I’ve been thinking today about the shortness of life. And how fragile and precious it is. It can be taken away in a second – one moment there’s life, then next it’s been snuffed out. Each life is of the utmost importance and value. From the unborn child to the oldest person – even the people who might not seem “worth it” to another. Life is a gift of God. And it is not something to be taken away unjustly. When things like the thought of death and how real it is come to mind, it reminds me every time of the most important thing any of us could ever think about – just how pointless and hopeless our lives our without Jesus. The only true peace or safety is in Him, the only refuge from death is in Him. He is a refuge that will never disappoint, never fail, never fade away. And that is more comforting than anything in the world.

{all images via pinterest. clockwise, from top left: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4}

Feeling inspired lately to do more and try for more. It’s fun to try something new and have it work out…makes you feel pretty good. I have a few things I’m trying out and experimenting with in the way of work and business, and I’m just having fun with it! Speaking of design, I’m kind of in love with the images for this week. “It was always you”…so sweet. That paired with that gorgeous top-right image by Blush Photography…perfect. (She’s one of my very favorite photographers, by the way) And even better with that hand lettering. And the Measure Accounting Co. logo is impeccably designed. I can’t say enough for that kind of simple but strong design…I just love it.

NaNoWriMo is still going well! I seriously can’t believe – I really can’t believe – that it’s gone this well. Every year I’ve done it I’ve fallen behind at some point, and have ended up spending the end of the month (or even most of it) playing catch-up. But this year has been different. The words are in there, and even though it sometimes takes extra effort to pull them out, they still keep coming. At the very least NaNo has been helpful in giving me a way to just practice my writing and learn more about it. If not for NaNo I don’t know if I would have ever written anything bigger than an essay. And I know I never would have gotten as invested in Civil War history as I am now! So even though I know I’m no Dickens or Austen or Bronte, even though I’m pretty sure I’ll never be a famous author, I’m still glad for the chance to spend November writing and trying to be better than I am. It’s fun. And I love looking back and reading things I’ve written through the years. (And frankly, some of it is so good for a laugh. Today I was out with my family and my brother – who is a truly amazing writer – and he was reading some old writings of mine out loud and I could not. stop. laughing. Hilarious stuff, I’m telling you.)

How’s NaNo going for you?

{all images via pinterest. clockwise, from top left: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6}

It’s been a long and busy day. I’m ready for it to end now, but I still have a couple of hours of work left. Even though it can get hard to deal with, though, I still love being busy with work. And all those hours are always worth it at the end.

My days have pretty much looked like this: 6-8 hours of design/client work, 2-4 hours of writing after dinner, and maybe some time to watch youtube videos or a movie. It’s working out and I’m still going strong with NaNo, which I am so glad for! I just hope that motivation will stay high until the last day of November.

Part of what has kept me so busy for the past few weeks is my sister Maria’s new business – we just finished creating and launching her website! You can check it out here. I’m going to be blogging about later on, and sharing more of her brand and the process of putting it all together.

{all images via pinterest. clockwise, from top left: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4}