More INSPIRATION for Advent

I'm all about Inspiration.

Sometimes, I can do it on my own. Other times, a little prompt or key word will do the trick.

Such is the case for me for this Advent season. I have been following the #AdventWord2017 Challenge on Instagram (take a look HERE), and it's been a fun little way of throwing some thought, preparation, and purpose into my posts.

Last week, I shared the first five words, and what they inspired in me to think about (you can read that post HERE). This week, I'm sharing a few more words of inspiration and their significance to me.

Mend
Up until a couple years ago, a new set of “hands” was added each year to one of our family's Christmas tree skirts. Alas, the skirt ran out of real estate, so the annual #mending ceased. It’s fun to see how our three kids’ hands have changed through the years. I started this tree skirt tradition in 2002, which was our first Christmas back in Iowa (we had been in the East Lansing, MI area for seven years prior).

Hands of all sizes...mended to the same tree skirt

Focus
Keep your #focus on the task at hand and you won’t feel the chill in the air. Brrrrr! Saturday morning was a cold morning...the temps had a feels-like of 12-degrees(F) with the 19mph wind! Honestly, though, I had the correct amount of layers and (other than my face) I never felt cold.  

Keep the focus

Prepare
When it’s the Christmas season, I️ get busy in the kitchen...#preparing for all kinds of sugar indulgences. I enjoy baking, but I especially enjoy it during the holiday season.  Most of these goodies are given away or shared at gatherings, so the temptation isn't too strong to over indulge myself.

yum!

Messenger
This little guy, Maxton McArthur. He’s the ultimate#messenger .... warning us when another dog walks by outside, getting excited when Daddy is pulling into the garage, or pacing back & force by the door when he needs to take care of his doggy business outside. Max joined our family almost three years ago, and every day we give thanks for adopting him from a nearby shelter. 

Max is our  messenger

Watch
Set your sights on the positive and #watch what develops. 2017 tried to throw me a curve ball almost six months ago, but I rallied back and am stronger for the experience. I was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the pics in my #2017bestnine were from my return-to-running experience this fall. I had SO much encouragement and support from so many wonderful people...thank you, Everyone!

Watch what you can do when your glass is half full

...and a Bonus...
I'm gonna go rogue and combine a couple more words into a #BonusFeature, because they reflect what I'm all about, not just this season, but in ALL seasons with my running. The words #Voice and #Wilderness. Our Iowa weather was wickedly cold and windy this week, but on Wednesday, the winds were blowing at 32mph! I kid you not! Momma N's #voice was howling quite loudly, but I chose to ignore it. The two miles that I ran were tough, but certainly not impossible...and I'm glad I didn't stay inside. Then, on Thursday, the temps were similar, but the wind was gone....and I had a tranquil and beautiful run at our town's little lake. Again, I was outside, and got to thoroughly enjoy the #wildnerness while doing what I love...running! I'm a strong advocate for being outside, even if only for a short 1-mile streak run. The fresh air is euphoric!

Above left...feeling victorious after facing Momma N's fierce wind, and (above), enjoying my run on the trail

So, there's some inspiration from the week! Do any of these words have significant meaning to you? Do they bring back memories? Have any of them inspired you to reflect on the holiday season?

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I'm linking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0.