The Circle link-up // coffee date



Happy Saturday, friends! I am excited for today! First off, I had a wonderful Skype w/tea chat session with one of my favorite bloggers, Natalie Grimm from Heart Stirrings, followed by a long jog (well, "long" for me at least), and now am finally getting around to joining the fab ladies of The Circle (hosted by two of my faves: Kiki and Amy) for this month's link-up which is a blog coffee date. The task: grab a cup o' joe at your favorite coffee shop and answer the posted questions to help other bloggers from The Circle community get to know you better. I loved the idea and look forward to checking out some of the other gals' coffee date posts to dive a bit deeper into their lives over a cup of something yummy. 

Grab a mug, tea cup, or glass of something delish and let's chat!

1. Where are you seated (near the counter, near the window, near the door, against the wall)? 
Well I have a confession to make before we start; I didn't bring you to my favorite  coffee shop. Nope. And really, that mug in front of you? It's not coffee (oops!). Call me a rebel (especially since I've lived in the two coffee capitals of USA), but I prefer a cup of tea to calm me down and help me open up with a friend rather than coffee (it gets my hyped up and anxious; nobody's got time for dat!). And after spending a majority of my master's program borrowing wi-fi from various coffee shops in Seattle a few years ago, I have taken a long pause from them altogether. Honestly, I don't miss the noise (I could never focus on what a friend was saying anyway because I get distracted easily by all the people around us) or the smell (it lingers on my clothes all day). So instead, my favorite place to bring a friend to catch-up is the comfort of my very own dining nook in my apartment. Ever since I moved in 1.5 years ago, I hoped that this apartment would be a safe place where friends can open up, be encouraged, and leave more joyful than when they arrived. It is my hope that in 2014 I strive harder to make this a reality by inviting more friends over. So, to start the year off right, here YOU are, friend! :)

2. What are you sipping/munching on? 
I am sipping on Paris tea by Harney & Sons, which I paired up with my favorite French mug.

3. What do you want to get off your chest first (can be as deep as you want)?
I am excited for a new year. I have never taken this kind of introspective approach to setting goals like I have in the past weeks through Lara Casey's goal-setting series [see the posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], but it has truly planted a joyful expectation for 2014. I do not know what this year has in store for me or the ones around me, but I am determined to delight in it regardless of what may come or how different it may look compared to how I would like it to look. 

4. If you could choose anyone (besides us of course) who would you have a coffee with?  
Elisabeth Elliot. I absolutely love the way she teaches women Biblical truths and applies them to various areas such as femininity, careers, purity, marriage, rearing and education children, mission work, and grieving lost ones. She has spent her whole adult life serving others whether in Ecuador (where she worked with the very tribe that killed her husband, Jim Elliot), writing over twenty books, speaking at conferences and schools internationally, and being a mom and grandma. Whenever I read her books or hear her speak through podcasts, I am encouraged by her life and legacy. She defines Christian femininity by example.
[My favorite books Elisabeth Elliot: Keep a Quiet Heart; Let Me Be A Woman; These Strange Ashes; Passion & Purity; Discipline: The Glad Surrender; Be Still My Soul; The Path of Loneliness; A Chance to Die: The Life & Legacy of Amy Carmichael And check here for some of her teachings and here for some of her quote on pinterest]

5. What is inspiring you lately?
Other bloggers sharing their prayerfully planned-out goals, stories of women who make a mark on their community for Jesus' glory and to the good of those around them, French cottage furnishings, running longer than I have been able to for several months, bloggers who post heart-stirring and thought-provoking posts, beautiful photography [especially of beautiful nature or historic architecture]

6. What are your plans after coffee?
Put away laundry, transfer my journaled goals onto the Lara Casey powersheets that recently arrived (they're so pretty and get me pumped for goal-setting in an unashamingly dorky way), and then heading to one my my brothers' basketball games and taking him out to dinner afterwards for some brother-sister time together!

Alright, it's your turn! How would you answer these questions? Consider joining The Circle this month for a coffee date! 

Comments

  1. We love Harney and Sons tea! Plus, it's the one they serve at our local coffee shop.

    I love that you chose to have this date in your home!

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    1. I love it too! Have you tried the Paris tea? It is amazing! I love to add a splash of almond milk and honey!

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  2. Love this! The tea looks delicious. I'm a HUGE lover of coffee, but tea is always so soothing and relaxing. I love learning more about you! Have a restful Sunday!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Jenna! I wish I could be more into coffee, but it just doesn't sit well with me. I end up having a rapid heart rate and abdominal pain. It just revs me up too much, I guess. Tea, on the other hand (especially decaf) are relaxing. It makes me an oddball since my city is so coffee-crazy.... oh well!

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  3. I love that you chose the coffee date to be in your apartment! I love your beautiful space and would love to have a coffee date there. I'm not a coffee drinker and while I do love the odd surroundings of a coffee shop, I also appreciate a more private area to really open up and share my heart. :)

    Also, I completely agree with you on bloggers being inspiring. I am constantly inspired by girls like you!

    Thanks for the coffee date, friend!

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    1. Aw, thanks friend! I LOVED this idea! You and Amy ROCK for getting this together this month. I totally agree with you: I love visiting new coffee shops when I am just relaxing alone. But when I am with a person I want to get into a deep conversation with, I am constantly distracted and feel like people are listening over my shoulder, so I don't feel as safe to empty my heart out.

      p.s. we should set up a skype tea date soon, please!

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  4. I'm in the early steps of Lara Casey's Goal setting series! Your apartment is super cute

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    1. That's wonderful, Pristine!! I hope it is going well for you! It seems like a lot of hard, tedious reflective work, but it really does help to develop goals that stick longer than a few weeks.

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! I found it at World Market during their French week last summer for (on July 15th for Bastille Day)

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  6. and I Elizabeth Elliot would be such an inspiring and encouraging "tea date"

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  7. is it bad that the first thing i noticed was the chair and loveseat?! is that the "cute as a button" collection from world market?!?!
    I LOVE IT!
    + i LOVE harney and sons teas! i have yet to try paris though - hmmmm sound delicious.
    + Elisabeth Elliot - girl SOLID choice...seriously...so incredibly good!
    & i love all of your inspiration!
    thanks for linking up!!
    +

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  8. So great to know you're looking out for more ladies with prayerfully planned out goals! I'm totally trying to do the same thing seeing as I am a more goal orientated person who need to plan, plan, plan. This year I'm trying out a printable planner that I designed to fit my lifestyle. I'll let you know how that works out!
    Looking forward to seeing your discoveries!

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Elle Alice