Most of my job is done online.  A lot of my free time is spent online.  I enjoy reading other blogs.  I enjoy online shopping WAY more than I enjoy actually going to the store.  So I’ve compiled a list of 10 websites that I visit every day with almost no exceptions.

1.  CrossFit Fairfield – I go here even if I’m not working out.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe to be thankful that I’m not having to suffer through at least that workout.

2.  Gmail – This is my personal and primary email account.  This is the one I give out to my friends and lovers.  Okay.  Just my friends.  Either way, even if I don’t visit the site, I get the mail through my phone.  But I always visit the site.

3.  Amazon – I love watching their deals of the day.  If I can’t find it on Amazon, it usually can’t be found.

4.  Pollard Realty – This is my work website that I maintain.  I check it every day to make sure everything is up and running.  I’m also working on a new design that’s taking me forever to figure out, so I spend a lot of time here.

5.  This blog – I always make sure it’s up and running.  Sometimes I do a little work on it.  Sometimes I write a post or two.  I always check my stats.  Maybe a little obsessed with that part of it.

6.  Run With The Big Girls – Also known as my other blog.  Same as above.

7.  My work email.  I didn’t link to it ’cause it’s not that great of a page.  You can’t sign up for it or anything like that, so it’s kind of pointless.

8.  Facebook – I love seeing what everyone is up to.  I don’t make a lot of comments or anything like that, but I’m always on there.

9.  Twitter – Twitter is a better, less drama version of Facebook.  At least in my opinion.

10.  Google – You don’t go to Google every day?  Why not?  They always have a fun design for their name.  There’s always something I don’t know that I can look up.  Seriously.  You should log on to Google at least once a day.

What websites do you visit daily?

This time last year I launched my birthday week celebration.  Yesterday was exactly one week before my birthday.  And last year I gave away a book for every day of the week inspired by some bloggers that I respect greatly.  I had every intention of doing that again this year, but I’m just not feeling it.  There will be a giveaway announced next week on my birthday, so be reading.  The only problem is is that I’m not quite sure what it will be.

I’ve been reading over my 10 Things list that I made for my birthday last year.  There were some pretty crazy goals on it.  There were some mediocre goals on it.  I think I achieved more of the crazy goals than I did the mediocre ones, which I think is kind of funny.  The fact of the matter is is that this past year has been completely life-changing for me.

I’ve become stronger.

And in the course of finding my strength, both physically and mentally, it seems that I’ve become, at least in my mind, a better version of myself.  It’s not that I feel at all like I’ve finally got it together.

I’m not even close to having it all together.

But I love my new strength.  It gives me the courage to love my flaws.  

I think it takes a special kind of strength for people to actually love ourselves.  Some days I do okay with that.  Some days love isn’t exactly the word I’d use.

But I was reminded recently of the Great Commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  I felt like I loved my neighbors pretty well…even when I wasn’t loving who I was.  But it wasn’t until I started to really understand that I am God’s creation and that He calls me Beloved, that I started loving myself.  And when I started to love who He had created me to be, I finally started to see that even though I thought I was loving my neighbors, those relationships were flawed.  Because I can’t know how to really love people and get down to the core of what they need until I really loved me.

And it’s so hard, my friends.  It’s so easy to put ourselves down.  It’s so hard to extend grace to ourselves.  We know that we should know better and yet we still fall.  But the thing is is that God has extended that grace to us.  Who are we to say, No, thank you?

My greatest hope for you during this next year is that you learn true love.

Love of yourself.

Love of your neighbor.

Love of the One who calls you Beloved.

Be loved, my friends.

Guys, you have no idea how beyond excited I am to share with you that my friend, Bryan Allain, wrote about our 5K today on his blog!  Bryan has been a blogger since 2002 and has helped tons of people work their way through the blog world.  He’s the creator and founder of the Killer Tribes community, which is set up to help bloggers connect with other bloggers and navigate their way through the sometimes crazy Internet world and help get their voices heard.

Thanks to Bryan, thousands of people who would have never seen anything about this race are going to read a little bit about it today.  Seriously guys.  Thousands.  He’s kind of a big deal.  And what’s cooler than that, I had the pleasure of meeting him when I went to the Catalyst Conference last year in Atlanta.

So head on over to his blog today and check it out!  Also, check out his ebook, 31 Days To Finding Your Blogging Mojo, which is a great tool to start your motivation and keep you motivated to get some blogging done!

Thank you so much, Bryan, for all your help!

My friend has committed to spend a year in Asia with a pretty awesome organization.  Sunday she got up and spoke at church telling about her missional commitment and asking for support, both prayerfully and financially.  As she was speaking she said something that made me immediately pull out my phone and get on Evernote to type it in so I wouldn’t forget it.  I loved it.

Without the Senders there wouldn’t be the Goers.

I sometimes get in the mindset that other people are doing greater things in this world than I am.  I sometimes feel like I don’t measure up spiritually because I’m not taking care of lepers in Calcutta or going overseas to a nation that doesn’t really welcome anything to do with Christianity.  I’m just me, sitting here in my hometown, and the only reason I want to go overseas is just for my own personal pleasure.

The fact of the matter is is that I’ve never felt any sort of “calling” on my life to do something like that.

The fact is is that I’ve always felt a strong pull to stay here and support and help send as much as I can.

I forget that God is using me here to send them, and without Him using people like me to send those who are called to go, they could never go.

Don’t get stuck in the mindset that you’re not as spiritual as those who are doing mission work overseas.

Just be ready to send them when they ask for help.

Do you ever feel like this or is it just me?

I was out late last night with my friends and at a funeral visitation.  I didn’t have time to write my 10 Things post, so I’m taking a break till next week.  See you then!

Today I was supposed to finally get DSL Internet installed at my home. Up until this time it was unavailable where I live because the DSL cables just weren’t out in the country that far. I’d tried to get wireless at one point, but all roads leading away from my home go uphill, so that leaves me in a valley surrounded by trees, which evidently is not good for a wireless signal. But today there were supposed to be at my house between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Seriously.

I mean, really. I get needing some cushion space. Appointments run late. You run into unexpected problems along the way. But 10 hours? I find it hard to believe that a person can’t keep a schedule within a 4-hour time span. That’s what the Dish Network guy gave me when he came to install. What makes the phone company any different.

But then they didn’t even show up.

Honestly, I’m just glad I didn’t take the day off work. It’s just frustrating to think that I’m sitting around waiting on people to set this up, and I have absolutely no idea when it’s going to happen now.

I hate not being able to control a situation. I always have. I want to know how it’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen. And if I could do it myself, that would even be better, in my opinion.

But lately I’ve been making a serious effort to just sit back and relax. Let the others who are planning events, do their thing. I’ll be involved if it’s something I feel like I want or need to be involved in. If it’s not, then I’ve been sitting back and taking the time off.

It’s kind of freeing really.

I feel like I have more time to focus on the things that are really important to me. A line I read in a book the other day describes it perfectly, but I’m just going to paraphrase it for you. I’m taking the time to be me…not who I should be, but who I am.
I want to commit to the things that interest me and not the things that I think should interest me. We get sucked into this idea of who we should be and forget to figure out who we really are. So I’m on this journey. It’s a long journey, but it’s a good one.

So, yeah, I’m keeping busy.  But as physically busy as I am, it seems as though my mind is more available, if that makes sense.  But, seriously, if I don’t get to you within 10 hours, you need to sit me down and have a talk with me.

Seriously.

I’m sitting on my couch.  The television is on.  I’m not really watching it.  I’m just sitting here waiting.

There’s a storm rolling in.

It’s going to be a good summer thunderstorm.  And I love a good summer thunderstorm. It’s been thundering for about an hour.  There’s lightning.  And the temperature has dropped about 20 degrees in the last three hours.  So now I’m just sitting and waiting and praying.

Because we need this rain.

Growing up as a farmer’s daughter, I’ve learned never to take a summer thunderstorm for granted.  Most of the farmers I know have their crops in the field.  They just need the water to really take off.

It’s kind of like that with the storms in our life, isn’t it?  Sometimes, like tonight, we know the storms are coming.  All we can do is sit and wait.  Sometimes they’re long and drawn out.  We can’t really do anything to avoid them.  And sometimes they hurt.

But we need the storms.

Just like the crops in my dad’s fields, we can’t grow without a little storm or a big storm every now and then.  Some nights, like tonight, it makes me just sit back and wait it out.  I’ve got plenty of time to think, plenty of time to write, to clean, to rest.  And it’s good for the soul, even if it hurts.

Because everything looks different after the storms.

Sure.  Some branches may be down. But those are the parts that were usually dead anyway. The parts that needed to be pruned, if you will.

Yes.  Storms are good for the soul. I’m going to try to remember that next time I’m going through one.

I’m hosting a 5K on my other blog to help with my friends’ adoption expenses.  You can read their story here.  You can get the 5K details here.  But here are 10 reasons I think you should be involved.

1.  Cancer sucks.  Most of us have been directly affected by cancer at one point in our lives.  We can beat it by helping out here.

2.  You know exactly where the money is going with this fundraiser.  Once I find the place where I will get the T-shirts printed, I will post an accounting off where EVERY PENNY is going.  Seriously.  I’m paying for the shirts and for the invite service I’m using to sign up with.  The rest of the money is going to Matt and Cathy.

3.  I know these folks.  They’re the real deal.  They will love on kids like you wouldn’t believe.

4.  We’re promoting adoption and health in the same event.  The theme of Run With The Big Girls is that it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to do it.  It’s just the point that you’re doing it.  The theme of The Esau Project is to not sell out to the trivial things that this world has to offer.  We were created to love on each other.  We were created to live healthy and fulfilling lives.  This is a way to do both.

5.  Anyone can do this.  I don’t really care if you run, walk or crawl for the 3.1 miles.  You can do this.  I believe that you can.

6.  You’re living a better story by doing this.  I’ve recently listened to an audiobook that has changed the way I’m looking at life.  You’re going to be reading more about it in the next few weeks, but this is your chance to help someone.  I realize that you might not know them, but you know me.  You know my heart because you’ve been reading this blog.  We have a chance to step in and help bless someone and in the process of blessing them, change their lives.  That’s what we’re all about here.  Living to be the best we can be.  No selling out.

7.  Because I’m asking for help.  I’m not the kind of person who asks for help much.  Just ask those in my closest group of friends.  But I have no problem asking for help for something that I believe 100% in.  I believe in this couple.  And coming up with these expenses has got to be a strain.  Let’s help them out.  OK?

8.  You don’t have to come to Podunk Fairfield to run in a piddly little 5K.  You can go for your normal daily run, and it will count.  The difference?  You’ll be making a difference in someone’s life.   AND you’ll get a rockin’ T-shirt for your effort.

9.  10 things is a lot to come up with.  Especially after I’ve cracked open a bottle of wine.  But take my word for it.  Even if I’m having trouble typing 1o things right now, give me time.  I’ll come up with 100 reasons why you should be involved with this 5K.

10.  Cathy lived with me for about three months.  I don’t know how she did it.  My house was always a mess.  My life was crazy.  I don’t know how I paid my bills at the time.  But she came and she lived with me.  Our friendship grew over those three months and it’s only gotten stronger as the years have gone by.  There aren’t many people who could live with me, but it proves she lives a life full of grace and love.  Only someone full of the Holy Spirit could live with me for three months and still like me years later.  Let’s join in to help for a good cause.

What are your opinions on this 5K?