There are a few churches John and I like to keep tabs on — listening to their sermons each week, even getting their email newsletters. They’re doing a lot of things right, and it’s inspiring to watch them chase after God-sized dreams (and to think about how their best ideas might translate to our own home church!).

One of our favorites is Church of the City, a network of neighborhood churches in Nashville. We feel like we’ve been with them since the beginning, and we kind of have — we followed their main pastor when he was on staff at his old church, before he moved to Tennessee and planted the first COTC location. Over their relatively brief lifetime as a church family, they have had a craaaaaazy story, including but not limited to launching six worshipping communities (including a Spanish language and a New York City location); partnering with an established Nashville church who was so drawn to COTC they approached them with the idea of a merger; and retiring millions of dollars of debt carried over with that merger.

Needless to say, it’s been an eventful five years especially as their community has grown from the small founding handful to the thousands attending each weekend. Keeping the flame of passion, purpose, ingenuity, unity, and sincerity alive — casting the vision for who they are as a church body — must be one of the hardest things the leadership is tasked with. Unsurprisingly (if you know how well they have historically led their people!), they have gotten out ahead of this in many ways, but most impactfully with Vision Sunday.

Once a year, they rent a concert hall in Nashville and gather all of their local communities to worship and dream together. They share stories from their people, stories that remind them who they are and why they do what they do. They paint a picture of where they’ll travel in the next year and what they’ll grow together. They worship. I’ve only experienced it online (and not even as a “real” member of the church!) and I leave every year energized and inspired — I can’t imagine what it would be like to attend in person!

All this to say that the fact that this church has been successful in its mission and that it is continually reminding itself of that mission — as well as intentionally evaluating its success and setting new goals to press further into that mission — is no coincidence.

Proverbs 29:18 says where there is no vision, the people perish. Wither. Shrink. Dry up and grow stale. And as it goes for churches, so it goes for relationships. I’ve shared before that one of my favorite nights of the year is our December celebration dinner, where John and I spend a few hours chatting through a series of questions to look back and ahead. It’s a chance for us to cheer our union on as much as it is an opportunity to decide how we’d like to grow together in the year ahead. (Our bimonthly net worth chats are a kind of mini, financial version of this!)

And finally, as for relationships, so it is for individuals. The best way I know to ensure that I’m continually moving toward the person I hope to become is with my PowerSheets. The yearly prep work and monthly Tending Lists keep me motivated, diligent, attentive to my life, and pressing forward.

There is no “there” where it will suddenly be easy to give reflexively, pray continually, adventure mightily, eat mindfully, parent patiently, read voraciously, or anything else we deeply desire. We have to light the flame of all these things, and then we have to tend to it.

I do that with PowerSheets, and I wanted you to know the 2019 sets go on sale today! I think you will love them. And if you’ve never tried them before, maybe this is your year :)

In the meantime, I would love to hear: do you have a routine of vision casting or review in your life? Or in an organization you’re a part of it? It can be so powerful!

P.S. Aside from the PowerSheets, my absolute favorite product from the new collection is the Joyful Greeting Card Set. I’ve mentioned before that one of my life hacks is to use Black Friday sales to stock up on greeting cards – but with this set (24 cards for $24), you don’t need to wait for a sale. The price and quality is incredible, and this set’s versatility is such that you’ll use every card in the box! (Just think about the price of a single birthday card at Target right now. You’re welcome :)) It is *possible* that these could sell out this week, so I wanted to give you a heads-up if you’re a snail mail lover like me!

Did anyone else experience the post-pregnancy clothes buying surge? After seemingly wearing the same two dresses, one shirt, and one pair of shorts for my final two months, I was ready for something new!! My buying “spree” resulted in three finds I want to tell you about…

Not me, but I kind of really want those pants :)

First up: these jean shorts from, of all places, American Eagle. My maternity jean shorts (which I LIVED in this summer) had a longer inseam than my normal ones, and when I put back on my normal ones after Shep’s birth, they just felt… short. I remembered my friend Shay sharing that she wore AE ones, and sure enough, with a 4″ inseam, their “midi” style is just longer than the jean options available at most stores. They are quite stretchy and run small, so I’d recommend sizing up a size or two.

Next: this shirt. Also from American Eagle. (What?!) It is soft and cozy, but also looks pulled together. Also, nursing-friendly! And I feel like a character in a Nancy Meyers movie when I wear it, so there’s that. I first bought the white, then when I went to link this post last night, I bought the blue because it’s now on super sale and I love it so much. I sized up to a medium (I usually wear a small or XS) for a looser fit.

Finally: these jeans. I CANNOT say enough good things about them, and am joining the chorus of several friends who also sing their praises. I have previously been a J.Crew and LOFT jeans gal, but these outshine them both. At the risk of sounding rhapsodic, from the minute I stuck my foot inside I could tell they were well made, with the right amount of stretch and a great weight to the denim. I love the wash, I love the high waist, and I love that they look great cuffed or straight. Plus, they’re a great price – $60 on sale right now! And they feel SO GOOD on. Would highly recommend if you’re in the market! (These fit true-to-size for me.)

After reading this post from Young House Love, I realized I’m inching toward my own “uniform”… and it looks like a lot of dusty blue, navy, denim, white/cream, and tan. (That’s why I chose the photo above – it would fit right in in my closet!) There might be a post in the making as I explore this more, if you’re interested! :)

P.S. Early evidence of my uniform here and here.

Affiliate links are used in this post!

Tonight is the third anniversary of Articles Club!

When Stephanie and I launched our experiment three years ago — by inviting total strangers into our homes, no less — this introvert had no idea what to expect and was more than a little nervous. What a happy surprise and abundant blessing our monthly gatherings (and the ladies who gather) have been to me ever since! More than the articles we read, the gift is in tucking in around a table with ladies who are different in many ways — younger, older, married, single, mamas and not — but all united by their curious minds, care for one another, and interest in our world.

If you’ve ever wanted to start something like this, do it. And if you just want to follow along at home, read on – I’m sharing a few of the articles we read together in the last year! :)

Patriotism
John McCain’s Farewell Letter
Straining to Keep Faith with America

Routines
Lessons Learned from 98 Morning Routines
Routines: Comforting or Confining?
I Tried Seven Different Morning Routines – Here’s What Made Me Happiest

Sustainable Fashion
Why Consumers Forget Unethical Business Practices
Behind a $13 Shirt, a $6-an-Hour Worker
What is Sustainable Fashion and Why is it so Expensive?

Race in America
What Does it Mean to be White
Action Items for New Allies
When White Parents Won’t Integrate Public Schools

Parenting Now
How to Raise an American Adult
Seven Reasons We Hate Free-Range Parenting
12 Rules for Life

The Magic of Summer
How to Celebrate Like the Nordics
Going for a 1970s Summer
Fireworks are our Shining Stars of Summer

Being Stuck
How You Get Unstuck
Why We Feel Stuck in Life and the Secret to Dealing With It
Feeling Less than Grateful? Some People are Just Wired that Way

The Mystery of Personality
Inside the Enneagram
The Combination to Your Team’s Recurring Problem
Personality Tests are Popular, But Do They Capture the Real You?

Beauty
The Truth About Beauty
Aging and My Beauty Dilemma
What Makes a Pretty Face?

Grab Bag :)
My Year of No Shopping
The Best New Year’s Game
You May Want to Marry My Husband

If you’re so inclined, I’d love for you to share an article or essay in the comments that you’re itching to discuss with someone! Maybe you’ll see it show up in next year’s Articles Club recap :)

P.S. How to host an articles club, and what we read our second year

Friends, ten years ago to the day I wrote my first ever blog post. You can still view it here, just like every other post I’ve written since — posts about weddings, mostly, at first. A heck of a lot of inspiration boards. Little bits of lovely before Pinterest came along. Funny DIYs :)

And then, here and there, a more personal post. Longer ones. A few poems, so close to my heart. A new name and site design.

A turning point. Another one. Another one.

A passion project begun. Scary posts to write and sad ones and the most joyful. So many adventures, so many anniversaries, so many goals.

Posts on this blog have changed my life. Some of you have been kind enough to write that they’ve changed yours, too.

Sneak peek of our newborn session with Graham! :)

Even aside from catapulting blog posts, a lot changes in a decade. You’ve graciously watched me become a college graduate, a North Carolinian, an editor, a first-time-apartment dweller, a fiancee, a wife, a homeowner, a person-who’s-been-to-Europe, a mama, and a mama again. And all along the way, writing this blog has not only been a place to capture those changes, but a cause of them.

Because before I was any of those things, I was a writer. Writing is the way I’ve processed, held myself accountable, and grown since I was young. Writing is a way of becoming, for me. “In the end, people don’t view their life as merely the average of all of its moments — which, after all, is mostly nothing much plus some sleep,” wrote Atul Gawande in Being Mortal. “For human beings, life is meaningful because it is a story.” Yes.

I have shared many times about the importance of the narratives we create and believe about ourselves. Writing here invites me to make meaning out of my days, to decide what I believe about the things I do and the things that happen to me, the person I was and the person I am becoming. That person matters. She shapes generations. (You, of course, do as well.)

So yes, writing this blog matters deeply to me. This is my story I’m telling, but it’s not just me. It’s mostly my parents. It’s a whole lot my high school English teacher. It’s a heaping portion of John. It’s every wise, kind, talented, thoughtful person I’ve ever come in contact with. And it’s all God.

I hope that you have found something here over the last ten years that has made your life better, and allowed you to be better for other people. I know that I am better for writing here, and for being accountable to you all. If nothing else, blogging has kept the shine in my glittering eyes, seeing magic everywhere I least expect it, and that is a marvelous way to go through life.

Finally, friends, thank you for reading. I began addressing my posts to “friends” in the beginning because it just seemed like that’s what people did. Now when I write “friends,” I picture real people who have encouraged, inspired, and challenged me, even if we’ve never met in person. You all bless me greatly. To ten more years together!

P.S. The history of this blog, and one of my favorite quotes about blogging ever.

P.P.S. I have a MASSIVE anniversary thank you giveaway to share tomorrow – you will not want to miss it!!!