a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do

I cracked open the lid and took a deep satisfying inhale…then I plunged my spoon in.  I swirled it till the caramel clung to its rounded edges and I slowly licked off each savory morsel.

Until there

Was

No

More.

Did I mention I started my period today?

One might get the notion that these are major bucket list items, like jumping out of planes and entering marathons, and I will spend this 39^th year in a constant state of focus…but that’s not true nor is it realistic for me.  This list is a mish-mosh…some goals ARE huge (like finally losing the baby poundage!) while others are simple everyday tasks that I always say I’m gonna do and I don’t.  So far, I have completed 5 out of the 39 and two more are almost finished while 3 are to be tackled this month!

Sometimes getting older teaches you lessons you weren’t intending to learn but it also grants you the wisdom needed to move from who you were into who you are and finally into who you shall be.  I’ve realized that living is a lot like loving…

it takes…

WORK

…it won’t just

happen.

Here’s my list of 39 Things To Do Before I’m 40 (I encourage you to make your own…)

*this list has been created in brain-dump fashion NOT in order of importance NOR in order of accomplishment*

1. Watch a sunrise

2. Organize my pantry

3. Go to the Tulip Festival

4. Get rid of those “baby pounds”, I mean, really! (lost 22…8 more to go!!)

5. Make my “Guest Tree”: COMPLETED-10/09/2011

6. Walk/Run a 5k with Coke

7. Take each kiddo on a private overnight date…just us.

8. Take a photography class

9. Plant bulbs for next spring flowers with the girls

10. Go to the gun range-TBD in Feb

11. Enter a contest: COMPLETED-10/01/2011

12. Indoor sky dive

13. Plank: TBD in Feb

14. Visit someone in the hospital

15. Let God change me in a BIG way

16. Go to the Arboretum

17. Purchase an original artwork

18. Publish my 365 Project in a coffee book form from Blurb.com: ½ completed…

19. Have a special day with my mom: TBD in Feb

20. Take a blind leap of faith.

21. Fully decorate one room in our house

22. Have a Craig’s List Christmas

23. Create something that ignites my passion & gifting: My Blog: COMPLETED-1/2012

24. Learn Photoshop (UPDATE: Lightroom 12/2011)

25. Create the slipper basket for our friends: COMPLETED-12/2011

26. Dream up & complete a project with Ben

27. Win a prize

28. Teach Sophie how to swim

29. Surprise someone: COMPLETED-1/2012

30. Attend a flea market

31. Watch Miracle on 34th Street with my kids this year: COMPLETED-12/2011

32. Teach my kids about generosity by actively being generous with those around us

33. Beat the game Flowers

34. Have a full day in downtown with Ben…just like the good ole days.

35. Sell some of my photography

36. Listen more, talk less

37. Go for a loooooooooonnnnnggg drive without a destination

38. Create handwritten notes to tell the ones I love how much they mean to me.

39. Take more effort to be the kind of woman I want my kids to become.

I’m sitting across the table from you…just watching.  Your legs are longer, your torsos has begun moving away from the buddah-look and into that of a young girl and those eyes are expressive-so full of complex notions about the world you live in.  I find myself lost in the reality of how quickly this year has passed.  As your mom, I see all those areas I have failed you but that’s where I choose to believe that God paints His grace over me and supplies what you need when I don’t measure up.  Because your sister had gone before you I realize what is ahead.  The transition from three to four is HUGE!  We are about to say good-bye to the toddler and hello to the little girl.

Our little monkey

This year has been so much fun!  In August, you started pre-school with Mrs. Anderson and have learned lessons far more valuable than your ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s.  When you began school, you had so much inside you that you couldn’t express which led to frustration both with yourself and others.  As the year has gone by I have noticed something so special in you…you find what you need in prayer.  When you fall down and get hurt all I need to do is pray over it and the tears cease.  When you have a fight with school friend…we pray for that person, that they would have a great day and good sleeps and that God would create His love in your heart for them…and in His faithfulness, He changes you.  My prayer for you is that as you grow…so will your prayer life.  That you will grow to rely on God’s ability to solve every conflict, to meet every need and to change any situation, in His time.

Who you are today:  you are a discoverer/tinker.  You are a sensitive and emotional spirit.  You are strong and have an unbelievable drive.  Sometimes I find you upstairs surrounded by your books and you are trying to teach yourself to read.  You are so full of questions about the world, space, your body…you wonder about EVERYTHING!  A typical question from you is, “how this thing work, mom?” (This is an inherited gift from your Daddy…mommy could care less how things work, just as long as they do!)  Whatever is in front of you needs to be touched, pushed, and examined.  Because you are so inquisitive and strong, sometimes I forget how tenderhearted you are.  You will sit in the playroom and listen to music then come down with a tear stained face and say, “Mommy, this song is so sad!  It makes me sad in my heart!”  You love to sing and there is nothing more infectious than your laugh!  As you have grown I have watched you mature in self-control and patience, you’ve learned the value of being a friend and absorb information like a sponge!

More than anything you could ever accomplish (which I’m sure with you will plenty!) my greatest desire for you is to know and love God.  Ever since you were a baby I knew you were a world changer and I would pray over you, that you would take this passion He gave you to change this world for His kingdom.  This year, my greatest joy came when you asked Jesus into your heart!  You and I had a really BAD day and I came into your room and we talked about forgiveness and you asked me to explain what it was.  As I explained what forgiveness is and what Christ had done for us you cried and cried and accepted Him into your heart then and there.  God has granted me the greatest gift:  to lead you in the prayer to ask Jesus into your heart!  For I know no matter what life brings, as long as you have Christ you will have what you need.

I can’t wait to see what year 4 has in store for you!  You’ll make me laugh, you’ll make me cry, you’ll make me question what I’m doing and wonder if I’m totally screwing this up…you’ll make me proud, you’ll make me sing…the best part of you, is YOU!

how appropriate.

My husband and I always say, “as long as we have that one special Disney moment…it’s all been worth it!”  And I can honestly say we have never been disappointed.  We surprised our kids with a birthday trip to Disney World-crazy, right?!  We live our lives by a schedule but when it comes to holiday time…we tend to fly by the seat of our pants.  I started to become a little overwhelmed by what we “should have already planned” (that we sooooo did not plan yet!) that I was starting to wonder if this was going to be as much fun as we hoped.  But I kept coming back to the same truth: “all we need is the one magical moment!”

We entered the park and got our special, “Happy Birthday” and “1^st Visitor” buttons…got the stroller, the locker, the traditional picture (as seen) at the entrance with Mickey and FINALLY got on our way.  We walked thru the castle and rode the rides and we laughed and indulged and loved being together as a family.  We were excited to meet up with our friends, who are Disney-amazing, but also felt badly because my kids are, how do you put this (?) scared-y-cats?!  A total kill joy to any child who wants to jump on every ride in the park… *sigh* My eldest daughter’s friend was begging her to go on Splash Mountain.  (Mind you, the only “roller coaster” she’s EVER tried was the one in Toon Town and she cried the whole way through!)  Sometimes peer pressure can be a good thing…    I told her to watch it first and see if this was truly something she wanted to do; then we watch the logs fall and counted the seconds till the drop was over and she declared, “Mom, this is the year I’m gonna try that!”  So she grabbed her dad’s hand and got in line.  *gulp*

I’m waiting on the bridge to see her…waiting…waiting…waiting.  My heart is literally pounding out of my chest because I KNOW how truly frightened she is of these things.  It’s hot.  I’m sweating.  Holding my camera up and taking a lot of random pictures of people coming down in logs that I don’t know.  Then they came…

I saw our friends first…then I saw her…a little tiny head in the VERY back row.

THE BACK ROW?!

How in the world did she land the back row?!

I was overwhelmed with pride for her!  She looked her greatest fear in the face and road that coaster straight to the bottom…

sitting proudly by her dad.

Our magic moment.

We might as well pack up and go home…

my cup runneth over

Today is the day. I’ve opened the door to a new adventure and like the adventures that have come before I enter it with delight and fear. When I think of what’s ahead…new ventures, relationships, my learning curve, I’m delighted; however, intertwined with my delight, like a tango dancer, lives my fear. Fear is tricky. Sometimes fear is your friend and keeps you from danger or getting into TOO much trouble but on the flip side, fear can keep you paralyzed, never allowing you to risk or change. I’ve chosen to keep fear as my friend and only listen to it when I must. {INSERT: childish grin here}

This is my next adventure…welcome to my blog and the launch of my photography business. I have been incredibly humbled and quite overwhelmed by all the support I’ve received through this past year with my 365Project and due to that experience, I find myself here! {this is so surreal}

As my fingers hit the keys, I’m taking inventory of my life and I can honestly say, my cup truly runneth over. I am blessed beyond measure and I walk forward changed because of those who have touched my life from the earliest years till now. So whaddaya say? Wanna go on a wild ride?

But we made the commitment to play ALL the games…so we cracked this puppy open and to my surprise, this game is AWESOME!  Inside its little tin you will find a stack of cards.  On each card is a group of pictures and the object of the game is to be the first to find the two images that match.  That’s it.  {seriously, that’s the whole point!}  From the 4-year-old to the 40-something in the house…we played through the entire stack.  We laughed at ourselves and cheered for each other all while teaching our youngest the way to be a gracious looser.

We played Game #1: The Tower…but there are 4 more ways to play this game using the same deck.  Can’t wait to try out the others, perhaps during the youngest one’s nap time!  A simply delightful way to invest in your family.  It’s worth it’s price in laughter alone.

Lucky Girl says: THUMBS UP on the game, Spot It  You can buy it on amazon for $11.95 {FREE 2-day shipping, if you are an amazon prime member, I hope you are!}  I plan on throwing this gem into my purse before we head out to a restaurant for a little fun family time around the table.  I would love to hear what you think of this game too!!