2018 - Simplicity

"...writing about life. About nothing. About everything." - Rory Feek

When I started this blog 10 years ago, it was for family and myself. A diary of sort, to share and document our life. Through the years, I've documented less and less here. I post little updates on Facebook and Instagram, but I've often longed for the day to day remembering of blogging. I just read on a favorite blog of mine, the quote above and it resonated with me. I miss "writing about life. About nothing. About everything."  

Our boys are growing up. Ezekiel is off to the Air Force soon and Elijah has 2 more years of high school, then it's just Fonzy and I. The past few days, I've thought about 2017, and all that it held. So much change, but oh so good.

Thinking about what I want in 2018 and one word keeps coming to mind. Simplicity. This world is crazy right now. If you are living, you know of all the madness. So much heartache, pain, suffering. So much uncertainty. I don't want to focus on that. I want to focus on the simple things in life. The simple pleasures. I do that now, but I want to be more intentional with it. Like noticing how the setting sun is peeking through the trees. How blistery cold it is outside while taking the picture, but how warm and cozy it is when I dash back in. Of hearing Fonzy snore lightly on the couch while taking a nap. Or watching him with a steamy cup of coffee in the morning, grading papers during our Christmas break. Receiving a letter in the mail from a friend and writing my own letter in return. Enjoying a home cooked meal, that was easy to prepare. All little, simple day to day things we do. This life is comprised of more ordinary days, then the big, exciting life events we all look forward to and I want to enjoy them just as much. So here's to SIMPLICITY in 2018!

P.S. I did make one new years resolution ~ to kiss my husband more! Which unfortunately I haven't started yet, because I've been sick and didn't want him to get my cooties! :) 

Gratitude

The last prompt for the Love Your Blog Challenge is Gratitude.

I have so much to be thankful for. So I'm just going to sum it up and say....

I thank God for this beautiful, messy life I have. 

Yes, I've had heartaches, but you know what? Everything I have gone through has bought me to where I am now. And I LOVE where I am now and the life I have. I'm surrounded by love, my family supports me no matter what crazy adventure I take, and life is good.....very good.

~ For The Love Your Blog Challenge with Kate of A Playful Day

Look for the Light

I've been wanting to make some changes to my blog lately, in hopes that it would get me writing again. I clicked on a few things, thinking I would be able to preview my changes before saving and ended up ruining my blog template! I did this without saving the HTML of what my blog originally looked like. Big mistake! I could have cried! I played around with the HTML, knowing nothing about it and after working on it several hours, I am finally ok with how it looks. There are a few tweaks here and there, but.....I actually like it better than what I had.

To kick off my new blog look, I'm participating in 31 Days - a writing challenge. Pick a subject and write everyday in the month October. I haven't decided what I will be writing about. I'm thinking something knit related, but I have a few days yet to decide. I'm just glad my blog is back up and running, especially after the disaster yesterday.

Shadow

I've started this post as least a dozen times and not even sure this one will make it to post.  So another 365 project has met it's death. And I will not be trying it again. I found myself snapping a picture just for the sake of getting a picture a day and I wasn't liking it. I've tried to come back to this blog several times, but something wasn't right. I couldn't find the words, the thoughts didn't flow like they use to. I was trying so hard to write, that it stopped me from writing. Funny how that works, huh.

I still want to blog, but I think I'm going about it the wrong way. This use to be a space that I bared my soul, whatever I was feeling or thinking I would just put it down. Didn't matter if anyone was reading. I did it for me. Over time, it became not for me. I found myself writing to have the perfect post. It was no longer about me. It was about what everyone else wanted. Or what I thought everyone else wanted to see. The part that was ME was gone. I no longer liked blogging. And my sporadic posts showed it.

I've decided to take my blog back. Back to me. Back to my thoughts, my feelings, my life. And not worry about who's reading, or if it will gain more readers, or trying to fit in a blog mold. When I look back on this blog, and when my boys, and even grand kids find this space, I want it to be a true representation of me, not just a shadow of who I was or who I thought everyone wanted me to be. Just ME, in my truest form possible.