What I'm Loving About Motherhood

I've been a mom for over six weeks now - as crazy as that sounds. I can't believe so much time has already passed, and I have SERIOUSLY slacked at getting her birth story typed out. The truth is that every time I think about sitting down to share it with you all, I get overwhelmed. Things didn't exactly go as planned, and I have wanted to relive it all yet if that makes sense. But I know that I need to so I can properly process it... and someday I know I'll want to look back on it. Here's to hoping I can get the full birth story up on the blog soon!

But until then... here are some things I'm currently loving about motherhood!

1. This face. Seriously... who could NOT love it?

2. Knowing that I am taking great care of her... even if it's the middle of the night. Being a mom is something like I'd never imagined.

3. Watching my daughter blossom into her sassy, spunky little personality.

4. Seeing my husband become a sweet father to his baby girl.

5. And again... this face. Because really... just look at her!

    

When I Grow Up, I Want To... {Blogtember Challenge}

I am so excited that it's day three, and I'm still completing the Blogtember Challenge! What a great way to get me refocused on blogging consistently again.

September 3rd Prompt: "When I grow up, I want to be ..." Feel free to answer as your 5-year-old self or as of now.

If I answered as my 5-year-old self, I would want to be a furniture mover, garbage woman (jumping off the back of the truck just looked SO fun), or a bat (yes, the animal)... so I better answer with my choice for now.

I am a teacher by trade, but I'm not currently employed. I know that I do belong teaching kids... or teenagers, specifically. I love it, and they energize me. They're just so much fun, and I learn as much from them as they do from me.

That said, I also LOVe my current gig, which is crafting full time and selling my products in my Etsy shop.

But I also just cannot wait to be a stay at home mom one day. As of now, my husband is calling me a "stay-at-home cat mom" when describing me. Hmm.

And last but not lease, my DREAM is to be the next great American author. I have been writing since I could hold a pencil, and it is my true passion. Blogging is an outlet for me, but I also write fiction... on my own computer... that no one ever reads. I think I need a little more confidence in my writing before I share it with others, but I'm working on it.

What do YOU want to be when you "grow up"?
Is it the same or different from when you were 5?

Spring Break 2013

One of the things I enjoy (among many) about being a teacher? School breaks! I thoroughly enjoyed having a week away from school/work, but I am ready to be back tomorrow. I feel rejuvenated, and I'm ready to tackle the last quarter of the school-year! Spring break was adventurous, though, so I'm going to recap through pictures.

1. I started spring break by enjoying an ice cream party with my colleagues and students! Our hardworking 8th graders deserved that little party for working so hard and behaving to their best abilities during testing. They asked me specifically to bring ants on a log (for an ice cream party... I know...) so I did! I also took homemade chocolate chip cookies, though -- don't worry!

2. Dan and I spent that Friday evening enjoying free Panera and then just hanging out. We hadn't spent time with each other in nearly three weeks (aside from a few hours one Sunday), so it was really nice to just get back into the rhythm of being a couple! We also bought all of our seeds for gardening this year, and I found my all-time favorite soda (and I don't drink much at all) at Ace Hardware of all places... On Saturday, we cleaned my entire house and ran several errands... and went to church/dinner! I took a selfie picture when I was bored in the middle of cleaning, and then Dan lounged with his favorite cat (Stormy) on the couch when we were all finished! 

3. On sunday morning, we woke up at 6:30 and set out for Glenwood Springs. It was a place we had always wanted to visit, so the road trip was totally worth it! We crossed it off of our Colorado bucket-list. I got to meet up with a friend, and Dan and I checked out the hot springs for a few hours. It was a lot of fun, and the drive was BEAUTIFUL! Oh, and did I mention that I found an ice cream cupcake at a gas station at 7:30 in the morning while it was snowing? This crazy girl could never pass that up, and it was delicious! We checked out a local brewery, and they had a reuben made out of tempeh that I ordered. It was SO good, and it was nice to have that taste again after nearly five years meat free. 

4. On Monday morning, we headed back East to Copper Mountain. We stayed in a hotel in Silverthorne, and we spent two days at Copper Mountain skiing and then one day at Winter Park skiing. It was tiring because I am no good at skiing, but spending time with my sweet fiancé is totally worth the pain/struggle. We also met up with a friend and his family at their condo in the mountains, and that was really nice. Dan and I drove to Breckenridge one evening to go shopping, and I was SHOCKED to find TWO ITEMS with my name on them! I have NEVER found anything in a store with my name, much less spelled correctly! I *ALMOST* bought one of them just because, but I decided I didn't need them. Wednesday morning, we found a few inches of fresh snow on our car when we headed out, and that was also a nice, fun surprise! :)

5. On Wednesday, we headed to Denver International Airport to pick up my mom on our way home from skiing. I somehow managed to take ZERO pictures while she was here (except at the Wolf Sanctuary, but I will make a separate post about that excursion soon), so I don't have too much to show. We went to Heart of Jerusalem, though, as always, and I took my mom to a couple places she had never been as well (Jack Quinn's and Jose Muldoon's). We also made homemade broccoli cheese soup, beer bread, and brownies one evening (recipe for the soup coming soon), and we spent some time at Garden of the Gods. We didn't do too much, but it was nice having my mom in town for a few days. She got to experience Dan furminating both cats (and you will see just how much they LOVE that process), and after she left, we started our seedlings in cups so they can get a nice start before we transplant them to the garden beds outside after Colorado decides to stop freezing randomly. For Easter, Dan woke me up at 6:00 to go to the Sunrise Service at our church at 7:00 (which was held outside and FREEZING cold, might I add), but then we had a productive morning afterward while we waited for Dan's sponsor family (Mike and Ellen) to come over for lunch. We had a great time talking to them and grilling out in what felt like EXTREME HEAT after this morning, and yes, I do have a sunburn from eating outside. Oops. 

Spring break was pretty busy, but it was so nice to finally spend some time with Dan again! Sometimes I feel like we're still in a long distance relationship despite the fact that we live 15 miles from each other. It's an odd feeling for sure.