Excited.

I don't know why, I don't really have a selective reason but, I am excited. I guess just seeing how far we have come and being able know that with Ben's schooling the end is in sight just excites me. I am so excited about what our future has in store and I so look forward to enjoying every little moment as we grow old together, learning new things, trying new things, and becoming more and more in love.

Life hasn't always been easy for us, goodness it still isn't, but knowing that we have one another has always been an encouragement. We have been so fortunate.

Yesterday Ben took me out longboarding for my first time. He encouraged me, and helped me the whole way through, never pushing me to hard and allowing me to go at my own pace. I slowly was able to balance on the board, soon I was able to push myself on the board, and after an hour I was able to balance, push off, and stop myself, all while talking, for me that is an accomplishment. Something isn't worth learning if you can't talk while doing it.

While I boarder along in the parking lot we talked. We talked about how fortunate we are in that we have a loving and committed relationship and we are still young. Many people aren't able to find love until they are much older. We reminisced about our past year in a new place, officially a year on September 12. We talked about our hopes for our future.

I just feel so blessed to have someone I am so completely compatible with, who loves me through and through. I feel so blessed that I get to grow old with this amazing man. I feel so blessed that someday we will be able to parent together and watch as a child we created together grows and learns, and we too with it.

I am excited. What are you excited for?

It is Him.

He has been my husband, my groom, for two years now. I feel like such a lucky lady. I still remember walking down the isle towards him, the man of my dreams, it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Ben, you are fantastic. Our life together has been an amazing adventure and I have been loving it. I look forward to what life has in store for us and can't imagine going through any of it without you. You are my rock, my confidant, my all and I love you more and more each day. You are amazing. I love you.

Kid Stuff: Magic Mud

I've been meaning to do this for quite sometime but, finally I have gotten around to it. I thought I'd try to make this a weekly pursuit. What is this? Well, for those who don't know I am a nanny and because of this I am often looking for easy ways to have fun with little ones that requires little effort. So, I thought I'd start featuring easy, fun, things to do with youngsters that keep them preoccupied for a LONG time. These things will consist of - but not be limited to - simple experiments, creative craft endeavors, easy outings, and fast feasts.

Lets hope I can keep this up. Enjoy!

Magic Mud

What you need:

-cornstarch

-water

-food coloring

-bowl or pan

1.) Put cornstarch into bowl (I typically use about a cup of cornstarch) add water (about 2/3 to 3/4 cup).

2.) Add food coloring.

3.) Stir.

This is something that can be fun for all ages, even I like it, although I would caution with children under two watch them carefully because they tend to put things in their mouth. This is non-toxic but probably doesn't taste too good.

Getting Older.

It is weird how easy it is to watch time go by and feel as if these moments are not building. I have such a hard time seeing time add up and seeing myself turn from a young naive teenager to a less young still rather naive adult. I can't imagine how weird it is for my mom to see me and know how little I once was in her arms.

It has been almost a year since we moved, I will probably make a specific post the day of, and now looking back I know I've grown. It was life changing in so many ways and has opened my eyes to who I am. 

I am not going to go into great detail about who I am - instead - I am going to tell you about a few lessons I've learned while stumbling along the way. So, here goes:
1) Trust yourself. Follow your gut and don't let others opinions fog your perceptions.

2) Allow yourself to achieve. We often make roadblocks to stop ourselves from trying or doing something we are scared to fail at. This brings me to number 3.

3) Allow yourself to fail, then pick yourself up dust yourself off and try again.

4) Sometimes waiting doesn't do any good. When we first moved I thought, well people will want to know me and will introduce themselves and that is how I will make friends....no such luck. It turns out I had to be the one who made the phone calls and initiated interactions. This is something I am still working on.

5) Allow yourself to feel. There are moments when the best thing you can do is truly feel the moment let it encapsulate you and after totally feeling it through you are able to let go. This tends to be more the case when it comes to feelings for grief and sorrow and sadness. That said....

6) Live in each moment. I am totally working on this and I am getting better at  it. Enjoying the moment you are living makes it easier to forget about worries and stresses and know that everything is going to be alright.

I am sure that there are more but, at the time being these are the things that have been the big fixtures in my life and things that looking back make me realize I have grown. By no means have I mastered any of these "lessons" but, like I said along the way, I am working on it.

How about you? What lessons have you learned in this past year/month/week? What are things that, looking back, show growth, signifying to you that you have indeed gotten older?

My Sister is Getting Married!

In one week and one day my sister will be walking down an aisle towards her lovely soon-to-be-husband. I am so excited for her. Being married is awesome.
Wont lie though, it is the end of an era and it is kind of making me teary eyed. I've been looking back at photos, I am in charge of her slideshow so I couldn't help it, and it is incredible to me how fast it has all gone. 

It seems like just a week ago she was letting me hang out with her and her friends because I wasn't able to make any of my own. Growing up she was my best friend, probably because she had to love me but, and where you invest your love you invest your life. I was just so fortunate to have her love me and therefore invest her life in me.

She was the one who showed me where the chocolate chips were so I could sneak them. She was the one who did my hair for dances. She was the one I'd talk to about boys, and boy trouble. She was the one who would dress up with me, sometimes requiring underwear as headgear and plastic bags as capes, to attack dad when he got home from work. She was often my partner in crime, helping me sneak cookies from the garage, stay up late to watch The O.C., and drive old Rufus Rustus before I got my "L" because I needed "practice". She was the one I'd cry to when something went wrong. She is the best friend I could ever ask for and the most amazing sister I was lucky enough to have.

Now here we are, about to start a whole new era. We are married. We are going to call and try and help each other with marital woes; We will discuss which laundry detergent is best for those pesky grass stains, what is best at ridding the tub of scum, how to keep misquotes at bay....it is vitamin C by the way, and where to find the best most figure flattering jeans. I am excited about this new era but, I am going to miss the last era for a while I think.

I love you Kirsten....so much. I pray your marriage is blessed. May you be forever loved by your amazing Mike.