First off – I know, I know, it’s been a while. I told myself in 2013 that I’d make more time to blog – well..I just haven’t. It’s not that it’s not a priority. It’s always on my list! It’s just that there are many many other clock racing to-dos on my lists ahead of “blog”. Those of you fantabulous bloggers that are able to post multiple times a week – your dedication to your blog always motivates me in the moment! – but unfortunately, “the moment”, which is when I have found the chance to catch up with YOUR blogs, is usually past my bedtime via my phone(which took a HUGE plummet down over our 2 story staircase yesterday, by the way….dear Speck, you make a kick-ass case. Definitely the ONLY reason my phone survived:)). ANYWAY, I just wish that the free time that I find for my blogging/blogger loves came beforeee sweat pants and bed time! I guess I’ve come to realize that it has a lot to do with the fact that I can’t just blog a paragraph or 2, because, frankly, I’ve got too much to say type about it all!! . . .There always needs to be pictures, and a theme, and more pictures – If only I could handle mediocrity. If I’m going to blog, I’m going to blog!! 🙂 Grr! I guess I can’t do it all, but darn it I wish that I could! So now I’ll . . .
So, you may be wondering, (or not, and if you’re not wondering, that’s fine too…) “How then, Ashley are you finding the time to blog on a Monday morning?!” – well, my friends – I have a Professional Development Conference today in Akron – which I, being the professional development loving dork that I am, am SUPER excited about…. It starts at 11. It’s over at 2. It’s essentially a half day, right?! WRONG….I say – LOOK OUT TO-DO LIST!! That’s what I call an extra day of productivity with a time out for some PD in the middle! Especially as I’ve just realized that by the time I get to Akron, it will be 6 hours after I started checking things off of my list for the day.:) Can you tell how PUMPED I am about today’s catch-up book ends!
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| waking up early is 1 of MANY things that keeps me sane. 🙂 I can just HEAR the to-dos being checked off before my alarm! |
Moving on – This past week, I realized that it has already been 6 MONTHS since we got the keys to our house! I’ve learned, I’ve loved, I’ve lost, I’ve found, and I’ve promised a LOT in the last 6 months . . .
I’ve learned: to not be afraid of the kitchen…it’s one of the only places in which I’m not terrified of trying something new – that my hubby is more handy than I once thought!! <3 SO thankful for that – that I should IMMEDIATELY tell my mom how sorry I am for always making(with the help of one j.m.r.) a mess of her newly cleaned house just minutes SECONDS after she put down the Windex – that chores take a LOT longer in a 4 BR house than in a 2 BR apt!! – that there’s not much that, as a 1st time homeowner, a call home to ask mom or dad won’t fix!! – and that even though life has changed SO much for me in the last (almost) 2 years, that there is so much that hasn’t nor will EVER change no matter how much time passes. THAT, I can handle 🙂
I’ve loved: having and building something so beautiful that we get to call our own!! – starting some of our own traditions and routines as a Mr. and Mrs this year – that Home Depot, Home Goods, and Hobby Lobby have become my favorite shopping stop! (I bought supplies for a DIY project last week that I’m hoping to get to this afternoon!!) – my husband more and more every single day – REALLY growing up this year! Big girl responsibilities are secretly (yet expensively) a lot of fun:) – that there are now THREE sets of our closest friends living in Brunswick LITERALLY around corners from us!! Summer should be fabulous! – and meeting our neighbors. I am beyond excited for summer (for 4327897 reasons anddd…) to see our adorable little cul-de-sac be constantly FILLED with kiddos and to get to see our neighbors more often! . . . Let’s be honest. I love a lot of things. I could have gone on forever on this one <3
I’ve lost: most of my free time (other than on non-traveling weekends)… I leave the house at 6a, I get home at 7p… we cook, we eat, I sleep, and I do it all over again. I LOVE that we have figured out a way to mesh our routines – last year I couldn’t say the same, but don’t think for a minute that I won’t jump all over an opportunity to NOT change out of my sweats on a Saturday (and if you know me at all, you know that the only exception here would be for Zumba:)) – I’ve also lost, or more-so missed out, on spending “the holidays” at home. So many things change when you leave home, but one of my least favorite changes is that out of 17 days of a Christmas break, I spent less than 48 hours of it at home. I miss the days of Jenna and I playing together with all of our new toys NON STOP in our basement, only stopping to visit family or to eat (McDonald’s or Pizza Hut)… Pulling out of Granada way is NEVER fun, but the tearful goodbyes to my parents and to my sister on Christmas day this year were nearly unbearable – which brings me to losing a DEAR loved one in January.. as heart breaking as it was to lose my Mama, what we all found peace and strength in was that we were ALL together to remember her<3 sigh.
I’m not dwelling on what I’ve lost/missed, though. Here’s what I’ve found! . . .
I’ve found: that having FAITH and saying a prayer or 7 are ridiculously powerful and calming. I know that He’s been responsible for a LOT in my friends’ lives and in mine these last few months. There is simply no other explanation. – that conversations with TRUE friends, no matter if those friends have been in your life for 20 years or 6 months, can be monumentally effective in putting and keeping a smile on your face, no matter WHAT else may be going on around you. – that letting negative people bring you down is ridiculous… ignoring while smiling with a head nod is my coping mechanism. – and that having faith and being surrounded with your family and friends who love you is really all that matters <3
I’ve promised: to surround myself with positivity and with the people that I love most as often as I possibly can – to be more patient – to do a better job believing in myself(my self esteem is pathetically sad) – to embrace (some) more inevitable change, though praying that there aren’t as many life changing events this year as last!! ahhh .. I’m anxious about the inevitability of it already… – to Keep Calm and… Carry On, …Shop(for my house, not for me…ICK), …Zumba!, ….Drink Coffee, …Pretend It’s on the Lesson Plan, …and Pray <3
