Wednesday, October 26, 2011

"Children make you want to start life over"

I've been blessed with an amazing job nannying for a great family with amazingly talented kids. Although I sometimes get stressed out with the kids for misbehaving, most of the time we have fun playing games on the Wii, building forts in the living room out of couch cushions and blankets, baking yummy cakes and cupcakes, playing catch with the little football in the house, dancing like crazy in the garage and doing all kinds of little crafts together.


Monday, I took Kaia to her second hockey practice of the season. She started hockey last year and it is truly amazing how much she has improved since then. I remember watching her struggle to stay on her skates the first few practices last year, but now she's cruising down the rink faster than most of the boys her age. 


No matter how many times I have to send the kids to their rooms or yell at them for fighting, I love my job for all the little things they/we do that keep me smiling.

It was hiding in the dark with the kids for fifteen minutes waiting for Nicole to get home so we could surprise her with a big "Happy Birthday!"


 It was Kaden telling Kaia how great she did jumping over the lines during practice. 

It was comparing their school pictures from this year and last year. It's amazing how much they've grown.  

It's the little things kids say...
"I didn't make you any pictures, mom."
"Ahhh! Kaden!"
"I'll go to my room for 35 minutes..." 
"Why?"
"Cause you turned 35!" 

Monday, October 24, 2011

It's going to be a good day..

Somedays, you wake up and just know that it will be a good day. I'm happy to say today is one of those days.

This weekend I had the chance to go home and spend time with all of my favorite people. I always feel so blessed when I'm with my family. There is so much love, laughs and just happy times.

[Taken by Cody Maki]

The silly little things that made me smile most this weekend were my niece and nephew. Kids are just adorable. "Jazzy! Jazzy! Jazzy!" my nephew continuously called throughout the weekend. We carved pumpkins and he made his pumpkin soup once again. Then, we went crazy painting the littlest pumpkin. We decided it looked like the earth.

[Taken by Cody Maki]

It's all the little things they do that make me so happy like Kiera's little smile. And how she would run up to my brother and lay her little head on his lap, and then look up at him giggling. It was Ronan trying to tickle everyone. It was his silly little "surprise" when I walked in the door to their apartment Friday night and how excited he was to play with me. It was Kiera trying to eat her entire piece of cake in one bite and getting frosting all over her face.


It was talking for hours with my big sister about everything under the sun and realizing how crazy our life has been. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a movie.



It was catching up with my best friend Cassie over a little dinner date. Even just spending an hour or two filling each other in on everything new in our lives means the world to me. Next time we will have more time.

It was waking up early this morning and going for a run before sunrise, so I have time to spend with a good friend tonight.

[Taken by Cody Maki]


I've learned to take the time you're given and make the most of it. And spending time with the ones you love is the most important thing you can do. If I have to wake up early or stay up a little later in order to talk to my sister or spend some time with a good friend, then I will because in the end that's what really matter. You can have your dream job and all the money in the world but you'll never be happy if you don't make time for friends and family because no one wants to be alone.

Song of the day:

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Taking a break to breath

This long weekend was full of moments -- big and little -- that made me smile.

It was seeing my parents and laughing with my mom through an entire football game.

It was buying little pumpkins and decorating our house for fall.

Me and Kelly Squatting - Taken by Sarah 
It was raking the leaves with roommates in hopes of ending our mice problem.

It was spending time to get to know a friend.

Oktoberfest 10k - Taken by my mom

It was waking up bright and early to run my first 10k. It was finishing the race and finding out that I had kept a steady pace -- 7:51 -- throughout the entire space. It was knowing that an 11-year-old boy had kicked my butt in the race. It always amazes me to see these young kids running these races and doing so well.

It was learning a new game and laughing our asses off.

Roomies - Taken by Will

It was celebrating my beautiful roommate Kari's 21st birthday.

Kelly and Kari - The Birthday Girl
It was watching my dad wrestle with his granddaughters.

It was being able to sleep in and not rush through my day.

And it was capturing all of the moments on camera.








Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Fall is home

Today, I went on a search for blogs with a similar topic as this one. It made my day to read about all the little things in other people's lives.

A quote about fall from Enjoying the Small Things really caught my attention.

"I don't know exactly what it is about fall. I mean, summer's so live-it-up with its bathing suits and lemonade stands and late night barbecues, spring is renewing, winter has the whole Christmas thing going for it, but fall...fall is home."

Fall is home. Is that just lovely? The statement is so true for me.

"It isn't leaves and temperature drops and cold rosy cheeks at a football game that make fall what it is. It is the grounding rituals of tradition, the return to the foundation of what matters most...our home, our family, our stories"

As it becomes more and more apparent that fall is here -- with the changing of colors and the falling of leaves -- I realize more and more how much I miss my family. It's been awhile since I've spent time with my family. I was home for a few hours about a month ago and my mom was here for a few hours a couple weeks ago. But with my busy schedule, I haven't had the time to go home for a proper visit.

Instead, I asked my parents to come here for the weekend. I am running my first 10k this Saturday and my mom has always been very supportive of my running, so I knew she'd be excited about the idea.  It is also my grandma's birthday week -- she turned 84 yesterday -- so my parents and I will be able to take her out for dinner. Plus, my parents need a break from everything to just enjoy life. 

"When my siblings and I get together, it isn't long before we're recalling childhood memories...And I think about that a lot. What will my kids remember?"

 I'll always remember raking up the leaves and jumping in them with my brother and sister when we were kids. I'll remember carving pumpkins with my nephew and watching him stir the seeds as if he was making soup. I'll remember baking pie after pie after pie with my mom one afternoon for a church pie sale. And I'll remember running the 10k this weekend, knowing my mom and dad were there to support me.
 
So maybe I can't go home this weekend and bring my niece and nephew to the pumpkin patch to pick out that perfect pumpkin to bring home and carve or bake tons of pies with my mom for church. I can still spend time with my family, and I'm very thankful for that.

"It's called making lemonade. And I dig that."

Check out Kelle Hampton's blog for beautiful photographs and beautiful stories.

I'll continue to search for blogs that relate to this one and post about them as I find ones that inspire me.










Tuesday, October 4, 2011

It's raining leaves

It's all the silly little things like...


...watching all the leaves slowly change colors and fall to the ground like rain.

...seeing pumpkins pop up outside of everyone's front doors.

...walking into grandma's house and smelling fresh apple pie.

...breathing in the fresh air as I run outside in the perfect weather.

...going shopping and seeing fall decorations everywhere.

...contemplating what I'll be for Halloween before I even know my plans.

...spending time outside in the parks, taking in the beauty and enjoying the peacefulness.

...and when all the leaves fall to the ground, it's raking them up into a big pile and jumping in it just like we did when we were kids.



Sunday, October 2, 2011

Find your escape

This weekend was the best of everything. I got to spend time with friends, escape to the park and "check out" for a while, experience something completely new to me and run like crazy.

Friday night, a friend and I went bowling. It's been a long time since I last went bowling, and it definitely showed, but it was still really fun. Then, a few people came over to the house for a few games and a lot of laugh. I didn't get any sleep, but it was a great night. 

Saturday, I woke up at 6 a.m. for an Advocate story. I bundled up and drove down to the Regional Science Center. It was still dark when I got there and the wind was chilly blowing across the prairie as I walked to the  site. I was there to observe the bird banding, interview the students and professor and get photos and video. There were twenty or more students signed up to come, but only four showed up, so I ended up helping with the bird banding as well. It was an entirely new experience for me. Seeing these little tiny birds tangled up in this big net and trying to disentangle their little bodies and keep them warm. Holding the robins in my hand and throwing them up in the air, so they could fly away. It was an amazing experience. 

Later, I grabbed my camera and my iPod and went to Lindenwood Park. I wandered around the park taking everything in: the calmness, the beautiful fall colors, the chirping of birds, the peacefulness... I took pictures of everything. It was my time to escape and "check out" of the world for a while. I cleared my head and let my mind wander as I enjoyed the quietness of the park and the liveliness of the playground.

Some days you just have to check out for a while. Turn off your phone and computer and just get away. It be cruising around in your car, taking a walk, or just sitting at a park. Take time to enjoy the beauty of life and think about all the wonderful things in your life or maybe the not so wonderful things in your life that you want to change. Take the time to reexamine your life.