Life is Taco Soup

Okay...

The SITSgirls crew recently issued a Back to Blogging Challenge for all of us bloginnistas who sort of fell off the wagon during the summer. Bless their awesome hearts! For people like me who sometimes get stuck too long in the valley of writer's block, this was just the kick in the pants I needed. These writing prompts have helped me so much! It's the little things, you know.

So today, the challenge is to post a favorite fall photo and blog about it. As I pondered what I was going to use as my subject, something lovely and beautifully simplistic came to mind. It's the perfect pictorial to express the essence of my FAVORITE season - fall. From it's rich southwestern flavors to its luscious, comforting aroma, TACO SOUP is unequivocally the signature dish of fall to me. The fall-like colors of all it's satisfying ingredients are the perfect ending to these short days and long nights. And it's the epitome of no-hassle cooking. Just dump everything together in one big pot. Doesn't get any better than that!

If you've never tried a bowl of this heavenly soup, I strongly suggest that you brew up a pot of it for yourself as soon as you feel that first cool snap in the air. After you do, come back and post a comment about what I KNOW will be your newly appointed favorite fall dish!

Taco Soup

Photo and recipe, courtesy of My Blessed Life 

My Fall 2014 Bucket List

It's fall ya'll!

Okay. Now that we've established that I'm a Texan...

I have to say, fall is my absolute favorite season of the year (winter is a close second). I know. I'm weird. But give me a break. Living in southeast Texas, we spend most of the year hovering somewhere warm and sweltering. So, the first inkling we get of a cool breeze in the air (usually by mid-October), we're all about the long sleeves and Uggs down here. But more importantly, we... well I... look forward to certain "Fallicious" things, like welcoming back all things pumpkin (coffee, cupcakes, pancakes, you name it!).

But there are a few things I'd like to do or at least revisit that symbolize fall to me:

• The Texas State Fair (growing up in the DFW area, it was a family tradition)
• A really good, crowd-screaming, band-dancing high school football game (I miss the Friday Night Lights of my teen years)
• Visit a local pumpkin patch (did I mention that I celebrate pumpkins?)
• Go to a Houston Texans home game (they're my favorite NFL team)
• Attend a murder mystery dinner theater (the longer nights just add to the color of it all)
• Having an indulgent lunch at this trendy restaurant called Low Brow (I hear they've mastered all kinds of ways to use crushed Cheetos in gourmet dishes)
• Have fried turkey for Thanksgiving (haven't had it in years and I feel like I'm long overdue)

I could go on, but I need to save some energy (and calories) for Christmas! LOL!

Show Up For Yourself

I've adopted a new motivational slogan for my various missions in life. I call it SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF. It's my personal commitment to giving myself the same attention, energy, and support I freely give to my family, my friends, and those I serve.

I started saying SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF, TRACY a couple of months ago when I got back on the personal health and fitness wagon (for the hundredth time). In short, I put the advice I give to those that I coach to work for myself. It was so simple. But why hadn't I done this sooner?

I pondered over the many excuses I kept giving myself for not taking my weight loss/fitness more seriously.  It certainly isn't consistent with what I do for others. I would never neglect them the way I neglect myself. When I'm taking care of my family, helping my kids to overcome their academic hurdles, being there for a friend who needs to vent, or coaching a client or the teens in my outreach group, I'm giving it the old 100. But when it comes to me and the things that are personal priorities, I go on mute. Aren't I just as valuable and important as they are? How much of an encouragement am I actually being if I'm ignoring my own needs?

Like many women I know, putting others before myself went from being a simple virtue to becoming some sort of distorted badge of honor. This, in and of itself, became an excuse for me to not show up for myself in areas where only I could make a difference for me. If I don't workout, it's not like someone else can burn the calories for me. (How I wish that were true!) If I don't write, how else are my words going to reach the world? How are the characters from my stories eventually going to come to life before the eyes of the millions of readers who'll enjoy my books?

I think President Barak Obama said it best. "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

I've taken this to heart and put it to action in my life, and let me tell you, it's paying off!

• I've gotten up to five consistent workouts a week 
• I'm stronger 
• I feel better about myself and my ability
• My thoughts flow more freely and clearly
• My creativity is rising
• I'm writing more frequently and consistently
• I finally got up the courage to send my first query letter to a publishing agent

So, sister,  I speak with passion when I tell you to SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF. If you don't, who will?