Catching Up: Kindness of Friends, Pinch Me Moments, & Publishing
Good morning, friends. I’ve missed you guys. So I’ve got my cup of coffee, and I’m going to pretend we’re finally catching up over a long overdue coffee date. Ready? Ready…
If you follow me on social media, then you know I’ve been dealing with a wicked case of tendonitis in my right wrist. It’s been much better the last few weeks, mostly due to the kindness of a friend from college. She saw my desperate pleas on InstaStories and whipped up an essential oil concoction specifically designed for tendonitis. And that sucker works. Oh, and it smells really good, too. If you need a DIY tendonitis treatment, get in touch with Courtney at Lemongrass & Lime. Or you can shop her site directly HERE.
I’ve been having some crazy “pinch me” moments lately. I spend my days working on projects I could only dream about years ago. It’s hard for me to imagine that only 16 months ago, I was sweeping someone else’s floors. I love this job, and I’m good at it. But for so long I underestimated myself and assumed I couldn’t have the things I wanted. If that’s you right now, can you trust me when I tell you to just freaking go for it already? You are smart enough. And you are brave enough. It’ll take time. And it’ll be scary as all hell. But don’t waste your life away. Do the things you want, friend.
Peppermint mocha coffee creamer awakens my soul. You know how certain scents can link you back to specific moments in time? I’ve never really experienced it with taste (except for chocolate chip cookies & Christmas, duh). But this season, the peppermint mocha creamer reminds me of the days when my creativity was at its peak with this blog. And I miss it oh so much. I shared some realness on Instagram this week, and it seems you all miss the real life connections, too. I don’t know that blogging will ever go back to the way it used to be (there are too many quick fixes to keep up with people these days), but I’m going to try to revive it, I think.
God’s been in my corner, showing off. I’m not ready to go into details yet (sorry to be that blogger), but some things have been going on here in the Hodges household (aren’t they always?). But I’m going to admit something here. I kind of like it when life goes up in flames. When the things you rely on 100% get torn away, your only option is to rely on God. (It’s like He designed it that way or something… ;)) And I love sitting back, trusting Him, and watching Him do His thing. He’s never let us down–and this time is no exception. I promise I’ll share when I’m ready.
I wrote a freaking book but never held it in my hands… Long time followers will know I published a book back in 2014. It’s called Yeah, maybe, and people seem to like it. But I only published it as an e-book. The unknowns mixed in with the printing process freaked me out, so I stuck with what seemed easy. But I’ll tell you something–publishing an e-book doesn’t really feel any different to publishing a glorified blog post. I hit publish, it went off into the world, and I never saw it again. Done and done. But through a lot of encouragement, I’m finally in the process of publishing that baby in print. And last week? I GOT TO HOLD MY BOOK IN MY FREAKING HANDS. That sucker is thick. I can’t believe I wrote it!! I’ll keep you all looped in to when it’ll be released and…(fingers crossed all goes according to plan), and my signing dates!
Okay, I think that’s enough catching up for now. How have you guys been?
