Be thankful

"Thank your friends for their consistency, balance, perspective, kindness and even their differences."

Read more at Surrender Story

Protect your friendships

This is the next to last day of the friendship series. I think it could possibily go on for eternity. I'm constantly learning new things about relationships and how to be a good friend but I know not all of what I learn will be standard for everyone.  I hope that you have gleaned a little something from these 8 posts. Tomorrow it will be the end of it..until I get very inspired to write this much again. Don't know that I will have the time for it for a couple of months..

Day 8 at Surrender Story..

"Protect your friendships against idle conversation. There is a definite difference between just chatting and catching up (which is great!) and pumping one another for information and gossip. It can be fine line sometimes. A line that, once it's crossed, is very hard to back up and uncross! "   Read on..

Keep it simple

Just. Be. A. Friend.

Day 7 at Surrender Story.

Real or bust, words on vulnerability..

Day 6 on Surrender Story. Check it out here.

 Just be yourself. Be real. Invest and be consistent and

 Love others as you love yourself..

Mark 12:31

Consistency goes a long way, value the easy friendships

Chances are if you are a consistent friend, you are someone's "easy friendship" a.k.a- you are a treasure..

Day 5 at SS

" One who is constant, one who is faithful, one who is unwaivering in commitment to making friendship work (yes it takes work!), that one is a diamond in the rough..." keep reading here!

Fight for Positivity

 Day 4 on The Best Ships series posts on friendships.. 

This is one that is near and dear to my heart. Read on for the full post!

Day 4 @ Surrender Story..check it out :

" Surround yourself with other positive people. If you find yourself having a hard day, ask for prayer. I think when someone chooses to be vulnerable enough to say they are having a hard time but show that they want to get out of that hard place, respect that. Being positive keeps up on our guard so that when we are approached with a problem or a situation with a friend, we are more clear and true in our though processes and can better lead them to Truth."... read more here

Be OK With Balance

Day 3 at Surrender Story

"If you don't sense a balance in a certain friendship then re-evaluate, pray about it, take some time and see if it's something you can work on.  If not, this might not be the time to pursue this friendship. Healthy relationships are what we want! A friend who initiates once in a while, who celebrates your differences  and seeks balance, that's a friend to hold onto!" 

Read all about the friendship series here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Embracing Differences

Day 2 at Surrender Story

"When you learn to see things a different way, you get a chance to walk in someone else's shoes and that's  way better than being able to share shoes. Promise.."..read more

The Best Ships, a series

I'm starting a series of Lessons I've Learned in Friendship next week.

I will do a little teaser on this blog everyday but the real post, the serious part, will be on my other blog Surrender Story. So check there for the longer posts!

************************

So. Why a series and why friendship?

Friendship is a topic that is very dear to my heart because I love my friends. (that's simple enough). They are essential to my life. I was created to be in healthy relationships with people and I crave that. The things is this though: many of my relationships in my 29.75 years have been unhealthy, really hard, co-dependent, awkward, hurtful. Some, a select few, have been easy, instantly awesome, long lasting and real. They have "survived" the good, the bad and the ugly.

 The thing I have struggled with most is finding balance. I mean, don't we all struggle with achieving balance in all things? But female friendships can really be challenging! Don't get me wrong in this, I don't over psychoanalyze everything. I can tend to but I don't. Not on this, not anymore But I do think that good friendships take thought. They take time. They take effort. And that's where the trueness of a friendship can be tested.

I love the easy, carefree, silly, fun moments in a true friendship but let's be honest here: friendships can be messy. They can be hard. They go through different phases, and that's ok. I love that my friendships are constantly changing, going through seasons. To stay at the same place in a friendship can be just as challenging as a constantly evolving one!

I would venture to say, the more genuine effort you put into a friendship, the better off you are as a person. You learn to be selfless. You learn to love. You learn to be consistent, you learn to grow. Some of the most heavenly of lessons I have learned from my earthly friends.

 Even Jesus  needed friends. He cherished them. Some let him down, some betrayed him. But a few stuck with him until he ascended and some even died for him. He was the ultimate friend. He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother or sister. He layed his life down for his friends (that's us!) So there is a lot to be learned from him (duh, understatement of the century!)

So starting next week, I will be sharing some of my opinions about friendship, some of my own personal struggles and learned lessons. I am not a psychologist. I am not a friendship guru. I am just someone who loves real relationships and craves to know my God better through them. This is a post I have prayed about a lot and have spent hours writing. 

It may be more for my benefit that I wrote it, I'm not sure yet. It was good for me to reflect as I worked out my thoughts and it was quite therapeutic for me to recall my past experiences.  I hope it will be a helpful week of posts for you too.

So I will see you next week with some tidbits of friendship here on Misinterpretations and some serious goodness over at Surrender Story. Tomorrow, John stays home just because so there will be no FiB Friday here! I'm going to the baby dr. and  spending some alone QT with my man. Go to Lauren's place and follow all the fun blanks over there!

Happy weekending :)

Get inspired by these Blogging Beauties!

Mondays are a great day to get inspired.

 Here are a couple of new "friends" I have found in the blog world who inspire me greatly!

Check them out if you have time:

Jessica @ Happy Together is so cute!

Check out her maternity picture dress. Oh man. So cute and creative.

I think this will be a fun place for fun home and "mom" ideas! 

I am wanting to do a chalkboard project in my house and THIS  gem is so awesome! 

Look and drool!

Sneak Peak:

My new real-life kindred friend, Tanya, who blogs over @ Percolating Projects, 

is a creative genius!

I think we are going to have fun junking (as she calls it) adventures and work ourselves into a project frenzy.. or work our husbands into a "oh man, you are doing what now?" frenzy. Either, or.  

She's fun! Also, funny. I love it when great bloggers don't take themselves too seriously and have a sense of humor. 

She just builds her own bed and stuff like that, no big deal...

Wowzers.

And last but not least, Lauren @ Because I'm Yours.

What an uplifting blog!

Encouraging, real, Jesus-filled and fun to look at :)

I stop in regularly to get motivated and reminded of Whose I am..

Read this post on Extending Grace. It's filled with truth and goodness!

I love other's who share their creativity in humble way!

 I  somtimes think I am creative but really I think it's a spazzy mind that I like to call a pretty word: creative.

Get inspired with me and check these ladies out!

Happy reading and project-ing!

Weekend Update sans Amy Poehler

Sidenote: did you watch SNL!?!? Holy cow!  It was hilarious..Amy Poehler is the best :)

watch here

My favorite was Brox Beat minus the Katy Perry part..

check it

ANYWHO...I am fortunate enough to have a large handful of very good friends. Some I  have had since grade school, some since college, others are military friends and other newer additions i.e.:  my  Bible study group girls are amazing. UH-mazing. That's right. They got the misspelled word separation emphasis, that's how great they are.

Each are special and add amazing things to my life.

Perspective, encouragement, laughter, realness..

I love it all.

And while I am one that generally thinks that quality is to be valued over quantity I am blessed to have both at present

So let's get specific. Here are a couple of dear-hearts I've recently weekended with.

Last weekend I went with my friend Rebecca to downtown St. Louis to finish celebrating my birthday.

I'm glad she gets that I  like to keep the celebration going throughout the month.

We ate at the Fountain on Locust. Which is the swankiest old soda fountain that also has pretty gourmet stuff. yummmm

Then we went to a vintage trunk show at Eve's Apple. Which I only tried on a pair of vintage Dior sunglasses that took up most of my face. But it was fun to go and look!

Walking downtown and eating fun things, going for coffee (or in R's case, water) is always fun!

Then 

my friend Tricia came to visit this past weekend from north of Chicago

This is no small feat since she has two sets of twins under the age of 4.

But she was able to get away and we had. a. blast!!

downtown-ness

eating

walking in the sunshine

eating

shopping

eating

playing mad libs 'til our guts ached from laughing

eating some more

and talking, talking, talking

It was wonderful.

Few people get me like Trish does.

Aren't we a pair?

She shares my love for organization for shiz.

It great to be understood and share life with lovies like these.

Weekend

Facials and make overs with friends

[lovely]

[look how cute Annies belly is!!]

[not in a picture taking mood on Saturday]

 Dinner with friends

Sunday with my Boo

Ready for the weekend again.

Happy Monday!

My weekend

I....

saw one of my favorite red heads from Texas this weekend..

(sorry for the shakiness..I was laughing)

..and his momma, Karis

Their visit was super short!

I stayed up late and played with grapes. I don't think collagen or botox will be in my near future.

I met my friend Joan's sweet baby Daphne Belle!

 

I attended a 2nd birthday party for my friend Erin's sweet baby Mandolin.

 It was adorable and so very creative! It was all ice cream themed.

Little girls are so fun!

And then..

I took this cute guy to the Balloon Fest

I got my sass on..

..watched some balloons glow to the sound of Dueling Banjos..

and experienced extreme heat grossness with my sweet friends.

Good friends make all of the difference in the world, I'd say!

All topped off with a Sunday evening movie date with my One and Only

The Other Guys. 

It made me laugh a lot :)

Basically...

I had a lot of fun.

Looking back and trying not to look ahead( too much)

Happy Wednesday! I am full of randomness today.

I thought I would just do a recap of my summer thus far.

I longed for it and waited for it to be here, as usual, but after a month of 110 degree heat I must say that I am ready for cooler weather and really I am thinking of fall on an hourly basis these days.

HOWEVER

I am trying to really relish the remaining sunny days even though it's stifling hot outside.

So the best way to do this is to look at what wonderful, fun things have happened this summer.

I got a new camera:

I got my hair cut. 

My flowers were beautiful

John  graduated

We enjoyed a lovely vacation;

 we got tan.

 We spent alot of time outdoors

..with friends..

...

..and with family.

My sweet sister came for a visit.

I got my nose pierced. (that lasted 2 weeks..long story)

I celebrated friends and their upcoming arrivals..

..and helped out with two who had already made their appearance.

I tried to improve me and my husband's lives by choosing to eat differently,

eliminating sugar from my diet :

Unsuccessful:

Successful:

There is much of summer left. 

Balloonfest,

Bike riding,

My birthday...

It's good to remember the good about my days.

It inspires me to make the most of the days ahead and not wish my now away to the future.

Have a great today !

PS-

sorry. I just had to..