Managing That Little Thing Called Time

Today I've spent my time thinking about blog post ideas. What the heck do I write about?! I scoured pinterest for ideas and though I found a few things, none really seemed to fit my "blog identity." And then I'm like, what the heck is my identity as a blogger??

Hobby Hopping Housewife is what I use to identify myself as a blogger, but I'm beginning to think that I use that as more of an excuse. In all honesty, I burn myself out on things. I find something that I really enjoy, become obsessed with it and then do it until I can't do it anymore. So I literally have to hop between hobbies because I burnt myself on the last one. And this continues until I've gone through all my current hobbies, then picked up a new one, before I circle back through them again.

Since I've written my last blog post, I've really tried hard with prioritizing things. Problem is, not all things I "consider" a priority. For example, doing the dishes or laundry. Do those things need to be done? Yes. Is it on my list of things I would like to get done? Of course. Will it be a priority above editing the photos from the wedding on Saturday? Definitely not.

I think the issue at hand is not just prioritizing, but also time management. And knowing that sometimes things need to be more of a priority (like the dishes that are still in the sink as I'm writing this), but if I manage my time, I can get through the things I really don't enjoy (but really need to get done because who really wants their house to be mess?) and get on to the things that I really do enjoy. But not just that, but also being able to blog and craft and watercolor and do photoshoots and sew, all in the same week.... all along with having a clean house... and doing my bible studies and devotions... and not feeling pressed for time.

I guess that all entails having some sort of schedule too.

And being adaptable.

And flexible.

Shoot, life is tough.

How do you guys prioritize, schedule and manage your time?

25 Before 25 (update)

I'm completely terrible at blogging. Let's just start by saying that. Let's also say that I'm terrible at keeping up with hobbies, hence the hobby hopping part of my blog name. It's really hard! Photography, blogging, sewing, crafting, embroidering...netflixing... (I don't think that I can say that last one is an actual hobby, but it's definitely a de-stresser and I'm thankful for Netflix.)

 Anyways, so its hard. I just want to do all this stuff all the time! And I probably could if I was better at prioritizing. I feel like there's just not enough hours in the day, but that's not even true. There's plenty of hours in the day. And if I actually woke up on time, I'd have another hour to add to my day. But truth be told, I've become kinda lazy (I can feeeeel Justin giving me a look right now lol).

I love my job, just not working. Does that make sense? I would love to go back to working less hours. But it's summer, and my hours are less, so there's again, no excuse. So I'm just gonna stop. I keep digging myself a hole.

ANYWAYS. 25 Before 25.

-I made a quilt. A long time ago. 

And though I haven't posted anything about it really, I'm still counting it. 

Because I made it. 

And it took me forever. 

And grandma loved it because it had Elvis all over it.

And now everyone wants me to make them a quilt!

-We also ate the top of our wedding cake. A few days after our anniversary because we kept forgetting about it. It wasn't that bad actually. Would have been A LOT better, had we put it in a freezer container and not just the box. But that's whatever now. Can check that off the list!

-As far as everything else, I've failed miserably. But hey! I've still got time! Hahha.

  My new goal is to learn how to prioritize. So far, I'm doing pretty good. We just moved to a new apartment, which has made it easier because everything has a place and everything still looks nice and pretty and its our first place together (the other place was really his, he had that apartment before we got together, and this place is ours) and we both are putting much more time and effort into it.

I've also added somethings to better help with my prioritizing, like a small binder that I made into a planner that also holds my to do lists, the things I want to craft, bible study and verses and a spot for blog ideas and the such. Its actually really awesome. Each page I designed specifically for me to cater to my needs. And I love it. It's super cute. And you're probably jealous.

(Don't mind the glare on the pictures though please.) So far, its working great. 

The idea came from an app (Penultimate for Ipad) that I was using. I like the physical act of writing and this app you can do that. And it has templates for to do lists and planners and the such and I loved that I could just carry around my Ipad like I always do and everything I need in it and that I could check it on my phone as well. The problem was that the stylus for the Ipad sucks. It made my writing look really sloppy and for those of you that know me, that is something that my writing is not. (thanks mom for being OCD about my writing and making me write and write and write. *note: that was sarcastic, but also very not. I love my writing.) I tried a smaller stylus that a friend let me borrow (which reminds that I need to give it back to her), but it just didn't work that great. The only other option was for me to buy the super special stylus that the app promoted, but it was SEVENTY-FIVE bucks. I'm sure its really awesome and works really well, but I just didn't want to fork over that kinda money! So I made my own planner. The only bummer is that it's kinda bulky. But only a little.

I guess its time to call it. End rant.

In Six Months (Unedited)

So I'm tired as hell, and for as much as I should be doing other things (like dishes, laundry, cleaning in general, napping [because I'm falling asleep as I type], painting my nails...), all I want to do is write.

I read a lot of other blogs and right now the most common of posts seems to be about unedited writing. It just means that you write your unedited thoughts down, no cut & paste. Backspaces are allowed only for typing errors.

I really want to try this (which is actually what I'm doing right now), but it's extremely hard! You're supposed to write down what you're thinking, every little thought and what it leads to (at least that's what I gather from it). The hard part is this: 1) My thoughts are all over the place, thinking a million things at once. I'm thinking about writing this and then also that and that and oh yeah this other thing. It's terrible! I can't possibly type that fast! 2) I want to write about my observations for the day as it recaps in my head now that I'm home. No big deal, right? Wrong. I'm pretty sure that people don't want me writing about them (good or bad) and the things I've observed about them. I'd give some examples here but I think that's a privacy breach. Okay, so there were supposed to be more numbered points, but I don't even remember because I'm trying to stay on topic. Oh, that's number three. I'm trying to stay on topic. I always stray too far away from the topic or whole point of something and it drives me nuts! I end up going on a side tangent and seem to know no other words other than "anyways", "oh" and "and" to bring it back on point. Which brings me to the the fact that there is such a word for those type of words but it's slipped my head completely.

Anyways (ya see that? Tried to make use a new word to transition back to point, but I couldn't do it. Honors English, what a waste. Blehh)

Anywaaaaaaaaaays, (anyways doesn't really work here because now I'm onto a different topic, but whatevs, my blog, I do what I want) the church asked us today (via text that was actually via twitter & Facebook and sent to us as a text), "where do you see yourself spiritually in six months?" What?! How do you answer that? Well, I'd like to be finished with the New Testament and into the Old Testament by then, reading everyday and studying the word, but I don't think that that's quite the right answer... Though I can certainly tell you where I'd like to be in six months just in general or all the things that I need (want) to be done in the next six months or the things that I have planned.

Out of debt, car painted (rechromed, new tires, new weatherstripping), Justin to get a motorcycle (that's actually not true. I don't necessarily want him to get one... They freak me out! Not they [the motorcycles] personally, but everyone else who is not riding a motorcycle. I have complete confidence on my husband's riding capabilities, but not those of which are driving cars. But it's like his last hoo-ra before settling down? I think he just means kids [which is another topic]), Tina and Robert's wedding (see also: bridal shower and bachelorette party... To which all things I am the matron [because I'm married] of honor), invest in some Ford stock and be saving for a home. All in six months time. Which doesn't even touch upon stuff like getting closer to my husband and building a relationship together with God. And now I absolutely have to build that relationship with Jus because I got his name tattooed on my arm! Which according to a friend of mine, dooms the relationship... But I'm building that relationship with God and Justin. God isn't going to let it fail.

So where do I see myself spiritually in six months? To answer this question I think I'm going to answer the question of how are you going to build your relationship with God? To which I will reply, finishing the New Testament, getting into the Old Testament, studying His word, getting more involved in ministry and listening to Him. I think that's a good place to start...

Well, I think it's time for a nap now (at 750pm) and I failed miserably at the unedited part.

Oh well, maybe another time!

G'night!

Chels

The Inevitable 2013 Recap

This has been a long year I feel like, but with that said… tomorrow is already going to be 2014. Should an exclamation mark have ended that? I dunno. Still not totally sure how I feel about it. Feels like any other day really.

There was some heartache in 2013... I watched my parents get divorced after 20 something years of marriage, met their new significant others, saw sides of people that I didn’t want to see, got tendinitis in my elbows, dealt with some serious crazies… but with that, there were so many good things that happened this year too! Overwhelmingly so!

New tattoos, took up blogging (not very well as I don’t post as much as I should), got an amazing old sewing machine that I’ve rocked like no other, made new friends, got a new job (which as of 2014 will be full-time with benefits), started doing children’s ministry (Justin doing high school ministry)… got some seriously awesome new watches…

And in January we got to celebrate being newlyweds with a second honeymoon! Thanks to Uncle Dave for letting us use his time share and Justin selling his bike the day before we left for San Francisco so we’d have money for the week. And what a week it was! From the freezing cold air, expensive taxi rides, sitting on a train for 11 hours both ways, almost missing our ferry from Alcatraz which would have made us late for the bus back to the hotel, nude protestors to a random acoustic show Justin played, seeing the golden gate bridge, the best continental breakfast we’ve ever had (minus the meat, because well, they didn’t have any), free dvd rentals at night, “Jeeves” the guy at the front desk, riding on a double decker tour bus and getting to see the whole city! So many things! Though the best part was just being able to spend time with my HUSBAND, a week’s worth of time, just the two of us together. The most perfect week ever.

Participated in another Be the Church where the church goes out on a Sunday to restore the community rather than a service and this time my sisters came! We also participated in like 2 other houses. 

Yay for the Ninja Team! Still waiting on the shirts though.

We helped/watched a couple friends come to Christ and that has been such an incredible thing to experience in. Seeing their faith in Christ grow stronger all the while ours does too.

Learned how to make simple syrup, it’s just that, simple. It has really helped out in the Making Justin Sweet Tea All the Time Department.

Bought a Roku which has been a solid investment. By investment, I mean, “investment.” No more Netflix on the computer! Yee haw! (Sorry about that last part, listening to some Mike Ness outlaw song where there’s a lot of whistling and yee haws!)

Wednesdays have become my favorite day of the week, not because its “hump day” (I hate that stupid camel commercial) or whatever, but because the day seems so much shorter. No midday or pm kids! And then the best part after that is that I get to hang out with my littlest sister Kate. We pretty much don’t do anything other than drive around, get ice cream or Starbucks, and visit the fabric store. It’s the best time really. She’s sweet and cute and a big dork, like me.

Got the IPhone 5! That’s not really big news, its actually really old news. Just looking around as I think about all the things that the year has entailed and my eyes passed over my phone.

Anyways…

The cars have been up and down. Mostly up though! Thanks to Justin, the bondo work is almost completely done! I say almost completely because I don’t quite remember if it’s almost done or completely done… Either way, it looks so awesome! Justin has done an amazing job!

We celebrated our one year anniversary!!! And what a nice night it was! Driving around, dressing up all fancy, dinner at a swanky place… One year married. Sighhh. I couldn’t be anymore lucky. I’ve found the one whom my soul loves. He’s been there for me through the good, the bad, the broke, the sick, the busy, the great… And he loves me. Only me. Well, and our two little cats. But that’s a different kind of love. Obviously.

I made a really awesome quilt for Justin’s grandma (blog on that later)! And she loved it, so much so she cried. And then cried again when she called me a couple days later to thank me (again).

We helped our friends welcome their healthy little baby Wyatt into the world! So adorable! And so tiny. He’s actually pretty normal sized for a newborn, but he’s just so tiny and fragile!

Another one of our couple friends FINALLY got engaged! And I’m the matron of honor… apparently that’s what you’re called if you’re the maid of honor but married. Who knew!

I know I’m forgetting things, but honestly, despite the small amount of sucky things… this year has been one the best years I’ve ever had. Mostly I think because I got to spend it with Justin. Mostly because I know that I’ll always have him. And he’s mine. And I’m his.

So I know everyone wants to hear about resolutions, but I don’t want to label them as that because really folks, how many people actually follow through with their “resolutions”? No one. Unfortunately, I don’t really have another word to call them by… so I’m just going to list them.

This year has been toughest on me and my mom. And I love her and I miss her and one of the most important things on my list is mending that relationship with my mom. Colossians 3:13 “bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Another thing that I’ve been sucking at is making time with God. So I’ve made reading plans and a planner that is going to help me with that.

I don’t want to curse anymore. Not that I think that it’s a terrible thing to do or anything, but I just don’t think it’s necessary. So no more cursing. Matthew 12:36 “…men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word that they have spoken…”

I need more self-control and discipline. In the mental and physical well-being parts. I need to be consistent in my routines.

Loving others. “…love your neighbor as yourself" and “Jesus had compassion on them because they were harassed like sheep with a shepherd." I just need to keep reminding myself that. Everyone is going through something. Which brings me to the next part of this, praying for others. I don’t do enough of this. Because everyone is going through something, but as it says in Philippians “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit…” Both loving and praying for others go hand in hand.

All that's on my mind for the new year are: getting out of debt, starting to save for a home, read the new testament again, read the old testament, mend relationships, get physically fit and spend more quality time with my husband.

What are you thinking about as this year comes to it's close and the next one begins?!

The Little Things!

Happy Friday everyone! Friday, Friday, Fridaaaaaay! That was embarrassing. Please ignore that.

The Little Things That Matter. See also, the things that I'm thankful for. So  let's get on with it!!!

-When you're so used to wearing fake eyelashes that you go to bed or get in the shower with them on. That doesn't really matter, nor am I thankful for it. Actually, kind of makes me mad. I either lose them or ruin them that way. Just thought I'd share.

-A husband who is willing to sleep on the couch with me while I'm sick.

-Pictures of really cute babies and puppies sleeping together. Thank you Heather for showing me this yesterday! Puts a smile on my face for sure!

-When your cat climbs your fake tree and you tell her no and she stops and then does it again and then you tell her no and then she stops and then she does it one more time and then you lock her in the bedroom for "time out" and tell her "that's not okay"  and when you let her out, she doesn't climb the tree again. Awesome.

-Ebay. Nuff said.

-Deodorant. Thankfully I have some in my purse because I forgot to put it on this morning before I left.

-Leftovers. Especially at lunch time.

-A clean bookcase. Well, yes, clean. Still busy... well, I'll just leave it at that.

-Cute socks from target. 

-Wednesdays with Kate. I'm actually really thankful for this. We don't even really do anything. Just hang out. And it's nice. And at some point I tell her she's a strange kid and then she tells me that she gets it from me. And it's fun. And sometimes I buy her ice cream or starbucks. And its our time. For just us. I wish I could do this with my other sisters. But I guess that's what we have Sister Appreciation Day for.

-Waiting until after Justin's birthday (December 2nd) to decorate for Christmas because for some reason it bothers him if we do it before. Maybe he just doesn't liking sharing his birthday. Probably so. Even though that's super silly. But I suppose I understand.

-When this one time I practiced doing a stupid trick with Justin's zippo so much that I got a blister on my finger.

-When this one time I sharpened so many pencils with a little dinky sharpener that I also got a blister on my finger. Totally two different times. Both of them sucked.

-My mom gave me a box of ornaments from when I was a kid. Well, let's just say there was a least two from every year from my birth to when I was about 11. That's a lot of ornaments! What the heck am I supposed to do with them?!

This list isn't really "the little things that matter" its more of a bunch of "mini rants that don't quite make a blog post." Maybe I'll change it.

-Being sick has caused my voice to be waaaay out of tune. Not that I was at all a great singer before... but it sucks. And it's embarrassing.

-This awesome cold weather. Even though I haven't been dressing as warm as I should be.

-A home. With my husband. And our two little cats.

What's on your list for the week?!

25 Before 25 Update

So here's where I'm currently at for my 25 Before 25 list. (For those of you just tuning in, you can check it out here) I've got nine month to do/complete these and so far... I guess I'm doing alright.

Lemme start with the first one. Staring a blog. Well folks, I definitely have done that! 28 PUBLISHED posts! (doesn't mean that I haven't started others...) On the note of consistency, that's an entirely another story. My number 21 on the list is maintaining my blog, well, as you all know, I'm failing miserably at it. I'd totally love encouragement on this one. I really want to blog, but at the end of my day, it just doesn't seem to be a priority. Soooo, if you'd like to help me out, post on my Facebook or comment on my blogs telling me to "get the heck with it and post a dang blog!" Thank you kindly. 

On a much more positive note, I can, without a shadow of a doubt, cross off 15 and 151/2! I most definitely wear my fake eyelashes everyday! Exception, that time I was sick. Other than that, every dang day. I'm awesome. And then there's the topic of those stretchy headbands....I have not worn any. At all. I bet my husband loves that! Also, I did cut my hair off, so that too I'm sure helps. Hahha.

Believe it or not, I have been doing crafts... just not blogging them. Please believe me. But I understand if you don't.

Oh! And the quilt! I can't wait for this one!!! Justin's grandma loooooves Elvis Presley. Like, really loves him. So I'm going to make her an elvis quilt! Just bought the fabric yesterday! I'm so excited! Just in case you can't tell. Never made a quilt before, so this will be fun... I think I'll be fine. And I promise to take as I go photos. Just so you can join in on the fun.

I sadly crossed out 13 though. I sent Marie a letter aaaand she never sent one back. She said she wrote me, just didn't have a stamp. I'm tempting to just send her a stamp so I can receive that stinkin' letter, but that defeats the purpose, don't you think?

As for everything else... well, I'll get there. Eventually. Nine months to go, right? I'm not making New Years Resolutions this year, considering this is pretty much resolutions anyways. But I'm curious to hear what you guys have got going on! Have you been thinking about resolutions yet?? Let me know!

A Note To My Husband

Dear Husband,

I have never been so in love with you than I am right now. Really though. You're sitting across from me playing your guitar and though you're not really paying any attention to me, there's just this overwhelming feeling of love in our home. Maybe you disagree, you're so focused on playing the right chords on your guitar... I don't know. (So justin told me that he thinks that this made him sound like a jerk, I don't think so... He was playing guitar and I was blogging, both sitting right next to each other doing our own thing. It's nice that we can do that. That we can do our own things while still enjoying each other's company. I'll tell you what made him sound like a jerk though... When he told me my humming is as bad as my whistling! Ughh.)

So this last week has been pretty terrible. I was the sickest that I've been in a long time. Not only did I feel and sound like death, but I looked like it too. And even though you were going to bed every night with death, you still managed to look at me with so much love in your eyes. Maybe that was all an act to try to make me feel better, but I really don't think so. Thank you for loving me, and I'm sorry for being completely useless and grumpy.

And though I coughed all night, every night this week and you didn't get to sleep well, you didn't complain. Thank you. And even though you probably needed the sleep more than me, thank you for sleeping on the couch with me where I could prop myself up and not cough so much. And thank you for knowing that I wouldn't sleep on the couch by myself. I don't like the idea of sleeping in separate rooms, even though it's just because I'm sick.

And thank you for making me go to the doctors. I would have bronchitis by now had you not made me. 

I am married to YOU, for the rest of my life. And I can't wait to see all the things the rest of our life together entails! I'm so lucky to be your wife.

 

You are the sun to my day and the moon to my night.

I sure do love us. I've seriously found the one whom my soul loves.

Getting My Priorities Straight

MI have not blogged a while a month. It's not that I didn't want to blog, but honestly, it just wasn't a priority.I started working longer days at work, eight hours to be exact. (and I'm not trying to make excuses, seriously, just trying to explain why it wasn't a priority...) And most of you are probably like eight hours?! That's what grownups work! Did I mention I work with kids with autism? (Also not an excuse) 

Anyways, my hours got bumped up (thanks to my own self), I figured I was already going to be there all day, why not be on the clock? Well, that was dumb. For a lot of reasons. Now don't get me wrong, I love my job. Seriously, the best and most rewarding job I have ever had. 

Just a little side note: I have always struggled with what I want to be when I "grow up". Problem being that I want to do everything and schooling just takes way too much time. Especially because I don't care about math or history or whatever. I just want to learn about the job and all it entails. And not even just learn, but do. Sometimes too much time is spent in the classroom and not enough actually doing the job. Also, school is a lot of money that I have never been able to afford and the idea of loans stress me out. I don't want to borrow money and then spend the rest of my life paying it off just to want to go to school for something else later. The list of things I've wanted to do is ridiculously long and I've been fortunate enough to have been able to try out most of them to some degree.

So because I haven't known what I wanted to do, I've done and tried lots of things. Though thing I seemed to love most was working with kids. And thanks to my husband and friend Casey, I got a job with the school district (have I told this story before? Oh well...) 

I'm currently employed as an IBIA, Intensive Behavioral Instruction Assistant. I work with kids who have developmental delays. Basically helping students with autism learn to learn. Their behaviors (and developmental delays) often interfere with their ability to learn and I help by targeting those behaviors and working with the student to reduce them.

Not gonna lie, it's a tough job. Not only is it physically exhausting but also emotionally. Which brings me to the eight hour days... There are a lot of people who work those hours and I honestly don't know how they do it! It was hard, because I love my job so much. And I just want to learn more and do more and because of that, I started to over work myself a little bit. I'd come home and be so exhausted! And just sit on the couch. And do nothing the rest of the night.

But I love working! Most of the people are just amazing and have hearts so big and the kids are awesome too (also not so awesome, but that comes with the job. I can't even tell you how many times I've been hit, kicked, pinched, spit on, had stuff thrown at me, diapers to change, clothes to change, running, some days are just filled with running and even hit with a stupid tennis ball.) There's just so many more things that make it rewarding though. Like when a student hasn't had a "tantrum" in over a month! Or another one who is non verbal tells you "No!" because he doesn't want his grapes. There is nothing as awesome and sweet and amazing as when those things, progress, happens. That's why I do what I do. And it may not seem like much to you, but it truly is.

And then there was the fact that Justin was getting off work earlier. Which meant that he had time to come home and relax and then I'd get off work and be way to tired. I was giving too much at work and not enough at home. And since I was tired all time, blogging was definitely not a priority. Neither were the dishes or vacuuming or making dinner. So we decided that I was working too much. And now that I've less hours to work, more time with my husband, and just about back to complete health after having the worst week of sickness of my life. I'm back at it again.

The Love Story

I met Justin Zerwekh in high school through a friend of mine that he was dating. I had the hugest crush on him, but never would I admit that to my friend, let alone anyone else. (Actually, that's not true. I found a journal when I was cleaning out all the stuff from my mom's  and in it I wrote about this really bad day that I had, and how Justin rode his skateboard all the way to my house from the school just to make sure that I made it home and that I was okay. I wrote about how nice it was for him to do that and that even though he was a big dork, he was really sweet, one the most honest people I knew, good looking, a hopeless romantic (ridiculously so) and how I wished to have a guy like him. Little did I know.... Justin actually hasn't heard that story yet... Hahaha.)

Anyways, he had a crush on me too. Apparently everyone knew that (except us). Even my friend. She told me that I wasn't allowed to hang out with him because I "was the type of girl he would date." Little did she know...) Just to clarify, we never hung out alone. Just in really big groups of like twenty people or so.

So anyway anyways, my friend and I stopped being friends and Justin and I never kept in touch. He was a junior my freshman year, so didn't even see him around campus. I heard through the grapevine that they had broken up, but our lives were so different at the time... 

And then that girl I was friends with asked to be my friend on facebook like three years ago and I was like suuuuure. I browsed through her facebook and saw that Justin had one, so of course I asked to be his friend. And he of course accepted.

Shortly after my contacts in my phone got deleted and I had no one's numbers. Because let's be real. Who remembers anyone's numbers anymore? That's what our phones are for. And to be honest, Justin STILL doesn't even know my number. (That became a problem once, but that's a story for another time.) So now it's programmed in his phone and he carries a paper in his wallet with my number on it (rolls eyes).

So the only way to get the numbers back was to send out a message on facebook (you all know how that works). Well, I sent it only to my actual friends, not all the acquaintances. It was a group message that was something like Hey everyone, my contacts got deleted. Send me a text with your number or message me back here with it. Simple right? 

Shortly after I sent out that message, I got a text, Hey it's Justin, here's my number.

I'm just gonna go back in time a few days. When Justin and I became friends on facebook, I told me sister and she said, "Wouldn't it be funny if you guys started dating?" Little did she know... And then I called my friend Vanessa so we could do what people call "Facebook stalk," I call it browsing through pictures. Whatever. Flashback to a couple days before that I had just got done telling Vanessa that I wasn't happy with who I was and that I needed to work on me. No boys. Just me. For a little while. Little did the both of us know...

Flash forward to the text from Justin. Whaaaaaaaaaat?! He texted me! I was totally fishing for his number and it worked! We went on a date a couple days later. And have been together ever since.

When we went out on our first date (which was actually like four dates in one, but that's a story for later) he gave me this look. His eyes were so sweet and sincere and said I have so much love to give, even with his tough exterior and I  just knew there was something special about him. 

And I was right. So I married him. 

He still gives me that look, but now his eyes say how much he loves me. 

Swooooon.

I sure do love a good love story, but ours is my favorite.

What's your love story?! I promise to do my best to be unbiased.

Got to go! The husband is calling me for dinner! That's right ladies, he makes dinner too!

Where Has All The Time Gone?!

Going through the last of the stuff from my mom's house. Boxes of all the stuff I put in storage when I was like a senior in high school. That means I haven't seen this stuff since at least 2007. That was six years ago!! 

Anyway, it's all the stuff I thought was important or sentimental or "I'm totally going to want this when I live on my own." Okay, let's be honest. I never ended up living on my own. I lived at home and then got married and lived with my husband (obviously). So that whole idea kind of goes out the window. We both kind of got to think that that thing is cool or that we both like it for it go up. Some exceptions I'm sure, but the things in the box were not the case. And to be really honest, none of those things were the case.

I'm looking at stuff that, sure, is sentimental (I guess) because it played a part in my childhood or my grandma or grandpa gave me. But really? That ugly bunny "piggy" bank sat on my shelf when I was like three, I never played with it and it doesn't contain any money in it now. Why do I need it? Also, I pretty much always thought it was ugly.

What about all the McDonald's toy barbies that my mom insisted that I have a play set and a set for on my shelf? Two sets of cheap McDonald's toys. Maaaaaaybe they have some worth, but I really HIGHLY doubt it.

A little side tangent... My mom always did that. We would get stuff (especially from my grandpa, who passed away when I was pretty young) and she would never let me play with it! Like this tour biking Barbie I had on a shelf. My grandpa loved to ride and got me a Barbie that I could play with that rode a bike too. But I never got to play with it because my grandpa passed away and it was too special for me to now play with. Unfortunately, I just threw it away. And I did so because I never played with it. Yeah, it came from my Papa, who I love and miss so very much, but all it did was sit on a shelf. It'd be different had I played with it all the time.

Like for instance, there were two dolls in one of the boxes. One of which I played with all the time when I was a little girl, and the other served as a backup, ya know. Just in case. They both have music boxes in them that play a sweet lullaby. The one I played with is clearly used. Stitches under the arm from carrying it by its poor little arm and the music box in it doesn't work. I mostly likely wound it up too much when I was little. The other one still looks brand new and still plays it's lullaby. Someday we hope to have kids, and I would love to give my someday little girl (Rebelene, Rebel for short. Yes, we've already named our kids. Hahaha. Hudson for a boy, in case you were wondering...) the dolls I played with when I was her age. Seriously, how sweet and precious is that?? 

So my point is, I'm not going to do what my mom did. I'm not going to put that "special" toy on a shelf to never be played with, what makes it special, is playing with. Come on, hasn't anyone seen Toy Story?!

My mom also did this with my Easy Bake Oven. She said the "light burnt out and we can't get another light bulb." Lies! She just didn't want to clean it. Okay, so that wasn't really what I was talking about, and apparently I still harbor some upset feelings towards it. Though the Play-doh (my computer wants to change this to Playboy. Umm, computer... that's really inappropriate.) thing I understand about not mixing the colors... but really, now that I think about it. Just buy more Play-doh!

I started off with three really big boxes full of stuff and what I've came out with (the stuff that I'm keeping) is/are:

- A journal (because its super cute! I tore out all the pages because they were just filled with teenage angst and because it was kind of depressing. I'm definitely more thankful for where I'm at now.) If only I could tell my high school self, everything works out. You find God and love, and in fact, you marry JUSTIN ZERWEKH. Can you believe that?! Probably not right now, but it'll be a love that truly is amazing. (For those who don't know, Justin and I were actually friends in high school and I had the fattiest crush on him! Apparently he did had a crush on me too, and everyone seemed to know except us. But six years after he graduated and a facebook message later, we went on our first date and then later married. That love story is my favorite. Mostly because it's ours. I'll tell it to you guys later <3

- Those two dolls that I previously mentioned.

- A Bob's Big Boy piggy bank. Justin loves it. Hahha.

-A few glass dinner salad plates because they are cute. Somehow they ended up in my box, so I'm keeping them.

- Two very small alarm clocks because they are also cute and match our place.

- A Snow White music box which doesn't really count because I'm giving it to my sister.

And I think that's it. Not much at all really. I was actually kind of worried at first. What if I wanted to keep all the stuff in those boxes? We live in a one bedroom apartment with only a small storage area in our carport. Where was I going to put everything?! Well, all that worrying was for nothing. Thank God, seriously.

Just one last little note for you. My mom bought us all the storage boxes so we could put stuff away that we wanted to keep but didn't want in our rooms because we were too cool now or whatever. Ya know, like stuffed animals, barbies, beanie babies...etc. Well my youngest sister Kate was just a baby when my mom got them for us, so Kate didn't get a box.

Well, I went through my boxes with Kate and she was like this is so cool. But also, a lot of this stuff is stupid. She couldn't understand why I kept all that stuff in those boxes, especially because a lot was, in fact, pretty lame. Part of it is definitely the generation gap between us. I'm twenty-four and she's twelve. What I thought was cool at twelve, is definitely not what's cool anymore. But the other part is that she hasn't really been alive long enough, to accumulate that amount of stuff. So she couldn't possibly understand yet. So I gave her one of my boxes to fill up with her own stuff that she thinks is important now, so put it away and revisit years down the road. And then she can give smiles and eye rolling with head shakes to the stuff she put in there.

It's like a time capsule of sorts. And it all kind of makes sense now. Opening those boxes wasn't just a change to purge more stuff, but to see a former me. A reflection on how much I've grown up. How much better things got at a time when I didn't think things could get any better/could get better at all. Looking through those boxes was an awesome experience. Things I have completely forgotten about, that though may not mean anything to me at all now, but were at some point apart of who I was.

The craziest part, I probably won't ever have boxes like that again. I mean, obviously some small things... But now the stuff I have are for building a home with my husband and someday family. And actually, the time I get another box like that, will probably be when I pass away and my kids and grandkids get to go through it and reminisce about the life they shared with me. Whoa. So crazy. Is it weird that it kind of brings me to a place of peace when thinking about that? That I'll have lived and grown old with an amazing husband and the best kids ever (Come on, look at Jus and I, you know it to be true) and grandkids! I know all that is a long way into the future, but I feel so much love already. And then going home to my rightful place in Heaven with a God who loves me even more than the love that I feel right now.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely can wait for all that. 

Have a great weekend all!