Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Loughman family! I've been thinking a lot about New Year's Resolutions.

My word of the year is going to be Generosity. The last couple years I've picked a word that was very me-focused. You know, I wanted to "choose joy" or "be intentional" or whatever. But if I'm honest with myself, those words never really stuck. Maybe they're too hard to measure. (I'm a big fan of quantifiable goals.) Too vague. But I'm kind of over all this me-focused stuff. Ugh. I'm so over me. This year I really wanted a word that was less about how I could be better, and more about how I could make other things better.

So, generosity. I can be generous with my money, obviously. Maybe - taking one hundred dollars a month to spread some random kindness. Pay for the car behind me in the drive-thru. Leave a really generous tip to the stressed waitress. Bless a giftcard on someone at work going through a tough time. Buy a goat.

I can also be generous with my time. Read that extra bedtime story (without gritting my teeth). Send Matt out for an extra long run (without tabulating all the things I'd rather be doing with that time). Say "yes" a bit more. Find time on the calendar to go ahead and block off for that family time. Generosity to me looks like an attitude - doing the things I might have already been doing, but with a happy attitude. 

What other areas of life can I be generous in?

(Half) Marathon Man

The runners about to head to the starting line. It was just a little chilly.

This spring, Matt signed me up for the Peachtree Road Race. The day after I found out I'd been lottery-issued a race number, I laced up my sneakers and hit the road to start training. Remember? Then there was the actual running of the World's Largest 10k back in July. Well, the oddest thing happened after that race. I just... kept running. Turns out, I kind of like it. It's really good exercise.

But I'm the kind of person that always does better with a goal. I thrive on New Year's Resolutions. I enjoy a good to-do list. So after upping my mileage to seven miles, eight... I started thinking. Would a half marathon be in the realm of possibility for me? Matt signed up for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon and I casually mentioned to my brother that he should run it too. Then he upped the ante by throwing the challenge right back at me. The idea was already in the back of my mind, but once again, I knew I would need someone next to me pounding the pavement. It's all well and good to say Lukas, Matt and I would run the Half together, but "together" would pretty much only go as far as the starting line, then those two would leave me in the dust.

So I took a leap and put it out on Facebook... anyone want to run a half marathon with me? Lo and behold, I quickly got a reply. It turns out my friend Kelly was looking for a reason to kick up her training. Suddenly it was game on! The long runs slowly increased - nine miles, ten... I got myself some fancy new award-winning running shoes, Matt ordered me some running gloves. The morning I ran 10 miles in 42-degree weather and still felt able to function afterwards, that's when I finally figured this might all actually happen! That week Kelly finished her 10-mile training run and our pace was only five seconds apart. I was hopeful that I wouldn't slow her down too much!

My running buddy. (Thanks for the official photo, Atlanta Track Club!)

Thanksgiving morning, we were up at 4:30. We picked up Kelly and Lukas and headed downtown. It was dark. And cold. Although the cool thing about this race is that as you heat up and discard layers, the race officials collect the old clothing, clean it and donate it all to the Atlanta Mission for the homeless. Anyway, we hung around the portable heaters, waiting for the race to start, trying to keep from freezing. Finally it was time to take our places. Matt headed up front to Wave A. Lukas was just a few steps behind him. And I had taken a leap of faith and signed up for the two hour pace team to get myself into Wave B with Kelly. The music blared, the announcers were pumping us up, the sky was brightening with every minute. I had this crazy moment of anxiety as we started walking towards the starting line. This was it. My knees had been acting up the last two weeks, I hadn't gotten in the runs I'd wanted to, I didn't want to let Kelly down. I had less fear of not finishing (I figured I could make it to the end) and more fear of how I would make it there. It was almost exactly eight months since I first laced up my running shoes back in March.

Moving towards the starting line!

And then we started running. And my muscle memory took over. The familiar songs came through my earbuds, my legs started pumping without me telling them what to do. The miles just started ticking away and my brain just ignored the fact that I'd repeating this motion for two hours. Now and then we'd pass the cheering spectators, little kids holding inspiring signs like "you can do this!" that made me tear up a little - I was oddly emotional during the run. Part of me couldn't believe this was happening while my body just kind of did its thing like it was no big deal. Kelly and I were step in step the whole way, taking on the hills (which were nothing compared the roads I've been training on) and keeping the two hour pace team in sight. When I crossed the 10 mile marker and took one more step I turned to Kelly and announced that I was now officially running more than I ever had before. The familiar music kept pounding in my ears and my legs just kept going.

It was key having a running buddy by my side. Kelly definitely kept up the pace for me and since she showed no inclination of wanting to slow down or take a walk break, I didn't either, something I probably would have done had I been by myself. Using the same music that I'd been training with for the last few months also helped - my legs had a Pavlovian reaction to the tunes. By mile 11 and a half, my knees were starting to hurt and I was just ready to get to the finish line. We hit a patch of dull pavement sparsely populated by spectators and it was time to put down down my head, watch my feet churning over the pavement, and just grit my teeth and go. By mile 12 I was getting texts from people at the finish line. Finally we rounded a corner and saw the end in sight. Kelly took off, determined to get ahead of the two hour pace team. I started drifting left when I got a text from Virginia saying she and Chitra had formed a cheering section for us just across the finish line.

We did it!

And just like that, it was done! Goal accomplished! It was an amazing feeling, coupled with a sweet medal and bragging rights, made all the sweeter for being greeted by so much family at the end. Who would had thought I'd one day run a half marathon. Who would have thought I'd even want to! The official time came in - 13.1 miles in two hours and two seconds. I'll be honest, that was way better than I thought it would be! I'd been telling people my goal was just to get to the finish line. But to do it in two hours... I must really be a runner!

When I showed my students, they were all "You won?!" and I did nothing to change that impression. I DID win!

The cheering squad!

So now that I have my half marathon bling, what do I do now? Keep running? Take a break? Sign up for another race? Kelly wants to train for a full marathon but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet. Perhaps the Triple Peach (10k, 10-Mile, Half-Marathon) next year? Who knows... All I know is, I just keep lacing up those running shoes.

Race Day!

Back in April, when I found out the race entry lottery Matt entered me had indeed yielded me a Peachtree Road Race number, I immediately wished I'd entered the Powerball lottery instead. I kid! I was excited. I haven't run a race since the last Peachtree I ran eight years ago with Matt and my dad. And after watching Matt train so diligently for his half marathon and become quite the runner in the process, I wanted a turn to lace up my own shoes and hit the pavement.

I've slowly been transforming myself into a "runner" of sorts. There was the downloading of the Nike+ Training app, the trip to Big Peach Running to get professionally fitted for the proper shoes, the purchasing of running related accessories like the ear buds and flip belt. There have been runs around the neighborhood (hilly) and runs at the Greenway (beautiful) and runs in the rain. I even managed to squeeze in runs while both girls were in the water at swim practice. I've done squats and more squats to try to fend off runner's knee injuries. I've picked up a random yoga routine here and there and marveled that I was ever able to do this three times a week - yoga is hard!

And all this effort, the work, the knee pain... it was all leading to July 4 and the famed Peachtree Road Race 10k. My knees had been bothering me (I sound like such an old lady) so I hadn't been on anything long than a one mile jaunt around the 'hood for the last two weeks, and I'd only managed two or three of those as it was. The longest distance I'd ever hit was four miles, and every big distance had always led to protesting joints. Hit 5k, take two weeks off to heal. Hit four miles, end up on the coach for ten days, etc. While I knew I could go the distance, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it without crying into my kneecaps. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I watched the days tick down on the calendar.

On Marta, heading to the expo for our numbers. Game faces on.

                                  

We decided to take Marta to the expo as our dry run. We bought our tickets for the next day as well, which proved to be a wise decision when we saw the lines trying to navigate the ticket machines the next day. The expo was crowded, with offerings from running clothes to "energy" jelly beans. Matt picked up his number in the Wave A booth. It had a few fast, fit looking people lined up. I picked up my number in the Wave W booth. The people in line with me, lets just say they didn't look like the people waiting with Matt. Although I figured they would be good company for me and my knees. We took our numbers, signed the wall and headed home.

The road would prove to be as crowded as the signatures on the wall.

Staking my claim.

It pays to be prepared the night before.

Matt set the alarm for 4:45. That would give us enough time to get up, have our coffee and breakfast (half an English muffin with almond butter, in case you're wondering what an elite athlete like myself eats on race day), get dressed and get to Marta. It was shocking how different the station looked than it had the day before. It was clogged with runners of every shape and size. Families, couples, random dudes, it was packed. Everyone had their race bib on, so it was easy to spot the top runners (seeded, yellow bib, no wave) from my fellow W's. Everyone seemed awake and excited, despite the early hour. We stuffed ourselves into the first train that showed up, packed almost as tightly as we would be in the race later, and took off.

Waiting for the train.

Going up!

Once we spilled out into the sunshine, Matt pretty quickly had to ditch me. His wave was called in one direction, the rest of us were herded in another. We took a picture and then he was off. He would be done running before I even got started! I waited for my friend Sheri, who had graciously agreed to run with me once she found out that I was in need of a friend at the race.

Good luck, Matt!

Things back in Wave W were decidedly less serious than I'm sure they were in Wave A. Back here there were plenty of costumes, tutus, crazy headbands with streamers. It was definitely more of a party atmosphere. Which was good! It helped me relax and realize that ultimately my goal was just to get to the end and no one really cared overly much about technique and form from where we were. Sheri decked me out in shades and beads, which turned out to be so helpful as we ran - the beads kept clicking together and made it easier to keep track of each other. I could always hear Sheri next to me!

My running partner and bling bringer!

We were still hanging out in our staging area when I got the text from Matt that he was already done and hanging out in the Atlanta Track Club members-only tent with his free beer. Jealous! At this point what had dawned as a fairly pleasant morning was rapidly becoming a typical Atlanta summer scorcher. But as we finally starting walking towards the starting line, I got excited that this show was finally on the road.

Passing under the giant flag at the starting line.

Let's get this party started!

The actual running part was part jogging, part dodging the professional walkers all around us, looking for holes in the masses to quick-step through... I probably logged an extra mile just trying to get around people. I one point I turned to Sheri and pointed out that we were pretty much the only people running - everyone else was walking! But that also served to make me feel super accomplished - look at how many people we're passing! While I had warned Sheri that my training had been mainly intervals (run three minutes, walk one), we ended up running three miles straight before taking a potty break. As we told Matt later, the two hours we had to wait before starting meant nature came a'calling in the middle of the race. Had we started when he did, we would have made it to the end without a problem. But we ended up stopping at the perfect time. By the time we made it through the line and were back on the road, we were rested enough to tackle Cardiac Hill. We did make sure to grab water at every opportunity and walk while we drank it so as not to waste a precious drop.

For all my worries that I wouldn't be able to make it, I feel rather proud of myself. I managed to run basically the whole race, minus our water walks. There was enough going on around us, from the guys dressed as space men and the random dude that offered us beer from the rolling cooler he was running with, to the cheering spectators and encouragement along the way, that it carried me along. I texted Matt as we rounded the corner onto 10th Street and knew that the finish line was coming up. We finished strong and headed through the masses to pick up our shirts, snacks, and finally reunited with Matt. I was tired, but more from the 5 a.m. wake-up call than the actual race. The race kind of kills your holiday, but I would definitely do it again. I better get a higher wave though!

The finishers!

Many thanks go out to Matt, for getting me my race number and encouraging me to go out for a job while he watched the girls. Thanks to Sheri for running with me on the big day. Thanks to Virginia and my mom for texting me these last three months to check in on my training progress and my knees. Thanks to Nike+ for all those squats. Thanks to the amazingly organized race and its countless volunteers who run the show. Thanks to America for being born. Thanks everyone!

Running Man

Matt casually went out the other weekend and ran a half marathon. I think he's what you'd call a "runner" now. I got periodic updates on his progress as I sat around leisurely eating breakfast and getting the girls ready for church. It was fun to follow along... he was done before we even made it to church! By the time we got home, he was back, showered, and cooking up a post-race feast of bacon and eggs, none of which I had earned but all of which I gladly partook.

Picking up the race number.

Look at that pace!

Annie made him the medal at the bottom... she made it a first, second and third place medal, just in case. But who are we kidding, Daddy totally won.

Then Matt casually announced he was entering me into the Peachtree Road Race lottery. He gets an automatic in now that he's part of the Atlanta Track Club, but I had to cross my fingers (I didn't) and hope to get a spot (I wasn't holding my asthmatic breath).

Then Friday morning I woke up to this:

Um, yay?

So now I have to learn how to run!

Fun fact: I've actually run the fabled Peachtree Road Race before. It was... difficult. Sweltering. Uphill. Crowded. I was quite nervous, truth be told. I'm not a runner. I really don't like running. Partly because my exercise-induced asthma tends to flair up when I, um, exercise.  But that fated July 4, 2009, Matt and my dad and I took our places on the starting line, despite my distinct lack of training. Matt eventually abandoned us slowpokes, and even my dad edged past me as I huffed and puffed and churned my way along at what amounted to a walk masquerading as a jog. To be fair, I don't begrudge either man for leaving me in the dust. (And to be even more fair, around Mile 5 I realized that something was quite different about this run, the difference being that I was pregnant - whoops!) I will NOT be running pregnant this time.

But I do need to figure out how this whole running thing works again. So I've designated our resident Running Man to be my trainer. He's put me on the run/walk/run method, in hopes of keeping me below my asthma threshold. I headed out today with instructions to run for a minute, walk for a minute, and repeat for 30 minutes total. Somehow every walking period was downhill and every running round hit during an uphill stint, but whatever, I managed to keep it up for all 30 minutes and "closed my circle" as my slightly pretentious but honestly very helpful Apple Watch would say. I think the plan is to eventually run for two minutes for every one of walking, then three running minutes, etc until I can make it a whole 10k.

So after my first successful day of training, I'm going to go eat some Five Guys and feel good about myself. T minus three months to go.

Happy New Year!

Hello 2017! 

We had a pretty tame New Year's Eve around here, which given the way 2016 has rapidly gone downhill (barring a significant upturn in December brought on by the holidays and my brother's wedding), seemed just fine with me. We drove in from said wedding around 5:30 on NYE, unpacked the car and our bags and headed over to our neighbor's house for a low-key hang out until midnight. Keeping it simple! Both girls, after being cooped up in the car for six-plus hours, were ready to run around and have some fun but quickly crashed. Violet made it to midnight, barely, and Annie found herself a nice spot on the couch and called it a night.

Traditional family photo.

I was talking with these lovely ladies about the new year. I've decided one of my resolutions will be to start wearing lipstick. Not changing the world over here by any means, but since I've graduated to washing my face everyday and wearing real makeup, I might as well add lipstick as the final touch. I just need to find an expert who can tell me what type/shade/brand of lipstick I need. And how to apply it. And when to wear it. But I can do hard things!

We were also talking about our words for the year. Last year I picked "abide." I wanted to make sure I was abiding in, living in, God's will for my life. I wanted to make sure I was where He wanted me. I wanted to be saturated with His will, His plan. Lo and behold, I followed the call straight over to a new school, a bigger commitment at church, I even agreed to be Violet's Daisy troop co-leader! I can't say I feel saturated, but I certainly feel like I've waded up past my knees.

This year, I'm going with "intentional". I want to be very intentional about how I spend my time, my money, what words I use, my attitude. What is important? What actually needs my "yes"? Intentional, present, aware, all those things. I haven't quite figured out what tools I'm going to need to help me on this journey. Is there a good book out there? Do I need an alarm on my phone to beep my head out of the clouds and back onto the moment at hand? Do you have a word of the year? (The above ladies picked "peace" and "simplify"...)

Let's get this year started!

Sweet girl couldn't make it to midnight, and this mama wasn't far behind her!

What's Up? Chicken butt!

So as you know, one of my goals this year was to get more creative in the kitchen. I've talked at length about my insecurities in the kitchen, how my Type-A personality really just wants to follow directions to the eighth of a teaspoon. The idea of a "dash of this" or "salt to taste" makes me break out in hives. It's all terribly ironic that I find myself cooking for twelve people every week, but I've gotten by with my standard five recipes that I can cook blindfolded and no one has complained about yet.

But. I'm trying to stretch myself this year. Trying to get out of my comfort zone. Trying to get creative. And nothing says creative like dealing with an entire chicken. At least for me. If you're a defeathering, impaling on a beer can, trussing pro, you can just read this with gentle amusement and an eye roll or two.

Anyway, the goal: Martha Stewart's Whole Roasted Mustard Chicken, as featured in this month's M.S. Living magazine. It looked simple enough (entire recipe fit on an index card) yet scary enough (um, whole chicken) to qualify for my little project.

Here's what we're shooting for.

Step one: obtain ingredients. This was accomplished after dropping Annie at daycare this morning. Thank you all US Presidents all for granting me the day off. The whole chicken was found, the rosemary thyme was procured, the cashier offered lots of encouragement when I showed her the recipe.

Reading through the recipe, I noticed that the chicken was supposed to be at room temperature. This creeped me out. Leave some raw chicken to hang out on the counter for a few hours? I'm no cook, but I feel like this flies in the face of all food safety laws out there. But whatever, I let the bird sit out while I watched an old episode of X-Files (hello Netflix streaming, I love you).

Step two: slice up ingredients. Easy.

Step three: deal with chicken. Here's how it went down. First, I wrestled the chicken out of its packaging. There were... parts... that needed to come out of the body cavity. I tried not to look too closely as I rinsed it out. Then I had to "pat dry" so I made a nice little bed of paper towels to lay the thing on. Once it was nice and dry, I washed my hands. Safety first. The next instructions were to salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. But how to hold the thing open while simultaneously operating the pepper grinder, all the while not contaminating anything with my raw chicken-infected hands? I settled for making a little seasoning dish with the salt and pepper. Then I had to stuff two lemons and the thyme up in there. And then I washed my hands. I placed the chicken on the vegetables. And washed my hands again. Now I had to rub oil all over the body, followed by brushing on the mustard, then more salt and pepper. I tried to touch as little as possible. I had my right hand covered in chicken, my left hand attempting to rub and brush and sprinkle (in retrospect, those hands should have been reversed). And then I washed those hands. Oh yeah, but I still had to tie the sucker up. I'm sure there's an official, nifty way to tie up a chicken, but my method of winding my fancy twine (which may or may not have silver sparkles on it) around that bad girl until she can't move seemed to work fine.

AND THEN I WASHED MY FREAKING HANDS. AGAIN.

Step four: into the oven. Finally. I was so exhausted I had to go lie down in the dark bedroom and rub lotion on my poor, chapped hands. All that work, all that hand washing, and the thing could still kill us with its underdoneness. Oh Martha, why do you do this to me?

All tied up and ready to go.

But lo and behold, what felt an hour and a half later (because it probably was), Matt arrived to pull this baby out of the oven! The veggies were a little overdone (not a hint of green left on those brussels sprouts, I'm afraid) but the chicken was mercifully cooked through. I let him have the honor of carving her up and I'm not going to lie, I soaked up every one of his compliments to the chef. And there you have it, folks. I roasted my first whole chicken and lived to tell the tale.

Who's hungry?

Credit where credit is due... 

Thank you Martha for the recipe. None of this would have been possible without Kim's roasting pan and meat thermometer - thanks for making sure my meat was cooked to a sufficient doneness. And thanks for leaving me the key to your house so I can go plunder your kitchen for the necessary tools I lack. Thank you to my supportive husband for his kind words and carving skills. Thank you to my kids for eating the chicken (I didn't even bother them with the veggies). Thank you to the lovely Publix cashier who gave me the confidence boost I needed while I waited in line. And finally, thank you to the internet, for teaching me that the correct name is brussels sprouts, not brussel sprouts, as I've been calling those suckers for years. Feeling simultaneously smarter and more idiotic now. (And for the rest of you whose minds I just blew with that little fact, you're welcome.)

Good Start

So, how is going around here?

Well, I'm continuing to love getting creative with color. There is something weirdly therapeutic about it. The girls will be driving me nuts, I'll give up on bedtime and make Matt take over, I'll go color for ten minutes, and suddenly I'm ready to deal with things again. If I end up needing to take another trip upstairs, I am able to do it with a rather positive attitude. Strange what a few minutes of self-centered (not in the egotistical way) zen will do for you. So I'll be keeping up the coloring.

I got creative in the kitchen when I cooked up some quinoa and subbed it for the usual rice I serve with various recipes. The results were mixed. All agreed it was far healthier, some had no problem making a swap, others (like me) couldn't quite make the leap due to the textural differences, so I think I'll keep offering both. What food should I tackle next?

And thanks to a timely invitations, we even had the chance to create new relationships when we were invited to dinner by a lovely family we know through church. We have kids the same age and have gotten to know them a bit on Sunday mornings (us moms were on the same volunteer schedule for a while). But being invited into someone's home, breaking bread with them, talking life with them, really lets you form a new bond. We talked Disney World trips, school issues, and I heard about this book, which has totally inspired me, regardless of the fact that I only read the synopsis.

So January got off to a good start!

Now I'm off to create some Valentine's for my class. That counts, right?!

Color

For the record, when you say yes to kids, they just keep asking for more.

So I did it. I totally jumped on the coloring book bandwagon. I'm such a trend follower, sigh. But it falls under my new resolution to be more creative this year, so I'm giving myself a pass.

And you know what, it's just as lovely and relaxing as everyone keeps saying it is. I opted for this book because it was co-authored by an art therapist, lending it a bit of legitimacy. And it is organized into areas of life where one might need a bit of stress relief - relationships, work, health, commuting... (that last one makes me laugh, but it is so true. Just don't color while commuting, perhaps.)

I opted for a page from the chapter on "time". Yes, I'm stressed about the amount of time (or lack thereof) in my life. So ironically, I used up some of those precious minutes on this:

But it worked! I felt lovely while coloring away. It was a way better activity than, say, scrolling endlessly through facebook or falling down a click-bait rabbit hole. At one point, I even realized how much more rested my eyeballs felt, staring at these soothing, mellow colors instead of the harsh glare of the screen. And while I can't say I had any super profound thoughts while coloring, it was actually kind of nice not having any thoughts at all. It was a great way to disconnect for a few moments. So, I'm a believer. Here's to more coloring!

Create

I've been feeling like I've been in a rut lately. Nothing deep or dark, just kinda stuck. I feel like I'm in survival mode and have been that way for a while. There hasn't been much time for anything beyond getting through the daily grind.

The other day, a fellow teacher came to me with a request. She knows I like to write, perhaps she even reads here, I don't know. But she wanted me to take a look at her niece's application essay. I asked if I was editing for grammar or style and she said both. So without hesitation, I picked up my pen and got to slashing and rewriting. It felt wonderful, like I was stretching muscles long out of use, but delightfully still ready. There wasn't a moment when I felt doubt about the creative decisions I was making.

I miss being creative. I used to work in a fairly creative field. I got to write on a daily basis. I was paid to make pages beautiful and string words together in a way that made you want to keep reading. That's not to say teaching isn't a creative profession. I'm constantly thinking on my feet, creating learning opportunities, directing the day. But it's not the same.

I've been wondering what my Word should be this year. Something to focus on, some lofty Idea to steer towards. And Create has been in my mind for a few days now. Today, driving to church, listening to some NPR (nothing like listening to other brainy, creative people to get the juices flowing) I had this little thought. What if I picked a different creative arena to focus on each month? Create with Food one month, create with Words the next, and so on. It takes the vague "be more creative" goal and gives it something solid to grasp. It gives me a smaller, more achievable timeframe. It keeps things loose, but still within some boundaries.

So, what are some tools to employ? Keep in mind that some skills are just not my jam. I'm not going to be composing any songs, picking up any instruments, or enrolling in any classes, as much as I'd love to become a fancy photographer or speak fluently in another language. Also, baby steps people. I'm still a full-time working mom of two, with a fairly demanding job and a house to run, husband to keep happy and cat to curse. Let's be realistic. Push outside the comfort zone, but not so far off the ledge that I lose it. Here's what I'm thinking...

Create with Food - cook one new recipe a week. And/or, cook something intimidating. Like a butt. Or exotic type of fish. Or something that has to be impaled on a beer can. You know, just to keep it classy. I'm not cooking my way through Julia Child here, I just want to add a few recipes to my repertoire and become a little more adventurous in the kitchen. Considering I am really only comfortable cooking about five things, this is a legitimate resolution. Ooh, I could even learn to grill! Or at least turn on the grill. Also, I want to get more comfortable handling raw meat. I hate raw meat. So, lots of opportunity to get creative with food.

Create with Words - This one is probably what sparked it all. And should be the easiest, the most second-nature. I just need the discipline to do it. Perhaps I'll set a goal to blog every day. Publishing the world wide web would certainly keep me accountable in a way that "keep a daily journal" would not. Plus being forced to find something to write about on a daily basis would get the juices flowing, especially since my life isn't interesting enough on a daily basis to provide the content.

Create with Yarn - So I used to knit. Nothing fancy, just scarves, the odd poncho, once a hat when I wanted to master double-pointed needles. But there is something inherently soothing about the repetitive motion of working yarn. Or maybe I'll pick up a retro cross stitch project. The time factor, and the fact that it takes two hands and makes multitasking infinitely more difficult, will be the biggest hurdles here.

Create with Paint - I could participate in another "paint and partake" event, which I totally would anyway, Word of the Year or not. Or I could interpret this as "go paint the bathroom already". Either way, I would be satisfied. It was quite fulfilling to get the laundry room redone over Thanksgiving, so I'm up for more. Along that vein...

Create with Color - Or more accurately, "I've been wanting a coloring book and this is the perfect excuse". Perhaps I'll get one now and call this my January theme.

Create Something DIY - This one is a little more vague, but basically gets at the idea that I want to make more things out of nothing. It might mean finding a cool craft on Pinterest and bringing it to life. It could be practical, like these, or just something pretty, like this.

Create with Music - This might be a stretch, but since I'm not about to take up a new instrument or join the church band... what if I made it a goal to listen to a different type of music every week for a month. And like, really let it infuse life. Listen in the car, in the classroom after the kids go home, at home while making dinner. I mean, could an intensive week's worth of classical music make me feel smarter, calmer, more inspired? What about some chanting monks? A week's worth of Kidz Bop? Nothing but REM for seven days? Although technically I'm not creating anything, so perhaps this one won't fly...

Create Community - Intentionally invest in new relationships. Maybe go out to eat with a different family every Sunday after church. Maybe invite a different family over for a Saturday night dinner for an entire month. Maybe a combination of the two. I feel like I have a pretty good community here with my neighbors, and my work family is strong too, but it would be nice to widen our social circle to include other families with children the same age as ours, or start building stronger relationships with the people at church, as opposed to just waving at each other on the way to the nursery.

Create Outdoors - This one is easily accomplished via our garden. Or I could suddenly get excited about yardwork, but that's unlikely. Maybe I'll get a themed garden, like everything I need for salsa. Or mojitos. Whatever. Potato potahto.

So that's nine ideas. I can't think of anymore, maybe something to do with the kids? Create some Space and take a vacation by myself? There are possibilities here, but for now, I think I've bitten off plenty. Off to get myself a coloring book and start creating!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve family group shot!

Happy New Year, friends!

2013 was good to us. I got pregnant and had a baby, all under the same calendar. Violet started a new school, I soaked up my maternity leave, we took several trips - the beach, Disney World, Colorado - it was a good year.

Here's hoping 2014 is just as wonderful. I think my word of the year will be balance. I'm going to strive to find that middle ground between work and home, both emotionally and mentally. Teaching is hard because it follows you home, not just physically in the papers you have to grade and plans you have to make, but it stays in your head. I've often had trouble falling asleep (or staying asleep) because everything that needs to be remembered and started and wrapped up and stayed on top of. Sometimes it can make it difficult to stay present. And I so want to be present for my girls. There have been many times where I have been pulled in so many directions, it leaves me feeling like I'm doing a bad job with everything. So, balance. I know it's not a novel concept. I know it's something we all strive for. But to me, now that my life is more full and precious than ever, it's more important than ever.

What about you, friends? Anything you're striving for this year?

Resolution 2013

Ah, another year. Another clean slate. Another empty calendar, waiting to be filled, full of possibility, hope, dreams.

I love a good to-do list, and New Year's resolutions are the ultimate to-do list.

Last year my resolution was to read and consecutively watch the entire Harry Potter series. Not a lofty goal, but an interesting (to me, at least) one, and I had it in the bag well before the deadline. So, yay to me!

The year before that, my resolution was to start going to church regularly. It failed spectacularly, then we joined a small group next door, then we finally started attending the church it belonged to (despite the 45 minute trek each Sunday). That was back in September, and we've been going ever since. So I guess I can finally cross this resolution off the list, just a couple years behind schedule.

This year I have two resolutions. One is similar to last year's, an easy-to-quantify goal that I shouldn't have too much problem meeting. Setting myself up for success here. And it is: to read through the Chronicles of Narnia. I read them all before, and listened to them all being read to me even before that. But it's been years. And I have a feeling I'm going to be getting a lot more out of the stories this time around.

The second goal is (don't laugh).... to become "more financially aware". The thing is (and it's such a stereotypical thing I'm embarrassed to say I even fall into this category) I have no clue about our household finances. And it's not because Matt doesn't try to involve me. It's because I just don't care. I don't pay the bills. I don't even know what bills we pay, nor how much they should be. I have no idea how much my paycheck is (it's automatically deposited). I don't even know the password to our online banking. Even as I type this confession, I'm mortified. I feel like a 1940's housewife or something, totally clueless, blithely living my life, trotting to the grocery store, swiping my debit card with no real clue what the state of the household is.

Now, the good news, and the only reason I've been able to hold this blissful state of unawareness, is because my husband is a good man and extremely good with our finances. I don't have to worry about swiping my debit card at the grocery store because I know all our pennies are in a row. We make it a point to live well within our means. And I'm by nature a saver, so I'm not likely to go out and make a crazy purchase, certainly never without first debating the merits with Matt. So I know it could be worse, much worse, that I don't pay attention to money matters.

But still, it's so irresponsible of me! Like I said, I'm embarrassed and this is the year to change that! I mean, if something ever happened to Matt and I had to suddenly take on the financial responsibilities of the family, we'd be in trouble. I'd probably have to throw myself on the mercy of my bank and have someone help me sort through everything. Or at least tell me my own password.

So there you go. I'll learn my password. I'll check the online account. (Okay, probably not, but at least I'll know how, for God's sake!) I'll take a look at every bill that comes through the door. I'll become more financially aware. And biggest of all, perhaps (and I really, really want to make this happen in 2013) Matt and I will find ourselves A Guy, a financial planner who can help us start getting things laid down for the future (a college fund, refinancing, retirement, investments, all those fancy grown-up things). How grown-up would that be?

Now let's see how this whole 2013 thing shakes out!

Comfortable

We're back in church.

Remember when we tried to find a church a couple years ago? And how that didn't work out so well? And how we started going to a small group instead? And how that was so much better, exactly what we were looking for anyway, a group of people to love on us and make a community around us and help us grow our faith?

Well, after going to small group for a year, we decided we liked everyone so much, we might as well try out the church. The slight hiccup in this whole arrangement is that the church happens to be way down yonder in Buckhead, a good 45 minutes away. Naturally, I've been balking at such a commitment. The commute to small group (cue the walk next door) is much more convenient. But if we're ever going to visit a church, it makes more sense to drop in on the one where we already know some friendly faces. So when Matt suggested it, I agreed. We'd give it a shot.

And without really thinking about it or noticing, we've been four straight Sundays now. Walking through the doors that first morning was as easy as slipping on a broken-in pair of shoes - it felt like we already fit. There were faces we recognized and hugs to be given, Violet was eased into Sunday School side-by-side her pal Christian, my neighbor K has been helping out with the kids' program and keeps an eye on her, it seems like half the congregation already knows me through my more-famous little brother.

It's small enough that Violet has the same teacher each week and has already made new friends. Cool enough to allow coffee into the sanctuary. Deep enough for the words of the teaching to echo back at me throughout the week. Real enough to speak the importance of compassion (just do it) and debate whether Jesus and beer can hang under the same roof (they can - I was relieved). Down to earth enough to wear jeans to worship. You know, just my style. We're already comfortable.

And that 45-minute drive? It's not so bad.

What I'm Reading

I got several new books for Christmas that I can't wait to start reading! (And a shout out to my brother-in-law Greg who was the only one brave enough to actually gift me some of the Kindle books I had on my wishlist this year - it might take a while for society to get used to giving digital gifts that can't be wrapped or opened, unless you count opening your email.)

Anyway, first up - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Finally! This book went on my wishlist ages ago and I was seriously sad when I thought I wasn't going to get it. Thanks, hubs! Tina Fey is an all-around hilarious woman, and this book had me snorting with laughter. It was also a fascinating look behind the scenes at SNL and 30 Rock. Plus Fey is honest about what it is like to be a woman in comedy, a woman in general, and a working mom. She's relatable without trying to pretend that her life is just like mine, because let's face it, it's not. Very funny.

Another book I can't wait to dive into just finished is by another funny female, Mindy Kaling of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns). Kaling is hilarious on The Office and has a refreshing real-girl-I-could-actually-be-friends-with voice. I love that she's not afraid to admit that she loves her parents and loves hanging out with them. Not many 32-year-old famous Hollywood-types will cop to such things. She's also very open about the fact that she believes in love and marriage and family - things she can't wait to have. It seems like many women these days feel obligated to put marriage and family on hold so they can focus on careers and it's almost lame to think about marriage as a forever-commitment. Nice to know someone else out there holds the same values that I do. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it was a great follow-up to Bossypants.

It's obvious in reading both these books that Kaling and Fey were both destined to make it big. As a teenager, Fey was directing  summer community theatre and Kaling was busy writing scripts. It's not something they accidentally tried one day as a bored 20-something and just happened to be brilliant at. They already had more than average God-given talent and then worked hard at it for years. It brings to mind the theory of success put forth in the brilliant Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell  - some people have a head start at making it big. That's another must-read book, if you're looking for recommendations.

The other thing I've been thinking about a lot is my New Year's Resolution for 2012 and here it is: (you'll see why it fits with the title of this post in a second): I'm going to reread and consecutively watch all the Harry Potter books/movies. Sure I've read them all before, but with long gaps inbetween the books. I've never sat down to read them all back to back. Other book series I want to reread like this include The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings (wow, I'm really flying my geek flag now), but those will have to wait until I get this HP goal under my belt. My bother is currently going through the series as well, so perhaps we can have some viewing parties together.

Now, I know this isn't the loftiest of resolutions. We'll call it my yearly reading resolution. I should also probably make a few more, like "floss daily" and the obligatory "exercise more". But I think it's a fun one and just challenging enough given my busy life that I'll feel accomplished if once it's completed.

So what about ya'll? Any good books on your reading list? Any resolutions you want to share?

It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year again when I start thinking about resolutions. What do I want to change in my life? What do I want to do differently? I love making New Year's Resolutions, partly because I'm a list girl and we're talking about the ultimate list. Plus a new year is so fresh and clean, full of promise. I can't help but dream big and make plans for the best year yet!

Last year I had good intentions for my resolutions. Matt and I were going to start going to church. Regularly. And join one. And become part of a community, build a little family of fellow believers that we could share with belong to, people who could support us as we grow into our new family.

Well, we all know how that turned out. We found a church, liked it, tried the nursery, hated it, and gradually the whole thing went bust. Fail.

But then, come fall, we wandered over to our neighbor's house for a small group. And found some nice people. Lovely people. People who have prayed for me (continually... I pretty much have a standing reservation of the prayer list), accepted us, surrounded us. And without really planning to, we found our community. And as I think about it, I realize that on all our visits to the big box church, we never met anyone. We never formed any friendships or felt like we belonged, which was the whole point anyway. So while we might have technically failed at finding the big building and jamming worship band, I'm going to count this year's resolution a success. One that continues to grow.

To Do List

So Matt and I are closet nerds. There, I admitted it (and outed Matt... sorry hubs). But the fact remains that we happen to enjoy watching a documentary every now and then. We've been known to DVR shows that detail the history of our national parks. We're plowing through ESPN's 30 for 30 sports documentary series. And we love watching GPB's Georgia Traveler. The show is exactly what it sounds like - each week the hosts travel to a different Georgia location and showcase the wonders it has to offer. There are the touristy spots, and then the random off-the-beaten-track places no one has ever heard of. But it's always interesting.

This week highlighted two things I just had to share. The first is the Savannah Slow Ride. The next time I am in this fair city, I am so totally doing this. It's almost enough to plan an entire trip around! How fun does this tour look?

Particularly loving the guy who brought his bike helmet! (via Savannah Slow Ride)

That's right, it's a bicycle built for... 12! Everyone pedals to power this unique tour bus...er, bike... around the city. You can even bring your lunch along! Genius! Who's with me? There's a group discount!

And for something a little closer to home (well, my home), allow me to present The Four Coursemen. This group of friends gets together twice a month and throws a dinner party that you are invited to. They use local, sustainable ingredients and unique wine pairings for a creative, ever-changing menu. Sign up and you'll get an email letting you know when reservations are open (and with only 28 seats, they fill up fast). Again I say to you... who's with me?!

Paint by Number

So I said I wanted to paint the bedroom over spring break. And success is ours! It only took two days and five different paint samples spread over three separate trips to Home Depot to fulfill this spring break promise of finally, finally painting our master bedroom. But all good things are worth the effort. Here's how it went down:

Our goal was a bluish-gray slatey color. Our original three samples colors (see below) were Arrowhead Lake (my original fav), Americana (in case Arrowhead dried too dark and ominous) and Regatta Bay (figured we'd hate it but wanted something really different to contrast).

Who names these things, anyway?

Well, it turned out that we did indeed hate Regatta Bay, Americana reminded us of a boy's nursery, and Arrowhead was just a little too purple. Sigh. Back to the drawing board. Perusing Home Depot's fine collection of color, I was a little freaked out by the purplish-ness of everything after our first failed attempt. Our previous samples had scarred me - I no longer trusted my own judgment. It didn't help that everything look so different once slapped on our walls. Every wall. Our bedroom was starting to resemble a crazy garage sale patchwork quilt, and not in a good way.

We grabbed English Channel, and on a whim, right before leaving the store, threw in a sample of Windsor Haze. Sure, this last one looked good. It seemed more gray than purple. Still had that dark, cozy feeling we were after. But I wasn't going to get my hopes up.

The winner? Windsor Haze, top left corner. Last paint purchased.

But darn it all, if it wasn't the very last paint we picked! After fifteen bucks in paint samples, we finally had our color. I hated spending the money, but it was worth it to try those little sample cans. (And now I have lots of leftover paint to play with should our next bambino be a boy! Someday. Not any time soon. Stop reading so much into things!)

Caution, wet paint!

I taped up the room one evening, and the next day we tackled the trim. It was during this very tedious task that I came to the disappointing conclusion that not only am I not very good at painting, I also don't really enjoy it. Matt echoed my sentiments completely. It was dull, painstaking work. One little shudder and you have blue paint all over the white trim - blerg!

Fortunately, once Violet took her afternoon nap, we tackled the walls with rollers. Now that is a painting method I can get behind! Much more fun! Matt manned the ladder while I loaded up the roller with paint and handed it up. We were so efficient, we got the entire room covered in the span of one nap! And once Violet was in bed for the night, we slapped up the second coat (while jamming out to the soothing tunes of Delila at Night - I've now met my lifetime Eric Clapton quota). And we actually had a good time while doing it, an extra bonus. My husband and I make a good team. There was no booing or hissing, no weeping or gnashing of teeth, and the only criticism came when my hubby sweetly informed me I was sporting a bit of plumber's butt.

Finished!

It's amazing how different the color can look in natural light versus interior light, near the window versus the darkest corner of the room. Even these pictures don't seem exactly like what you get in person. But regardless, I am quite pleased with the choice. And more importantly, I'm thrilled that we actually got done what we set out to do this spring break.

(As a side note you may notice that the lamp looks like an old electric meter - that's because it is one!  That's right, kids.  Once upon a time not everything was digital.  Here's the back story - my grandfather worked for many years at Ohio Power.  When he retired, in addition the gold watch & full pension (weren't THOSE the days!), they deemed it necessary to give him his desk (which is still, by the way, in use holding the very computer Kristine posts all these blogs with) as well as an electric meter refashioned into a lamp.  So, when we turn the lamp on the meter rotates & tells us how much power we're using.  Does it make me geeky to think this is insanely cool??).

Now the only problem is... a new bedroom leaves me wanting new furniture and bedding! And hopefully before next spring break! Matt and I took Violet out on a marathon shopping trip, hitting the mall plus four or five other stores, but to no avail. We have possibly found a bed, and at least figured out what look we want for the bedding, but actual purchases are still some ways away. Ah well, a girl can dream...

A little slap-happy from too many paint fumes. (Just kidding, no children were harmed in the painting of this bedroom.)

Resolution Sunday: Promising

So I am finally heading back to work tomorrow, after a long absence. Who knew a little snow would leave us stuck at home for a week! It's been a good time, though. Violet has really been a sweet girl, playing so nicely with all her toys and pulling up on just about anything. Oh, and did I mention we bought a fabulous new TV and blue-ray player over the weekend?

And speaking of good times, Matt and I finally took advantage of daycare's Parents Night Out option and had ourselves a fabulous date night! We headed out with our neighbors to a fun little place, Kozmo, where we wined and dined the night away. It was nice going out without worrying about Violet. She was in a familiar place, with people she knows and friends to play with. Hopefully we'll be taking advantage of Parents Night Out in the future!

So after last night, I wasn't sure I was going to make it to church today. For one thing, my friends from last week all bailed, so I knew I'd have to go alone. Plus I hadn't figured out where I should visit this week. I got my friendly little accountability text from K next door, and in it she suggested I try Perimeter Church. Matt looked it up for me, and the deal was sealed when I saw the website's tab called "attire" that gave me permission to wear jeans. So my jeans and I set out alone this morning and... I loved it! Perimeter looks HUGE on the outside (I almost got lost in the parking lot, for crying out loud) but the sanctuary was quite manageable. Everyone I asked for directions (I'm telling you, the place is really, really big) was super friendly. The nursery looked nice and there were a ton of kids running around. The worship was awesome, exactly my style. I didn't feel like the band was performing or putting on a show for the audience (a big gripe of some other big churches I've been to) and they had the perfect mix of praise songs and even threw in a couple hymns for me! The message wasn't a glossy little run over the scriptures, but was an in depth look at the Bible passage, broken down verse by verse. I liked the pastor and his style. And even though I was sitting there by myself in the massive sanctuary with its glowing floor-to-ceiling windows, surrounded by thousands of people I didn't know, I didn't feel alone at all. I'm taking Matt back next week to get his opinion and then we'll put it to a democratic vote. I'm excited to go back!

Resolution Sunday

Well, I finally did it. A week late, but I have officially put my New Year's Resolution in motion. Operation Find a Church is underway!

Flanked by two of my trusty neighborhood friends, I checked out Johns Creek United Methodist this morning. I like the Methodists. I was married by a Methodist minister. So it seemed like a good place to start my hunt for a new church home.

Now for the controversial part - I left Matt at home with Violet to attend the service. I figured it would be easier to really focus on the experience if I wasn't sweating the fact that my child was probably creating havoc in the nursery during the service. I might continue to let Matt babysit until I find a church I feel good enough about to bring Matt back with me. I need his input - after all, it will be his church too. But for now, it's easier to let Matt have some daddy-daughter time while I forge ahead on this mission.

I don't think they really missed me this morning...

Now, for the church review. Johns Creek United Methodist is a lovely church. The building is nice, large but not too overwhelming. They seem to have tons of activities, a bustling nursery and Sunday School program, lots of groups and dinners and opportunities to get involved throughout the week. Everyone seemed very nice, there were tons of kids, the infant room was full of toys (and they will call your cell phone if your kid starts freaking out during the service!) There was a large orchestra that played the worship, one of the pastors had a nice humorous streak. All pros.

However, it was a bit more traditional of a church than I am looking for. We only got to sing three songs, all hymns. (Keep in mind that none of the things I'll mention are necessarily negative, just perhaps not exactly what I'm used to or seeking for myself. For example, I love hymns. The music is majestic, the verses are beautiful. But I love a good, rocking praise song as well.) Everyone serving the service (pastors, choir members, childrens choir members, etc) was dressed up in their official robes. There was a lot of pomp and ritual (and I'm generally a sucker for that kind of stuff) but for some reason I wasn't digging it completely. I think the problem is that I'm comparing this church to my last (and dearest) church, and this one came up short. I'm going to have to try and approach this experience with a blank slate. My two friends really enjoyed the service (they lean towards the more traditional) so perhaps we'll all go back, our husbands in tow, to check it out again.

While I did some church shopping, Violet went on her own shopping spree.

However, I'm just glad to finally be back at church on Sundays! It was definitely an awesome experience to be getting back into a service, singing, hearing the Word... I have missed it, and I am remembering how important a part of my life it is. So, until next Sunday...