Holidays on a budget? Yep!!! Big job lay-off still happening so time to adjust our lifestyle! Here is how we celebrated Valentine’s Day in a unique way! Enjoy!
Tag: dreambig
Friends and a hole where the fridge should be!
Flashback from fb- 2 years ago in the “refrigerator hole” as it became affectionately called by our friends who visited our house under construction! It became normal to get a phone call or text from some sweet friend who wanted to come see our house and take their picture in the refrigerator hole! 😀 We were excited to move in and thought we’d be there for a long time- then….you know the rest of the story! Jeff got transferred across the metroplex- blah blah blah. We needed to move! But I’m so grateful for the 18 months we lived in Harvest! We made wonderful lifetime friends!! I visited our old neighborhood yesterday and found myself a little wistful. But then I grabbed hold that Gods plans are bigger than our plans and big things are coming!!!! We can feel it! It’s painful and hard somedays- like stretching a sore knee after surgery! The stretching hurts but it’s necessary to take you to the next level! Are you feeling stretched? How do you handle it? Have you tried to embrace it?
So I wasn’t kidding about all the #refridgeratorselfie pics! These were all on different days during construction! Check out all the cuteness! What I love so much is that some of these friends are long time friends and others are new friends since we moved to Texas! Together they are all part of our story and we are part of theirs! And in the middle is sweet #oliverbichon. His bestie #lucybichon had recently crossed the rainbow bridge. We were so sad andhe was lost without her. As we wrote blessings on the new construction of a sweet friends house yesterday (that I met when we moved into this house, I thought of these friends – and others (after the refrigerator was installed) who blessed our home with their presence, kindness, prayer and encouragement! They spoke kindness and hope! They demonstrated the gift of showing up and speaking LIFE- and still do!
These pictures-these faces- these friends! I’m so grateful for them all! And this house? I loved it but it was just a house. It’s the people who fill it and the memories made that make a house a home! I can’t wait to see where we will end up next and the new beautiful faces that will come into our lives! We long to be planted deep but know we are exactly where God wants us now as He prepares the next steps of our journey! So thankful that He covers us and has protected us from things we didn’t even see coming! He has given us clear vision and new intention! I can’t wait to tell you all He has done! I can’t wait to see it myself! So enjoy the journey- none it is wasted! Be present! Speak words of life!!
Painted brick and pumpkins
I’m dreaming of white painted brick! And a new home! Ok- I’m dreaming of many things! I’ve wanted a painted brick house for decades! Our last new construction HOA didn’t give us the option. So now- anything is possible. We are in a huge moment of transition- which means- the possibilities are endless!!! The house is sold, everything still in storage and nothing holding us back. To catch you up, if you are new here- Jeff was transferred over an hour away from our new home. After making the commute for a year- we sold the house and moved closer to his new territory! Just as that home search began- he was laid off. I know….. Right???
But……The job search is strong and God is in control! We can’t wait to see where He places us. We know this- He has covered us and protected us in this crazy phase of life we were not anticipating and even put a temporary roof over our head when we didn’t realize how we would need it. So grateful we hadn’t purchased another house. So everyday- we dream and work with intention -asking God to open the right doors and give us wisdom as to which to walk through. I can’t wait for the day to tell you all that God did during this time in our lives. He doesn’t waste a single thing- especially the hard stuff! We know He has gone ahead of us and has worked out all the details. Life is hard but God is good! Everything is going to be ok!!
RepostBy @mylightingsource: “Countdown has begun at our house. Cutie festive porch by @kindredvintage. 🎃🕸🍂🧡”
The lay-off!
Day 1- The news came on Friday-Jeff was being laid off from his pharmaceutical sales specialist job of 15 years! The job that transferred him across the metroplex 6 months after we built our beautiful new house! The house we sold 18 months later bc the commute was brutal and we needed to live closer to his territory! That was just 3 months ago! 😬 Yep- that job!
So Friday was numbing! We found out recently it was coming but hopeful the chopping block wouldn’t come down on him (us). Well, it did! So that was Friday! Fortunately, I was at a business retreat with awesome friends who have known us well for decades and love us! The best place to be when you get bad news is with your friends! To clarify- only if your friends are super encouraging! If your friends aren’t going to make a bad situation better- maybe reconsider. Just sayin’! Choose wisely!
So Jeff came to join us for lunch and rub shoulders with uplifting people- always a good idea! While I remained at the retreat, Jeff drove back to take care of our furry kids- Oliver and Ivy Bichon, and do the only acceptable thing on a Friday night in Texas- go to a high school football game with our daughter and son-law! Friday night lights! Now exactly our experience growing up in a Little Rock, Arkansas. Everything IS bigger in Texas!
The shock didn’t set in til Saturday as we grieved for amazing friends and colleagues who were also “reorganized!” REORGANIZED-that is the word they choose to use because it sounds so much better than downsized! Not really- but what ever makes the decision makers sleep at night! No discussion here about the process – heartless as it may be- bc we aren’t looking back!
Then Sunday—it was a day of refocus, encouragement at Gateway church and an amazing message by Tony Evans. Want to be encouraged to defeat the giants in your life? Here is the link- https://youtu.be/ld7P6DQbDiA
We finished the day with Jeff’s favorite meal at Texas Road House! Because sometimes you need a yummy steak and rolls!!! Yep!!!! CARBS with butter!!!! This was not the day to pass on the rolls!
Hello Monday!!!! ❤️ The first day of a new future and transition is exhausting! Change is hard! Life is hard! Tying up loose ends, closing expense reports, clearing out storage unit, accounting for samples but…the biggest expenditure of energy? Choosing a mindset of moving forward and letting go of the secure! #ivybichon – who usually will prefer to sit with me- was full on therapy dog and loving on her daddy! So rest!!! 
Restorative rest! Not for long but in the in between! I’m so proud of Jeff! He has been weighed down for a while and working so hard! The lay-off was certainly not in our plan but the peace we have reminds us of Gods care, protection and covering! He has shown up and gone before us to protect us when we didn’t even know we needed it!
This is not the end – it is a new beginning! But for this minute- rest! Recharge! Renew! And dream big dreams!!!
Have their been times in your life when you have had to recharge? What makes you feel renewed? What is your self care strategy when you are wiped out? If you don’t have one, praying you will look at yourself and see what you can do to rejuvenate! Are you a caregiver for someone else? That is exhausting! Just like on the airplane- when the oxygen mask drops- put it on yourself first! Praying peace and rest for you and new beginnings! Kelly
What if you are rejected?
Wow!!! This is so true when you see change through the perspective of faith!! Change can be exactly what you need to point you in the right direction! The last few years have been crazy, unsettling and exhausting! We have yearned to find a home in one place and create some long lost stability! The list is long and it has been a season of testing, trials and uncertainty! But-in the midst of it all- there has been protection, healing, growth, new friends, perspective and renewed vision! It has brought wisdom and fresh eyes to see many things as they really are! It is not lost on us that it has been like cracking open the hard shell of expectations to explore what could be inside. Renewal? Hope? What about dreaming a new dream? We are having big conversations about this lately! And, if we needed more earth shattering reality to push us out of our comfort zone- Jeff was laid off from his job Friday! Ouch!!!!
Just when things seemed to be finally settling down as we sold our house & moved closer to his territory to reduce his giant commute across the metroplex!! But, this we know!!! God is still in control! We can see His protection for things headed our way that we didn’t even see! He was already making a way! His dreams for us far exceed ours and we desire His best! Grateful for the encouragement of friends and drops of wisdom that seem to surround us! Can’t wait to see what the future holds!
So today? Let’s be intentional and prepare for the future!
Your vibe attracts your tribe!
So true!!!!
I’m back!
Ever been afraid to do something because everything wasn’t ready ? Or perfect? Or amazing? Yeah- that’s me! I’ve been a “blogger in my head” for years! I’ve actually been a writer since college- mostly news bureau and ad stuff! That was way before the Internet! 😂 I even posted my first blog in June 2016- now it’s August. No 2nd post yet. I do share a little on Instagram. @kellycornelsen That’s fun.
No surprise my first grade teacher told my mother, “quit being so hard on Kelly! She is afraid to even write something down on a piece of paper.” Well, to my teacher, Mrs. Young at Williams Elementary- looks like the person keeping me from putting anything to paper was me. Here I am 50+ years later, struggling to put “thoughts to virtual paper.”
Over the years, I have had many opportunities to stretch my “creative muscles” and write, perform, direct and produce projects of many sizes. It’s so fun to create and remember, “oh yeah, I used to love to do that!” But as the years pass by and you doubt who you are- for whatever reason (that’s a whole post by itself) – you forget the things you love. You forget about the gifts God gave you that make you…..well, YOU. You forget what gives you joy! You become afraid. So, you pour yourself into your children and they grown up. You build a community and then you move away. You invest yourself into others and see them just walk out of your life. So now what? Where to go from here?
It’s possible that journey begins right here, right now.. My sweet husband of 37 years, Jeff, has encouraged me to write for years. My daughter, Lindsey, tells me I am the best blogger ever without a blog! They make me laugh! But…I MIGHT be the best blogger ever without a blog!!!! 😂😂😂😂 So…lets see where this goes! I’ve been waiting for profound events to happen in order to post. (Although, it has been a profound year) but waiting on the fun stuff like- building a house- planning a wedding, building a life in a new city! My new sweet friend, Becky, is a wonderful successful blogger. Check her out thejavamama.com. Becky is a kindred spirit to my younger self and she tells me just to do it!!!! So…..let’s do it! Ekkkkkkkk!!!!!
So, I have nothing profound for you today! Just stepping out of my comfort zone AGAIN and putting myself out there. Perhaps in expressing thoughts out loud, I will figure out what lies in the future! I laugh that when I’m asked to speak, I always tell Jeff, “I can’t wait to hear what I’ll say!” 😂 it’s kind of how my brain…and mouth work.
So, I can’t wait to see what I will write. There is no grand outline, no plan, just some of my thoughts said out loud. But here is what I do know! This is what I believe! I believe the future is going to be amazing! I believe it will be wonderful and full of blessings I’d never otherwise meet if I didn’t take a brave step today. Want to follow along with me? You might have to remind me to write it down! Love and joy! Kelly 🍀 #blogger #fear #courage #brave #creative #writer #daughter #husband #justdoit
This Sweet Southern Life 