Then and Now

I absolutely adore my sister. She's funny, bright, kind, giving, gorgeous, musical, artistic....the list goes on. She is truly one-of-a-kind. I mean, really...who else can own a nickname like "Pickles"?!?!

This picture cracks me up every year when I come across it at Christmas because it truly captures our relationship; then and now. :) Me: slightly dorky in my kilt and knee highs, braving weird Santa for my sister and posturing a thought. Kristen: adorable with her bouncy curls and likely holding my hand because she thinks she's  protecting me!

Being Kristen's big sister is such an honor. I am so proud of the woman she has become and the inspiration she spreads to countless young people (and us!) each and every day as an elementary principal. She simply is the best!

I will always hold her hand and wear the dorkier outfit...even when we're old and gray.

And for this, I am thankful.

Lift

This.

May they never be too big (in size or in attitude) for their daddy to lift.

For this, I am thankful.

Traveling Laughter

This week will bring me across the State of Michigan 4 times. Yeah. That's a ton of driving.

Thankfully, I don't have to travel by myself and I also don't have to do much of the driving anymore. However, despite not being in the driver's seat, the whole process of being in the car for hours upon end can be rather exhausting.

It's times like today, that I am reminded how grateful I am to work with people who make me laugh. Laughter is truly the key when spending tons of time crammed in a car together...and even more so when you don't listen to the directions on the GPS and find yourself lost. ;)

And for this, I am thankful.

Worry Tomatoes

We have a worrier in our house. Her name is Sofia. It is something we've known about and dealt with for quite some time. Sometimes, her anxiety runs quietly in the background of her life and other times it seems like it can be absolutely suffocating for her. It's so painful to watch. In my own struggles with anxiety and depression over the years, I have found that being informed is sometimes our best weapon in moving forward confidently and non-stressfully in life. It's this exact reason why we are committed to helping Sofia now.

Recently, my mom shared a book with us to try out with Sofia after hearing about it from a colleague. I was nervous (go figure) as to how she might react to reading it together but to our surprise, she totally dug it! 

What to Do When You Worry Too Much takes a really straightforward approach to understanding that worrying gets worse when we feed into it...like a tomato plant. Seriously. It's the best analogy and one that made complete sense to our sweet kiddo. 

We had a garden this summer that happened to contain two MONSTEROUS tomato plants. Sofia was largely in charge of tending to these plants. I remember at one point she was completely taken aback at how big and over-bearing they were. She was proud of how well her plants had done, but a little stressed at how to handle a 6-foot beast. We also had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with! 

Thus, "tending to our worries", can have a very similar effect to tending a tomato plant...it can easily overtake our gardens; our lives. 

We've read a few chapters already and Sofia is on board. We couldn't be more pleased and I'm so glad to have a simple support to offer guidance and understanding. It is our hope that our kind, wiser-than-she-realizes daughter will develop a life skill set that will not only serve her but help her help others in the future. 

I'm confident this will be a successful journey. With so many people in our lives that love and support our kids, we have no reason to worry. ;)

And for this, I am thankful. 

Simple

Sometimes days are just easy. 

I'm learning that not everyday has to be filled with events or monumental moments. Sometimes the greatness of a day can come from its simplicity. Like today. 

And for this, I am thankful. 

Coffee for 20 Years

If I think hard about it, I've been having coffee with some of my friends for over 20 years now. Whoa. It's always taken on lots of different forms but it's always entailed a unique opportunity to connect to those I care about.

Now,  "coffee" looks like this: A half gallon of milk, a bag of miscellaneous breakfast groceries, and pajamas. That's all that is needed when you have been friends for over 20 years.

A 9 am doorbell welcomed Kate and Marissa -- two of my dearest friends in the entire world.  In a completely rare occurrence, our schedules lined up and that meant time for coffee and catching up.

My heart is full today after spending the morning with these ladies. Their friendship is one I will forever treasure. It always amazes me that time has no baring on where we are in our lives. We always pick right back up where we left off. It's like magic. It's easy. It's the truest of friendship. And I am beyond blessed to have these women in my life.

And for this, I am thankful.

Hard

I've learned a lot today. My mind and heart are tired. The day is done and tomorrow brings a fresh start. 

And for this, I am thankful. 

Surprise Reunion

You never know who will walk through the door. 

Today, I was running a training and couldn't shake the feeling that I knew one of the women in the room. I happened to see a list of people and that's when it clicked...she and I had gone through our masters program together! Once we both realized who the other person was, hilarity ensued. We both squeezed, then laughed, and in unison said, "What are the chances?" Everyone in the room laughed. 

It's always nice to have a familiar face in the room when leading learning. Reconnecting with an old friend was just an added bonus. :)

And for this, I am thankful. 

Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher

Tonight was the last class of the semester with my secondary methods students at Aquinas. I can't believe it's already done! This was such a special group...one that I feel excited to send out into classrooms because they really do have what it takes to change the world.

For our last class, we focused on happiness, resilience, and success...not just in the classroom but as young, growing teachers. It was my hope that they would leave feeling confident, strong, resourceful, and just a little bit wiser to the world of education prior to their student teaching. 

Most importantly, I hope that these soon to be teachers saw that this course couldn't have happened on its own. With a co-teacher, this course was a gazillion times what it could have been had I done it on my own. Tom and I worked hard to make sure that our students saw that collaboration was key to a successful classroom. 

It was a great semester...one that I learned a ton myself! Here's to smiling faces, hand shakes, and "can I still email you?" closing moments. 

Once a teacher, always a teacher. And for this, I am thankful. 

Mary Did You Know

I usually keep my iPod on the shuffle setting when I'm driving to work. I like a little mystery to start off my day. ;) Yesterday, just as I was pulling onto the highway, a recording of Mary Did You Know came across the speakers.  I had no idea this song had been saved as a voice memo on my phone and mixed itself in with my library of music.

I hadn't heard myself sing in a while so it felt funny to suddenly be surrounded by my own voice in the car. But I listened...

Music does something to me. It feeds me. It uplifts me. It brings back memories. This song, in particular, affected me deeply when I sang it. I remember feeling different than ever before as I told the story within the song. Hearing it yesterday, brought me back to that moment. Something told me that I needed to hear that song yesterday.

This morning, the song came across my iPod again. Weird. I found myself feeling the say way today as I did yesterday when I heard it. I arrived at work and was ready to take on the day with the faith that anything is possible; that I am not alone in anything that I do.

I believe that everything happens for a reason...and I feel compelled to share with you. Below, you can listen to my recording of Mary Did You Know.

Faith, kindness, love and music.
For this, I am thankful. 

Impromptu Friendship

Making friends as a grown up is hard. I mean, really, there is every excuse in the book for why we don't or can't reach out to new people to put into our lives. I am completely guilty of this on occasion.

Tonight, I was reminded just how important it is to continue pursuing connections in our lives even as we get older. After our monthly PTC meeting at the kids' school, I headed out for a glass of wine with one of my board members. We had originally planned to talk about committee stuff but ended up just talking to talk.

It was a delight.

Sometimes I don't realize what I need until I'm in the midst of it all. I was reminded tonight of the power of friendship and the good it can bring to my heart.

And for this, I am thankful.

Bowl Game Bucket List

I have always wanted to go to a bowl game...and this year, it looks like it might actually be a possibility!

MSU has made it to the National College Football Playoffs and will be playing in the semi-final game at the Cotton Bowl WHILE we will already be in Dallas!

We'll be working hard over the next few days to see about checking this item off our bucket list. :)

GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

And for this, I am thankful!

Making Memories Stick

I slept in today. Like 10:15 slept in! I can't remember the last time I did that. Ah-mazing.

After a lazy cup of coffee and organizing a few items, we hit the road to go visit my sister and her husband in their new town. 

We've had so much fun today! Kristen and Penni just closed on a 1920's home just a few blocks from Lake Michigan. In their ever-DIY style, they found the perfect fixer-upper and have dove into renovating a really cool space. I am so excited for them!!

While Chris and Penni pounded away at crown molding, Kristen and I took the kids on a little St. Joe adventure: a visit to Kristen's new school, a ride through the lights on the bluff, and a pizza pickup from a hometown fav, Santonello's. 

I love being able be a part of these types of milestones in the lives of our family...even if it does mean eating pizza off of paper plates on the floor of a house in the middle of demo. Those are the type of memories that stick to the heart for a lifetime. :)

And for this, I am thankful. 

Why I Don't Do Guilt

It's been an insane week....travel, speaking engagements, parenting, friending, networking, trainings, wifing, learning, and decorating Christmas trees. As of my last post, I had written 84 consecutive posts of daily gratitude. My goal was one year.

Oops. 

I was feeling really guilty about not writing the last few days but then I decided I don't need to "do" guilt....especially when I have done nothing but invest in the growth of others and myself over the last week; when I have set an intention of servant leadership and gratitude in all encounters. 

Nope. I'm not doing guilt this time. I found moments each and every day this week where I was immensely grateful for the people and world around me and so look forward to sharing these memories with you over the next few days as I recount specific events here on the blog.

However, this moment is an excellent reminder of how important it is to release ourselves of guilt for reasons that are beyond our control. I feel like, as a woman and working mother especially, that guilt is sometimes equivalent to the shirt I put on each day. It's almost as if there's this societal norm to tell yourself you can do anything but when you can't do everything, you should feel bad about it. You shouldn't. Ever. It's a stupid weight we put on ourselves. And why?

How about we change the conversation so that we teach ourselves and model for our young ones that you really can do anything. With planning and the right mindset. You can do anything with support, thoughtfulness, delegation, and prioritizing. Through these steps, the extras and bugs on the windshield of life, if you will, filter out so that the "anything's" really do become everything. Now wouldn't that be cool?

That is the kind of message I was my daughter and son to receive. 

For now, I am going to close my eyes and fall asleep immediately. This is something that only happens for me when my mind is calm and I can be at peace with where I am in the world today. 

And I am.

And for this, I am grateful.

Elfing

It's Elf on the Shelf Time.

Holly and Jolly have made their appearance a few days early thanks to my inability to remember where I hid them at the end of last year. Whoops! It sure kept Chris and I on our toes as we came up with stories on the spot about how they magically appeared in the Christmas bin.

Due to the early arrival, their first night of mischief was pretty non-existent. In fact, they gave Nico and Sofia a gingerbread house. Chris has been running ideas through his mind for months on what these two elves will be doing over the next month. It's always a great time. :)

I'm off to go support trapeze making and note writing...

Cheers to late nights and lots of elfing.
And for this, I am thankful.

If You Can Dream It

I believe in dreams...in making them a reality. Reality doesn't happen without plans, however. It takes intention from the mundane to the magnificent. Intention can lead us on quite an adventure when we stop to truly be present in our decisions, our moments.

That is why Chris and I decided to place a dream board in our kitchen. This dream board is also an adventure board...after all, dreams often require adventure to achieve them!  It's a space where we can dream together as a family and be reminded on a daily basis. This is a space where we can dream individually and together. It is a judge free zone.

The kitchen is often labeled as the heart of a home. Ours is no different as we spend a TON of time here between cooking, eating, homework, games, and chats. There is a pulse in this area of our house. This wall with our board lies in the center of it all  and its placement was purposeful -- to drive us from day to day with intention, purpose, grace, humility, confidence, and kindness. This truly will be the heart of our home.

I placed Walt Disney's quote, "If you can dream it, you can do it" at the center as our reminder that anything is possible -- especially when you have a family that loves and supports you. The kids are absolutely dying to put their ideas up and we are excited to dream with them.

Dreaming together...for this, I am thankful.

Content

What a full day! Chris was off lending a hand on a work project so the kids and I got busy around the house with all kinds of odds and ends. This afternoon, I met a friend and her kids at one of those every-square-inch-of-building-is-padded places so the kids could run around and get some energy out. Lots of fun. One exhausted mama. 

I'm sitting here now, in a quiet house because Chris took the kids on a movie date. I've painted my nails, watched trashy tv, and just chilled. And now, I am one content mama. 

It was a full day along the entire spectrum. And for this, I am thankful. 

An Interesting Lineage

Our family has a bit of an interesting lineage. William Bradford, the first Governor of the pilgrims and passenger on the Mayflower, is our direct descendent. If you really want to get nitpicky, he's my great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. It's always been fun passing the story along to classrooms and new family members that come along. 

Today, my Uncle Bill did something really cool as we stood around the kitchen ready to say our Thanksgiving prayer. He had done some digging and found an image of the Mayflower Compact. Before praying, he read the compact and asked us all to think about the immigrants in our lives -- we are all connected to at least one. 

I had never read the Compact and found it actually quite moving. These people had NO idea what they would be facing. They just believed in God, community, and building a better life. 

As should we all. 

And for this, I am thankful. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Traditions

Traditions are important. They help grow memories and long lasting bonds. One of my favorite things about moving back has been the starting of and the developing of traditions with the kids. 

Today, the kids spent the afternoon with GranMary making gift tags (a Daniel tradition) and the evening prepping for Turkey Day with my mom. 

They both were so gleeful when I saw them and I know will keep these special moments with their grandmas near to their hearts for years to come. 

And for this, I am thankful. 

Ain't No School But Old School

Me: How was Girl Scouts tonight?

Sofia: It was awesome!

Me: Really? How come? What did you do?

Sofia: We got to break apart an old computer...you know, like the old box kind.  

(Chris and I started to chuckle)

Sofia: Why are you laughing?

Me: Because you said it was old. 

Sofia: Yeah, it was really old! It was from the 19's!

Proud to be from the olden days...and have a daughter that makes us laugh.

And for this, I am thankful.