Kate Merrick's Blog, page 2

Come Say Hi!

So, let me be frank. I chose this picture and tell this story for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a great excuse to use a picture of myself with professional makeup and photography. No, no shame at all. Second, it’s a hilarious example of how moms choose photos they look great in, even though the kids look like they just got sucked up in the vacuum cleaner and spit out again. And lastly, it’s a fun example of how usually, life looks fancier than it is (Instagram, I’m talking to you), but sometimes life is fancier than it looks. Let me explain.

Typically, a Wednesday morning looks like sweats, dishes, reading stacks of picture books. It looks like dust bunnies, loose chickens, maybe an overflowing toilet. It might look like a morning spent baking or laundry piled up or maybe any of these things forsaken for a beach day, but this morning it looked like dancing to inappropriately loud pop music in my bedroom while packing my suitcase. Fifi came in to join me, drawn by the beat, and in true precocious 5-year-old fashion, demanded that I shan’t dance and that she shall be the only one to do the dancing.

“Mommy, don’t dance!” she shouts over the thumping bass.

“I have to!” I shout back, shimmying over to the full length mirror to get a proper view of my sweet moves while clad in saggy sweat pants and tee shirt I just wore overnight and then worked out in.

“No, Mommy, don’t!”

“But I have to dance, I’m going to New York!” I shouted my final reply. Yes, I was packing my pink suitcase with a dirty bun and saggy sweats, proving that life is sometimes fancier than it looks! I’m leaving the preciously patina’d (did I just make that up?) yet sometimes grubby reality of daily life to be swept off to the glamour of NYC for a night and day of super-fancy author duties such as, but not limited to, signing books at the Book Expo of America!

That’s right, you heard me. All day I’m getting ready and I have absolutely no chill. I am a huge book nerd and am so proud and grateful to be invited to this event. When I received the invitation, I responded back in all caps and have been planning my outfits for weeks—which is why I have to dance away all my excitement so I don’t knock anyone over at the Expo and festivities. Pray for me.

So, please! Come say hi to me and the peeps at Harper Collins at the Book Expo of America. It’s booth #2046. If any of you reading this are going to be that way, I’ll be signing books in the booth on Friday from 1:45-2:45, and I’d love to meet you!

Also, I’ll be flying straight to Seattle to teach at the Daughters Conference on Saturday, so if you’re on that side of the country you can register here.

The moral of the story is, sometimes life is a bit… lifey. You know, work, school, dishes, repeat. Those days are important, the building blocks of doing great things. And sometimes, well, you get to go do something that once was only a dream, and you just have to dance in your bedroom about it.

If you have something to dance about, do it! Whatever it is! Let’s not let Fifi be the boss of who dances and who doesn’t, because while a trip to NYC is a magical unicorn in my otherwise plain but beautiful life, there’s almost always something to dance about. Shall we?

love,

kate

I Have Discovered the Secret

I have discovered the secret. No, not to contentment like Paul the Apostle (although we’ll talk about that toward the end of the post). I have discovered the secret of why Dolly the goat keeps escaping her pen. All week long, Dolly repeatedly meanders up to the house wanting to party. She taps on the French doors with her dainty hoof, pretending like she didn’t just spray poop pellets all over the patio. It’s been an unsolvable and unfortunately messy mystery.

When I scooped her up to bring her back to the barn, I decided to investigate the situation. I took inventory: Flower the goat, check. Daphne and Jane the donkeys, check. Hmmm… Something’s fishy and I can’t put my finger (which now smells like goats) on it., so I head back in to finish my work. The mystery grows day by day, as some days she stays in with all the “girls” and others she goes out on a solo mission (apparently to soil my patio, since poop flies out of her like BB’s from Ralphie’s Red Ryder).

 

Until the day I caught her.

 

Doing yoga.

 

The donkey, that is. Before my very eyes, Dolly leaps onto Jane’s back (goat yoga at its most feral), goes for a ride while she walks over near the fence, then takes a flying leap to freedom. The audacity! Your secret is out, Dolly, I caught you in the ACT!

So, yes, I have discovered the secret of the animals in jailbreak cahoots. But seriously, I have discovered a little bit of the secret of contentment and it starts with laying down one thing to pick up something better. As you all probably know, I’ve been writing about presence and contentment. I believe one thing leads to the other, and it starts with ditching distraction.

 

When Daisy was sick, I had the opportunity to go off the grid for 3 months in Israel. No iPhones the entire time. And while I’ve worked to keep distraction in its place ever since we came home all those years ago, it creeps up on me and crowds out peace. I’m finding myself in a place where I need to detox a bit, and I’m hoping you’ll join me this Holy Week. I’ve been working with Faith Gateway to create the Here, Now Digital Detox. Basically, it’s 7 days of putting your digital life into submission—whatever is stealing your joy, whether it’s social media, entertainment, online shopping, games, really anything that might have gotten excessive and is ripping you off from your actual beautiful life.

 

If you want to take the plunge, click here (it’s totally free) and you’ll get an email sent from Faith Gateway but written by me every day for 7 days so that we can do this together! (And yes, I realize the irony, but not many of us can go off email for a week. People gotta work!) You decide what you want to unplug from, turn your focus and attention to Jesus, your people, creation, community, the beauty of Holy Week—pretty much all the lovely things God gives us that we squander when we are overly attached to our tech—and each day will have a specific focus and prayer to make the most of your time.

Listen, I’m not the presence guru, I don’t have all the answers. But I do know a great place to start. I want to do this, and I want us to do it together. You’re my people and I’m grateful to give you something solid to stand on to begin your practice of presence. I’m so excited for you!

 

Are you in?

 

Love,

kate

 

P.s. After Holy Week is over, the detox will be made available all the time, so if you’re seeing this after the fact, it’s still there! Get on it!

It's in the Adventure

Today is the day Here, Now is officially born! Just for funsies, I’ve decided to include an excerpt in today’s post. This is the beginning to chapter 7, which is about practicing presence in adventure and creation, which happens to be my all-time fave. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but there’s a funny story following this chapter intro… (which happens to be called Sweat, Speedos, and Sparkly Surprises)

 So, this is me encouraging each of you to get after it, however that looks for you: picking flowers, stand-up paddling, hiking, picnic in the arboretum. Get the sun on your face, get fresh air in your lungs. Spend some time thinking about the One who made it all with someone who calls you sister or neighbor or mom or wife or friend or daughter. Big love to you today!

 

 

I’m somewhat of a hippie. Kind of granola, but not totally. If I were a bumper sticker, I’d land somewhere between “Kale yeah!” and “I love animals, they’re delicious.” I spent six years of my childhood on a mountain in Idaho without electricity or paved roads, and all the other years were spent on the beach in Southern California. So, while I love man-made things—especially my pink velvet couch with sequined cushions—I have a special affinity for creation, for experiencing God’s presence in what he spoke into existence. I don’t want to cram my earthy ways down your throat, as I understand not everyone enjoys the same things, but there is nothing quite as real and centering as delighting in nature.

And if nature is the doorway of God’s wild beauty, then adventure is crossing the threshold with intention. It’s not enough just to know it’s there or to merely bring pieces of it into my house; it must be entered into. This call of adventure is an invitation to experience sights, sounds, scents, and textures that draw us out of ourselves and into what’s happening beyond the sterile and controlled environments we have built around us.

I believe the pleasure of God is in the adventure—in the sound of fishing poles clacking while hiking down the trail, the picnic on the river, the casting and mending of the fly rod’s thick white line under a wide blue sky; in the waxing of the board, the salt crystals forming on hair and eyelashes after surfing—yet we don’t often recognize it. When we do, it’s like opening an elegantly wrapped gift in the presence of the giver: there is mutual anticipation, mutual delight. He saw what he had made and called it good, and he wants us to revel in the good he made.

But, too often, we merely spend our days checking off the to-do list. He gave us senses he wants to fill, yet we’ve allowed them to be dulled by screens, by busyness, by duty. Sometimes the last thing on our minds is enjoying creation, looking for adventure. Maybe it’s because work is relentless; the hamster wheel spins too fast to step down without face planting. Maybe it’s because going off the beaten path takes a bit of effort, more than we think we can afford. Maybe it’s because encountering nature can be an unpredictable thing, a bit frightening, because we might find ourselves in a situation we can’t control. But I’m pretty sure that’s where God meets us: in the space where we set aside our agenda and learn to be openhanded with his will for the days of our lives. He meets us in the wild and savage beauty because, as they say in Narnia, “He is not a tame lion.”

So much keeps us from natural spaces—but isn’t that where we met God for the first time, so long ago? In a garden. Face-to-face. Where it’s his desire to care for us by filling our souls with fresh air, with exquisite beauty. It’s his concept, that in creation we are drawn into his very presence. And in that presence, we are drawn closer to him and closer to each other. Being outside gives us the chance to stop to notice him, to hear him say, Look what I made for you, my dear. Look how much I love you, how capable I am of creating beautiful things. Come away with me, darling. Be with me awhile. It’s hard to ignore when we step away from our usual distractions. Love is loud and clear in the great outdoors.

Entering into the adventure space is always a risk. Sometimes it ends up magical—the setting, the company, the weather, the discovery. And yet sometimes . . . not so much. You can’t put a bridle on adventure; it’s going to go the way it wants. Either way, though, it’s living. It’s diving into the experience. It’s sharing in our surroundings and finding out more about ourselves, more about each other. And it’s always beautiful, even if it looks a little different than we hoped.

Let's hang out! Save the date.

Hey, what are you doing on April 2? Feel like hanging out? I want to invite you to Reality Carpinteria at 7:00 for a message, some sweet worship, lots of yellow and white books, and some cupcakes (because sugar). It’s the day Here, Now is born into the world, so while I’ll have lots of serious and important things to say, I thought we could make it fun! You can throw stuff at me while I’m onstage, you can play Chubby Bunny with the cupcakes, or you could be completely civil and just show up. I’ll be available to hug necks and sign books, but honestly what’s most important to me is sharing some wisdom with you while we talk about what it means to practice presence.

Listen, you are why I wrote this book. Because while I’d absolutely love to sit down over a Chai latte with each and every one of you, that’s impossible. So I write. Think of my book like this: we laugh a little, cringe a little, confess a little, and cheer each other on in our one, beautiful, sometimes terrifying or boring or crazy life. I’m grateful for you, for the way you’ve encouraged and prayed for me, and I’d like to encourage you back!

Bring your surf buddies, your mom friends, your Pilates pals. Bring your grandma, your bestie, your neighbor, your teens. Bring an open heart and open hands ready to receive what God might have for you. Come fancy or come in your jammies. Just come!

Love,

kate

Legit

There’s been a bit of growing up around here. One of my chicks went through puberty, and well, let’s just say he surprised us—he won’t be laying any eggs. I heard a crow yesterday morning coming from my unexpected rooster, and now he’s all tough-guy in the barnyard. He’s going to taste delicious dredged in almond meal and fried in butter.

Another boy I know has also surprised me. My son Isaiah. This boy has been throwing himself into the art of filmmaking and has turned it into a business. He’s so legit! His work is really beautiful; so beautiful in fact, that my publisher hired him to make my book trailer! He filmed and edited clips from our life that tell a compelling story in 60 seconds. The imagery is stunning, the editing is masterful, and I’m beyond proud to have worked with him. Needless to say, I’m not going to be dredging him in almond meal and frying him in butter. I’ll let him stay around since he’s so useful:)

Mamas, there’s nothing like working with your creative son to make something with purpose. Not only did I get to create with him and spend that precious time, but I got to know him more deeply as I took his direction, worked toward a common goal, and supported him in his work. My deepest hope for Here, Now is that we will be inspired to be with our people, to be with God, that we will make and do beautiful things. That we will pour ourselves into our real lives, the one that’s ours and only ours, not the ones on our screens or the ones that make us feel FOMO. I want each of us to own it, to build our lives, one moment at a time. I hope my book inspires you to do that.

You can watch the trailer on the book website, as well as claim some cool freebies when you preorder—nobody hates free stuff! You’ll get a discussion guide (using it at a book club with delicious food would be super fun!), the first 3 chapters on PDF, and the first 2 chapters of the audiobook. There are also shareable quote images if you feel like spreading the message and inspiring others. (My publishing team chose the quotes; my personal fave is “Maybe, just maybe, God is calling you to stop and smell the shawarma”). So, check it out, watch the trailer and cheer my son on in his one, God-given, beautiful life, and get inspired to lean into yours.

What makes your heart beat fast? What beautiful things that you can make or do or say would you like to throw yourself into? Do it now, while there’s still time! As my book launch creeps up and all the things on my to do list make me dizzy, I want to remember why I’m doing all of this in the first place. I wrote this for you, friends. It’s my chance to sit down with you and laugh and tell stories while cheering you on in your one genuine life. You’ve got this!

Love,

kate

Chicken Butts and Loose Donkeys

Hi friends, both old and new! A big welcome to my new subscribers, if I could reach through the screen and hug your neck I would. My posts are about all sorts of things, but I hope you enjoy the philosophical and deep words I’m sharing with you today. Life isn’t always just sunshine and rainbows, sometimes you wrestle with the hard questions, search intensely for meaning… or maybe just a rogue donkey. Anyway, I hope you find some meaning here (or maybe a giggle, sometimes it’s the same thing). Proceed.

Never say never. Isn’t that what they always say? And if you’ve been a parent longer than a minute, you say it pretty much daily. And since I am a parent, and Fifi’s basically an only child and needs responsibility and companionship, I did what I never thought I’d do: filled the barn with animals you can’t ride. Or eat. And since never say never generally has a domino effect, two things happened this week that I never imagined would ever be a thing. First of all, I washed a chicken’s butt. You heard that right. Her name is Big Mama. I washed Big Mama’s butt—right clean, too. Chickens apparently get something called “dirty butt” (so creatively named) and my poor hen was walking around with her tail feathers matted in poop for weeks… Don’t judge me, it took me a while to adequately consider my options: 1. Wash the butt. 2. Allow the butt to stay nasty. or, 3. Pop a cap. (I know a guy…) As you can see, each of these options requires courage. Each has lasting implications. And each was a moral dilemma. And since I’m a girl who generally likes to do the right thing, I took one for the team and opted for door #1.

How exactly does one wash a chicken’s butt, you ask? Fill a bucket with warm water, catch the dirty chicken, put her in the chicken jacuzzi for 20 minutes and speak loving (and cleansing) words over her. That’s right, I spent 20 minutes of my life holding that chicken down in the purple bucket singing love songs. Fifi came and helped “soothe” Big Mama (poking her in the eye, kissing her on the beak, squishing her comb) and I, with gloved hand, proceeded to swish the poopy water around while trying to dissolve the ancient, matted poop from her ample backside—until Big Mama decided enough was enough. She flapped her pepper-sprinkled wings and got the heck out of that Chicken-cuzzi, spraying poop water all over me: from heat to toe, including in my hair and on my upper lip. I’m still disturbed. I still can’t stop exfoliating.

But the crazy doesn’t stop there. Only a few days later, while I was doing some work at nap time and chatting with my 18 year old son in the kitchen, I looked out the window and noticed a giant poop pile on my lawn. Donkey poop. Leaping up, I looked out to the barn and realized the donkeys were… missing. Now, last month we decided it would be a great idea to acquire some miniature donkeys to be besties with our baby Pygmy goats (I decided only miniature and female animals are allowed). We have an old one and a fat one, and both are the friendliest, shaggiest, sweetest, beasts. Anyway, donkeys are smart, and they figured out how to escape into the wild and open spaces of my neighborhood. So, while Isaiah tipped his handsome blond head back and blithely drank chocolate milk straight from the carton, I proceeded to beg him to go with me on a donkey hunt.

This is what that sounds like:

Me: Oh my gosh the donkeys got out! Will you help me catch them?

Isaiah: No way, dude.

Me: Come on, please? What if I can’t catch them?

Isaiah: Real smart getting donkeys in the first place. Not my problem, bro.

Me: Okay, fine. But don’t think you get to eat food here ever again. (Leaves in huff).

Needless to say, the donkeys were caught and again safe in their pasture. The chicken butt is fluffy, and the teenager is still inhaling carbohydrates at light speed. (They also say “never make empty threats to your children you won’t follow through on”).

All’s well that ends well:)

I hope you love your crazy today!

Love,

kate

How to be More Present and Kick Butt in 2019

Hello, friends!

Here we are, plowing through the remains of 2018 like it’s a sleeve of Oreos. You know how that goes, one second it was in your hand, the promise of enjoying each and every bite to the fullest, and the next… the entire sleeve has gone missing and you’re blaming the dog, but you know by the cream filling on your lip it was all you. You can’t deny it’s true.

Right this minute I’m snuggled up under a heavy blanket in our house, crisp from the morning chill, watching God paint the sky pink while the sun arrives for a new day. Christmas tree still lit up, silence playing in the background. Today I think, as a new day unwraps itself like the gift it is, I want everything it has for me. I want to be present for all of it, not just left spinning with chocolate cookie dust on my hands and wondering what happened. I want to drink down all the best moments, I want to be brave in the most daunting callings. I want to sit right here at the end of 2019 and know I was present and kicked butt, every day of the year. I want it so much I wrote a whole book about it.

This week I got together with some super cool girls at my publisher’s, and we came up with something fun for you! Since I’m really quite professional, and always appropriate, we’ve called it How to be More Present and Kick Butt in 2019. It’s a fun (free!) download that will give you 8 of my most sincere (off the cuff) tips for presence and butt-kicking in the new year. And while I’m not usually the girl to boss you around, it was fun to come up with 8 bossy things to say on the matter:)

But the best part of the download is… you’ll get Chapter 1 of my new book!!! Confession: sharing something I’ve worked on so long makes my armpits sweat. So, enjoy the thought of my sweaty discomfort, click the link, and let my publisher send you my bossy tips and Chapter 1 of Here, Now!

Feel free to share the link with a friend who needs a good laugh or some sweet New Year’s advice:)

In case you’re wondering, no, making a hat for a baby chicken out of a flower is not one of my 8 tips. But even so, feast your eyes on the cutest thing you’ll see all day:)

Love,

kate

Diving In!

Photo by: Emily Turner

So, I was going to post this pic and write something cheeky about going for it, diving in to life. All in, both feet. Then I got distracted. Distracted by inspiration. I'm in Hawaii this week while Britt is working with RHNL, and I'm inspired by the scent of plumeria blossoms in the air, by the way the ocean wraps itself up in my skin, drawing out my mermaid scales, inspired by the way I come alive with the tradewinds, the adrenaline rush from jumping off the rock at Waimea bay, swimming through the tunnels, the flamboyant colors of creation on display. The morning walks, rain or shine. The tumble in the shore break. The kale salads and papaya bowls. The evenings with dear friends on the balcony, kids running wild and laughter ringing like bells. The tropical fish that move with the swells in complete fluidity with each other and the timing of the turquoise sea. I got distracted by the baby gecko Fifi caught and kissed on the lips, by the baby chicks crowding their mama hens on the bike path. I got distracted by the scent of pineapple on Fifi's cheeks, by Isaiah's blue eyes strikingly contrasted with his epic tan, by my man's shoulders as he paddles for a wave. Summertime in Hawaii. It's too good here. 

Then right before I started writing this post, I clicked on Amazon to buy a vegan cookbook (because I'm super crunchy, but let's be honest, l'll add meat to most of the recipes) and saw Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overcorrected World by Kate Merrick. Wait, what??!?!?!? I know, right? I was surprised too! All the little hints I planned to drop, all the subtle silliness and clever ideas just got usurped. So, here it is! I wrote a whole book about jumping in to real life, about being brave, present, and fruitful right where you are. It will make you laugh, hopefully won't make you cry (if you feel like crying, just reread Chapters 1 and 2 of my first book), and will encourage you to build a beautiful, meaningful life, moment by moment. It will challenge you to practice presence as if you life depends on it. (It kind of does). Anyway, it's available for pre-order! Which is super fun because you'll get the best deal plus you'll get it on your front porch or in your mailbox or yurt or igloo or shack or villa or ranch or chateau or mansion or hut or commune or kibbutz or shanty or teepee or cabin or casita. Click the link if you want to see the cover!

So, friends. Have the best day. Set down your work. Face the sun and feel your freckles appear. Listen to your favorite song. Eat acai bowls. Give your people some legit face time. Cook something delicious. Jump in the pool fully clothed, take a sunset picnic, dance on your kitchen island, put an umbrella in your smoothie, bake a cake for your grandma, invite your besties over for charcuterie, rock your tan, have a water balloon fight with your man, get sucked into a great book, sleep under the stars. Summer isn't just for kids!

Love,

kate

Calling all Writers!

Hi friends and fellow writers! Just a quick note to tell you about something super fun for both of us. My fabulous editor (I'm so fancy) is working in accordance with a very cool writer's group called Compel. It's an online resource for writers who want to improve their craft, connect with other writers, and gain writing and publishing insight. Guess what... they have selected my book for their Spring '18 book club! Here is more info, straight from Compel:

The first COMPEL Book Club was a huge success, and we are excited to kick off another one this month! 

The COMPEL Spring Book Club will begin April 30, 2018 and run through May 25, 2018. This will be a four-week study of the book titled And She Still Laughs: Defiant Joy in the Depths of Suffering. In this book, Kate shares her personal story about the death of her daughter and the role her faith played. So many people go through a personal tragedy and then feel called to write a book about it. Kate’s book is a great example of how to take your personal experience and create a non-fiction trade book that weaves memoir into the book.

In this study, author Kate Merrick and editor Jessica Wong from Thomas Nelson Publishing will lead us through the unique writing techniques and strategies Kate used in her writing. Some of the weekly discussion prompts will include things like how to find your writing voice, how to invite readers into your heart, and how to use imagery and metaphors to make your words and stories more powerful. They’ll also be teaching about how to write more about the lesson or moral of a story, rather than just the problem or experience itself and how to find balance when doing so, as well as how word choices and the appropriate sharing of details can completely change the impact of our writing.

You’ll enjoy some live Facebook events with the author and publisher, a weekly writing challenge to help you put into practice the techniques you are learning, and some fun giveaways along the way! All members will be able to download the study outline ahead of time, which will include weekly reading assignments, discussion questions and writing challenges to help you be more prepared for discussion and engagement.

Ready to get involved?! CLICK HERE to request to join the COMPEL Book Club private Facebook group!

CLICK HERE to get your copy of And Still She Laughs! 

 

We trust you are excited about the Spring Book Club choice and hope you’ll join in for fun and learning as we continue to enhance our writing skills for the glory of God.

Sincerely,

Your COMPEL Leadership Team

Fun, right? 

I didn't include the link to Facebook, since you need to sign up with Compel first. Here's the link to that, make sure you sign up for information toward the bottom as registration begins April 25, which is also the day we are doing a webinar. It will be me, Jessica, and Tracie from Compel all chatting about writing your story. You should be able to find out about the webinar by giving Compel your email.

If any of you love to write, feel a story coming out of you but would like a little direction and encouragement, or have a dream of writing a whole entire book, Compel exists to help you do just that.

That's it! Maybe see you there?

Love,

kate

 

 

Workin'

I did it, friends! No, I didn't kiss the fish, and yes, I did actually catch it, but that's not what I'm talking about. I WROTE ANOTHER BOOK! A whole 'nother book. I chipped away at it over the last 6 months, one word at a time. I did it between laundry loads and skinned knees. Between correcting essays and making meatloaf, between fire evacuations and flood evacuations. I did it with dust bunnies collecting around my toes and dishes piling up in the sink. But I did it. And even though I have months of editing and it won't release until April 2019, I wanted to celebrate! And since you're my book people, I'm celebrating with you. I want to celebrate all of us together. Because listen, girls--we're all workin'. Most of us are working pretty hard. Writing a book is hard, yes, but so is teaching school and catering and bookkeeping. So is studying and homeschooling and home keeping and nursing and retail and designing and all the things. 

I'm also celebrating my dearest friend Chelsey Wang, and her gorgeous brand that she built from the ground up. When she found out that skincare companies aren't required to disclose thousands of nasty harmful ingredients, she up and started her own safe, organic, beautiful products. I mean, talk about working hard! She saw a need, met the need. And did with with panache.

We're all workin'. Each moment we are sowing into our futures, relationally, educationally, spiritually, professionally. I'm here to celebrate all of us. Let's use our gifts, use our passions. Let's use our time and strengths and current situations. Let's do and be and love, right where we are. Being who we were made to be, with the people we are with. Let's celebrate our accomplishments, whether it's turning in a manuscript, raising children who say please and thank you, or discovering a cure for cancer. Let's celebrate our accomplishments, whether it's a clean house, recording an album, or launching a beautiful product. Let's celebrate where we are today, not where we wish we were. Let's jump in with both feet to right here, right now.

What are you celebrating today? 

Love,

kate