Work It Out - Life, Love, Family, Motherhood & Faith

Said goodbye, turned around And you were gone, gone, gone Faded into the setting sun Slipped away But I won't cry 'Cause I know I'll never be lonely For you are the stars to me You are the light I follow I will see you again This is not where it ends I will carry you with me 'Til I see you again This song by Carrie Underwood hits home for me. I'm sure anyone who has experienced loss can also relate.  I feel like the couple of weeks leading up to the passing of my grandma were a blur. I remember moving all of her stuff because she had to live with my parent's in their spare bedroom. I remember wanting to stay busy, so that I wouldn't have to think about losing her. I remember a few of us gathered around her singing "Whiskey In The Jar" to her (it was written on my dad's shirt and she asked us what it meant).  The things I *really* remember are the ones that hurt that most. I remember holding her hand and telling her that it was okay f...

As someone who battles with anxiety, this whole social distancing and quarantine thing has been....different. There’s just not another word for it. I’m an introvert and LOVE being home with my family. However, now that I’m told I have to stay home, I am missing spending time with friends and family and coworkers in the office. I thrive on routine. I hate change. Most days, I’ve been positive and embraced the extra time with my kids and husband. Then, there were days when I was overwhelmed and stressed and anxious. I wanted to set a good example for my kids. I wanted them to remember this time that will go down in history as a positive experience. So, when I noticed that I was having a few days in a row of the negative emotions, I confided in a friend about how I was feeling. My friend pointed out that this is a time of uncertainty and I like things in black and white. Battling with anxiety means I like to know what to expect or have things I can control. Many of our lives right now...

The catchy T-Swift song is stuck in my head as I overcome a mentally challenging day. The day went by quickly, but the battle in my head dragged on. It made simple tasks complicated. It made confidence the hardest thing to achieve. I am my own worst critic. I am incredibly hard on myself. I used to see this as a weakness. However, I am choosing to change my point of view and see it as a strength.Wanting to be better isn't a bad thing, but showing myself some grace is absolutely necessary while growing. Someone I work with actually taught me that. Bad days are going to happen. We are human and we are going to make mistakes. I made a few today and it really bothered me. However, as I was beating myself up about it all, this popular Taylor Swift song popped into my head. And I thought... "Shake it off." When a kid falls down, my instinct isn't always to run over to them and pick them up. I want them to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get back to it. ...

The holidays are my favorite. The whole holiday season. People seem happier, everyone excited to be off of work and spend time with family. Some families have cute matching pajamas and take the cutest Christmas morning picture. Some families just take perfect pictures capturing their Christmas traditions like building gingerbread houses or baking cookies. It always warms my heart to see them all over social media. Every year, I join in on the posting. Trying to take as many pictures as I can... hoping to get the cutest one. The adorable picture that will make everyone see how happy we all are. I was so excited this year. More so than usual. We were doing well. We had bought gifts in advance and there was a big pile under the tree. I knew the kids would be so excited with everything we had picked out. I even made a short road trip to get my dad, so that he could stay with us for the week. We were going to have a great, relaxed Christmas. I had activities planned - Christmas movies eve...

Family . What does family mean to you? For some it means home, security. For others, it means a group of people who provide unfailing love. I know people who think the word family is just a painful reminder of people who have let them down (I am not one of those people). To me, for someone to be considered family, it doesn't mean they don't ever hurt you or disappoint you. Family means that despite any amount of hurt, there is never-ending love. No matter what. Family isn't always blood. I have several people close to me that I regard as family (Beka, Kyle, their dogs, other friends). Friends who I consider family are always there for me and I am (HOPEFULLY!) always there for them. It's a bond that cannot be broken. It's a bond that, no matter how much time passes between visits, you pick back up without missing a beat. Family is there through the good times and the bad. They cheer you on, they annoy you, they support you, they help you, they hear you, they ...

Well.... first blog post. No pressure. "Work It Out" is a working title. Could change. I thought of it because it's my attitude lately. I don't mean just dragging myself to the gym and trying to motivate myself to work out and train for an upcoming 5k that I foolishly signed up for. I mean, work everything out. You have a problem? Face it. Talk through it with someone. Find solutions. Whatever you can do to relieve that stress, that burden, that anxiety... work it out . In life, we face numerous obstacles... all the time. Once you solve one problem, another one comes at you, right? This can even apply in relationships with people close to us. You can solve a communication problem with one person and then accidentally drop the ball on communicating with someone else. I wanted to write this blog to encourage myself (and others) to do whatever it takes to work out their problems. We deserve to be happy. Life is too short to be miserable. You have a problem? Work it o...