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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

Things I learned in April

April 30, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 10 Comments

Wait a minute. April is OVER? I just cannot believe it. I feel as though it just began and I was in the midst of getting our house ready for Master’s Week and preparing to go on vacation. But we did, it happened and it is over.

So I’m doing something new here today. Linking up with one of my absolute favorite writers, Emily Freeman over at Chatting at the Sky. I had the privilege of hearing Emily speak at Allume last year and she was fantastic. She hosts a fun link-up each month based on the things we learned during that month, and as there are always random things I mean to tell you– this is something I want to join in on. So here goes.

1. I learned that every bit of the 6+ months I spent planning our Disney World Vacation was 100% worth it. There were definitely unexpected things that arose, (like random, brief, stomach illnesses for both kiddos while we were there! Yikes!) but because we were blessed to be able to go for a full week, we were able to just relax, take it all in stride and not push ourselves. I am so very grateful for the time away which our family thoroughly enjoyed and desperately needed. Also, there is no substitute for watching your kiddos experience “The Magic!”

This picture isn't the greatest, but the memory is!
Lucy watching the opening show at the Magic Kingdom

IMG_4310

2. I was reminded of the Power of 10 Minutes. Years ago, when I was pregnant with our first — a close friend relayed a very important piece of advice from her own mother. “Never underestimate the power of 10 minutes.” Basically, no matter how overwhelmed and tired you are, when you look around you at a million different tasks which seem insurmountable together, take one– just one at a time and set a timer for 10 minutes. Most things can be either finished or certainly begun well in ten minutes. I used this tactic when I felt sick as a pregnant mom, when I had a newborn, when I had another newborn and a toddler, and just about every other stage of life. It is such a simple but valuable tool. Karen Stott came up with the #10minuterefresh concept on instagram and I have used the principle several times this week to really make a dent in my to-do list without becoming overwhelmed at ALL it contained. Here’s one example of when I used 10 minutes to tidy up the girl’s play room. It can get a little out of hand and they can keep it cleaned up so much easier when it’s picked up well once a week. Simple concept, I know but so refreshing! Search the #10minuterefresh hashtag on instagram to see some inspiring before/after shots and it will have you setting your own 10 minute timer!

IMG_4919

3.  I learned that there is always, always, always room for another amazing book on motherhood. Lisa-Jo Baker released this beautiful book, Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom in April and it. is. simply amazing! I have been crying way too often whilst reading it– just because it is touching on parts of being a mom that I have never been able to voice. It is such a blessing and I can just about guarantee you will enjoy reading it. (affiliate link) It is real and honest and beautiful.

IMG_4787Read it with chocolate and tissues. 

4. This one may come as a surprise to some of you… but I sorta kinda like to …Spin. I started just before April began and it was without a doubt the hardest thing I had ever done– exercise wise. Even when I became a lot more serious about being active last summer, and we walked the hills of our neighborhood 5 days a week, I was frustrated with the results I was not really seeing — and so my workout buddy and I decided to try a spinning class. (It was my idea, and even though she had done it before– she didn’t discourage me with how crazy hard it was and how I was going to want to die 12 minutes in. Good friend that she is.) So we’ve been going for a little over a month now and I LIKE it. I don’t like it in the same way I like shopping for shoes while drinking Iced Coffee… but I like it. I love the music– I find that the music makes all the difference for me and I find myself humming the songs during the day ( I know. I’m a total weirdo.) Spinning was definitely something that has intimidated me for years. Something I never wanted to try because I didn’t want to fail. But, the class is full of supportive people and the instructor is amazing. So, there you go. A little humble admission of my new crazy spin fascination. If fascination can also mean– I do it because I know it’s good for me and I refuse to give up on it. But let’s be clear. It’s not what you would call, “easy” yet. Ha!

This was me, my first day of spin class. Clearly, I was nervous about it because I arrived slightly... early.
This was me, my first day of spin class. Clearly, I was nervous about it because I arrived slightly… early.

 

What did YOU learn in April??? 

Unforgettable: (in)RL
Mess. (Five Minute Friday)

Comments

  1. Kristin Hill Taylor says

    April 30, 2014 at 5:00 pm

    I’m planning our October trip to Disney and am seeing how researching and being intentional is beneficial with all there is to do and see and eat. 🙂 I’m glad you all had a good vacation. I also loved Surprised by Motherhood. 🙂 I’m glad I linked up next to you at Emily’s place.

    Reply
  2. Paula says

    April 30, 2014 at 11:37 pm

    I learned that your blog is awesome! I’m really enjoying it!

    Reply
  3. Lauren Metzler Washer says

    May 1, 2014 at 6:59 am

    Great list! We’re hoping to do a Disney vacation within the next year. And, I’m hearing so many excellent things about Lisa-Jo’s book; maybe I should give myself a Mother’s Day present…Also, looks like we must be neighbors, sort of anyway. I’m in the Augusta area for the next month before we move on to make FL our home. Glad I stumbled upon you!

    Reply
    • happygostuckey says

      May 1, 2014 at 8:48 am

      How fun!!!! Nice to meet you Lauren. I’m from Florida– what part are you moving to? I’m from Jacksonville.

      Reply
  4. karrileea says

    May 2, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    Fun list… I am so glad you linked up with Emily! I am still trying to remember what I learned… hoping to post on Sunday or Monday! 😉

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    May 5, 2014 at 10:59 am

    Great list. Thanks for the heads up about 10 minutes and the hashtag. I’ll definitely check that out. I could use the inspiration as I have been feeling overwhelmed of late. I noticed on youf reply to Lauren that you’re a Floridian. Me too! Graduated from high school in Jax. I mentioned our wonderful Sunshine State in my “Learned” post. And don’t you just love Disney World? So wonderful you’re making memories there. I have many! Blessing to you….

    Reply
    • happygostuckey says

      May 6, 2014 at 2:50 pm

      Hi Lisa!! So glad you stopped by! Nice to “meet” you here!

      Reply
  6. Naomi Liz Figueroa (@NaomiLizBlog) says

    May 6, 2014 at 9:10 pm

    Yes–#2! I’ve talked myself into that with messes in the kitchen before…I didn’t have the energy and felt overwhelmed by it all, and then I decided that I’d just see how much I could get done in 10 or 15 minutes. I would only clean for that long. And I totally amazed myself! I’m glad you reminded me of that…and I might just have to check that out on Instagram.

    {visiting from Chatting at the Sky today}

    Reply
    • happygostuckey says

      May 7, 2014 at 11:25 am

      Hi Naomi! Thanks for stopping by!
      –Cynthia

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. La Dolce Sunday: May the 4th (be with you) says:
    May 4, 2014 at 9:06 am

    […] The first is a great blog by Cynthia Stuckey called ‘Happy Go Stuckey.’ Get it? Yeah, you see what she did there with her last name. The post I recommend is ‘Things I Learned in April.’ […]

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Hey There!

I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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happygostuckey

Some of the rhythms we took up in ‘20 we will co Some of the rhythms we took up in ‘20 we will continue to sigh into in ‘21.
Baking sourdough, watching it bubble and rise and fill our BlueHouse with the scent of a good, long, posture of patience— I absolutely need a second serving of this.
While we wait, and whatever it is that we wait for— may the space between be made sweeter by the knowledge that we never wait alone.
You can’t tell by their joy, but the day I snapp You can’t tell by their joy, but the day I snapped this photo was somewhat of a regular day.

What looks like a winter beach vacation was actually the tail-end of a masked lunch stop in the middle of a pandemic road trip.

This sparkling moment of sun-splashed fun was sandwiched between brutal conversations about regular life, especially the hard parts.

And this is how it is. 
These bits of life that we never see coming, they are enveloped between all that makes us tired, weary, sighing pilgrims in a world that was never really meant to be hospitable in the first place.

This photo reminds me to look again at our year, our season, our circumstances.

To look a second and third time.
To keep looking as long as it takes to see that the joy of our right now isn’t gone, it just might be hiding in the shadow of all that’s hard.

Brokenness is never vague. And we don’t have to search very long to see it both within ourselves and around us.
Sometimes the weight of that fact is crushing.
And then, sometimes it reminds us even more clearly of the light shining in darkness.

Joy is an act of defiance against despair and I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling rather defiant at the moment.✨✨✨✨

@hopewriters #hopewriterlife 
#feastingandforaging #hopelenses #getaftergrateful
Endurance can feel like standing still. Especially Endurance can feel like standing still. Especially if what we’re called to be about is the same as yesterday and last month. 
It’s difficult to meet each day with the same fervor and joy for what we are called to do, especially when at present, the progress seems small and immeasurable. 
But even then, perhaps especially so — our faithfulness matters.

When we cannot yet see the other side, the light at the end of this particularly long tunnel, we begin again.

Not because we will always wake with fresh energies and bright, sparkling hope for what comes next, friend. But because the God of Endurance (Romans 15:5) dwells within us.

“It is the grace of endurance granted to you by the God of endurance that provides you with everything you need to continue to be what he calls you to be and do what he calls you to do between this moment and the moment when you cross over to the other side. When difficulty exposes the weakness of your resolve and the limits of your strength, you do not have to panic, because He will endure even in this moments when you don’t feel able to do so yourself.” — Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies

#hopewriterlife
Stuckey, party of two. Always ready to run out for Stuckey, party of two. Always ready to run out for paper towels... especially if the store is in convenient proximity to a quick date for croissants and dirty chai for two. Love my forever coffee companion even more at the start of this new year. Wherever he’s going, I’m riding shotgun.
We have learned... The inestimable value of a goo We have learned...

The inestimable value of a good camp chair, for they have been used for everything from soccer benches and coffee dates to theatre seats and church pews.

What our neighborhood streets can offer in the way of an outing—from the colors of spring to the sparkle of Christmas.

To hold plans with the loosest hands possible.

To rejoice in things found. Time. Margin. ...and enough toilet paper to share with a neighbor.

To give grace and accept it for ourselves.

The hilarious joy of a group text complete with “have you seen this meme yet?” 

To pivot. And then pivot again.

To find more joy in candlelight closer to home, instead of the bright lights of traveled cities.

To perfect our pizza dough recipe and truly learn to prefer it over dinner out.

To work with yeast and flour again and again— until the message of waiting for something really good dusted our apron fronts and kitchen floors.

And in our house, we learned how to be unexpectedly unemployed. We learned how to honor that new found space with needed grief and desired hope. How to be grateful for true friends who prayed with us, held questions with us, and hoped with us. We were reminded of our true identity and that it will never rest in a job. 

In a year in which we’ve all lost quite a lot, you and I have been given so much as well. Some of what we’ve lost we have learned to be without. Some, we won’t go looking for again.

In 525,600 minutes and in all the things, found and lost and found again— there is far and away more to be grateful for.

And we choose joy.

✨Happy New Year, dear friends!✨
Not rushing too quickly into a new year over here. Not rushing too quickly into a new year over here. Though the one in our rear view window is one we wouldn’t choose to repeat, still it was one full of God’s nearness.

One day I’ll write it all down.
But for now I’ll just say,
we were not alone. 🕯
“Once in our world, a Stable had something in it “Once in our world, a Stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”
C.S.Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Joy to the World, friends.
Behold. The most apropos Christmas Eve 2020 desser Behold. The most apropos Christmas Eve 2020 dessert ever. Made from a wonky gingerbread cake that did not cooperate.
We shall not go quietly into 2021.
We will fight back with beauty and joy and candles... and fresh whipped cream made by an eleven year old with sparkly green eyes. 🎄❤️✨
Merry Christmas from the Fam! { 👉🏻 swipe for Merry Christmas from the Fam! { 👉🏻 swipe for Stuckeys in their natural habitat.) 🎄🕯❤️✨
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