Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but this week flew by. You may have noticed some changes here on Modern Reject. My little blog went and got herself a facelift. There are a few more changes to come over the next few days, so stay tuned.
Also, early next week I’ll be hosting the first ever Modern Reject giveaway, in honor of my new and spiffy blog design. I’ll be giving away a slew of goodies, so be sure to check back because you won’t wan to miss it.
Last week on Friday Findings, I mentioned Ally Spotts to you, a blogger extraordinaire.Today, my husband and I are actually guest posting for her. We are the addressing the issue of whether or not you can (or should) have friends of the opposite sex once you are married. We’d love to hear your thoughts! So please, hop on over and share some comment love.
Usually Fridays here on MR are called Favorite Things, where I list out some of the stuff I love from nerdiness to splurges, and even some of my guilty pleasures.
And after over a year of writing about my Favorite Things, it turns out that while I like a lot of things, I don’t like enough to blog about it for 14+ months. Sooooo, I’ve got a new bag of tricks for Fridays which I am calling (in case you didn’t read the title of this post for some reason) Friday Findings.
Now, I admit it sounds eerily similar to Favorite Things, but here’s the difference: Instead of any one topic (i.e. kids, road trips, etc) I will be sharing with you anything that caught my eye that week–whether it be a blog post, article, song, food item, pin, book, quote, or nonsensical item that I may presently be lusting. Anything is up for grabs. Now doesn’t that sound snazzy?
This also means that I need your help. Yes, you. If you happen to read a post, spot an article, or chow on some amazing grub (I like food okay? What can I say?) please send it my way. I’m always interested in discovering new things worth sharing and that’s exactly what Friday Findings will be all about. You will, of course, score the credit for your finding. Finders keepers, as they say.
I’m not the world’s biggest Apple fan. I mean, I love their products, but I’m no geek about them. I had never really known much about Steve Jobs either, beyond the basic information about him.
Yet, on Wednesday when my husband came home and asked me if I had heard the news, I was struck with deep sadness for him and his family. I was quiet for a few moments and then I said to my husband, “All that influence, all that money, and none of it matters. If we don’t know Christ, none of it matters.”
I’m not sure what Steve Job’s relationship with God was like, but I pray he had one…
Someone commented on the radio, that Steve Jobs was not a Churchill or some other great political figure. He was, however, a Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison. He was and will remain the great inventor of our day–a brilliant mind that challenged life as we know it.
It will probably generations from now before his brilliance, vision, and ingenuity is matched…if ever. Thanks Steve. We will miss you…
Care to share your own response to the news? Are you an Apple geek? If so, why? Share your favorite Apple product and Pixar movie!
Well, hello. Friday is here again. Hallelujah! I love the weekends. Right now, I’m also enjoying the many comforts in life.
I am taking pleasure in the little things, like a Saturday afternoon nap, a delicious slice of (gluten-free) pizza, and a good book. Which has got me thinking. If I were stranded on a deserted island, what little pleasures would I most desire to have with me?
Yes, the old deserted island question. Let’s play. Favorite (Deserted Island) Things for Friday.
Basic rules: You can’t bring any people, a television or computer, or any type of transportation to fly or sail your lonesome self off the island. Here’s what I’d bring… Continue reading Favorite (Deserted Island) Things
So, it’s Friday again and while I’m a little late posting today’s Favorite Things, I thought what the heck, I’ll do it anyway.
Here’s what I have been loving, enjoying, or obsessing about this week:
Gay men loving Jesus. Okay, if you missed Wednesday’s guest post by Matt Appling about sexual identity, stop what you’re doing and read it now. Be sure to read the comments too, especially one by Darylhb. He sums up the struggle and beauty of being same-sex attracted with such wisdom and grace, it makes my heart swell. Subsequently, I now have a blog post idea brewing on the issue.
Babies. Well, actually just one baby–my new son, Beckett. About 4 days ago, he decided to cry whenever he is awake, which means a lot of crying and desperately trying to get him back to sleep. I’m exhausted. Please pray for him…and me.
Gitzengirl.Choose Joy. That is the phrase of a young woman named Sara, who is suffering and now dying, from a painful and rare disease. She happens to be a blogger who has shared her story and struggle with thousands. She has chosen joy, despite her circumstances. She was recently (as in a few days ago) told that her body is failing her. Please, visit her blog, read her story, share her with others, and pray as Jesus ushers her home.
Speaking. I am currently preparing for a speaking engagement I was invited to attend. The big day is only a few short weeks away and let me tell you, I am so out of my league. I am trusting God for the results. I will give you more info as the day gets closer.
Acts. I recently began a study of the Book of Acts, along with about 50 other women. I am already dwelling on thoughts of the Holy Spirit and His presence. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things andbring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26 Thank you Lord for giving us the Helper, without whom this Christian life would seem impossible.
So where have your thoughts been this week? What have you been thinking about, dwelling on, praying for? Good or bad?
PSSSSSST- I also did an interview for Something Beautiful podcast this week. I talked about how I found Christ, why I blog, organic church, and finding real community–among other things. Check it out here!
Yesterday, our nation spent time remembering the tragedy that struck 10 years ago. We celebrated the lives lost and the lives saved. We reflected on what it means to be an American and why it is so important that we never forget the resolve and unity we experienced in the days, weeks, and months following the attack.
September 11th, 2001 marked each and every one of us, no matter how significant or how seemingly small our connection was to those who were lost.
Generations past have other collective experiences: A man walking on the moon, the assasination of John F. Kennedy…
But our generation has the quiet Tuesday morning, when 4 hijacked planes made the world stop. We are united not only by the loss, but also by the memory we hold. Each of us was somewhere when we first heard the news or watched the television as a plane flew into the World Trade Center.
I was boarding the early morning ferry departing from Martha’s Vineyard and headed back to Boston where I attended college. I was sitting in my seat listening to the woman a few rows behind me trying to make an airline reservation from Boston to Chicago.
She became increasingly frustrated as the airline employee told her she could not make such a reservation. All planes were grounded. The Sears Tower in Chicago was closed down…some kind of threat. It didn’t affect me.
Hours later after a bus trip following my ferry ride, I watched the bus driver drive past Logan Airport without making his usual stop. People on the bus started yelling. “Hey, that’s our stop!” Stop the bus!” But the driver calmly explained that the airport was closed. The entire airport.
We were finally allowed to exit the bus at one of the downtown subway stops. It was another hour before I made it home. Upon walking inside, everyone in the room was crowded around the television. I walked over to see what was going on and there it was…
…the image of a plane flying into the building. I froze. I started crying. What does this mean, I asked. What is happening?
Someone answered…We’re under attack.
Each of us remembers exactly where we were when we heard the news or saw the images on the T.V. screen. A coffee shop. Your home. Your workplace. Let’s remember where we were so that we might never forget.
Where were you on the morning of September 11th, 2001? What were you doing and how did you find out the tragic news? How did 9/11 change you?
It’s finally here–the time for me to have my baby. I’m expecting our little bundle sometime today, probably this evening.
I’ll be out of commission for a brief time, but don’t worry. I have posts ready for you all, as well as some great guest bloggers in the next few weeks.
Thank you all for your paryers, support, love, and friendship.
Want to know how I feel about turning 31 today? Well, basically I think it sucks. I hate getting old and this birthday makes me feel old.
Not to mention the fact that I am enormously pregnant right now, expecting baby Cottrell at any moment.
I was scared to death to turn 30 last year. I had a mini breakdown. I wish I could be like those women who effortlessly grown older and sing of the virtues of old age. Women who make 40 look like 17 (Demi Moore…the ageless wonder) and who treat birthdays as just an excuse to order another cocktail.
But alas, I am not one of those women. I feel the pang of growing older because it forces me to examine what I’ve done and sadly, what I have not done. I tally all the things I’ve yet to accomplish and feel like time is moving too fast for me to ever really accomplish them all.
But then I pause and look at my life and its richness and fullness. I am overwhelmed by the love of my God, my husband, my children, my family and friends. I am drenched in acceptance, openness, and the daily beauty of being a mother, as difficult as it is some days.
This last year proved to be one of ups and downs, great opportunities and some loss, all the while God has faithfully stood at my side and upheld me. This time last year, I was just beginning Modern Reject not knowing what I was doing or why. Now, however, so much focus has been placed before me…so much clarity and resolve.
I hate that I’m officially in my thirties. I hate the way saying “31” makes me feel, but I love my life and am thankful for every moment of it. I love that God will never ever say, “You’re all done Nicole. Nothin’ more to learn here.” I love that birthdays are markers of not only where we came from, but where we are headed…and for those reasons, I love turning 31.
So I’ve been thinking…should I continue with Favorite Things Fridays or kill it? I guess I could have taken a vote and just asked you guys, but I never got around to it.
All that to say, I’ve decided to continue Favorite Things Fridays except that from now on they won’t always be about one topic. Today, for instance, is the first of what will become many–5 Things I’m loving this week and those 5 Things will be anything from posts I’ve read on other blogs, to motherhood tips, to gear and gadgets I like.
Without further ado, today’s Favorite (5) Things…
1. Desktop wallpaper- I haven’t changed the wallpaper on my computer ever. It is the same image it has been since I first got this computer, one of the free images that’s included. Boring. I decided I needed to make a change. Which leads me to The Fox is Black, who hosts the Desktop Wallpaper Project, a collaboration with graphic artists and illustrators to offer unique, funky, and even brilliant wallpaper for your computer.
2. Color Lovers- If you are anything like me, color is important in your life. I stress over paint samples and paint chips on my home’s walls. In deciding the colors to be used on Modern Reject, for instance, I was picky and particualr. My husband, who is in marketing and branding is also a lover of color and understands its necessity in branding efforts.
He introduced me to colorlovers.com, a virtual superstore of every imaginable color palette one could dream up. There are color palettes for home, decor, web design, fashion, crafts, business–you name it.
3. Yum Berry– I’m not sure if Yum Berry is available everywhere, but it is here in Scottsdale and let me say that this self-serve frozen yogurt spot has become my new obsession. Their chocolate flavor has helped squelch many a chocolate craving for half the calories. Thank you Yum Berry. I heart you.
4. Hello Bar- Modern Reject is set to undergo a small re-design in the very near future (more on that soon, so stay tuned). One element in the new design that is up for discussion is the wonder of the Hello Bar. It is a notification bar that would drop down on the top of this site. I know, I know, usually I find these things extremely obnoxious, but this little guy is simple, streamlined, and customizable. We shall see if it makes its way to Modern Reject.
5. Pinterest- I know I’ve mentioned Pinterest before, but I’ve just got to do it again. I so love this site and their iPhone app. The hubster says I’m obsessed, well maybe I am, but I’m not worried. I’m pinning. (You can find my pins here. Follow me on Pinterest, as well.)
What have you been loving this week? What has been floating your boat, so to speak?
Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but this week flew by. You may have noticed some changes here on Modern Reject. My little blog went and got herself a facelift. There are a few more changes to come over the next few days, so stay tuned.
