7QT 23: Our New House, Dressember 2017, and a Radio Appearance
Happy Friday! It's been a long week, and the holidays are right around the corner. But before I pull the turkey out of the freezer to thaw and start folding the pile of laundry that may or may not have been in my dryer all week long, let's look back on the week for a Seven Quick Takes!
1. We have a home for next year!
Our lease is set to expire at the end of the year, and so we have been looking for a place to move. I wasn't ever super stressed about the house hunt, but I'm so glad to say that after many Zillow and Trulia web searches we are proud to say that we've found a place for next year! And even more beautifully, we'll be renting a duplex from a local Catholic couple who live in the other side of the duplex. I've been blown away by how many of our friends have offered to help us move. Community is beautiful, am I right?
Pictures of the home will pop up on the blog mid December when our lease starts. In my head, it's a reachable goal to be unpacked and settled by Christmas. . . am I shooting too high? What do you think? Any helpful tips and hints for making the move smoother? Leave them in the comments below!
2. Tune in to your radio . . .
Not too long ago, I wrote an article over at Epic Pew about how introverts are still called to take part in the New Evangelization. If only extroverts were called to be missionaries, the Church would be missing the beauty that introverts bring to a conversation. This week, Mater Dei Radio out of Oregon asked me to come onto their radio show to talk about how to evangelize as an introvert! We're recording our segment next week. I'll let you know when it will air!
3. Marriage training!
Fall has been full of retreats for Joseph and I! We spent last weekend training to be a marriage mentor couple to the engaged. Although we're waiting to dive into mentoring (we need some more marriage under our belt first), we're excited to start helping out with the engaged retreats! It was a blast getting to know other married couples in the Kansas City area, and we learned so many practical tips for marriage that I know we'll be introducing into our own marriage.
4. Every Sacred Sunday is HERE!
When we saw Every Sacred Sunday on Kickstarter, Joseph and I ordered two journals. After hearing Father Mike Schmitz's homily on how to use a Mass journal, we couldn't have been more excited to get our Every Sacred Sunday journals in the mail yesterday night! There may have been some jumping up and down in the kitchen from yours truly. We can't wait to break them in this weekend!
5. Dress December
Slavery still exists around our world today - you can find it lurking at truck stops, in massage parlors. It has sneaked its way into sporting events. It could exist next door to you. It's time to change the fact that 2 million children are currently exploited in the global commercial sex trade. It's time to recognize that more than 30 million people are enslaved worldwide. While you're reading this, people are enslaved and trafficked.
It may seem small, but I think a dress can help change that fact. So, in order to spread the word about human slavery and sex trafficking, I'll be wearing one dress for an entire month. Yep, you read that right. I don't think I'm crazy, I just know that sometimes it's the small things that make a difference. Watch for weekly updates about how I wear the same dress every day for 31 days! I hope you'll join my team and help spread awareness of the reality of human slavery and sex trafficking in our world today. I think a dress can change the world. Do you?
One of the beautiful women from my Bible study sent us a message about this fundraising opportunity and I couldn't be more excited about it. Want to join my team? You can find out more information for how to sponsor me here. Want to join my team and wear dresses throughout December along with me? Send me an e-mail and let's get connected!
6. Virtuous Friendships
This week has been chock full of some amazing women. Tuesday I met with my accountability group, Wednesday I led Bible study (we may have talked about Brene Brown a lot), and then Thursday I was able to catch up with a dear friend who I haven't seen in quite a while. So it was fitting that this week, I released the latest podcast episode, A Letter to the Woman Desiring Virtuous Friendships. I got the chance to sit down with Emily and Michele, the authors of The Friendship Project. You can listen to it here!
7. Exploring the Feminine Genius Blog series
Rachel Washington from Hail Marry wrote this week's installment of the Exploring the Feminine Genius blog series. You can read about her take on sensitivity AND enter a giveaway for this gorgeous print over at this blog post! We'll draw a winner on Monday!
