Monday, July 18, 2016

30 before 30 - part II

...continued from part I...

16 - i've gone on a cruise - twice. the first time was with my high school best friend blair. for christmas my mom gave me a giant red suitcase. i was less then thrilled - what a boring, adult gift! then she handed me the phone and blair was on the phone. i was headed to mexico! it was so much fun! the second time was on our honeymoon and it was a once in a lifetime trip. i even won a madonna contest and performed in front of the wholes ship.

17 - i bought a house - twice. looking back, heavenly father was so involved in our life at this time. we never would have been able to afford a house if the market hadn't crashed. if we didn't qualify for the WISH program. if we weren't as poor as we were [and knew we wouldn't be that poor ever again...hopefully]. and then we fixed it up. and we're able to get into a larger house because we had that smaller house. we've been so blessed. not that we're not without our share of trials, but in this regard, we've been given much.


18 - i learned how to french braid. learned this on my 21st birthday because that's how wild parties get at utah colleges. my friend erica showed me at my party. i know it doesn't sound important but i really wanted to learn and i was much to proud to ask my mom to show me growing up.

19 - learn how to sew. again, i'm very stubborn and don't like to be taught things, ESPECIALLY by my mother. but she tried, lord knows she tried. with her help, i made the top of a baby's blanket, several pairs of pajama pants [because that was in vogue in jr. high], 3 aprons, and a quilt for justin and me. and i will never ever again sew. granted, i do sew some basic things now [like the outline of onsies i iron on designs or hem pants] but i will never make another piece again. sewing is the worst and it costs more time and money then i'd like to dedicate to it. but still, i know how to do it.
this pic i took for insurance purposes but its the only one i have of my quilt
20 - make some awesome friends. again, doesn't sound like a big deal but it totally is to me. i was talking to a friend recently about landon's birthday and i was complaining because my invite list was just too big. i have too many people that i love! they're not all my best friends but i have a wide circle of friends who mean the world to me. i have 8 bestest friends. that's pretty lucky. [and i know shannon is trying to figure out who those 8 are: kaylacaitlinmeghanhollyshannonannadevinmom]



21 - i became a grown up. i know how to do taxes, budget, learned how to write a resume & interview well, started a retirement account, how to be fancy at work at work events, work a grill, cook an egg [which isn't easy because i don't eat eggs], perform CPR, talk to strangers, write well [even if i don't use proper capitalization], take a good picture; things like that. i was kind of a brat as a kid so i'm proud to be who i am now. knowing what i know.

22 - be thrifty. i'm no crazy couponer but i know what a good price for chicken or milk is. i know where to shop and when. i can budget our money and figure out where to save and where to splurge. i don't impulse buy often and i'm not one to spend a lot of money on non-essentials. this was not always the case with me. of course i can be better but i'm pretty good at it.

23 - i've survived a long distance relationship. over and over and over again. i think the lord is realizing i'm still not patient or trusting enough so he makes me relearn this again and again. first the mission. then work. then church. then for fun. justin leaves me often enough that i don't mind it as much as i used to. it's not my favorite thing but it's our trial in our relationship. we're not perfect at it yet - communication is hard when the two people hate talking on the phone. but we're still here.

24 - i've created things, with a lot of help from justin of course. we've painted our walls. planted a garden. stained wood. built tables. installed cabinents. laid tile. my contribution is miniscule compared to justin but i help him often. i can thank my dad for teaching me this. and the gym for giving me some massive guns.

25 - thrown some amazing parties. justin and i never consciously decided this, but we are some party animals. we are always having people over for dinner. throwing impromptu pool parties. and every kid's birthday is a whole shebang! we are social people. one time my mom remarked 'i don't even want to know what your budget is for parties'. you don't want to know either.

26 - i've taught. soccer, preschool, primary, relief society, baseball. and i'm good at it! i love it! i like teaching! i don't think i'd enjoy it as a professional teacher but i am confident in my ability to teach what skills i do know. i can relate to kids/women. i can make it interesting. i know how to present information in a way that's entertaining and educational. i know in my future profession, i'll incorporate this talent in some way. i'm just not sure how yet.

*last but not least - my children, which i consider three individual accomplishments*

27 - giving birth to landon was tramatic and scary [as any birthing experience can be] but being his mother has given me so much joy. he's the one who changed me from wife to mother. he was a difficult baby but a joy of a toddler and a fun kid. he's my first one so i'm learning to be a mom as we go. i didn't know how to teach a kid to sight read but now i do. i didn't know how to teach kids to do chores or wipe their tushies, but we're getting there together. landon and i are growing together and thankfully, he makes my job a little easier for the other two.

28 - porter has taught me patience. he is naughty but loving. a biter but then a kisser. my sour patch kid. he taught me how to juggle children, how to be present and loving to both. i am the ultimate peace negociator. i learned that each child needs to be punished in their own way. loved in their own way. and the thing i love best about porter, is how i get to love on him.

29 - griffin has taught me how to love motherhood and to cherish it - because it's fleeting. i realize he may be my last child, my last song. i am loving every minute, every stage with him. i'm not rushing his stages or wishing for a time when he can do ____. he's also taught me not to lose myself. i can leave him with no guilt. my needs are important and can't be ignored. griffin has also given me confidence in motherhood. i am a great mom! not for everyone's kid, but for my kids. we have fun, we play, we read, we create, we dig, we write, we learn. kind of unfair how i become a better mother to babies as i near the end of my time with them.

30 - i am me, fearlessly. i know what i like and i'm not shy about it. i won't apologize for who i am and for not wanting to wear a bra around my house. i don't care that i wear yoga pants 95% of the day and i look good. i love who i am, i love who i surround myself with, and i love life. i am lucky and i am happy.

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2 comments:

Caitlin said...

I love both part one and part two of these. You are an amazing person, and I am so glad I get to call you my BFF8. You are also very aware of others needs, and you go out of your way to let us friends know how much you care, even though you get a friend like me who isn't so thoughtful. I love you!

Kari said...

I like who you are too! These are great posts. I wish I had your confidence and it seems like you've had a great 30 years :)

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