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A New Chapter
A few months ago I shared that Blake decided to end his career as a chef to pursue something that allowed him to be more focused on our family. It was a change that I welcomed, even though it came with some uncertainty. A few months ago, Blake told me he wanted to own a gym, and through determination and fearlessness, I am happy to report that today he signed the paperwork to purchase our very own gym. One may ask how someone goes from being a chef to a gym owner, and while it seems to be a 180 degree change, for Blake, it makes sense. See, about a year…
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What five years of marriage have taught me
Five years ago, it was a cool fall day in Georgia and I married the love of my life. Like many others, my marriage is not perfect – but I don’t expect it to be. It ebbs and flows but I am lucky that there are more good days than bad. I’m lucky to be in a healthy (again, not perfect) marriage where we respect each other (most of the time), love each other and most days, really like each other. This five-year milestone has got me thinking about all I’ve learned about love and marriage along the way; advice and perspectives that have made us work, and that if…
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How to Be a Happy Parent
Parenting is hard and it’s easy to find yourself stuck in a rut with all the damn dailies. But I believe that happiness is relative to your expectations. We all have this romanticized idea of what parenting will be like before we have kids… and then we have them and realize some if it’s not so glamorous. Managing your expectations and keeping perspective is key to finding all the joy that parenting has to offer. Juggling your children, your marriage, a job (perhaps), and the stresses from the outside world (strangers, other parents, the media, the “experts”) can be downright stressful. Hey, no pressure, you’re only doing the most important…
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You’re Inspiring a Blog Post
So I have a new saying in my house – you’re inspiring a blog post. My latest remark to the things my boys (husband included) do that make me shake my head. It came out naturally the other night when my husband Blake asked me if I’d seen his cell phone. I told him it was upstairs on my nightstand. Fast forward an hour or so and I asked him if he found his phone. His response – it’s not on your nightstand. A couple of things to know here… 1) I have a photographic memory and 2) Blake has established a reputation for not being able to find things…
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The things I used to take for granted
I write this post from the plane, on our way back from a much-needed vacay to Vegas for my husband’s 30th birthday. This was a kid-free trip, and while I knew we needed to recharge, I was reminded of the simple things that we used to take for granted – before we were parents. Sleep. Uninterrupted sleep that begins and ends when you say so. There is a tiredness associated with parenthood that is incomparable to any other cause of fatigue. Yes, you can be tired from a late night of partying, an all-nighter studying or an overnight shift at work. But the parent version of tired is different because…
