vote Cathy in 2016!

it's election year, baby!!! and i think you should vote for a candidate who does not a) wear pantsuits, EVER, and b) does not have hair that looks like roadkill thrown atop one's head. 

yep, cathy, who never seeks recognition and thinks she's pretty average when it comes to almost every thing, is a candidate for Traditional Home magazine's rising star of interior design award. it's a big-time magazine and super cool award and if she's selected she'll get a project featured in the july issue of the magazine this summer. dream come true, people! 

since it's her birthday (Feb. 23, woo!) you should take TWO seconds and go vote for her. here's the link: http://newtrads.traditionalhome.com/entry/1886

aaaaaand you should set a reminder on your smart phone to go vote everyday.

because the top candidates already have over 1500+ votes and we're just shy of 300 right now. you can vote daily through march 15 and you do NOT have to enter your email address. (but the magazine does want you to have twitter or facebook so if you're not on facebook, it's silly but you cannot vote, sorry. tell your young college friends/kids to vote for you though. seriously.) 

photo by Becki Griffin

so tell all your people to vote for cathy. text the link to your friends, or get your kids friends to all vote and text their friends. spread it around, you're VOTING for CATHY in 2016. 

america may not get taxes figured out or health care reform, but our living rooms will never look better and our walls will be painted the perfect shade and all of our fabrics will coordinate beautifully. AM I RIGHT?! 

photo by Becki Griffin

 so tell donald to stick his wall where the sun don't shine, and his make america great again trucker hat can go with it. you're voting for CATHY ROB! 

30 for 30 update

Hey peeps! Sharing an update on my "thirty for thirty" bucket list. 30 things I'd like to accomplish before the big 3-0. The original post is here. 

Having this list of goals has been SO fun. I highly recommend it for anyone. It's different than New Years "resolutions" and I plan to keep doing this "bucket list" type of goal-setting every year. For me personally, it's nice to have July as a finish line, because several items I've already adjusted to do in 2016 instead of before my birthday in July. Six months extra cushion helps. 

I've had several friends talk to me about doing their own, and I want to encourage you that you don't have to have a silly public crazy blog to do this. Making it public has been HUGE accountability though, so I recommend you share your list with others - the more, the better. Not just your spouse or mom, but make a list of people close to you and maybe email it to them. You never know who you might inspire to make a bucket list of their own! It's contagious. 

Thirty for Thirty

1) Go "off the grid" for a full weekend (no phone, no social media, etc.) 

-Haven't done this one. It's easy to make excuses why I need my phone. This is happening, though, promise. 

2) Have 15  minutes of quiet time outdoors each month 

-Haven't done this one, either. Not sitting still. I do cherish my almost daily walks with Thomas as outside time to think/slow down/get fresh air, but not quiet time to sit and be still outside. 

3) Mentor a student for 1 year (minimum monthly contact) 

-Okay so we're 0 for 3 here, ha! After I made this list, I decided I would mentor a teacher at our nearby elementary and mentor a teacher at my old TFA placement school instead of a student, because I'm a former teacher and know that teachers can use some extra high-fives and "room mom" type volunteers who aren't going to get in the way. Great intentions while I was on maternity leave. Hasn't really been feasible. I've been to visit the nearby school twice, but honestly trying to work and balance Thomas this way of volunteering is just not happening regularly. I did learn though that it's really SO EASY to volunteer at a school - I just got our neighborhood principal's email address from google, contacted her, and she welcomed me! There doesn't need to be a formal program in place - if you are passionate about something, the way that public education gets me fired up, go out there and do something. You'll be glad you did. 

4) Research running for school board (we live in HISD district 6, and the seat is up for election in November 2017.) 

-Finally, something I have done. Had a few training calls with a Teach For America public policy/politics guru. A successful school board member in HISD would need to plan on devoting a minimum of 10-15 hours per week on campuses, getting to know school leaders, PTA meetings, etc. It's a volunteer position and with young kiddos not something I can commit to at this time. Buuuut I would love to revisit this when I have school-age children. Also a great reminder that I can be involved at the local schools even if my kids are not school aged. "It takes a village to raise a child" and I'm living in the village, right? 

5) Read the New Testament in its entirety 

-oooooh my gosh. forgot this item was on the list. i'll get right on that. 

6) Take beach vacation!!! (Nothing personal but Galveston Island doesn't count)  

-Yes! Done! Drew and I went to Cabo for our third anniversary in December. We found super cheap flights over the summer and at the time it sounded so easy and reasonable to leave Thomas for 3 nights. It was very hard but very, very rejuvenating. We booked our hotel through Costco, which was amazing, highly recommend. Also, my Costco membership is still under Courtney Robinson (through Robinson Benefits) and so they called us Mr. and Mrs. Robinson throughout the trip. I couldn't stop giggling. Drew wasn't offended because he said they'd never have been able to say Prochaska anyway. Score. 

7) Camp outside for one night with Drew (Drew loves camping.) 

-TBD
8) Hike a 14-er in Colorado 

-TBD
9) Complete a 10k at a legit pace (definition of legit is TBD)

-TBD

10) Complete half marathon (I haven't done much running since I tore my ACL beginning of 2013, so if I have to adjust this one, so be it. But for now, I'm coming for ya, 13.1) 

-Ummmm I would really really like to make this happen but my 1.5 mile jogs are going to need to get much more serious. 

-No dessert for 30 days...Yea right! Life is too dad-gummed short. My dad's last meal was chocolate pie at the infamous BlueBonnet Cafe. Can I get an amen. 

11) Eat "clean" at least 80% of the time for as long as possible - til Renzas wedding in October? Til the 30th bday? So far, 5 weeks in and going strong!

-For sure have fallen off this wagon, but overall I'd say I eat "clean" and healthy much more regularly than ever before in my life. If only the size of my jeans reflected that. 

12) Get a library card, and use it at least 2 times. 

-Thomas and I have been to our local library but I owed them $4 so I paid my late fees from back when I was a teacher, and now I need to go back! 

13) Read non-fiction more - suggestions welcome. So far I've got: Bonhoeffer, greatest generation, Ben carsons book

-working on it. read most of The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw and it's very inspiring. Good read during an election year, too. Murica. 

14) Budget and actually be aware of my spending for the year. (monthly spending review)

-um, i've printed my credit card statement and reviewed it once. does that count? 

15) Still working on a specific "green" goal - recycling, less water/elec usuage, etc. 

-right after I shared this list, I designated an area in our laundry room to collect all paper. I take it weekly to a school recycling dumpster (there's one on my way to work) and sometimes it fills up most of the back seat of my car. It is SUCH a good feeling to feel as if I'm doing something for the planet. It might sound cheesy but I love it! Highly suggest you recycle, too. It's crazy to think as I chunk boxes or bags of paper into the recycling dumpster that I saved all of that from a landfill. 

16) Send more snail mail. 2 notes/week (or 10 notes per month, if weekly is too hard to do. Thank you notes do not count.) 

-This has been one of my most favorite things!! I love snail mail and making it a "goal item" makes me feel less silly for sitting down with some fun stationary and writing notes to people. 

17) Train my heart to be more thankful. Keep a journal weekly of things I'm grateful for and ways the Lord has provided. 

-nope. i think about this item a lot and never write anything down. 

18) Learn and confidently identify 10 constellations.

-nope
19) Bake an apple pie from scratch with my grandmother.

-nope
20) Visit a Bush Presidential Library - either 41 or 43. I'm so embarrassed that I live in Texas and haven't been to either of them! 

-planning to visit 43 in april 
21) Get in 3 public fountains where it is not acceptable to get in said fountain. 

-i plead the 5th. 
22) Publish two blog posts per month. 

-actually, yes! I thought two would be too few but I barely get this done. 

23) Do something nice/generous for someone when I really do not want to. IE  I do not want to talk to someone for fear of being awkward (only example I can think of now is a homeless person, who is easier to avoid than speak with and show compassion.) 

24) Create a list/map of significant places in the Heights where my grandfather grew up (church, house, first job, etc) 

25) Finish real estate license. Honestly, dreading this one. I'm a great procrastinator. 

-ha, yea right! procrastinator central! also not quite sure how to schedule this with all we have going on at work. TBD. 

26) Girls weekend w/ my mom, sister in law, cousin/pretend sister, and grandmother. (One night stay at least)... and plan tentative girls weekends for the next 10 years. Seriously. Honey is 76 and all signs indicate that she may out last us all.

27) Learn to saddle a horse with no assistance. 

-I've watched Gentry do this. Can that count? 

28) Do 30 real push ups consecutively on July 16, 2016 (if this sounds easy, please note I can currently do 6.) 

-currently can do about 17 real ones. I'd say that's a big improvement! only halfway there, though. yikes. 

29) Reread 7 by Jen Hatmaker, and act on it. Such an honest, funny book with great perspective on how wasteful we are. 

30) Do something fun/meaningful each semester for me, and something fun/meaningful each semester for Thomas, and continue this way past year 30. 

I'm incredibly thankful to have the chance to work 3 days/week and be home with Thomas 2 days/week, but it makes my work days sometimes feel super packed and makes me want to really focus on Thomas on the other 2 days. I think it'd be nice to set a goal to do something, even short-term, that's for me, and something that we do for Thomas. For example, this semester we're doing a 6 week music class that's on Fridays, and it would have been so easy to say, nope, I work on Fridays, but instead I've spent a few hours each Thursday focusing on work while he naps, and working a bit longer on M/W. And, I did a women's bible study led by Pam Thompson, on Tuesdays. Childcare was provided and it felt pretty crazy loading him up and getting us there on Tuesdays, but Pam's teaching was so powerful and I am SO GLAD I made the time to do that for me. I learned  a lot about scriptures I've never studied and felt very "poured into" as a woman. Oh, cliche Christian lingo, check! :) More on that study later. 

Thanks so much for goal-setting with me! Would love to hear what's on your bucket list or 30 list or 25 list or 60 list or whatever!! 

Lots of love, 

CRP

love your people well {the power of our words}

My brother has come a long way from our childhood, people. A long way. 

I mean, sure, haven't we all, you say, but this kid...Let me paint a picture for you. 

sweet glasses, bra. 

I remember him as a 6th grader, practicing the French horn in our game room, with his round cheeks and stubby legs. He pretty much hated anything after school that didn't involve TV, video games, and shooting squirrels in the backyard with his friend Ryan. (After a neighbor got mad when she saw them take out a squirrel in the front yard, my mom limited squirrel murdering to the privacy of our backyard.) 

Eventually he grew tall, past me, past dad, and now stands at 6 feet and has done two half-ironman triathlons and run a full marathon. I mean...what?! Homeboy used to grumble all the time about family exercise as middle schooler. How did we get here?!

I mention Bob Goff a lot - he is so inspiring, so genuine, so contagious. (Sidenote: I recommend his instagram account for insightful quotes, his book Love Does is a must read, and I like to listen to his podcast speeches.) 

Bob is all about loving the people around you well. He says in his book, Tell people who they are becoming, not who they were. Don't blow smoke, but tell people who you see God leading them to be. 

I am blown away by my brother. Partially because I am his loudest critic, but Gentry as an adult is pretty mind-blowing. As a husband, a dad, a businessman, a friend, a bible-study goer, certified crossfit instructor... And it's even more mind-blowing when you consider where he came from: 6th grade Gentry who had terrible table manners, a big crush on my BFF Stephanie, hated homework or hard work of any kind, and was obsessed with camo, guns, and shooting things. (Okay, so not everything has changed.) 

When Gentry took over our dad's business immediately following Dad's unexpected death, I had doubts. About all of it. Doubts about the work load for G, doubts about the pressure, the emotional toll it would take to sit at my dad's desk and answer his phone everyday, to break the news to clients that Tom had been in a plane accident, the list goes on. 

But with the help of our dad's office manager and super-star Ramiro who still works with G, the ship stayed afloat. Business went on, certainly not "as usual" but it went on. And here we are three years later, and Gentry is not just surviving in dad's role. He's thriving. The Renovate studio where I work is attached to Dad's office, which is now Gentry's. (I remind him often that our mom is the landlord/owner and he answers to her and she answers to no one. Because I'm a punk like that. And it's good for him.) 

Anyways, I walked into Gentry's office last week and noticed a new trophy/award among the ones my dad has earned over the years. What is this? Gentry was on the phone so I had to figure it out myself. Long Term Care Leader, Gentry Robinson, the plaque read. Wow!!!!! He's the leader for the entire Houston area, which is huge! And it's not based on Dad's previous business, but Gentry's work and client relationships. Way to go, Gentch! (I also was impressed that New York Life actually put Gentry on the award instead of his legal first name, Thomas. Way to go, Houston office staff!) 

My mom does not see herself as this, which is a shame, but she is a cheerleader for those around her. She is their champion. She and my dad were both that way, encouraging, motivating, "you can do it" attitude. Mom is excellent at telling people she's proud of them and that they're doing an awesome job. I know she tells G this all the time. And really, as difficult as he could be, my mom's dad was also a cheerleader. Specifically for those he loved. I hope to be like both of them. I hope my children and my grandchildren tell people that I rooted for them constantly, always, in the way that Gentry and I can say that of our parents and grandparents. Yes, there's a thin line between false flattery and true encouragement, so we have to be weary of that. 

Bob Goff puts it this way: 
“Words can launch us. We don't need to be a dean to say words that change everything for someone. Instead, God made it so that ordinary people like you and me can launch each other.” 

Numerous people helped launch Gentry into the role he's in now: they saw his character, his work ethic, and they told him who they saw him becoming, not who he used to be. Carrie Hall, Gerard, Kathy, Chip, friends, my mom, Amy, Steve and Catherine....their words launched Gentry. They didn't say "hey short, sixth grade, french-horn playing, squirrel shooting, homework avoiding Gentry really can't handle this." 

God does big things through us, our actions and words, our high-fives and our hugs. I forget that all the time. I forget daily: God does big things through us. 

I'm incredibly proud of my brother, and his wife. I know from watching my parents how influential your spouse can be to your success in this business. Amy is the best example of loving your people well - she has always seen Gentry's potential and fueled him towards who God is leading him to become. Where I see nerdy kid with a lot of hair gel, she sees a handsome hunk who is very hard-working and a wise businessman. 

What a great reminder that our words can launch others. Who are you going to help launch today? 

love and thank you for reading!