30 Before 30

 

At 5:59 a.m., I turned 29 years old and officially entered the last year of my twenties. Up until a few days ago the thought of entering this “last year” had not crossed my mind. Then suddenly I was hit with an overwhelming urge to create, do, be and experience more – as though the life I have right now is somehow not enough or that once I turn 30 I would be unable to achieve any measurable goals. 

Since I am 100% blessed to have the life I am living – a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, a job I love, a nice home, car, and my health – I pushed aside the idea of creating the list…..and moved on.

However, in the quiet moments of the day, I felt myself once again needing to write this list. A conversation with a dear friend helped me to see, that creating a “30 Before 30” list does not mean I am unhappy with who I am now. Rather, the list gives me direction and focus in what can often be a busy, hectic and demanding life. 

Therefore, I am submitting to the blogging world my “30 Before 30” list.

1. Dance in the rain with Joycelen.
2. Take a week day off from work, have M do the same, and spend the entire day at home with Joycie. (Bonus points if we spend the whole day in our p.j.s)
3. Run a 5K race with Mikey.
4. Run a 5K race with my running group in each of the 4 seasons.
5. Run a 10K .
6. Complete a half marathon.
7. Run a 5K race with my running group in each of the 4 seasons.
8. Attend a Nascar Race
9. Attend a professional football game.
10. Take dance lessons.
11. Try at least 1 new recipe each month.
12. Taking a cooking class with M.
13. Visit at least 2 states that I have never been to before.
14. Take a mission trip to another country. However, if this can not happen a mission trip to another state will be fantastic.
15. Start a children’s choir at my church.
16. Take an unplanned, uncharted, unknown roadtrip with M & Joycie.  Just load up in the car and go.
17. Chase lighting bugs with my nieces and nephews.
18. Spend an afternoon listening to my grandmother tell family stories. Record these on video.
19. Treat my Mama to a spa day.
20. Spend a day fishing with my Daddy.
21. Treat my sister to a girl’s day out - mani’s, pedi’s, a little shopping, and a nice lunch.
22. Complete a bike race.
23. Ride in a “poker run” with M.
24. Find something to be grateful for every day for the next year. Post a picture of the item on my blog.
25. Practice random acts of kindness. The goal is at least one each month for the next year.
26. Have something that I have written be published in a newspaper,  magazine or online.
27. Research, begin, and if possible earn my personal training certification.
28. Take a digital photography course.
29. Spend the day playing tourist in my tri-county area. Visit the attractions that bring out of town folks to the area.
30. Read at least 1 new book each month.  A new book can be defined as either a newly published work or an old work that I have never read.

Letters to Joycie - How to Handle an Exhausting week

Dear Joycie,

 

As you grow older, you will experience days and possibly weeks where it appears that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Those are the weeks that will test your patience, your strength, and your faith.  Daddy and I, and I suppose you as well, are in the midst of one of those weeks right now.  So I thought it wise to document this time in our life - and how we are handling things. Perhaps, someday far into the future, you can read this letter and it will encourage you thru your own difficult time.

 

Last Friday, you woke up with a flushed cheeks, a warm torso, and an insistent cry for juice.  My Mama instincts went into overdrive and I immediately checked you for a fever.  The thermometer read 99.1 – a low grade fever but enough to keep you home from daycare. Without any vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, or copious amounts of snot, your Daddy and I deduced that you were likely teething.  A quick check of your mouth revealed two new teeth trying to break thru your gums.  Feeling secure in our diagnosis, we gave you some medicine and sent you to your Nana's for the day.

 

By Friday night, the fever has disappeared, and you were once again our happy, playful girl.  I was certain that the worst was behind us. I couldn't have been more wrong.  Saturday afternoon saw your fever increase to 102. Nana Becki, who happens to be a nurse, made a house call and told us to start alternating Tylenol and Motrin every two hours to control the fever.  As the afternoon gave way to evening, your fever kept climbing, and by 1:00 a.m. the thermometer was reading 104.  Daddy and I were bathing you with cool cloths, giving lots of fluids, and praying over you.  At 3:30, exhaustion overtook you and Daddy, and I sat up watching the two of you sleep. I continued to pray over you – as my heart was fearful and I felt utterly helpless. 

 

With the first streaks of sunlight pouring thru the window, I felt your cheek and was so relieved to feel it cool.  It appeared the fever had broken.  You woke up smiling, ate a great breakfast, and played all day long.  But as Sunday evening came, the fever returned. It was another night full of alternating meds, cool baths, and prayers. 

 

Daddy stayed home with you Monday. And you remained nearly fever free. Tuesday came and Nana Becki took you to the doctor, where you were diagnosed with a sinus infection.  The doctor gave you some medicine and said you should be on the mend soon. Yesterday, we sent you to school, and you were so excited to see your teachers and friends. When I came to pick you up, you didn't want to leave.  I was relieved to see that you were feeling better.  However, I noticed that you had the beginnings of a rash on your neck. I began to check you out and quickly realized that the rash was covering you from head to toe.  On top of everything else, Joycie, you've now developed an allergy to penicillin.  We are waiting on a new antibiotic and hopefully we can put a close to this long, exhausting week.

 

Daddy and I are tired.  This week has been full of trials. However, we have managed to make it thru them relatively unscathed.  So what did we do?  

 

1. We prayed - I can not stress enough that pray needs to be a vital part of your life.  This week we've prayed for your healing, strenghth of us, peace, and admittedly - that we could get more sleep.

 

2.  We played - On Monday, Daddy stayed home with you. He spent his time encouraging you to play with your toys. And he says that it helped you to feel better.

 

3.  We sought stress relievers - For Mama, that meant having a good cry in the shower on Sunday morning. For Daddy that meant a long nap with you. And for all of us, a nice long walk on Monday afternoon.  

 

Joycie - I would love nothing more than to spare you all pain, heartache, and the storms of life. However, just as I was unable to lower your fever, I can not keep trouble from your life. Instead, Daddy and I will work to teach you how to handle the difficult times.  And above all else, please know that we are always here if you need us.

 

Love,

 

Mama and Daddy

16 Months

 

Dear Joycie,

Another month, another letter – one more attempt for Daddy and I to capture all the memories that we want to cherish for years to come.

Let’s start out with your monthly stats:

• You are wearing 18 months tops and 12 month bottoms. The 12 month bottoms are still big in the waist, but it is mostly because you are so long.
• You are holding steady in size 3 diapers.
• You now have 10 teeth – cutting 6 in the last month and ALL at the same time.

Your vocabulary continues to expand. In the last month, you have learned to say “No, no, no”, “Shh”, “Amy”, cup, and juice.  You are also learning the various sounds that the animals make.

You absolutely love music. At VBS last week, you climbed on stage every night to dance with Mama as we led the worship music. In the car, you point at the radio and insist that I turn it on….and then happily clap your hands and kick you feet in time with the music.

You are quite the little ham…..you love to make silly expressions and funny noises so that you can be the center of attention.  You are also growing more and more inquisitive – exploring the world around you.  You especially love to be outdoors – where you can play with rocks, sticks, and anything else you find in the yard.

As bittersweet as it  may be, Joycie, we have to say that you are growing into an amazing little girl!

Love,

Mama and Daddy

Five Minute Friday: Wonder

< i> I am participating in The Gsypy Mama's Five Minute Friday. Each Friday, we are given a prompt and for 5 minutes we write were the prompt leads, no thinking, no editing, just writing.  This week's prompt was Wonder.  </i>

 

I watch her in the rearview mirror as we drive into town. Her hands are clapping along with the music – and I marvel that at 15 months she has the innate ability to stay on the beat.  As the upbeat song changes to a slow one, her attention is drawn away. I watch as she begins to point out her various body parts – head, eyes, ears, nose, and her tongue  - she says the names to herself, somewhat garbled, but clear enough for me to understand.

I study those body parts – the light brown hair, the bright blue eyes, the rosy cheeks, the small ears, and that cute pink tongue.  Only a few traces of her babyhood remain, each day she becomes more like a little girl, and less of a baby.

 

She begins to sing, an incoherent song, but it makes her smile. My heart swells at the sight of those four tiny teeth flashing. As I listen to her sing, my mind drifts back to that hot July day, two years ago, when I sat on the bathroom floor and tried to comprehend my impending motherhood.

 

At that time, all I could think of was sleepless nights, dirty diapers, bottles, and formula – my life changing forever. But now, I know that motherhood is so much more. Motherhood is watching the world thru my child's eyes. It is seeing the best parts of my husband and me coming together into a beautiful being.

 

It is the amazement of her achievements, the beauty of her soul, and the wonder that she has brought to my world

Five Minute Friday: Home

I am participating in The Gyspy's Mama 5 Minute Friday. This week's prompt is Home:

Home is a not the three bedroom, two bathroom house on the dirt road near the county line where I now reside. And it is not  not the yellow concrete block house on the paved street where I spent the first 26 years of my life. Home is more than mortar, stone, lumber…. It's flesh, blood, heart.

 

Home is my daughter's breath brushing against my neck as she dozes while we cuddled on the couch. Home is my husband's arm draped across my hip as we snuggle between the sheets of our bed. Home is my mother's smile, my father's laugh, the crazy antics of my nieces and nephews. Home is long heart to hearts with my sister, sister in law or best friends. It's my brother in law's silly jokes and goofy grins.  Home is my father-in-law's bear hugs, and the gentle grace of my mother-in-law. Home is the wisdom of my 3 grandmothers – 1 by birth, 2 by blessing (marriage). Home is the love of my  myriad of aunts, uncles, cousins,  

 

Home is not a house, but rather the people who I share my life with on a daily basis.

Wordless Wednesday - Doing it on Her Own

15 Months

 

Dear Joycie,

Another month has come and gone, and now you are 15 months old.  With each passing day, we see less of the tiny baby that we brought home from the hospital, and more of a beautiful little girl.

 

This was another month full of exciting changes for you. To begin with, you cut 2 more teeth, bringing your total up to 4 – 2 on top, 2 on bottom.  At daycare, you moved from the baby room to the 1-year old room, where you have already become the “leader” as your teacher calls you. Each morning, you walk down the hall, open the door on your own, and go inside to find a friend.  Then you turn around give me a kiss and say “Bye.”  At day’s end, you blow kisses and wave bye to your teacher and your friends.

In the last month, you have become more adventurous – looking to learn anything and everything about the world around you – which sometimes gets you into trouble.

You love to ride on the 4-wheeler or tractor – and it doesn’t matter whose driving. You laugh so big as the wind blows thru your hair, and you clap your hands with excitement. 

You are learning to point out your body parts. We have mastered head, eyes, and tongue – which you show by sticking it out and wiggling it. And you all say “so big” if asked how big you are.

Speaking of how big you are, here are your stats for this month:

• You weigh 22 pounds, and are 31 inches long.
• You wear 18 month tops, 12 month bottoms, size 4 shoes, and size 3 diapers.

We love asking you various questions and watching your response – either a big head shake yes, a small head shake no, or a quizzical look if you are not sure….and the occasional yes and no.

 

You are changing every day Joycie, and each changes excites us as we fall more and more in love with you!

Love you lots,

Mama & Daddy.