You've Got a Friend in Me

For some reason, we checked out like 10 library books, but we leave town on Sunday. We're a little odd.

I'm ecstatic.

(I don't get ecstatic very often.)

You see, I've got a follow-up post for you today from yesterday's post (you should read if you haven't already). And it's much happier - I swear.

You see, I posted yesterday about discovering that a few people really don't give a rip about me. Today, though, I'm turning that 180 and posting about a couple of people that I really care about and that I'd wager have taken a liking to me as well.

Why is this necessary, you ask? Well, for starters, I like it when people like me, and I like to tell others about those people, because they're rockin' awesome. Mainly, though, it was a goal of mine this year (as part of my 111 in 2011) to make a new friend.

And you know what? I one-upped myself - I made two friends!

An Important Lesson Learned

This post is part of my weekly Time for Honesty. I do my best to share something that's on my heart that is honest, sincere, and transparent - something that will get you thinking and get you to be honest with yourself.

There’s a few things that I’ve learned about myself in the last 21 years: 

1. I’m skinny. Ridiculously so. There’s no getting past that.

2. I tan like nobody’s business… when I have time to get in the sun.

3. I’m very friendly and likeable, for the most part.

Now, as you can imagine, I’m not here to be “honest” about being skinny or about my incredible propensity for getting an awesome tan, though both of those things are very true. Instead, I want to share with you an important lesson I’ve learned first-hand this summer:

It’s okay a good thing if not everybody likes you.

In fact, my mother-in-law said just the other day,

“If everybody likes you, you’re lying to someone.”

 She had no clue how right she was.

Guest Post from Page Traveler Tales

Rise and shine! Today we have an awesome guest post from Darci over at Page Traveler Tales! I love her blog, and I think you would too, so go on over and check it out. And leave her some love here for her awesome writing!

Guest Post from Page Traveler Tales

I really like this blog.

Like, seriously.

I laughed out loud the first time I pulled it up, because (1) the movie The Bucket List is hilarious, and (2) my husband and I have actually made a bucket list of our own!

I looked for it to write this post, but was, sadly, unsuccessful. So I'll just tell you a few things that I remember being on there...

Keep in mind, however, that some of these are ridiculously and completely impossible. We know this, but in my opinion, writing it down and hoping that it might, somehow, someway, by luck or chance or fate or blessing come to pass, makes me happy.

A Bittersweet Accomplishment

I'm sitting next to a piece of paper that simply says, "Don't placate me." I have no clue what my family was up to last night.

It's Monday, the beginning of a new work week, and...

I don't have to go to work!

It's a beautiful thing, really. But at the same time, it's very bittersweet. Allow me to enlighten you:

Keep Your Friends Close & Keep Your Enemies Closer

Today's post is another review that I wrote for the Blogging for Books program. Enjoy!

I chose to read Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart for a number of reasons:

1. It had a nifty looking cover.

2. I’ve heard of Andy Stanley, which means the book has to be good, right? (Don’t mind that I’ve never read anything written by him.)

3. It was available on Kindle, which is always a bonus.

4. I was actually interested in the topic of the book.

And though I’ve been prone to delivering rather cynical and negative reviews as of late, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It was one of those books I actually wanted to read in my spare time, instead of feeling obliged for whatever reason. And it actually made a few good points.

The premise of the book is that we don’t look at the condition of our hearts nearly enough. Instead, we fix our behaviors and then wonder why we blow up at people and are unsure of why it happens. Stanley proposes that if this is the case, there’s a “heart” problem.

The book is organized well, addressing the four sicknesses of our hearts that Stanley has concocted: anger, guilt, greed, and jealousy. Without a doubt, we’ve all experienced each of these things at some point in our lives or another. Stanley does well to examine why these sicknesses exist and then proposes tangible solutions to those problems, not just clichés such as “pray more” or “trust God.”

After the what, the why, and the how are examined, Stanley wraps up the book by touching on leaving a legacy and leading by example for our children and addresses lust, another heart condition that is a little different from the other four (but important nonetheless).

Ultimately, though, this book is well put-together, well thought out, thorough (yet concise!), and it makes you think and moves you to action. What more could you ask for?

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)