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My Sweet “t” on Day 2

H100

I love behaving myself {in the sugar department, that is}.  It just makes me feel more alive and in control {you know, of the miniscule parts of my life that I actually have control over}. 

Day 2 went well.  Just 98 to go.  Sheesh.

Took the kiddos for a walk today.  Tomorrow I’m breaking out my 6 pound hula hoop.  Yes, you read that correctly.  If less sugar doesn’t cause my waist to reappear…I’ll beat it into submission with this baby.  It’s awesome.  Granted, it’s been a few years “while” since I used it, so I’m not glossing over the fact that I anticipate some pain, possible bruising and slight kidney damage {kidding}.

It’s incredible to me how already I’m finding that I’m craving sugar less…even after only 2 days without it…because I’m not eating it in it’s simplest form.  However counterproductive it may seem, I find having an entire bag of MMs sitting in our cupboard quite inspiring.  It makes me feel like I’m choosing to not eat them…versus just resigning myself to the fact that there is nothing sweet to dip into.  I like to pretend as though I’m able to control myself in the face of hundreds of colorfully coated sugar-pebbles…but if that bag was open, watch out.  I’d be less excited about it’s presence and more intimated by my rabid love for chocolate. 

Moving right along.

I’m thrilled that our 100 Days to Healthy team is growing…

  • Renee
  • Sara {Michigan}
  • Mae from {Maryland}
  • Bernice
  • Lisa
  • Abbigail {Washington}

Welcome on board!

{intermission…start elevator music}

Check out my beautiful corn.  I love growing my own vegetables and simply adore our fabulous little garden…and despite having weeds taller than our tomato plants…it keeps on loving us back. 

Tiana 018

{Intermission ends, I return you to your regularly scheduled blog post}

I got to spend 10 hours {seriously…10 delicious hours} with a precious friend of mine today, my sweet “T”.  We met 9 years ago when we worked in radio together and have treasured every ounce of contact we get the joy of sharing ever since.

She’s a delight to my heart and a treat to the senses {and is totally an inspiration on this 100 day journey as she’s lost over 50 pounds by cutting out processed foods and by upping her exercise…she looks incredible!}

We indulged in fresh potatoes, corn and cantaloupe from the garden, and herbed {crock pot} pork loin over a glass of wine.  I have yet to figure out a way to grow Barefoot Zinfandel in my garden. 

Tiana 028

Random facts about T: I accidentally sent a {very personal} email to her early on in our working relationship that was intended for some guy I was dating 8+ years ago, she actually edited it and emailed it back to me thinking I was asking for her input.  She thought I was wishy-washy about my faith and not bold enough about the issues I was addressing.  I was mortified.  On a happier note: she was my wedding day coordinator, and is thoroughly adored by my husband {who is not the recipient of the aforementioned email.  Praise God}.

 Tiana 030

It’s been over a year since we got the delight of spending time together.  Needless to say, getting reacquainted with a considerably sassier version of Cricket was a highlight…

Tiana 043Tiana 041 Tiana 049

For a day without sugar, it sure was filled with sweetness.

{Yes, I know that was corny, but it worked}

Related posts:

  1. Sweet Girl
  2. Happy Birthday, sweet Bean!
  3. Oh, Holy Mother of Pearl…it’s SWEET!
  4. I Ate A Kit Kat
«
»

Friendship, Health

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Simply Bloom exists to empower women to embrace their stories, live out their passion with purpose, and leave a legacy of love.
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Hello there! I'm Joy. Speaker, designer, author & coach, and creator of the #weROARproject. Welcome to Simply Bloom Co., where passion & purpose collide.

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May you remember that God is not only the God of d May you remember that God is not only
the God of destinations, but of detours.

When life takes you somewhere you never intended to go,
may you recognize that you have not been forgotten.

May you have eyes to see the people in front of you,
hands willing to gather the sticks,
courage to shake off the snakes,
a heart willing to welcome and be welcomed,
and faith to believe that even here,
especially here, God is at work.
What if the place you keep calling a detour is act What if the place you keep calling a detour is actually part of the story?

Paul was headed to Rome. Instead, he ended up shipwrecked on Malta.
It wasn't the destination. But it mattered.

A reminder for all of us: don't waste the waiting,
the detour, or the place you didn't choose.

🎙️ 042 | Make Malta Matter | Finding Purpose in Divine Detours
  The latest Oh, Good Grief Podcast episode is out now.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #MakeMaltaMatter #SimplyBloomCo
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What if the years you thought were wasted… weren't What if the years you thought were wasted…
weren't wasted at all?

In Part 2 of my conversation with Leah Harvey,
we go deeper into what it means to trust
God when the outcome is still unknown.

Leah has spent years carrying the ache of infertility,
and she doesn't offer a tidy answer or a spiritual shortcut.

Instead, she talks about restoration.
About eternity.
About choosing Jesus over her preference.
About looking for treasure in the middle of the story.

And about the surprising realization that there
may not have been wasted years after all,
because God was present in every one of them.

He is.
Even here.
Even now.

🎧 Part Two with Leah Harvey is live now.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #StruggleWell #StayRooted #SojournTogether
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What if trusting that God is good doesn't mean bel What if trusting that God is good doesn't mean
believing He will give us everything we ask for?

That's one of the questions my friend Leah Harvey
and I wrestle with in this week's episode.

Leah and her hubby, Jake, have walked through years
of infertility and the kind of unanswered prayer that
doesn't just hurt once—it asks you to keep
trusting God over and over again.

We talk about grief, surrender, the questions we sometimes feel afraid to ask, and what happens when we stop trying to put tidy answers over messy pain.

This is a tender conversation about choosing Jesus over our preferences, embracing the mystery of God, and learning to believe that His goodness doesn't depend on whether He gives us the thing we're asking for.

Part One of my conversation with Leah Harvey is live now
🎧  040 | The Goodness of God in the Waiting

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #StruggleWell #StayRooted #SojournTogether
Before the world told you who you needed to become Before the world told you who you needed to become...
Before fear taught you how to survive...
Before shame convinced you to hide...
God looked at you and called you His own.

Not because you had healed.
Not because you had figured yourself out.
Not because you had become your best self.
Simply because you were His.

You are still becoming.
And you are already loved.

Keep coming home.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #SimplyBloomCo
What if the goal isn't to become a different type, What if the goal isn't to become a different type,
but to become more fully yourself?

We've spent the last several weeks exploring the Enneagram:
our gifts, wounds, coping strategies, and the stories we
learned to believe in order to survive.

Now it's time to come home.

Episode 039 closes this Summer Series by asking
what happens when self-awareness becomes surrender.

The Enneagram can help us understand our patterns.
But it was never meant to become our identity.

You are not your number.
You are not your trauma.
You are not your coping strategy.

You are a beloved child of God.

🎧 Oh, Good Grief — Episode 039 is available now.
Sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee, m Sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee, my Bible and a book of maps in my lap, and the sun on my face, has me thinking about how strange and beautiful life can be.

It’s no small honor to be given the opportunity to preach at our church from time to time. Had you told the broken, shoplifting, lying, giving-her-body-away-for-free teenage girl I once was that one day she’d stand in a pulpit and talk to people about God’s goodness and grace, I would have laughed at you.

But maybe that’s exactly why God delights in using the messy, the unlikely, the misfits. Because these are the stories that make His redemption impossible to miss.

One of my favorite lines from The Chosen, spoken by Mary Magdalene, sums it up perfectly: “I was one way, and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.”

That’s my story, too.
And if I were to hazard a guess, it's yours as well.

It’s one of my greatest joys to dig into God’s Word, share what He’s laid on my heart, offer some encouragement and conviction, confess the uncomfortable things, and ultimately point people back to Jesus.

Because there’s no denying the extraordinary power of redemption when you’ve lived it yourself.
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