The Elephant in the Room...

I so debated writing this post or even discussing it anywhere, but I decided the internet needs my two cents (lol). That is probably half of the problems with the world right now, everyone thinks the internet needs their two cents. But I digress...

So what is the elephant in the room? Direct Sales.

There. I said it.

I'd say 50-75% of you just got uncomfortable and may or may not even finish reading this post, and that's ok. For the remaining 25-50% who didn't get totally weirded out, well it's probably because you are also in direct sales (or know someone cool who is)!

To the majority folk who are weirded out, I am with you. I agree. There is a stigma with direct sales that I personally have felt (but obviously have gotten over), but the funny part is, I don't know why I felt that way in the first place. I have never had a horrible experience with a direct sales company. And yet that feeling was true for me and may still be true for you. As far as I can tell, yes there have been companies and salespeople that have given direct sales a bad name. But you can find the same for lawyers, doctors, realtors, small business owners, teachers, and the list will go on forever.

Right now in this moment, I have potentially dozens of friends in direct sales. I kid you not. And I am not referring to anyone I know from LimeLight. I'm talking legitimate friends that I have known for years, some over a decade. They include companies such as Young Living, DoTerra, Pampered Chef, Plexus, Jamberry, Beauty Counter, Mary Kay, Rodan and Fields, LulaRoe, Scentsy, Arbonne, BeachBody, Tupperware, Stella & Dot, Nerium, Noonday Collections, Thirty One, Younique, and I am pretty sure there are more I am forgetting.

These are all really cool people. And they are really nice too. You know what they all have in common? They found a product/system/item/what-have-you that they LOVED. Like really loved. They liked it so much they wanted to tell all their friends about it. And if they wanted to tell all their friends about it, well then they could sign up for a certain fee and not only tell people about it, but they could earn an income from it too! Sounds nice, doesn't it?

I really kinda stumbled into direct sales accidentally. I wanted a hobby and I also wanted safe and natural skin care that worked. I totally found LimeLight by accident and then became totally intrigued by their skin care line and the cosmetics. I had to try it. It absolutely didn't disappoint. I was thrilled! But I also thought, I could potentially be crazy and the only person in the world who actually loves this stuff. So I had a launch party with my family. They loved it too. Ok, so I'm realized I'm not crazy. Then my close friends tried different items. They also fell in love. Further proof that I am not psycho. All the while, I am having a BLAST talking about makeup and skincare, helping other women feel good about their skin and more confident in general, and I am making extra dollars for my family. A little hobby turned into something fun and rewarding!!

I think part of the problem with the negative direct sales stigma is that people are skeptical that you can make any money. Are you going to make huge dollars just selling and not forming a team? No probably not. However there is a LimeLight lady who sold over $25k of product in one month, so yeah, you can make total bank if you are a sales wizard. But by and large you make more when you form a team. You aren't just making money off of those people just because (another negative stigma). When you TRULY have a team, you lead them, coach them, and train them. It's like being paid to be a manager instead of a minimum wage worker. Simple as that. I have heard that some companies make you keep inventory so there is more of an upfront cost and it is harder to hit profit that way. So yes, it might be harder to earn in those companies. I find that most direct sales companies are not in that category anymore. Either way, I believe you can make extra income if you work hard and believe in the company you are selling for.

So what is the trick to figuring out if direct sales is something for you? Here's my take on it:

#1 - Do you love the products? If you don't, then pass. We don't have time to be phony in life. It will wear on you and it will show that you aren't sold on what you are selling.

#2 - Do you have people in your life (near or far) that you think would love the products like you do? If no - then most likely you should pass. This isn't always the case, but I find that searching for strangers to buy from you is no easy task. They don't appear out of nowhere, you have to actually get to know them before you sell anything to them 99% of the time.

#3 - Is the company trustworthy and is the compensation plan reasonable? If you want to make a certain amount to start every month, figure out what it would take to hit that goal. If that feels reasonable then it should be a good situation. If it feels far fetched it may not be a strong compensation plan that would fit your life.

That's about it. If you can figure out those three things, then it's certainly worth looking into. And just so you know, if you want to grow anything - like really grow it (whether that's a small business you start yourself or a direct sales business you join) you really have to be willing to be uncomfortable. You will be stretched. You will probably do things you thought you would never do. But guess what? You will want to do it because you believe in something and want to tell other people about it.

Here's direct sales to me:

I have a friend who sells oils because she wanted to get rid of toxic chemicals and instead she found a passion and loves educating people about their many uses and benefits. She's a rockstar and promoted recently (and she started just as a hobby, mind you). I buy oils/products from her on occasion and other times I just ask her questions about oils because she is a walking encyclopedia on them.

I have a friend who sells supplements and she feels better than she ever has and it helping friends and family members alike feel better too. She's felt cruddy for years and now is seeing improvement! I'm so intrigued by it that I am helping a beloved family member try the products to see if they could have some benefit from them too!

I have multiple friends who have joined BeachBody. One loves it but just uses it for her own benefit but doesn't try to build a team or anything. The other loves it and tells everyone about how much it has helped their lifestyle and she has a large team. I think the one who says nothing about it is awesome. I think the one who shouts it from the rooftops is awesome and I love seeing her positive and uplifting social media posts promoting good health!

I have an old friend who sells anti-aging products and not only has she changed her family's income (they struggled for years), but she also has a company provided car. I don't personally use her products but I support her from a distance by liking or commenting on posts from time to time because I know it means that Facebook will show her post to more people who might need to see more info about her products or company!

I have a friend that sells makeup and used her little side hustle to finish off some student loan debt. It didn't take ridiculous effort on her part because selling makeup online is super fun and not terribly time consuming, but at the same time she made a small dent in their debt snowball! That's a win!! I don't buy a ton of makeup from her because I love the makeup I sell, but she has ever had a product type that LimeLight doesn't make and I of course needed to try it! (#makeupjunkiesunite)

I have a friend who sells clothing that makes her feel pretty and she helps other ladies find items that make them feel pretty too. Plus she can stay home with her babies thanks to her little business. I love to buy clothes from her when it's in the budget for the month because I want to support my friend and the clothes make me feel pretty. Hard to do when you feel like you are covered in snot 50% of your days.

Listen, I'm not the first person to go on about this. But I might be the only person you take the time to stop and read when it comes to this topic. If you have more questions about it, trust me I have more thoughts on it so feel free to ask me. I know, hard to believe with how long this post is, huh? Feel free to reach out! You might need an unbiased opinion from someone who has done it before. That's actually what I did. I called my sister who had done some direct sales to see if she thought it was a good idea. And even though she didn't continue with the companies she started with, she could tell that it was a good option for me. So talk to someone you trust who has been in a similar spot!

Ok, I'll step off of my soap box for now. If you have made it this far I will now reward you with a cute picture of an elephant because we talked about the elephant in the room.

Bottom line - don't be afraid of the Elephant in the room. It's actually really nice and you don't need to feel weird around it.

Decisions

Life is full of decisions.

Some are easy. Some are hard. Some you don't even notice you are making them... then others you will never ever forget.

It's not a special number or a milestone marker. But each year feels more special, more treasured in my heart. 

It makes me stop and remember who I was, who I am, and who I hope to be. I pause and I am grateful for a God who pursues and loves us more than we can imagine. I am grateful for friends that are now far away but always close in heart that were brave enough to talk to be about Jesus and tell me how much He loved me.

So today marks the end of year 11 and the beginning of year 12. January 29th is the anniversary of the day I decided to follow Jesus. What a journey it has been. What an adventure is ahead!

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” - Romans 10:14-15 NLT

Change of Schedule

Here's what I learned after a week of getting ready almost immediately after waking up.

#1 - I was actually more productive. I totally got more accomplished this week than normal. I jump started my day and it served me well!

#2 - It made getting ready less stressful in general. Sometimes as a mom it is super challenging to get everyone ready to get out the door, myself included. Well my kids tend to be less troublesome in the process of getting ready if I do it shortly after they wake up (especially Louie). They will get easier to get up and out the door someday, but for this stage in life I noticed a big difference in the ease of getting them ready most days.

#3 - I felt like I had a more sound mind for the remainder of the day. It didn't hurt that I had extra time to stop and read my bible app too!

#4 - I made more awesome breakfasts. Funny, I know. But when you are already up and ready and you look at the clock and see how much time you have before you have to go anywhere or do anything...well your cooking gets inspired!

#5 - I was more intentional with Louie in the morning (Noelle was mostly at school except for Fridays). But morning time is kind of special Mama and Louie time. This age is challenging because he has such opinions and is easily frustrated because he can't clearly express them. If I am just ready to spend some focused time on him though, our mornings can be much more enjoyable for both of us.

#6 - It has helped Louie not be so needy for breastfeeding in the morning. And because I am already dressed, I am not as lazy/lenient as I normally could be. Louie has been my needy breast-feeder and I am ready to be done, but I can tell that he isn't quite there yet. So I'm trying to make small victories in hopes that by the time he is 2 he will be officially done (if not sooner).

So there you have it. If you are a stay at home mom and you want to try this I highly recommend it. I'm sure this will be super easy for me to keep doing once my kiddos are headed off to "real" school in the future. But I didn't realize how nice it would be for me to do when they are still so small. I'm only about 19 months into this full time stay at home mom gig, so I'm sorry it took me this long to learn it - but at least it finally sunk in!!

Bonus: I got to play with my makeup every day :) Photos below, although I didn't manage to snap one every day.

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood!

So once we got home from our Christmas travels in Kentucky, the Watkins started a dietary journey. Josh has had some heartburn issues...nothing like he has to take prescriptions or anything, but it is bothersome to me how often it is an issue.

I do believe that diet can be used to help our bodies, so I did a little research on what diets are helpful for those that have heartburn. I saw plenty of the typical foods to avoid, but I knew we needed to try something better than that. I found several accounts of people going paleo/whole 30/gluten free, all with good effects for heartburn issues.

Now let me just say, we love our carbs. We do ok on trying to keep our meals balanced and not horrible for you, but we don't normally eliminate anything in particular from our eating habits. Our biggest downfall by far is sugar. That being said, I decided to start us on a paleo/whole 30 type deal, but please know, I'm not following anything super duper strict. Nor have I read any in depth literature about it. But we are avoiding processed sugar, grains, dairy, and gluten. In terms of sugar intake, we use some raw honey or 100% pure maple syrup here and there, but try to avoid it everywhere else.

Guess what. That's hard. Do you know how much sugar is on things that it doesn't need to be on?! I found it in a spice blend which was called "Garlic and herb grill spices"...number one ingredient? Sugar. SERIOUSLY?! Should have been labeled "Sugar spice blend for your chicken."

Anywho, we started on Wednesday January 4. By the time I actually post this we will have completed 1 week.

Here's what I've found:

(1) I have SO MUCH MORE ENERGY!!!!!!!  I can't say that I felt bad before. Lots of people say that. I wasn't plagued by anything necessarily. But I noticed very quickly how much more energy I had. And we cut our caffeine intake in half (we have young kids, we will not torture ourselves with zero caffeine.)

(2) I have been full longer inbetween meals. I still snack, don't get me wrong. But they are better snacks, and I don't feel bad about it.

(3) Almond milk in tea or coffee is pretty tasty. I even made some Paleo hot cocoa with water and some almond milk and it was really nice.

(4) Food tastes better. I was marvelling at the amazing taste of plain celery tonight. And earlier today I couldn't believe how sweet my carrots tasted, plain! A honeycrisp apple was so sweet it tasted like candy.

(5) I still need dessert. But dessert doesn't have to be key lime pie or cheesecake. It can be paleo fudge or skillet bananas. But life is too short not to give yourself a healthier option of dessert. I have adjusted to these "desserts" and am satisfied. Josh is not convinced, although he is kind of liking the paleo fudge.

(6) Josh's heartburn has already decreased in a week's time. It is not totally gone, but it is better. We have to give it more than a week to see how it goes though obviously.

(7) In one week's time I am down about 3 pounds. Josh is down about 4-5 pounds. Weight loss is not our goal necessarily. Josh is glad to lose some, but I was already pretty much at my body's happy weight. I just want to be healthier and I think it is helpful to see how cutting down on sugar and over processed carbs can affect your weight. It's just a nice experiment to see.

(8) Eating well is expensive!!! I hate that about being healthy. Really wish we could all get our act together so food that is good for you doesn't cost so much more. However, we don't have lots of easy options for eating out, so our "Restaurant" budget will go towards whatever extra we need for groceries during this experiment month.

We are going to try and maintain the eating plan through the end of January. Maybe even round it off for a full 30 days and wait until Feburary 5. After that we will see if we try a couple food groups which I still believe are fairly healthy (for example, brown rice...or using small amounts of cheese) but checking to see how they affect Josh's heartburn levels. Then we can pinpoint what might be some specific triggers.

Wish us luck!!

Out of My Mind Excited!

I'm SO EXCITED!

Thursday night my best bud Rachel is flying in from Wyoming. As if that wasn't enough, on Friday night and Saturday during the day we are going to a women's conference in Atlanta with some more friends.

It's like early Christmas here for me...BUT BETTER!

I have been looking forward to this for over a month and it is just what the doctor ordered. I have caught a debbie-downer cold from my kids this past week. I wanted to have a wonderful and laid back weekend, but mostly I have used it to just try and get some extra rest. It is very hard for me to rest with my small kids. All my moms with young kids or who have had young kids know what I mean.

Truth be told we are still figuring out how to have fun on the weekends with two small kids. What Josh and I love to do together (go out, have a relaxing meal, maybe explore any events/interesting shops, etc) we cannot really do with our kids. Noelle is fine and quite enjoyable actually at this age, as long as you make it fun for her and engage her in what you are doing. Louie however is impossible. He wants to touch everything and usually break something, and if he doesn't get his way he just screams. He is also a snotty teething mess, so that doesn't help. But he's super cute. I mean ridiculously cute. He just danced and clapped this morning over and over again and we were all about to lose our minds from the cuteness (Noelle included). I wish he could act that way in a restaurant, lol. You can't have it all my friends.

Enough with the challenge of trying to relax with young children - I get to have fun with my friends next weekend!! The angels are rejoicing in heaven with me...and my kids will survive (and hopefully have fun) thanks to Mala and Josh caring for them and entertaining them.

I'm gonna do my hair, wear all the fun makeup I have, and wear clothes that I am not concerned will get a permanent cheeto stain on them. FUN TIMES!

I'm really glad that Thanksgiving happens right after that because I will need something to look forward to after all the fun we'll have! Side note: how is it already almost Thanksgiving?!?!?!

Maybe I'll get a post in about all our fun adventures - let's hope so!!

Almost One Month with LimeLight by Alcone

I just wanted to give a quick LimeLight update...

I'm about a week away from my first full month as a LimeLight Beauty Guide. Mostly I have had lots and lots of fun! I'll be honest - I really just wanted to try lots of the products and maybe start a hobby. Instead I have had more fun than I thought starting my little business and helping friends and family I love find products that they are enjoying as much as I have!

I have made connections with lots of really nice people that are inspiring, funny, and just great to know. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone to connect with acquaintances around me and initiate conversations with them - and not even about LimeLight. It's just like having this little hobby has given me the confidence to talk to people that I didn't know I needed. I've been spending so many of these last 5 months waiting for people to talk to the "new girl" - because shouldn't they? Isn't it the established people's job to draw in the new person? I think that way...but not everybody else does. So instead I've decided I want to connect with people and take the risks myself. I don't have much to lose but I have a lot to gain.

Starting this has also helped me re-connect with friends that are far away. It starts a conversation because they have a question about a product, but more heart warming to me is that we can more easily share our day to day lives in the process. Sometimes you just need a reason to start having a conversation!

I've found products I love to use, seen improvements with my skin, gotten to work with a legitimately really nice company, and gotten a boost of energy with a new hobby to pursue!

I don't know how far my business will go - but what I do know is that it is entirely up to me. No one is pushing me to do anything I don't want to do, but I have all the support that I could ever need from the LimeLight community. I can be a hard boss on myself or I can enjoy the ride and just have fun with it. And I'm telling you, I am picking FUN.

Best of all I got my first pay check today. It wasn't a huge amount since I'm just starting out, but it's nice to bring in a little bit after an 18 month hiatus of bringing in zero income!

If any random soul out on the interwebs is reading this and is thinking about joining LimeLight - just go for it. I really don't think you have much to lose. And if you have any questions feel free to contact me or any Beauty Guide in your area. There are lots of people who would love to talk to you.

Click here if you want to become a Beauty Guide or just read a little more about it.

October in Georgia

It's been hot. Once we moved to Georgia I don't think I was cold from May until recently. If you know me, you will know that's a long time for me to be hot. I am pretty much always cold, except for summer in Georgia.

But good news everyone - the heat is retreating. And October in Georgia is gorgeous!! I haven't been in Georgia for an october since 2000. And even then I was in high school which means the only days you are outside for the entire day is pretty much weekends. But let's face it, how many high schoolers truly truly appreciate beautiful days?? Well I can tell you that I didn't!

The mornings are a little chilly but the afternoons are awesome. Nice and warm but with a cool breeze. I am not sure how many clouds I have even seen this month, it's just been perfection. Louie and Noelle just LOVE to be outside. So I am out there all. the. time.  A beautiful day outside with the kids is just a mood booster for the average mom.

It's not exactly what I would call traditional "fall" that I am used to (think light weight scarves, breaking out the boots...) but I am thoroughly enjoying the slightly cooled temperatures and the sunny skies. I'm not even dreading it becoming winter as I have in previous years...I know there will be days ahead that I don't want to venture outside with the kids - but they will start later and end sooner.

I'm excited that I'm not drenched after 5 minutes outside and that my makeup isn't melting off my face (which let's face it, most days I didn't even bother because it was so hot). Hopefully by next summer I can manage regular pool trips with both kids so that we can survive the scorching heat a little better - maybe Louie will be more cooperative in the pool in 2017!! A mom can dream, right?

I will always miss fall in Kentucky, but I am enjoying the beauty of fall in Georgia.

My "Vacation"

So, summer vacations are hard to fathom when you have a newborn. I love having warm weather babies, so many benefits of people not being sick, life being a little bit slower, and so on and so forth. But this year I have missed just enjoying summer as well. Noelle and I had so much fun at the pool last year, and it just isn't possible for me to do that this year with a 3 year old AND newborn.

But this week is my "vacation"! Noelle is with Mala and Pop-pop in Marietta. Josh, Louie and I are holding down the fort here in Lexington and it is glorious! Noelle isn't a difficult child at all, but toddlers in general like a lot of a attention and don't always want to go with the flow. I miss my little buddy, but am enjoying a little break.

That's right - I can watch whatever I want on tv...not having to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every morning. I can easily get errands done with Louie in tow and don't have to manage wrangling a little girl into a shopping cart. I can even fly solo for a window of time and not feel guilty about leaving Josh with two crazy kids. He can totally handle one - which is awesome for me!

I had the thought before giving birth to Louie..."What was so hard about having an infant around?" I stand by that thought. The hardest thing is sleep deprivation of course, but I will say that Louie is not horrible at sleeping - and on top of that, once you have been sleep deprived as a parent once, it is like your body knows how to function more easily the second time it gets sleep deprived! Other than that, little babies are pretty awesome.

As much as I am tied down every 2-3 hours with this awesome chunk, he's a gem and thanks to him I get my little "vacation." I am still trying to enjoy these early days, because the other side of the coin is that I cannot wait for him to get big and see his personality. Kids just get so much fun just as they also become more "difficult"...

In the end, I love getting to love every stage of development. I'm sure I'll recant that statement in about 10 years when I have my first teenager in the home, but until then I will look forward to each and every precious age and stage.

Some New Favorites...

So back on my old blog - ONE time I listed out some of my favorite things. I had no idea at the time, but apparently that is a "blog" thing to do.

So I thought I would share a few new favorites in case you needed to add value to your life!

In no particular order...

Clorox Foaming Bleach 

I know - it's just bleach. But my father in law changed my cleaning life with this product. We have an old bathroom (well, old tile in a bathroom). And even though our old tile is in beautiful shape, we battle the mildew in the grout. I did everything I could think of over the last 4 years to keep that tile as clean as possible. I just assumed it had to be re-grouted or something. I pretty much had given up. Then one visit Gary came and cleaned my bathroom to love on me...and he introduced me to Clorox Foaming Bleach. My life was changed. I couldn't have been more grateful for such a beautiful shower again restored to it's former glory! I've also found some other uses for it since I have a white kitchen sink now. It is a beautiful product. Because it is foamy it sits there long enough to do it's job. If you need nice clean tile, grab you some of this!

Maybelline the Falsies Mascara

Let me just say this, mascara is personal and what is great on one person will suck on another. If you have long eyelashes already, and you like a natural bristle mascara brush (not a plastic one) then this mascara will be so wonderful for you! I LOVE it - and it stays on for me all day, no flaking or yuckiness. I have tried some higher-end mascaras, and they have not even come close to this drugstore miracle worker!

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment

I got this as a splurge with my birthday money. I ended up with the coral color and pretty much I want to wear it every day. I am a huge chapstick fiend, but in my old age my lips are not as colorful as they used to be. In the olden days I could put on chapstick and it was all I needed to look put together after my makeup. Nowadays, not so much. I had been on the hunt for the perfect chapsticky feeling lip product that had beautiful color. This is it! Love it, and am now considering what color should be added to my collection next!

Not Your Mother's Sea Salt Spray

This is how I get my beachy waves. My hair is not naturally wavy - it is naturally not fully straight but not actually wavy/curly.  My sister recommended this product to me and I love it. It is affordable and it works! I can use it on damp hair, and I use it the next day after I have slept on my hair in braids to "refresh" it. Very affordable, and smells like coconut. Very yummy!

Life Update - I Love My Church

So, yeah. I managed to not post ONE time in August. There you have it people. That just about sums up August in my opinion!

I felt the need to get any distant family/friend readers out there up to speed. And by distant I mean you check my blog because you are literally far away. This isn't for facebook and isn't meant to generate any attention whatsoever (I'm actually on a facebook fast at the moment). It is more to update those who love me and might know (or might not know) what has been going on.

On September 2 we received news that drastically changed our lives in the fact that it drastically changed our church. I am not here to give details, you are welcome to read the statement on our church website (www.questcommunity.com)

Let me sum it up for you: Our lead pastor and executive pastor are no longer pastors of our church. It was not for good reasons, and it is a very difficult situation.

That being said, we have never been more in love with our church, and the capital "C" church than we are right now.

These are two people and their families that I love and care about. I am confident that Jesus will heal them and their families, and I am hopeful for their futures and the plans God has for them. That is all I have to say about them.

If you know what I did for my former pastor and how I supported him in his ministry, you might wonder - how am I doing? I am sad, I am disappointed, but I am doing so very well at the same time. Nothing has shaken my joy - and somehow, somehow... Jesus gave me a heads up that times were changing - not that I ever expected this, but He got me ready. God has tended me and cared for me so personally during this time - and I am so grateful.

But mostly I am grateful for my church. This situation is the type of stuff that church splits are made of. It's where you see some churches fall apart and never recover. But I have witnessed a miracle in these days as our church has gotten closer, loved more, and lived in more hope than I have ever seen before. It is hard to describe, but if you live nearby and are reading this - then just come and see! I promise you I am not making this up. I am convinced that if you walk through the doors of Quest Community Church you will be overwhelmed by love and hope right now...against all odds it is so true!! Even if you don't live nearby you can watch online and I believe you will experience the same.

This is a horrible thing to have gone through but God is and always will be greater. He will finish what He started and bring healing and hope by the truckloads in the process!! The best days are ahead! And out of my favorite bible chapter...

Isaiah 43:18-19a - But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!

A Rainy Saturday

Usually in the summer rainy days really bum me out. I love the sun and I love being outside - and Noelle loves everything about being outside too. But this Saturday it was rainy and just overall kind of yucky - and it was such a nice change of pace!

I realized just how little it had rained so far this summer, so it was such a relaxing day. Instead of hurrying off to make the most of the sunshine at the pool or the park or something like that, Noelle and I lounged in our pajamas for the first half of the day.  We ate a leisurely breakfast and then snuggled up on the couch to watch the new Tinkerbell movie which just got added to Netflix.

Sadly enough, I was the one who mostly did the watching and Noelle was enthralled with playing with the ipad under the blanket (also known as "tent"). I had downloaded a new app that morning and she just LOVED it. It was a very well spent $1.99 I have to say. For those of you wondering - it was a Daniel Tiger app.  She was literally laughing out loud while playing with it a few times that morning.

We ate a snacky type lunch because we had had a late breakfast and sometime around 1:30 Noelle wanted to play "bed" but she brought along her blanket and pacifiers...so it was pretty clear to me that she was ready for a nap. She had a nap and I was even more lazy on the couch actually getting to enjoy my ipad - which let's face it, really isn't mine.

Around 3 she woke up and we played with some puzzles and then decided to run a few quick errands. We wrapped that up and splurged on some Chick-fil-a for dinner because I have been craving their cobb salad since before my birthday. If you are still thinking about a salad for 2 weeks, it is time to cave and just go eat it!

After dinner it was a bath, which she got REALLY mad at when I had to rinse her hair, and to recover after that traumatizing experience she requested some Ariel. I obliged and she got about 15 minutes of The Little Mermaid in before it was time for books and bed.

She is getting so funny at really "experiencing" a movie as she is watching it. She does the hand motions, the body language, all the movement of her favorite parts as if she is the character. I tried to capture some of it last night but it was pretty dark in our living room. I used instagram to try and lighten it up so you can see a small clip on there. I made a longer one and put it on youtube and it is below! It is so very cute in person, and if you watch that part of the actual movie on youtube you can see what she is doing during the "burn" and "above"! For reference you can watch the youtube clip of Part of Your World. Josh and I will be working hard to capture her rendition of Let it Go. It is awesome!

It was such a quiet Saturday and it was just what Noelle and I needed after a very busy couple of weeks!  Not sure if it was rainy by you, but hope you made the most of your day too!!

A Crazy Couple of Weeks...

Consider this just a catch up post...

I'm not sure what happened to my quiet summer over the last two weeks, but it just kind of exploded! It probably started around the last week of June. Suddenly there was a huge influx of work, and then Noelle and I got to go on a little "getaway" for the first week of July.

Last year I started working part-time from home and part-time in the office. Since last summer I hadn't truly tried to take advantage of my flexible schedule and this summer seemed like the perfect opportunity. Especially since July 4 landed on a day I normally would have needed to be in the office (and couldn't because the office was closed!)

So off to Marietta we went with the help of Pop-pop and Mala (grandma's new name). I had warned Pop-pop pre-trip that he would have to suffer through multiple rounds of Part of Your World the whole way down to Atlanta. I was NOT wrong sadly. Noelle only napped for about 30 minutes in the car, unlike the normal 1.5-2 hours we get when she is at home in her crib. We arrived safely to Marietta and were ready to listen to something other than Ariel.

During the week I actually worked alot, just from my parent's home instead of my own. I had a random case of hives and was a little uncomfortable so my first few days there weren't filled of pool afternoons as I had hoped. It was great to get to spend time with family and friends though, and eventually I did manage to squeeze in some pool time.

Noelle had a great time, but mostly she fell in love with my parent's new orphan they adopted...a sweet little orange cat named Buddy. Buddy is a girl, and she is a great cat - and Noelle took advantage of that. She managed to only get bitten by Buddy once (and it was Noelle's fault, she just was so excited to see Buddy!) Each morning she would wake up and ask to see Buddy and then start her sweet little meows. Poor Buddy was not a fan of all the attention, but I figure if she REALLY didn't want to be found by Noelle that she should try to find a better hiding spot. Instead she went to the same spot every time in the basement, and Noelle always knew exactly where to look.

After our adventures in Marietta we came back to Lexington and I went straight to a rehearsal dinner party for our friends who were getting married the next day. That next day was also my birthday! So I had a really long day at work and then quickly got ready for the wedding. Mostly at the wedding I tried to keep an antsy 2 year old occupied during the ceremony and then I chased her around the party at the reception. Josh was in the wedding party, so mostly I was flying solo (respect to the single parents out there!)

Needless to say, I was exhausted having turned 31 and slept well that night. Mom (aka Mala) had stayed a few days to help me out so I could get more done at work since there was so much to do. In between work sessions, she and I went with Noelle and did a little post birthday shopping. Normally shopping with Mom is the best, but having Noelle makes it a challenge. Mostly one of us is entertaining Noelle and the other is going as fast as we can to finish what we came to do. Oh well. It's only a season, right?!

The rest of this week has been just as busy and crazy! I had such high hopes of having some time to do random blog posts while I was in ATL, but alas, I did zilch.

I always say that summer is nearly over by the time my birthday hits and it is just all a very quick trip downhill from there. So here begins the FAST 2nd half of summer. I think I will sneeze and it will be fall!!

A New Chapter

Alright, I kind of skipped over an important milestone last week.

July 7 was my birthday, and it was the big 3-0.

I honestly didn't skip it on the blog on purpose - I was just busy and didn't get a chance to say anything :). And let's face it - this blog is mostly about Noelle. She is far more exciting than I am!

I will say that it was a truly fantastic birthday. Maybe my best birthday as an adult.

My mom and dad came up to celebrate their baby getting old. And somehow we realized that it had been a full 11 years since they had been with me on actual birthday. So I had extra help on my whole birthday week! That meant getting to be lazy in the mornings, not having to stay up alone when Noelle had sleeping issues, free lawn mowing, free babysitting, and lots of delicious homemade meals that I didn't have to cook. It's like a little vacation without having to go anywhere when Mom and Dad come to town! And Noelle...well Noelle gets undivided attention and gets to have WAY more fun than usual because someone is always there to make sure she is happy and laughing.

Then my fabulous husband went way out of his way to make me feel celebrated and loved for my birthday. He threw a sweet gathering at our home and lots of people I know and love came to celebrate me. He overdid it and had everyone chip in to get me a massage and an ipad mini - an item I had been wanting and avoiding getting all at the same time!

A brief rundown of my big day(s):
-Wimbledon in the morning (even though I didn't watch all of it) where an Englishman finally won after 77 years
-A phenomenal church service taught by the fabulous Helen Musick
-My favorite panera lunch with a few great friends
-A quiet afternoon with the family
-A fun dinner out at Shakespeare and company with the family
-Monday afternoon, I got a little naptime after work
-Monday evening was my party :)

I felt wonderfully celebrated - top to bottom. But the best part was, I didn't need any of it. I have found over the years that my July birthday friends have some sort of odd complex. It's like a birthday complex. When your birthday is smack dab in the middle of summer, you tend not to have huge birthday parties. Most of your friends might not even remember your birthday because they aren't seeing you regularly. This was before facebook so lovingly reminded you of all your friends birthdays. All that to say - there was always a struggle in my heart to feel recognized or celebrated on my birthday. And sometimes there would be an expectation I would put on the day, which sometimes led to disappointment.

This birthday was different though. I was freed up to just enjoy the day, whatever it brought. I had no expectations. It was like Jesus finally convinced me that I am whole and complete and need nothing else to add to that. I knew that for every other day of the year, but somehow it didn't seem true on my birthday. A little backwards, I know. It was probably the best birthday gift I got. It really was a turning of the page, a new chapter.

The past 30 years have been remarkable. I can't believe the life that I have been given to live...I am unbelievably blessed and privileged to live this life. I am so excited for the next chapter too...I think that the 30's and beyond will be amazing.

So thanks for celebrating my birthday - whether it was a text message, facebook post, card, or lavish gift. I am grateful for each and every single friend and family member and for all the love that has been poured into me these past 30 years.

Movin' on up!

You may recall my Goals post of January...where I laid out my goals for the year.

One of those goals was to do something about my job.

I don't talk about my job on here much because...it's just my job. Nothing exciting, nothing much to share. I have worked for the same boss (but not done the same job) since I got out of college 8 years ago. That's pretty rare in this day and age to work for the same employer for so long!!

But 2 weeks ago, I put in my resignation. And this monday - I start a NEW job!

I am very pleased to announce that I am now employed by Marshall Pediatric Therapy!  I will be doing some general office administration for the company and I am so excited about this transition. It's more flexibility for our family and I get to do something so positive that is helpful to so many kids and families in the Lexington area.

I will miss lots of my coworkers at my old job - but I do get to keep in touch with them thanks to some minimal contract work I will do once a week for my old boss. And I am so unbelievably grateful for the steady and dependable job I have had for the last 8 years when the economy was all over the place.

I am also so ready for the next though, and for all the excitement this transition will be!  Pray for me - I haven't had a new job in a LONG time!! I hope they like me :)

Slow going!

Well, for the few of these that tune in to the blog to actually read something - sorry it's been slow! Life hasn't been slow, it's actually been really busy. But the really busy means the bloggy part of blogging gets slow!

Work has been super busy (and sadly very frustrating)...the munchkin has been teething/all up in my business for all hours of the day...we've had lots of visitors for the first half of the month...and I've had lots of little projects and things to research along the way.

I don't have too much to say even now - other than that time seems to keep going faster and faster these days.  I feel like I mostly measure time by Noelle. She grows and changes right before your eyes and it makes you realize how quickly time is passing.  It seems like her hair grows suddenly or she learns a new skill to the point where it is a noticeable difference with each passing day.  I don't want to jump ahead of myself, but it seriously feels like I will sneeze and then she will be 1 year old. Sneeze again and watch out - she's two!

I find myself all too often in a "hurry up" and "slow down" frame of mind. On the one hand, I want to "hurry up" so I can see her walk, hear her talk, get to do things with a child that can express herself with more than just crying. And then on the other hand I want to desperately "slow down" during this baby phase and hold on to every little moment of snuggles and each cry where the only thing that will make her feel better is me.

One thing I know is that no matter what stage she is in - I will love it. I was talking to someone recently and they confided in me that whatever stage their kiddos were in - it was their favorite. They loved every age and stage along the way...And that makes me excited - even for the the challenging teenage years we might have! 

So right now I will pick to enjoy it all. The crazy teething, the getting into everything, the snuggles, and all the laughs. And all the while I will look forward to the next day when everything could change :)