Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / Celebrating in the Middle of the Mess | a conversation with Meshali

Transcript

Celebrating in the Middle of the Mess | a conversation with Meshali · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Hi friends, welcome back to the Simply Wholehearted podcast.
0:03
SPEAKER_00: And if you're new around here, I am really glad you joined us.
0:07
SPEAKER_00: Here at Simply Wholehearted, we provide perspective.
0:10
SPEAKER_00: Perspective to define your purpose and to create a plan to live a wholehearted, intentional life.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Like you, we desire to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: So if you feel like you're surrounded by a world of half-heartedness, you're welcome here.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Join us as we share inspiring stories and simple ideas from friends as they pursue life on purpose, armed with plans for making the ordinary life extraordinary.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: I want to give a special mention of thanks to Christine Eccles and her team for allowing us to use her amazing music you're hearing in the background.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: Her words and music have been in my earbuds for a little over 20 years now.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: If you've been a listener for a while, you know I have talked about her podcast and the last couple of albums, which have been our morning soundtracks.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: If you do not have this Christmas album yet, The Thrill of Hope, you absolutely must go download it now.
1:02
SPEAKER_00: I find myself worshiping and celebrating along, and I have yet to tire of its beauty.
1:08
SPEAKER_00: Oh, and this is track number seven.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: And yes, I'm still dancing.
1:13
SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to be inspired about the advent season by our guest Mitch Bailey.
1:17
SPEAKER_00: And I'll also be sharing a wholehearted gift guide for each Enneagram type.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: So stay tuned after our conversation.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: I met Mitch Daly back in the fall of 2017 when I traveled with my good friend Sarah Haggerty to Dallas.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: I'd seen her pictures that she's done for Sarah's adoration that you can see every day on Instagram.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: So I knew she was a talented photographer.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: But when I got to meet her in person, I saw what an incredibly beautiful and Christ-centered woman I now know her to be.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: We've chatted about doing this podcast almost since the time we met, and we even tried once before.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: But we both had some terrible Wi-Fi issues.
1:56
SPEAKER_00: We talked for an hour and a half, but the whole recording really had to be scrapped.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: We did have a fun conversation, at least.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: And I have full confidence in Shaley's stories of restoring.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: And our conversation about celebrating in the middle of the mess was meant to be heard by others.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: So we persevered.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: While we chatted about the quest for rest in this advent season and the touches of beauty in Shaley's well-trained eye creates and finds, the most powerful stories are for all seasons.
2:26
SPEAKER_00: Christ is in the business of restoring.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: No matter how far from hope we think we might be, the Lord has got a plan for each of us, and He will make a way.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: I did.
2:46
SPEAKER_01: So I um, you know, live in a Dallas area, and um, but the accent is from Arkansas.
2:52
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
2:52
SPEAKER_01: People ask me, people ask me all the time, they're like, where are you from?
2:55
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, you know, you're southern when you're in Texas, and people stop you and go, where are you from?
3:03
SPEAKER_00: I've got a good friend from Arkansas.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: I totally appreciate it.
3:06
SPEAKER_00: So I think we all sound the same.
3:09
SPEAKER_01: I of course don't hear it, but I hear that we have our own little thing in the Arkansas accent.
3:14
SPEAKER_01: But um, I've lived in Texas for 12 years and um it's feeling more and more like home now.
3:19
SPEAKER_01: But a lot of my family, we're kind of split uh half and half.
3:23
SPEAKER_01: So a lot of my family they live here in the Dallas area, and then um probably half of them that I'm really, really close to are still in South Arkansas.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: And so they actually drove here.
3:33
SPEAKER_01: Oh, they drove here for this Thanksgiving, and that was really, really cool for me because I was able to kind of I don't know, I feel like I'm kind of starting like this whole new beginnings thing with the house, and it's so cool to um even this year have family in and start building like new memories and um you know here in the house.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: And so a lot of them went down and we spent Thanksgiving here, um, here and at my sister's, but it was a really, really beautiful time.
4:00
SPEAKER_01: And and you got to host then.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: That's so fun.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: I did, I did, which I love.
4:05
SPEAKER_01: I was just telling someone the other day, I feel like the roots that God has given me in this house, it's it's there's things in my heart I didn't even know I needed.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: But um, through this home, he's been kind of revealing some of that to me too.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: But just even the ability to host and have people here, yeah, and like love on them.
4:23
SPEAKER_01: It's a whole new dynamic for my life.
4:24
SPEAKER_01: You know, I've always lived in like a I lived in a loft um in the city for a couple years before here, and so was never really able to host people or family.
4:33
SPEAKER_01: And so um having a home here and a big table, that's just been a whole new like dynamic added to my life where I'm actually able to host people and have my yeah, and my door here is kind of like a revolving door, which I absolutely love.
4:49
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, friends and family coming in and out, and you know, and so the holidays were great.
4:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, Thanksgiving was, and for Christmas we'll go to Arkansas, but okay, it was just it was a really beautiful time and um sweet, a lot of a lot of new beginnings, yeah, just in the house and with family and things like that.
5:05
SPEAKER_01: We put up Christmas stuff and oh yeah, just really a relaxing time, which is my like favorite thing.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, and you got to be in your leggings and sweatshirts, right?
5:16
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, we all and honestly it was so funny.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: We were all on Friday morning, we laughed, we looked around, we were all in our sweatshirts, and I was like, Love this, but um, but yeah, it was it was with all the travel I do and the work and stuff, it's really nice to just be here and rest.
5:32
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, that my plan is a lot of that for December, so that's good.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: So you'll be able to stay put most of the month?
5:40
SPEAKER_01: Some of the month, yeah.
5:41
SPEAKER_01: About half.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: I've become really intentional with my schedule.
5:44
SPEAKER_01: That's something I've learned over the years, running my own business.
5:47
SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: Came to a point a couple years ago where I was like, if I'm if I don't set boundaries and I'm not more intentional, I'm not gonna be able to continue this.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, so I've been really um I feel like I'm getting better at at being intentional with my schedule.
6:02
SPEAKER_01: And so, like, especially around holiday time.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: Um and it's funny because this is a big time for photographers.
6:08
SPEAKER_01: We usually work a lot more because of family shooting and all that.
6:12
SPEAKER_01: So um still definitely working a ton, but I taking off like half of December is gonna rest and be with my you know close friends and family, and so I've tried to become better at that, you know, things that are that are in my control, like right, right.
6:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for you as a business effort, it's hard to do that, but it is, and I was gonna say, because you're probably traveling a lot of weekends.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: So for you, how do you work in like a Sabbath and your soul care and just setting those boundaries?
6:42
SPEAKER_00: How does that really pan out for you?
6:44
SPEAKER_00: And what have you, you know, what works?
6:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I've learned, I guess, in my own life, um, that rest is a command, it's holy.
6:53
SPEAKER_01: And when we don't work that into our life, and that's our responsibility, um, it we it just doesn't work.
6:59
SPEAKER_01: There's a reason that we are told to take a Sabbath, and that's for our good.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
7:04
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I, like I said, had to really, really be intentional.
7:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, being a business owner and running your own schedule again is a blessing, but then again, there's there's ways that I've, I mean, I've had to grow immensely through, especially because I'm a worker and I'm a doer and I want to get things.
7:21
SPEAKER_00: And you love what you do, so there's always that like fine balance of like, well, I love to do this, but it's work.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: I do, and I'm gonna take a there were never any limits.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: There was always a yes to like that one more thing and one more shoot and one more person and one, you know.
7:36
SPEAKER_01: So it just I was running at a crazy, crazy pace.
7:40
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, just the Lord started working on my heart about rest being holy and rest being parallel to trust.
7:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that they they exist together, they coexist, you know.
7:52
SPEAKER_01: So resting is trusting.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and um, so it's funny how my relationship with the Lord even has deepened through through rest and having Sabbath and having at least one day a week where I commit to him and rest and trust.
8:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then that kind of runs because of my schedule.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: It's my schedule's not like everybody else's.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: I know I live a unique life, and right.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: Um but more and more of us are too.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: So that's just why it's great to learn how you do it.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: Even working that into not just my week schedule, but just like my month and what does that look like?
8:28
SPEAKER_01: And um, I don't know, and then rest looks different for everyone, you know, and and learning like what rest looks like for me and what really revives me and rejuvenates me, and um and really what does that look like?
8:43
SPEAKER_00: Is that being alone with people?
8:45
SPEAKER_00: A certain thing that you do?
8:47
SPEAKER_01: I'm an ambivert, which is a funny term.
8:50
SPEAKER_01: Me too.
8:50
SPEAKER_01: No, I know exactly what you're talking about.
8:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
8:52
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes.
8:53
SPEAKER_01: So it's this crazy mix between, you know, an extrovert and introvert.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: I always thought I was crazy.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: I was like, what am I?
9:00
SPEAKER_01: I love people and love being around people, and I'm so filled that like I have to have alone time.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm with you.
9:06
SPEAKER_00: It's either that or older age.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: I know, I know, I don't know.
9:09
SPEAKER_01: I can't put my finger on it, but I'm with you, amber.
9:13
SPEAKER_01: But um, but yeah, it's actually exactly that.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: So rest for me and um enjoyment and rejuvenation is just a lot of times I'll come back to the house, you know, and actually for real rest.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: Like that's ultra practical, but really like sleep.
9:29
SPEAKER_01: Take a nap.
9:30
SPEAKER_01: Take a nap.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, yeah.
9:34
SPEAKER_01: Rest and then um being around people for me, being around people I love, you know, dinners and just that community is huge for me.
9:42
SPEAKER_01: Um that taking, you know, like little trips, like kind of day trips here and there places, you know, Wacos close by, like ready for it.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I've always wanted to go.
9:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just things, you know, little things like that.
9:56
SPEAKER_01: And I kind of just play, I'm a play it by ear person too.
9:59
SPEAKER_01: My friends laugh at me at that, but you know, just you like to keep things flexible.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: I do.
10:04
SPEAKER_01: It's funny on the strengths finders, adaptability is one of my I think it's number five.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
10:10
SPEAKER_01: One of my top five strengths.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: I've always thought, what is that?
10:12
SPEAKER_01: Like, what does that even mean?
10:14
SPEAKER_01: You like smart lady.
10:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and my friend told me she goes, you know, Michelle, like it's funny because you have to be wired that way to do what you do and live the life you live.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that the truth?
10:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: So I thought, well, that's that's true.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: So and I like I said, rest looks different for everyone.
10:29
SPEAKER_01: You know, my idea of rest and my routine isn't gonna be the same as all the listeners, but I think it's important to figure out personally, you know, what what rest looks like for you.
10:39
SPEAKER_01: You know, reading is huge for me, kind of refueling that way, spending time with the Lord, worship, um, yeah, reject, you know, soul care like that for my my soul, you know, where I'm getting poured into.
10:52
SPEAKER_01: And um, so yeah, just things like that for me are huge.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: That's good.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: Especially when you talk about, you know, not only being your like business owner and running your own business and everything, but just kind of the stuff we had wanted to talk about is that you're in the process of restoring, right?
11:10
SPEAKER_00: You're you're in the middle of a project that is not completed.
11:13
SPEAKER_01: I'm right in the middle of the mess right now.
11:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think all of us are at that point, and we keep, whether it's just as women or human beings, we keep waiting for that thing to be done before we rest.
11:25
SPEAKER_00: But the problem is we'll never arrive to that moment to finally have permission or whatever we think permission we're looking for to rest.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: And so it's a constant, it's a constant um, you know, I've I've said a lot with the house in my life, there's a lot of parallels, and rest is is a vital part of restoration.
11:47
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's actually the first four letters of the word.
11:53
SPEAKER_01: Um it's the first four letters of the word, it's a vital part of restoration.
11:58
SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, it's funny because even in the process of this, I was telling a friend the other day, the Lord's really used it, and I've said that over and over to teach me.
12:06
SPEAKER_01: But I've kind of been um I hit the ground running with the house.
12:09
SPEAKER_01: I closed in May.
12:10
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
12:11
SPEAKER_01: And I before I even got the keys, I was out walking the yard, figuring out what we were gonna do to the poor.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, it just I just hit the ground running with work and what we were gonna do.
12:21
SPEAKER_01: We were gonna gut this and we were gonna rebuild, and you know, yeah, and um, and and so much has been done.
12:27
SPEAKER_01: It's actually been like a miracle in a matter of months, and the house has come so far, but there there's a lot of work left to be done.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: Right.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: And just the other day, probably two weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a friend, and I said, you know, and this is why the community is important because they see kind of things you don't oh yeah, perspective, right?
12:46
SPEAKER_01: So I was just kind of stuck.
12:48
SPEAKER_01: I was like, I feel kind of stuck all of a sudden, like I'm just kind of I don't really know.
12:52
SPEAKER_01: I feel a little bit lost with the house process, and am I really doing what I'm supposed to be doing?
12:56
SPEAKER_01: And I don't really have all this fresh inspiration, or just I'm just kind of stuck.
13:01
SPEAKER_01: Like, what am I gonna do next?
13:02
SPEAKER_01: And do you know?
13:03
SPEAKER_01: And she goes, Well, maybe you're just supposed to rest.
13:06
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, That's good, what do you mean?
13:09
SPEAKER_01: You know, like foreign concept.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, maybe you're not stuck, maybe you're supposed to rest for a little while and just let the Lord do the work and rejuvenate and be reinspired by him and be, you know, it's a season, Michelle.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: It's so it's a an evolving thing.
13:28
SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of times, and it's so funny because when she said that I knew that was the Lord speaking to me, and that was about two weeks ago, and I really committed that day.
13:36
SPEAKER_01: You know what?
13:36
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna chill out, yes, and and really rest and like not even think about this right now, just live here and and be happy and like content with where the Lord has me.
13:46
SPEAKER_01: And it's so funny how the fresh wind in my cells is picking up again.
13:51
SPEAKER_01: Like the past couple days, I'm kind of feeling this fresh wind of inspiration and this fresh wind of like, oh, like I'm seeing things a little bit different.
14:00
SPEAKER_01: Right.
14:00
SPEAKER_01: Um in the house where I was so burnt out and like I can't do, I can't do another thing.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm seeing it different, I'm getting fresh inspiration, I'm um enjoying it, you know.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: And so that's what did for me.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: Um and that's what it does in us, you know.
14:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
14:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, so like I said, this house has just been a constant like analogy, and the Lord's just showing me so much about me through this house.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: And so friends, I'm interrupting this wonderful conversation to let you know quickly about something I think you will find helpful in the new year.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: I know, we're just a few weeks away from 2019.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: Well, I have been following Beth Ann from The Brilliant Business Moms and her planner tips and tricks for a while.
14:48
SPEAKER_00: Right now, the 2019 Brilliant Life Planner is on sale, and for those of you working a side hustle, or working from home, or just desiring to be more intentional with your time, you'll want this planner.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: Now, I've told you all before, one of my many dreams is to create my own planner for Simply Wholehearted, but in the meantime, this planner is beautiful and gives me plenty of room for almost everything going on in my brain.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: Check it out for yourself at the link in the show notes.
15:17
SPEAKER_00: And if you order, Simply Wholehearted will get a portion of the sales to help produce this podcast.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for your support.
15:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think in our culture, um, like busyness is for some reason, I don't know where we've gotten this, but it's it's become like a glamourge.
15:35
SPEAKER_01: You know, I talked to, I mean, I've done it, a lot of my friends.
15:37
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, how are you?
15:39
SPEAKER_01: Oh, girl, I'm so good.
15:40
SPEAKER_01: I'm just busy, busy, busy.
15:41
SPEAKER_01: I'm just like so busy, and things are great.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: I'm just we are just full and busy and you know, and I'm just like, where did we ever like yes, well, you know, um decide that that's where we needed to land, right?
15:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
15:55
SPEAKER_01: Hard work is great, but also I think there's an element of rest and um that the Lord's trying to kind of bring us back to.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's one of the one of the big lessons in this season.
16:07
SPEAKER_01: He's taught me a million already, but um that he's teaching me, especially during the holiday season, um, you know, through the house.
16:15
SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love it.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so talk a little bit about not only did you just get done hosting a bunch of people, but you decorated for Christmas.
16:24
SPEAKER_01: And you know I'm in the middle, I'm in the middle of that mess too.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: But yeah.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: So talk to us what that looks like as you're in the middle of restoring, because there's a whole lot of us that are in the middle of a mess, whether it's our marriages or we're waiting for a miracle, we're waiting for an answer to prayer, or we just feel like our finances, you know, you name it, our family, things are just messy.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: And it's it's hard to celebrate sometimes.
16:49
SPEAKER_00: It's hard to go on with some of these, you know, oh, we we know we should, but I think I think there's much to be learned as you practice that and how we can apply that to our lives and celebrating and making things beautiful in spite of some of what surrounds us, perhaps.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, absolutely.
17:07
SPEAKER_01: And I had I had several people ask me, you know, um, are you gonna are you gonna decorate?
17:12
SPEAKER_01: Are you okay, Sammy?
17:13
SPEAKER_01: There you go.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: Um had several people ask me, um, they're like, Are you gonna are you gonna decorate and like celebrate, you know, decorate for Christmas in the middle of the house reno?
17:22
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, absolutely, yes.
17:25
SPEAKER_01: No, yeah, um, for a little while I kind of you know wondered because again, I was tired and uh there was a lot going on, but I was like, you know what, that's one of the things that did for me a few weeks back was um just coming to a standstill and resting.
17:38
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I thought, yeah, I want to celebrate, you know, right in the middle of all this.
17:43
SPEAKER_01: And so um, when family came, you know, we put it the tree.
17:47
SPEAKER_01: We have a huge now, people are gonna think I'm very boring, but this is just a truth about my share, okay?
17:53
SPEAKER_01: I love home goods.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: Home goods like this to my soul.
17:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
18:00
SPEAKER_01: Speaking of like soul care, that's awesome.
18:03
SPEAKER_01: We family came in, you know, we we did the whole Amazon shopping thing and the whole Black Friday, this and that, but home goods, and we um I just wrapped up on Christmas and have a weakness for the Chip and Joe line at Target.
18:19
SPEAKER_01: So that was helpful, too.
18:21
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I got a ton of um decor and we we decorated this farmhouse up.
18:26
SPEAKER_01: I mean, right in the middle of the mess, you know, like celebrated and um, you know, remembering what it's really about.
18:33
SPEAKER_01: It's not even about what the house looks like, you know.
18:36
SPEAKER_01: There's there's a way bigger meaning to Christmas and celebrating Christmas.
18:39
SPEAKER_01: And so we um yeah, we got busy.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: We got busy and it's beautiful, and um yeah, right in the middle of the mess, it just looks I think it looks really pretty.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
18:49
SPEAKER_00: I love that you love home goods.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: I have a really good friend back in Colorado who I just never I just I had never gone.
18:57
SPEAKER_00: And she was like, Do you want to know my secret?
18:59
SPEAKER_00: Because she is just she's just a great decorator too.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, How do you, you know, how do you do this?
19:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm telling you, my eye is not trained, and so she's like, Home goods, and for act for some act pieces, and I have my my favorite furniture stores, of course.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: And then another secret weapon, if if listeners want to know, yes, is uh actually Amazon Home on Instagram.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: Yes, so I I started following them probably like two months ago, and they have the best, like it's almost too easy to like you know, say stuff swipe and order.
19:35
SPEAKER_01: Oh my word, yeah, the most affordable, like just cutest stuff.
19:40
SPEAKER_01: So that's another thing that I actually have to watch is being on Amazon home.
19:45
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, we got we got busy.
19:48
SPEAKER_01: We right here in the middle of all this mess, we decorated and um and I'm just loving it.
19:54
SPEAKER_01: It makes me happy.
19:55
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see pictures.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: You definitely need to be taking them and showing us on your feed.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I plan on on our feed, I plan on um doing some posting through December of like some some specific like Christmas stuff we're doing.
20:08
SPEAKER_01: So awesome.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
20:10
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see it.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: Well one of the things that so when we were first talking, we were talking about you know, how the Lord led you into photography and and some of the story of your family.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: And I would I would love to um and then we started sharing about the house and the journey of getting the house.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: And you know, obviously we've shared some of how the the Lord is using this, restoring the house and you know, teaching you about rest and celebrating in the midst of the mess.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, there's so many things, and it's oh, I can't like I can't wait to see what this the fullness of this story because I I think you're just in the middle of it and the fullness of the story.
20:49
SPEAKER_00: I I just feel so privileged to get to watch.
20:51
SPEAKER_01: Um it's a privilege that you watch and that you are engaged, you know, in it.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: And uh I think it's all of our story.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: I think that's why people from around the the world have engaged the way they have.
21:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, because restoration is all of our story and it's resonated, you know.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: I I tell people that all the time like this house is not just my story, it's it's everyone's story.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: Everyone I talk to says like I resonate, my heart resonates with that so loudly, and all of our stories look different, but restoration is the gospel message, yeah.
21:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's what he came to do, and so um restore us to himself to make all things new.
21:34
SPEAKER_01: And um, I think all of us have that yearning and that cry in our heart for restoration, um, no matter what that looks like, you know, all of our stories are different, like I've said, but I think that's why it's resonating with people from around the globe.
21:48
SPEAKER_01: Really, I've been shocked at what the Lord is doing.
21:51
SPEAKER_00: That's beautiful.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: Well, something that I love to talk about here, because we're really the goal of some.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: Simply wholehearted is you know to find a like-minded community, right?
22:03
SPEAKER_00: We hear the word word wholehearted thrown around, but what does that really look like?
22:07
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's coming together and finding like-mindedness, but also to gain perspective from each other's stories, and I think that's the power and the beauty of podcasts that you can share story and and then you can through story you can help people to find their purpose, and then the end result is helping create a plan and you know to put what you've learned in action.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: So the main thing in getting perspective, we get that from the word, we get that from worship, and then I feel like we get that from hearing the voice of God as well.
22:39
SPEAKER_00: And that looks different for a lot of people, and I love this part of the story, and so I want to make sure that we get to share that just how the Lord spoke to you and confirmed and through people and through a dream.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: And I I think it's really good to just hear sometimes other people's like experiences of hearing God and go, oh, not that each one has the same experience, but you might have had experience or you do that you can go, oh me, Shaley.
23:08
SPEAKER_00: I remember she shared having this dream.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: I feel like maybe I experienced one like that too.
23:13
SPEAKER_00: Maybe the Lord has something in it for me.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I um it's funny because he speaks to us, he's so sovereign and in whatever way, you know.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: I've I've learned even in I'm 35 that to never limit him, because there's you know, biblically, even there's so many ways he speaks, and um, but yeah, he did.
23:36
SPEAKER_01: He's he spoke to me.
23:37
SPEAKER_01: Um, and this has not happened to me much in my life at all, so I don't want to come across like that.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: Like I just have the dreams, and I always have these dreams, and I'm just like, yeah, I mean, he he's always speaking, you know, like he said, through his word, through his spirit.
23:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think we I think he speaks a lot more than we hear because we have to really tune in to listen.
23:58
SPEAKER_01: Um, he's speaking all the time.
24:01
SPEAKER_01: But I I I mean, I will say I know in my heart 110%, he spoke to me about this house through a dream.
24:10
SPEAKER_01: And I don't know why he chose to speak to me specifically through the dream, but it was it's been the big anchor that has um, or it's been one of the anchors that's really grounded me in this process, especially as things got really, really hard.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: And I continue, you know, I'm working and there's a lot of hard days, a lot of beauty and glory in this.
24:28
SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of um, there's a lot of hard work and there's there are hard days where I want to quit, you know, um, where things seem too tough and too big for me.
24:39
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, so I had a dream about this house on December 2nd, um, before I was even house hunting, and had no idea what the dream meant at the time.
24:48
SPEAKER_01: But um, as things continue to unfold, you know, I wrote it down on December 2nd, and as things continue to unfold, huh?
24:58
SPEAKER_00: It's almost a year ago.
24:59
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that crazy?
25:01
SPEAKER_01: Which is nuts.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: I can't even believe that it's almost been a year ago I had that dream because this year has been so full and I mean just amazing, like in certain ways.
25:10
SPEAKER_01: Like it just feels like it flew by.
25:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, so he spoke to me about this house through a dream, and that has helped.
25:18
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's there's always purpose to why he speaks.
25:22
SPEAKER_01: And um, like I said, I've really pulled from, but Lord, you I know you spoke.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: I know all my feelings contradict this right now, and I want to quit.
25:31
SPEAKER_01: I want to sell this house.
25:33
SPEAKER_01: And it's too much for me.
25:36
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, certain days, let's be real, we all have this, you know, yeah where our feelings and everything in us contradict that truth, that yeah, that thing we know he said.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, and that's what's so powerful about his word is it's true that it never changes, and we can hold on to that when everything in us tells us different.
25:57
SPEAKER_01: And so his he was so kind and so gracious to to give me that word and that direction.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: Um, had you been thinking about getting a house, or did this prompt, hey, maybe I'm supposed to get a house?
26:13
SPEAKER_01: Like, um, actually, I say that it was it was such an interesting timing.
26:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, I lived, like I said, in a loft in Dallas, and I was like living just the ultra like city life.
26:24
SPEAKER_01: Like had a loft in downtown, or near downtown Dallas, was a photographer traveling all the time, and a lot of people had told me, you know, you really need to like invest in a home and you know, invest your money in something and this and that.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: And I just thought, man, it's just it's just too much right now for me, like the responsibility, and I'm you know, I'm traveling, and so um I had kind of put it off into the back of my mind, like I'll do that later.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: Right.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I had this dream December 2nd, and like I said, when I had the dream, honestly, I I didn't even know that the dream was gonna be revealed in a physical way as well.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: I just thought it was spiritual and like the I've said it before, like the house was me right in the dream.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, because you had the dream like when you were taking a nap.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: Like it wasn't like in the middle of the night kind of dream, which was even No, it was it was in the middle of the night.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh, it was in the middle of the night.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
27:16
SPEAKER_01: So I had driven to um I had driven to Austin, Texas.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, I was in the middle, like I said, December can be crazy for a photographer.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: Um I was driving out to the hill country right outside outside of Austin and um drove really late one night, December 2nd, into Austin.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: So drove about 30 minutes past it out to the middle of nowhere.
27:39
SPEAKER_01: Um, this beautiful wedding like setting.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: And the the bride and groom, who are precious, who are now my friends, had put in a little like almost like a little Airbnb cabin type thing.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, and because of where the wedding setting was, it was out kind of in the middle of nowhere.
27:54
SPEAKER_01: There was like no cell phone reception, nothing really to do in the cabin.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: It was adorable, but um, I got in and thought, you know, I'm really tired, like stayed up for a bit, but I'll just go to sleep, you know, and rest.
28:06
SPEAKER_01: And in the middle of the night, I had a dream um about a White House.
28:12
SPEAKER_01: And so I you want me to tell the dream.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: Did I tell it last year?
28:16
SPEAKER_00: No, I don't, I think we didn't get to, I mean, you were trying to tell it and it kept it.
28:20
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I was like, I can't even remember if I told you the actual dream, if we got there or not.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: Um No, I've been in suspense like for two months now.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: I was like, I want to know the dream.
28:30
SPEAKER_01: Earlier, I was like, I don't even remember if we even got to that part.
28:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, in the middle of the night, um, I have this dream, and the setting is back um in the in the small town that I grew up in in South Arkansas.
28:43
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
28:43
SPEAKER_01: So um in the dream, I'm standing at a stop sign and I realize that I'm on the street of the home that um, you know, I've shared publicly about a lot of heartache in our family growing up, you know, love my parents very deeply, but we had a ton of just trauma and heartbreak.
29:01
SPEAKER_01: We really did.
29:02
SPEAKER_01: My dad was a minister, my mom was a stay-at-home mom.
29:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, my parents went through a really, really heartbreaking divorce when I was 12 that really just shattered our family.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, and after that, and and uh a lot of people know this as well, my mom began to suffer with addiction and mental illness.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: And so there was just there was just a lot of um heartbreak.
29:25
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, heartbreak and trauma, and this this street held the house that we moved into right when my parents divorced.
29:32
SPEAKER_01: And so this home specifically in the dream, this street, um, housed, and I think we all have a lot of these areas, um, but just housed, it was a physical representation of a time of pain, you know, um, abandonment, trauma, abuse, um, uh loss.
29:51
SPEAKER_01: And so, even coming to the stop sign in this dream, I I just began to kind of feel that like heaviness and that weight.
29:58
SPEAKER_01: So I walked to the sidewalk of the home that we moved into.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: So this house that housed all this pain, and I get up to the sidewalk and I realize the house is gone.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: It's like bulldozed down from like the front of the sidewalk all the way to the back fence.
30:14
SPEAKER_01: It's just it's gone.
30:15
SPEAKER_01: There's no trace of it.
30:17
SPEAKER_01: There's not, there's nothing there left of that house.
30:21
SPEAKER_01: And the closer I get, I realize that there's a new home being built on the lot.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: And it's a white, like there were certain things I really, really remember specifically.
30:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, it was a white home.
30:34
SPEAKER_01: So, like all like the love languages of my heart, you know, as a photographer and as a visual like creative, there there were all the love languages in my heart were there.
30:43
SPEAKER_01: There were tons of there was tons of light in the dream.
30:46
SPEAKER_01: Um, but there was a house being built from ground up.
30:48
SPEAKER_01: I knew that it was being built, you know, in dreams, you just kind of know.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like it's like you know the backstory somehow.
30:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know the backstory.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: So it was being built, but I could like see it, you know.
30:59
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
30:59
SPEAKER_01: Um, so there was a white home, it had a porch kind of offset to the left that ran all the way across the front.
31:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, the windows ran up and down.
31:07
SPEAKER_01: I remember that about it.
31:08
SPEAKER_01: Instead of being like square, they were kind of narrow and they ran up and down from bottom of the porch to the top.
31:14
SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
31:14
SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, the peaks were there.
31:17
SPEAKER_01: And um the interesting thing about the dream uh was there was there were three men working on the home.
31:23
SPEAKER_01: Um there was a man hanging windows like kind of on the side of the house.
31:27
SPEAKER_01: There was a man working on the roof, and there was a man working on the beams they were installing on the porch.
31:33
SPEAKER_01: And the man on the front porch kind of turned around and looked at me in the dream, I mean, eye to eye, and like smiled and waved and made that contact with me, you know, and I kind of waved back, and and then all of a sudden I just I just wake up from this dream.
31:50
SPEAKER_01: And um, at the time, like I said, I had keep in mind I had no even intention or anything in my mind about looking for a home.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: Right.
31:59
SPEAKER_01: Um, but the Lord I felt like told me, this house is you, Miss Shaley.
32:05
SPEAKER_01: Like all the old, all that old abandonment and pain and rejection and loss and depression, all those things are gone, and I'm making all things new.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: And and I'm about to do a work in your life that is beyond you, you know, like that that was the story of the dream is like I'm doing the work, I'm building the house, and like all the old is gone, the new is come, and like wow, the restoration message, like truly that is amazing.
32:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I wrote down, you know, restoration.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: I wrote down this kind of like summary of the dream and um what I felt like the Lord was speaking to me again for me, not because of a home like out there somewhere, right?
32:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, but at the time I thought, Lord, you know, because I I had done the heart work and I had worked with the counselor for years and I had walked this thing with the Lord, and there were so many things I had healed from, but I did feel like there were still things and still do that he's processing in me, and it's been a process for me.
33:09
SPEAKER_01: There wasn't like an overnight fix, yeah.
33:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I felt like he was saying in this dream, just keep on because I'm doing the work and I'm gonna, I'm building the house.
33:18
SPEAKER_01: You're not doing it, I'm doing it.
33:20
SPEAKER_01: And and so that was kind of the message, the heart message there.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: And um, soon after that, that was December in mid-February.
33:30
SPEAKER_01: I start kind of thinking, like, I really need to buy a home, like I need to do this.
33:34
SPEAKER_01: It's you know, I'm like, I need to invest, you know, those things.
33:38
SPEAKER_01: Responsible, suddenly to the surface.
33:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
33:43
SPEAKER_01: And so um, anyways, I I got connected, it was a total God connection to a realtor at my church who has now become a dear friend, but she is a believer and was totally spirit-led in the process as well, and calls me.
33:58
SPEAKER_01: And it was funny.
33:59
SPEAKER_01: We had we had just started looking for homes.
34:01
SPEAKER_01: I met with her, told her what I wanted, and there was actually a home we found pretty quickly, and I thought I wanted it, and it just it it fell through.
34:08
SPEAKER_01: And um, but the Lord was working, you know, and I just trusting that in the right time he was gonna bring the right home.
34:15
SPEAKER_01: And I go out to Nashville for a week work trip, and she calls me and she's like, Michelle, I feel like I found the one.
34:22
SPEAKER_01: And before you think, before you say no, she said, because it is an 1886 farmhouse fixer.
34:31
SPEAKER_01: Um hear me out, you know.
34:33
SPEAKER_01: So we FaceTimed, and I actually made an offer on the home site unseen, which is totally not my first.
34:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but that's how I believe that this was the right one.
34:44
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
34:44
SPEAKER_01: So um, so yeah, I made an offer.
34:47
SPEAKER_01: The owners who are believers, um, it's just been a total God story, accepted the offer, things started moving, and the Lord has just clearly spoken to me about the restoration of our lives, like all of us, and how it parallels to a home and um and what he's doing in it, you know.
35:07
SPEAKER_00: It's amazing.
35:08
SPEAKER_00: Did you go into the house hunting process thinking I'm gonna get a fixer-upper?
35:13
SPEAKER_00: Or I mean because this is not just a fixer-upper.
35:16
SPEAKER_00: This is huge.
35:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I had no idea this would be the process, you know.
35:21
SPEAKER_01: I knew that whatever I get, I got I would probably make my own.
35:25
SPEAKER_01: I knew I knew that because I know myself, but never anything like this.
35:29
SPEAKER_01: I mean, to the skin.
35:33
SPEAKER_01: But I I didn't know it would involve like gutting and completely almost rebuilding, you know, um from the ground up.
35:42
SPEAKER_01: But um, but you know, I a lot of people had overlooked this home and saw no worth in it.
35:50
SPEAKER_01: And I just I don't know, I just feel like the whole thing is just the gospel message, how the right person saw the right home and saw value in it and saw past what it what it was to what it could be.
36:04
SPEAKER_01: And um again, it's the gospel message, and um, and I even love that Jesus came and was a carpenter, you know.
36:10
SPEAKER_01: I always tell people that it's just so awesome.
36:12
SPEAKER_01: He's been yeah, he's been screaming this restoration message since he came, yeah, since the beginning.
36:19
SPEAKER_01: And um, and so yeah, there's just there's just a lot of parallel when we really study it to broken down homes and lives and how those parallel to him rebuilding us and absolutely, yeah, because not not demolishing us, like you didn't have to tear it all the way down.
36:38
SPEAKER_00: You've had to take things down to the core, to the bones, if you will.
36:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
36:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you've been able to use, you know, the original creation and just build upon that and restore it and just absolutely, yeah.
36:50
SPEAKER_01: And even like even the ways he's spoken, like um, I shared on my Instagram feed, but there's been specific ways in this home as I've gutted it, that he's specifically spoken to me.
37:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, even in like, I don't I don't know if you read this, but the wallpaper story, you know, in the bathroom.
37:08
SPEAKER_01: Tell that one.
37:09
SPEAKER_01: That's so good.
37:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we um we were, you know, we had gutted a lot of the house and we were repainting and remodeling, and um, and uh we got to the bathroom and he's just been so kind to specifically speak to my heart about things that needed to be worked on.
37:26
SPEAKER_01: And um we get to the bathroom and it's an 1886 house, so there's a lot of layer of life, layers of life on the walls and hundreds of years of life.
37:37
SPEAKER_01: Oh my word, yes.
37:38
SPEAKER_01: And so my contractor was peeling back, you know.
37:41
SPEAKER_01: We went to the bathroom and I told him, I said, I don't want really anything left of this room.
37:45
SPEAKER_01: I want, I don't want anything.
37:47
SPEAKER_01: I mean, shelving down, lights down, go to the studs, take it back to the studs, get everything out, yeah.
37:54
SPEAKER_01: And um, so he starts, you know, kind of pulling back and ripping out and pulling back all these layers of life, and I'm watching, and he gets back as far as he can to the most original wall that was there, and he stops and he goes, I think we're at the bare bones now.
38:11
SPEAKER_01: And I look and the the room is covered in the wallpaper of the home that I had the dream about, like of the childhood home.
38:18
SPEAKER_01: It's we're looking at it, and it's I'm I'm like, oh my word, and I take a picture of it immediately and I send it to my brother and sister, and I say, Do y'all recognize this wallpaper?
38:27
SPEAKER_00: That is crazy.
38:28
SPEAKER_01: And they both my sister just sends back it's you know, yeah, emoji tears.
38:35
SPEAKER_01: But um, but it was so cool because again, where that house that house held a lot of pain.
38:41
SPEAKER_01: Um even physically, we were able, I was able to see that new sheet rock go over that, you know, as that wallpaper was torn down.
38:49
SPEAKER_01: And I've shared it before, but we covered the whole house like outside and inside with alabaster white, which is means new beginnings.
38:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
38:57
SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, I tell people we we tore that down and we covered it in alabaster white, and I just saw that white paint going over, you know, all that hurt and all that that pain, and the Lord just continued to speak to me, you know, and um I think that's what he does in all of us again.
39:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, absolutely.
39:17
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love it.
39:18
SPEAKER_00: I love it, it's beautiful.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: So, how many, okay, besides the bathroom, I know you've done a lot of work on the outside too.
39:25
SPEAKER_00: What rooms have you done?
39:27
SPEAKER_00: What's kind of the plan looking forward of what you want to do in 2019?
39:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I'm excited right now.
39:33
SPEAKER_01: Like the um, so I wish I could just give people like a tour, but I know I can't wait to visit.
39:39
SPEAKER_01: It's a yeah, it's oh I can't wait.
39:41
SPEAKER_01: It's an older home, so it's a little bit quirky.
39:44
SPEAKER_01: You know, the older homes are they they're not big layout plans.
39:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
39:49
SPEAKER_01: There's no like hallways that lead to certain rooms.
39:52
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's just very like room to room, and so um I've tried to kind of maintain that, like keep that.
39:58
SPEAKER_01: Um so so um the living room now is is almost completed.
40:03
SPEAKER_01: I have to do a couple things, you know, light fixtures and things like that that we're wrapping up, the kitchen, the dining room.
40:09
SPEAKER_01: Exciting.
40:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so the kitchen design and the dining room, kind of the same thing, like fixtures, and we're working on that'll kind of always evolve, probably the kitchen.
40:17
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, um, but there's a whole back area of the house, like there's a laundry and mud room and office space and things like that that I'm about to completely in 2019 start like work on that.
40:30
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna gut, yeah, pour in and repaint and you know, all that all that same thing, kind of start over in those rooms.
40:39
SPEAKER_01: Um but the outside, yeah, we've done a ton of work there.
40:41
SPEAKER_01: I haven't done any work on the yard yet at all.
40:44
SPEAKER_01: Um so I'm hoping to do some of that in 2019.
40:47
SPEAKER_01: And um it's just gonna continue to evolve.
40:51
SPEAKER_01: Yes, get some grass.
40:52
SPEAKER_01: There are two beautiful pines that just sit sit right in front of the house that I love.
40:57
SPEAKER_01: So um, so yeah, it'll I think knowing myself too, and people probably follow me on Instagram will watch this, it'll just it'll just be evolving.
41:04
SPEAKER_01: It'll just be a continual evolving of story, you know, of things I see and want to do and add.
41:11
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, so I know myself too well by now.
41:16
SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, no, I well, I mean, I think that's kind of the funny thing about homeownership in particular is that you get the home maybe just the way you want it, and then it but it's taken so many years that the room that you started with kind of needs a fresh look again.
41:32
SPEAKER_01: So I know I know not when I get done with like the right side of the house, the left side's gonna need a remote be outdated, but yeah, but that's how it goes.
41:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a beautiful note.
41:54
SPEAKER_01: That's right, color and all that.
41:55
SPEAKER_00: So well, but before then you have some rest plan so you can get fresh inspiration.
42:00
SPEAKER_00: What are you just gonna you said you're going to our Arkansas for a little bit, so you're gonna lay low and hang out with family.
42:08
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so Arkansas family um came here to Dallas for Thanksgiving.
42:13
SPEAKER_01: So our crew here in Dallas is gonna go to Arkansas for uh Christmas, and the pace there is awesome, it's very slow.
42:22
SPEAKER_01: That's good and uh it's a lot different than Dallas, and so I'm gonna go there for probably about a week in December and rest and like spend time with family and and all that fun stuff.
42:34
SPEAKER_01: So it should be good.
42:35
SPEAKER_00: Are you assigned any specific cooking duties this year?
42:38
SPEAKER_00: Like that you always like make a certain dish and all of that.
42:42
SPEAKER_00: You know what's funny?
42:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think because I'm like the single um sister, I don't know if they have just like a lot of mercy on me or what's going on, but they give me a lot of uh a lot of duties there.
42:54
SPEAKER_01: My aunt is like Martha Stewart, truly.
42:56
SPEAKER_01: She's amazing.
42:57
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
42:58
SPEAKER_01: Um just she's just incredible, but uh, and just such a caregiver.
43:02
SPEAKER_01: And like she is the type when we go to her house, she wants to just do it all, you know.
43:08
SPEAKER_01: So she always has a spread.
43:10
SPEAKER_01: And we always do a lot of um, I mean, we'll do like a main entree, but we are a family that loves a lot of like finger foods and stuff.
43:17
SPEAKER_01: Like we'll do all the appetizers.
43:19
SPEAKER_01: So we love dips and chip chips.
43:22
SPEAKER_01: So she'll always have about three or four really great dips that we love.
43:26
SPEAKER_01: And I just recently learned, I think this is like an Arkansas thing.
43:29
SPEAKER_01: I grew up on these dips, and people, when I mention them, people are like, What?
43:33
SPEAKER_01: But uh we have like a dip called avocado dip that is so good.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: Well, you got me an avocado, you gotta tell me what's in it.
43:42
SPEAKER_01: Ever.
43:42
SPEAKER_01: Oh my word.
43:43
SPEAKER_01: It's it's amazing.
43:44
SPEAKER_01: And like I said, we grew up eating it, so I thought everyone knew about it.
43:47
SPEAKER_01: Everyone knew about it, yeah.
43:49
SPEAKER_01: And I get out to Dallas, you know, and among many other things I say, people are like, What?
43:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, the avocado dip, they're like, What is that?
43:57
SPEAKER_01: So it's obviously avocados, but then There's um you mix up like cans of road tail tomato.
44:03
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
44:03
SPEAKER_01: Um I think there's sour cream.
44:05
SPEAKER_01: Um and then there's uh like a ranch dip mix that you put in it.
44:10
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
44:10
SPEAKER_01: Um I'll have to get the recipe from my aunt, but that's that's part of it.
44:16
SPEAKER_01: I probably need to like Instagram about it and do some like recipe stuff.
44:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:20
SPEAKER_01: I mean, not that you need one more thing to do, but I'm talking about rest, and I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna add it to my list.
44:27
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
44:28
SPEAKER_01: Yes, right, all right, yeah.
44:30
SPEAKER_01: One more thing.
44:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know, right?
44:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, we you know, we just do finger foods and then we'll have the family time's always fun there.
44:38
SPEAKER_00: So I'm looking forward to it.
44:40
SPEAKER_00: That's so great.
44:41
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
44:42
SPEAKER_00: I just think you're like you just live in such a brave way, and I know there's a lot more behind the scenes um for you as you wrestle through um to that indecision, but you've just bravely lived this act of faith of not just buying a house on your own, but then restoring it.
45:01
SPEAKER_00: I mean that's a big deal.
45:04
SPEAKER_01: And it's well, I think the uh I think the like I said, the dynamic behind it of of me knowing that this is I have I don't have all the questions answered and all the ins and outs of why exactly I'm doing it, but I do know that the Lord has given me the words that this is like an assignment from him, and so I think that's what really has fueled me, honestly, and kept me is that I know that this is from him.
45:28
SPEAKER_01: Like I said, I have a lot of days where I don't Instagram about this always, but you know, I want to quit, or there's days where the finances are tough, or I'm I'm looking at all the things that need to be done still, and I just got done with all this behind me, and it just feels overwhelming, or you know, whatever, but I know that the word in it, and so that in itself has made me brave and made me and given me courage where I don't have courage on my own, you know, because my machine is not naturally wired like that.
46:01
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, I'm really not, and um not really a big risk taker.
46:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm very cautious on the firstborn and want to know all the steps.
46:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm strategic.
46:11
SPEAKER_01: So, what does this mean if I do this?
46:13
SPEAKER_01: What is you know, and so this whole process has been just I'm really mean that like something the Lord has worked on me, and you know, continually.
46:23
SPEAKER_01: So it's beautiful.
46:25
SPEAKER_00: A way to let him and just be.
46:27
SPEAKER_00: I know it's not always easy to stay open-handed and willing, but it's beautiful, and I really do feel blessed, I like I've said, to watch it unfold to this far.
46:36
SPEAKER_00: And I I just feel a ton of anticipation for what's to come too, and it's gonna be beautiful.
46:41
SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that so much, and I want you to come see me.
46:43
SPEAKER_00: I really would love to.
46:44
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's not it's like an eight-hour car ride, so I do that in my sleep practically.
46:49
SPEAKER_01: Come on, you and uh, my plan.
46:51
SPEAKER_01: I'll just make the plan.
46:52
SPEAKER_01: You and Sarah Henry, who I met you through, who's amazing.
46:56
SPEAKER_01: Y'all, you guys need to just come down.
46:58
SPEAKER_00: Girls trip.
46:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I got the I got the guest room ready.
47:01
SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: It'll be perfect.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I can't wait.
47:03
SPEAKER_00: Well, hopefully that can happen this next year.
47:05
SPEAKER_00: We'll I'll have to chat with her.
47:07
SPEAKER_00: We've been trying to plan a few things, and we might have to add that to the calendar.
47:10
SPEAKER_00: It would be great.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: Yes, please do.
47:13
SPEAKER_00: Well, you are the best.
47:14
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
47:15
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
47:15
SPEAKER_00: I love you.
47:16
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for everything, and uh, thanks for having me on.
47:18
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
47:19
SPEAKER_00: I'll be in touch soon.
47:21
SPEAKER_00: All right, okay, bye.
47:22
SPEAKER_00: Y'all, don't you just love her already?
47:25
SPEAKER_00: I know, she is so down to earth, yet a beautifully profound artist.
47:30
SPEAKER_00: You'll want to keep watching this story unfold on Instagram and look back to see pictures of her sweet farmhouse.
47:36
SPEAKER_00: It's truly gorgeous, and I can't wait to see it in person.
47:40
SPEAKER_00: And if you need another idea for your Christmas wishlist or you're looking for the perfect cute and cozy sweatshirt, Michelle has a line of clothing which shares her message, and it is the clothing item you'll want to wear every day.
47:53
SPEAKER_00: All the info can be found on our Instagram, and of course, we'll link to it in our show notes.
47:58
SPEAKER_00: Today's meaningful minute is about helping find rest and keeping the Lord's truth in your mind during this Advent season.
48:04
SPEAKER_00: Now, so far, we've talked about several approaches to keeping first things first, like coffee with Jesus, meditation, lectio divina, holy yoga, reading, and Caroline's Advent Yoga series.
48:17
SPEAKER_00: So today I would like to add to that list and encourage you to take 10 minutes after this podcast to reflect on the blessings of this year.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: Yes, retracing God's work in your life and the world around you.
48:29
SPEAKER_00: God is writing a unique story with your life, and when we choose to look for some of the more profound moments, it reminds us how he is actively at work within and among us.
48:39
SPEAKER_00: Choose one of these practices and then share it with us.
48:43
SPEAKER_00: We'd love to know what you've decided to try out as you prepare your spirit, mind, and body this holiday season.
48:51
SPEAKER_00: Now, for many of you, you find it really stressful to give the right gift to all the important people in your life.
48:57
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I know it's hard.
48:59
SPEAKER_00: There's so many people to buy for, and are we buying the right thing?
49:02
SPEAKER_00: And you know, maybe you don't even know what they want, and so you go ahead and buy them something that you might enjoy, or you just give them something generic and then you hesitate gifting it.
49:13
SPEAKER_00: Well, I thought I'd come alongside and help you this holiday season, so I've created a wholehearted gift-giving guide by using the knowledge of the Aneagram.
49:22
SPEAKER_00: So instead of accidentally giving the gift you want, now you can give the gifts your loved ones want, and something way more meaningful.
49:30
SPEAKER_00: Today, I'll be giving you ideas for the sevens and eights in your life.
49:34
SPEAKER_00: Over the last couple of weeks, I've covered Aneagram types one through six.
49:38
SPEAKER_00: But if you want ideas for all the Aneagram numbers right now, of course, you can download our wholehearted gift giving guide by clicking on the link in our show notes.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: Alright, sevens.
49:47
SPEAKER_00: Well, I have one of those.
49:49
SPEAKER_00: And let me just tell ya, they love everything.
49:52
SPEAKER_00: They still have opinions, but they are the least picky about the gift.
49:56
SPEAKER_00: But you better get them a gift and feel as equally excited to give it to them as they are to receive it.
50:02
SPEAKER_00: Yep, excitement is contagious.
50:04
SPEAKER_00: Now for sevens, the bigger the better.
50:07
SPEAKER_00: Yes, the bigger experience, the size of the gift, the surprise or quantity, yep, they want that excitement with it.
50:15
SPEAKER_00: So make sure it's wrapped well, and it will be even more fun if you make it a scavenger hunt or a multiple box experience.
50:22
SPEAKER_00: You know, like you give them a little gift card and then you, you know, wrap it in a box and then in a bigger box, in a bigger box, you know, maybe a couple of layers of wrapping paper.
50:30
SPEAKER_00: It's so much fun for them.
50:32
SPEAKER_00: Now, gifts, specific items, tend to be way better than gift cards.
50:37
SPEAKER_00: But if you give them the gift card and say you're gonna use it with them, it'll feel like an experienced gift, and they love it.
50:45
SPEAKER_00: And speaking of experienced gifts, give something which involves lots of high energy, excitement, and people.
50:51
SPEAKER_00: And throw in some anticipation you've made their year.
50:55
SPEAKER_00: Summons are happy to get something, even if it's not on the list, if you want to enjoy it with them.
51:02
SPEAKER_00: Now, an eight, I've talked about eights before, but some of my best and closest friends are an eight.
51:08
SPEAKER_00: So I've had a few confirm if this is true or not.
51:12
SPEAKER_00: An eight does want you to do whatever an eight already likes, or he wants or she wants to get whatever they already like.
51:20
SPEAKER_00: So please don't create a need or a want for them because they already know what they want or need.
51:25
SPEAKER_00: Trust me on this.
51:27
SPEAKER_00: So if they give you a list, you gotta follow it.
51:30
SPEAKER_00: It's just, you know, simple, easy, they give you a list, they expect to get something similar to that list.
51:37
SPEAKER_00: You could give a coupon book and a gift card to have an experience together, which requires interaction, not passive involvement.
51:44
SPEAKER_00: They want to do something engaging with one another, not necessarily just to go sit at a movie.
51:49
SPEAKER_00: It's always great with eights to surprise them with an early gift.
51:53
SPEAKER_00: They enjoy the anticipation, but to know that you thought of them and you were thinking ahead of time means a lot.
51:59
SPEAKER_00: If you give them a practical gift, I recommend selecting a higher-end version.
52:05
SPEAKER_00: You know that blanket that they've been talking about?
52:08
SPEAKER_00: They really want the more expensive high-end version of it, not just any old blanket that everyone owns.
52:15
SPEAKER_00: It's really important for AIDS that you know their interests, their hobbies, and their favorite things.
52:20
SPEAKER_00: And I highly recommend to stick to those gift-giving parameters.
52:25
SPEAKER_00: Now, next week I'll be back with my friend Katie Roselli.
52:29
SPEAKER_00: You've heard her pop in before, and we're gonna talk about the freedom to celebrate during the season.
52:36
SPEAKER_00: It's a conversation I think you won't want to miss, and it'll be a really special one as it wraps up our Advent conversation.
52:44
SPEAKER_00: We love it when you share episodes with your friends and family, and it means a lot to have you invite them along during this special Advent season and as we begin again in 2019 with more amazing inspiration.
52:57
SPEAKER_00: So, until next week, join us on the socials as we continue to pursue perspective, purpose, and plans for a simply full hearted life.