Happiness Archives - Mandy Hale - Just a single girl with a story to tell

14 Reasons to Celebrate Your Singleness This Valentine’s Day

February 13, 2016147 CommentsMandy Hale

Valentine’s Day is upon us, and few things send single women running for the Ben & Jerry’s faster than the thought of spending another February 14th alone. From the obnoxious singling gorillas in silk boxers (I mean, c’mon…what self-respecting man (or ape) still wears silk boxers?!?) that assault our ears at Walgreens to the obnoxious “I love my hubby soooooooo much!” posts that wage war on our Facebook feeds…let’s face it: Valentine’s Day is not … » Read More

Day 19: Life is Not a Movie

February 23, 201567 CommentsMandy Hale

Today feels like a good day to pick up my 30-Day Blogging Challenge where I last left it. I promise I’m going to finish this thing one of these days, you guys!!!

Okay, so here is today’s question…

What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn?

I think something about me that people would be surprised to learn is that I don’t think I was ever in love with Mr. E.

For those of you … » Read More

Make Friends with Your Singleness: A Lesson in Grace from the GE Ideas Monster

January 16, 201555 CommentsMandy Hale

I’ve been haunted by the General Electric “Ideas Monster” since I first saw him (her?) in a commercial a few months ago. If you haven’t seen this commercial and you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here. (You really need to see it before you read the rest of the blog.)

The commercial has stuck with me so powerfully, I can’t seem to shake it. Today I started wondering why. So I watched the … » Read More

Not Settling for Less Than Someday

January 9, 201554 CommentsMandy Hale

Those of you who follow my personal Twitter page know that my email inbox has long been a thing of abject horror and dread for me, based on my inability to properly keep up with it (and also my desperate need for a personal assistant who will work for smiles.) Well, last night, with the help of Pandora and my hilarious Twitter friends cheering me on, I FINALLY dove headfirst into my inbox and managed … » Read More

My Top Five Favorite Devotionals (Right Now)

December 30, 201419 CommentsMandy Hale

I’m such a lover of devotionals. And though I am NOT a lover of early mornings (the struggle is SO real)…there is honestly nothing I love more on this earth than those mornings that I wake up super early and snuggle up in front of my fireplace for my quiet time with a cup of coffee and my trusty stack of devotionals. I say “stack” of devotionals because I’m a bit of a hoarder in … » Read More

Ten Lessons You Learn in Your 30’s

December 29, 201429 CommentsMandy Hale

As most of you know, 2014 saw the release of my second book, I’ve Never Been to Vegas But My Luggage Has…which is essentially my life story.

As much as I love my first book, The Single Woman, (and I do love that book, with all my heart) #NeverBeenToVegas is and will always be particularly special to me. It is essentially my heart, my LIFE…poured out on pages for the world to see. And I never dreamed … » Read More

Advent. Waiting. And Singleness.

December 8, 201486 CommentsMandy Hale

I’ve been trying to come up with a fun “single” twist on Advent season for the past week and I haven’t had much luck. The truth is, it can be easy as a single woman to feel a bit alienated from the mainstream Christmas traditions and books and such, as they are mostly family-oriented in nature and often serve to remind us singles that we don’t yet have a family. We shop for Christmas presents … » Read More

Day 18: Day 18: If You Could Have a Conversation With Your Younger Self, What Would You Say?

November 22, 201439 CommentsMandy Hale

I started this blogging challenge over a year ago and I’ve only worked my way up to Day 18…though the timing of writing this particular blog is so perfect, I can’t help but believe that even in our busyness and forgetfulness and procrastination, God’s timetable still manages to have its way with us.

I’ve just finished reading Every Bitter Thing is Sweet by Sara Hagerty, and though she’s married with five kids, I saw so many … » Read More

Thankful For What I Have…Thankful For What I’ve Escaped

November 20, 201425 CommentsMandy Hale

I am nearing the end of my One Thousand Gifts Devotional by Ann Voskamp. It holds 60 devotionals, and I’ve read through them slowly, savoring each one, because Ann’s writing is like poetry and I never want the book to end. And yet, here we are at the end. I have one more to read tomorrow and then I’m done.

There’s a place in the back of the devotional to list your own gifts. One to … » Read More

A Lesson in Gratitude, or, How the Little Things Became the Big Things

October 29, 201417 CommentsMandy Hale

I’m sitting here in my tiny little kitchen that I don’t own…gazing out at my cozy little loft with the turquoise carpet that someone else picked out long before I ever arrived here…watching my sweet kitty, Prince Hairy, stalking a bug across the room, carefully following the bug’s path so he can “protect his domain.” (He never actually harms the bug, he just likes to monitor the bug’s every move.) Steam rises from my coffee … » Read More