by Sarah | Jul 25, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Universal Studios Mom
Once upon a time, Denver was an adorable tot.
No, seriously, look at that face…how adorable??
Okay, okay, that’s a baby pic, but don’t you wanna smoosh those cheeks?
ANYHOOZLES.
Way off topic here.
He was cute. He was the only child, grandchild, he was spoiled…
Which meant for approximately 3 years when he fell in love with the movie Mary Poppins I watched that damn thing, at least in part, EVERY DAY.
Let me clarify this for you…
Every day. For at least 3 years. At least 1095 days. I watched at least 20 minutes of Mary Poppins.
I grew to hate that snobby bitch.
I mean, sure she’s great on the first watch. Maybe even the second. Then you begin to realize her ‘practically perfect in every way’ rhetoric is just SO ANNOYING.
(For the record, I have since watched the 2nd and I do love the fun Emily has with the role. No offense to Dame Julie Andrews, whom I adore, but it’s a LOT of Mary Poppins).
Fast forward to 2014. We are at Disney for Kennedy’s Wish…and innocently wandering through Epcot…
When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a beautiful Mary Poppins standing innocently in midst of the UK. Not surrounded by millions of people or a handler, just…there.
You KNOW what I did.
I mean, how could I not?
THREE YEARS, people.
You bet your butt I forced Denver to get a picture with her.
You can see his extreme joy at being forced not just into a picture, but one with Mary Poppins herself.
A mother’s memory is long…and revenge truly is a dish best served cold.
by Sarah | Jul 23, 2019 | 50 before 50, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Bucket List, Oola, Personal, Redefining Perfect
Well, it’s pretty well known that my main goal that went on the Oola bus was to move to Florida.
And, here we are!!
It’s been a crazy two years, since I found Oola, and a crazier year since I got to put my dream on the bus!
At times I never thought I’d make it here.
At others, I remained steadfast and certain it would happen.
Now, as the chaos dies down and we settle into a bit of normality – something has been nudging me.
A new goal.
A somehow much scarier one.
One that I’ve denied for much longer than I care to admit.
A dream that I’ve talked myself out of any, and every time it has popped into my head.
I deemed it a passing fancy.
Something I was never strong enough to do.
I don’t have the constitution for it.
The persistent nudging hasn’t stopped, so I cautiously stepped out and told my husband.
Then my BFF, and my mother.
Yet I kept it close to the vest.
I told myself it was because this one was for me.
But really, in the end, I recognized it for what it was – Fear.
Ooh, that Oola Blocker of blockers.
Fear of what?
Being ridiculed. Failing. Being told I could never do it.
Once I recognized this, I knew it was time to say it.
So here it goes.
My crazy, new goal…
I’m going to school to become a nurse.
It’s in many ways so much scarier than moving across country.
But it feels right.
by Sarah | Jul 21, 2019 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Gratitude, Redefining Perfect
As part of my Oola journey, I’m making an effort to be more grateful. My daily planner has a place specifically labeled for Gratitude. I’d like to spread some of that love here, too.
I am grateful for –
Dominoes
Couches
Crochet
New jobs
Better jobs
New dreams
New schools
Cat being a cat
Overtime
Bonuses
Birthday fitbit
4k
Bugs be gone(ish)
Blogging friends old & new
Support
Studying
Sunshine amidst rain
40 days
Beach days
All my kids together
Wizards Unite
Pokemon hunting
Home.
by Sarah | Jul 20, 2019 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Crafty Me, Oola, Redefining Perfect, Yarnspiration
I may have mentioned once or twice before that I have some crafting ADHD. In the past year, my yarn-bending has come out full force (along with my pendant making, but that’s another post).
To keep tabs on myself because I’ve had several projects that are YEARS old now (seriously, like 7 years).
Honestly, this months yarn check-in is much the same as last one…I’ve been working on it for YEARS.
But, it was meant to be worked on over time.
Just perhaps not quite this much time.
It’s called the Bee-Keeper Quilt.
You make a bunch of teeny-tiny (not really, but really) hex-puffs – or poofs as I like to call them.
Each hexagon is knitted, and stuffed, individually as you go along.
You make lots of them.
LOTS.
Like hundreds.
For a twin size I think you need something like 400.
I’m aiming for a queen sized quilt.
It’s like 1,000 of those –>>
I’m at about 150, I think?
After YEARS of off and on knitting.
I may finish this before we get our retirement home.
Or in time to be buried with it.
At this rate, it could be…
by Sarah | Jul 18, 2019 | All About Me, All of Us, Personal, Redefining Perfect, Story of Me
The past couple of years I’ve made huge leaps in discovering who I am, who I want to be, how I want to live.
I want to be me.
Unapologetically ME.
It’s not always easy, though.
Old fears, traumas, habits, and soul blocks are everywhere.
I make a decision for a new Oola goal – and I hide it. I claim I’m keeping it to myself because it’s just for me…but it’s fear. Fear of being mocked. Being told I can’t do it, that I’m “not strong enough” (something I heard about surviving auditions on Broadway…yet years later I became a writer and handled plenty of rejection).
It’s been so easy to slide back into a hermit life during/after the move.
SO much happened. SO much stress. SO much turmoil.
Say bye bye world, hello couch.
I’m trying to push beyond it. To work past those blocks, comforts, and habits.
My word for 2019 is REDEFINING.
I’ve had so much happen into 2019, I can’t help but embody that word in so many ways.
Yet, that old song is easy to sing. To use as a shield. To smile and pretend I’m okay waving the rose in the back of the corps.
I said I was going to stop hiding my true self.
I’m working on it.
I promise.
*~*
(Also, that Oola goal announcement is coming soon…promise. Fitting it into my post schedule. 😀 No more fear)
by Sarah | Jul 15, 2019 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Florida Dreaming, Redefining Perfect
Oh, Florida. I’ve talked about it for years, dreamed about moving for as long, talked about moving for a year, and finally made the move in May…
and promptly all but disappeared off social media.
Because that first month?
SUCKED.
Holy crap. I mean, massive sucktitude of the highest magnitude.
Like the only thing keeping me from driving back to Indiana was the sunshine…because it was pretty much all that was working out for me.
How bad?
Well, one of the first things I saw in Florida as I pulled off to gas up, on my way back onto the highway was a cat that had been hit by a car, and had not yet passed on.
Talk about traumatic.
Then my AirBNB that I was so crazy excited for, had no wifi or internet because my host according to AirBNB had up and left the man she’d been living with for years…and then turned off the cable. My actual AirBNB host was a relatively pleasant Brit…that blissfully left town for 10 days (okay, so that went good for me, too)…but then expected me to chauffer him around…never mind the fact I was working nights. Um…
I could not find a house. Like legit, could not.
I couldn’t find a realtor to help me find a house. All they would say is “I don’t have anything like that” and that was it. No offers to help, nothing.
I would find something online, call the realtor only to have them tell me it wasn’t actually available yet and they weren’t showing yet (happened with where we are now…) and that was WEEKS out. Weeks! They all refused to show with tenants still inside.
If that wasn’t the case, the home was already rented…in one case I scheduled an appointment to show it in three days, which was when it was opening for showings…but then I got a call that it was already rented – before they were even showing!!
My job was good, but instead of training me on my regular schedule, they decided to do 5 day weeks the first two weeks – which totally messed with my plans to you know, look for a home!
Because of that job schedule, and the inconveniently timed vacation of the only person in HR that could confirm my employment, I almost missed the cutoff for the girls school admission.
I had no less than five panic attacks – most of which centered around finding a home.
I never made it to the beach. (Heck, I didn’t make it there until last week)
After the host made it back from the UK he finally managed to get wifi back about 4 days before I was due to checkout…but I couldn’t access it, the password wouldn’t work (but he could, so no worries for him).
Yeah, I may have suffered from some internet withdrawals.
I missed my family crazy-bad. They missed me as much.
Erik had so many struggles getting things ready. We had a simultaneous panic attack on a phone call when it came to finding a home.
I gotta say, I knew it would be tough separated from them, but not THAT tough. Oy.
But that’s enough complaining…because the month is over. It sucked. It was TOUGH…but it’s passed.
Here’s some nice things about the first month…
I did have beautiful sun, and pleasantly not-crazily-humid days for all but one day that first month, and that was one of the first days I was there. It was a crazy-storm. In the best way.
I got to spend some nice one-on-one time with my son where he didn’t annoy the crap out of me (he aspires for that).
I actually got a little tipsy on one of our day trips…we went to the Banana Cabana at the Caribbean and there was some delicious alcohol consumed.
We went on a nature walk and I got some great photos and saw some alligators.
I did, finally, find a couple of realtors that were eager to help and we got approved for our new home the day after hubby and the kids arrived.
All the driving around looking for places helped familiarize me with the general layout of the area.
I had my first ever Pub Sub – and it was all everyone said it would be.
I got into my new job and really felt welcomed and at home right away. I miss my old work-home, but my new work-home is equally as lovely and the hours are amazeballs.
I LOVE working nights.
I’m in Florida.
I am home.
*~*~*
You know, I know that nothing worth it is ever easy…and I didn’t expect smooth sailing when I got down here, but the first month almost broke me in turns. There were days that I would say “I just need ONE THING to go right. Just ONE.”
And then it would.
It was tough finding moments of joy some days…impossible on others…but they emerged eventually.
Once my family got here, things evened out. Not everything is fully settled as I’m writing this. We are still waiting on our couch (will be here tomorrow). Erik is still looking for a job (he has an interview tomorrow). The girls are BORED and totally freaking out about not being able to make friends when school starts in a month…
But we are together. We are home.
WE ARE HOME.
And that is the best feeling in the world. Even if I had to go through hell to get here..
Once upon a time, Denver was an adorable tot.
Fast forward to 2014. We are at Disney for Kennedy’s Wish…and innocently wandering through Epcot…
