Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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7 Things I Learned in July

July 30, 2014 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Let’s not discuss how the year is more than half way over. How about instead of slowing down for a moment and reflecting on July? That’s what I’m going to do, although after cranking out multiple blog posts yesterday and working on my ebook edits, I’m feeling short on words today.

So, without further ado, here’s what I learned in July …

1. Shaun Groves is making a Christmas album. I love Christmas music and I love Shaun’s sound and ministry. Win-win! Yes, I know, Christmas is months away, but, hey, you can be part of the Kickstarter campaign to fund the album and get some fun rewards in the process. Again, win-win.

2. After years of reading Berenstain Bears, I realized how silly it is Brother and Sister don’t have actual names when I was listening to Greg read the story aloud to the kids. Their parents don’t either. Then there was an enlightening Facebook conversation about such. And, still more information here. We have a huge stack of these books and they still remain among Cate’s favorites.

3. My kids are at great ages for amusement parks. They can actually ride “real” rides! This is only the beginning! {I blogged about our day at Six Flags and offered some tips to tackling amusement parks with kids.}

4. Planes 2 is one of the rare sequels, especially among kid movies, that is better than the original. At least I thought so. The message of thriving in community was loud and welcomed. Plus, I really loved taking my 4-year-old boy on a date to see it one Sunday afternoon.

5. I’m now a regular contributor at God-sized Dreams and Circles of Faith. I actually didn’t learn this in July, but you all did! My first post at Circles of Faith was on waiting. God made both of these opportunities possible through other writer friends I’ve connected with online.

6. July really can be pleasant weather-wise. We’ve had several stretches of cooler-than-usual temperatures. While it’s been lovely, I do need a few more afternoons at the pool with my kids before summers ends in two weeks.

7. Death and life go hand-in-hand. The larger Taylor family attended both a funeral and a wedding this month, within 2 1/2 weeks of each other. Although the events were obviously very different, some of the same perspective about legacy and intentional living was on my mind throughout both.

How was your July? Tell me about it. 

________

These monthly posts are linked with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky. Here are previous month’s recaps from 2013: June. July. August. September. October. November. And from 2014: January. February. March. April. May. June.

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Filed Under: books, movies, music, summer, Things I Learned, writing

Comments

  1. Linda@Creekside says

    July 30, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    mmm … decades later, who would have thought that those bear kids didn't have a name …
    sigh.

    Reply
  2. KristinHillTaylor says

    July 30, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Exactly! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Linda!

    Reply
  3. Ashley Wells says

    July 30, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    Oh my word! Shaun Groves. Christmas Album. THAT is an amazing discovery!!!

    Reply
  4. KristinHillTaylor says

    July 30, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    Indeed! I'm excited!

    Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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“Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, “Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, is how I feel I contribute to the world. Reminding people of what’s important. Letting them escape the harsh parts of life, even if it’s just for a few hours. Helping them feel happiness through watching happily-ever-afters unfold. Remembering truths. Recalling their self-worth. Loving others. Living well. Learning. I want to do that.” 

And, let’s be honest, love stories about writers make me happy too. “Meet Me in the Margins” was cute, predictable, and a good way to escape for a little while. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #authorlife #librarybooks #poolpeople #weekending
This is the only picture I took tonight. You can’t tell, but there was a porch full of people talking, more kids playing basketball, and another group around the kitchen table. We covered a lot of ground in our conversations. Nobody cared that I didn’t have hot dog buns or tomatoes for the burgers. I ran out of paper plates and am happy to hear the dishwasher cleaning all the “real” plates. I’m grateful for come-as-you-are community, where we share real life. 

#88daysofsummer #PorchStories #livingfaithfully #morethangroceries #choosingJOY #bettertogether #reallife #hospitalitymatters #poolpeople
While Ben had a great week at @memgrizzyouth camp While Ben had a great week at @memgrizzyouth camp with some school friends, the girls and I soaked up some more of summer with our friends. 

#88daysofsummer #boymom #bettertogether #girlmom #momlife #reallife #choosingJOY
I’m getting ready to get in my van again to pick I’m getting ready to get in my van again to pick up a kid from basketball camp. It’s the third time today I will have driven from my house to somewhere else and back again. And this is still Summer Break, when things are supposedly a little slower. 

My friend @marycarver gets me. She knows us moms spend a million hours a week taxiing people to school and sports and church and friends’ houses and errands and appointments. And maybe we linger longer before coming in the house with arms full of groceries and bags and papers and books … because we just need a minute. Or maybe we answer some texts before we pull away from the store and catch up on phone calls while we drive or show up early to pickup to read a book that has captured our attention. 

We spend a lot of time and accomplish much in our cars. Mary knows this and is giving us the encouragement we need in her new book, “Prayers from the Parking Lot.” It’s a perfect size to keep in your car or purse. Each of the 50 reflections are practical and inspiring and meet moms on the go right where we are. 

Preorder this gem now so you have it the next time you have a few extra minutes in a parking lot, school pickup line, or waiting room. It officially releases next week and is available from @revellbooks on Amazon and wherever else you buy books. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #momlife #reallife #livingfaithfully
20 years married. 💛 I’ve learned a million t 20 years married. 💛

I’ve learned a million things in these adult years, but I keep thinking about this one this today: Celebrate the good things. 

This world is so noisy, decisions and situations clutter our brains, and there’s so much heartache. But there’s also goodness. And our married life falls into that category and is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been sanctifying and life-giving. 

(And it deserves a second post today.)

We celebrated today with a lunch date, some love notes, the two bouquets he surprised me with a day early, some chocolates I left in the car too long but rescued and restored them from their melted state, and dinner out as a family. I’ll take it. I will take every ounce of goodness on an ordinary day that marks what feels like a big-deal accomplishment. 

#marriage #TeamTaylor #anniversary #bettertogether #reallife #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #wifelife #momlife
In the past year, I learned Greg doesn’t like pa In the past year, I learned Greg doesn’t like packaged taco seasoning and bought my engagement ring on sale at a pawn shop. This after I’ve been wearing the ring for two decades and made taco meat more times than I could even begin to count.

With that, happy 20th anniversary, husband. I’m glad we can still learn things about each other after knowing each other for more than 24 years and being married for two decades. 

Being in our 40s celebrating 20 years of marriage together seems like such a grown-up accomplishment. But it also seems like exactly where we are supposed to be. Let’s keep adventuring and learning together. Let’s go celebrate, maybe with tacos! 

https://kristinhilltaylor.com/2022/08/20-years.html

#linkinbio #bloggerlife #marriage #TeamTaylor #reallife #wifelife #anniversary
I need to work, but I want to read. 📚 #KHTread I need to work, but I want to read. 📚

#KHTreads #booklover #readerproblems #bookproblems #bookstagram #librarybooks #reallife
I read my 6-year-old daughter "The Prodigal Son" s I read my 6-year-old daughter "The Prodigal Son" story from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" before bed recently, and God reminded me of some things. 

“Jesus told people this story to show them what God is like. And to show people what they are like. So they could know, however far they ran, however well they hid, however lost they were – it wouldn’t matter,” author Sally Lloyd-Jones writes. “Because God’s children could never run too far, or be too lost, for God to find them.”

I was teary when I finished. While this Bible story was retold for children, the words brought to mind when I decided to follow Christ on Jan. 20, 1996, after hearing someone speak about The Prodigal Son during a Chrysalis weekend. 

I nailed some sins to a wooden cross in the sanctuary, representing surrender. I remember thinking of the beauty of the father welcoming his lost son home, understanding how the younger son thought he could hold together his own life, and relating to the older son who stayed and did what he was supposed to and found himself not quite willing to celebrate his brother’s homecoming. 

I told Rachel an abbreviated version of that story of being a 16-year-old girl hearing that story and making a decision that truly changed my life. 

Here more than 26 years later, I’m thankful God welcomes me home over and over again. I’ve surrendered and squandered and sulked, and God keeps opening his arms, which led me to salvation initially and continually prompts surrender. 

Read GOD ALWAYS FINDS THEM #ontheblog at kristinhilltaylor.com. #linkinbio #bloggerlife #livingfaithfully #thirdchild #momlife #faithlife #choosingJOY #bedtimeshenanigans
We had a great visit with these cousins. In a summ We had a great visit with these cousins. In a summer that’s been full of interruptions and bumps, the kids and I were happy to share Venture River — one of our happy places this year — with my sister, her kids, my mom, and my nephew @jaxsonhll. They also swam immediately after breakfast this morning before the cousins headed home. Here’s to soaking in some more summer and looking forward to the next time we’ll be together! ☀️

#88daysofsummer #choosingJOY #cousins #siblinglove #summerisbest #reallife #latergram
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