Conflicted in Color

I'm super excited for this week's Fill in the Blank Friday 

with Lauren

COLOR!

Now this will be fun! 

I've always said my favorite color is 

green.

Now, come on, does it get much cuter than that?

Right--that's what I thought! 

Green is absolutely adorable! I painted my room green when I was in high school,

my daughter's room was green prior to the move, and I have a pair of green flats from Target that I paid $12 for about 3 years ago! Yep, best $12 I've spent :)

But recently, I've noticed a strange new trend in my life...things are starting to change color...

That's right...I think my sub-conscience favorite color is purple. 

Ladies, I'm talking everything from my cell phone (old one...fav...it broke) to my flat iron to my shoes and even a purse! I have been picking out things that are purple without even recognizing the trend until recently!

And I'm sure you can see why...  

Now I said it couldn't get much cuter than the green, but look at this stunning purple! 

Adorable and elegant...is that possible? 

Oh, but wait...it gets so much better when you...

put purple and green together!

I'm speechless...

not for long though! 

I'm totally thinking about the next little gathering I have now...I should make it purple and green. 

So there you have it...at first I thought I was conflicted in my favorite color..the color I choose and the color my "non thinking" mind chooses, until I realized how perfectly they go together! Now that's what I call team work :)

Have a wonderful COLORFUL Friday!

Friday in Florida!

Yes, you read the title right...I am writing this post from the Sunshine State! Little E and I came down to visit my dad and to attend The Gospel Coalition Women's Conference 2012! My mom is join me at the conference while my dad and sister watch Little E.

Yesterday was spent relaxing and enjoying the beach, but last night was a nightmare! Little E had a hard time going to sleep...I'll spare you of the details and leave it at that. Needless to say, I've had copious amounts of coffee this morning. The conference begins later on today...you can follow me on twitter (@ervinlady) for periodic updates :)

So, onto typical Friday business--Fill in the blank Friday with Lauren

She basically left it completely open today!

The only prompt is...

I tend to be wordy at times, so today I think I will stick with a list...

sunshine

swimming

humid and hot

ice cream

popsicles

beach vacation

lazy nights on the porch

citronella

tomatoes from the garden

lighting bugs

my birthday!

fireworks

grilling

toasting marshmallows

cute sundresses

sandals

sunnies

early morning walks/jogs

family & friends

Pretty simple really. But that's what summers are. Simple fun enjoying the outdoors.

Longer days and warmer nights spent outside with those I love.

Thought I don't enjoy the humidity of West Virginia in the summers, I do love the sunshine and opportunity to be outside after being couped up all winter long.

It goes by too fast so...

Here's to summer!

Enjoy! 

settling in...kind of

We made it! We survived the move and are now getting settled in at our new place...well sort of. 

See, here's the thing. Like every other place we have ever lived, this one is also temporary. The apartment we just move out of was where we have lived the longest (2 years); every other place has been roughly a year or less. Same with this new house...we will be here roughly a year and then we get to pack it all up and move on to another adventure. 

Do you think we're crazy? Because, seriously, sometimes (like this weekend) I do! 

Why is it that God keeps us moving around, not ever really feeling settled in a place? It seems like just the time we start to get that "comfortable" feeling, He moves us. At our apartment we were just getting to really know some of the neighbors and feel like we were "at home" and God placed this house in our path. Believe me, we didn't go easily! We were basically kicking and screaming. We originally said, "no" when the opportunity presented itself, but as time went on, God kept bringing it back to us to "reconsider" and we kept saying no. We didn't have a peace until we said, "yes" to what He had for us. 

So why would we not want to move from our tiny 2-bedroom in a bad part of town to a 3-bedroom (with a huge kitchen/living space) in one of the nicest neighborhoods in a local suburb? Honestly, it required more faith. Seems strange, I know. But, here's the deal. We could have basically stayed at the apartment indefinitely. With this house, we have exactly 1 year until we know we will have to move again. To where? We don't know! Staying at the old place would have been more comfortable because we knew (or thought we knew) that we could still be there for the next few years. No packing, no moving, no finding a new place, no need to trust God with that area of our lives. 

So this move, is a step of faith. 

It is a season.

It is the next step our family needed to take to be moved out of our comfort zone, because honestly we felt more comfortable in an urban setting than we do in a suburban one. (I know that is strange in our cultural context). 

Here we are...trying to live in this moment (and not get frustrated thinking that everything I am unpacking will go back in the boxes at this time next year). We don't know where God will take us from here, but we know we can trust him. Besides, this move wasn't nearly as crazy as moving to Africa was! :)

Ready, Set...

MOVE! Tomorrow is MOVING DAY! 

We are totally stoked, but slightly overwhelmed as well. Just a shout out to those who have helped by providing boxes, babysitting, meals, etc--We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you! 

Once we get settled, hopefully things here will get back to a more regular schedule.

For now, we will continue with our weekly link up with Lauren.

I love having an outlet for my thoughts/feelings/etc. Sometimes it is easier to type something than it is to say it. 

I adore sharing some of YOUR great posts and ideas...and meeting other momma bloggers is super fun :) 

Writing isn't a strong suite of mine, but I certainly hope it is improving! 

To record memories and share photos of our daily lives with friends and family. 

It stretches me. 

This is probably the biggest reason. Blogging really gets me out of my comfort zone a little bit and causes me to live my life a little bit more intentionally. If I am writing and posting for other to see, I want to be real, I want to be open, I want to be me, I want to live a life worth remembering and recording. You can't do that if you go through life passively...you must be intentional. 

So, dear friends, why do you blog? 

Here are some photos from our recent beach vacay for your viewing pleasure :)