1. Some dreams just aren’t meant to be. Like a true child of the eighties, I have wanted a perm for as long as I can remember. The notion of long, curly hair inspired me to finally spend four hours in rollers and marinating in rotten egg smelling chemicals. And then two months later (this week), I tried it again. Oh, you mean you didn’t see my perm in this year’s Christmas card? Well. Unfortunately, my hair and my brain have different opinions about having a perm. My friend and favorite stylist, Lacie, did all she could, but alas, slightly wavy is as curly as it gets for me. This go at a perm was more successful than the last, so we’ll see how long the waves stick!
2. Trip planning is certainly something. While I recently announced our big plans to head to South America this spring, we actually bought the tickets over a month ago. It wasn’t until this week that I realized that we had done little more than buy a few travel items since then (which I will surely share more about later). So, we set aside time to talk it over and map out what we think some of our time there will look like. The result? We purchased some domestic tickets and booked the first four nights in hostels/hotels! Now, if only all of that high school Spanish would come back to me…
3. Being available leads to great opportunities. I still don’t know where my life is going and that’s hard sometimes. On the flip side, I got to go outside for a nice long walk when it was a sunny 65 this week. I got to join in on last minute lunch plans and spent some quality time writing for various projects throughout the week. I am available for whatever might come next and that’s a great place to be.
Ever have those days where there is so much to say that you end up not being able to say much at all? It’s how you felt when your mom picked you up from school as a kid and asked how your day was. “Good” or “Fine” was all you could muster up in response. Still, she would press for details, but you had hit you maximum mental capacity for questions and instead rode home in silence or started singing along with the radio.
I can’t say that there’s nothing on my mind or that I have writer’s block, but I also don’t know that I have much more than “fine” to say. The last few weeks have been long–good–but long. I’m thinking about the people I’ve seen, met and talked to. There have been moments I’ve loved but also moments I keep going over in my head as if it will somehow make more sense later. I have huge and exciting plans for the future and new found dreams, thoughts and ideas in my head. A few times this week I’ve pulled over and stopped the car just to jot down all the things that seem to tumble through my mind, yet don’t feel like I know where that writing belongs or who should read it.
Right now I could jump up and down and tell you how excited I am about our upcoming trip to Argentina. I could pick your brain on anything from the teams in the Super Bowl to the very best life experience you’ve ever had. I could admit my fears and failures or share in the joy of my latest big dream. Or I could not talk at all, because in some ways, there’s nothing so interesting that it needs to be discussed immediately.
Each day we get to experience this wide range of emotions. One thing makes us feel ecstatic and the next makes us question and doubt. So to sum it all up as one thought or feeling almost feels like robbing the day of the rest of it.
To answer your question, I’m fine. My day was good. I’m just glad to get to spend another day on this earth. Soon we’ll find out what tomorrow will bring, but at the end of the day, it will probably be just as “good”.
What a cold and dreary week it has been. Last week seems like it was so long ago, but I think it’s just that it feels like that because we’ve gone a week without actual sunshine. But today, Friday, the sun is shining and a new energy seems to here. Ahhh, what a breath of fresh air for this stuffy nose recovering from a slight cold. Let’s review my week, shall we? Is that even interesting to you? If not, then why are you still reading?! Just kidding. I’d love to hear about your week, too. This isn’t just about me, I promise.
1. Three’s company. Last week my youngest sister was here but at the end of the week both sisters stayed over for a night. We had a fun day exploring the science museum and chowing down on some of North Carolina’s famous BBQ before they each headed to their respective homes.
(pictures soon to follow…this blog can’t handle all the awesomeness of all three of us together in one place and is therefore having some difficulty uploading photos)
2. Fly away. Or bike away, rather. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to check out Flywheel, a new cycling studio in town, along with some other local bloggers. To be honest, half the time I thought I was going to pass out, but I loved every second of it. Note: Never eat famous BBQ the same day you are going to go to a spin class for the first time in years, you will regret it. That was just the way the planning worked out, but seriously it was just super fun and a great workout. They have a great space for it and turn the lights down and the music up so you can really get in the zone and push yourself.
3. Tiny desks fit best in tiny kitchens. NPR does a segment called Tiny Desk Concerts where they have musicians play original music behind their desk. Recently, they opened up a contest for unsigned and unknown musicians to submit their own “tiny desk” recording and video. We decided to go ahead and put together a video of a song we wrote together called, “We’ll Be Here”. While we don’t have any plans of winning, we definitely loved the chance to work on a project together and get creative.
2015–this year’s going to be a big one. It will bring change and challenge, questions and joy. I mean it. As much as I haven’t quite figured out all of this year’s goals, I know it will be a big one in our lives. We’ll be coming up on five years of marriage and will have been in North Carolina longer than Iowa in our married life. Change is inevitable in our jobs, as it is with our friendships and families.
Were you expecting something else? Oh, yeah.
It seems like half the people I know are buying houses or having babies. It makes sense, I suppose. It’s the “next step” and I am so, SO excited for all of them. They will all be wonderful parents and homeowners, families and neighbors. I really mean it, too. We’re fortunate to be friends with some amazing people, and I am thrilled for their next steps and adventures.
Our news?
Well, we love each other a lot. So, we decided it was finally time.
We’re going to…
ARGENTINA!
We’ve been wanting to take a trip outside the country for awhile now and have been saving all of our pennies (read: all money from birthdays & Christmases, tax refunds and freelance gigs) for years. So, we finally bought the tickets, and we will be visiting this beautiful country for two weeks this spring!
At first you might say, “Aren’t you looking for a job?” and then question, “Is this really the best timing?”
You are not alone. I had all of these questions and more. But then we thought about a few key things and decided this was the best timing. Things have not all gone according to my plan this past year, but that’s not to say that it hasn’t brought some incredible opportunities along the way. We have been wanting to take a trip to explore the world a little, just the two of us, since we got married. There was always been something else keeping us, whether it was time or money or other logistics (oh I don’t know, like moving halfway across the country).
When you don’t have a job, you suddenly find yourself with a lot more time. As far as money, well, that’s something we’ve been saving for this specific purpose for years now. This last year without a full-time job has been tough and we’ve had to make certain financial sacrifices. But thankfully, we have been debt-free for a few years now and try to maintain a very frugal lifestyle. It’s a bit of a risk because of course we’re hoping that I have a job soon, but one thing I’ve realized this past year is that we don’t know what’s next. When the hubby asked for the time and it was approved, we decided to just jump at the chance and hope for the best with whatever else is to come this year.
Okay, so why two weeks in Argentina?
Why not? Alright, I know that’s not the answer you were looking for. To some, this seems like a lavish trip and to others in might seem like a small vacation, no big deal. Sure, I wish we could go for a month or more, but the reality is this is still more time than most people get to take all at once. I was able to study abroad twice when I was in college and knew then that it was not something everyone got to do or an opportunity that would present itself again. I feel similarly about this. Of course there are people who travel all over the world and have these awesome experiences, but to us, this is a big deal. This is something we’ve been dreaming about for a while. We see it as an opportunity to explore a different culture, see some different scenery and really invest in our marriage through a unique experience.
As to the location itself, we’ve heard a lot of good things and think it looks like a beautiful part of the world to see. It gives us a chance to brush up on some of that high school Spanish, see an epic waterfall and explore a continent neither of us have ever been to. We’re still figuring out what else might be in store during our time there but are also open to just finding out a bit while we get there.
That said, we’d love to hear any tips or suggestions should you know the area! We’re really excited about this, and I look forward to sharing about it more with you!
Hello to the Thursday Three! It’s been a good week of lots of fun things. I’ll just go ahead and tell you that this will be a photo heavy post, but I’m alright with it. We’ve been showing off Raleigh to my youngest sister for the week, which is a great excuse to visit all of our favorite places in the area. All I can say is, YUM FUN.
1. You are never too old to try something new. Right before my sister arrived we decided to cash in one a Christmas gift card toward a local Art Bar. I’m much more of the writing type…I see things I like in art but when I go to replicate it…well, it doesn’t always go as planned. That said, we spent six plus hours painting away until our canvases looked like something we meant to make. Can you tell what it is?
This was the bonus 6″ x 8″ canvas the hubby painted while I finished up my masterpiece. It fits right in with the rest of our kitchen!
2. Christmas is still here in this household. Because both sisters were going to be in town this week and shipping is a total pain, we just decided to leave the tree and decorations up. At this point, it almost seems easier to keep it going year-round. Alas, we have a real tree and cannot make it last much longer. But who doesn’t love those twinkly lights on the tree?
3. There’s not enough time in a week to see all of our favorite places in Raleigh. I made a master list of all the things we’d go do and see and eat while my sister was here and we’ve only hit about half of them so far and sadly, she leaves tomorrow. Recently, I found a list of places to check out in Raleighand they really did include all of our favorites in case you are wondering what there is to do around here. I wouldn’t call Raleigh a tourist-y place, but we sure do like living here. It’s been really fun showing yet another family member all the reasons why we love it.
Do you dream about doing something epic? Especially this time of year when people are going wild with goals and dreams? There’s the pipe dream or acceptance speech that you picture happening one day. Whatever it is, it’s amazing and you’ll be leaps and bounds from where you are now.
Some days though, the success is merely in making it through the day. There’s no award passed out or a congratulatory grin flashed your way. You get to go to sleep and do it all over again. All the little details and duties add up each day, and suddenly you’re out of time to do that epic thing or even have time to think about it.
In the movies they have a clever way of showing someone trudging through life. There’s a theme song and clips upon clips showing the main character go through the practicing and preparing. They pace through the hallway or run up and down the stairs–trying and failing–albeit showing small signs of improvement. Finally, the moment comes and it all amounts to something. Cue end credits.
Right now, all I’ve got to show is the movie montage, and it’s not even half finished. I keep working on fixing my mistakes, finding who I am, appreciating what I have, realizing my strengths and weaknesses, building better relationships and searching for my moment. That great big shining moment at the end of it all when it comes together and somehow makes sense. The tedium and the frustration of going through it all again and again is far less lighthearted without the song and the sped up highlight reel.
I look around and think how badly I want to check all of those things off my list, forever. Wouldn’t it be nice to say you’ve mastered all of your mistakes or finally formed perfect working relationships with everyone you know? Maybe you can say that, but I certainly can’t. Each day seems to bring both lost battles and small victories.
You know what? Sometimes I want the montage to be over already. Get me to the good part. But what I’ve been realizing lately is a need to appreciate the montage. It might be as close as we ever get to the “big moment” in this life. This wonderful thing called life is a nonstop montage of all the things we have to work through. It might not even be until the end that we get to look back and see all of the triumphs within it. We get to constantly grow and learn and do things, despite the hardships it might bring. Wouldn’t you rather have a life that is progressing instead of a stagnant life after that one big moment has passed?
So maybe living out the montage isn’t so terrible after all. (Having a theme song couldn’t hurt though…)
Oh hello, 2015. Welcome to this year’s first Thursday Three. Took a little Christmas break, which meant less blogging, working, applying for jobs and all those every day things that take up the time. Instead, we spent some time with family and lost track of the days. I keep thinking it’s Saturday for sure at this point but apparently we haven’t arrived there just yet.
1. Christmas was here. We still have a tiny tree lit up and the leftover ham in the fridge to prove it. We got to Skype with tons of family, see some family in person and spend time with a few friends.
2. It’s good to live in a warmer state in the winter. I’m sorry, that maybe sounds a little too in-your-face for all of you colder states. But I am just so grateful for warmth and sunshine this time of year. Went on a nice long walk around a lake today and it wasn’t even frozen.
3. New Year’s Eve is always a scramble to do something interesting. It’s as if every year we forget that we want to do something awesome and epic on NYE until five hours beforehand. In high school I finally figured it out–plan on watching movies by yourself and if you get invited to do something else, consider it a bonus. We got to watch the famous Acorn Drop in downtown Raleigh this year with a few good friends. I’d call that a great bonus.
I often think back to decisions I made in the past. The way I handled relationships with people. Jobs I did or didn’t take. My response to a crisis or to a triumph. Then I often ask that question–“what if?” What if I had said it this way or done it that way? I spend way too much time thinking and dwelling on mere moments as if something else will happen if turn it over in my mind again and again. Hollywood loves this sort of stuff –back to the future, travel through time–whatever it is to explore these types of fantasies.
But what if your “what if” moment is right now? What if this is your opportunity for adventure, forgiveness, honesty, kindness, risk and faith? I’m not saying to live every moment as if it were your last, that would mean we’d overindulge ourselves and take nothing else into consideration. What I mean is, what if right now is that opportunity, that mere moment you’ve been waiting for? So you have it, here it is, this is your chance. Now what are you going to do with it?
Think for a moment–this, this is your life right now as you breathe in and out. This is what it’s “supposed to” look like (it’s not perfection and perhaps it’s even downright wrong…but this is what it is right now, so stop getting caught up in the “supposed to”). Maybe we had plans for something else, but whatever is happening right now is actually what it is. This is the moment to respond to, not a time in the past that is long gone or an idealized future that may never come.
There is a season for everything. A season for laughter and a season for tears. A season for thankfulness and a season for sharing. I’m glad we have different seasons throughout the year, because each brings its share of sweet and bittersweet moments. Whether your Christmas season brings joy or peace, restlessness or the flu, I hope you know it’s just a season that is sure to bring a mix of everything. We cherish the good and address the bad as well as we can. Christmas is here and so is this season in life, whatever that may be for you.
While this season has been unexpected and sometimes busy for me, I’m glad we’re here. I’ll keep this short and sweet, because we all have a million little things to do this week in order to spend quality time with friends and family and some time relaxing, resting and rejoicing. We always look forward to putting together our Christmas card and a Christmas song to share at the end of the year. Here’s wishing you a wonderful Christmas, New Year and winter season.
Merry Christmas and Go Tell it on the Mountain!
(Go to Gratton Christmasfor more photos and a little bit of behind the scenes)
When you think about Christmas memories, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the tree or the lights? Setting up the nativity or going to the Christmas Eve service? Eating a favorite holiday dessert or avoiding the eggnog?
For me, I think the music is what always comes to mind first. Of course, with each year you make new Christmas memories so there’s never only one thing that covers all of Christmas, but the music plays a big part for me and it always has. Thank goodness I married a musician.
Our second Christmas as a married couple, we started singing and playing “O Holy Night” on Christmas day when we found ourselves with plenty of time following the busy month leading up to Christmas. We actually created two versions and had a really good time, but suddenly it was the day after Christmas and there was not a strong desire to listen to Christmas music anymore. A year later though, we decided to get a head start on our Christmas song and a new family tradition was born. We released both the song from Christmas of 2011 and the song for the Christmas of 2012 at the same time, along with our Christmas card.
We now have a total of four Christmas songs completely arranged, performed and recorded by me and the hubby (let’s be honest, he does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to these). If you’re feeling in the mood, go ahead and take a listen! Let me know what you think!
Hint: This year our song directly relates to our card…so get excited! We’ll release the latest Christmas song with the card next week!
