Traditions

I am a little bit crazy paranoid that Logan won't have a wonderful childhood.  I just really want him to look back on his time here at home with fond memories and warm fuzzy feelings.  I think sometimes this leads me to over think, over plan, over worry, and over force the fun.  On normal days this can lead to over-stimulation and an overly tired little boy.... but around holidays, the paranoia and panic to make a magical memory gets taken to a whole new level!  Family traditions and fun memories go hand in hand to me, and I'm concerned our family just isn't doing enough in these departments.  Maybe I've been reading too many blogs.  Maybe I've been pinning too many pins.  Maybe I'm worrying for nothing.  I want these things to happen organically but sometimes, they just don't..... so I force it.  And then it's not magical and it's not really that fun.  

But....
BUT!

There are a handful of things that our family does that I think are fun and special and happened all on their own.  I didn't have to do a thing!  Some of these things are age old traditions in my family.  Some come from Daniel's family.  And some, Daniel and I have started on our own (these are my favorites!)  I feel like they are pretty unique (some of them) and fun!  Here's a few things our family does that are our traditions- the ones that we created, the ones where the real family memories are made!

1.  George Washington/Michael Jordan/Woody Hayes Birthday Party-  I also refer to this as "Daniel Hero Day".  It just so happens that George Washington, Michael Jordan, and Woody Hayes all share a birthday the same week.  These happen to be 3 of Daniel's heroes.  This year was a special one because it was MJ's 50th birthday, and WH's 100th birthday.  And we got a day off for President's Day (which is not a real holiday, the REAL holiday is GW's birthday..... don't even get Daniel started on that one...).  We decided this year that we would throw them all a birthday party!  So we invited our good friends over for dinner, had cake and ice cream, and sang happy birthday.  It was pretty relaxed, but I loved the idea!  And Daniel and I both agree we want to continue doing it from now on.  I think it will be a great way to teach our children all about US, Basketball, and Ohio State History.

2.  Oscar Night-  This one is a new one that we are definitely going to keep going.  We fill out Oscar ballots for the big Academy Awards.  Whoever has the most correct at the end of the night gets to pick out a movie to buy and choose all the movies we watch for the next month.  Simple?  Yes.  Fun?  Yes.  That's all you need for a great family tradition for us!  PS- I won this year!

3.  Half Birthdays-  This one started with Logan.  Daniel and I never celebrated half birthdays until he came along.  We still don't celebrate our own half birthdays, but we celebrate his.  We just get him a pretty big gift.  That's all.  It's simple, but fun!  6 months it was a basketball hoop, this year it was swimming lessons.  I want to continue this tradition with future half birthdays and future children!

4.  Yearly Trip-  Ok, so we've only done this one once, but it was so fun, we all agree that we are doing it again, every year we can!  Two summers before Logan was born, we went on a trip with Daniel's Grandma, Aunt and Uncle.  We went to Hershey, PA and Gettysburg.  Although it was only a couple days long, and pretty simple, it goes down in my book as one of my all time favorite vacations.  If you didn't know, the mulch does not smell like chocolate in downtown Hershey, and some General in the Civil War mailed his sawed off leg to the opposing side's General.  We learned this and so much more!  Anyway, we all agree that we are taking a yearly trip to some random destination every year to learn fun facts and but mostly to just spend time together.

5.  Fishing in Minnesota- This one goes all the way back to my Dad's parents.  Living in Illinois, their yearly vacation was to go fishing in Minnesota.  So now that's my family's yearly vacation.  We've been going my whole life.  And my parents still go every year.  We haven't been able to go since Daniel and I've been married, with work and everything.  But, this year I get to take Logan, and I'm super excited!  I can't wait for him to catch his first Northern!

6.  Pumpkining- My mother and I have been going pumpkining since I was a baby.  What is pumpkining, you ask?  Every year before Halloween we go to Half Moon Bay, CA, pumpkin capital of the world, to Bob's Pumpkin Patch to get pumpkins to carve for Halloween.  This is and always will be one of my favorite family traditions.  We used to take days off of school to go, I flew home from college to go, and this year, I got to take Logan for the first time!  You get to wander around the patch, looking for the pumpkin that speaks to you.  We go shopping, we go to a great nursery in town, we go to a couple other patches to go groovy shopping to find treasures such as a talking candy bowl, Hilda, the sexy witch, and "Pumpky" my favorite stuffed toy as a child.  It's a wonderful, wonderful day and one I know I will continue the rest of my life. 

7.  Black Friday- Yes, we are the nuts that stay up all night for the killer deals the Friday after Thanksgiving.  But one thing that we do that is unique with Black Friday, since Logan was born, is give him a "Black Friday Present".  Something big that we snagged an awesome deal on, that he gets that day.  I like it because I hate keeping secrets, and of course he likes it because he gets a Christmas gift early, essentially.  We started this because for Logan's first Christmas, we really wanted to get him a jumper chair.  They had a great deal on them for Black Friday, so we picked one up at a great price.  We got it home, and I was afraid by the time Christmas rolled around he would have out-grown it (I know, first time mom, give me a break!), so we just gave it to him that day.  Of course, he didn't outgrow it for 6 more months, but at least a tradition was born!  This year we gave him this adorable Little People set we got on sale for $20.  He loves it and it was fun for him to have it a little early.  I'm thinking this tradition will help tide the children over until Christmas.

8.  Animal Shelter-  This past Christmas Daniel's boss at work got him a beautiful book as a gift.  He asked that Daniel not get him anything in return, but that instead he go and buy a box of dog treats and take them to a local shelter.  Boom!  Family tradition.  It was so fun to go to the animal shelter for the holidays, Logan loved seeing all the animals, and the dogs of course enjoyed the treats.  This one is definitely a keeper!

9.  Give back-  Daniel and I began this tradition a couple years ago when we asked the Bishop in our ward if there was anyone we could help during the holiday season.  He gave us the name of a sweet lady in our ward who had asked him for someone to bring her a basket of fruit for Christmas.  So we did just that, and had a great visit.  Now, every holiday season we ask our Bishop that same question, and try to spread a little holiday cheer to whoever needs it!  I love the idea of teaching our children to help those in need around Christmas.

10.  The Morgensen Challenge- I specifically like this one, because I am a 2 time champion.  The Morgensen Challenge is a college football bowl pick 'em bet we have every year with my family.  It makes watching all the college bowl games so much more fun.  We each have our own strategy.  Daniel always picks all the Big Ten teams.  I always go big on Boise State.  My dad puts up $50 and whoever has the most points at the end of the bowl season wins.  He loves gloating when he gets to keep the money.  I love gloating when I get to take it from him.  No one else ever gets to gloat because we are the only ones who ever win (yes, that's me gloating).  We are a competitive family, so whatever we can do to bring that out is always a good time.  I just got off the phone with my dad who mentioned a possible March Madness Morgensen Challenge.... sounds like another tradition in the works!

Well there you have it.  It's not much, but it's us.  Actually, writing all of our traditions down makes me feel a little bit better about it.  Like maybe we are doing better than I thought.  In fact, I can almost hear Tevye singing now, ok maybe not quite.... But I think the more I just go with the flow, the more I just let things happen, the more I just try to enjoy spending time with my family, the more traditions will form on their own and the more we will cherish these magical moments.

What about you, do you have any fun family traditions to share??

March for Life

Have you ever had one of those ideas that sounds great in your head, but in reality it turns into a living nightmare?  That pretty much sums up our day a couple Fridays ago.

I knew the March for Life was coming to DC, and I knew it was going to be historic.  This march was a special one because it was the the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and they were expecting record breaking crowds.  I heard numbers upwards of 500,000 people.  The pro-life movement is definitely something I support, so I had been toying with the idea of going to the march all week.  My only doubt was that it was supposed to be extremely cold, possibly even some snow.

But I woke up Friday morning and thought to myself, "This is what's great about living in DC.  I can BE there.  I'm doing it!"  I guess you could say I'm a romantic, but I love being able to say, "I was there, I stood up and was counted".

In my head, this is how I pictured the day going:

I would march up to the Supreme Court with these fine people, and demand that they overturn Roe v. Wade immediately!  Then when my grandkids ask me about the day I changed the world, I would recall the day when I was part of the biggest pro-life rally in Washington, the one that changed the hearts of millions and abortions were stopped forever.  

However, this is how my day actually went:

Except Logan was crying the whole time, it was snowing, and we were surrounded on all sides by crazy protestors, that is, until we got lost in the bad side of town.  

Let me back up.  

I decided since we were going to be in the city, we should meet up with Daniel for lunch!  I thought to myself, the rally starts at noon, the march is at 1:30, a couple blocks later and we should be meeting for sushi by 2.  Even typing that now, I laugh at how naive I sound!  I guess there's just something about half a million people that doesn't compute with me! 

Anyway, we made it to the mall around 12:45.  Logan magically fell asleep, and the mall didn't seem that crowded to me.  This was all part of an awful, awful plan to lure me into a false sense of security.  By the time we began "marching" (if you could even call it that) I was thinking, "what a piece of cake!"  Then I quickly realized that the reason the mall was so empty was because the street we were marching down was completely filled sidewalk to sidewalk with people, several blocks back.  Trying to merge into that craziness was like merging onto the biggest highway in LA during rush hour.  It took us an hour to reach the street, when we were suddenly surrounded by people on all sides, and moving very slowly forward with no chance of stopping without being run over. 

I began to panic. We were stuck.  There was nowhere to go, no way out.  All I could see were people and signs on all sides.  Talking with a lady who had been to the March before, she told me it takes easily 5 hours to make it all the way to the Supreme Court.  On top of that, the people chanting things like "2-4-6-8!  We love babies!  They are great!" and "Obama, your mama, she chose life!  And so did your wife!" woke up Logan.  And he was screaming.  And then it began to snow.  My motherly instincts kicked in and I knew we had to get out.  Get out at all costs.  I thought, "I'm at a pro-life rally, people are chanting We Love Babies!,  I'm with a baby, these people will be nice to me, and let me out, right??"  Thankfully, I was right.  Once I decided to leave, people began blocking off an exit route, stopping traffic, and letting me pass.  The march basically came to a halt while I escaped.  

But then I was faced with the challenge of making it to my lunch date with Daniel.  The route of the march made it so that it was impossible to take the most direct path to get to Heritage, where my husband works.  I found myself wandering around DC, in the snow, with a screaming, cold baby, when I took a wrong turn and realized I had wandered into the bad part of town.  There were people begging on the street, sleeping on benches, standing in lines for food, etc..... again, my momma bear instincts kicked in and I high tailed it out of there!

This story is dragging on, but just let me say, by the time I finally reached Daniel, Logan and I were both crying and frozen.  

What happened to my perfect vision from that morning?  When did my dream turn into my nightmare?  Let's just say that when they say "record-breaking crowds" and "historic turnout", they mean it!  And all of those people will be marching down a very narrow street, very slowly, and chanting crazy, rhyming things.  And when they say "freezing temperatures" and "snow likely", they mean it!  And you and your little one will be subject to the elements, and no amount of layers will save you.  I guess sometimes when you get out there and do what you want to do, it doesn't turn out like you hope.  But you know what, I was there!  I stood up and was counted.  And who knows, maybe this rally will be the push the Supreme Court needs to overturn Roe v. Wade.  And maybe I will be able to tell my grandkids about the day I changed the world.  You never know!

Stop and Listen

Last Sunday I had to speak in church, which I typically HATE doing.  This time was no exception, but there was one perk.  Because I was sitting on the stand, I actually got to listen to the talks instead of trying to wrangle my greased pig of a son.  One of the speakers really made an impression on me.  He told the story about the world class violinist who played one of the most complicated pieces of music on a super expensive violin in one of the DC metro stations and there were only a handful of people who stopped to listen to him.  Maybe you've seen it floating around Facebook?  If not, see the video here.

Anyway, then he asked the question, "What beauty are we missing in our lives because we are too busy to stop and see it?"  This got me thinking.... I'm always rushing, rushing, rushing with Logan to go somewhere or do something.  What am I missing?  So I decided I was going to take a day and not rush at all.  I was going to slow things down and try to appreciate the beauty in my life.

Tuesday came, and I decided to do it.  On our way back from our workout class, I typically just rush up to our apartment to get Logan a snack and get him down for his nap.  He hates this, because he always wants to go wandering around outside.  For once, I decided to go with it, and follow him.  We were so blessed with a warm day, it truly was beautiful to just follow him and watch him in his element.  The world in the eyes of a child is really amazing and full of wonder.  Words can't really describe these moments, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

 

Eventually we did find our way inside for lunch and a nap.  That afternoon I really needed to go to the grocery store, but I had had such a great time earlier, and it was still SO warm, I decided we would go to the park for just a few minutes and then to the store.   When the time came that we needed to leave, we were playing in this beautiful tree house by the park.  My head told me to leave, but I decided to listen to my heart, so we stayed.  I'm so thankful I took the time to stop, listen, and enjoy the beauty that is my life.

Photoshop Tips

One of the things I'm really into is taking pictures of Logan.  Have you noticed?  Basically my phone is completely full, my computer is completely full, and all 3 of my cameras are completely full of pictures of Logan.  He's just too darn cute and I don't want to miss a thing!  Anyway, I may have a lot of pictures, but the quality definitely leaves something to be desired.  Usually I just take about 20 or so quick pictures with my phone, choose my favorite and Lo-Fi it in Instagram.  This just isn't cutting it!  If I'm going to be taking SOOO many pictures, I should at least make them look nice, right?   I have a really nice camera, and I got Photoshop for Christmas so I really have no excuse to not have beautiful photographs.  This is something I've been wanting to change for a while, so when I woke up this morning, I decided that today is the day!

I've found quite a few tutorials on Pinterest, but a lot of them seemed overwhelming and not for an uber-beginner like myself.  Then I found this pin.  4 steps, 5 minutes, easy to understand, and great results.  Basically, the perfect thing for me!

So here we go!  These are the 4 steps to take a photo from drab to fab!  In all seriousness, these edits really do make the picture brighter and look more professional.

Step 1:  Hit Command-L (or Control-L for you non-Mac Users) and adjust the levels.  Move the arrows to the very beginning and very end of the little mountain you see.

Step 2:  Make a copy of the background layer and change Layer from Normal to Screen and adjust Opacity to 30%.

Step 3:  Make another copy of the background layer and change Layer from Normal to Soft Light and adjust Opacity to 80%.

Step 4:  Flatten the Image.  Go to Layers > Flatten Image.

That's it!!  And look- the results are amazing!!  We had a little photo shoot this morning (Logan wasn't super into it) and here's what I was able to do with the photos we took- plus a bonus picture from an outing a couple weekends ago! (Before photos on left, after photos on right)

Near the beginning of our photo shoot... happy boy!

Beginning to get a tad upset 

Done with pictures!

Just toddling around DC with Dad!

Aren't the edits amazing?  I'm not lying when I say it only takes 5 minutes.  I'm so glad the quality of my pictures is improving.  Documenting memories is really important to me, and I want my photos to be as beautiful as possible.  I'm no photographer by any means, but hopefully I will be able to make the pictures I do take look a whole lot better!  I always have to remind myself that it's about quality, not quantity!

Faith in Humanity

I'm not gonna lie, ever since the Election, I've been pretty down in the dumps about our country.  I don't want to get political AT ALL (believe me, my life is political enough without me blogging about it) but let me just say that I saw the choices in the election as a clear cut choice and I don't think we as a Nation made the correct choice.  Then on top of that... we had Hurricane Sandy with its looting and thieving, and the horrible Newtown tragedy.  I guess I was just thinking: "What has happened to our country?"

Thankfully, God has given me the most wonderful little boy in the world and provided experiences through him for me to see the good in the world and the good in others.

Exhibit A:  I flew by myself with Logan to California to visit my family a few months ago.  I was incredibly nervous about this.  8 hours, in a contained space, with a wiggly one year old, alone... it just didn't seem doable.  I was so anxious about it, I think I even managed to make myself sick.  Anyway, the day arrived and as Daniel dropped me off at the airport and I found myself alone, I almost started crying.  Somehow we managed to get checked in, and it was just at the moment I was wondering how I was going to get our bags over to baggage check when a nice man offered to carry our bags for us.  To him, it probably seemed like a little thing, but to me it was literally and figuratively like he was lifting the weight of the world off my shoulders.  And the kind acts didn't stop there.  At security, the TSA officer let us go first in line and go through our own metal detector so we weren't rushed.  He saw us through the entire process and helped me carry everything.  When we got to our gate, a woman gave up her seat so we could sit down.  When we boarded the plane, I had a woman volunteer to carry our bags to our seat, so I could just worry about Logan and the stroller.  When we got to our seats, the WONDERFUL people we sat by convinced the woman seated by the ONLY empty seat on the entire plane to let their son sit there so I could have an extra seat for Logan.  And they played with him and let him crawl all over them the entire flight.  When we left the plane, a different woman volunteered to carry our bags off the plane.  And the lady who had carried our bags on the plane came back and asked if I needed any more help.  By the time we arrived in California, I still was almost in tears, but for a much different reason.  Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes for all the kind people I had met that day who had gone out of their way to help a young mother with too much stuff and not enough hands.  Each and every one of them was truly a God-Send.

Exhibit B:  It was cold, rainy night and it had been a long day.  Logan and I had been to 3 or 4 grocery stores looking for dairy free yogurt.  (side note- I found some, you can buy it at Safeway, brand is So Delicious and it is, as it's name suggests, delicious!)  We were on our way to pick up Daniel from work, stuck in traffic, and Logan was DONE and crying in his car seat.  I was doing what I could to comfort him, while trying to navigate the road, but it was not working.  He was screaming at this point.  I turned up the radio and just decided there's nothing I can do but ignore him and hope today is the day he learns to "self-soothe".   A few minutes later, Logan was laughing.  Perplexed, I took a quick glance back to see what was going on.  It looked like Logan was playing peek-a-boo.  "Weird kid", I thought to myself.  The laughing continued, when I finally noticed that the woman in the car next to us was playing peek-a-boo with Logan. She could see into our car and must have noticed my sad, crying baby and went out of her way to play with him.  They continued to laugh and play until traffic was moving and our cars drifted apart.  But as she drove off, she waved and blew kisses our way.  Logan returned the favor.  What a sweet lady, I thought!  However, this wasn't an isolated incident.  A few weeks later, another lady did the same thing when we were parked at the metro station waiting to pick up Daniel and Logan was again getting fussy.  I'm almost thinking Logan is beginning to expect the people in the cars next to us to entertain him!  Occasionally, when he starts to get sad when we are driving, he starts talking and playing a game of peek-a-boo in hopes of getting another car's attention.

There is so much good in the world and so many good, kind-hearted, caring people.  I guess babies tend to bring out the best in people.  I know my baby has brought out the best in me, and helped me to see the best in others.   I'm thankful to have been on the receiving end of so much kindness and hope I can "Pay it Forward" as they say.  And you know what, no matter what kind of shape our country is in, no matter what terrible things are going on in the world, as long as there are decent, kind, charitable, selfless people out there willing to lend a hand, I know we as a Nation will be just fine.

New Years Resolutions

I was talking with my mom this evening, just chit-chatting about Christmas and our visit and what not, when she asked:

"So what are your New Year's Resolutions??"

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This sort of blind sighted me. Yes, I realize tomorrow is the last day of 2012, but I totally forgot that this time of year brings with it reflection, goal setting, and well, resolutions.  So my answer?

"I don't know."

After I got off the phone I decided I had probably figure that out, since 2013 is fast approaching.  Then I realized, the reason I don't have any New Years Resolutions is because I've been changing all year long. Today-Begin doesn't wait for January 1.  It's about deciding and doing.  For example, I wanted to start a blog, so I did it.  I wanted to craft more, so I did it.  I wanted to get out and see DC so I've been doing it.  I'm an ever evolving person and have been changing my life for the better a lot in the last 6 months without waiting for a designated time for "new beginnings".  This makes me happy.  I don't need a new year to be a new person.  I've been doing it all along.  This realization empowers me and makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I've been practicing what I preach.  That being said, there is still room for improvement and I'm a sucker for traditions... so here are my New Years Resolutions.

1.  Be Happy.   This one is courtesy of the hubby.  He probably picked this for me because I spent the better part of 2012 being unhappy.  I've spent the majority of the last 6 months climbing out of a pit of unhappiness and self-loathing to find my "happy place".  I've come a long way, but I still have my days where I'm just a grump.  So I'm resolving to make unhappy days occur less often and happy days occur more often and be filled with more joy.  After all, I have a pretty awesome life, a pretty awesome family, and a lot to be thankful for.  I have no reason to not be happy.

2.  Blog More.   I've started a blog, now what?  That's kind of how I've been feeling the last few months.  I want to write more and put more effort into promoting what I write.  Dare I say get to 20 followers this year?  Well that's my goal and to write at least 3 times a week.  So basically, you're all going to get really sick of reading what I write, ok??

3.  Eat Less Sugar.  I feel like you can't have a New Year's Resolution list without something health related, right?  I am generally a healthy person.  I work out regularly, and eat relatively healthy, with one MAJOR exception.  I love anything with sugar in it.  I crave it.  If I don't have sugar regularly I get headaches.  It's bad.  So I want to slowly wean myself off of sugar this year.  I think my teeth and gut will thank me.

4.  Have Another Baby.  Not sure this really counts as a resolution, but it's the first thing that popped into my mind.  I know it's not entirely in my hands, and that God's timing is best... but I guess it's just something I'm hoping will happen in 2013.

So there you go.  And you know what, although it's not 2013 yet I'm starting TODAY on my resolutions. I was in a GREAT mood today.  I was in a great mood despite forgetting to make dinner and do something for my calling at church.  Despite Logan head-butting Daniel in the head and chipping his tooth.  Despite a hole in my new cashmere sweater.  Despite Logan's less than 1 hour nap. And I'm obviously writing on my blog for the second time this week--sick of me yet?  And I didn't eat 4 cupcakes and a pint of Haagen-Dazs ice cream after church today--- oh wait, I did do that!  Well, that just gives me something to strive for in 2013!

Scripture Study

One of the things I have been wanting to do for a while is to better study the scriptures.  I am a "start to finish" scripture reader, always have been.  I start at the beginning, and I read the book until I'm finished.  While this is better than nothing, I have been yearning to "feast" upon the scriptures and really do a deep dive on some of the topics pertinent to my life right now.  I've been wanting to make study guides, and really do it right, so I can document my thoughts and feeling as I'm reading and studying.  

But I keep putting it off, ya know, until I have time!  Well, no more!  Today is the day.  So I made this up this morning after Logan and I got home from the park.  I am going to print out a bunch of them, so that as I study, I can record my thoughts and really study by topic.  I was thinking of doing it all digitally, but I'm more of a pencil and paper kind of gal.  

So there you go, one hour and I've got a plan to do something I've always wanted to do.  Now it's just up to me to do it!!   If you want to do something, do it today. (just my two cents!)

To download: right click on above image, click on "Save Image As", save to desired location.  Enjoy!

On a Good Day

With all the excitement with my New Job, I've forgotten to write a few thoughts about my Old Job.  I worked for Farmers Insurance (yes, the We are Farmers Buh Buh Dum Buh Bum Buh Bum commercial!) for about a year and a half.  These years were the most fulfilling and rewarding years of my professional career.  Had it not been for Logan, I could have worked there until retirement and loved every minute of it.

But a baby changes everything.  

Going back to work after Logan was born was by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  The guilt, fear, and depression basically overwhelmed me.  Everyday was a struggle, and there were many, MANY days I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.  

I'm still not sure why I didn't quit on one of those particularly difficult days.  Perhaps it was the fear of being poor.  Or worrying I would let someone down that depended on me.  Or just that I didn't want to be a quitter.

I recently was reading one of my favorite blogs.  It was a post about breast feeding.  While that subject doesn't really apply to this situation- a piece of advice she offered does.  "Don't quit on your worst day".  Whatever the reason I didn't quit, I'm so glad that I didn't give up on a bad day.  Now I can look back on my time there with fond memories, good friends, and great job experience- should I ever need it.  And hopefully all my buddies over at Farmers Insurance can remember me in a positive way as well.

The day I did leave, was not my worst day.  In fact, it was a great day.  I'm so grateful that a positive change took me away from this wonderful experience, and that I didn't give up and quit on my worst day.

Waiting for August

My husband and I often joke that if our time together were a song it would be called "Waiting for August".  A catchy pop tune (or maybe a country love song) about two young lovers who are always waiting for some event to happen in August.  The verses would play out something like this:

Verse 1

A verse about how we met.  We met in August 2006.  It was a time that each of us had been looking forward to for some time, because it was the month we both started school at Utah State University.  For me it was the month I moved away from home.

Verse 2

 A verse about our engagement and wedding.  We got married in August 2007.  And our engagement was long and ardjuous.  Let's just say, it's pretty much a miracle we made it to August at all!

Verse 3

A verse about starting law school (my husband just graduated in May- Yippee!), which began in August 2009. And each August since (2010, 2011, 2012) waiting for law school to be finished!

Verse 4

A verse about waiting for the birth of our son.  Again, he was born in, you guessed it, August.  August 5, 2011 to be exact!  Believe me, I was really, REALLY ready for that August to come!


Verse 5

A verse about waiting for our current move to DC, August 2012.  This marks the end of law school and the bar.  It's also the end of being a work away from home mom for me!


See what I mean?  August really has a special place in my heart.  I have so many wonderful memories in August!  But there's one thing wrong with this picture. 

There are 11 other months. 

That means that about 92% percent of the last 6 years have been spend waiting.  That's about 2,007.5 days.  Looking back, I can see that I put so many things on hold while I was waiting for August.  What if I had started the day I thought of it, instead of waiting for "whatever" to come in August?   Pretty sure I would have gotten a lot more accomplished and would have had a much more fulfilling life for the last 6 years. 

Example- I have been waiting for August 2012 since about August 2011.  I knew that when my son was born (August 2011) that I would be a work away from home mother until at least August 2012.  That's when my husband would be graduated from law school, would have taken the bar, and would be able to work to support the family, so I wouldn't have to anymore.  Therefore, I put off doing so many fun things with my son because that would be something I would do "In August when I'm a stay at home mom".  This gave me an excuse to feel sorry for myself that I couldn't do the things I was waiting for August to do (still with me?).  Well guess what- If I would have just stopped waiting and started doing, I could have been a lot happier the last 12 months. 

There will always be things to look forward to and to plan for, and I will always look forward to things that will happen in August, I'm sure.  Maybe one day we will buy a house in August, or have another baby in August.  Or my husband will get a new job in August, or we will win $1 billion in August (hey, a girl can dream, right?)  But I'm going to stop waiting. The funny thing about waiting is- there will always be something off in the distance to wait for, and all those things you want to do, may never happen.   

I love my new motto (aka title of this blog).  It inspires me to stop putting things off.  To be proactive.  To stop waiting for life to begin.  To make my life what I want it to be-NOW. 

So join me, won't you, on the Journey of Today, and stop playing the waiting game!  Happy August!

My First Post as a "Blogger"

Hi there.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Amanda.  I am not crafty, not a chef, not a writer, not funny, not artistic, not musical, not a photographer, not creative, not fashionable, and I don't sell anything on Etsy.  Whew... glad to get that out of the way.  Here's what I am:  Curious.  And I have a desire to be all of these things and more. 

But I haven't always been this way.  I've always been aware of what I've lacked, but until recently have been oblivious to the fact that I could change any of that.  And there's that one pesky thing that's always been holding me back from all the things I really want to do and the person I really want to be:

Tomorrow.

In my life, I have always felt like I've been waiting for something.  To graduate high school, or college, or get married, or have a baby, or get a job, or quit a job, or move away, or "insert life event" before I could learn how to do something I've always wanted to do, or go somewhere I've always wanted to go, or be the person I've always wanted to be.  Well guess what- I've graduated high school, I have a Master's Degree in Mathematics (closet math nerd right here), I've been married for 5 years, we have a 1 year old son, I have worked at a great job for the last year and half, I'm quitting that job on Friday to be a full time stay at home mom, and our family is moving to Washington DC so my husband can pursue his up and coming career as an attorney for a Non-Profit Organization.  All of those "wait until they happen" things are behind me.  So I've decided it's time to do all those things I've always wanted to do.

Well my friends, the wait is over.  I have a new motto!  Today:  Begin.  Tomorrow is no longer going to hold me back.  If I want to do it, I'm starting today.  There will many be many, MANY failures I'm sure.  Hopefully a handful of successes too.  One of the things I've always wanted to do is start a blog, so I'm putting my money where my mouth is- here it is.