dear, I want to thank you for writing from your heart. I want to thank you for using your God-given talents, your human quirky uniqueness, and your real life experiences for His glory. I love that you have a blog for your youth group. I love your transparency to your teens in your blog and in life. I can tell that you are a huge encouragement to them and a wonderful role model for them to look up to. Thank you for sharing your struggles and triumphs in your marriage. I smile when I think of you two working together, hand in hand, as a team. A healthy (not to be confused with perfect) marriage is so, so beautiful. Don't hate me when you read my initial reaction to Kevin's quitting his PhD program. I wanted to relate it because of the irony of how God has used my reaction to teach me more about Himself and to prepare me for others to react to me that way. I know he is preparing something for Nate and me that is the absolute best thing for us, and seeing your flourishing ministry encourages me whenever I start to doubt. I love how you share your struggles and triumphs with eating well and exercising. I love that you wear many hats and that you thrive in doing many different jobs when many people struggle juggling just one. I have no idea how the next two years will unfold for the Eccles or the Piatts, but I know God has some exciting things in store. I want to encourage you to keep doing what you're doing. Everyone has days they wonder if what they are doing really matters, and I just pray that this can be an encouragement to you in some small way. You're beautiful!

*Watch the sermon "Idiots for Christ" by Craig Groeschel via that link. Trust me, if God has ever asked you to do something crazy, you will be able to relate and will love this sermon. You can listen to the podcast instead if you prefer. :o)

Project 31: Day 6: Jaded Beauty

Day 6. Jaded beauty. Has the world's definition of beauty ever jaded you?

Not really. Ok, that's not true. But really, I don't have any dramatic stories of how I used to want to look like exactly like gorgeous celebrities in magazines and how I've overcome that. I don't have a specific story to relate. But I think as women, we all struggle with wanting to change our appearance to some degree. We aren't satisfied with the way we look. We're too heavy, too thin, too short, too tall, too light-skinned, too dark-skinned, too plain, too curvy, too flat-chested, too something. I don't know a woman of any age who doesn't want to change or improve herself physically in some way.

While sometimes that is a good thing, most of the time it's not. We put too much pressure on ourselves to change ourselves for the wrong reasons. We don't love the skin we're in. I was thinking about this while I was driving a few days ago, and I concluded that we aren't born with this view of ourselves. As small children, we couldn't care less how thin, tall, or tan we are. We play with our friends, oblivious to how their appearance compares to ours. But as we grow, we learn from our culture to start comparing ourselves to other women. And something happens that makes us want to be someone we're not.

My face is too round. My legs are too short. My ears are too small and flat. My nose turns up on the end and wiggles when I talk. My stomach is too flabby. My hips are too wide. I have weird combination skin (both dry and oily).

We all do it. The details may be different, but we all have issues with ourselves. But it takes strong encouragement from loving parents, husbands, friends, etc. to break us of this. It takes us learning to see ourselves as God's princesses and wanting to improve ourselves because we want to be more like Him, not because we compare ourselves to others and want to look like them. It has taken me a long time to learn that. I have learned to embrace the things I cannot change, or if not embrace them, ignore them. The things I can change, I have learned to improve them because it is what is best for me and not out of a desire to be someone I'm not.

Project 31: Day 5: Heart Alive

Day 5: Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.

I cannot even read this day's title without thinking of a specific individual. I know most people will write this about their husbands or about someone else very close to them. My husband has made my heart come alive, but I did not feel as though I should write this particular blog about him. Instead, I chose someone else who has very much influenced my life. The wording "your heart come alive" instantly puts the song, "Alive" by Rebecca St. James. The following lyrics especially:

You make me come alive
I found the secret
It’s only when I let go of what I want in this life
You make me come alive

Ever since I was about 13 years old, I've been a huge fan of Rebecca St. James. Her music, devotionals, testimony, concerts, etc. have influenced me more than any others. I asked Jesus into my heart and accepted his gift of salvation at a very young age, but it wasn't until I was about 13 that I really came alive. I got baptized at 13, and my spiritual life grew by leaps and bounds. I started prayer journaling, as influenced by her, and my prayer journals are among my most precious possessions.

Though she's not someone I actually "know" or someone who will ever read this, I would like to thank Rebecca St. James for following God's path for her life. She's been singing publicly since she was 14, that's almost 20 years now. She stands for what she believes and holds to that very strongly. It is so inspiring. I wish I could go out for coffee with her sometime and chat with her about life, wedding planning (she just got engaged over Christmas), and God. She is truly an amazing woman of God.

But since I can't sit down with her personally, I will let this blog serve as my thank you. She gave me someone positive to look up to, a beautiful, talented, great role model for my young, impressionable teenage life. She helped me see that a relationship with God is really what makes your heart come alive. But it doesn't stop there. She has emphasized these points so much in the past 15 years that I should have them memorized. 1) Dig into the Bible. 2) Pray. 3) Grab all the Christian friends you can. 4) Get rid of the junk in your life. 5) Get involved in church. I did those things. I'm still doing those things. Or at least learning how to keep doing those things through all of life's twists and turns. I'm so not perfect, but I'm thankful that my Jesus is. He loves me just the way I am. He is the source of my joy and my strength. He makes me come alive. Thank you, Rebecca, for showing me that.

*These are pictures that I have taken of Rebecca and as such are my property. Please do not take them and use them for anything without asking me first. Thank you!

Project 31: Day 4: Style 31

Day 4. Style 31. Post a pic of you in your favorite outfit.

This might not be the favorite, but it is a favorite. I got the shirt on a clearance rack for $3!!! Since I've lost a little weight, I'm glad I can wear a shirt like this without looking pregnant. :o) Oh, please ignore the background and poor quality photos. These were taken at our old house like the week before we moved.

Project 31: Day 3: Inspiration

Day 3. Who is someone you know who inspires beauty?

Oh boy. I'm going to have to think long and hard about this one. This might be a stream of consciousness post, just a warning. Someone I know. I am inspired by lots of people I don't know whose blogs I read. I don't think that counts. Hmm. Inspires beauty how? Inspires me to be beautiful? Inspires beauty in those around them? Inspires you to make things that are beautiful? I could take this so many ways. I'm going to stick with inspires me to be beautiful because that seems to fit the theme best. I make a quick mental list: Nate, mom, Polly (my mother-in-law), GramE. Then I pause and wonder, just one? No. It would be a disservice to the ones I left out if I chose only one. So, with that, I am going to bend the rules a little, and write about all four of the ones I mentioned.

My husband Nate inspires me to be beautiful by the way he affirms me and tells me I look beautiful even when I don't try and especially when I don't agree. He tells me I am beautiful almost daily, and sometimes I say, "Really? Today? I haven't showered. My hair's a mess. I look terrible today." He gets so irritated with me, and rightly so. One time, he really called me out on it. "Laura, you know when I tell you that you're beautiful and then you tell me you're not, you are basically calling me a liar. Your distrust in me really makes me feel disrespected." Ouch. But he was right, so right. I have since curbed my instinct to deny his compliment. This is one of the main reasons I knew we were so meant for each other. He tells me what I need to hear when I need to hear it in a loving but straightforward manner. Never harsh or hurtful. In love. I cherish him for that. Now on days when I don't feel beautiful and he tells me I am, I force a smile and thank him. Each time, it gets easier to accept. Because of the way he shows love to me, he makes me want to be even more beautiful on the inside and out.

My mom, Linda, who is one of the strongest women I've ever known, inspires me to be as strong as she is. As with many women, she has been through more than she deserves. But I know God allowed things to happen to her because he knew she would trust him through it all and it would make her a stronger person. I love that we've become such great friends now that I'm grown. She has always told me that I'm beautiful, for as long as I can remember. My parents were very good, they still are, at encouraging me and telling me I was beautiful and talented. I knew they really believed it and weren't just telling me because they had to. I think so easily we dismiss encouragement from parents because we feel they have a moral obligation to tell us things about ourselves, even things that aren't true. What a ridiculous notion that is. There are always positive things to say about someone; there is no need to lie and tell them they are good at something when they aren't. I was never told I was a great athlete. That would have been preposterous. I'm not an athlete at all. But I have always been told how talented I am at writing and art. Those are things I love and that I am good at. My mom was and still is such a beautiful mom. When I grow up, I want to be as great a mom to my kids as she was and is to me. She has inspired me to be a beautiful mom myself someday.

My mother-in-law, Polly, is another strong influence in my life who inspires me. Though I've only known her for the past 4-5 years, I have really loved the role she has played in my life so far. I am thankful we have lived close so that I could get to know her better and spend time with her. She and Nate have a great relationship, too, which I am so thankful for. I remember once or twice she has told me, "I prayed for you." When Nate was growing up, she prayed for the woman he would some day marry. That resonates with me so strongly, that years before we would ever meet, she was praying for me. My mom was also praying for Nate. I am so thankful to have prayer as a very early base for our marriage! Polly is also a breast cancer survivor. I hope she doesn't mind me posting that for the world to see, but after thinking about it, I wanted to tell people how it has impacted me. She struggled with breast cancer before I knew her, but I have seen the look on Nate's face when he's told me stories about it. He remembers how strong she was spiritually and physically and how strong she still is now that she's cancer-free! She is a fighter for sure, and I just find that so inspiring. I hope if I am ever faced with hard challenges that she has had to face that I can take them on with the same strength and trust in God that she has. She inspires me to be a fighter no matter what. She's also an amazing cook! Nate grew up with a mom who is a fantastic cook. No, seriously. I have a lot to live up to!

My eighty-six year old grandmother has such a rich history, and I love it when she shares her wonderful stories with me. She is my last living grandparent, the only one who was able to be there for my wedding. At 5'3, she's tougher than she looks! She has had just about every non-life threatening health problem there is! She's super healthy, though. I think she takes like one pill a day besides her vitamins, which I guess is crazy for someone her age. She still lives alone in an independent retirement community in Florida where she and my grandpa moved when I was four years old. She goes on walks every day, gardens, cooks, cleans - everything she's done for as long as I've known her. I am her only granddaughter, and she has doted on me more than you could imagine! I believe my strong love of my heritage comes from her (through my mom). Since my grandpa passed away in 2003, she and I have gotten much closer. Never have I seen two people more in love than my grandparents were. They were married for 53 years before he passed away. I miss him a ton, and I can't image how much she must miss him every moment of every day. She inspires me to leave a beautiful legacy to my grandchildren someday, like she has to me.

So, sorry if I cheated a little bit. I am daily inspired by so many people - many who I do not know! I hope it inspired you in some small way to read about these people who have touched me so greatly. This post is part of a blog challenge started by She Breathes Deeply. Read more about it here or click the Project 31 picture above.

Project 31: Day 2: Unique

Day 2: What makes you uniquely you?

I'm pretty excited about this topic, posed by She Breathes Deeply. I find it super easy to write about myself and the stuff I like. My uniqueness in home decorating, fashion, art, you-name-it is split almost in half by two very different styles. They are almost as different as night and day.

Romantic

Victorian. Organic. Lace. Ruffles. Beads. Ribbon. Ornamentation. Serifs. Edwardian. Anne of Green Gables. Dresses. Pink. Roses. Picnics. Experiences. Tea. Novels. Chick flicks. Coffee shops. Bookstores. Historical fiction. Country roads. Antiques. Antique stores. Old homes. Long hair. Daydreaming. Elegance. Dogs. England. Hymns. Tradition. Royalty. Tiny, white chapels. Painting. Writing. Dancing. Walking outdoors. Gardening. Gothic architecture.

Urban

IKEA. Form follows function. Organization. Labels. Futuristic. Apple products. Clean. Purposeful. Graphic design. Cities. Travel. Star Trek. San-serifs. Etsy. T-shirts and jeans. Geometric. Non-fiction books. Efficiency. Smart design. Realistic. Practical. Modern (not to be confused with post-modern of which I am not a fan). Praise choruses. Technology. Concerts. Spontaneity. Escalators. I Am Not A Paper Cup. Online shopping. Large, mega-churches. Podcasts. Biggest Loser DVD workouts. Yoga. Appliances. Sci-Fi. Scheduled.

Nate and I got all dressed up for a fall train ride for my birthday. My sweater, pastel shirt, and cameo shout the romantic side of me pretty loudly. Those who work with him would be shocked to learn that Nate likes to dress up. He loves Fedora style hats, and I love when he wears ties!

This is also a very "us" picture taken by my dear photographer friend, Danielle. We were wandering in a downtown area of a nearby city. This is pretty obviously the urban side. Also, notice my new blog design. It's very urban and modern. We are moving to Texas in a few days, so in honor of that, the new blog is very grungy.

As far as personality type, according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am almost exactly half introvert and half extrovert. This means I get my energy both from being with people and from being alone. Personally, I think that's pretty weird and unusual. I have not yet met anyone else like that. It's like my personality can't decide which way it wants to go. I am actually pretty thankful for this because I can relate to both introverts and extroverts.

Maybe you'd call that somewhat bi-polar or say I have a split personality. I don't know that that is true, but trust me, I've tried to choose to be all romantic or all urban stylistically. It doesn't work. Similarly, if I try to be with people ALL the time, I get really cranky. If I am alone all the time, I get really depressed. So for me, finding my uniqueness has involved allowing myself to embrace both sides of me. It took me a long time to realize that it was okay to be both and to love both. I hope to keep showing both sides of my uniqueness on the blog.