100 small things: 2015

Happy almost new year!  Gah, what an exciting time of year; the freshness and clean slate feeling that the new year brings makes me so happy that I'm practically giddy over here.


Vincent Van Gogh said,

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

Over the past two-ish years, I have become more and more passionate about leading an intentional life.  I want the things happening in my life, the experiences, and relationships to bring happiness, beauty, and joy into my life. Yes, there are frustrations and challenges, but I want to spend my energy intentionally building a daily life that is fulfilling and inspiring to me.

So, with intention as my inspiration - and taking a cue from Ashley from The Big White Farmhouse I've decided to shake up my 'new year's resolution' for 2015.   (thank you Ashley, you are always inspiring me with your intentional life!)

I'd like to present my list of 100 small things to complete for 2015.

My list of 100 things was compiled using lots of different bits of inspiration.  Things that have been weighing down my mental to do list, plans I wanted to accomplish this year anyway, I looked to Ashley's list, my pinterest projects board, and my own lists I have tucked into notebooks and the back of my planner.

Throughout the year, I'll come back to this page (or re-post with updates) about the things that I complete on the list.  There are a few items that are quite lofty, but I'm going to try to go for them anyway.  I hope my list will inspire you to create one of your own for a more intentional year in 2015!

1. move photos to external hard drive/shutterfly

2. take each kid on an individual date

3. dress-up/out date with Brandon 4 times this year (2/4)

4. "Get to 'The End" of the first draft of one novel

5. Run/walk at least 30 miles one month

6. Read 12 books that I've never read before:  (Two of which are 'classics')  (1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver, 2. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson 4. The Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermoutx 5.The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty 6. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston  7. Make it Happen by Lara Casey 8. Paper Towns by John Greene 9. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng  10.This Much I Know is True by Wally Lamb 11. The Winter of our Disconnect by Susan Maushart, 12. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline 13. All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 14. One More Thing, Stories and More Stories by B.J. Novak 15. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Plum)

7. make jam

8. organize the upstairs office space

9. take kids and grandmas to a city

10. throw out 50 things & re-read Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life (31/50)

11. Host 12 family dinners at our house
12. Host an 'art gallery opening' with the kids artwork with family/friends
13. create books with kids from their own stories and drawings
14. try Zumba
15. take down and wash, kitchen and living room curtains -
16. buy plastic cups
17. buy new plates -
18. create individual memory boxes for each family member
19. finish 2014 family yearbook
20. finish 2010 family yearbook
21. order personalized keepsake Christmas stockings for each family member (Brandon, Tabitha, Greyson, Gemma, Violet, Bully/Trixie, Lola)
22. make dogprint frame for our hallway
23. blog 3 times a week consistently
24. submit 4 articles/posts for publish to other blogs/sites
25. camp out with the kids
26. visit an indoor water park
27. kid playdate with Katie & Karpy -(twice!) January in Fredricksburg, VA and October in Altoona, PA
28. Dominican Republic family vacation - May
29. update my blog pages
30. create and manage The Hunting Daddies Youtube channel
31. serve a meal at the Winder Area Community Kitchen 
32. keep a daily gratitude journal
33. officially complete our wills
34. pour patio on the side and front of the house
35. plant a "garden"
36. participate in Screen Free Week 2015 -
37. fix the curtains in the kids' rooms
38. get new carpeting upstairs
39. go roller skating
40. hand-build a hope chest with my Dad
41. make enchiladas with my Mom
42. Learn to drive stick from Rudy
43. make homemade pierogies with Marianne
44. sew matching nightgowns for the girls with Grammar
45. make pysanky eggs with Pap
46. watch 5 documentaries (1. The Dark Matter of Love 2. On the Way to School 3. Alive Inside! 4.Hoop Dreams 5. Twinsters)
47. SCF weekend
48. create a family time capsule
49. create 5 gallon emergency bucket kit for the house
50. make handwriting page for school years for Greyson
51. build laundry pedestals
52. 12 month long deep cleaning schedule
53. Host a book exchange party
54. watch 15 TED talks (1. How not to be ignorant about the world 2. Connected, but alone  3. How to overcome biases? 4. How to Live a Life of Purpose  5. Creative Confidence  6. Got a wicked problem, first tell me how you make toast.  7. Why a Good book is a secret door  8. The math behind basketball's wildest moves  9. Practicing Intentional Empathy 10. How to let altruism be your guide 11. A radical exercise in empathy 12. Why are these 32 symbols found in ancient caves? 13. The art of asking 14.The surprising science of happiness 15.How to start a movement 16. Why city flags may be the worst designed thing you never noticed)
55. make Spend/Share/Save piggy banks for the kids
56. make a Hawaiian vacation trip book with our photos for the kids
57. make a Costa Rica trip book with my photos for the kids
58. visit Flight 93 memorial
59. get the dogs trained
60. organize/clear out junk from holiday decorations
61. take a photo of Gemma in my wedding dress
62. paint the breaks in the kitchen stone backsplash
63, scrub kitchen table & chairs
64. organize fridge documents (calendar, photos, etc)
65. 'finish' basement bathroom
66. take kids to a Curve baseball game
67. bike ride at Ohiopyle
68. go coal tubing
69. get everyone new bikes
70. convince Brandon to get rid of some clothes -
71. hang a clothesline
72. have a sleepover at Aunt Kitty's house
73. run in a 5K- May; Path of the Flood 5K
74. go one whole month with NO dining out at all- 
75. blog every single day for one whole month- October (26/30 days)
76. plant a tree on Earth day
77. subscribe to the Sunday local newspaper
78. read my writer's manual from front to back
79. take an online writing course
80. re-read my favorite book:  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
81. get a couple's massage
82. get my hair done (highlights/cut) 
83. host an oxfam america hunger banquet
84. make homemade bread
85. eat one meal a week at the dinner table with candles/flower centerpiece
86. put in new french doors in the dining room
87. summer outdoor brunch/meals
88. campout under the tree before Orthodox Christmas
89. remove all blinds in the house
90. re-paint the living room
91. start to wear aprons while cooking dinner
92. order another Brian Andreas print
93. go eye-bombing with the kids
94. order a lovely print from a artist friend (!) that makes me happy
95. comment to other blogs and be better at replying to comments on my blog
96. remove TV from our morning routine -
97. start a 'first day of school eve' tradition
98. add Violet's birthstone to my Mother's ring
99. design my 3/4 sleeve tattoo
100.  make a 2016 list!

So here's to a new year!  To a year of doing small things to help accomplish the BIG life I imagine for myself and my family.  Here's to living intentionally in this one great life!

Mum time

Now that I'm in the swing of my sahm schedule, I've been able to make some adjustments to our daily life that I'm getting some solid 'mum time' in just to myself.  It's revolutionary.  

As I mentioned before, I've been running on a regular basis (5-7 days a week).  I started out so slow and just running the perimeter of our yard (which 4 times around is a mile!), but now that I have more confidence in my breathing and abilities - I've been jogging the trails behind our house and around the neighborhood.  In the beginning I was only able to run a mile and I was cursing and having trouble breathing the whole time.  After a few weeks now, 2 miles feels great and 3 miles feels good in a challenge sort of way.  

And can I just be honest here and say, it's awful to get started every morning - like battling myself, but it's actually my body that wants to get out and run, it's convincing my head that's the worst part.  I like to go first thing in the morning since no one else is awake yet and I can get it done when I know there will be no interruptions.  As soon as I get outside and put on my sneakers though - I automatically feel better and excited to start.  

Sometimes I do end up having to take the kids because of an early rise for them or a late start for me.  Those runs are always a little shorter and start-stop-start-stop kind since it's a battle to get them to either sit still in the stroller and run alongside with me.  The farthest distance with them in the stroller has been 2miles and that was a really hard one.

The real reason that I keep running is because I love seeing my miles stack up for the week.  It feels like a gold start sticker at the end of the week when my miles equal 8 or more.  And at the end of the month to see how many miles in total I've ran is also a big motivator (I use RunKeeper).  That total miles part is what gets me running everyday, even if its only a short/quick run - at least it was contributing to the overall total. 

I initially started running thanks to a dose of major inspiration from Ashley from the Big White Farmhouse and also in preparation for a 5K my whole family & two family friends signed up for called The Gladiator Rock & Run.  We actually ran it this past weekend and while the kids played and hung out with Ninna and Uncle Jonny - we all ran, climbed, scaled, and swam through a 3mile course of 10 obstacles and a whole ton of mud.  It was such a great time.

Another very exciting 'Mum time' activity that is starting this week - is my enrollment in Jessica Roscoe's How to Write a Novel E-course.  Jessica writes over at The Creative Mumma and she has designed a course specifically for Mums who want to write a novel but can never find the time with the responsibility of, ya know, keeping children alive and all.  I read this from her e-course description and knew I needed to sign up:

Jessica Roscoe - The Creative Mumma

The first week of the course starts this Friday 9/13/13 (so you still have time to enroll and get the earlybird rate on the enrollment price!!  Come be my classmate!!)  The 12 week course is scheduled to cover topics ranging from goal setting, fears & insecurities, to editing, and self-publishing.  Public shout-out thank you to my friend Jamie (hi, Jamie!) who introduced me to The Creative Mumma site and will now have to have a special thanks in my acknowledgments section of my novel.  She is always introducing me to inspiring things and half-nude pictures of Joe Manganiello (which in and of itself are inspiring).  thank you Jamie! 

And this writing course is coming at great time considering I've been experiencing a serious case of writer's apathy.  bleh, sorry for the lack of posts recently.  working on overcoming my apathy :(

What are you doing to make sure your creative and Mumma sanity gas tank is full these days?  

Why we have Beer Olympics

We had our fifth annual Studer's Invitational Beer Olympics event this past weekend.  We had a total of 42 participants this year (more than ever!), and finished off five half-kegs of beer (also, more than ever).  Our day was enhanced by a borrowed sound system, complete with a microphone (which I loved) and beautiful weather (albeit a tad warmer than comfortable).

It was a great, great day.  Tons of games, fun, and laughter capped off with an awards ceremony that always makes me giggle to see the honest pride in the eyes of the winners of the various honors - including 'Rookie of the Year', 'Shark,' and 'Zophagus.'

And I could even try to be cute and pull a Jeff Foxworthy and say things like..

'If you ever felt pride at the sight of your teammate who just threw up, return and finish their ice cube tray in canoe races..you might be a Studer's Invitational participant.'

'If you ever uttered the question, How's it flowing?, in reference to the keg tap system before you attempted an upside down keg stand...you might be a Studer's Invitational participant.'

'If you ever woke up with suntan lines on your face in the shape of an octopus...you might be a Studer's Invitational participant.'

And the details of the day deserve its own proper post (especially for Pinterest's sake, obviously), but as a very brief highlight of the day; I'm here to tell you it was definitely a good year for Beer Olympics.

And I imagine it's very easy for young people and optimistic party planners to re-pin my posts about Beer Olympics because they want to try to spend the day 'getting wasted' and playing drinking games.  They might pump their fists and think its an excuse to drink an excessive amount of beer.  Optimistic party planners might even call it a cool use of time, money, or planning.

And just as easily, naysayers may dismiss the day, roll their eyes and shake their heads at our event.  They might think its trashy or just an excuse to drink an excessive amount of beer.  Naysayers might even call it an inappropriate use of time, money, or planning.

But both the optimistic party planners and the naysayers would be wrong.  Because, just as everything in life, your perception depends on what angle you take the picture.

And neither see the participants, many of whom only come together once a year- hugging, laughing, and cheering each other on.

And they don't wake up to their facebook newsfeed filled with new friendship notifications of people who only met the day before.

They don't get to smell and taste the donated food brought by participants that line both walls of our garage in roasters, crockpots, and tupperware containers.  Or see our kitchen counters filled with donated breakfast foods and coffee for the morning after.

They didn't watch as participants and spectators helped each other carry tables across the yard, put obstacle course tires into place, replace empty toilet paper rolls, tap new kegs, clean-up spilled food, re-fill cups and pitchers, and fix running toilets.

They didn't hear the announcement halfway through the day to raise more money for extra kegs so no money would be taken away from our donation fund and then watch while participants dug in their pockets and ran to their cars to give more money.

They didn't hear the whole lot of fifty plus people chanting, "Miss Tay! Miss Tay!" while holding up their blue support bracelets - sending thoughts and love her way.

They don't see our guest beds used, the seven people sleeping in our living room, the three in the dining room, and four tents in our yard the next morning.  (Which we take as a compliment that our home is both welcoming and comfortable).

They don't watch how those that slept over spend their morning organizing supplies, stacking chairs, taking down tents, washing pitchers and roasters, and wiping down tables before driving home - some of which had two hour plus drives.

They didn't see a group of eleven of us- the last of those to leave - giggling and recalling the day before over bagels and coffee on our back patio; a mixture of friends and family - really all connected only by this one day.

To both the optimistic party planners and naysayers: we say - yes, we hold a day long drinking event at our house.  And yes, we emptied five kegs this year.  And yes, when we wake up in the morning and look at our house, yard, and garage - it takes a short moment to wonder if its been irreversibly trashed.

But Beer Olympics is so much more than a day of drinking;  maybe its more than what is possible to understand from the outside.  Because from the inside; from our angle - it is one of the most generous, inspiring, and uplifting days of our entire year.

If we're being honest - its hard to know who the day most benefits.  Is it our donation receipt, or the participants who make new friends and memories, or maybe most of all Brandon and I?  Because we get an enormous reminder of the flat out decent and good-hearted people that surround us.

If you seek to take the picture from the pretty side, your life suddenly becomes a whole lot more beautiful.  And we will tell you - our life is really quite beautiful indeed.

To all of you that are a part of this event, we are so thankful- because without you, we couldn't do it. We don't know how we got so lucky to have this many amazing and kind people in our life - but we are infinitely grateful and proud to know you and call you a friend.

The words that change us

There are moments in my life that I can distinctly call out as a time when my life was altered in some way; took course on a branch route that it could never return from.  Visiting Honduras when I was sixteen, when Brandon caught my floating kiss in high school and my heart never looked back, choosing to go to Susquehanna for college, studying abroad in Costa Rica, joining Teach for America, becoming a mother. These are the forks in my life road that led me to today.

And all along the way there have been smaller moments that have slipped into my heart and brain and have never left.  They were not life-altering per say, but they have forever had an impact on the way I think and how I make choices.  They have stopped me in my tracks in that moment and have come sneaking back into my mind on an almost daily occurrence to whisper - this is what you believe; this helps define who you are; or who you hope to become.

These are a few of the words that have changed me -

When I was in my teens, we were visiting my Uncle's cottage and my baby sister and I were disagreeing over which movie we were going to watch.  My Uncle said to me, "Let her choose, Tabitha.  You were chosen to be the oldest sister so as to make life easier for the younger ones."  I have never forgotten that and the truth that I believe lies behind it.  I got to go through life first so that my sisters could watch and learn from my mistakes and so that I could ease their time through theirs.  It is a great responsibility to be the oldest sibling, but one that I cherish.

While I was in college, I randomly picked up a magazine and started reading an article about a woman who had battled cancer and won.  I wish I could remember her name, but I only remember what she wrote.  While retching in the middle of the night after chemo and she was feeling so sorry for herself but then suddenly thought, 'this sucks - but there is still someone worse off than me.  Someone who has a worse prognosis, someone who doesn't have a chance. There is always something to be grateful for.'  I have never been in an situation as grave as this woman's but to this day when I am feeling sorry for myself because of some inconsequential hardship, I think of her words.  There is always something to be grateful for no matter how difficult it may be in this moment. Always.

I read What is the What  by Dave Eggers about the Lost Boys of Sudan.  The book was an amazing read and a serious reminder of how much the human spirit can endure, especially the resilience of children.  There is a part in the book when the lost boys come to the US and get their own apartment and are astonished that turning on a faucet brings them clean water.  That it could be that easy to have access to fresh, clean water.  I think of this every single day.  That I can turn on faucets in my house to get clean water and all over the world there are people who cannot.  For all the things that we use clean drinking water for (showering, kid exploration, the slip&slide, cleaning, watering the garden...) I remind myself of the kids and families all over who don't even have it to drink.

When we traveled to Thailand, we took a cooking class with a woman named Poo from the Klong Toey Slum in Bangkok.  During the class, she was telling us how she had more success now in her cooking class because she started cleaning up the chicken; removing the skin and hair as was suggested by her friend and business mentor, Anji Barker - an Australian expat.  When I told her, 'ew, you were leaving the hair on it?' she said, 'The difference is that you eat for taste; in Thailand, we eat for full.'  At every meal, I now remind myself how lucky we are to be able to eat for taste instead of full.

And when everyday when I look in the mirror, I think of Dr. Maya Angelou's experience when she told the story that the women in Africa wept for her because she didn't have stretch marks and they thought she was childless.  They told her that in their society, stretch marks were a badge of honor.  That carrying the marks of motherhood is important because even if the baby passed away or you get kidnapped and taken to another village and can't speak - the marks will still tell your story and she would get the proper rites at burial.

Similarly, I think of Tyler Knott Gregson's poem when I see laugh lines on anyone's face and now the wrinkles and lines that are showing on my own face -

I will measure 
my success in this 
life
and my worth 
as a man
a friend
a lover
and most simply 
as a
human being
by counting 
the laugh lines
on your
face
when old age
catches
up.
-Tyler Knott Gregson
Typewriter series #424

When I feel frustration over not being able to do things that make me feel calm and fulfilled (like writing, meditating, or yoga) without the distractions that come from little hands and voices I think of this quotation from Buddhism for Mothers: 'The carry-over of the practice is more important than the formal practice itself.  The time you use the petrol is not at the petrol pump.'  

I am continually growing and changing, even now as an adult - maybe even more so now that I am confident with who I am and who I hope to be.  My ears are always ready to hear or read the next words that will help define my character.  That will help me make sense of this life in the terms that I hope to live it.

What are some the words that have changed you?

New Year Reading for an uplifting start

I love the new year as I've already stated a million times.  Its a fresh start, like getting out of the bed in morning on the right foot.  So if you're looking for some books to give yourself a quick step at the start of this new year; here's a few of my favs...depending on the uplift you're looking for hopefully some of these will help give you that certain 'je ne sais quoi' to get you on the right path for 2011.

Uplift:  Clean up & clear out
How many times do I have to say it?  Throw out 50 things - Clear the Clutter find your life by Gail Blanke.  Easy to read, easy to follow, and really quick bursts of inspiration throughout.  I read this book several times in the year when I start feeling really cramped and stagnant. 

This book is also really helpful to read when preparing for a garage/yard sale, or moving, or preparing for a new family member, or when your closet is bursting with too much, or your parents are trying to get you to take all your junk from their house into your own...and any other time you need to skim down. 

I love that this book also address mental and cyber clutter.  Two things usually forgotten when getting rid of clutter - but both places generally are the most packed with unneccessary things.  This book is like a personal therapist. 

Uplift:  Change the world.

Three Cups of Tea - One Man's Mission to Promote Peace..One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  ahhhhh, that was a sigh of fresh air.  It was difficult for me to get started in this book, but after pushing through the first few pages I became mesmerized.  This book is listed in my inspiring book pages (see above) and that's because it really is inspiring.  Not just at what he does and how hard he works...but because the work that Greg Mortenson (supported by his amazing wife) will literally change the path of people's lives.  There are individuals on the other side of the earth that can proclaim - this man has changed the course of my life.  Amazing.

I am also continually inspired to read stories about people that go with all they have in one direction.  This is not a talent that I have - although I have a lot of interest in helping, I find it impossible to just pick one thing.  I am too interested in too many things.  So to read about Mr. Greg and how he dedicated his life towards this one goal is massively impressive.

Uplift:  Be better to Mother Earth

The Green Year by Jodi Helmer.  I love the Earth and I want to be good to her because she is so giving and good to us.  This is a day by day book; think calendar style, but with a quick helpful green tip each day of the year. It's quick, easy, and helpful.  Even if you don't use it daily, its really easy to flip through and get ideas on how to make your daily living a little less negatively impactful.  Like ordering tap beer over bottled beer in restaurants OR changing your margins in Word before printing to save on paper!

Besides helpful green tips, it also gives lots of really awesome (maybe unbeknown to you, cause they were to me) websites that offer eco-friendly opportunities.  Like http://www.freecycle.com/ which is like Craig's list but with free items to re-gift/re-use and http://www.greenerchoices.org/ which helps you make decisions about appliances that are better eco choices.

Uplift:  Eat Better.
Eating for Life by Bill Phillips is a great cookbook for making delish food but with the right types of ingredients so you don't hate yourself in the morning.  He also has a whole change your life diet+exercise thing happening in there too (who doesn't love before&after shots, hello!) but just using it as a cookbook is really helpful.  We love eating good food in our house, but we'd like to eat better too - not just tasty.  These recipes provide the best of both worlds and we tap into for dinner ideas at least once a week.








Uplift:  Have more fun!
This Book Will Change Your Life by Benrick is highlarious.  I purchased it as kind of a joke for my sisters waay back in my college days but still flip through it occasionally for a some quick chuckles (yea, I just used that word...how else do you describe breathing out and laughing simultaneously?  I can't think of the word for it, so deal with chuckle).  Let it be known I have not finished the whole book.  I have made some weak attempts and I think I have legitimately made it to day36, but I strive to be the kind of a girl that can finish the whole thing.  It gives a task for each day - some of them are ridiculous, some absolutely shameful, and others are downright genius...but no matter how you cut it, its an awesome book.




Whatever your start of the new year book choice may be - open your brain up and re-energize your mind!  Happy new year:)

Inspiration from 2010

January:  Haitian earthquake relief teams & rescuers.  In my state of mid-pregnancy and thinking about babies and being an emotional rollercoaster, it was almost too much to bear to watch the relief efforts on tv.  I literally would watch for just a few minutes and then have to go do something else to get my mind off of it because I would be stuck in an endless state of depression.  But so many people were willing and eager to help.  From the folks that adopted babies, to those that were there picking up the disaster, and those that helped state-side to collect supplies (shout out to Brent Olsavsky who organized water bottle donations), I was inspired by your dedication to helping people who had literally nothing left.

February:  The Olympics.  I can't help but get all emotional when I see everyone so proud to represent their country.  Battle of the Nations in a peaceful way.  Its just something about the Olympics that makes me feel very Kumbaya.  Along with the rest of the population of facebook status update-ers, I also found extreme enjoyment in watching (and very enthusiastically cheering) the Curling events.

March:  My Mom.  Somehow after the unexpected passing of my grandma, HER mother; my mom found strength to still be MY mother when I needed her most.  Thank you & I love you, Mom.

April:  My Son.  On April 8th, 2010 at 8:04 am, it was just me and my husband that made up our family.  And then one minute later, from nothing, came another person.  In just a moment he wasn't here, and then he was and our whole life changed for the better.  Everything was new to us because it was new to him.  We never studied anything as closely as the little hairs on his head.  We never worried about anything as much as we worried that his little breaths were going in and out while he slept.  We never thought our hearts could grow three sizes too big in an instant.  We never thought we'd be beaming with so much pride when the doctor said he has strong lungs.  He was strong and screaming and beautiful and so full of potential.  And he is ours.  We are his.

May:  Holy Cross Church.  In my whole life, I have never felt deeply connected to a church or its community.  I am a born & raised Catholic girl that went through all the motions of our religion because its a tradition and feels comfortable.  I pray and believe in God, but I never felt invested in the sermon or the service.  I have friends that believe all kinds of things & attend all kinds of churches, and I've always felt a little envious of people who love their church.  And then we joined Holy Cross in Fairview, PA and my eyes were opened to a church, priest, and community that really made me feel welcome and surrounded by people who are inspired to go to church on Sunday.  It wasn't just part of their weekly routine - they went and celebrated every week.  Our priest, Father Scott, says every Sunday mass like his life depended on it; like he has absolutely no where else that is more important to be than right there repeating those words he could probably say in his sleep.  If he cares that much, I can't help but be excited and inspired.  Our little man was baptised there in May and the service was like it was the first and most important baptism they had ever seen.  Everyone came up to congratulate Grey and all parishioners present on the day signed a letter addressed to him when he is a teen and ready to be confirmed; reminding him that he has a whole community of people happy to help him navigate his way through life and through his faith.  Its so beautiful and makes me so joyful to be there.  If we ever move, leaving Holy Cross will be the hardest part. 

June:  Waiting for Superman.  The movie wasn't released until later in the year (out on DVD/blueray in Feb.2011 if you didn't see it!) but I stalked the trailer about 30 million times over the summer and had my heart swell up in inspiration every single time.  There isn't much I can say about this without going on a super rant about public education in our country - but know that this is happening in our country, the one we claim to be better than everyone else's.  Young kids are begging and crying to have the opportunity to attend a great school.  Its a disgrace that we don't offer quality education for every child.  What does that say about us as a nation, if we don't care about the education we offer our children?  Okay, I'm done...for now.  See the movie.  Once you know, you can't unknow it.

July:  Our friends.  As you may have noticed, we like planning events throughout the year that demand family & friend involvement.  We get pats on the back for doing all the planning & organizing - but it literally would be all for not if we didn't have people in our lives that supported our crazy ideas and showed up to participate.  At the second annual Beer Olympics, we had so many friends show up to donate money & participate that I was literally overwhelmed.  Yes it is easier to wrangle people to join in on the fun with such a catchy & interesting event - but its a beautiful summer weekend AND it costs money AND you have to follow the rules AND you have to get your face painted AND you have to play on teams with strangers AND you have to participate in a very childish and silly awards ceremony....and despite all of those limitations - our friends still show up with money in hand and a resounding, "Hell yes I'll sign this waiver."  Thank you, thank you, thank you for playing along while raising money for others.  I love you.

oh and the VH1 Do Something Awards.  If you didn't see it, sorry to say - you missed out big time.  I watched the whole award show with tears of inspiration streaming down my face.  So amazing and unbelievable what determination and persistence can do.  Vh1 is admirable for spotlighting so much good-deeding!  See the nominees & winners here. 

August:  Teachers.  I mean the using their own money to buy school supplies kind.  And the stay afterschool to teach ballroom dancing classes kind.  And the kinds that go to cheer at their students' sporting events.  The kinds that get teared up when their students put on a show they have rehearsed for weeks.  The kinds of teachers that teach their students its important to be nice and try your best.  Thank you teachers for making a difference everyday.

September:  The Buried Life.  This show makes me so happy.  First the boys are adorably hilarious but more than that, I am so inspired at the way they just go after what they want.  balls to the wall..excuse the cliche.  So many people make a bucket list and then never get around to it...but these four guys have decided to get it all done while they have the time now.  I seriously love them.

October: Strangers, like;
This woman and her son.  This is the kind of mom I want to be.

Johnny from the Dominican Republic who I am eternally indebted to for taking care of Greyson when we had some unexpected oceanic turbulence on vacation.

The Chilean Miners.  It's impossible for me to watch the video without tears filling up my eyeballs and a smile so wide it makes my cheeks ache.

The Pioneer Woman.  Literally cannot look at her blog for less than 45 minutes.  So obsessed with her layout, her photography, her writing, her recipes, her overall humor about the hilarity of momhood; just so obsessed with her.  Warning - if you look at her blog, I just want to warn you its almost impossible to stop.  Just sayin'.  (shout out to one of my fav bloggers, Zina, for introducing me to the wonderful world of Pioneer Woman).

November:  The Conemaugh Valley Community.  I've already wrote a blog post about it, so to save being redundant let me just say that my faith was restored in promises kept.

December:  My Husband.  It is hard being a grown up, its even harder being a husband, and hardest being a dad and a husband and a grown up all together.  Add that with a big glob of having caretakers surround you for your whole life and its even harder...because now that my husband's main caretaker (ie. me) has two other beings that suck the caretaking out of me all day (ie. the baby and the dog) my husband has had to take on new jobs that he's never had to do, like the laundry and dishes, making sure bills are paid, and maybe that all seems very small, but B has never had to do any of that because I used to do it (& like doing it!) and then before me his mom did it all and then if his mom couldn't, his gram would, and so on and so on...which is probably why his mom still jokes, "yea, that's my fault; sorry I never made him do anything."  But even though it has been a rocky road this year adjusting to dadland and gaining lots of responsibilities AND managing a super stressful and demanding job...my husband is trying his hardest everyday.  thank you for learning to do new things for me.  thank you for loving me even when i'm bossy.

illiterates of today

I read a beautiful quote today.  Sometimes I get so frustrated with closedmindedness that I get filled up with red, hot, molten, anger...but this quote helped me unboil myself after reading some ridiculously ignorant and blantantly childish remarks while I was lost in a facebook stalk on someone's page I don't even know...aaanyway, in my winding path through a stranger's semi-locked page, I stumbled across an amazingly brilliant (at least what I can tell from his quotes section & his comments) human and felt uplifted.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."  -Alvin Toffler

Lesson for today & always - NEVER stop learning and questioning.