Introduction

When I think of grits, it takes me back to a simpler time where my sense of security was as thick as the humidity outside my bedroom window.  I would wake up to the sound of whippoorwills and woodpeckers drifting through our forest of Georgia pines from the swamp.  Summertime was filled with sprinklers and iced tea.  The fall was back to school, raking leaves and riding bikes.  Winter rain led to a beautiful spring of pink and purple azaleas, which is when I would break out my white shoes, gloves, and matching hat for church.  There is nothing like the slow pace of the South, and it’s something that I look back on and miss.  However, despite all of the sunshine and warm breezes, I was itching for something more.  Something deep within me longed to brush my hand along the sands of the Sahara, sip cappuccino on a canal in Venice, and yell from the top of the Eiffel Tower.  I wanted to jump inside the pictures in my textbooks and have unspeakable adventures.  So after I graced the stage in my cap and gown and received my long awaited college diploma, I jumped on the next plane to Africa.  It was the most amazing two years of my life, filled with unspeakable adventures.  I brushed my hand along the sands of the Sahara, climbed to the top of Victoria Falls, and worked with some of the most beautiful people on earth.  However, despite the exotic animals and dream-like villages, I was itching for something more.  I was longing for warm breezes, sweet tea, and adventures with best friends.  So I jumped on the next plane to the far away land of…Mississippi.  There I was surrounded by spontaneous road trips, midnight ice cream parties, and a life overflowing with sweet tea and fried chicken.  However despite all of the love and “amazazing” fun, I was…you guessed it...itching for something more.  I was restless, dreaming of an adventure I’d never had, and longing for a love I’d never met.  I decided to slap on my cowboy boots and ride off into the sunset to fulfill my cowgirl adventure in Colorado.  I worked at Lost Valley Ranch where I road horses, cleaned toilets, and made beds.  Next thing you know, I’m staring dreamy eyed at a cowboy that walked into the staff room.  At once I knew I’d been lassoed for good.  Walking down the aisle with him by my side was the greatest adventure of all.  He swept me off my feet and carried me to Indiana.  Once again I found myself in a small town very similar to where I’d grown up.  Bloomington is peace, Indiana University, and the brightest fall colors in the world.  Instead of southern hospitality, I was surrounded my Hoosier hospitality.  Instead of fried chicken, pork loin sandwiches.  However, the similarities triggered that old familiar itch.  The itch to climb the highest peak, swim in crashing waves, and travel to the unknown.  The difference is that this time I couldn’t just dust off my old suitcase and buy the next ticket to Paris.  We would love to pick up and sail around the world, but we need to make responsible decisions for the future.  Hank had to finish school, and I had to faithfully work my 8-5 job.  That’s right.  This adventurous spirit was working an 8-5 desk job, which lead me to begin this blog.  I want to be able to capture the adventure in everyday life when I’m not able to frequent the beach or backpack Europe.  My husband and I are dreamers, and we often speak about our future dreams of owning our own ranch.  My goal for this blog is to focus on the here and now by capturing the glory of everyday life.  Either with pictures, fun things I might hear, or something significant I might read, my goal is to start living in the present and being thankful for the countless things that I have been blessed with.  And eventhough I am no longer behind a desk from 8-5, I still try to learn to be content whatever the circumstances(see Philippians).  This blog is dedicated to all of you adventurous spirits out there who might be limited in what you can do right now.  Whether it’s an 8-5 desk job, school, lack of funds, a stay at home parent, or you’re just feeling stuck…I hope this will inspire you to find Glory wherever you are.