Monday Love...

Love. Remember for a moment what the holiday season is truly about. Celebrating the birth of our Lord and savior who sacrificed himself so that we might be saved- and all because of his love for us. Keep this verse in mind today, and every day. Remember it when you are cut off in traffic. Remember it when your little one's are being little terrors. Remember it when your significant other is being difficult. Remember it during times of trials and times of joy. Love is greatest among all things, and anchoring yourself in love will allow you to overcome all obstacles and challenges in your life, while never losing your peace, or your joy.

♥ Jen 
photo credits: 3. 2. 1. 

Wish I Had a River via Top of the Page

Every now and then, when I need a little lift, or need to be inspired in spirit, I head over to the Top of the Page a beautifully written, honest, powerful, heart-wrenching and/or uplifting faith-based blog authored by Leslie. I featured an excerpt from one of her posts on my about me page. I thought I would share with you the rest of that very post, as it is oh so relevant for me right now, and perhaps for you as well. Please head over to Leslie's Blog when you have a few minutes to spare. Get to know and love her. She is amazing, and I guarantee you will inspired and touched by her words.

{Wish I Had a River}

Joni Mitchell's River is another of my all time favorite Christmas songs. 

I know, I know. I may have some opposition here. It's not really a Christmas song at all. It's more of a winter song. Not even a nod towards Jesus and the story of Christmas. But just bear with me; it's spiritual, under the surface. And actually quite moving to me. 

If you haven't already gathered, or happen to be reading this blog for the first time in your life, I am a melancholy girl through and through. I find beauty in not only the beautiful things in life, but the bittersweet and sad as well. To me, there is something poignantly lovely about the human experience from its splendor to its grief. God created all our emotions, not just the happy ones, and for His good purposes. That's why a good cry can feel so good. And hitting our limits forces us to look outside ourselves for a Savior. It is in the plea, when we're at our end, that we can find that which is truly life-giving. Personally, my moments of deepest grief, deepest pain, have resulted in the most beautiful seasons in my heart. I've met God more intimately in those moments than in all the other pleasant ones combined. What isn't completely lovely about that?

Back to River. 

It's comin' on Christmas. 
They're cutting down trees. 
They're putting up reindeer,
Singing songs of joy and peace.
Oh, I wish I had a river that I could skate away on. 

You know this song? Isn't it depressing? Before I listened closely, I thought, but why? Why is she so down on Christmas? The song rambles through a few verses of winter-themed commentary, but we don't get an answer to the question of "why" until about halfway in:

I wish I had a river that I could skate away on,
'Cause I made my baby cry...

I'm so hard to handle.
I'm selfish and I'm sad 
Now I've gone and lost the best baby 
That I ever had.
Oh I wish I had a river that I could skate away on.

There it is. Brokenness. Loss. Remorse. Hurt. The Plea.

And this plea - whether Joni Mitchell's herself, or merely an invented character - is not so different from ours. Hard to handle? Check. Selfish? Check. Sometimes sad? Check. Doing my share of damage to my loved ones? Check and sigh. Sometimes I plain hate the sound of my own voice by the end of the day.  

But the woman in River makes an unfortunate, though very human choice. Her plea causes her to decide to retreat. Now, I've had these days. Sometimes weeks. I stop offering my true self. A relationship gets messy and hurtful and maybe I don't deserve more. Maybe the damage is irreparable. Maybe I'm alone. I start to believe there's only one choice. 

Just. Skate. Away.

How many of us are way down that river in our hearts? How many of us have tried that route of managing our brokenness? Just skate away. All of us. Every one.

And you KNOW now why this is a Christmas song at its core. This messy, unpredictable, hurtful life spinning around us is exactly why Jesus came. 

In His immense love for us, He became Immanuel, God with us. Not because we deserved it, but precisely because we didn't. When we were way the heck down the river, He came to save us. He came to be with us when we were sure we were alone. 

In my life, I can tell you from experience, He continually works at melting all my rivers and quieting all my pleas. He gently reminds me that my plea, my yearning for healing and that abundant life, needs to turn me towards Him, not toward an icy path of resignation and retreat.

In River, again one of my favorite Christmas songs, Jesus whispers, I'm here. I've got this. So you can untie the skates.

Thank you Leslie! Your faith, openness, and honesty, is truly inspiring. Perfect food for thought on this chilly Sunday, exactly one week before Christmas day. Take time today, and every day, to remember what this season is truly about. Open yourself to Jesus in each and every moment of frustration and weakness you have each day, be thankful for His sacrifice, and His grace, and through it all and despite it all, you will have His joy.

♥Jen

photo credit: via Pinterest

Gift Guide: For the Men

Fun, guy-pleasing gifts for every man on your list!

Cashmere zip hoodie, Jcrew $225

Saint James® Bonnet Perle watch cap, Jcrew$35

Suede shearling-lined MacAlister boots, Jcrew $198

Nikon AW100 COOLPIX Compact Digital Camera | Underwater Camera, Nikon.com $380

AREAWARE Wood Tone Ipod Dock, $25

Amazon.com: Klean Kanteen Wide Mouth Insulated Water Bottle with Loop..., $14

AREAWARE, Pocket Compass $25

Amazon.com: The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams: Various Artists:..., $12

Stelton by Paul Smith French Press Coffeemaker $69.95

Swiss Army Knife with Flash Drive $155

Airplay Wireless iW1 Audio System $299

Authentic Baywater Peacoat, Jcrew

♥Jen

all product photos via polyvore

Gift Guide: Little Lady

Clockwise from top right:

North American Bear Company Big Sister Doll: I love these dolls for their classic, squeezable design and variety of skin tones available. There are also lots of cute outfits and accessories to add to the fun. Perfect for 3-6 year olds.

Disney Tangled Deluxe Story Bag: My little one has just about all of the Disney Princesses in this style of figure. They are the perfect size for an older toddler or preschooler. Each figure stands about 3" tall, perfect for playing in her Melissa and Doug castle, or for mixed play with her Fisher Price Little People. She loves to change their outfits and act out her own little princess drama's.

Just Dance Kids for Nintendo Wii: Embarrassing admission ahead: I own the adult version of this game and play it on my own sometimes in lieu of traditional cardio. My little one has caught me a few times, and wants to join in the "fun." This version has kid appropriate moves and songs, so adults and little one's can get in on the action, without worry that your little princess is going to whip out some Brittney Spears dance moves in Pre-K.

Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Princess Castle: My little one has the full size version of this at home, and its so cute. This is perfect for younger kids, trips to Grandma's, or those short on space {the full size castle takes up a good three square feet of space!}. There is also an adorable Woodland Tree House version, perfect for playing with Calico Critters, or Tinkerbell and her Fairy Friends, as well as a castle version for boys, and a traditional dollhouse.

J. Crew Crewcuts Superstar Popover: So

J. Crew Crewcuts Wildcat Chino: Stinking

J. Crew Crewcuts Double Dip Skirt: Cute

J. Crew Crewcuts Girls' Converse® Jack Purcell® metallic sneakers: I want one of everything for my little princess. Crewcuts is J Crew quality and styles translated for little bodies. Whats not to love?

Lego's Large Pink Brick Box: A classic for encouraging creative thinking, coordination, and spatial skills-- in girl friendly colors.

Leapfrog Leappad: The gift of the season for the 4-7 year old. My daughter received this for her birthday and plays with it daily. There are lots of educational games and books, and it is really a perfect item to keep kids quiet, occupied, and learning.

Classic Games: Jenga, Connect Four, and Operation: As much as I love the Wii and the Leappad for keeping my little one occupied when I need to do something, like cooking dinner, they are not a replacement for interaction with your children. These games are all classics, and perfect for an older toddler or preschooler to have some traditional family fun with mommy and daddy. 

Other gifts I love for little one's are books, classics such as Berenstain Bears, Veggie Tales, and Curious George are always fun for little one's, as well as mildly educational or informative; Outfits from Gap Kids are always adorable; and crafty gifts like this fairy garden, butterfly garden, make your own tutu set, paper flowers, or this flower fairy kit which encourage little thinkers to get creative are another solid winner.

♥ Jen

I'm Free!!!

Well, from school anyway...until January! I've been unintentionally absent for the past few weeks, as I've just completed my first full quarter of classes in more than 10 years. I must say, it was harder than I thought it would be. Balancing the workload from school, and my little one, along with normal everyday life was quite a challenge. But, apparently I'm up for it... even though I don't feel like it a lot of the time. I received straight A's in all of my classes. My little one is happy, and doing well. My apartment is fairly neat. Meals have been cooked. Laundry's been done. Puppy has been walked. So, all in all, I suppose even though I feel overwhelmed most of the time, I'm actually doing okay at this. 

I've still got such a long way to go. Better yet, I still have yet to determine where exactly I want to go. There are so many things that I love... How do I decide what to focus on for the near future? I've considered such a wide spectrum of career paths... Nurse Practitioner, Lawyer, Interior Design, Fashion Management/Marketing, Esthetician/Cosmetology, General Business, Human Resource Management, are a few... What to do? Excluding sudden success in my dream job {professional singer, who also founds a charity program benefiting children in need, designs a boutique fashion line and owns an organic cafe and bakery--yup...really!} my current plan is to simply finish up my A.A. in business, and go from there. But, I'll need to decide what to do from that point fairly quickly--Particularly if I elect to move towards a trade focus such as interior design or cosmetology, as these require additional specialty training. I have such a strong creative streak, as well as a desire to "make a difference" by helping others, all while performing a job that is at least somewhat challenging intellectually... Not to mention the fact that whatever I choose to do needs to earn a salary high enough to live on {which in my mind, is at least 60k annually}... That's quite a list that my potential career needs to fulfill. 

So that's what has been tumbling around in my head for the last few weeks, in addition to Christmas lists and Birthday plans... What am I doing with my life??? You know, just small stuff, no big deal. ☺ 

Hope all is well in your world!

♥ Jen

photo credit: pinterest.com

All I Want for Christmas

I normally love making wish lists- when they are for myself to lust after. However, when it comes to actually making lists for people who wish to gift me things, I have a much harder time of it. So, after much arm pulling, I have put together a birthday/christmas wish list for myself. All of these items are things I would buy for myself, so this wish list spans all categories.

Hunter "the Huntress" Rain Boots

GHD 2" Flat Iron

Remington Tstudio Salon Ceramic1" Curling Iron

Talbots Dina Snakeskin Embossed Black Heels

Michael Kors 'Layton' Chronograph Watch

Rebecca Minkoff Affair Handbag

AE Boyfriend Tuxedo Jacket

By Malene Birger Baniel Knitted Jacket

TopShop Faux Leather Leggings

Stella Dot Gold Ball Studs

Dogeared Whispers Gold Dipped Cross Necklace

Stella Dot Ever After Necklace

Stella Dot Third Times a Charm Necklace

Sephora Gift Card & Gene Juarez Gift Cards

Nikon D3100 DSLR Camera/Lens Bundle

I am indeed thankful for all that I have already been given, but I definitely wouldn't mind seeing any of these under my Christmas tree!

♥Jen

product photos via polyvore