Have you ever felt like you were chasing to find yourself? Or have you ever observed someone at a transitional time in life and thought, “they are just confused and trying to find themselves”?
We grasp for the things that are in front of us. The things that seem obvious or come most easy. The things that others have that we want. Or even, the things others want that we can achieve.
TV exhibits celebrities and stars of all forms, and we wonder how they got to be so special. Much of society suggests that we “find ourselves” in college, be it by binge drinking or by hitting the books. Flinging ourselves at fleeting moments of opportunity or striking rich overnight seems to not only be the goal, but also the method of success in society.
Maybe we’re trying to find ourselves in all of the wrong places. What if finding yourself really meant continuing to work hard and make a life for yourself where you already are? Instead of the what or the where, think more of the core truths. Perhaps questioning the values and notions we hold most dear, both now and ten years from now, will lead us to who we are today.
Oh heyyyyyy! Have no fear because the Thursday Three is back. Sorry for the brief interlude. This month has been one of those months where a ton of great opportunities have come my way, and I just keep finding myself saying, “Yes!!” That is, until I crash because I can’t keep up and hide myself from the world. Then I just do what I have to do and a bunch of other things unfortunately get left out in the cold. Sorry little blog, I promise not to leave for more than a week again like that for some time.
1. February brings a lot of love. I mean, it’s cold and some people have mixed emotions about Valentine’s Day but it also has a lot of hearts and makes you want to spend some time with loved ones. We’ve been lucky enough to spend time with some great friends, traveling couchsurfers and each other. That says love to me.
2. Life brings pain. One minute my heart is full from so much love around me and the next minute it breaks for those who are hurting. I don’t have the answers, so just love those around you and pray hard.
3. Snow in the South shuts down the town. This past week the schools have been open for a half day–total. Maybe I hate the cold, but secretly I was glad to see a little snow. A few weeks ago we thought winter had completed escaped us, and it seemed strange to go a year with no snow. I can’t say that we got a lot, but happy to see a few flakes just the same.
And it’s Thursday, yet again! This week has been one of those longest weeks ever, yet somehow I’m not quite ready for the weekend. I know, that sounds crazy. It might have something to do with the fact that we are playing some music this weekend at a local coffee shop and also have some couchsurfersheaded our way for a few days. In both cases, I am nowhere near prepared. So if my harmonies are off tomorrow or my house isn’t quite clean enough for guests, I blame the following blog post and all of its contents.
1. Groundhog Day–the moment you realize more winter is coming regardless of what that marmot says. Thankfully, we can celebrate the dark of winter and be silly by throwing another Groundhog Party. Yep, we’re those freaks. I’ve been hosting such ridiculous parties since high school. Over the years, we’ve been given so many groundhog art pieces to adorn our home and brighten our February. Therefore, we feel it’s completely logical to invite a few people over and insist they bring some brown food with them.
2. You can’t do everything. With a lot of new and awesome opportunities coming my way this week (more on that later) I’ve definitely had to assess what is doable and where my priorities lie. Not always easy, but necessary. Sometimes I get caught up in wanting to do everything and pleasing everybody, but it just isn’t realistic. You’ve got to do the best with what you can and move forward.
3. I think half of the REI employees recognize me as soon as I arrive. (And probably roll their eyes, too). I have been seriously on the hunt for the best backpack ever. Wait, what? Didn’t I already blog about a new backpack? Yep. And then the hubby wanted a new backpack. So we ordered him one. And then I started second-guessing the one I brought home for myself. You see, it was more of a hiking backpack with so many straps and clips that I started envisioning a massive tangle walking down the street. Sigh. So, hours and hours after reading countless reviews I finally ordered a new one. We’ll see how this goes.
I often get asked what my blog is about and all I want to say in return is, “many things.” It’s about life, it’s about dreams and goals. It currently talks more about jobs and a little about travel because those are the big things in my life right now. When I’m going through a reading phase I review a few books. What started as a chronicle regarding a cross-country move developed into a space to share my hopes and disappointments as I navigated the life to follow. I have done my fair share of questioning what my real purpose is at times. I can’t say that I am incredibly fashion-conscious nor do I spend enough time crafting, but I dabble in both from time to time (but don’t ever expect a recipe…that is just not my thing). This blog is all the things because it’s about life. Where I am right now and what I’m thinking through.
I have a hard time committing to just one thing with my life. “My thing” will never be any one thing that I just listed off. In fact, very few people have just one but sometimes we feel like it should be that way. I am many things and sometimes I move on sooner even than I ought to do tackle the next life lesson or big project.
No, I cannot do just one thing. But I can aim to make all of those things glorify God.
I won’t say this is a blog that just writes all about being spiritual, nor will I ever say my faith is off the table when it comes to talking about life. This is where I write about all the things and it would be a shame if I didn’t acknowledge the biggest thing in my life.
I’ve found that being upfront about things seems to make it easier on everyone. So, in case you were wondering what my blog is about–it’s about so many things. Because that’s what life looks like, so many things.
If you haven’t watch the Parenthood, the tv show inspired by the movie, then you should. That, or you just shouldn’t read this post because that’s all it will be about. I promise it will be heartfelt (and also completely void of spoilers).
Like many people, I watch my tv in a delayed fashion on Hulu or Netflix. Normally this is no big deal, but on (rare) big occasions I have to shut down my social media accounts to avoid the spoilers. On Thursday, I had to walk away to from all the tweets about crying through the series finale of Parenthood. To be honest, I’ll likely cry through the whole thing, too.
Sure, it’s a good show and it’s a drama so there’s intense family situations that can manipulate your emotions. But I’m about to get real sappy here and tell you why else it’s special.
Parenthood is special because it is a show that at one point or another covered a family situation everyone has experienced. Maybe within a given week it seems like too many situations are happening at once (true) but at the same time, it feels like so many of the moments come from a place of reality. We all have that “discussion” with our spouse, friendship with our sibling, conflict with a parent, chaos at a family dinner and day where we question what is happening in our lives.
I was first introduced to the show during the commercial breaks in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Parenthood was to debut on NBC soon after the games, and something about it pulled me in. We watched the first episode (it might have even been during primetime…Hulu was still a new thing back then). A couple weeks later, we got engaged. From that point on we found ourselves discussing the situations during the commercials and pausing it in the middle of the big moments.
It was our pre-marital counseling in a sense (we did also go to actual pre-marital counseling where we read a book together and talked with a pastor). Potential life situations were unfolding before our eyes right as we were about to commit to sharing a new life together. How would you handle that? Would you allow your daughter to do that? How would you tell your son about that? What would you do if…? Is that a healthy relationship? How do you maintain that? You see his side of the argument? But what about hers?
We could feel the emotion and intensity of some of these experiences, but without the pain of it being our own experiences, we could talk through it logically. We watched this family face trials as well as thrive these past five years. In a small way, we did the same. Our life should hardly be on tv, but we had our share of new experiences, monumental moments, difficult decisions and everyday conversations the past five years as well.
We’ve watched it from the very beginning and simply dread the end. I know it has to end, everything comes to an end at some point. But I will genuinely miss it and hate to say goodbye. I don’t want to overhype its significance, because in truth, it is still merely a tv show. That said, it has had an impact. I can honestly say that it had a part in shaping some of our young marriage.
Farewell Parenthood. Thank you for showing us the dramas or hardships life can bring by forcing us to feel the tension but keeping it light-hearted enough that we kept coming back. This was a story about family learning together how to live together. A good family but never the impossible “one big happy family.” Regardless of critical acclaim, you created a show that many will cherish with their own families. May you stay, forever young.
Where has the week gone? Just where?? I feel like the beginning of each week (you know, the Friday before) everything is totally clear and I have a wide open schedule. Try to catch me near the end of the week, and I have suddenly every moment packed in with no extra availability. The good news is, I’m keeping busy and it’s been fun. Today though, almost all my meetings got rescheduled, and I found some good time to work on some freelance projects.
1. I’m not where I was six months ago. Maybe from the outside I look like the same me and there’s definitely a core that has stayed the same, but I think my approach has shifted. A few different things came up this week that made me realize it, whether it was coming across old emails or considering opportunities and goals. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed being who I am now a lot more than who I was then. I had hoped to one day get to say that, so it’s likely I’ll have to expound upon that further at a later date.
2. I’m a prepper. I mean a planner…for our trip this spring. Wait, did you think I was a doomsday prepper? What?! (Quite the show though). This week I’ve been working on a little bit of Spanish with the Duolingo app (which is amazing). Further, I bought a new backpack! I was so thrilled that as soon as I brought it home I stuffed it with pillows and a bag of oranges to “practice” carrying it around. For nearly two days I had it strapped to my back. Once I take it out on some real adventures, I’ll tell you all about it, but for now, enjoy this embarrassing picture of me looking way too excited.
My husband calls this my photo face…apparently I only make such a look when a camera is involved. I’d like to dispute such claims, but looking at last week’s Thursday Three…I can see where he’s coming from.
3. Remember your dreams. Sometimes it’s easy to say you have dreams and then instead of acting on them, watch Netflix five nights a week and then say there isn’t enough time in the day. There’s not enough time in the day. So cut some things out and set aside time focus on your dreams/goals. Time to think them through and also time to implement them. They won’t happen otherwise, trust me.
With an upcomingtrip to Argentina this spring, you would think that I’ve been nonstop planning. The thing is, so much more goes into a trip than simply itineraries. I have researched everything from the type of backpack I want to buy (the plan is carry-ons only) to the many hostels that will house us for an evening or two. There is so much to prepare beforehand, but guess what you have to show for it all in the end (other than taking the trip of a lifetime and the memories that you will cherish forever)? It’s the pictures.
Here’s the thing: I love taking pictures, but I hate lugging my camera around town. You would think having such a great camera (we own a Canon 7D) and a love for photography would result in a camera being around my neck and in my hands at all times. But the reality is, it feels like such a commitment. I know that sounds ridiculous, but unless I am going somewhere with the intention of shooting something in particular, I take more photos on my phone than with my nice camera. I know I’m not alone here, I see you and your phone pics.
Bearing in mind that we will only be bringing oversized backpacks for our two weeks roaming abroad and our camera would account for roughly 23.7% of that space (give or take), it seemed logical to rethink the situation.
Introducing the Canon EOS M Compact System Camera! The perfect small camera that still allows you to use your fancy lenses (EF and EF-S lenses) but manages to fit in your purse if needed. Much research was done, but ultimately this met both our criteria and budget best.
What I love about it:
Purse and pocket friendly, at 9 oz it’s easy to bring just about anywhere
Interchangeable lenses, meaning we can use the lenses we already have with an adaptor
Video capability with full HD 1080p movie mode
Similar specs and quality to our current camera, including the sensor type, megapixels and video format
Lower price than many other mirrorless cameras
Why doesn’t everybody have one of these? Well, when you look for cameras there are a lot of things to consider. Ultimately, this made sense for us because we had already invested in Canon gear and wanted to be able to shoot both photos and videos in the most compact model possible. Being so small, it does not give off as much of professional vibe, so for someone trying to break into the photography world they could spend a similar amount of money and get a camera that is bigger and looks more serious. A few other companies are more known for mirrorless cameras so those in the market for a mirrorless camera might consider another brand first. Canon actually stopped producing this camera because of negative reviews from an initial autofocus driver issue (which was later resolved), so the price has gone down. These “negatives” to some were less important to us and helped bring the camera into our budget. (Note: If you are just looking for a basic point-and-shoot camera without interchangeable lenses, then that likely be the cheaper route and definitely simpler to use if you do not want to change a bunch of settings).
Admittedly, it is still an adjustment. The LCD screen in the back is a touch screen (which may eventually be really cool but it takes some getting used to) and there is no viewfinder because it is a mirrorless camera. It uses an SD card and has a different size battery than we currently have, so we’ll need to stock up on each of those. Thankfully, I have a few more months to work with it before putting it to the test. While we bought it primarily for this trip, it is a complementary second camera to the one we already have for future photo shoots or videos. So far, we have been incredibly pleased with this purchase. Now, if only we could decide what else to put in the backpack…
*Note: Affiliate links have been used above but we really did buy this camera and no one provided anything to me for free or at a discount. It’s a real review based on our experience and research. If you do decide to click on some of these links, I may get commission on the sale.
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.
![Farewell Parenthood [the tv show]](https://movingpeaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Parenthood-Family-tree-infographic6.jpg "Farewell Parenthood [the tv show]")
