Easy Peasy

The above is just for kicks and below is just some words for today since this one won't have all that many...

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" -Albus Dumbledore (Yes, I am rereading it... again! I am 'just-might-pee-my-pants' happy about it and don't think I could have picked a better time to do so.)

Today is a pretty easy one for me given that I don't have much to go off of but the posts from this challenge.  Day 21 people; this challenge is finally legal!

The following is my list of my favorite blog posts to date

Pre-challenge

The one where I live a thousand lives 

The one where I realize I fear my seventeen year old self

Challenge

The one where I love on words

The one where I suck at life laundry

The one with the 8 year old runaway (just because this story still gets me every time)

Help, I'm Living with my Husband!

Why does it feel to me that the topics for this challenge seem to fall on just the right - or wrong - day depending on the way you look at it?! This is going up a little later today because 1.) when my mom called to see if I wanted to do lunch I jumped at it in order to get away from the blank screen I was staring at trying to figure out a way to put my thoughts into words and 2.) after said lunch I walked through the aisles at Barnes and Noble and ran my hands along pretty new books because I needed some soul soothing. Now that my must read list has grown significantly and my brain is more focused (even if only slightly) I will try to share something I am struggling with.

*I apologize in advance if my thoughts seem jumbled and my words all over the place.  Change (even good) has a way of putting tightening hands around my brain and throat making both thinking and breathing just a tad bit harder. 

I am struggling with the thought of learning relearning how to live alone with my husband.  I am struggling with the fact that my life is changing. This change is a good thing; logically I know this, irrationally I just want to resume the craziness I have been living in and swim in it.  I hate change so much that I can hold onto chaos and craziness like it is a lifeline that will keep my head above water.  I am learning that it goes hand-in-hand with a chaos I lived in during my formative years, but that's a different story.

My brother-in-law has lived with us, for pretty much, going on two years now.  We have had some great times, we have had some rough times, and we have had some of that just living life stuff. We kind of had a Harry, Ron and Hermione thing going, except sometimes I think I was Harry and the two of them were Ron and Hermione (it's a strange brotherly bromance thing; I embrace that). However, this has meant that for two years I have had an extra body around to talk to.  I have had another person around to play off Andrew's grumpiness when it comes to school work. It has been a three person household and I had gotten used to it.

I now go back to what Andrew and I were pre-roomate and that has been so long ago now that I can't even remember.  I know it was calmer, I know it was more consistent, and I know it was more grounded but this craziness has become such a part of my life that I don't know what to do with it gone.  You see Oliver is a lot more like me (which also means we can butt heads easier) than Babe is.  I am not sure how I found him but I think Andrew has to be one of the only non-crazy souls left on earth! I truly believe we all have some amount of "cray" in us, yet Babes is very hard to find.  His motto? "I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly so all is right in the world." What I wouldn't give to have that mentality and not worry over every little thing that life throws my way (I'm trying).  I have this way of living life either in the clouds or five feet under water.  Right now I feel like I am constantly moving between the two and have no solid place to rest my thoughts.

I know that having my husband and my household back to "normal" is good.  I know that we need to get on with the life we had envisioned (whatever that was) and that it is good that Oliver will be living his life out on his own as well.  Yet I can't help but feel this sense of loss, even if it is just a loss of craziness (trust me when I tell you that these last two years have seen their moments).  How do I begin to go back to "grocery-shopping-date-nights" and quite rooms? I guess it's all an adjustment process from here and I am sure that in the end I will look back at this and be thankful but right now the unknown road ahead just kind of makes me cringe.

Reading this back over I can't help but feel a little foolish.  This shouldn't be that difficult.  It just all came on so fast.  We were originally planning for August (after having originally planned for the first of next year) when all of a sudden it was this weekend.  Rapid change really has a way of throwing me for a loop! On Wednesday when we found out it would be this weekend, I was like "hey I got this" and then last night after helping Oliver unpack in his new place and coming home to his empty spot in the driveway I realized "Holy smokes, everything is different.  I am alone with my husband! Good gracious what the heck am I going to do?!" Yes, please feel free to laugh at the absurdity of that.

I am not really even sure how to end this post because when my life seems to be looking at what I assume to be an endless period of change I can go on and on and on... as if by continuing to "talk" my world will continue to stay as it had. So, I think I will leave you with this; if you finished this 'long-winded, you-have-no-clue-why-this-lady-is-so-freaked-about-living-with-her-husband' post then I applaud and thank you! And because I am feeling nostalgic enjoy some pics from one of those greater moments together (ski trip to Colorado in January of 2012).

Love Me Some Ladies

Had day 19 of the challenge fallen on day two when I was still a very new blog-owner-virgin my list may have been a little different. My love for this greatness has grown immensely and I am blessed with all the new found blogs I am enjoying.

My entrance into the world of blogging started out in a little way, with a pretty big blog (though I didn't realize how big she was until later).  I started reading The Pioneer Woman back when I had some down moments at work.  I am not sure how I found her but I loved her instantly! It may have been early blogger romance or the fact that I like to live somewhat vicariously through people.  A huge bucket list, pipe-dream of mine is to turn Babe into a cowboy and move out to the middle of nowhere and live on a ranch feeding chickens and raising babies "away from it all".
Ree is a city turned country girl (whose above man hunk rides a horse, 'nuf said) and lives on a huge working cattle ranch way out yonder. Now she has a show on the Food Network and books galore.  I only stop by once a week now but still love her for, among other things, what she opened my eyes to... Blogging. 

Somewhere along my searching for other blogs I found Fairy Tales are True!

The title jumped out at me in an "Oh, really? This thing I am in is nothing like they told me it would be growing up." But Sarah's definition and words and beautiful pictures quickly showed me that it is all a matter of perspective.  The way she embraced life (even the though moments) helped me realize that our "fairy tales" are what we make them. I did a little more vicarious living here as she was an ex-pat when I first started following.  I was thinking "girlfriend, you got guts" but her story and the pictures (oh the pictures) made this weary international traveler almost want to pack her bags and say "hey I think I could move over there, Babe let's go".  Now she is back in the US of A and I still find myself living somewhat vicariously watching her hubs bring her breakfast in bed while her gorgeous little man sits cuddled in her arms. She is still a blog I read daily and also how I think I found this girl...

Jenni, whose gushing on you can read here, quickly became my go to gal! Sometimes you live vicariously through another's stories and then sometimes you find one that just seems to fit your soul.  The girl speaks to me! End of story.

I also frequent Carolina Charm because 1.) I went to high school with her and it is kind of fun to see where people end up and 2.) she is another blogger that is a lot of things I am not.  She is organized, her house stylish and immaculate and she has great projects like this one and this one.

Someday I will make this book wreath but mine will include pages from Harry Potter (yes I am going to deface him but it is for a good cause and I have been collecting torn copies from thrift stores). 

Since this challenge though I have found other greatness to love on!

Shay is becoming a true 'head-over-heels, I'm-in-blogger-love' read! I am loving the beauty in her writing. Sharing her story and her journey is a gift that she willingly opens to us.  It draws me in and there are so many times that I read a post and come away with chills.

I am also loving Ashley at Piloting Life.

The changes that go along with her lifestyle and the hubs job are enough to give me the willies but she is embracing the moments as they come. I love her insights and am growing quite fond of her.  And dude?! She saw a whale off Florida's east coast.  I have practically grown up over there and never in all my years seen such a sight! Jealous! 

Ok, so that's six and I feel like this list could go on and on but what can I say?! I am me; I am indecisive and I can gush about people I am loving until I am blue in the face.  Hoping you have a wonderful end to your weekend! Any greatness come your way these last few days? Even just a little great relaxation? That's what I took part in! 

Disney Dreams and Runaways

It's Day 18 and we are to share a vivid childhood memory.  There are quite a few I can think of and for the most part they are good and blissful and filled with childhood wonder.  The following story is in no way a direct reflection of any of that.  Instead you will read a tale of a runway, an interstate, and the police.  You have been warned! And no the reason for running away had nothing to do with the fact that my mother decided to dress me as her twin in the above picture. Bless the dear daughter that I will probably end up doing the same to as some point in time.

This is a story that has been told time and time again.  By me, by my parents, by pretty much anyone who has heard it to anyone who hasn't.  The story has not changed once in all it's many years.  It needs no embellishment.  You see as a young child I had a flair for the dramatic.  I tended to run away on occasion when I felt as if my poor soul had been violated.  This is the beginning of all of that (or at least the beginning of me running away to some place outside the neighborhood).

The scene starts like this: I was right around 8 years old.  I had this neat bicycle with pink and purple glitter writing.  My older sister was staying with us for the weekend (she lived with her mom during the week) and I idolized her.  I can't remember everything leading up to it but she called me a rat or something of the sort and I thought that she liked my friend more than me (because my friend was just kind of cooler and a lot more like my sister) and so I was upset.  I got on my bike and decided that I was moving to Disney.  I knew the general direction and so off I set.  Me, my 8 year old self, and my bicycle.

En route to Disney I passed a neighbor as I was leaving the neighborhood and told him where I was headed.  He seemed to have no intention of stopping me as he assumed - I'm sure - that I was just some kid playing pretend.  Crisis averted, it was meant to be that I should live at Disney.  I took the long way around (by mistake) because I went down a one way exit from the airport going to opposite direction (yup, riding against the flow of traffic).  After about an hour I finally arrived at the Bee Line (now called the Beach Line) that takes you towards the beaches or Disney (even at 8 I knew how to make my way to the land of magic and happiness).  However, the Bee Line is a toll road highway.  I 1.) did not have change to pay the toll and 2.) did not know if they would allow me to pass through on my bike.  So, as any 8 year old would do, I stopped my bike on the side of the highway to try to figure out how I would solve this problem.

As my young brain is processing this dilemma, the following occurred.  My mom has realized I am missing and called the police.  An off duty cop who was taking his step-son home saw a young kid on the side of a highway and thought, "hmmm, maybe I should see what is going on." Said cop (really nice guy), in his uniform, pulls over and comes to talk to me.  He asks me what I am doing.  Oh man, now I have to process quickly.  So I tell him that I am just out for a bike ride and I live in the apartments that are right off the entrance to the highway (good gracious was I stubborn and persistent; I just freaking lied to the Popo).  He says that I should not be on the highway and to wait where I was.  This side of the story I know from my mother.  Cop gets on his cop radio and calls into dispatch, who is still on the phone with my mom, he relays that there is a young girl on the highway at least an hours bike ride from our house (my mom didn't know I had been gone so long). The dispatcher tells this information to my mom who answers "oh there is no way that could be her." She was wrong! After a detailed description of the child and the bike my mother realizes that her child is on a highway.  I am then loaded into the car with the cop, who offered to take me home (a ten minute drive), and his step-son. And that pretty much sums up my daring escape to the land of happiness.  In hindsight it is a fun story to tell, but let's pray my future daughter has less of my tendencies and more of her fathers.  

Needless to say I didn't really go anywhere for a while... until the next time I ran away, this time at night and with my younger brother, when we had our Gameboys taken away.  How I am still alive to tell this tale I have no clue but thank the heavens above that I was found by the right people.
What about y'all? Any other fellow runaway aficionados out there? 

Freezing Moments

It's Day 17 and Jenni is really not doing this indecisive girl any favors.  I have quite a few favorite pictures; I like them all really.  And no, this is not in a "toot-my-own-horn, I-think-I-am-a-looker" type of way.  Pictures to me signify memories.  Some of my favorite pictures are ones that I look horrible in but I love them because the memory behind them and knowing how I felt the moment the picture was snapped means so much more than whatever type of mess I might look like (like when I shared this memory).  So you get two pictures for today and can expect to see the rest of the ones I came across while hunting for these in day 28's post. 

The moment I saw this picture I was in love with it.  I know you can't see my face and no it is not just me.  Typically my favorite pictures never include just me, they always include some of my people and having my little people in them is just icing on the cake.  I love my little people.  It is so crazy to believe how much he has grown since this day. 

There is one that includes just me that, while not the best picture of me, pretty much sums up the feelings of my wedding morning for me and stops me every time I see it (it's also just pretty me in general).  I was anxious and curious. I wanted to see Babe before he saw me, I wanted to see how and where people were sitting and I wanted to know what I could expect to find out those back doors before I even thought of venturing out into what would be the rest of my life.  

* Photos courtesy of Nu Visions in Photography

I really enjoyed going through old photos as I made sure these were the ones I wanted to post.  I can't wait to see everyone else's.