Friendship

Birthdays, Art, Embarrassment

November 11, 2019 by Rachel

I recently had the pleasure of spending some rare moments with one of my dearest childhood friends, which always puts us in a frame of mind to recall the awful and hilarious things we’ve been through in life. Purple fondue. Yeasty homemade wine. Breaking and entering. Here is one story that stands out, which features one of my Most Embarrassing Moments.

Candace and I try to celebrate our June birthdays together, and one year we decided a day at Forest Park, in which we would play the role of Elegant Ladies, would be just the thing. The men and the children could watch themselves for most of the day, leaving us free to wander the St. Louis Art Museum without a care in the world, have lunch at the museum restaurant because that is what sophisticated ladies do, then end our day with an outdoor performance of Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park {to be rejoined with our families at that time because it couldn’t be helped}.

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Gifts From the Gracelaced Retreat

November 16, 2017 by Rachel

This post is not sponsored in any way. It contains a couple affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a chilly autumn photo shoot to me.

For the Gracelaced Retreat, some of Ruth’s thoughtful friends generously sent us gifts and we were completely “wowed!”

Thank you to my photographer friend, Candace, for helping express my gratitude through pictures. Below you will find links to all the lovely things:

Tribal crepe blanket scarf from Grace and Lace.

Super soft and perfect for draping, this scarf has quickly become a go-to piece in my closet. Grace and Lace is one of my favorite companies to support-a couple years I ago I purchased a few of their layering pieces and they’ve washed and lasted well: long sleeved top extender, chiffon high-low extender, pointed lace top extender

A beautiful leather shoulder bag from Better Life Bags.

This goes with me just about everywhere!

You can stuff quite a lot of books in this bag…

See my Gracelaced book peeking out?

I was delighted to receive The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson!

Can you spot my Soli Deo Gloria necklace from Lovishly? It’s delicate and perfect.

A handcrafted “Greatest of These” cuff from Fashion and Compassion.

Also given to each of us was a GraceLaced plaque from Carpentree Gifts & Decor.

{You can find their entire GraceLaced collection here and my “live a quiet life” fringed plaque here.}

Styling and coziness created by my friend, Candace. 😉

Sweet treats came from Tudor House Cookies and passed the test of deliciousness as well as incredible artistry!

I call this my Narnia tote bag. It’s from The Adopt Shoppe and you can find it here.

From the bottom of my heart, to all of you, thank you! ♥

Gracelaced Retreat

November 10, 2017 by Rachel

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a cozy fireside chat to me.

I had a surprising and wonderful opportunity to attend a small retreat in the mountains of Colorado with Ruth Chou Simons, author and artist of the book Gracelaced.

>>>insert excited jumping up and down<<<

On a mountain adventure! Left to right: Shae, Kaitlyn, Me, Kristi, Ruth, Gina, Deborah

In celebration of the launch of her book, the Gracelaced team held a drawing for those who ordered multiple copies and I, along with four other lovely ladies from around the country, was randomly selected to attend.

Or, as we discussed over the course of the weekend, perhaps not so randomly selected! We all share a belief that God ordains our days and the smallest details of our lives, therefore, we were together for a purpose and for His glory. I think I forget that sometimes. I believe it in my head, but my heart forgets in the ordinary rhythms of life that God is always present in both my small and big moments.

Our view from the back porch of Vista La Plata.

The retreat was held at Vista La Plata, Ruth and Troy’s mountain home which you can actually rent on Airbnb! {I hope to do this myself sometime in the near future so the rest of the family can enjoy the wild beauty of southern Colorado as I did.}

The setting sun at Vista La Plata was a lovely sight! Pepper was indifferent.

I was trying to think how I might put into words my experience at the Gracelaced retreat weekend.

Restful. I will lead you beside quiet waters. {Psalm 23:2}

Encouraging. Build each other up. {1 Thessalonians 5:11}

Convicting. Hold fast to Him. {Joshua 22:5}

Awe-filled. The mountains speak of a Creator. {Romans 1:20, Nahum 1:5}

Those may feel like overused descriptors yet they couldn’t be truer for me. I never cease to be astonished at how remarkable the body of Christ is. How a group of people who’ve never met before, from different parts of the country and different life experiences, can share a common bond and connect like family!

It wasn’t just Ruth who made our visit welcoming and delightful-the entire Simons family contributed, from Troy giving us an off-road mountain tour to all the boys helping in some way….with made-to-order coffee drinks, s’mores preparation, hauling luggage, and many other practical acts of service.

And let’s not forget the heart of the house-Gina, our wonderful chef!

Gina & Ruth show us how a proper mountaintop photo is done! #gorgeous

Still thinking of her Mexican corn:

I’m super thankful for the time I had at Vista La Plata, and wanted to express my gratefulness to the Simons family, Gina, my fellow travelers for their kindness and friendship, Pepper the dog for his hilarious antics, and others who contributed to the event by sending us gifts. It was absolutely a highlight of my year!

{Be looking for two more posts about the retreat; one sharing all the lovely gifts sent for us attendees, and one giving away a copy of Ruth’s book!}

Update: Gifts from the Gracelaced Retreat

Photo credit goes to…everyone. We shared so many photos that I’m not exactly sure whose is whose. The photos without people (except for the corn!) are definitely mine; surely you can tell by the quality? Heehee! ♥