Post-it worthy moments...

I'd love to hear some of YOUR post-it worthy moments of this week!?!

So long insecurities....

Confession:  I have been avoiding you.  I know… horrible right?  Let me explain…. I have been putting off a very important issue that my heart has really been dealing with lately…. I knew my next post HAD to be a ‘Real Ray’ moment… and 15 days later… (I’m a little stubborn…) here I am.  Transparent.

I struggle with insecurity.  There it is… I said it. 

What do I mean by ‘insecurity’?  Beth Moore expresses it so well in her book, So Long Insecurities…

“Insecurity refers to a profound sense of self-doubt—a deep feeling of uncertainty about our basic worth and our place in the world.  Insecurity is associated with chronic self-consciousness, along with a chronic lake of confidence in ourselves and anxiety about our relationships.  The insecure man or woman lives in constant fear of rejection and a deep uncertainty about whether his or her own feelings and desires are legitimate.”

Beth goes on to suggest that not ALL of this definition has to be true to you in order to be insecure… so if there is even one ounce of truth that touches your core… whether you want to admit it or not… you MUST set your insecurities aside (or place a paper bag over your head) and GO GET THIS BOOK.  This book has seriously challenged me to the core…. I have been putting this post off partly because by putting this ‘out there’ I am promising to attempt to change… which is kind of scary- worth it… but scary.

“ Most of us have what I’ll call a prominent false positive: one thing that we think would make us more secure in all things.”

When I read this… a few ‘false positives’ immediately came to mind…

1.     Ideal weight

2.     Perfect clothes

3.     Perfect hair

4.     Ideal beauty

I absolutely love my Thursday night group of (6-8) girls because we are all VERY different and yet we have developed such a strong bond with one another.  Some of us have the same false positives… some of us don’t… but regardless I am more challenged after the night is over than I would be just reading the book by myself. This is why I think it is SO important to live life with one another… to experience these new revelations – big or small- with one another… to challenge each other… to be kept accountable by one another.  I know that if I miss a Thursday night… that I am missed… I know that someone will be checking up with me… whether it’s to be sure everything is ok… or to be sure I wasn’t ‘skipping out’ to avoid some un-wanted accountability…. I’ve been guilty of that.  BUT.. I’m so blessed to have a group like this… there is real transparency within this group… which is so beautiful. 

Chapter 9 REALLY impacted me- to my core.  This chapter prepares you for a time of silence and solitude with the Lord.  I usually don’t tend to like it when authors ask their reader to ‘do’ things during the book… but I decided to ACTUALLY participate and it truly blessed me.  Beth provides a prayer that in fact touched me.  Over and over I kept thinking, ‘Lord..  You had her share this prayer JUST for me… didn’t You?’ 

Well… I could go on and on about all the amazing things from this book…. BUT I’d rather just give you a taste and entice you to grab a copy at your local Borders and read it yourselves.  If you do… I would LOVE to hear your thoughts as you go through the book.  If you’ve already read the book… I’d love to hear about the parts that touched you the most!

Have a wonderful week, lovelies!

Open the Gates...

Thinking of taking a trip to Kansas City?!  Want to try the best barbeque from the HOME of BBQ?! Well... let me share with you the top 3 barbeque joints in KC!

Top 3... in order:

1. Jack Stack BBQ

2. Gates BBQ

3. Oklahoma Joe's BBQ

Now... if you mention this order to Scott... he'd tell you I have it all wrong... his favorite is Gates!  Well tonight he was feeling the itching for some true KC BBQ... so we hopped in the car and went down to Gates!  It's a win-win for me... b/c it is right by one of my favorite features of Kansas City... THE PLAZA!

Don't worry... this isn't going to be a boring picture-less post... I had to bring Mr. Sony so that I could take you on our adventure! :)

So...In true "Show Me" fashion...

Tonight... we visit #2 Gates Barbeque!

A couple of things you should know beforehand:

1. the quote on this tray "Hi, may I help you?" That IS what they are yelling at you ... really it is.

2. They are not rude... they are just playing the part... Gates is KNOWN for this atmosphere... and knowing that before you visit makes the experience much better!

#3. You think you have the entire line to figure out what you want... not so much... they will continue to take orders way before you get to the counter... so be ready! - Don't be scared... really.

#4. TOTALLY. WORTH. IT.

Wow.... I know... I'll wait as you get a towel for the drool...

K.. glad you're back :)

THIS is my favorite thing at Gates. Single Turkey... and an order of fries.  Now.. this picture is actually of Scott's plate which is a Regular Turkey- which is WAY bigger than what I can handle... and we have to share the fries... look at that plate full! YUM!  

They have AMAZING smoked turkey... words can't describe...

Scott is totally and completely in love with their fries... he would describe them as "the perfectly crunch outside, with the smoothest soft inside"

Scott's first bite... look at that face... pure glee.  (k... it may not really look like 'pure glee'... but trust me.. it's there) 

#5. You'll need to be sure and have several of these...

Empty plate... on to the fries dipped in his favorite barbeque sauce.

Scott's tummy is full... MISSION. ACCOMPLISHED. 

What is YOUR favorite BBQ?