We Encourage - Featured Follower - Carissa

Carissa is a simply amazing young woman.  

I know some of my followers are also her followers...so you already know that ;)
But if you aren't, go check her out at lowercase letters.....  like now!

You'll be glad you did. 

This a a woman of faith.
This is a woman of poise.
This is a woman I truly admire and I want to encourage her to keep sharing her
heart with the blog word...
and beyond (she's an aspiring writer too ya know).

This talented mama has a flair for photography (see some of her pics below) but most admirably she has a dedicated heart for God.  And she expresses her faith journey so honestly.  We're all broken, but Carissa always comes back to relying on God's grace and shows us that we can too.

Carissa explains that her favorite post is heaven, hearing, and other good news 

"because it reminds me how God has been faithful to provide for us."

In this post she explains how God as provided for her and her family as well as some others.  It would do us all a world of good to recognize the myriad of ways in which God provides for us..

And now, here are some of Carissa's beautifully captured moments.

Thanks for so openly sharing your heart Carissa!

call me blessed

We Encourage - Featured Follower - Megan

It's Tuesday, that means it's time for another "We Encourage" post! 

Meet Megan of Our House of Pink.

I found Megan several months ago through a "day in the life" link-up at The Busy Budgeting Mama.

She's a young mother of two beautiful little girls with another on the way. One of the things I love best about Megan's blog is her honesty.  She bravely writes about her reality, the ups and the downs and everything in between.  And the fierce devotion she has to do right by her girls is remarkable.  Though I often feel the same way as Megan, she is so good at putting those feelings into words.

Megan told me her favorite post was Happiness.

"That post is always there to remind me what really matters. It's not our car or if my girls have a different outfit on every day, it's the small things. Their laugh, the way Kyleigh smells after a bath, the bond they share. Those are the things that matter. I often forget and need to be reminded. "

Not only is she an awesome mama, 
but she has a crafty side too...

Check out her Minnie Mouse party for her daughter here.

 And peruse some of her gorgeous photography here and here.

Megan is counting down the days to the arrival of her new daughter in the next couple weeks so drop by and leave her some encouraging words as she prepares to embark on another mama adventure :)

Thank you Megan for sharing your beautiful girls and being such an encouraging follower!

We Encourage - Featured Follower - Amanda

I've been wanting to join in this link-up for a while now and today I'm finally doing it!

Jami at Call me Blessed came up with this wonderfully encouraging link-up to take a moment to encourage someone in your life or write about someone who encourages you.
Lord knows the world could use some more encouragement going around!

So today I would like to encourage one of my sweet followers...

Meet Amanda of 
Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures

She a young 20-something with a refreshingly upbeat outlook on life.  I hate to sound like an 'ol lady here but in these days of dispassionate mindsets, I find this very refreshing.

With a new career, loving family and awesome boyfriend, this girl is on to great things!

Check out Amanda's blog here.

One of the unique things you'll find is her "yearly lists" to accomplish...

currently her list of "24 before 24".  

And let me tell ya, this girl gets it done.  

She is extremely accomplished...and only in her early 20's!

I asked Amanda to let us know what her favorite post was and why.

Favorite post

Rock 'n' Roll Providence Half Marathon

 Why? 

"I think that this post meant the most to me because it was more than just sharing about a race, it was sharing a piece of me.

I felt extremely proud before, during, and after running this race because I did something on my own and for me. Two days before the race, my three friends who were supposed to run it (and the original reason I signed up) told me they weren't going to run. I had been in Las Vegas for only 36 hours those two days before the race and felt exhausted, angry, and very disappointed. Part of me didn't want to move forward with the race, and in the past, I probably wouldn't have done it because I don't like doing things on my own if I had planned to do them in a group. This was a big step for me, a step to becoming more mature. So instead of feeling angry, upset, and skipping the race, I chose to feel grateful for this opportunity to run and be a part of this crazy group of runners. It was very empowering to get out of bed on a rainy Sunday in August to run 13.1 miles for me and me alone. It's a reminder of why I run and am a runner. But this race wasn't just feeling grateful for being able to go out and run a race, it was also about M.

You see, M is amazing, supportive, loving, caring, on and on and on... Sometimes we forget that our special someone goes above and beyond for us. Sometimes we wish for more surprises or flowers or cards, but those things aren't what count. It's having the person you love (and who loves you) get up at 4:30AM on a Sunday to go stand in the rain for two hours just to see you cross the finish line. And to give you a hug while you cry because it was hard, and you're exhausted. And to know that in this post-race hour, silence is what you both need.

I ran more than 13.1 miles that day. I took a step in being more mature. I appreciated that I have an amazing boyfriend and person in my life. And I was thankful."

Amanda always takes time to appreciate the simple things in life.  
She is a great encouragement to her family 
and friends...and inspiring to me.

Thank you Amanda for always having an encouraging word for me 
and sharing of yourself in this big wide blog land!

Stop by and give her some love!