23 Weeks

Turns out I wore this same turtleneck for my 23 week photo with Ruby in tow. What?? I SO did not plan that. I don't know what that says about me...probably that I'm cheap/ thrifty/ resourceful/ etc. Regardless, I think I'm bigger this time around.

Circa 2011.

For all of you bumpwatchers, let us analyze these two photos. It appears I'm about as high & pointy as I was when I was carrying my daughter...PERHAPS, IT IS ANOTHER GIRL?? Oh, the drama.

In other examples of how I am subconsciously carrying on traditions through my pregnancies, I am currently reading a classic—Pride & Prejudice. I read another classic, Jane Eyre, with Ruby—both period novels somewhat far from my usual tastes, but I have enjoyed/ am enjoying quite immensely. Just trying to fill the "Downton Abbey" void, y'all. P&P is turning out to be quite the worthy sub.

I've also been reading the She Reads Truth Holy Week Plan, which is so SO good. I didn't even get as far as devising a Lent strategy for me to fail this year, but have wanted to be intentional & reflective in the days leading up to Easter and what that means for my life/ faith/ etc. I was also touched by this perspective.

Peace to you...xx

The Influence Conference

This past weekend (plus a couple days), I attended the much anticipated Influence Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it was the inaugural conference for lady bloggers/ online business owners of the Christian persuasion.

I’ll do my best to share some of what I learned and experienced, but I’m still processing much of it (as most of us are and probably will be for a long time).

Kicking things off with our hosts - Jessi Connelly, Hayley Morgan, Moriah Sunde, & Casey Wiegand. So grateful for each of their open hearts & hard work in making this event happen.

Day 1 outfit - Chambray top (thrifted) $4; pencil skirt (Target) $6; necklace (antique mall) $6.

I sure like dressing up, but what a lot of people didn't know was that the majority of my outfits from the weekend cost under $25. Total. As in for the whole outfit + accessories (ok, minus the shoes - but those weren't very expensive either).

On the topic of fashion, I was heavily encouraged to start incorporating my finds & strategies into future posts, which just might happen. Because I am still trying to figure out which direction to take this blog in...

The conference was divided into a couple different tracks—life sessions & strategy sessions. I tried to keep a healthy balance between two and am so glad that I did. SO MUCH WISDOM ON DISPLAY.

I had the privilege of attending talks from John Saddington, Hayley Morgan, Nish Weiseth, Jessi Connelly, Sarah Matheny, and Jessica Turner.

Of all the sessions I attended, I think Sarah Matheny's (aka Mama Pea) was like a shot to the heart. No PowerPoint. No bullet points. Simply a beautiful woman sharing her even more beautiful heart. Her words have been resonating with me ever since and I would encourage you to stream the audio when it becomes available online.

The She Reads Truth dinner. I wouldn’t have even known about the Influence Conference if it weren’t for learning about it through an Instagram hashtag.

Dinner attire – vintage Oscar de la Renta dress (Dorothea’s Closet) $25.

One thing I was DEFINITELY looking forward to was the Madewell styling session with The No Brainer Wardrobe author, Hayley Morgan. We don’t have Madewell stores in Iowa, so I splurged a little for the occasion. Without spending a whole lot of money, I will add;)

Day 2 outfit – Granny-chic polyester cardigan (thrifted) $4; purple skinny pants (thrifted) $4; necklace (thrifted) $5; tank (F21) $5.

So many lovely things for sale in the Sashes Market. And sooooo easy to justify a purchase when knowing the hearts behind the business owners. Yeah, I left with a couple things: )

Friends & roommates, Nicole & Adri. I also want to point out the lovely scarf I’m wearing in this photo that I purchased from the Sashes Market. It was handmade in Ethiopia through a business called FashionABLE.

Their mission is to provide sustainable jobs to African women who may have otherwise had to make a living through prostitution. I really believe in what they are doing and am crafting up some ideas to stay involved in their endeavors. Stay tuned.

This pile of business cards represents an extraordinary community of women whose common thread is the good & true message of Jesus Christ. If you are able to extract any of their URLs from this photo, I would encourage you to visit their sites—their stories.

I kept hearing the phrase “come tender” throughout the conference, and that I did. I arrived at Influence as a “small potatoes” blogger who doesn’t have sponsors or even an “about me” page. I am working on both. Needless to say, there were times where I felt a little out of place and humbled by my lack of knowledge, experience, and connections.

There were also times where I wrestled with the disillusionment of my expectations vs. reality. My soul got a much needed exfoliating. And that part hurt. I left feeling a little raw. Grace was a huge theme on so many levels throughout the weekend. And once I got over the junk of some of those insecurities, I had a pretty great time.

I want to thank my roommates - Jill, Adri, Amanda, & Nicole for their encouragement and accessibility.

I want to thank the women who engaged in REAL conversations with me. Women who made me feel that their circles weren’t small enough to let one more person in.

I thank God for bringing me to this conference at a time where I needed this kind of experience the most. I am just so immeasurably humbled by His great love for me. Not only that, but for sending along a companion in my journey to help process everything I learned. It's hard to say what my experience at Influence would have been like without my friend, Nicole.

From the bottom of my heart…thank you.

xx

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Dearest October

Even if it wasn't my birthday month, I'm pretty sure October would still be my favorite. This normally would be the post where I list off all the material things I would like for my birthday (it's on the 21st, so there's still plenty of time for shipping). But I already know what I'm getting...

For the big thirtieth (I know, YIKES), I wanted to do something special. Something memorable. Something that would properly kick off this next decade. 

A little over a week ago, I hadn't heard about the Influence Conference yet, but when I stumbled across it (via the #SheReadsTruth community), I just knew that I HAD to be there. Unfortunately, spontaneity was something that got packed away in a drawer along with my pre-pregnancy black skinny jeans. I'm a Mama now, so I don't just up and leave for a long weekend by myself. Especially because I'm a Mama now!!

I casually mentioned it at dinner.

"You should definitely go!" said Wayde. There were a lot of reasons not to, so I dismissed it as quickly as I brought it up.

Fast forward to a late night conversation with my husband. This time he brought up the conference and insisted that I make it happen. It took a lot of guts to type in my credit card information (thus sealing the deal and my fate), but I clicked confirm and now it's all happening. I even found some roomies at the hotel where it'll be hosted.

There's even a possibility that a friend from church is going to put her spontaneity pants on and go with me! Which should make the 8 hour drive a lot more enjoyable. So there it is! The BIG birthday present:)

Phewsh, that was a lot of words. Props to you if you made it through the whole thing. I'll post some pictures to make up for it...xx