2018 inventory

Published on January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 by JoannaLeave a comment

I believe the last time I wrote a yearly inventory post it was 2015, which boggles my mind a little but life has been happening! Especially this past year, 2018 has not only flown by (doesn’t every year?) but has been filled with so much LIVING. Looking back through my photos of the year was a good reminder of just how much we were able to pack into the last 12 months. This past year was a bit of a blur but going back and seeing all that we did reminded me that even though this year had it’s low moments, there were far more high points.

January

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We started the year on a somber note. My uncle passed away shortly after Christmas and his funeral was the first week of January. Funerals are an interesting mix of sad, frustrating, and heartbreaking, but also an opportunity to see family and friends once again that may not live near by. His funeral was a beautiful celebration of a life well lived and I was privileged to sing at his funeral mass. The next couple of weeks were spent recovering from holiday travel and getting back to our routines. I went to the bachelorette party of an old high school friend and towards the end of the month we got to celebrate her wedding!

February

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In February I checked a big accomplishment off of my annual goals and ran in my first race! I had been participating in a run training program with my bootcamp since December and as some one who always self proclaimed that I was never going to like running ever…I actually enjoyed the process of training for the race and there is nothing like the high you get post finishing! I personally dedicated my run to my uncle who was an avid runner and set a wonderful example of physical fitness. I also took a cooking class with my mom this month! It was a belated Christmas gift and such a fun experience together. We learned how to make kolaches and had some much needed mother-daughter time. Eric and I were able to sneak out for a fancy Valentine’s date to the opera thanks to the generosity of friends passing along their tickets. I also took my first SoulCycle class and was reminded how important it is to switch things up in my fitness routine from time to time. Last but not least, I submitted my first blog post with Dallas Moms Blog! Being a part of their contributor team has reinvigorated my passion for writing and sharing – not to mention the other women involved who are so fun to be around!

March

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We were able to attend the beautiful wedding of our friend and drummer from our church band, went to a super fun easter egg hunt playdate with friends, and we found our dream home by way of a friend’s recommendation. It was a whirlwind of a month filled with surprises and abundant prayers as we happened upon the home we hope to spend a very, very long time in. The rest of the month was filled with (unexpected) house buying things – meeting the sellers, inspections and all that jazz! The process getting into this home was so obviously guided by God – from our friend sending us the listing to meeting the sellers who were an absolute dream to work with – I can only give credit to Him for providing us with such an incredible place to live and painless experience getting here.

April

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Over the past couple of years a group of friends from high school and I have made it a point to get together once a month. Those girls nights have quickly become some of my favorite nights of the month and remind me how fortunate I am to have had such long lasting friendships. My baby turned FOUR this month. It has been such a magical age to experience. She has really come into her own and while she challenges us daily – she is such a sweet, smart, interesting, and inquisitive soul that I am so lucky I get to parent. I was also able to witness one of my very best friends give it her all and try out for Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders! I am surrounded by inspiring people and she is a person who consistently puts herself out there to try new things and take new adventures.

May

This month was filled with Zoo trips, a super fun cinco de mayo celebration at church, and watching Madeline become the sweetest little bumble bee and perform in her first dance recital. I significantly chopped my hair in anticipation for another hot Texas summer and we celebrated Mother’s day with chips, queso, and mambo taxis. Genevieve turned TWO and we had a joint birthday party for the girls at the Perot museum. We ended the month by saying goodbye to some very wonderful friends and our band directors at church as they ventured off to the Philipines. This family has been in my life for 10+ years now. They have seen me go from high school teen, to college young adult, to a married woman with kids of my own. They have helped me through heart break and challenged my confidence in my singing talents and have always made me feel like a part of their family. To say they are missed is a vast understatement!

June

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Well this month was exceptionally special because on June 2nd we found out we were PREGNANT! I knew something was up when I started freaking out about a messed up ice cream recipe and then cried at a Maroon 5 music video. Two pregnancy tests later, and it was confirmed I was not crazy – just super hormonal. The rest of the month was spent telling close family and friends about this new pregnancy. We then took a vacation and traveled to the beach with family and enjoyed the Texas coast and sweet sunshine. We rounded out the month with a hefty case of all day morning sickness/nausea and the girls and I participating in our first VBS at church!

July

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Moving month! It was pretty crazy to be first trimester pregnant and moving in one of the hottest months of the year… but we did it! And most definitely not alone – we had a lot of family and friends help us out to make that move successful. We also dove headfirst into swim lessons and announced our pregnancy to the world. We took many a summer camp at home adventure and kept up with our monthly supper club dinners with friends.

August

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We celebrated 6 years of marriage and I was finally feeling well enough to stomach a delicious dinner out. We continued on with our summer camp at home adventures and unpacked boxes upon boxes. Later in the month we found out we would be having a BOY come February and I think we are all still in a little shock about that. The rest of the month we swam, splashed, and lived for Grammie days (or at least I did). We also went to the new Crayola experience and had a BLAST!

September

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The first weekend in September we went to Great Wolf Lodge, just our little family, as a fun send off to summer and we ALL had a blast. School started this month, Madeline began taking gymnastics, and my appetite for a greater range of food returned! At the end of the month we experienced our first real moment of homeownership in our new house when the air conditioner went out. We also snuck in a quick weekend away to Ft. Worth to see Ben Folds perform with the Ft. Worth symphony – something that has been on our bucket list as a couple since college! The month was rounded out with trips to the zoo and Perot museum, going to my first Dallas Moms Blog event as a contributor – a happy hour at Savor Gastropub at Klyde Warren Park, and a fun family day trip to the Heard Museum to see the dinosaur exhibit.

October

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October kicked off with neighbor fun by going to our street’s National Night Out gathering. So many kiddos, games, and delicious food! Our school busted out their annual pumpkin patch which made school drop off feel extra festive. Madeline and I went to her first of many pre-kindergarten events to check out our local elementary school and it gave me all the feels. I cannot believe that she is going to be ready for kindergarten in less than a year, not entirely sure where my baby has gone. At the end of the month we went to our parish school’s trunk or treat, hosted a housewarming for our new home, and we were lucky enough to have our friend Father Michael come and bless our new space. We were also able to sneak out for a halloween party date night at my friend Beth’s house and we went to Huffines art festival and the Pacesetter Bazaar – two of my absolute favorite places to visit local artisans during the year. It wouldn’t be an October post without mentioning Halloween – the girls dressed up as Owlette, Catboy, and Eric won dad of the year by joining them as Gecko. This was the first year where BOTH girls really understood the glory that is Halloween candy and it was pretty fantastic to see them trick or treat together. We also upgraded to van life in anticipation of baby brother joining us in February.

November

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The month began by hosting my first of I’m sure many showers in this house – a sweet little sip-and-see for my friend Sarah and her new baby. It was such a sweet morning filled with mimosas, brunch treats, and the best cake ever. The month continued on with birthday parties, baby showers, and playdates. October was such a rainy month so any time the sun was out – we were out with it! We went down to New Orleans for Thanksgiving this year and it was such a wonderful time filled with family and adventures. We went to the Aquarium, children’s museum, and Zoo lights. I think the drive down was one of our best drives yet with the girls, on the way back to Dallas we learned a valuable parenting lesson – always have plastic bags near carseats or the front seat just in case anyone gets car sick.

December

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December was a WHIRLWIND! We decorated the house for Christmas (by we I mean Eric), put up the Christmas tree, and celebrated St. Nicholas Day with stockings and small gifts. We had playdates with friends and we surprised the girls with a fun family outing by going to see ICE! at the Gaylord. They loved the Rudolph theme and had a lot of fun right up until the end – when Genevieve decided the cold was NOT for her. I was able to sneak out for a brunch with some friends from my Core team member days – it was a lovely morning eating good food and talking with wonderful women. We went to Richardson’s Santa’s Village with our friends Juliet and Amelia and while it’s fun sharing a tradition that I grew up with – I’ll be honest in saying the lines are not my favorite thing. I delved into the Blessed is She Advent study journal for my own personal reflection this season and we had our annual supper club ornament exchange and decorated cookies with our kiddos. I celebrated my 30th birthday with one of my best friends, Eric went on his annual silent retreat, and I saw Phantom of the Opera courtesy of Dallas Summer Musicals and Dallas Moms Blog. We celebrated Christmas in Dallas this year. Christmas day was wonderful and the girls were surprisingly gracious and patient while opening presents. The week between Christmas and New Years was spent just relaxing at home as a family. I spent some time goal setting through my third set of PowerSheets and we closed out 2018 with our annual tradition of having a low key night at home – ringing in the new year eating appetizers, drinking champagne, and playing board games.

2018, you were filled to the absolute brim. I am looking forward to 2019 still being busy, but hopefully slower paced in many ways. This next year holds a lot of change and transition for our family but I know that we will be better for it in the long run. Here’s to a new year and all of the magical possibilities that it holds!

3 years

Published on August 3, 2015August 4, 2015 by Joanna2 Comments

This summer we have been fortunate enough to celebrate weddings and new marriages of family and close friends. I don’t think I am alone in loving a good wedding celebration. It reminds me of our wedding and fills me with all of the warm, fuzzy, butterfly feelings that I tend to have when thinking back on the day that started our journey down this exciting, unpredictable road called marriage.

I remember before we were married, before we were engaged – seeing married couples at weddings and wondering what they could be thinking about. Watching them sway back and forth on the dance floor and stare lovingly into each others eyes. It always filled my heart to the brim with emotion. I wanted to be married one day and I wanted to be one of those couples on the dance floor, so in love with each other. While I am still practically a newlywed and my wealth of marital wisdom is relatively low – I think I am starting to realize that the looks those couples were giving each other were more so out of appreciation, admiration, and respect that any lovey-dovey-emotionally-fueled-feelings that I was probably experiencing as an onlooker.

Honestly, this third year of marriage has been by far the most challenging. New jobs, new roles, new home, parenting, growing, moving… so needless to say the past 365 days weren’t without stress or moments of anxiety. Something else the past year wasn’t lacking was a partner to weather the storm. Solid, unwavering, supportive, true. Sometimes I just can’t believe that my husband has continued to love me through it all.

So much life has happened since August 4, 2012 and I hate to sound cliche but I really didn’t realize just how fast the years would fly. I wonder if I will feel the same way when we hit twenty or thirty years of marriage. I secretly hope that the feeling of “it was just yesterday that we were dancing at our wedding reception!” will permeate through those years. I never really want that newness, or shocking realization that we hit another anniversary to go away – I always want to be surprised that even though our wedding may have been a while ago…it still feels like it has been a relatively short amount of time.

Anyway, I’m rambling. I just can’t believe that I’m living this vocation. That God has provided for us in so many ways and continues to work through our marriage. I can’t believe that we are making it, that we are really living this good life and I’m just so grateful to be in this sacrament with such a truly fantastic person.

I think C.S. Lewis does a much better job at constructing the thoughts I am trying to convey here in this post so I will end with this, it is one of my favorite quotes about love and marriage:

“Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is taken to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense — love as distinct from ‘being in love’ — is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be ‘in love’ with someone else. ‘Being in love’ first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. it is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.”

I love you, Eric Martin. Thank you for choosing to love me. Happy Anniversary!

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2nd anniversary post

Right after we got married!

FAMILY | mother’s day 2015

Published on May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 by Joanna2 Comments

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Happy Monday y’all + a happy belated mother’s day to those who were celebrating the holiday yesterday. I have always loved this special day and a few years ago I even wrote a post about my feelings on this special day as an unmarried, childless person (if you want to take a peek click here). I vaguely remember writing a post last year about my first mother’s day but I think it was lost somewhere in the shuffle between sleep deprivation, hormonal mood swings that rivaled that of a 13 year old girl and always having a newborn attached to my person.

This year’s celebration was absolutely wonderful. I felt pretty celebrated the whole weekend and the best part was that we didn’t really do anything extravagant. For the most part it was a relatively normal weekend. We even had mother’s day brunch at our house instead of out because my brother-in-law and his family were coming over and two little ones were easier to entertain among the masses of baby toys at our house. I was able to sneak away for a couple of hours and enjoy some time with one of my best friends while getting my nails done and enjoying an iced green tea and then my husband + sweet girl surprised me with my own kindle for mother’s day! (Now I won’t be keeping my husband awake at night while reading on the iPad.;) The best gift though really was just feeling appreciated in the day to day this weekend. I have been in a bit of a funk lately and the past two days really rejuvenated my soul in so many ways.

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Yesterday I posted a photo on Instagram from the night Madeline was born. It was our first family picture and far by my favorite from the night. After so many hours of labor, so much pushing, so many scary new-mom-never-having-gone-through-labor moments I was so relieved to have my girl with us when I honestly didn’t think I was strong enough to get her here. I remember crying so hard with my husband after that final push because I did it! I actually did it! And I don’t think either one of us could really believe it. It reminded me of when I found out I was pregnant and I really couldn’t believe that there was a tiny little person starting to form right inside me and I had so many doubts that I would really be able to handle pregnancy and becoming a mom. Along with that picture I posted I found a quote that really encapsulated my unbelief of this whole motherhood gig, “The biggest surprise, which is also the best, is that I didn’t know I would love motherhood as much as I do.” – Deborah Norville

I need to have that quote printed in big bold letters on days that are tough and trying and down right exhausting.

Being completely and totally cliche here: I just never realized how life changing being a mom would be. I remember being so self conscious last year about my ever expanding belly and whether or not I was going to go back to work. When I decided to stay home (and eventually choose to work part time) I didn’t really know how to identify myself anymore. I wasn’t a teacher, I wasn’t working towards anything in that field, I was just a mom…but what did that mean? And I found out that along with the surprise that was being pregnant, and the surprise that was labor and delivery, it meant that I would need to surprise myself and challenge myself in ways that I never thought I would. It meant that I would lose a part of myself to gain a kind of love that only the grace of God could supply in my heart. It meant that I would sacrifice things that I worked hard for on my own so that another little person could thrive in our home. It meant surrendering all to His will and not my own. 10347082_2270901622236_7616151671525193603_n (1)

His will and not my own.

Words I have prayed over and over again, but not until now have I really realized that I am doing that thing.

Doing that thing, that motherhood thing, and really truly loving it.

Motherhood really has been the best surprise and I thank God for that blessing in my life, but really the best blessing of all was how much I love being a mom and caring for someone more than myself to give her the best life.

I hope you all had a lovely day filled with sloppy baby kisses, phone calls to your own mom, or just a celebration of life in general.

FAITH | mom friend dating + self discoveries

Published on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 by Joanna3 Comments

The idea of friendship and what it takes to make new friends is something that has been on my mind for the past several months. The concept of connecting with people is something that I feel like I am constantly thinking about and interested in, but the actual act of making new friends as an adult person has really been getting to me lately. I finally crossed this book off of my reading list and it gave me some new found encouragement in my pursuit of new friendship.

I knew that this past year would throw me for a loop in this area of life because I wouldn’t have my coworkers to lean on for my daily social interactions (with adult, non-baby people:). And, if I’m being completely honest with myself I didn’t realize just how MUCH I relied on my coworker friendships and my job for my identity in life (that could be an entire blog post alone). But really, before making the decision to stay home, I felt like I had a ton of friends outside of work that I could rely on. I wasn’t too worried about the transition I was about to make and figured I would just start tapping into some of my other social groups more often. But something I didn’t think about was… those people all have jobs of their own, families, other friends, and don’t necessarily have the time or freedom of schedule that I did in my new little SAHM world. So where did that leave me? It meant that I would need to get my butt in gear, pack up my baby and start getting involved in the world around me if I really wanted to get out and meet some people going through the same things I was going through.

And It was really hard. It was hard to pack up an 8 week old baby and get out the door in the mornings. It was hard to find groups of moms that were a) in my interest b) had similarly aged children and c) didn’t cost me an arm and a leg to join. But I learned something about myself and that’s always beneficial. I have always thought of myself an an extroverted person. I love being around people and soaking in everyones energy in social situations. But as I was going out to meet new people I was coming home exhausted. Now I realize this was also during a time where I was getting *maybe* 4 straight hours of sleep at night, so there were other reasons for my exhaustion. But I really felt so emotionally and socially expended at the end of the day. It was tough, and that’s when I realized that maybe I was not as extroverted as I originally thought I was.

In college I had to take a multitude of psychology classes for my major and inevitably during the course of the semester, no matter the class, we usually had to take a Myers-Briggs personality test. Without fail I always came back with the same personality type: ENFJ. We even had to take the same personality test for our marriage preparation and again: ENFJ. Extroverted, intuitive, feeling, judging. Essentially, I was typed as a person who likes to get out there. I like to interact with others and work with people and I do! For the most part. I love teaching and working with others…but it wasn’t until I was in this situation of making new friends that I realized…I only feel comfortable putting myself out there and getting to know other people when I am completely comfortable in my environment.

I joined a mommy bootcamp of sorts and always felt myself feeling shy. I was find working out with these other ladies but never felt myself being completely open and out there as I had in other situations. I also joined my church’s mom’s group and felt instantly warm and welcoming to the people around me. I tested the waters with a few other new social settings and found the same to be true: I was more extroverted in extremely comfortable settings, and more introverted in extremely new settings. Which would make sense because looking back on all of those personality tests I always towed the line between extrovert and introvert. But it wasn’t until I was put through the test of new-friend-making that I really figured this out about myself.

So anyway, moving on from my deep self discoveries. Back to the actual friend making. No matter the situation I felt myself seeing other mom’s that I would potentially want to be closer friends with and feeling like I was on the hunt. Almost like I was dating to find other mom friends that I and my child would be compatible with. I felt pretty crazy at first but the more moms I met the more I realized that they felt the same way too. I even had a few conversations like this with other moms about how you are taken completely out of your comfort zone and how it is a strange mix of dating and making friends like you would in elementary school. It has been a really interesting journey thus far and I have met some really wonderful people that I am so thankful I have had the opportunity to meet. I know that this is only the beginning of many seasons in life where I (and we as a family) will experience crazy amounts of transition, meet new people, and have to push myself in ways I never really thought I would have to, so I’m going to continue on with my new found knowledge and continue to put myself out there as best I know how.

Happy weekend!

FAMILY | weekend update: ice, ice baby

Published on March 2, 2015March 2, 2015 by JoannaLeave a comment

I know, I know you can go ahead and crown me most creative blog-post-titler in the world. I don’t think it will come as any surprise that we were snowed/iced in this weekend and a couple of other days last week because of all of the wonderful wintery pictures that have been floating around social media. When Texas gets snow, we like to make it known to the world that we are shutting. it. down. until things melt away. While I will say, I think some Texans can be a little dramatic in their response to a few pieces of fluff falling from the sky – I myself with not have anything to do with ice and pretty much will camp out until I can see the actual road again. Here are a few snaps from our little snowed in weekend.

Kaylee’s thoughts on the snow – our little four legged princess.

I was subbing on Friday and was lucky enough to be working in a classroom that had a wall full of windows so me and the kiddos were able to watch the grass outside go from slightly frosty in the morning to completely covered up in the afternoon. I guess I was so distracted by the magic of it all that I didn’t realize driving conditions were worsening until my husband texted me to head home asap. So head home we did – me and my very tired kidlet who is now suffering from her FOURTH ear infection. ): I think a snow day(s) is exactly what we needed to slow down and get this little girl well. Back tracking a bit: we went to the doctor on Thursday because she was showing signs of an ear infection but I was hoping we would leave the pediatricians office with happier news. I feel so bad for this little girl and I’m not entirely sure what I can do to prevent these ear infections. For now she seems to be on the up and up with this new antibiotic and has been resting as much as a 10 month old will rest.

Once things started to thaw on Saturday we unpacked a few more boxes and geared up for a busy afternoon/evening. I went off for a couple of hours with two other mamas from our church’s mom’s group to a little place called Sip-N-Doodle. Where we snacked, chatted, and painted some lovely pieces of art for our homes. Mine is in the middle and will be going in little Miss M’s room. (:

After that, Eric and I went out to a surprise party for a dear friend who will be in Italy for the next four months traveling + baking! We are so excited for her and had a blast with everyone. It was one of those nights that left us both smiling as we walked out the door. We were able to catch up with some people that we hadn’t seen in a while and chit chat with a few new faces. All in all, a great weekend and here’s to hoping for better weather this week ahead! I’m ready to get out and do some things with my little side kick!

Happy Monday + more importantly, happy Texas independence day!

FAMILY | lately

Published on February 23, 2015February 27, 2015 by JoannaLeave a comment

Lately… there has been a lot of transition and not a whole lot of predictability in our days. We made our big move to the house last week and are currently swimming in boxes. We chip away at the constant need to unpack and yet I feel like things continue to be a mess. I keep trying to remind myself that in all of this chaos is our new home. The home we have been wanting for so long and the home that we already love and adore despite our messes at the moment.

Lately… I have been thinking a lot about my Lenten goals and hopes for this season. Last year I was more pregnant than I ever thought I could be and so my sacrifices for those 40 days revolved around sciatic pain, childbirth and new born sleep deprivation. I was able to fit in a couple of holy hours before M made her arrival but for the most part I was far too involved in the life of my new baby to really focus on much besides the daily offerings of a new parent. This year I am attending a lenten bible study with my mom’s group at church as well as diving into some deeper prayer. I’m really looking forward to what this season will bring and I’m ready to be more aware of my relationship with God.

Lately…I feel like I am getting back into touch with some things I have let go for the past few months due to house hunting, house buying, and house moving into. We are making travel plans for the summer, talking about some long term goals, and I’m starting to focus on these weddings we have coming up in the next few months!

Lately… I have been thinking a lot about our NOLA family and friends who just finished up the Mardi Gras season. It has been way too long since we have been down there for some parades. I feel like next year we are going to need to make that a priority because I need some tailgating + bead catching + king cake eating in my life. Here’s a blast from the past for you, a picture from my first Mardi Gras – we had only been dating a month! What babies! (:

Lately… I have been thinking about this blog and my purpose for it. It’s a question that is constantly buzzing around in my brain and I’m always looking for inspiration and direction for it. Hopefully now that our big move is over I can start carving out some regular writing time again and get back into the swing of this little hobby.

Happy Monday everyone (:

001 | inventory

Published on October 23, 2014October 24, 2014 by JoannaLeave a comment

So I’ve decided to be a bit of a copy cat here. Bridget has been taking stock of little happenings in her life for a good bit now and then the other day I saw Katrina posted something similar. I really like how this is a quick and easy way to inventory what is being appreciated at the time. So…here goes! Hopefully the first of many life-inventory posts to come.

IMG_20141022_215512 — taken last night at our friend’s little engagement shindig

Making: a few crafts to decorate our home for fall + a little something for my nephew for Christmas. I have so many crafts on my docket right now and I want to do them all. I really need to get better about prioritizing and list making.

Drinking: way too much coffee, not enough water, really good beer that my husband picks out and a cuppa tea before I go to bed.

Reading: lots! and loving it! personal reading: MWF seeking BFF & Carry On Warrior and for a bookclub: Momnipotent
Wanting: sleep. my sweet cherup was up every 1.5-2 hours last night. we have been pulling some realllllly amazing 10-12 hour stretches and then the teeth started a-comin’… hopefully tonight will be a different story and we can go back to normal. I’m also wanting to figure out what my little family is going to wear for our annual photos with Kate on Sunday!
Listening: to Childish Gambino’s new music by way of my husband who has far better music taste than I do. any and all cool music I ever post is probably from him. also to my new favorite podcast – the girls next door!
Eating: oatmeal in the mornings, larabars (my favorite!), slow cooker lettuce wraps for dinner tonight, and trader joe’s salted caramel gelato for a sweet treat.
Smelling: the chicken for lettuce wraps cooking in the slow cooker and really wishing it were dinner time right now… I got these two scents from bath and body works last week to try out because I ran out of my favorite perfume last week and always have a hard time justifying it’s expense. Also, I got one of Bath and Body Works car air fresheners and have been smelling Leaves the past week. by far my favorite BBW scent!
Enjoying: the fact that my best friend from college + former roomie is ENGAGED. I’ve been keeping this secret for two months and I’m so happy it finally happened! she is seriously one of the best people I know and my heart is bursting for her.
Loving: that the holiday season is about to begin. from what I have always heard, holidays change when you have kids and I can already tell that I am way more excited. while I still have yet to decide on Madeline’s Halloween costume it makes me giddy to think that she is experiencing all of this for the very first time and that we get to experience it all for the very first time with her! I know, not a very novel concept but it’s the new parent in me.
Hoping: for lots of good in the coming months. we are making some big changes around here and I am feeling anxious and unsettled and really hope everything transitions smoothly and do what is best for our little family.
Feeling: consistently happy + joyful lately. which wasn’t the case for a few weeks so these are very, very welcomed feelings.
Wearing: the t-shirt I wore to work today and athletic shorts. I know, I know…I really should try my hand at fashion blogging. I’ll get on it soon, promise.
Noticing: how much stuff we have accumulated over the past few years and reeeeeeally wanting to purge a bit.
Bookmarking: good fall recipes and cozy clothes for cooler temperatures.

let’s talk about…me?

Published on July 16, 2014September 24, 2014 by JoannaLeave a comment

In August I’ll be attending a blogging conference that I’m hoping will give this space more perspective and drive. The other day I received the questionnaire all attendees are supposed to fill out prior to the event. All pretty standard questions and easy to answer – except for the last one. “In a few sentences, tell us about yourself!”

Talking about yourself should be an easy task, right? I mean who knows me better?

I’m a talker. I consider myself an all around social person. Good at your basic pleasantries and I like getting to know new people. But I’m not so great at talking about myself. I can list off things I have done and accomplished and where I have been but as for personality traits I have a really hard time coming up with positive personal attributes. Sure, I could blame this problem on a lack of self esteem or past hurt that has forced me to focus on the negative rather than the positive. But in all honesty, I really think it’s time that is the culprit here.

I don’t really take the time to get to know myself. I haven’t really taken the time in a long while to see what I have to offer the people around me. I really think that the last time I did a good self reflection was in college when I was deciding on my major. Now that’s not to say I haven’t thought about my direction in life since I was a freshman in college. There have definitely been other life changing decisions aside from my college degree that have taken considerable discernment and thought but as for thinking about me and my talents – that time has been lacking. I was able to get some good thinking time in this past fall when I went on a silent retreat with some girl friends. But that retreat wasn’t as conducive to silent reflection as I was hoping it would be. In college all I did was reflect. I was constantly focusing on what I wanted to do with my life, what I was getting my degree in, classes I was taking, classes I wanted to take, clubs and organizations that were going to shape my future, relationships and friendships that were being formed – all of these facets shaping and forming me, me, me.

So the last time I can really remember reflecting on me was in college. That is, until last week when I received that email and was prompted to talk about myself. I spent days thinking of ways to creatively craft words together that would encompass my identity at this transitional point in my life and what I am trying to do with this blog – really, why I want to go to this event in general. It was an interesting opportunity to think about how my interests have changed over the past several years and it was time I needed to think about what I want to put on this blog – what parts of me I want to share with the world.

Here’s what I got:

Wife of a hairy husband, mother of a darling daughter, author of a budding blog (and alliterative writing enthusiast). Elementary teacher turned full time mom with an affinity for craft beer, old lady hobbies, and the belief that having a baby doesn’t have to mean ending your social life. Trying to find my voice one rambly post at a time.

Not bad. I like me right now.

It was hard to focus on me and think about myself for a few days, but well worth it and I like the direction and ideas it has put in my head for some future posts.

Do you have a hard time talking about yourself? Why do you think that is? I know I’m not alone in this problem but I’m wondering if it’s more of a self-esteem issue out there or a lack of time to sit and reflect on how awesome you are.