I love our planet. Right now, I’m sitting outside on our porch taking in the fresh air, the warm sunshine, and soothed by the sound of the leaves of the trees brushing against each other as the wind blows. I’m happiest when I’m taking in the beauty of the world and always in awe at this world that God has created.



At the beginning of the year I made a resolution to do my part in trying to save the earth. Many years ago, I once was that person who thought recycling wouldn’t make a difference and didn’t care at all about my carbon footprint. Luckily, I’ve had the influence of earth lovers (like my husband!) to teach me that every little action does indeed count. Now I gasp when I see a plastic bottle or piece of paper get thrown in the trash. At the beginning of this year, I made a resolution to do my part in trying to save the earth and stop drinking bottled water and start using metal straws instead of plastic ones. I carry my metal straw around with me in a little ziplock bag and I’m actually very proud of it.



Ditching bottled water meant we had to find a way to get good filtered water and that’s where #BetterWithBrita comes in. We love our Brita filter, we use it on the daily! By ditching bottled water with Brita we’re replacing up 1,800 single use bottles a year. Brita’s longlast filter also reduces 99% of Lead plus Mercury, Chlorine, Benzene, and more. I love that Brita helps us in playing in part in reducing waste and living a lifestyle that caters to sustaining our planet.

Live #BetterWithBrita with me! I’m ditching bottled water thanks to help of Brita and I know you can too! What do you do to help save our planet?


Learn more about Brita Longlast and find out how to get your very own Brita Pitcher + Longlast Filter at Target here.

• -          Work out 6 days a week (and take workouts outside)
• -          Clean out closet and sell / donate clothes
• -          Spend intentional time in the word and devotionals
• -          Celebrate our 2^nd Year Anniversary in a way that is “us”
• -          Finish reading two books
• -          Go to Farmer’s Market
• -          Grill out and spend a few days by the pool
• -          Make sangria
• -          Throw a dinner party al fresco
• -          Go on a picnic
• -          Take it slow and try to just take in the good things in life

• ·        For the next 7-10 days, your homework is the following: prepare your heart, organize your closet, and make any necessary purchases that you might need during these months. (This is not a last minute shopping spree! This is one final trip to the store for items you will need).
• ·         Choose 1-3 inspiring books to read during this time.
• ·         Gifts are okay! If someone gives you a new dress or piece of décor during this time, receive it graciously! If you need to buy someone else a gift, by all means, do so. The point is not to be rude, but to learn more of ourselves and the Lord.
• ·         Necessities are okay! If you break your phone, go get a new one. If you lose your glasses, buy a new pair. Just don’t start justifying purchases for items you already have.
• ·         Food: please buy food for yourself and your family. For Joe and I, eating out has been an area where we feel called to reel back. We will be maintaining our date nights (because this one helps our marriage tremendously) but will have a strict budget so that we will have to use our creativity to pursue date nights in ways that don’t just involve eating out.
• ·         You must actively pursue something – anything – that replaces your tendency to buy stuff. Begin thinking about doing something you love or a hobby you’ve always wanted to do and make preparations to actually do it.
• ·         We didn’t want to completely isolate ourselves from our social circles (which often times happen in settings where money is to be spent!) so we have allotted a budget so that we can celebrate our friend’s on their birthdays, purchase gifts for them, etc. Basically, if it is blessing others and not ourselves we don’t see it as an issue but it will have to be done within the budget. We are also going to take strides to meet our social circles in settings where we don’t have to spend money (ie, cook dinner and have them over for the night, etc.)
• ·         Our anniversary falls within the 3 months we will be doing the Contentment Challenge. We will still be celebrating it but I just won’t be able to do the things I usually would (aka buy new outfits for the entire weekend, etc. and we will probably not be doing gifts because we are pursuing no further material items during this time. However, we are not going to limit experiences.