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Thoughts

Celebrating Age Milestones

Posted on March 14, 2023

My husband had a brilliant idea when our kids were little. He suggested taking each kid on a special trip when they turned 13 and then at 18. I’m all about celebrating birthdays (especially when it’s my own) and was totally on board to celebrate these milestones in such a special way. Being the savvy jet setters that we are, our kids started dreaming big when we told them of this grand idea. We quickly realized that we had to set a few boundaries for these trips.

For the 13th, we had to stay in country. We were living in South Africa at the time so Joshua and Jeremy hiked the southernmost tip of Africa to celebrate Joshua’s. For Emma Grace’s she opted for a trip to Durban to enjoy the beach, hotel life, and a little pampering.

For their 18th, we told them they could pick anywhere. At 13, Emma Grace chose Greece and never deviated from that decision. For five years, we planned and saved air miles until last Summer, just a couple of months before her eighteenth birthday when we boarded a plane to one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

I will share our adventures in future posts, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from going on these trips, it’s this. The experience together is worth all the money you will spend to make this happen. It’s incredibly bonding and something your kids will remember forever. I have never once regretted spending money on a shared experience with someone.

Celebrate life. Celebrate milestones. Celebrate people. You’ll be oh so glad you did.

Thoughts

The Dichotomy of Age

Posted on March 7, 2023

Recently I was buying wood stain at Walmart. If you’ve ever bought paint or stain or anything that has fumes and could be used to get high, then you know it triggers an age check at the checkout. Here’s how my age check went…

The Walmart clerk comes over to bypass the age restriction. As he’s typing a code into the system, I’m looking at the screen, and I can feel him staring at me. To break the awkwardness, I ask him,

“Do I look old enough?”

“To the question they are asking {referring to the pop up question of is the person over 21}, yes. How old are you?”

“45,” I say.

“But you have braces.”

Yes, yes, I do. He then proceeded to ask my expert opinion on whether or not he needed braces. That’s a story for another time.

The dichotomy of age.

In 2021, within the same month, I got braces and had my first colonoscopy. Maybe a little too old for one and a little too young for the other. Or was I? Sure, there’s something that happens sometime around your mid-40’s that no one tells you about. Your body starts working a little differently, food affects you differently, your eyes need a little extra help, your muscle strength starts to wane. These signs of age can easily make you attach the word “old” to your identity. I’m trying hard not to do that.

As I do my best to take care of my body that’s getting older each and every day (because we all are, right?), I’m purposing to live life to the fullest that I can, embracing new seasons with grace and positive anticipation.

Moral of the story…it’s never too late to get braces, even and especially when you have a metal mouth like a thirteen year old.

Family Thoughts

Parenting Lessons

Posted on August 23, 2022

The first year that both kids were off to school we started a little tradition. Jeremy and I dropped them off for a day of learning and then skipped off to a brunch date. We absolutely love brunch, so it seemed fitting to celebrate this newfound freedom with one of our favorite things.

This year was a little different. It was our last first day of school. With a tinge of sadness, we decided to book end our tradition (over pancakes and eggs, of course) talking about all the fabulous memories and the things we’ve learned (so far) being parents to these two awesome human beings. In the moment, we each named one thing that we’ve learned.

Jen… “Love, respect, and value your kids. Listen to them. Learn from them. Have discussions with them. Elicit their opinions.”

Starting this when they’re young creates a great precedent for when they’re older. And if there’s one thing that teenagers want it’s that they want to be respected and valued. They don’t want to be treated like little kids anymore. Also, I find it fascinating (and a little scary sometimes) to hear what goes on in the mind of a teenager.

Jeremy… “Recognize the seasons.”

Parenting a five year old needs to look different than parenting a fifteen year old. That might sound like common sense, but’s it’s not easy to make those transitions in the midst of life. And just so you know, seventeen year olds don’t like to be talked to like they’re six.

I found it interesting how the one lesson we each named that day went hand-in-hand. Of course, there’s many more things we’ve learned, and if you asked us today what the one thing we’ve learned is, we might name something else. There’s so many things to learn when it comes to parenting!

Thoughts

From Leper to Superhero

Posted on January 21, 2022

I recently got COVID handed down to me by my daughter. I don’t blame her. I blame, well, I don’t know who to blame. It just is what it is. After 3 days of feeling like someone placed a burning rock in the back of my throat, a positive test result confirmed what I already knew. With an upcoming vacation that my husband and I were determined to not miss, I was banished to my room to wait out a 10-day-from-onset-of-symptoms isolation in hopes that he wouldn’t get it. I felt like a leper, an untouchable. Hoping that the dog gets fed and the dishes get washed, I’m twiddling my thumbs with West Wing on repeat. By end of day 2 of isolation, I was starting to turn the corner of symptoms. Day 2. What do I do to pass the time? West Wing, iPhone games, and magazines aren’t piquing my interest anymore. I’m just plain bored.

Looking out my windows, my only access to the outside world, I start to daydream what Day 11 is going to be like. I’m going to bust out of here that a flying superhero about to save the day. Hopefully this pent up energy will get me back to my January goal of closing my exercise rings every day. No one told my Apple watch that I got COVID, so it’s been yelling at me everyday. It’s even resorted to giving me pep talks to at least achieve my stand goal. Sorry, watch, I’m just a lazy loser living out my days in pajamas and Netflix.

Thoughts

Clear The Clutter

Posted on August 3, 2020

When I moved back from South Africa, I heard all about the Instant Pot and how great of an invention it is, so when I found one at my local Dirt Cheap for well, dirt cheap, I thought I scored. After making 3 or 4 meals with it, I wasn’t happy with any of the results. Neither was my family. I put it in my pantry thinking I might use it to make yogurt or elderberry syrup. That was probably 9 or 10 months ago.

The other day I started thinking, “I should sell that Instant Pot. It’s taking up way too much room in my pantry. I’ve never made elderberry syrup, and the last time I made yogurt was probably 10 years ago.” So I sold it. For more than I paid for it.

This little story isn’t just about my woeful adventures with the Instant Pot. No, this got me thinking about much bigger things like clearing the clutter…physically, spiritually, mentally. So many times we keep things hidden away “just in case” when really we need to get rid of them to create space for more. More time. More relationships. More of what God has for us.

Physically I do this by regularly taking inventory of what’s in my house and thinking back to the last time I used it. I also try to be super intentional of what I bring into my house.

Mentally I do this by having regular times for reading, yoga, prayer and meditation, and exercise. I’m working on incorporating more times of physical creativity, because I’ve noticed how much this opens up space in my brain.

Spiritually I do this by keeping short accounts and forgiving quickly. I’m also working on laughing at myself more. There’s something deeply spiritual about joy and laughter.

What about you? How do you clear the clutter in your life?

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