Crippling fear. It's something that I became uncomfortably used to. I tried to push the tragedies of this world away, but it didn't help. That only led to living in ignorance and oblivion. Let me tell you, ignorance is not bliss. It's like building a glass bubble around yourself temporarily, only to have the whole thing shatter around you when you hear a bit of news that is one of your millions of worst nightmares. So, for the most part I lived in fear, letting the sin, hatred, tragedy, and grief of this broken world grip my heart and my mind daily. I lived with the constant emotion and belief of looming danger, impending pain, and the threat of suffering.
Read moreGroove Silicone Rings
When Jason and I were on our honeymoon in the Caymen Islands almost 6 years ago (how?!) there was a man snorkeling near where we were laying on the beach. All of a sudden, he came up on a panic. Me, having the healthy fear of the water and marine life that I strongly adhere to, thought maybe he saw a shark or a giant sting ray. As it turns out, he had not come across something threatening, but instead lost something of mass importance: his wedding ring.
Read moreI cut my hair styling routine time in half!
I've been searching for a way to cut my hair routine time down for years. I love my hair long, but it takes F O R E V E R to style. My hair is fine, but I have a lot of it. It typically takes about 30 minutes to dry and style my hair if I straighten it and longer if I curl it. This mama don't got time for that!
Read moreA Place to Gather :: Our Dining Room
Sometimes people see formal dining rooms as wasted space. But not me. I love a specific place to gather the people I love around the table. Friends and family, old and new, there's few things that bring me as much joy than putting together some plates of yummy food and sitting down together to share a meal.
Read moreThe New House Baby Gate
So, Brighten is 17 months old. How did this happen you ask? I assure you that I have no idea. But here we are with a super active toddler! When we moved back in November, I knew we'd need to be really strategic with where Brighten is allowed to roam free. The best (maybe the only good) thing about moving with a 14 month old is that we were able to arrange our new house in a way that gave Brighten plenty of space but sectioned off areas where we don't want her roaming free.
Read moreChange of Address
Y'all - we moved! This post is definitely delayed because we closed on the new house on November 9th, but when you move two weeks before Thanksgiving with a 14 month old, a blog post in February about the move is what happens!
Read moreHow I Stopped Dieting & Started Losing Weight
Last month in my post for Birmingham Moms Blog, I declared to the world that I was breaking up with dieting and starting a new relationship with becoming strong. It's been one month since I started going to Steel Strength Training (SST) three times per week. SST is strictly strength training - it's not boot camp or CrossFit (these things aren't bad or anything, but they're just not for me). It's only been a month, but I am absolutely loving it. Nate (the owner and head trainer) is super encouraging, super realistic, and super knowledgable. I've been going three mornings a week (his recommended number of days to train), and I'm already seeing results. It's pretty amazing.
Read moreH O P E
Happy New Year! I love even-numbered years. Except for the fact that I wasn't born on one, most of the wonderful things in my life have happened on even-numbered years (met Jason in 2010, married in 2012, Swanson in 2014, Brighten born in 2016, etc.).
Read moreLife Lately :: The Most Busy-iest Time of the Year
Well, my last post was way too long ago. So long good intentions. Since the last time I posted anything on the blog, we have begun a new adoption process, bought a new house, moved, begun renting out our old house, celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida, vacationed in New York City, and now we are counting down the days until Christmas! It's been a lot. Throw our feisty 15 month old in the mix and it's been downright chaos. But now I've got a few minutes to actually sit down and collect a few thoughts, so here it goes...
Read moreBrighten's First Bee-Day
It's still hard for me to believe that Brighten is O-N-E! On the day of her birthday we spent the day as a family at the McWane Science Center in the Itty Bitty Magic City. She ate birthday cake at Olexa's as we enjoyed anniversary cake and took a great nap in the afternoon :)
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