AN INSPIRED SEASON | Resources & Inspiration for Singles

Thursday, July 23rd. // Who are others you admire WHO are living/celebrating a similar season well? What resources/books/posts have encouraged you?

These amazing ladies are some of my favorites to follow in this season of life, and I’m excited to introduce them!

MEET CARRIE: Carrie’s Instagram is full of colorful encouragement! She has the sweetest, most giving heart, and I’m fairly certain that even though we’ve never met, we could become fast friends, bonding over bright colors, polka dots, and living each day with thankfulness and joy!

MEET NATALIE: Natalie Metrejean has created an incredible devotional for single ladies (see below), and she is daily encouraging other single women to embrace their season and live a full, meaningful life. So lucky to call her a dear friend!

MEET NATALIE (YEP, TWO NATALIES!): Natalie of Good Girl Style is fabulous in so many ways (and another lady I am so lucky to call a friend). She’s stylish with a fantastic flair for vintage, a fellow latte lover and coffee enthusiast, an amazing and inspiring poet, and above all, she loves the Lord in a really brave, beautiful, and faithful way. She’s currently walking through an incredibly tough season, but she still shares with honesty and joy.

MEET BAILEY: Bailey has become such a sweet online friend, and I absolutely adore her heart for living fully and savoring her season. Her blog and Instagram are just chock full of creative inspiration — from books to read, quotes to remember, adventures in life and theatre, and crafty Project Life pages that celebrate God’s goodness and all He is doing in her life. She will encourage you to live, dream, and create with courage!

MEET EMILY: Emily reminds me often what it looks like to be beautifully content in the Lord. She is an encourager, a cheerleader, and such a sweet spirit and friend. You’ll find peace, rest, and inspiration in each of her lovely posts!

MEET ALI: Ali has written some pretty spot-on blog posts about what it’s like to be single in your 30s (see link below). This girl is living proof of how to rock the single life, too! You’ll love following her adventures in food blogging and making the most of life!

Photo credits: Left to right, top to bottom: Natalie of Good Girl Style; Emily; Ali; Natalie Metrejean  

Looking for more inspiration? Here are some of my favorite reads and resources for singles:

• You Are Significant With or Without a Significant Other by Shauna Niequist
• My Advice for Single People by Ali of Gimme Some Oven
• Singleness Is Not Your Fault (And Other Lies Women Believe) by Liv Migenes
• The Wholeheartedly Devotional by Natalie Metrejean
• Now and Not Yet by Jennifer Marshall
• The Savor Your Season series by Bailey of Brave Love Blog
• The Five-Minute Journal to make the most of every day
• Lara Casey’s Powersheets for going after God-sized dreams and living a life full of what matters

So, who’s been inspiring you lately? And if you know of other single ladies who are living life to the very fullest, I’d love to be introduced! :)

An Inspired Season | The Single Girl’s Bucket List

Today, I’m bringing you the third installment of the #AnInspiredSeason collaboration with Bailey of Brave Love!

Today’s topic: BUCKET LISTS! :)

Over the years, I have written bucket lists of all kinds (birthday bucket lists, dream bucket lists, holiday and seasonal bucket lists etc.), but this is the first time I am actually writing a Single Girl’s Bucket list.

And I could not be more excited to share it with you!

An Inspired Season is all about embracing and celebrating life RIGHT where you are… And singleness? Well, that’s a pretty big part of where I am these days, so why not have a bucket list specifically dedicated to the opportunities such a season provides? :)

I had a blast brainstorming these ideas! Dreaming up some new adventures that don’t require waiting for future seasons really helped me look forward with hope and appreciate right where God has me.

• See an outdoor movie this summer
• Sample the new vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream at Scoops
• Try purchasing my weekly bread from a local bakery as recommended in 100 Days of Real Food
• Eat brunch at Townhall (hello, sweet potato pancakes & crepe bar!!)
• Start making connections at craft shows and begin collaborating with local creative makers to help them tell the stories of their products and businesses
• Promote and share new collaboration idea above
• Cook with more veggies! Follow Real Food guidelines as much as possible
• Take a trip to Nashville this fall
• Explore the local restaurant scene with my sister (there’s a pizza place we are especially excited to try!)
• Attend a local mum festival this fall
• Clean out my art supplies and donate what I don’t need
• Attend the Cleveland Flea’s Sunday Market (what’s better than brunchy foods, crafty stuff, and antiques?!)
• Purchase a retro swimsuit from Rey Swimwear
• Invest in a large canvas or art print of this piece from Naptime Diaries
• Read books that challenge, teach, and inspire me
• Take a creative weekend of some kind — lots of creative and quiet time with Jesus
• Sample more of the gourmet mini donuts at Peace, Love, and Little Donuts (next up on the list: chocolate chip pancake and maple bacon)
• Paint my living room side tables with brightly colored chalk paint (coral + teal!)
• Take an art or writing class to expand my skill set and get inspired
• Spend a day at the beach
• Have a picnic
• Add to my Fiesta collection
• Visit the adorable new shop called Vintage Love that I just discovered
• Pick strawberries this summer and pumpkins/apples this fall

So, what’s on your bucket list these days?

(Don’t forget to hashtag #AnInspiredSeason when you share!!)

I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.

This post is dedicated to all those who find themselves in a season of quiet, question marks, and, at times, restless expectation. This post is especially dedicated to my single friends who are figuring out how to embrace where they are and live each and every moment to its fullest, trusting God to pave the path they are traveling.

A few days ago, I read an awesome page in Jesus Calling. The very first sentence was (in all caps); YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH.

Wow, did my heart need those words — more than I even realized!

And then this powerful reminder from Him followed: Listen more to me and less to your doubts. I’m leading you along the path I’ve designed just for YOU.

It can be so hard to keep our eyes on our own path. But when we compare, when we doubt, when we question, we are MISSING OUT on all God has for us right where we are.

Comparison cheats us of the opportunity to see and appreciate the adventure to be found in the dips and turns and twists of our own journey.

And when we doubt and fear and question, we are taking on burdens we are not meant to carry.

If we are following Him, we can trust that we are where we are meant to be. We can trust that He knows what today AND tomorrow holds, and that He is working to bring the best out of our current and future circumstances.

I’ll be honest, I have reached the point in my own season of singleness where really the only thing left to do is truly let go and let God.  I have listened to others’ success stories and tried what they’ve tried, I’ve read the articles, and I’ve prayed the prayers — all to no avail.

But I’m beginning to think that maybe I’m not meant to plan or pray or work my way out of this season. Maybe I’m meant to really look at it with new, grateful eyes that are free to see the possibilities it holds. Maybe I’m meant to embrace it with excitement and faithfulness and HOPE.

I used to fear that if I was too content or “successful” in my singleness that maybe God would decide to just leave me in it forever. It seems silly now to believe such a thing, but I have, time and time again. And tonight, I’ve realized that when I’m believing lies like that what I’m really doing is listening to my doubt more than I’m listening to God.

So, tonight, I’m ready to say goodbye to all of that doubt, and I’m ready to listen to what HE has to say about my season instead . I’m ready to fully surrender my hope for marriage to Him (trusting that in His perfect time and way He will lead me into whatever new season awaits).

I’m ready to turn my attention back to today — to the stack of books waiting to be read, the new paints that will soon brighten up a blank canvas, and the words that might find their way into a poem.

Today is right in front of me, exactly as He designed it, planned it, and purposed it. Today is right in front of me, and I choose to call it good. I’m ready to embrace it and make each of its moments count.

I am ready to be and go and do exactly what He has planned for me in this beautiful and sometimes unexpected season, ready to live both with contentment and expectation (if I may borrow that phrase from the fabulous Lindsay Sherbondy).

And it’s true that I may not know where I’m going from here, or when or how I’ll get there…

But He does.

And I promise it won’t be boring.

Neither will today.

P.S. I snagged this post’s title from a piece of art in the new Messy Box from A Beautiful Mess.

Goal-Setting with Lara Casey: My 2015 Goals

I’m excited to finally share my 2015 goals (they’ve been about a month in the making), and I feel really settled and good about them. I think they are doable, but also stretching. I’m also looking forward to searching for scripture that speaks to each goal. I got the idea from Valerie of Val Marie Paper. (Here’s a great post on doing that, if you’d like to seek scripture for your goals, as well.)

Moving on to the actual goals… :)

1. Seek and find God in everything. I want to find and follow Him wholeheartedly, filling my  mind with His truth and thinking about the best, not the worst. I want to memorize scripture and recite His promises DAILY.
2. Wait on the Lord — especially in my singleness.  I want to lean not on my understanding, but instead, I want to trust Him and look to Him in all things — including dating and singleness (especially dating and singleness?!). I want to remember that those who wait on the Lord will not be put to shame and that waiting on God is always worth it. I want to believe that He is good and that He has a good plan for me. I want to live fully today, with hope for tomorrow.
3. Make time for creative adventures. Paint, draw, read, write! Create “just because.” I want to take myself on inspiration and creativity dates often, filling my life and heart with what fires me up and points me to Jesus. I want to take classes, explore new art forms, and learn new things. I want to live fully and creatively, thankful that God gave me a creative, inspiration-loving heart.
4. Spend, save, and give with intention. I want to be wise financially, so I can use  my resources for good and for God.
5. Find a fitness routine I love and make it a regular part of my week. I want to take care of myself — health, heart, and spirit. I want to practice self-care regularly, so I have energy to go, do, and create everything that God has in mind for me this year. I want to be healthy and whole, so I can love well and bless those in my life.
6. Continue to simplify my life. Give away what I don’t need and keep only what is useful, meaningful, or inspiring to me.
7. Be an encourager and a celebrator. I want to mentor and encourage others — online and off. I want to lead a Bible study for college/early career at my church, and I want to write blogs that speak to women who are in that season of life. I want to support my church, my friends, my family, and my city. I want to be a resource and an inspiration for those God connects me with this year.
8. Use social media and my blog with intention, and continue to evolve and find the focus/niche God has for me. I’ve been blogging for almost eight years, and my blog and experience online have changed pretty dramatically during that time. I want to continue to evaluate the heart  behind what I’m doing and ask the Lord for guidance. I want to focus on community over followers, and God’s heart for what I do over what’s deemed “popular.”
   
9. Find the balance between living the stories and telling them.  I want to journal every day, capturing thoughts, dreams, ideas, prayers. I want to get back into the practice of art journaling, too — telling stories with paint and paper. I want to have cell-phone-free time every day, and I want to be intentional about making meaningful memories with friends and family. I want to live in the moment — being fully present — but also make time to capture the good stuff and tell the story God is writing in my life. And that leads me to my final goal…
10. Be brave in writing and creating. I want to take risks for Him. I want to write and create honestly and vulnerably, and I want to go after big dreams. I want to collaborate with people who inspire me and pitch my ideas to publications I dream to work with. And I want to start taking steps toward my dream of writing books. I’ve got an idea that’s been slowly taking shape, and I want to dig into that this year and see where God might take it — and me.

So, there you have it! My goals for 2015. I’m sure they will evolve as the year goes  on, but I’m looking forward to seeing how God works and moves and orchestrates in each of these areas. I also hope you’ll help hold me accountable to the things I’ve listed here. I’d love to hear about your goals, as well!

Let’s cheer one another on and get excited about all God is going to do!

P.S. I wanted to announce a little something exciting before signing off!

I’m hosting an online study through the book of Ephesians with a group of amazing ladies this month, and I’d love for you to be a part of it! Go check out Bailey’s blog post today for more details and to get in on the action. (To be honest, my heart has felt a bit disconnected from God the last few months, and I’m so looking forward to diving back into His word and seeking Him wholeheartedly!)

 

God’s Plan for You is Right on Time

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen this photo. It’s part of a new ‘lil collaboration I have going with one of my talented friends Kelsey of Pinegate Road. It’s my words + her lovely hand lettering. And while it’s not a fancy or complicated collaboration by any means, it’s giving me lots of fresh inspiration for new stories to write and tell. (You can follow this collaboration on Instagram using the hashtag #aptdnotes.)

You’re blessed when you stay on course,
walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD.
You’re blessed when you follow His directions,
doing your best to find Him.  (‭Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‬ 1-2 MSG)

I’ve been thinking a lot about these verses lately and how it can be easy to take our eyes off the path God has for us. When I start comparing my story with others,’ I’m tempted to veer off course and write things the way I think they should go. I wrestle with God over timing, circumstances, and the way my current season stacks up against those around me.

It’s so easy to think someone else is living a better story than we are, isn’t it? Or that because our story doesn’t look as far along as theirs, something must be wrong with ours — or worse, with us.

But those thoughts are just lies that we believe.

And we don’t have to believe them.

God’s plan for us is right on time, and He will faithfully reveal each next step for us when the time is right.

The second part of those verses in Psalms does require action on our part, though. The writer of this Psalm is reminding us that we are blessed when we FOLLOW God and do our best to FIND Him. That means seeking Him in everything, asking Him for wisdom and guidance, and making Him a part of everything we do.

I find myself comparing more frequently and feeling the most dissatisfaction when I’m NOT seeking God regularly. And I think that’s because when I’m not seeking Him and listening for Him in all I do, I can’t clearly see the path He has marked out for me. Instead, I see the path that everyone else is on and what I think is missing or lacking in my life. I completely miss the opportunity to praise Him for what He’s doing in my life and what is unique and special about the story He has especially for me.

I am so thankful that we can find Him in every season, in every chapter — in both the joyful and the challenging moments of our lives.

And even though I sometimes wrestle with some of my current realities, I take comfort in knowing that when I seek Him, He will continue to reveal the road before me and lead me step by step.

So, today, I am choosing to celebrate this particular part of the road I’m on, this part of my journey. I am choosing to look around at where I am with gratitude and with eyes that can see and appreciate beauty. And I am choosing to live with hope for what’s ahead, for all of the twists and turns and bends that I cannot yet see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Influence Conference Recap – Be Where You Are and Be All There

It’s been a few days since I returned from this year’s Influence Conference, and I’ve been processing through everything — the notes, the heart stuff, the “what’s nexts…”

To be honest, I arrived at this year’s conference feeling a little heavy…

When I went the previous year, I went with specific hopes and dreams to explore and specific prayers I wanted to pray. I had an eBook I was about to release to the world, and I was just bursting with excitement for all that was ahead.

I was in a quieter, much more tender place this year.

On the drive into Indy, my friend (and conference roomie!) Holly asked me if I had anything I was hoping to hear from God about (she remembered I went with questions and prayers the year before).

But I didn’t.

“I guess I just want to be a part of God doing something big,” I told her. “I just want to hear from Him.”

After the Black-and-White welcome party hosted by Mocha Club, I started  feeling lighter and more hopeful about all that was ahead. I still wasn’t sure what I hoped to learn or hear from God, but I was sure He would show up.

In my still-slightly tender and uncertain place, I had a hard time selecting the sessions I wanted to hear the next day (they ALL sounded so good)! ;) And as we began that first day of speakers and workshops, I found myself reading the tweets from the session I wasn’t in, feeling restless and like I was missing out.

But then, all of a sudden, I felt like I was finally hearing from God.

Be where you are and be all there.

Yes.

Be where you are and be all there.

And it wasn’t just about those sessions, it was about life in general. It was about continuing to embrace my current season and live it fully and creatively (exactly the topic I had explored in the eBook I wrote the previous year).

Later, in Lara Casey’s session, I stood up in front of a room full of more than a hundred women and gave voice to one of my deepest fears. As other women stood up to share their own, walls and tears came down, and I felt God continue to work something out in my heart.

And even though I was at a blogging conference, He wasn’t speaking to me about how to blog better, create more, or find more followers online…He was speaking to me about my life in general and how I’m living it for Him. He was asking me to trust Him more, surrender more, and make even more space for Him to move.

Lara asked us to answer this fill-in-the blank statement: My life is too short not to______. 

During her session, I made notes, but it wasn’t until a few days later that this phrase stuck with me: “My life is too short not to love the story God has for me.”

It’s such a simple statement but it says SO MUCH.

My life is too short to wait for someday.

My life is too short not to live with purpose — right here, right now.

My life is too short not to pray boldly and with big belief.

My life is too short not to believe that God can do the impossible.

My life is too short not to pay attention to all God is doing.

And my life is too short not to share it…

    

This year’s conference was so much different than last year’s, but in the best of ways.

I did leave with new creative ideas and dreams to explore, but I also left with a deeper desire to truly trust God with my story and a hopefulness about all He is capable of doing in my life and in the lives of others.

He’s written all of our stories differently, and there’s goodness and purpose in that. 

And while He may not give us an outline about what comes next, He has gone before us, and He promises to lead the way in love.

* * *

Before I wrap this up, because I just can’t resist, I’ll leave you with this picture from my departing brunch at Cafe Patachou. (Honestly, that needs to be a Sunday Influence tradition from here on out…) WOW, that waffle was amazing! I’m STILL thinking about it! ;)

If you’d like to learn more about the conference, feel free to email me. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have, if you’re wondering if you’d like to attend. (You can also check out this fun video recap from The Busy Budgeting Mama. And, yep, that IS me dancing around at minute 3:34.) ;)

 

You Make Me Want to Be Brave

Because it’s been fear that ties me down to everything,

But it’s been love, your love, that cuts the strings…

Friends, for years I have blogged about my hopes to meet and marry my best friend. I have shared with a hopeful heart about my prayers and my journey, but if I’m honest, there have been so.many.times I’ve been scared to really believe God can make that hope a reality — and more importantly, that He will. I tiptoe around it, saying someday prayers and trying not to sound too assured, or even get my hopes up too, too much, because God is God, and we can’t really KNOW what He’ll do in our lives, right?

Well, yes…

* …BUT… *

I don’t want to live with such a fragile faith.

I want to live with a faith that FULLY believes in God and His plan for my life. I want to live with a faith that isn’t afraid to say I believe God can do the seemingly impossible, a faith that trusts that all of the no’s and closed doors have been leading me to a part of my story I couldn’t have imagined on my own, even if I tried (and let me honestly tell you that I’ve tried plenty). ;)

I want to live with a faith that is bigger than my fear, bigger than my doubt, and bigger than every bit of my unbelief.

I want to live with a faith that continues to believe and pray about my hope for marrying my best friend — until God tells me to do otherwise.

And so, that is the faith I am choosing to embrace tonight, the faith that is fueling this blog post, the faith that will give me joy and hope and confidence, as I get ready to celebrate another birthday and continue to follow God on this unique adventure of mine.

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I have set my heart on your laws.

I hold fast to your statutes, Lord;

Do not let me be put to shame.


I run in the path of your commands,
    

for you have broadened my understanding.

The other morning, as I read these verses in Psalms, I was reminded of how much I want my love story to be God’s doing and not my own. I am confident that my decision to wait for God’s choice is the right choice for me. And while that doesn’t always make sense to everyone — and it’s certainly not always easy to do — I have chosen to be faithful and trust in Him.

But faithful and trusting doesn’t mean timid.

So, as of tonight, I am going to stop saying someday prayers from a place of fragile faith.

I’m going to stop tiptoeing around my hopes.

I’m going to hold them with open, trusting hands — and with confident, brave belief  — that God will take them, with love and with purpose, and weave them into something more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed.

 

*Lyrics from the song Brave by Nichole Nordeman

Learning to Let Go

Sometimes, life feels like a lesson in letting go, an adventure in not knowing.

Lately, I’d say that’s especially true for me when it comes to dating and my hope for marriage. As I watch life change and unfold for those around me, it’s hard not to wonder what’s going on in my own story. It’s hard to be patient and hard not to feel stuck.

I love what Megan Gilger had to say about patience over at The Fresh Exchange: I begin to wonder if I am doing something wrong, or if I haven’t tried hard enough, when in truth I try to remember it simply isn’t my time yet. The time will come, and it will come just when it should. When I think about the weight of what I am waiting for, I begin to realize that I still need this time here in this weightless freedom in order to prepare for what will come.

So good, right? (Definitely read the whole post, here.)

As many of you know, I’ve been praying to meet and marry my best friend for years, so I can definitely relate to wondering if I’m doing something wrong, or not trying hard enough when it comes to meeting and dating said best friend.

But the lesson God has been teaching me lately is that sometimes, we really do need to just let go and be open to life as it unfolds.

Because letting go allows us to more fully live right where we are. It sets us free from trying to control what we were never meant to control in the first place. Letting go is a brave yes to following God and the plan He has for our life.

Oh, but sometimes it’s a hard yes to say, isn’t it?

I am a go-getter. I dream, set goals, make a plan, and then start marching toward those goals and dreams. But I’m realizing that doesn’t really work in dating. Sure, I can do all I can to be ready to begin that next chapter, but there’s not much I can do to actually get that chapter started.

I have to let go.

I have to wait for God.

And I’m learning.

Little by little, I am letting go of the expectations I have around this area of my life and the way I think things should go. I’m learning to ask God what He wants for me now, in this season, and I’m learning to trust Him with what will unfold in the next one.

And while some might view letting go as giving up, I’ve found it to be the opposite.

Letting go brings me hope, and it strengthens me in the waiting.

As I keep saying a brave yes to letting go and following God, I’m learning to be thankful for my own unique adventure of not knowing. And I’m grateful, so grateful, that God holds every bit of that adventure in His creative, loving, and faithful hands.

 

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The Dating Debate: Should You “Settle”?

As a single woman who’s been doing her best to intentionally pray and navigate the dating world, I read a lot of articles on dating. Many of them say “don’t settle” and “hold out for God’s best for you,” while others really push the idea of “settling for a good guy” (because there’s no such thing as perfect).

I’m curious what others’ thoughts are when it comes to these differing perspectives, and I wonder…

Perhaps there’s a healthy balance between the two extremes?

Because here’s the thing: I agree there’s no such thing as perfect, but I’m also not sure I like the term “settling.” I think the idea of settling can often be associated with fear and lack of trust in God’s provision, and I don’t want the fear of remaining single to ever dictate my dating or marriage decisions.

Plus, if we’re dating with marriage in mind, aren’t we essentially searching for a person who would be a great partner and friend to share the ups and downs of life with? Someone who sees the best — and worst — in us (and we in them), but makes the choice to love anyway? Someone we’re better for the Kingdom with (and vice versa)?

And that doesn’t sound like settling to me.

In her post Don’t Short Circuit Your Love Story, blogger Stephanie May seems to strike the right balance between don’t settle and settle. She writes: “We’re not talking perfection here, we’re talking about delaying instant affirmation for a relationship that is full of life.”

A relationship that is full of life.  

Yes.

Amen.

In his post 4 Signs He’s Worth Marrying, Dale Partridge also touches on that idea when he writes that you may have found a keeper if…You have fun together. He poses these questions to his readers: Are you able to laugh, have meaningful conversation, and truly enjoy each other for years to come? I think this point is super important, because it distinguishes between the “good on paper” person and someone you genuinely connect with and want to spend time with — an important distinction to make, I think, when we’re talking marriage.

A few months ago, I decided to really simplify my prayer for my future spouse and start praying simply to meet and marry my best friend. I think in that prayer, I was thinking what Dale Partridge is expressing in his reason #4 — that if you find the blessing of that kind of friendship and connection, you’ve found something worth holding on to, something worth building upon, something worth choosing.

So, perhaps what I’m actually proposing in this post is that we stop using the term “settle.”

Because while I’m certainly still figuring all of this out, I think it’s more about choosing, than settling…

Choosing to take a chance.

Choosing to keep an open heart.

Choosing to trust.

Choosing to love.

And when it really comes down to it…I don’t want marriage to be something I settle for, I want it to be a choice I prayerfully and wholeheartedly make.

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When You’re Single on Valentine’s Day

In years past, I have rolled my eyes at Valentine’s Day, wanting to ignore it completely or say something snarky and sarcastic about its arrival.

Sometimes, Valentine’s Days can harden both your heart and your hopes.

But, as silly as it sounds, God’s been redeeming my view of the day, right along with this season of life, and honestly, is it really a surprise?

How could I not delight in a day that’s filled with chocolates and sparkle, hot pink and hearts? How could I not love passing on bits of encouragement, letting all my dear ones know just how much they’re appreciated and loved? And how could I not simply enjoy celebrating every joy I LOVE about my own life, every blessing the Lord so generously gives?

Yesterday, when I flipped the calendar page to February 14, I decided to celebrate. I wore hot pink and sparkles (thank you Ban.do and Baublebar!). I treated myself to a latte, a pastel pink strawberry macaroon (and maybe even a few chocolates later in the afternoon). ;)

Because I do not, for one moment, believe that Valentine’s Day is a day just for couples.

Just like any other day, Valentine’s Day can be what YOU make it.

Tonight, I’ll be spending the evening with a group of girlfriends, noshing on chocolatel-y treats and celebrating everything we love about friendship. I have been so blessed in this season by inspiring friendships that add so much joy to my life, and I can’t wait to celebrate and give thanks for that tonight.

Whether you’re single or part of a couple, I hope you feel the LOVE that surrounds you this Valentine’s Day weekend, and I hope you have fun celebrating the life that’s yours with the people you’re blessed to share it with.

P.S. And just as a little reminder, even if you don’t have some sort of fancy date planned… Never forget:

;)

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