I've been known to be a little TOO chill. In some cases it's great, because hey, flexibility is awesome. However, there are situations where my calm really looks like I just don't care. It's interesting though, how if you care too much you're dramatic and if you don't, you're not being realistic. This week I'd like to break down stressful seasons of life and just talk out loud about what things have really encouraged me...

If y'all haven't seen my social media lately, you might not know I'm pregnant. Yay! That being said, you could guess I'm stressed out about 100 different things. Although, that totally hasn't been the case until this week. I had a couple to-do lists and calendar reminders, but honestly, I felt kind of fearless about the whole thing.

This past year I've been working hard at letting things be what they are and just focusing on my main priorities. So, things have felt pretty smooth and achievable. That is until this week.

My dad owns a detasseling business and so every July has basically been a blur of corn. (For those who don't know, detasseling is pulling the top off of a corn stalk, so the male can pollinate the female.) This is his 41st year detasseling and this year feels crazier than ever. We have more fields to cover and my parents recently moved to Lincoln, making it a little more difficult to manage crews in our hometown.

While working on employee paper work for that, I've also been doing social media marketing for my friend's business. Then, in my free time, I've tried writing extra blog posts so I won't get super behind when the baby comes. Up to this point, things have felt pretty manageable.

As you can imagine, difficult things like to come all at once. I started a new class Monday and man, this syllabus was STACKED. I'm not sure five hours a week would've gotten all that homework done. Next, I called the apartment place I've grown to like a lot, to find out the only units available are $100 more than we originally thought. Plus, I'm trying to create a blogging course and there just doesn't seem to be any time for that.

LOL, these things are so tiny. Although, when you string about ten of them together, you feel like everything is falling apart. Today, I'm just so thankful for my devo time. I can write out every feeling or complaint and shove it aside. Yesterday my bible plan reminded me of a really great verse.

Philippians 4:6
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

Guys, I'm not sure how many times I've heard that verse or how many pillows it's on, but it hit home. It inspired me to ugly write for the rest of the morning and seriously leave those problems on paper. I scribbled down a prayer for every anxious thought and an idea for how to move forward.

On Sunday, I watched an Elevation sermon and the pastor talked a lot about how God + the devil use disappointments to rock our boat. He said it's what we do with these disappointments, that define us.

I really like that because I will forget the simplest things. It's hard to split up each problem and give it a moment. To present them to God one by one and say, "How can we fix these?" 

I've learned that inserting words like "slowly" and "gradually" into my prayers, have really given me a chance to breathe. It's weird how forgetting to simplify, can make us feel embarrassed. I can't tell you how many times I've thought, "Seriously, how did you lose your chill?" 

Recently, I noticed I should switch my thinking. These pivotal moments should be seen as GOOD, not bad. They show how I learned something once and need to follow the steps to do it again. When this happens, I need to address this to myself softly. "You're doing great, but is there a different way to break up the busy?" 

It's hard to think that in these chaotic seasons, there is still chill inside of me. It doesn't leave, but I need to be more intentional about reaching for it. There's nothing embarrassing about teaching yourself something again. In fact, it's pretty courageous.
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If you guys liked this type of post, let me know! It's difficult to know what kind of content can be helpful or relatable. To hear more updates and get the latest on my travel schedule, sign up for my email list! I talk about what bible plans are kicking my butt and travel secrets you won't want to miss :) 
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-Our View of God: Thoughts by E
-A Lesson on Faith and Money: What I Learned in August

Hi y'all! I missed ya so much. And writing. I had to take a month off this thing because our baby came early! Five weeks early and so, we had to spend quite some time in the NICU. Although, after 22 days our baby is home and I am dying to blog again! This week I wanna tell you about a prime place to chow down and spend a pretty fall afternoon.

This May marked one year of living in Lincoln. As the days roll by, I start to ache for my fav Omaha food spots. For those of you who are new here, I live in Nebraska! Every now and again, I like to feature my go-to restaurants and hangouts. This week I'm throwin the spotlight on lunch stops. Let's jump into what I love about Paradise Bakery...

This cute lil cafe is located in Central Omaha, right up against Regency, which is a high end shopping center. I believe they have a Village Pointe location as well! If you're thinking woah, this isn't my kind of place, think again.

Paradise has such an affordable menu. Its selection is very similar to Panera, but slightly cheaper. They have soups, salads, paninis, and a huge variety of bakery items. If you like black coffee, this place is for you! It ranges around two dollars and you can ask for a mug for easy refills! They have other specialty coffee drinks as well.

ALRIGHT, let's talk about my favorite wrap in the world. Man, I seriously wish I could eat this thing right now. I've tried to recreate it and it just doesn't taste the same. It's called the Thai Chicken Wrap or something similar to that.

I say something similar, because it's not on the menu lol! However, for the past two years, they've had a plastic sign up for this specialty item. The day they take it down, will be the day I ask what's in their Thai sauce!!! If I want a fresh and healthy lunch, this is my place. Plus, it comes with a cookie, so like duh?

My mom has ordered their caesar salad and broccoli cheddar, both were great! I think it'd be fun to dip in here around winter time and try all their soups. YUM. Here's a couple extra fun facts about the place:

• It can get majorly busy around lunch time, GO EARLY. Better yet, try their breakfast!
• They serve breakfast Mon-Fri til 10am and 11am Sat/Sun
• Paradise can cater up to 5,000 people! Find their catering menu here.
• Still not convinced? Here's their full menu.
• They also have locations in Utah and Texas!

That's a wrap! ;) I hope the next time you're in Omaha, you hit up Paradise! There's no need to drive thru Mcdonalds, when you got a fantastic cafe option like this. If you want to know more about my Nebraska favorites...sign up for my email list below! For every blog post, I send out an email that is basically an UPGRADE of my post. It usually has extra tips, food joints, travel updates, and budget strategies.