Round 2

One year ago I started graduate school. Looking back ROUND 1 was a crazy 9 months of trying to dive back into the academic world. After being out of the ring for three years, it took some adjustment to juggle a full work-load, study-load, and just enjoying being back in my hometown. 

Fall 2014

Let me just say....#gradschoollife is a thing! There is a unique frame of mind and life pattern to these in-between years that most twenty-somethings are living now a days. No matter what profession your higher education is calling you towards graduate school is...weird. 

Most choose to work and do school...let's just say that's not for the faint of heart. It takes a great multi-tasker who literally wants to put their social life on the back burner. Others decide to simply "do school" for several years, hoping for a GA position to become available so they can afford their daily ramen and cut back on student loans. 

Grad school is like marriage...people tell you that it's going to be hard but you ignore them because you think you'll be the exception...then you get into it and realize....dang it this IS hard! Studying isn't what makes graduate school hard, taking difficult tests is not what makes graduate school hard, writing papers into the wee hours of the morning or dealing with group partners is not what makes graduate school hard...what makes graduate school hard is learning how to still have a LIFE while in grad school! 

This was the biggest challenge for ROUND 1 of graduate school for me. I was working at a job that provided no sense of purpose, I was spending my nights in rather than out with friends,  my weekends were used preparing assignments for the week, and all the while I felt myself slowly slipping away from simply Authentically Me. 

You see, LIFE gives LIFE. LIFE breathes LIFE. I cannot have LIFE without first living LIFE. A simple thought but a powerful one. What gives you LIFE? For me it's a list of about five things. Some days I am able to incorporate all five and its a great day, some days I can only do one. Yet, if at least I just do one of them a day I feel lighter, less burdened by all that my task lists entail. 

As school starts back up this is on the forefront of my mind for ROUND 2. I want to relax into a balance of work-school-life. The up front and honest truth is this though: if I don't start now I never will have it. If I...if we...don't start trying to incorporate the habits and life styles we want in five, ten, twenty years NOW we will never ever have it THEN. 

Another truth is this: I have a great job that gives me purpose and joy, a school that fills my passions, and a beautiful LIFE filled with people that I love living it with. I am more and more thankful and grateful everyday for this little LIFE that is MINE. I am more humbled that I am able to LIVE it and be a part of this small piece of time that I have been called to be present in. 

So here I am...ready for ROUND 2 and all that I hope it will bring. Here's to stepping back into the boxing ring that is #gradschoollife for the second time!!

-Authentically Me

The Promise of Summer

Summer. There is an unexplainable and immeasurable beauty to be found within it. We look forward to it and miss it when it is gone. These brief months called summer seem to hold a promise. A promise, a hope, that something unexpected just might be around the corner.  

The last few summers for me were all filled with the unexpected. Unexpected adventures, life changes, travels, and new experiences. Why else do we love summer then the freedom it seems to bring? Freedom from the normal, freedom to do and be, to feel and just breathe. A surpassing joy seems to fill each new day and carries itself into the warmth of each summer night.

We find the time to be out and about, to explore, to take on the things we always wanted to do the last nine months. We stop making checklists and start making to-do lists. I want to do this...I would love to do that...I would love to go there...wouldn't it be amazing if we could just do that! Maybe it is me, but we come alive in the summer! We live our lives in a way we rarely do the rest of the year.

It is funny but summers are always life-changing for me. Each year in a unique way summers seem to grow me, refine me, make me see life in a new way. They bring me closer to authentically me. Summer reminds me more of who I am and of who I hope to be. It is not always the things I do, or the incredible places I see that influence this process, usually it's the people I meet, the friends or family by my side that seem to change it all.

This summer the adventure was traveling the Mediterranean with my family. We explored Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. 6 countries in 15 days. Life-changing in every way this experience was truly one for the record books. Never have I seen so much beauty! The people, the way of life, the food, the culture, the epic landscape. Here is just a taste of the many wonders we experienced:

Summer holds a promise. A hope that right around the corner just might be the next great adventure. More than anything this summer's adventure is joy. Summer's unexpected guest truly is joy. Joy from exploration and journeying to places I've dreamed of going. Joy from being with friends and family. More than anything, joy at finding peace within myself. 

What has this summer brought you? What unexpected adventure did you take this summer? I hope more than anything that it brought you closer to who you authentically are. 

-Authentically Me

43 years and counting....

STONE FAMILY REUNION: 43 YEARS AND COUNTING....

It started with a hope, a simple but profound hope to connect. Rarely in our world today do we strive to stay connected. Our relational tethers break and strain over the years. High school friends come and go, college friends fizzle, we meet and greet, build and depart, connect and disconnect on repeat over the course of our lives. These ten siblings decided to be the exception.

In the hopes of staying connected to each other they chose to do something truly remarkable. They chose to be with one anther...no matter what life might bring their way. Not only did they choose this for themselves but they created a legacy which continues to last four generations and 43 years later. This unique legacy is what my family calls the Stone Family Reunion. 

Held for the last ten years at Lake D'arbonne in north Louisiana, nearly one hundred family members gather for one week to celebrate life. We cook, play, laugh, and smile our way through seven days of absolute fun! It would take many blog posts to fully incorporate all that we do and how amazing this week truly is, but here are some of the highlights!

The Stone Family Reunion only comes around once a year. I've grown up going and I will always chose to go...no matter what. People think we are crazy for wanting to spend a week with our family....then again they've never experienced this one! I am lucky to be a part of such an amazing group of people who genuinely care about one anther. 

What people rarely understand is that the Stone Circle doesn't last just one week...it lasts all year long. No matter what life may bring outside of our time at Lake D'arbonne we are in it together. We pray, support, and encourage each other all year long. We visit when we can and we are always willing to lend a helping hand if needed. 

The bond that binds us, the blood that makes us, the beauty held within the reunion is the authentic love we give to one another. It this legacy that the original ten shared all those years ago. It is this tradition we carry with us. It this legacy we pass on to the next generation. 

-Authentically Me

A Taste Of Summer

One of my favorite aspects of summer is having the time to cook. When it comes to cooking, I have big shoes to fill on both sides of my family. My grandmother Barbara is a quintessential home-cooked master. Her strawberry cookies are still being talked about by my close friends. Her mother, my Nana, was by far the best southern cooking woman I've ever known. Her field peas, cornbread, and biscuits were the best around. Even the animals like deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds, cats and dogs would gather at her back door in hopes a few extra servings.

My grandmother Wilma was the baker. Her sweet treats were mighty fine! From pound cakes to divinity, she could definitely hold her own in the kitchen. Knowing her it probably looked just as wonderful as it tasted. My mother more than anything knows how to bring comfort with her dishes. Chicken di van, white chicken chili, broccoli casserole, and banana pudding. Nothing says welcome home more like a family dinner. 

I once was asked, "what type of food best describes your cultural identity?" Although most people around here might say...well, southern of course! I on the other hand must be authentic to my own taste palette. I love southern cuisine, but nothing says authentically me more than Mediterranean cuisine. I love basil, feta, tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, hummus....(I can go on on!). One of my favorite dishes is this Arugula Salad With Penne. My compliments to Kristine's Kitchen for this delicious recipe that is a crowd favorite. 

No wonder I am counting down the days until Adventure Is Out There. 27 days to be in fact until my Mediterranean adventure. I cannot wait to taste and sample all that Spain, Monaco, Italy, Greece, and Turkey has to offer. 

A large part of cooking is daring to challenge yourself. I am not a baker. I'm too impatient and not really a chemist when it comes to the kitchen. I like to be more creative and artistic, putting in whatever and how much of whatever into my dishes. There are few boundaries really for me when it comes to cooking in the kitchen. Baking however is a different story. Precision and timing, patience and overseeing is a must in the entire process. With the help of my wonderful mother I was able to make my first triple layered cake. The lucky first recipe?

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake. Thanks to Sally's Baking Addiction for this recipe.It truly looks and tastes like the first bit...or should I say bite of summer. I chose to modify it by doing a blueberry cream cheese icing instead of a simple traditional cream cheese icing. 

Whatever palette your taste buds enjoy, challenge yourself to create something new this summer season!

-Authentically Me

Have A Little FUN!

It's almost summer and that means its time to have a little fun. Whether it's beaching it, walking it, sunning it, driving it, swimming it, or in my case hiking it...it's time to get outside and enjoy!

More than anything...do it with friends! 

-Authentically Me

Adventure Is Out There!!!

Hanging on my wall for as long as I can remember is a map of the world. Marked and noted with pins of places I want to go, cities I had the honor of visiting, and homes I made across the world. Being a recovering type-A they are color-coded. A rainbow of pins for places I want to go and clear for the ones I traveled to. For many years five colored pins remained unchanged.

You see I had the chance to study abroad in Italy while in college. However, 2008 hit bringing with it a recession therefor putting a firm halt on my plans. Unable to save up enough, I was forced to let go of that dream.

Of course there was a reason and I made the best of it—at least tried. Funny thing is two of my college roommates ended up going on the trip, each coming back with amazing stories, great adventures, and a sense of self that can only come from traveling the wandering road. I listened but all the while I knew in my heart I wished I could’ve been there with them. It was a hard life lesson to learn—the understanding that sometimes your plans just don’t work out and there is nothing you can do about it but just let it go.

Life moved on, I interned in D.C. my senior year and pursued other dreams. I never lost the desire though. I always hoped one day I would finally make it to those beautiful countries I pinned on my map.

Well…in 2 months this dream will be a reality. Two months from now I will be on a plane crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Come July I will be aboard a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean. This trip is only—eight years in the making! Finally it’s down to 60 days!!  I cannot believe it is almost here.

In honor and celebration of the woman who has taught me all about authenticity, my grandmother, my family is traveling across the Mediterranean from one tip to the other. Key spots include: Barcelona in Spain, Monte Carlo in Monaco, Florence, Rome and the Amalfi Coast in Italy, Athens as well Santorini in Greece, and finally Kudasi/Ephesus in Turkey. 

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Th notion that I get to do it with my family is simply incredible. Not only will I be fulfilling a dream eight years in the making but I will get to see it with my family. Sometimes life just has a way of working itself out. Sometimes the bigger plan…His plan…is just WAY better!

-Authentically Me

The Long Way

Today I took the long way home. You see normally after work I take the most efficient, direct, strategic route home. I know just how long it will take me to get from my desk at the office to my front door, exactly 14 minutes.

This afternoon I broke my normal routine and took the winding, back road, longer, route--a good ten minutes longer. It was the road I used to take before the newer one was finally put in nearly a decade ago. Needless to say--I haven't nor do I ever usually find myself driving on it. But--today I chose differently. 

The windows down, my summer playlist streaming, sunglasses on, sunshine peeking through the clouds...it felt good---so good--really really really good. It was more enjoyable, more joy-filling, than anytime I drove home on the quicker, shorter road. 

My spirit got the memo--it's not about the short way...it's all about the long way.

The men in my life might be surprised by this but I do know the Master's is in full swing this week. A game that according to Jason Sobel, golfchannel.com, just might be all about the long way too...

"Long game is more important than short game. In a revelation that is sure to leave the old-school “drive for show, putt for dough” thinkers stomping in their soft spikes, Broadie found that 68 percent of the differential between golfers can be found in the long game, with only 17 percent attributable to short game and 15 percent to putting.'When I compare the top players on the PGA Tour, I find that the long game contributes about two-thirds to their success while the short game and putting contributes about one-third,” Broadie said. “Initially I was surprised, so I analyzed the data in different ways and found that all roads led to the same conclusion.' For example, in any given year if you looked at the scoring average of the top 10 on the money list compared with those ranking 116-125, the scoring average differential would be about two strokes. Based on Broadie’s comparative analysis, about 1.4 of those strokes gained would come from the long game, while only 0.6 would be attributable to short game and putting." (Check out the full article here.)

Success is about the long game--not the short game. You can define success anyway you wish. Our world easily breaks down success. It is attaining a certain kind of lifestyle, it is that position in your career path. It is the specific number in your bank account, the ring placed or not placed on your left hand, it's building the dream house. 

More than anything, I know this: the greatest most incredible example of a long game was celebrated this past Sunday--Jesus' Empty Tomb.

You see Jesus wasn't about a lifestyle, he was about the living. 

Jesus wasn't about a certain position, he was about serving.

Jesus wasn't about the amount of money he had in his pocket, he was about giving. 

Jesus wasn't about a ring on his finger, he was about the hole in hands. 

Jesus wasn't about having the dream house, he was about building a kingdom. 

Jesus works, lives, and refines with the long way in mind. He truly has the greatest long game. His definition of success, of completion, of arriving...is opposite of ours. It always has been. We see in part but one day we will see in full. 

I hate the long way. I'm really really good at knowing how to maneuver the short way. I am efficient, strategic, set in my pattern. I get from point A to point B quick. A trait I take pride in. Needless to say this love of the short way does not bode well with Jesus' love of the long way. This dissonance between my way and His builds relationship. This struggle connects. This wrestle creates trust. There are many items on my success-to-do-list and my timing-checklist that don't match up to His long way. 

I always say if you want to make God laugh...tell Him your plans. Well, I've been keeping Him laughing for years. I'm a planner, I'm a doer, I'm a striver, I always have been. But it's the inner yearning, the pressing conviction towards something greater, something more fulfilling, that made me take the winding road today. It might be the long way but it just might be the best way. 

-Authentically Me