Changes

How does the saying go,

the only thing certain in life is death?

I think we need to add change into that equation.

Change in life is certain.

Change, however, feels anything but certain.

 

There have been a lot of big changes for me this past year

and even more this past week.

 

1. My director at work left and myself and a co-worker were named interim co-directors.

2. This came with about four new projects to oversee

and an office(!).

3. B and I got engaged.

4. My interim position became my job.

5. This was shortly followed by a new organization of departments and a newly hired supervisor.

6. We personally stripped the house I grew up in to be demolished by the new property owners and replaced by luxury apartments.

7. I learned that I am not at all bad with a crowbar and bricks.

I also learned that my endurance for such work is not as long as I would like to admit.

8. A friend's wife passed away and it hit me hard and I went on a good mental vacation for a few weeks reflecting mortality. Right in the middle of overpromising to blog 30 posts in 30 days.

Sorry guys, I learned a lot about knowing when you need to say, "no," no matter how great it sounds.

9. B's favorite board game store closed and now board game/guys nights aren't as scheduled.

10. The dance studio where B and I met, along with so many good friends, closed.

11. and now Lia Sophia will be closing their doors too.

 

The announcement was made this Monday afternoon and I still am having a hard time believing it.

Fortunately, the company still puts their customers and advisors first;

all stock is now on sale for 50% off.

It is bittersweet, feeling the love from all my friends and customers

and knowing it is the last month of my business.

I know that closing this door will open another for a new adventure

and with the wedding getting closer every day (a little over six months away!)

it is good to have one less thing on my list to worry about.

Many ladies are moving on to other companies right away,

but I am going to take a little break

and relax a bit.

And  focus on other things

cough, working out, cough, blogging, cough.

Ahem.

 

If you are interested in our sale, please contact me.

I can let you know about stock and help you find the perfect piece.

I truly appreciate the support!

 

Happy Thursday!

 

Hugs,

Christina

 

Linking up with Jenna for tldr-December.



Black Friday Every Day

The sale this month at Lia Sophia is too good not to share
before it leaves for good on Monday.

Especially for those of you, like me, that prefer to complete your holiday shopping before it comes to fist-a-cuffs.

Lia Sophia started Black Friday a little early this year with a Buy One, Get Two Half Off sale!

 (least expensive item is full price)

 

To celebrate the season of thankfulness,

I decided to share this special with you

and host an online party just for my readers.

You'll get in on the fabulous deal,
receive $10.00 off your order,
and be entered into a drawing for a free $100.00 item of your choice!
 

 

How does this work?

Well, just check out my Lia Sophia website,
select Browse Jewelry,
up at the top you can search for the party under the name: Christina Waltzing,
from there you can shop online just like normal!
 

Don't worry, I'll check every order and make sure that you are getting the best deal.
The party is only live until this Sunday (November 23rd),
so don't miss out!



Hugs,
Christina

Currently

I am going to ease myself back into writing again.

To meet my goal of 30 posts in 30 days is going to be quite the feat for me,

but we will give it the ol' college try.

 

I used to wonder what that even meant,

but after under-grad and grad school I understand it too well.

Rest assured, my dear study companions, this "try" will not/cannot include all-nighters.

Unless of course you care to join me.

All-nighter dance parties are not the same solo.

 

It seems since I am coming back from a blogging vacation

and Hannah is going on one,

that I join in on her weekly link up.

 

So here's what has been going on currently

on my side of the computer screen.

 

Thinking about...

  My Christmas shopping list.

I normally have an idea for everyone by now, but this year I am a bit stymied.

Loving...

  The first snowfall.

The temperature and windchill may try as they might, but there is little that I enjoy more than walking in a winter wonderland.

Thankful for...

A wonderful long weekend. 

We took our engagement photos, 

spent time with family, 

went out just the two of us,

and got caught in our first snowfall of the year.

 

Hoping...

The coming of the snow will send my allergies into hibernation.

Have a wonderful week!

Grief in Joy

A dear college friend of mine lost his wife recently.
It hit me hard.
The depth surprised me.
Because you see,

I was never blessed to meet her.

I knew that she was amazing

purely because he chose her as his bride.
It was a joy to see the amazing outpouring of love he showed her, the smile on his face, and to see the many adoring things she would tag him in on Facebook.
They loved each other so very much.
From what they chose to show the world
you never knew the pain of illness they were walking through.

I cannot begin to imagine what it is like to walk in his shoes right now.

 

The same day I heard the news,
I found myself in a tour of a church and standing before the grave of a dear friend and priest.
We had talked for years about his presiding over my wedding.
"God willing," he would say.
I would agree.
What else do you do when you are talking with a hero in your life
and they set the example of giving over everything to God?
I never wanted to think about the fact that God might not will it
and would shove the fear down into the corners of my mind
to be covered in the shadows unseen but lurking.

As I stood there looking at his grave,
reading his name, the dates, and mulling over conversations in my head I heard,
"I'll be there no matter what, you know that."
Yes. I knew it when he said it.
I knew it now, but it did not take away the thought which screamed in my head,
"You are supposed to be here."

By the exit in the Church a book of names resided.
This book was full of all the dead that we remember in our prayers throughout the year.
I went over and wrote her name in the book.
I wrote the names of my fiancé's grandparents and family that I have never met.
Something was comforting about it.
By writing their names down I felt like I was reaching out and telling them,
"You are not forgotten."
"I wish I would have known you."
 

This past week I have been walking with this grief.
Mulling it over in my head.
 

 At first I thought my grief was for him and their son.
I know a part of it is.
I know him.
He has always been the perfect example of a brother in Christ to me.
It makes perfect sense to grieve with him.
Yet, there still seemed like something was missing.
Until I pieced together the many thoughts of that day.

One of the many things I had looked forward to at our wedding was the opportunity of meeting this beautiful woman who had captured the heart of someone I admire deeply
and their young son.
I wanted to tell her the important role her husband played in my life.
I wanted to get to know her.
I wanted to be her friend.
I had lost some of that.

Isn't that why we grieve?
Because we have lost something.
We mourn the loss of things
and sometimes we mourn the loss of a dream.

In the midst of their loss it can be hard to see the beauty that remains.
I was confused.
How can I be so happy planning for a joyous time in my life,
when there is such pain touching those I love?
When there is this hole in my heart of people missing from it?
How can I be celebrating a dream come true while simultaneously mourning the loss of people that I planned to have there celebrating with me?

The only thing I knew to do was cling onto something solid.
To cling to the fact that I know there is life after this.
To cling to the truth that even though I cannot see, hear, or feel them,
the people I miss are here in a new way.
And as my grandmother would say,
we are all together clinging to the same rugged cross.

 

Hugs,

Christina

 

Bridal Brain

In an attempt to stay connected despite our busy schedules,

B and I share our Google calendars with each other.

This works well for me and my love of planning

and B, despite being a lover of spontaneity, likes the structure as well.

 

Yesterday I saw an addition to B's calendar for his morning that warmed my heart.

A week ago he had agreed to check out a few local hotels and inns to make a recommendation for reserving rooms for the wedding.

Due to overtime at work and other commitments, this task had yet to be completed.

So imagine the joy when I saw that he was visiting hotels early in the morning.

 

Planners, don't you agree that there is nothing like

knowing that someone took the time to plan for you?

 

My knees were melting.

And even though there was a typo,

I was oh so proud.

 

V and H are near each other, especially on a phone's keypad.

 

I was so excited that I could not wait until the evening

and sent a quick text checking in and asking after his morning.

I could not wait to hear him report his findings

and smother him with praise of his goodness.

 

His morning was rough.

He went to the wrong polling location.

 

And it hit me.

 

It was not a typo.

 

The V was not meant to be an H

and the L was not really an L at all.

 

Vote!

 

Plain as day.

 

It has happened.

My brain is no longer functioning normally.

 

I am still proud of him though.

 

 

 

 

 

Thirty/Thirty

No, this is not an announcement about me limiting myself 

to thirty items of my closet in thirty days.

It may be a good idea though after my capsule wardrobe ponderings.

Nor is it about completing a list of thirty goals before the big three-zero birthday.

This also might be a good idea since it is right around the corner.

 This is to make it public 

(and therefore make it actually happen)

that this November I am going to do a thirty posts in thirty days challenge.

My friend Lindsay, from Lindsay Loves, invited me to join her in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and posting every day in November.

Well, life happens.

So we have adjusted it for our already-behind-selves to one post for every day of November within November a.k.a. thirty in thirty.

Have you fallen behind before you have even begun too?

There will be some double duty days ahead,

but a climb is always so much more fun with friends.

Please join us! 

Two down, twenty-eight to go. :)

Hugs, 

Christina

New Eyes

I spent today with over 700 eighth graders at a youth rally.

It was a long, but very rewarding day.

One of the highlights was a session just for the girls on being a young woman of faith. The speaker shared her faith journey and challenged the girls to stop tearing each other down and to highlight the good in each other. The choice to focus on the inner beauty of others was something she had her eyes opened to when she lost not only her vision but her eyes to cancer. 

Yes, this amazing woman was blind.

And despite her lack of vision, she saw, understood, and touched these young women deeply. 

She couldn't see the awe on their young faces as they listened, the growing line of girls waiting to ask her a question, the dozen turned away when time ran out, the stack of her business cards gone within seconds, or any of the signs of the reach of her words.

I could.

I am seeing the world with new eyes tonight.

Eyes opened by someone who can see better than me.

Ninety-four million, six hundred ninety-four thousand, four hundred

Today is special.
 

Yet it does not feel the same as in years past.

It is much like memories of high school and college.
At the time you cannot imagine a future in which it is not the center of your world,
the most exciting thing,
the most important moment.

Years later there are other markers,
other monuments in time that take focus.
It is now one of the sentimental memories like childhood long gone.
It is where you came from,
it warms your heart,
 but the future beckons.

Such is the plight of first dates.
They either become a memory of inconsequential meetings
or the zero marker on a joint journey.

This date will always be special,
but I am so excited to let it fade and become the backdrop
while the focus will shift to celebrating an even more special day.

3

36

156

1,096

26,304

1,578,240

94,694,400

years
months
weeks
days
hours
minutes
seconds

 

No matter how you write it,
it feels like forever

and yet a day all at once.

Happy anniversary.



First photo of us...
before we were "us."


Hugs,
Christina


 



I am...

Thinking about...

 

my to do list, in particular, the wedding one.
 

Word from the wise,

Wedding Wire's check list is much less stressful to look at than the Knot's.

According to Wedding Wire, I am only three steps behind and have four left for the month;

according to the Knot, I need to catch up on eight and I lost count of the rest;

and according to me, those lists put too much into one bullet point.

 

Thankful for...

 

the people in my life that call me to be the best version of myself.

Craving...

 

Apples.
 

Johnny Appleseed is buried here which is something I forget until September.

The Johnny Appleseed festival is a highlight of my Fall.
 

My apple allergy, however, tends to put a damper on things,

but I do not let it rain on my parade.
 

I am sorry if you now have Streisand singing in your head.

Well, maybe  only just a little bit sorry.

 

Enjoying...

 

reading more.

In the past few weeks I have read two whole books!

Watching...

Notre Dame football.

Celebrating...

 

my Fall wardrobe.
Boxing up a season's clothes and pulling out the next is always exciting.
There is something so satisfying about having that "new" wardrobe feeling and knowing it did not cost you a dime (at least this year).

Loving...

October.



Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Christina 

Linking up with Jenna and  Jenna and since there just so happens to be seven, Jen.

 

Capsule Wardrobe

Have you heard about the latest and greatest minimalist trend, the capsule wardrobe?

I first heard of it from Kate, who is utilizing the concept for her maternity wardrobe.

Then Natalie, announced she was trying it out.

And then, I finally found my way to their source, Caroline.

 

Much like the 30 for 30 experiment many tried a few years back,

the capsule wardrobe begins with the concept of narrowing your wardrobe to versatile pieces that you love and teaching yourself to stretch your styling muscles.

With a capsule, however, it is a bit longer than 30 days,

it is a season or three months.

 

The idea of narrowing down your wardrobe to a minimal amount and discovering what you truly miss and need and what you never wear and do not even remember owning

is intriguing to me.

 

I love the idea,

but I also really love clothes

and variety

and shopping

and shoes

and being able to put off my laundry

and clothes...

so I am hesitant.

 

The knowledge that my life is at a transition point,

where I will be packing and moving onto a new stage

that includes sharing a closet for the first time in my life

and with boy,

however,

is tugging at me.

 

Maybe I need to learn to let go a bit more.

Maybe I need to learn what I really need and what is excess.

Maybe I need to downsize before he finds out how much comes with me ;)

Honestly though, it has gone through my head.

 

If I do move forward, I will have to make some adaptations, because I do have a full time job which requires business attire that I do not wear any other day,

and the weather is a bit colder here than Texas

which means snow boots and winter coats of varying warmth

may make an appearance even mid-Fall.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Have you ever considered doing something like this?

 

What would you do?

 

Hugs,

Christina



Seven Quick Takes or Failures Sevenfold

#FAIL

That was the name of the game this week.

The fact that this week of insignificant trivial failures followed a month of living and spreading joy is slightly ironic. I wish I could say that Joy-gust completely reformed me and I took each of these insignificant, trivial moments in stride and as cool as a cucumber.

The humor of them, however, did not escape me and the frustration did not stay long.

And because the least embarrassing thing to do 

with embarrassing moments is to share them on the www, 

I give you my week.

---1---

While getting ready one morning I decided to make hardboiled eggs. I filled up the pot, turned on the stove and set a timer to remind myself to check on the progress. Awhile later I realized the timer had not gone off. A quick check of the phone verified that I had started and stopped the timer after mere seconds.

---2---

I ran to view the progress of the eggs and found a happy pot sitting upon the stove at room temperature.

The burner was out.

And the pot, water and all went into the fridge for another day.

---3---

My dad asked me to pick him up some coffee on my way to meet up with the family.

I arrived to an empty house.

I called and discovered everyone was at my sisters.

For some reason I assumed "here" meant "home."

For another unknown reason I assumed "we're at your sister's" meant "we're at our house."

Fortunately, his coffee was just as good reheated. 

Or just as bad, depending on how you taste it.

---4---

I had every intention of going to the gym for the second time this week.

I scheduled time, 

packed my gym bag,

put it in my car,

remembered a water bottle...

what I did not remember was a bit more important.

One can workout without the socks I forgot to grab from the dryer.

It is much more difficult to workout without a shirt.

---5---

During a staff meeting it was brought to my attention that a question about the choice of agenda template used at our recent Fall luncheon had been used.

Apparently nothing says fall themed better than a marijuana shaped leaf.

Excuse me while I go fix my skirt, 

my naivety is showing.

---6---

This morning I could not find my phone, so I assumed I had left it at my parents' house. 

I did not have time to go over to pick it up, 

so I decided I would call to see if it was there once I arrived at work.

I got to the phone, put the receiver to my ear, and...

blanked on my parents' new number.

No big deal, I thought, I'll look it up in my contacts...

oh wait.

---7---

Wondering how take two of the eggs turned out?

Thank goodness for the microwave.

#TGIF

Hugs, 

Christina

Linking up with Jen.

#EncourageBeauty

Have you heard of the #EncourageBeauty campaign?

Anna of In Honor of Design and Hilary of Dean Street Society

initiated it a little over a year and a half ago.

It inspired my Questions of the Heart Guest Post Series

and more for many women.

Well, they brought it back in an Instagram challenge for this week

and brought more hostesses on board!

 

via

 

I love everything about this challenge.

Helping others know their worth and their beauty inside and out,

this makes my heart sing.

 

Thank you, Anna and Hilary!

 

So if you are not already,

will you join me

in recognizing the beautiful gift of you

and showcasing those you love?

 

Do not worry about coming in half way through the week!

I will be right alongside you!

Consider this a state of my brain address,

I thought the challenge started next week.

Sigh.

 

Consider this your Joy-gust inspiration for the day.

See you over on Instagram!

 

 

Hugs,

Christina

 

P.S. You can follow me on Instagram: @waltzinginbeauty

Nothing to Nowhere

A few weeks ago I found myself in my childhood neighborhood for a meeting.

Not only was my meeting in the neighborhood I came home from the hospital to,

but just down the street from my parents' first house.

 

I was early and the idea of killing time on my phone while baking in my car was not appealing

so I decided to roam and visit some memories.

It had been nineteen years since I had lived there,

boy does that number make me feel twice as old

and yet I navigated myself through the neighborhood with ease.

 

It is amazing how much we can remember when we are in the right environment.

I felt like I was back on my little bike on a summer day trailing behind my sister.

 

This way to the house of our babysitter.

That way to the pool.

Around the curve to our friend's home.

Straight at the stop sign for the modern stucco house that still does not quite fit in.

 

Then I got to a stop sign.

This was the edge of where I was allowed to ride my bike.

Turning left would take me back around to home.

Turning right would take me into a place never ventured.

 

The little girl in me,

I know her so very well,

hesitated at the choice to make as if choosing between right or wrong.

The turn signal clicked

and I felt that horrible blend of excitement and fear at the start of a new adventure.

I charged onward enjoying the scenery of this new and familiar place.

 

And as often happens when caution is thrown to the wind,

I found myself completely and utterly lost.

 

No longer am I the little girl on a bike crossing her boundaries,

but the feeling of relief when finding your way home is still the same.

 

Joy-gust inspiration:

 

Be Joy Filled:

Do you have a favorite childhood item stored away in a closet?

Pull it out and incorporate it into your home décor.

 

Spread Joy:

Make a favorite recipe and share it with a friend.

 

Hugs,

Christina



 

 

 

 

 



All Is As It Should

 

Fill up with Joy:

Go for a walk.

Try documenting the things that make you stop and take a second look.

 

Spread Joy:

Say hello to everyone you pass.

Don't forget to smile!

 

Join me for Joy-gust!

Hugs,

Christina

 

 

Brush Strokes

Guest lists are a great exercise.

 

Yes, it can be overwhelming to see the number grow,

but it also quite humbling.

 

Each number represents a person

that changed your life in an irreplaceable way.

 

Each one of them is a stroke of the brush that paints the picture of your life

and without them the picture of such an important day in your life is not be complete.

 

Thank goodness for ballrooms.

 

Joy-gust Inspiration

 

 

Be Joy-filled:

Do you have a picture on your phone or computer that you just adore?

Print it off and display it in your home.

You'll enjoy it so much more.

 

Spread Joy:

Write a note to the people that you are with on a daily basis,

thanking them for the qualities that they share with you

and the role they play in your life.

 

Happy Monday!

 

Hugs,

Christina

 

 

Because the ultimate cure for the Monday blues is 
something that will make you smile and grateful for what you have.  

These things make me smile and hopefully they will make you smile too.

 

 



Seven Quick Takes or Control, China, Colors, and Cardio

--1--

 

Some days it is hard to feel in control of, well, you.

 

It seems like everyone and everything needs something from you

and you do not have time to get your checklist done

and then you look in the mirror and you see

a very frazzled, sour puss with dark circles and caffeine induced jitters.

 

Sometimes we get lucky, because no one else sees her.

One time to be thankful for hallucinations, right?

Sometimes we get lucky, because people love her anyway.

 

One thing that I started implementing remind myself that I am in control of myself

and to help me get through my own checklist while assisting those I serve,

is not checking my email first thing in the morning.

Checking emails before checking my to do list makes me feel very overwhelmed

and my list gets lost in the urgency of answering everyone right away.

It is hard.

I am not so good at it, but now I have a voice in my head saying,

"Stop it!"

But I have noticed a difference

between the days I am successful at waiting until a specified time and those that I do not.

The next step is not checking email constantly.

 

--2--

 

Did you pick your china pattern?

Has replaced, "Do you know your colors?"

as most popular question of the week.

Thanks to B and the posting of this picture under the heading:

"It begins..."

 

I should have believed him when he said he was taking a FB picture.

 

So to answer both questions:

(1) No, we were at the mall for something else and looked for less than a minute,

but I am super excited to pick out china.

(2) Wedding planning is a bit overwhelming because of all the options and directions you can go and then there is actually being able to find what you have in your head in real life part.

All this being said, I am one hundred percent certain that my colors will be red or not red.

 

P.S. I am not complaining. I love every single bit about being engaged.

I think I was born for this. *wink*

 

--3--

 

Need a new workout for your routine?

Try learning a dance routine in a favorite music video.

I am taking a Michael Jackson dance class this month and I love it.

It is a lot of fun learning the moves and trying to keep up with the music.

Forty-five minutes of Thriller had me sweating.

 

--4--

 

Speaking of working out...

 

All you avid runners out there, I need your help.

Oh and all you asthma sufferers, too!

 

I am a baby runner,

as in, I struggle through running a mile at jog-like speeds.

My goal is not to run a marathon or anything,

I just would like to go for a run around the neighborhood a couple times a week

and not feel like I am going to cough up a lung.

My problem is, I have exercised induced asthma.

I know how to pace myself and get through it in other physical activities,

but I struggle with breathing while I run.

Any tips or things that helped you when you started?

 

--5, 6, 7--

 

And some inspiration for your Joy-gust:

 

 

Spread Joy:

Compliment a stranger every day.

 

Fill up with Joy:

Is there a color that makes you smile?

Add a splash of it to your outfit or wardrobe.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Hugs,

Christina

 

Linking up with Jen for Seven Quick Takes

 

 

 

 



Dividing Joy

Two months ago,

I could not sleep from excitement.

I had dreamt of this day for most of my life.

It had finally come

and it was perfect.

 

Moments after becoming engaged,

I stood up abruptly and proclaimed that I needed to call my mom.

Even though it was late,

I had to wake up my sleeping family to tell them news.

Sleep was not happening,

I called a friend on the West coast (the time difference worked in my favor this time).

I woke up early to tell the story again,

and within the next few days I told it what seemed hundreds of times.

I did not mind.

I wanted to tell the world.

I wanted everyone to share in my happiness.

 

Throughout it all, these words kept coming to my mind and

I understood them with what felt like every fiber of my being.

 

 

 

My cup had overflowed,

and I did not want this outpouring to go to waste,

but to be sopped up by everyone around me.

Still do.

*wink*

 

Inspiration for your Joy-gust:

 

Spread Joy:

Walk down memory lane with someone dear to your heart.

Be it through a text, phone call, or an actual walk.

Let them know how that moment in time impacted your life and you cherish it.

 

Be Joy-filled:

Find an old favorite book and re-read a chapter.

 

Hugs,

Christina