Friday Favorites

1. Lent Season
Do you give something up for Lent? I usually do but this year I'm mixing things up and being more mindful with my time.

Every morning, I jump out of bed and immediately check my email and 48485 Facebook notifications. I sit down at my desk and instantly start putting out fires. What tone does that set for my day? Hectic, rushed, overwhelmed.

This is not how I want to start my day.
This is not how I want to live my life.

This lent season I am focusing on nourishing my mind, heart, and body. Today, I started my "early to rise" Lent challenge. 6am wake up time and two hours of quiet, focused ME time. I'm starting off the day with the things that matter most: my lent devotional, personal development, meditation, workout, and a slow breakfast. No social media, no emails, no distractions.

Lent is about giving something up to make room for Jesus. I can't wait to push myself, live boldly, and see how my heart is shaped during this season.  So far, it's been a challenge but an amazing challenge.


2. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
I have been raving about this homemade pizza dough all week but honestly I cannot get enough.  It is so simple to make with only 5 ingredients and saves well in the fridge if you prefer to make individual pizzas instead of one large pie.  Recipe found at 100 Days of Real Food.


3. Black and Blue VS White and Gold
The debate over the color of this dress totally had me melting down last night.  I saw it (black and blue, 100%), thought everyone was crazy and asked Rob what he saw.....white and gold, 100%.  We analyzed the picture and kept trying to convince the other of our side.  It is really freaky to see something and be told you're wrong.  Creepiest part?  I'm scrolling through my newsfeed an hour later and I see the dress....clear as day WHITE AND GOLD.  Now I'm totally convinced I'm losing my mind!  What do you see?


4. Passion
It's been a busy week of dream chasing for our team!  Lots of work and lots of big goals being hit.  Everyday I feel blessed to have a job that I love waking up to, that sets a fire burning in my soul, and that allows me the freedom to work my schedule around Rob's crazy flight schedule.


5.  #Selfless Selfie
This is something so near and dear to my heart that I don't even know where to start except to ask you to please be a part of it.  AJ Slye was a neighbor, a family friend, a student at the school where I taught, and the son of my mentor teacher.  He was one of those kids that everyone liked, and no one could say a negative thing about.  He graduated and went on to Salisbury University in Maryland to play football.  When he came home over winter break, he felt some weird aches and pains but being a healthy college athlete, didn't think much of it.  A trip to the doctors however brought the most devastating news--AJ had Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a rare blood cancer, and was immediately sent to the UVA medical center.  (You can read his full story here)  After a brave and heroic 14 month long fight, AJ's battle with cancer ended on February 27th at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

AJ's spirit lives on in the legacy he leaves behind.  Today, his family is asking you to honor AJ by performing a selfless act, a random act of kindness, and sharing a picture of yourself holding up a piece of paper that says "I honored AJ Slye by...." and tag 3 others in the post using the hashtags #slyestrong6 #SelflessSelfie @slystrong6foundation @slyestrong6.  No act is too small!  If this cause wasn't so important to my heart I would never ask, but will you join me in honoring AJ today?

Linking up here