Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Laser Show plus Ten Things

Summer is coming to an end this week, and we've been squeezing out every last drop of it!  Last friday, the kids and I did something we NEVER do.... we got doughnuts.  I know, shocking.  But let me say, not having one for more than a year made me enjoy them even more!  They were so good I even texted a picture to Alex to let him know what was waiting at home {yeah, we're crazy food people, but that's okay}.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Camping {Cloudland Canyon}

We left town for the Fourth of July to reconnect in our favorite way - camping.  It's a tiring thing to do.  There is so much prep work at home before leaving, and the whole set up and take down isn't exactly quick, especially with three little ones, but the memories are worth it.  

We drove three hours northwest to Cloudland Canyon State Park, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.  The pictures cannot do this canyon justice.  It was truly awe-inspiring.



Friday, June 27, 2014

Tubing the Chattahoochee

As a family it's been our goal to live more from intention, to purposefully go out and do things together.  To make memories.  To spend our money and time on experiences instead of on things.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Finding Meditation at the Kitchen Sink



Lately, I've been finding the admonition to meditate nearly everywhere I look.  Articles, quotes, blog posts, and news bits, it seems the universe is telling me meditation is something I need in my life.  I don't love the word meditation - for me, it tends to bring on images of saints or very religious people sitting in silence.  It's a little eerie, a bit weird and the whole idea makes me a tad uncomfortable.  However, I can't deny the benefits that come from a still mind.  Connecting with my inner self, taking the time to analyze my feelings and thoughts, it's all very positive and an impetus to personal growth.  After all, how can I know which areas in my life I need to put work into if I never take the time to think about how things are going?  

Monday, June 16, 2014

Panther Creek Trail {Father's Day Hike}

We spent Saturday hiking Panther Creek Trail to celebrate father's day.  We splashed in the chilly water, looked for bugs and mushrooms, and listened to birds and the breeze.  There was so much to experience, the creeks and shoals, crossing nearly broke-down bridges, and climbing big rocks.

 

Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Thing I'm Most Guilty Of As A Parent


There was never much question in my mind that I'd be an amazing mother.  From early childhood, I clearly recall this intense desire for children.  It was the one thing that I knew I was meant for.  That I'd be perfect for.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Becoming Authentically Me


It's funny to think about putting effort into becoming myself, but that's sort of where I've been heading for a while now.  I think as we grow up, enter adulthood, we sort of wait around, flailing in my case, trying to figure out how to reconcile what we've learned about life and the world and how we should act, even who we should be, with the person we feel ourselves growing into.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The Happiness Project


Last week we took a trip to the beach, and I brought along a new book as I usually do.  This book was entitled The Happiness Project.  I devoured that book, and it set in motion all kinds of things in my mind.  I won't go into all the details of the book here, but I will say that it inspired me to take a look at my life and find ways to create happiness.  Not that I'm particularly unhappy, the opposite in fact, but I think it's easy for us to become bogged down in the daily goings-on, the routines and rituals of daily life and to let our goals for our lives get a little lost in the shuffle.  I'm certainly in that place now, and I have been for a while.  

I think when I created this blog, I hoped I would find a place to connect with others, to put down my feelings so that I myself could recognize what I was feeling, to reconnect with my love of journaling.  But as it turned out, the blog quickly became something I felt compelled to do, the perfectionist in me decided what I would right about, and I always questioned whether or not what I wrote was good enough or if anyone would like it.  But as I read through The Happiness Project, I realized that I needed to get back to the core of who I am.  The girl that loves to write without worrying about what other people think.  That's what I want this blog to be about.  To give me a vehicle for growth and change and evolution.  A safe space for me to let out my feelings, my fears, my happinesses without worrying about judgement, mostly without judging myself.  It isn't easy to erase thirty years of obsessiveness and perfectionism, but it's one of my goals, one that I will more than likely continue working on for the rest of my life.

The quote above really struck a chord with me.  Life isn't about finding happiness; happiness is not some elusive thing which, once attained, is constant and steady and easy.  Happiness is those fleeting moments, the ones that almost slip by unnoticed.  Watching my two-year-old eating cherrios with a serving spoon.  Listening to my daughters sing along with one of my favorite songs.  Catching a text from my husband with a simple ILY (our code for I Love You.)  The moments when you don't even realize you have a huge grin on your face until someone asks you why you're smiling.  If I'm not careful, those moments pass by and I don't even appreciate them.  When I'm rushing, or "busy", or frustrated, or whatever I am in the moment, if I'm not present, I lose those little gifts of happiness.  Above all, I want to look less, but see more.  Notice life.  Soak in the happiness and peace and craziness and love that's bursting around me.  

The book has spurred me to begin working on my own sort of Happiness Project, of which this blog will be a part.  I'm hoping to explore more ways in which I can relish in the happiness of my life now, as well as reconnect to things which used to bring me joy, but which I've let fall out of my life for some reason.  I also plan on thinking about things I can let go of that are impeding true happiness for me.  

I'm excited for the things to come!

-xoxo-

|| popular posts ||