disappointment

You get what you get

While dropping the “boys” (a.k.a. teenagers!) off for summer camp, our usually family photo ops didn’t turn out quite the way I would have liked. Everyone was hot and sweaty. One of the boys, who shall remain nameless (hint: it’s not the one pictured), was not very happy with Mama. Of course, I really wanted to get some good family pics, but I could tell it just wasn’t gonna happen. So rather than trying to force it and make everyone pose with fake smiles and side rib jabs behind the camera, I just took a few “candid” shots. Like this one, I took on the covered wagon, on the way to their cabins.

Lovely, right?

While we were making beds and getting them settled in, they were cranky and really didn’t want my help. At first, I persisted and just kept trying to hang and organize all the things the way I …

I took all of last week off from blogging for the first time in five years. After nearly six years of building HeartStories, I made the decision to do everything (within reason) that I could, to take a week off of work to be present with with my family, both for them, and for myself. I had big plans for how I was going to invest that time. I even wrote my last blog before Christmas about how this moment will never come again– and it’s up to you to choose peace over the holidays. To choose to be in it. I thought I wrote that blog as an encouragement for you to be more present with the ones you love during the last week of the year

It turns out (per usual) I wrote that blog for both of us.

I also needed it as a reference point, a starting place, for …

by Crystal Gornto Girl's Night Out Inspirational Women Love In Action Love in Friendship Loving Others Motherhood Our Story Priorities Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat

We went on a 4th grade field trip yesterday, which was a little hard to do the first day back from Spring Break. Especially when your to-do list is longer than a first grader’s Christmas list.

But it turned out to be such a gift.

Just as soon as I got settled into my seat on the bus, there was a realization that the available seats had been miscounted and a few mamas would need to drive separately to make room for all the kiddos. *hand immediately raised* I kissed my little punkin’, whisked up my things, and floated right back down those bus stairs.

Once at the bottom, we assembled a group of mamas.

Karin, who drives a nice large SUV volunteered to host us in her car, so we all piled in. One of the mamas was new to our school this year and the rest of us don’t see …

by Crystal Gornto Love in Friendship Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat

In Texas when the weather gets below freezing, it makes the news. No, let’s be clear, it headlines the news. Add to that, any slight chance of precipitation, and the kids are dressed in snow gear 24/7, waiting by the window with sleds in hand. We’re immediately on alert for school closings due to “slick spots” on the roads and we’re posting everything that resembles the fluffy white magic on our social media feeds. So naturally, when I woke this morning to news alerts of “lingering flurries”, I was expecting to peek out the window to encounter a winter wonderland like the scene above.

My view of our cold, dry street and brown grass was a bit of a let-down.

Obviously that’s a stretch, but it’s not too far off in our world so driven by breaking news and social media. If it’s not the urgent, right now news, it’s perfectly filtered …

by Crystal Gornto Inspirational Words Love In Action Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat

My husband is an artist in all his spare time. (ha!) He paints at home, so the boys get a chance to see his process and enjoy his creations. I’ve also done my fair share of painting over the last five years as part of my creative process. Naturally, the boys are curious about art and love to pick up the brush themselves. All of this results in our home being full of vibrant little canvases, painted with heart and passion.

The night that Noah found the frog, Oaks was home creating this with Scott. I love this image because of the way the lamp lit up his blonde hair, but also the clear intention he has in squeezing out just the right amount of paint. He was thinking. I can see it. He had a plan.

That canvas is a lot like your life.

You start with an idea of what you …

by Crystal Gornto Inspiration Inspirational Words Love In Action Loving Yourself Motherhood Purpose Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat

Back in 2013, we had hermit crabs. They were a very well thought out decision made when my husband had the kids at the mall one day. Not. They were a momentary lapse in judgement in a vain attempt to comfort the boys from the loss of one of our dogs who passed earlier that year. My very loving, kind and generous response to these crabs was to put my foot down and say, If we have to keep them, I’m not feeding them. I don’t do crabs.

We kept them.

And I kept my promise. We had those little guys for years and I had to listen to them scratching in that glass box in the kitchen. Those crabs were my nemesis. And I never fed them.

Until one day.

If I remember correctly, it had been about two weeks since anyone had fed them, because we were out of crab food. …

by Crystal Gornto Love In Action Leave a comment chat

You get what you get

A New Year’s invitation to a new becoming

Beauty is there

Lingering flurries

A breathtaking work of art

The gift of the unexpected