Good Day

19 Nov By

This morning, I went to Starbucks and ordered my standard venti Pumpkin Spice Latte non fat no whip. (The baristas know me and my order. I have a Starbucks problem.)

I also ordered a venti black coffee to take to a friend.

My total rang up to be $7.77…my wedding date! Also three lucky sevens! I knew it was going to be a good day.

I drove the coffees to meet the costume designer for the show I’m doing. We had decided at last night’s run through that we needed to start from scratch. So, this morning, we played dress up for three hours, talking and creating a “look” for my character. I wish we could have played all day, but I had to pick up my son from pre-school. I am thrilled with what we came up with for the show. The setting is New York City in 1923….imagine sequins, feathers, fur and fringe. So much fun!

After getting my son home, my father-in-law and brother-in-law pitched in to help rake the leaves in our yard, and even started a fire in our outdoor fire pit.  I can not tell you what a help this was. My husband is rarely around and when he is, the last thing he wants to do is rake leaves. (Which is a nice way of saying he won’t do yard work.) My yard has not looked this nice since my son’s 3rd birthday party, when we hired someone to come do it.

On a rare chance, my rehearsal was cancelled for the evening and my husband got off at four o’clock!

So, to celebrate, we headed to one of our favorite local restaurants for $2 burger night.

And the pictures we took with our photographer just got posted today. I am so pleased with them! Go check it out on my Facebook page.

All in all, this was a great way to start the week. Today was a very good day.

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The Rarity of Spontaneity

10 Nov By

My husband and I are not spontaneous. Ever.

Due to my husband’s schedule as an anesthesia resident, his hours of down time are very limited  Anything we do has to be planned way in advance, written down on the paper calendar in the kitchen, and synced on our Google calendars. I will literally write: “Family Day: trip to Target” on the calendar in order to make that happen.

Things have gotten especially hectic in our little world lately since my husband’s hours remain intense, I have been working hard in rehearsals for an upcoming Christmas show, and I’m just now dealing with the stress of my in-laws inviting themselves up here for Thanksgiving. When my husband won’t even be here. (That, of course, is a whole different story.)

Today, I was supposed to have rehearsal from 10 AM to 9 PM. Luckily, my husband has this entire weekend off. That is such a rarity and it is terribly unfortunate that it falls during a time when my rehearsals are getting so intense. The good news is that my son did not have to spend 11 hours in childcare today. The bad news is, it still means we get no family time.

Driving over to rehearsal this morning, I heard a commercial on the radio about a Christmas tree lighting this evening at a local outdoor mall. I thought in passing about how much fun that would be, but knew it wouldn’t be a possibility.

Then I was lucky enough to only have rehearsal until 6:30. I texted my husband and asked him and the toddler to meet me at the tree lighting to see the lights and for dinner. We both arrived around 6:45 and were just in time to join a crowd of people singing jingle bells as the giant tree was lit, pretend snow filled the air, and Santa appeared. It was perfect.

Then my husband, toddler and I fought our way through the crowds to a restaurant that had a one and a half hour wait. Normally, we would have left, but instead we decided to put our names down and wander around the shops. We enjoyed some family time shopping together and eating a late dinner before coming home.

It doesn’t happen often, but this rare night of spontaneity with my little family tonight was just perfect.

 

 

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Gregarious

9 Nov By

Me: “Hey, babe, what does “gregarious” mean?” (Isn’t that terrible? I’m a writer who has a limited vocabulary.) (Also that’s the first time I’ve called myself a writer, which is maybe ironic since this is not my best effort.)

Hubs: “Um, kind of like over the top, why?”

Me: “That can’t be right. Someone called me that the other day.”

Enter the Google search which returned the following results:

gre·gar·i·ous/griˈge(ə)rēəs/

Adjective:
  1. (of a person) Fond of company; sociable.
  2. (of animals) Living in flocks or loosely organized communities.
Synonyms: sociable – social – companionable
(source: dictionary.com)
Me: “Oh that’s good, I’m sociable!”
Hubs: “You’re a flock.”
Me: give hubs a look
Hubs: “What did the person say?”
Me: “They said that if my child is as gregarious as I am we will have to watch out for his teenage years.”
Hubs: “Hmm.”
Me: “Cool. I’m gregarious!”
 
Have you learned anything new about yourself lately? 

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The Purpose of Prayer

7 Nov By

I heard it once before, when my son was playing with another boy at a train table. My son, then two, grabbed a train from the other boy, who must have been about four. I immediately rushed over and talked to my son about how we don’t grab, the importance of sharing, and my son handed the train back. The older boy was so mad that he took the train and said, “I will pray for you.” After a quick glance to his mother I realized that this was ok with her…he had been taught to respond this way.

I have seen it more than I can bear on this day after the election, streaming in Facebook feeds and Twitter accounts. I have read so many posts about prayers for this country because now it’s in trouble, how we need to pray harder now than ever before, how now it’s all in God’s hands.

I am a huge believer in prayer. In faith. In believing in something bigger than ourselves.

But I am also a huge believer in kindness.

If prayer is an outreach of ourselves to something greater, than shouldn’t it be kind?

When we find those quiet moments to pray, or meditate, or practice our individual faiths, I believe it should be done in the name of love.

I don’t think it’s loving to use prayer as a consequence or as a condescending remark.

“I will pray for you” holds entirely different meanings when said in the name of love or in the name of hatred.

This election, as are so many other things in our lives, was emotional. It is my greatest hope that as we all reflect and process, whether we are in a state of joy or sadness, that we include prayers of kindness and tolerance for ourselves and others.

Because I believe in the power of prayer. But I also believe in its purpose of kindness.

 

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We Made It!

1 Nov By

I can not believe we made it to November.

October is always such a busy month, and this year it felt especially non-stop.

I made memories with my family in honor of my father, celebrated my 29th birthday, got a blog makeover, took family pictures, attended a Fall Festival and a Pumpkin Patch, got ready for Halloween and trick or treating, attended my first political rally, and experienced a minor mommy break down, all while being Parent Council chair (which this month involved putting on a book fair and a bake sale) and rehearsing for the lead in an upcoming Christmas production.

In the mean time I tried to keep up with cleaning my house and blogging, survived Hurricane Sandy, and even managed to squeeze in 2 girl’s nights!

I’m exhausted.

I am looking forward to a much calmer November. You know, except for all of the show rehearsals and the whole getting ready for another major holiday thing. But oh how I love Thanksgiving food…

Did anyone else have a busy October? Are you ready for some down time soon?

 

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Halloween Decorations

31 Oct By

Happy Halloween!

I adore Halloween, the costumes, the decorations, the adventure of trick or treating, the chocolate…mmmm, the chocolate.

We have had the house decorated for the entire month of October and just carved our pumpkins this weekend, so now we are officially ready!

I am so thankful that we suffered very minor damage from Hurricane Sandy here in Richmond, VA, and am praying for those who are still struggling with the aftermath. Everything was cancelled here Monday and Tuesday, and it feels so nice to get back into a routine and leave the house today, just in time for Halloween.

My son is at school right now as a dinosaur, and later today I will get dressed as a witch and we will go trick or treating with friends.

This morning, I am enjoying a Pumpkin Spice Latte and bringing you all along with me on a tour of my house to bring in the Halloween spirit. I will even share some chocolate with you. :)

Welcome to our home! We are ready for Halloween!

 

Our entry table, complete with a spooky picture.

 

Our living room window and wall above the couch. Bats and pumpkins and spiders oh my!

 

I love these mice silhouettes going up our stairs.

One of my favorite features of our home; our phone nook. This is the perfect little nook to decorate for the holidays. And right now it is super spooky.

 

This lady welcomes you as you walk into the dining room.

 

The spiders have taken over the china cabinet in the dining room. Would you like to eat with us?

 

It’s all in the details. Here is the centerpiece for our dining room table and the big spider that lives on our dining room chandelier.

 

Our spooky bathroom decor.

 

The kitchen sink and island, decked with pumpkins and Halloween letters.

 

All of the toddler areas; the reading area with Halloween stories, the table with a decorated trick or treat bucket, and my son loves the mouse stairs.

 

Happy Halloween Everyone! Our carved pumpkins for 2012.

 

 

Thank you so much for coming on a house tour with me! I will leave you with a preview of our costumes:

My dinosaur. We are excited about trick or treating tonight!

 

Please stay safe and have fun trick or treating tonight. I will be sharing our Halloween night on Instagram, and would love to see your pics there, too!  See you soon!

 

 

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Pumpkin Patch

29 Oct By

I don’t have a lot of words to go with this post, but in the spirit of Halloween I wanted to share one of my very favorite October traditions with you; the Pumpkin Patch.

I love going every year, and it is so much more fun now that my son is old enough to get excited about it, too.

Please enjoy some pictures of our day as we selected pumpkins, went through a straw maze, and enjoyed playing together.

PS – This top picture? Is my favorite. :)

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The big 2-9

16 Oct By

I have to be honest…I kinda love my birthday.

I love the way October 16th creeps in each year bringing with it the vibrant colors of orange, red and yellow in the leaves. I love the way it ever so subtly drifts in a scent of bonfires and crisp autumn air in the breeze. I love the way mid-October hits in the midst of the busy-ness of pumpkin picking, football games, fall festivals, and chilly nights.

I always have high expectations of my birthday, which is a little silly, but on the years I haven’t made it a celebration, I always get bummed out. (I couldn’t think of a more eloquent way to put that.) (Side note: I’m exhausted from making 1244,090987 homemade baked goods for my son’s bake sale this week.) (Did you know that when you are Parent Council chair you have to be in charge of, like, everything? Including the big fall bake sale? I don’t think I knew this.)

This year I am turning the big 2-9. It’s the last year of my twenties. I hear so much about making this year count, what a big deal turning 30 is, and even know people who have before 30 bucket lists. Which, if I’m hoping to accomplish, I would need to get a start on yesterday.

The thing is, I can’t wait to turn 30. I am not going to be that girl who is “29-for-the-third-time.” I am going to be that girl who is 30 and loving it! (I hope.)

I just think 29 is kind of a lame birthday. Nothing really happens this year. And it’s the age that people say they are again when they are 30, so all year I feel like if I say I am 29, people will think I’m just lying and I’m really 30. (Or, more likely, no one will put that much thought into it.)

That really did happen on my husband’s birthday last month. We went out to dinner and had the traditional free dessert on your birthday brought out, with NO singing. (The hubs is not as into attention as I am.) The woman at the table next to us told him happy birthday, and said, “Isn’t it great to be 29 again?” To which we awkwardly explained that he was, actually, just turning 29.

I know some people whose goal was to have all of their children by 30, or publish a book by 30, or get a PhD by 30. I never really had a before 30 goal in mind, so turning 29 just brings me one step closer to…well, just turning 30.

I have also heard of designated decades for life phases. The twenties are meant to be for partying and working your way up in a career. The thirties are for settling down and starting a family. The forties are for finally feeling established; having control over both family and work life. The fifties and sixties are for winding down your career and starting to relish in grandchildren. And I like to remember the advice of my great grandmother who just celebrated her 99th birthday in September, who says “Life doesn’t’ start ’till you’re 80.”

The truth is, life starts whether or not you chose to make it start. Life happens everyday. Our greatest plans fall apart and our greatest blessings unexpectedly come together.

I didn’t spend my twenties being completely selfish, or partying, or writing books, or establishing a career. I spent most of them going in and out of depression, being a wife, and learning to be a mother. To be honest, this decade of life has been pretty tough and I am quite excited to see it winding down. I’m so ready to fully embrace myself as a woman; one who is comfortable in her skin, confident in herself, and believes in her own truths.

And so as I enter into this last year of my twenties, I will remember that this is my last year to sport the number “2″ at the beginning of my age and my last year to say “I am in my twenties.” But I plan to make this year count just as much as any other year; because they all count so very much in the story of our lives.

So today, I raise my Pumpkin Spice Latte to toast turning 29, and look forward to all of the years to come, even the ones that will start with the number “3″ next time.

 

 

My birthday gift from the hubs this morning, pink roses, a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and a bag full of chocolate!

 

My mom also gave me some new clothes and a new footstool for the end of my bed, and I am looking forward to a girl’s night out this evening!

*Did you notice that Elated Exhaustion looks a little different? The blog re-design has been in the works since August and has just been installed in time for my birthday!*

 

 

 

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The Fallacy of Time

2 Oct By

Time is a funny thing isn’t it?

Always elusive; intangible and present.

Always continuing, despite the moments that feel too long and the years that pass too quickly.

It amazes me how long a minute can be and how short a month is.

It does not stop its steady pace, often conflicting with our own perception of significant moments.

I am sometimes lost between fleeting moments of beauty and impossibly long moments of difficulty.

Emotions can work like a time machine, as anniversaries of events can transport us back and make us feel that we are reliving it.

That’s what deja vu is isn’t it? The reliving of a memory except it’s time travel going forward, remembering something you have not yet encountered.

Time is a schedule, a measure, a constant count.

Time itself never changes, but it has the ability to change everything.

And that is the fallacy of time; for in its essence of consistency, it never accounts for the ways it stands still, moves too fast, and transports us back.

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Familiar Roles

27 Sep By

This feels familiar, as though I’m tracing my footsteps, falling back into a place I’ve known in the past but haven’t visited in a while.

I have become rusty at being in the real world, because as  time passed and seasons changed, my son and I have been creating our own.

It has been a dance of intensity and beauty and I know that we are still only at the beginning.

But the separation is slowly happening. I know we are both finally ready.

As my son expands his world into preschool and friends and independent play, I dust off my “grown up shoes” and try to remember how to walk in them.

This year, I am the Parent Council Chair at my son’s preschool. And my goodness gracious, to those of you that told me to run away when this was offered to me last spring, I owe you a big apology because I really should’ve listened. This job is more of an undertaking than I realized. I had told myself I would not get caught up in it, but as I become more involved and aware of the behind-the-scene action at the school, the more I want to be a part of it. I may be new and I may not want to spend the next year of my life stressed out with this work, but I think I really have a chance to make a difference here. I think this position was put in my path for a reason, and as much work as it is going to be, I also think it’s a blessing. I have done leadership roles before; I have played this part of organizer, brainstormer, care-a-little-too-mucher. I know I can do it again.

I also took a chance this year. A chance I have not dared to take in a long time. I auditioned for a big Christmas production put on by a local church. Most churches do Christmas productions, but apparently this production runs like a Broadway musical. It is an original script each year and the story is told through song, dance, and theater drama. Over 200 people auditioned. Auditions involved dance, vocal, and dramatic. Only 50 people were invited to call backs and 6 women were being considered for the female lead. So here is my big news: I got the lead! Performance used to be a huge part of my life, but I have not performed since 2008, right before I found out I was pregnant.  My skills are a bit rusty, but I am oh-so-ready to bring performance back into my life. There will be costumes, there will be lights, there will be make-up, there will be me trying to learn choreography and lines…and there will be that little piece of my soul that gets fulfilled by being on stage.

I am not sure how all of these pieces will fit back together as I balance motherhood with bits of my previous self, but I know that they will. I am also fighting my own guilt with the fact that I have chosen these roles rather than choosing to return to work. I try to get my Parent Council work done while Noah is in school and all show rehearsals will be at night. These two new roles, though not paid, will still allow me a lot of time with my son. For now, I have decided to feed my soul rather than my bank account.

So as I re-introduce myself to the world of paperwork and pull my dance shoes out of the back of the closet, I also prepare for the beginning of what’s next and pray for guidance into this next round of “new normal.”

(If you will be in the Richmond area around Christmas and are at all interested in attending these performances, you can visit this site for more details. http://gloriouschristmasnights.com/)

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