Happy New Days.

I have never been very much into a New Years celebration. Going to Times Square or any NYE Party was never on my bucket list and never will be. I prefer a much laid back count down. One with just close friends and/or family. And a bathroom I can easily get to and a blanket I can easily bundle up in.

The countdown starts and the hugs, kisses, and well wishes for the new year begin. After all that is done and the sounds of fireworks that give me a damn near heart attack have calmed down, I always say to myself and then to my husband “Wow. I can’t believe it’s (enter year here)” without fail. It is at that point when I reflect on yesteryear and feel the necessary emotions that go along with that year’s memories. We all have our good years and our bad years and 2017 wasn’t one of the greatest for me. I went in and out of my depression moods. Watching the news everyday definitely didn’t bring me one ounce of peace but just another notch on my anxiety belt. It was a rough year for me and Ryan as husband and wife. I didn’t get to do/experience anything I wanted. Whether it be reading a book I said I wanted to read or going on holiday to a city I have never been to before. Don’t get me wrong, there were a handful of moments last year that were wonderful. Ones I will never forget. But it’s not just about everything that has happened around me but a lot more of what I did or (mostly) didn’t do for myself. There is nothing and no one to blame but me. I didn’t work hard or even enough for my own happiness.

My world, love, and attention is set around my family and friends but I have to remind myself I deserve all that for me too.

How can I can make my 2018 a year I’ll look fondly back on? What can I do to FEEL better so I can BE better?

Love myself. Set some time me time away from kids and pamper myself. Read the books I want to or just sit back and mask!

Vision board. Make a vision board to get to the places I want to visit and if I can’t get to those places don’t get discouraged. Keep the dream alive! I’ll get there one day but know I’ve got to get up and do something about it. And tack on experiences I want to have. Like a promise to myself to explore my own city. I have to remember adventure doesn’t always have to be expensive or far. It can just be a hike away.

•Plan. As much as I love to plan and be organized I somehow stopped writing things down and making lists and appointments last year. Envision it, write it down, and (hopefully definitely) check it off!

•Be calm. Meditate. Going from 0-100 isn’t always the best way to go. I must remind myself counting 1-10 should be my first go to before I fly off the handle and that a nice calm chat can work wonders. Who needs to yell at the top of their lungs over constantly stepping on toys you’ve told your kids to put away 100 times before they actually listen?

Not me.

Anymore.

Life is getting shorter. My kids are getting older. I try to do the best I can to make sure they get to live their happiest life. They deserve to see me live mine the same exact way and I deserve to actually live it.

Happy New Dreams.

Happy New Days.

Happy New Desires.

Happy New Ways.

Happy New Year.

My Favorite Moments – July

Faith | There have been some things that happened this month that tested our faith.  Ryan had his heart set on a career change.  He was banking on this new position because it was something he felt will give him a better quality of life.  A chance to spend more time with me and the boys and an opportunity to grow within the company and help us better financially in the future.  Sadly, under circumstances not in his control, it fell through.  With the disappointment with that and the loss of the matriarch in his family, he was under a mini dark cloud.

Feeling negative about things is human nature.  That moment of weakness when you feel like you can’t catch a break because when it rains it POURS, you can’t help but feel like you’re drowning.  One of the things that I think is very important in a relationship/partnership is that two people can’t be swimming in that pool of negativity.  I felt everything he was feeling.  I understood why he felt as such but I couldn’t let him believe there wasn’t a good reason.  Although we are Catholic, we are not constant church goers or avidly practice Catholicism but our faith in God is big and strong.  But we are human, and when our faith touches rocky ground we tend to get lost.


First thing’s first.  Dealing with the passing of his grandmother was tough.  But through all the heartache and tears came out more opportunities to see family he hasn’t seen in  years.  Times spent with his siblings were longer and much more frequent.  After every weekend we see family, Ryan seems more uplifted and more thankful.  Grandma Julie loves that.  I promise you.

Second on the list: getting past not getting the opportunity that he so much had his heart set on.  We had lots of conversations on keeping faith, letting us let go and accept that God has a bigger and better plan, and we’ve gotten through worse so we can get through this.  After those many faith centered conversations and after Ryan finally accepted his fate, he gets a phone call.  The recruiters called Ryan and extended an offer to continue on with their company.  They even went ahead and told him they pulled it together because they didn’t want to lose such a good candidate.

Faith was tested but in the end, our higher power was on our side reminding us that even though we go through struggle down here, He’s up there working his heavenly magic.