Month: January 2017

#ThingsOnMyHeart

~ emroselife ~ 2 Comments

Can I just say…I don’t even know where to begin. How to start the delicate dance of talking about the sensitive topics of today without sounding ignorant, misrepresenting my faith, or alienating a fellow Image-Bearer (aka another human)…But I recognize that the whole point of blogging is to share your thoughts, and they aren’t always going to make everyone happy (ground-breaking revelation, I know). I also don’t want to run the risk of becoming complacent because I typed a few words that reached a few hundred people and call that ‘engagement.’

So…I’m just going to be honest as I try to wrestle through the twists and turns of my thoughts.

I didn’t march this week. I’ve been so scared to say that out loud for fear of being judged as ‘unprogressive’ (whatever that may mean) or uncompassionate or anti-feminist. Quite honestly, up until a few minutes ago, I didn’t really see the point of them. My mild agoraphobia aside, I’ve felt apathetic towards the marches that have happened this past week. Do they accomplish anything? Can change actually be made from the gathering of thousands of people with their signs and posters? My head says ‘yes’ – we have historical proof of it (hello there, Dr. King), but my heart still isn’t sure.

But then, through a conversation I had with my friend Andrea (aka Dre aka D-Swizzle aka my spirit animal) this evening, I started to see that attending a march can matter, regardless of the outcome. She said ‘I just have to think that if I were in a position where Trump’s laws were oppressing and belittling me as a human being, seeing that thousands of people showed up on my behalf would be a pretty big deal. So while it won’t change the whole world in itself, it can empower and inspire enough people to do something in response to it.’

That’s huge. It makes it ‘click’ for me now. I’ve had a hard time connecting with the enormity of the things going on in the world today and how I – one, small, insignificant person – can take action in a way that points people to Christ. I think tonight I took a step toward understanding how to do that better.

I’ll admit, this isn’t my most eloquent post. There are still dozens of other thoughts swirling in my head that I wanted to include, but I’m trying not to go down the rabbit hole. I welcome any thoughts, musings, or suggestions of how you think I could show my support through action.

xo,

Em

An Update – December

~ emroselife ~ Leave a comment

An Update on #LVER30Before30.

I’ve decided I’m going to revise some of these items because after a few months of tackling my bucket list, I realize some of the items here are either no longer relevant or just things that actually aren’t a priority for me.

  1. Read the Bible cover-to-cover
    1. I’m currently in 1st Samuel. I’m pretty behind on my plan, but I *finally* got the set of Bibliotheca books I ordered 2 years ago through Kickstarter and I’m hoping these will help me speed up my reading.
  2. Eat at Alinea / visit Chicago
    1. Work is sending me to Chicago in February or March, so I may look into trying to visit then!
  3. Roll out new blog and do minimum 1 post per month
    1. December post here and here
  4. Become conversationally fluent in French again
    1. I’ve signed up for cooking classes (taught in French!) starting in late February
  5. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
    1. Accomplished November 25, 2016
  6. Become an expert on the Belle Epoque (all the great artists, musicians, and thinkers of the day)
    1. I ordered 2 books that sit collecting dust on my nightstand…if I can just get to reading them, I’ll knock out 2 birds with one stone! (this and #16)
  7. Try a speed-dating session for fun
    1. I found a friend who’s willing to do this with me!
  8. Do 10 body weight pull-ups
    1. oof…what was I thinking?!
  9. Go to Pentatonix Concert
    1. Check – November 9th, 2016
  10. Take a cooking class – knife skills
  11. Go do paintball!
  12. Go to Central or South America (pick country later)
    1. My sister and I are shooting for a trip to Costa Rica sometime in the next few months
  13. Do a color run
  14. Mission trip to Haiti
  15. Try eating bugs
  16. Read 1 book per month
    1. October – Longing for Paris
    2. November – I’m behind 😦
    3. December – still behind but I’m wrapping up a couple of books soon!
  17. Revamp my wardrobe – BE AN ADULT
    1. I plan on doing a big cleanup in Januray
  18. Become an amateur cheese connoisseur
    1. Started reading It’s Not You, It’s Brie (you’ll want to eat cheese for every meal)
  19. Do the Whole30 [this goal has been changed/updated]
    1. Currently doing Whole30 with a friend – 9 days left to go!
  20. Have a professional portrait session (Abigail)
  21. Learn to drive stick shift
    1. The girls in my community group have decided to do a weekend excursion and teach ourselves! Probably this summer…
  22. Have one real spa experience (mud path, hot stone massage, etc.)
  23. Visit gun range (maybe get gun permit)
  24. Find a way to creatively display my postcards and mementos from trips
  25. Pay off student loans
  26. Go to Colorado to visit Sheila and San Franciso to visit Chessa
    1. Heading to SF in February!
  27. Get TSA Pre√ – no more lines for me!!
    1. DONE AND DONE
  28. No soda for a year
    1. Still doing this! 🙂
  29. Watch one classic movie per month: Casablanca, The Sandlot, National Lampoon, Some Like It Hot, The Big Lebowski, Breakfast at Tiffany’s(November), The Graduate, Clockwork Orange, Fiddler on the Roof, The Breakfast Club (October), The Goonies, Stand By Me
    1. I’m behind here too – hoping I can catch up on books and movies before the end of this month!
  30. Throw an epic 30th birthday party
    1. I’m back to the drawing board – I want something fun but still accessible for everyone…any ideas??