Wednesday Hodgepodge 9/17

Shew, here we are- halfway through September and I feel like I still don’t have my footing. Theo started this new job at the end of May and the transition has been way rougher than we anticipated. I feel like I’m still scrambling to find a “new normal”. Some days it just feels all peachy-keen and great, and then some days it’s so overwhelming and I just don’t know how to process it all. Last week had a lot of hard and heavy- both in the public sphere and the personal/private sphere. Anyways- I didn’t blog at all last week and over the weekend in a fit of emotion I decided I was just entirely DONE with blogging. Who even read this old thing anymore?

But, here I am…still writing. I guess it’s ok if no one reads it anymore. And I’ll jump right back in with a Wednesday Hodgepodge post, linking up with Joyce!

1.  Are you more life of the party or more party pooper? If your answer is somewhere in the middle which side of the middle do you lean towards more? 

For sure I lean towards being the life of the party, although I’m not usually *the* life of the party, if you know what I mean. My cup is filled by social events and activities, so I will be at them, hosting them, or joining them if I can! And often after I’ve left I chide myself for doing too much talking, and not enough listening.

Birthday party, beach party, cocktail party, dinner party, charity fundraiser, surprise party, costume party, garden party, Christmas party, reunion...what’s your favorite kind of party? 

From this list I would pick a garden party!

2. Cheese, wine, and balsamic vinegar all improve with age. What would you personally add to the list? 

Parenting! Man, I was 23 years old when I became a parent and I was not wise or experienced. I am so thankful that time has brought more wisdom and experience and I am really enjoying this stage of parenting, as I get to grow up with my kids. I HATED when people told me that parenting just got worse and worse, and while I don’t have teens or young adults yet, I do know that parenting for me has just gotten better and better!

3. How do you feel about your birthday? How do you want to be celebrated? Or don’t you? 

I love birthdays and I love to feel celebrated on my birthday! My last birthday was AWFUL- it was the last day of school and I caught a horrible tummy bug with a raging fever. I went to school, smiled through our final school program, then went home and climbed into bed and slept the day away. So, anything would be better than that!

My wish for my birthday is that people remember, say Happy Birthday- and I happen to be a gift lover, so if someone gets me a gift (even something small like a pair of earrings) it means so much to me!

4. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily your same birth year, just the same date/month. 

Historical events on May 22 include the formalizing of the Axis alliance with the Pact of Steel between Germany and Italy (1939), the Wright Brothers being granted a patent for their “Flying-Machine” (1906), Abraham Lincoln receiving a patent for a boat-lifting device (1849), and the strongest earthquake in recorded history striking Chile in 1960

I honestly didn’t know a single one of those things until I googled it! Haha! There are two events in my personal history that happened on my birthday. The first was when I was 6 years old, and my baby cousin was born on my birthday. My uncle jokingly told me that my cousin stole my birthday and I wouldn’t get to have birthdays anymore. I remember being pretty sure he was joking, but I got this terrified sinking feeling in my gut that I had really just given up my birthday for my cousin- without my consent!

The other event that happened was one year my birthday fell on a Sunday. At church that day we had a special meeting called after the service and this meeting was a DISASTER. Our whole church actually fell apart that day, complete with some raised voices, lots of tears and a kind of shell-shocked vibe for all of us. We never went back to that church after that day. I will never forget that Sunday!

I guess many of my birthday memories are traumatic, so moving on…!!!

5. Share two good things about your life right now. 

1. My kids are growing up and branching out and I LOVE to see it! My two oldest both worked at sports games this past week- one in the concession stand and one as “ball boy” for a soccer game. I had multiple people tell me how helpful they were/are, and that just fills my entire soul. This stage is really enjoyable!
2. We are “fostering” four baby kittens right now until they are ready to go to their new home. DO YOU KNOW HOW CUTE BABY KITTENS ARE? Adorable, that’s what.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

September has been FULL! Last night we sat down for dinner and Theo and I said “I think this is the first time in a week we’ve sat down for dinner”. We have had people over, been at the sports games, gone to small group, had a meeting at church- it’s been fun, but not a lot of quiet evenings at home. I keep telling Theo we need to enjoy it now because once it gets cold, there isn’t much to do and we will feel so trapped at home!