Happy
Hi, I’m Becky and I’ve neglected my blog.
A sad admission but the truth, nonetheless.
It was a busy holiday season for us as it is with most of you. Usually during the holidays I take a ton of pictures and I have a hard time sorting through them to pick ones to blog.
That was not the case this year.
I realized why.
Taking pictures was always a cathartic thing to me. A good way to end a long, bad day at work. A way for me to see pictures of my babies all day when I was away from them. A way to sort of make up for crappy days or guilt or whatever bothered me. Now that I’m not working and I’m home with my girls all the time…well, I’m happy.
Like ridiculously happy.
I stress about money A LOT. But who doesn’t? I did before I quit too. At least now I’m stressing while I’m home and not at a desk I hate.
I thought I’d be more like Kelle Hampton and take ridiculous amounts of photos and instead I find myself reaching for my camera less. Maybe this will change. Maybe it won’t. I’ve come to realize that this is ok. I adore Kelle and her blog so much and while some of you think that it’s TOO happy or not real… well, that sucks for you. I like being happy. I like reading happy things. There is enough bad in the world…why focus on it? I refuse to blog about bad things in my life day in and day out. The happiness I display here? It’s real. It’s me. It’s not made up or exaggerated. Yes, I have bad days. Who doesn’t? I have close family and friends or The Man that I vent to. I don’t feel like I need to vent here all the time. Yes, Hannah and I still have tension between us some days. Yes, Livie is still a sometimes hyper kid who I sit and watch and wonder if she’ll ever just relax. Yes, there are still days when I think I might want to run away, even if it’s just for a few hours. That’s all normal and ok. It doesn’t mean I’m not happy even when all those things occur.
I am very blessed in life and I thank God for all I have. I have everything I’ve ever wanted in life and that is the truth. Times have been hard along the way. We’ve struggled and I’ve cried and squeezed my fists in anger. But now? That all seems so far away.
I’m grateful.
I only hope that the people that read this blog and people I care for can be happy.
It’s real. It’s me.
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And because it wouldn’t be a post from me without SOME pictures, here are a few recents. We’re finally back into a routine and while I will never embrace the sound of an alarm clock, I do embrace routine and habit.
Playing outside in 75 degree weather in January when plenty of people are bundling up makes me grateful and happy.
My sister finally giving birth to my first niece last week made me grateful and happy.
Getting back to daily coffee with my mother in law makes me happy.
Seeing Hannah happy to get my old iPhone 4 after I upgraded to a 4s makes me happy.
Watching this little man grow up also makes me happy…and quenches my thirst for a new baby. I will always miss being pregnant and smelling the head and kissing the cheeks of my own newborn baby. I don’t think I’ll ever NOT miss that. It’s not in the cards for us to have another baby right now…or ever really but I have to admit that I will forever miss having my own babies in my arms. But this one? He helps that a lot. Grateful and happy for him.
Happy.
Christmas obsessed
I will admit I’ve slacked on taking photos on my actual camera even though I keep promising myself I will. What I HAVE been taking pictures of? Coffee cups in front of Christmas trees.
See? Not joking. I’ve combined my love for photography and coffee and Christmas and mashed them all together to build quite an obsession. It’s probably annoying to just about everyone except me and yet I can’t stop. I predict there will be more because I discovered this iPhone app called Big Lens that lets me have SO much control over my photos and bokeh and focus and OH EM GEE. Just stop me.
Something I can’t do as well on my phone though? Bokeh Christmas tree lights.
Pretty huh? Other things that are pretty?
My girls.
Totally off topic because I blog like my brain thinks- randomly. My buffet has some Christmas cards on it!! I get so excited to check the mail every day in hopes of new cards. I fill up the whole buffet by the time Christmas day comes.
Speaking of Christmas cards…a sneak peak of ours this year. We had a friend take the pictures this year as to not make my head spin and I am ever so grateful that we made that choice.
Lots of exciting things coming up for me and my family, including Hannah’s NINTH birthday in a week and a half. I choose to live in denial about that til about this time next week.
I’d say remind me to freak out then but I’m sure I’ll handle that just fine on my own.
Have a wonderful rest of your week.
More to come
Has it really been a month since I’ve posted. Who the heck am I? To think that I went from daily blogging to 3 times a week to once a week to ONCE A MONTH?!!
And would you believe it if I told you that I’ve so royally slacked on taking pictures? I take a few on my phone a week but the last time I’ve picked up my real camera to take pictures? Hannah’s comp a few weeks ago. And before that? Couldn’t tell ya.
I WILL say that all of this slacking is due to life living. Staying home has changed my life so much…so many little things that have culminated into one big giant change of life. I’m home more so I have more time to take pictures but I don’t. We probably do more but I don’t take pictures. I’m busier so I don’t blog as much. I certainly don’t have time to read blogs. So many things I did while sitting at a desk at work that now? Just have fallen by the wayside.
Some of this I’m ok with. Others, I’m not. I miss my camera. I miss editing photos. I miss blogging. I’m hoping I can get back into the swing of things soon…you know I’ve been struggling with this for months now.
So this is kind of an introductory post back into what I hope is regular blogging. And yes, some pictures. If you read this blog in a reader, open it up because my Halloween theme that Jenn made me is so bad ass and for the past 2 years I’ve loved it tons!
She has no fear. She rides that horse like it’s the last time she’ll get on him. Amazes me. And little sister watches because Hannah’s kind of her hero when it comes to riding.
We’ve finally gotten some cooler nights and we love to spend them in the back yard.
And? I went to Vegas. Yes, I sure did.
To say I had a fabulous time would be an understatement.
Here’s to a happy weekend and a hopeful return to blogging.
Halloween is coming. More to come soon.
Fall
Along with the seasonal and yearly changes, I guess I changed too. I used to have a hunger to want to blog constantly and lately here posts have been few and far between. So, I’ve decided to just blog when I have something to say like many of you do. It doesn’t have to be consistent or on a schedule. I will write when I feel like the words I say have some meaning and not just because it’s been a few days and I haven’t. Not that it was ever like that but lately I just haven’t had anything to really put out there. I’m friends with so many of you on Twitter or Facebook so I don’t feel disconnected like I thought I would if I didn’t blog a few times a week.
With that said, it’s fall. Now, I realize that fall doesn’t officially start til the end of this month but I don’t care. I love fall here. The weather finally has broken. It’s in the high 80s and low 90s during the day instead of the 102 it was for WEEKS daily. The humidity is gone. We’re able to be outside without sweating. We don’t need jackets or sweaters…I love it. We pick pumpkins in tank tops and shorts and we take hayrides with sunglasses on and flip flops. It’s a Texas fall and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Well except for the leaves changing colors. I do miss that about Ohio.
So what have we been up to? Well Livie started Mother’s Day Out twice a week. The Man’s mom teaches the class so I thought she’d be fine and have fun.
Wrong.
She cries all day. She’s so nervous and just not in her comfort zone no matter who is around so we’re not sure if she’ll make it or be a preschool drop out. Either way, she looked really cute on her first day.
Hannah won her first belt buckle for her riding comps this summer. We’re so proud.
At her lesson after that her teacher decided to move her up to a bigger horse. She’s so excited about that. So are we.
And last weekend The Man and I took a trip to New Orleans for an early 10 year anniversary celebration just us two. What we didn’t know when we planned this weeks ago was that a massive tropical storm named Lee would be making landfall the day we got there. It rained the whole weekend but we made the best of it. We got out when it wasn’t too bad and took cabs and stayed inside when it did.
It may not look like fall outside or even feel like it to most people, but to me it’s here. And if you read this blog in a reader, you’ll have to check out my actual page because it’s fall on my blog too.
Happy September and lots of browns and oranges and hopefully changing leaves to you.
Marked changes
I consider yearly changes based on two big events: New Years Day because I feel like a new year is a new start. Cheesy yes, but it excites me every year. The start of the new school year is the other. It’s no secret that Hannah struggled last year til the end of the year and we butted heads a lot. I dreaded school starting this year because I didn’t want to face THAT change. The change of fun, summer Hannah to I-hate-school Hannah.
It’s not pleasant.
So we spent our last week of summer vacation last week doing what we wanted to do.
We played outside when the temp dropped to the lower 90s and it was bareable.
Hannah played with the animals at her riding instructor’s farm.
We swam for the last week day of the summer.
I cuddled the little baby I nanny a little more because he’s already growing up too fast.
I snuggled my other baby who too is growing up too fast and is going to start preschool twice a week next month at our church.
We broke all kinds of weather records too because as I’ve said many times already about this summer…IT’S TOO DAMN HOT! 34 days so far 100 degrees or more this summer and something like 23 or so of them consecutively. So pretty much we are melting.
And then yesterday, the big change came. Hannah’s first day of school.
I can’t even talk about the fact that I now have a 3rd grader. I also can’t talk about the fact that she begged me to ride the bus and doesn’t want me to wait for her at the bus stop because she’s big enough to walk half a block home by herself.
Notice I didn’t listen.
And one other change? Social media time. I’ve decided to unplug a little bit more. I started with blogs because those required me to be online to read them because I hate reading blogs on my phone. Getting on an actual computer is a lot harder now that I’m not working so I’ve only been reading blogs maybe 1 day a week versus the 5 days a week I used to before. The next step was Facebook which I’ve also gradually worked into. I don’t check it all day long like I used to. I set aside maybe 20 minutes total a day to check and update Facebook. The next was Twitter and within the past week I’ve also set aside maybe an hour total a day to Twitter versus the 4-5 a day I used to before. Life is changing. Things are busier. I’ve started to be bothered by The Man’s glares as I sat on my phone all evening when I hadn’t see him all day. It started to bug me when I was with family and I was preoccupied with checking my social media outlets instead of having actual conversation with the people around me. It’s all about balance and I’m learning slowly but surely how to do that. I will never disconnect completely. Y’all have been my lifeline when I had no one else who could understand and for that I’m grateful. But I can’t forget the people that are right in front of my face that are here for me too. I THINK I mastered the art of full time worker and full time mother pretty well when I worked and now that I’m not working…well that’s even more of an opportunity to be present instead of buried in my phone and computer.
I’m not going anywhere. I’m still going to blog but maybe once a week instead of 3 days a week. You know where to find me Twitter/FB/Instagram wise and my Flickr link is on the side of this blog if you’re need a picture fix because I’m still taking plenty of those.
So for now, enjoying the first few days of back to school before the homework picks up and the craziness of the school year really begins.
Have a good week.
Preoccupied
For the past few weeks I’ve been preoccupied with doing more with the girls and doing less photography wise and housework wise. This week is the last week of summer vacation so I don’t see this week being any different. I did get a few cute shots this week though with my phone and 1 with my actual camera. Posting will continue to be light as we get ready for Hannah to start a new school and go into 3rd grade which I hear is a tough grade.
Hooray! #sarcasm
So, have a fantastic week and I’ll see you next week!
A Vow
When I started this blog over FIVE years ago, I blogged every single day of the week sans the weekends. Most of my posts were stupid but still…I blogged. Then I fell into a happy place of blogging 2 or 3 times a week. That was a happy medium for me. I liked that. When summer came, I know I told y’all that posting would be light cause we’re pretty busy but you know what? I hate it! I mean, I like to be busy but I HATE that blogging is fell by the wayside. I’ve met many wonderful friends online through the blogging community and I don’t want to lose that. I don’t get paid to blog. I don’t even have ads or sponsors. I just like sharing my days with you and reading your comments about how your life or day goes along with mine. I crave that interaction especially now more than ever when the majority of my day is spent with people that aren’t adults.
I love being home with my kids. I love that I get to nanny a tiny baby right now. But I do miss y’all too.
A short recap of our week:
Held him A LOT.
Went to see her for a 3rd time. (Shameless admission: I love Britney!)
And I loved on my babes.
I didn’t pick up my actual camera all week. I hate that. I haven’t read y’all’s blogs in ages. I hate that. I vow to post again on Monday AND catch up with y’all on your blogs. Until then, have a great rest of your weekend.
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