Thursday, May 28, 2015

TMI Of A Different Sort

Stole this from Tracy at Just Stop Trying and It Will Happen. Thought these questions would be fun to answer so you can learn things about me that don't have to do with my lady bits. 
Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Lifeguard/swim coach/swim class instructor. My first "big girl" job that lasted me through high school and the majority of college. I was a lifeguard during the summers (and sometimes on the weekends during the school year,) a swim team coach during the summers, and a swim class instructor during the school years. Seeing 4 year olds overcome their fear of the water has been one of my proudest moments. 
2. Cashier at my college's art museum gift shop. Work study job that paid waaaaaaaaaay too little. :)
3. Cashier and key holder at Hot/Topic. Love the people I worked with, hated the (majority) of the spoiled teens that came in to shop. It was always fun to help Grandma pick out the long pants with chains for her sweet Johnny's Christmas present, though. 

4. Gallery Director at a non-profit art gallery. Was an art major in school and figured I would be living in a cardboard box while working at the above mentioned store the rest of my life. Very thankful that I found a job in my major. Kind of makes those thousands of dollars in debt worth it. 
Four movies I’ve watched more than once:
1. Pitch Perfect - me too Tracy! 
2. The Sound of Music - have all of the songs memorized 
3. Pretty much any Pixar movie 
4. Fast and Furious 1-3. Haven't seen any of them past the third movie. 
Four books I’d recommend:
1. The Harry Potter Series. Have read the entire series more times than I can count. 
2. The Help - both the book and the movie
3. The Hunger Games - I'll admit it, I like young adult books
4. I can't think of another. I used to read all the time, but I can't seem to remember any of the books I liked!
Four cities I’ve lived in:
1. Guelph, Ontario, Canada (born there!)
2. Columbia, Missouri 
3. Starkville, Mississippi 
4. Other small town in Mississippi that I'm not naming because I currently live there. I haven't lived many places!
Four places I’ve visited:
1. Toronto, Ontarion Canada. The majority of my extended family on my dad's side lives in and around Toronto. We used to visit twice a year when I was growing up, but that slowed down once I started working. Now that I'm an "adult" with "money," we've started trying to visit more often. 
2. Atlanta, Georgia - closest IKEA to us. We typically go once or twice a year to wander around the store and come back with furniture we don't really need. 
3. KC Kansas / KC Missouri. Went there for swim meets while I was growing up, now we visit at least once a year to see some of Keegan's extended family. 
4. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mom's side of the family lives in and around there. We don't get over that way as often as Toronto, but we try once every 5 years or so. Baby boy and I are flying into Seattle and then driving over the border in June if anyone wants to meet up! 
Four Places I Could Visit Over and Over:
1. KC Kansas/KC Missouri. Family, booming art and culture scene, good food. 
2. Anywhere in Europe. Have never been, but want to go desperately. 
3. Peoria, Illinois. Just went there over Memorial Day to visit two of our best friends (and Kieran's godparents,) and I love the city. Big enough to have a Target, but small enough to have wonderful parks and a good homey feeling. Also close to Chicago for fun weekends. 
4. Saint Louis. I feel like the Lou has a bad rap, but it is a very interesting city with lots of fun (and free!) things to do. 
Four things I just won’t eat:
1. Mushrooms.  Can't get over the texture. 
2. Fish of any type. My dad works with fish for a living, and seeing jars and jars of fish in formaldehyde turned me off for life. 
3. Hot dogs. I was pretty much a vegetarian as a kid, and although I've started eating meat as an adult, hot dogs are just something I can't make myself try. 
4. Most types of meat. I'll eat chicken, beef and turkey on Thanksgiving, but lamb, fish, sausage, and pork (besides bacon,) turns me off. 
Four things I could eat every day:
1. Fruit of any kind. 
2. Chocolate, especially if it's paired with peanut butter. 
3. Cheese, hands down
4. Bread of any type. I can sit and eat bread and butter like no one else, which is sooooooooo bad for me. Currently working on my carb addiction. 
Four TV shows I used to watch and miss (and watch in reruns as much as I can): 
We don't have cable, so there are a lot of TV shows I miss. Think of most TLC and ABC Family shows. 
Four things I’m looking forward to this year:
1. Taking Kieran to visit my mom's side of the family. None of them have met him yet! 
2. Kieran's first birthday and Christmas. Seeing him ripping paper is going to be one of the highlights of this year.
3. Celebrating our anniversary 
4. Continuing to grow in my job 
Four things I need right now:
1. A maid, cook, and personal assistant. There are not enough hours in the day to do all of these adult things. 
2. A piece of chocolate cake. I've been craving cake for months now. 
3. More vacation days. Living so far away from friends and family sucks when you can only take 10 days off work. 
4. A restful night of sleep
Four dreams I have for our future:
1. To build new traditions as a family while continuing to celebrate the ones Keegan and I grew up with (totally stole this from Tracey.) 
2. To grow old with Keegan while setting an example of what a fun, healthy, loving relationship is. 
3. To always be the best mom and wife my family needs, so matter where that takes me
4. To stay close with our friends and family, even though we live so far away. So thankful for technology that allows us to connect with our loved ones. 

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Mother's Day On The Other Side

It's taken me longer than I wanted to get this post out due to a mix of emotions and an internal battle about if I wanted clog your readers with yet another Mother's Day post. Ultimately I decided to give it a shot. My emotions are still a jumbled mess, so this won't be the most eloquent thing you've ever read.

My first Mother's Day on the "other side" was a lot different that I expected. I'll admit that Mother's Day weekend was difficult for me. The hurtful feelings of past Mother's Days were softened by the smiling boy who brought me a present in bed on Sunday morning, but they were still there. I was in a funk all weekend, and I think it was a combination of happiness for myself, mixed with guilt, and sadness for others. I have a tendency to take on other's sadness and pain, and seeing so many of my IF friends struggling, really took a toll on me. I found it difficult to be happy and excited when I knew my excitement was causing other's pain.

All in all, I did have a good first Mother's Day. We went out to eat for lunch, did some grocery shopping, and splurged with some frozen yogurt. Keegan got me this figurine because he said that it remind him of how I often hold Kieran. I also got lots of snuggles, from both of my boys, which helped my mood.

I thought a lot about my IF friends over the weekend. Whether you had a wonderful Mother's Day, or you spent the day counting down the hours until it was over, I thought of you.