Date Log 123014

Date day!

Eric and I went on a little day date yesterday and I just wanted to share it with you guys!

We actually started off the day super early so we could catch the free breakfast where he works in the small town over. (: It wasn't fancy or anything but I appreciate the perks of his job and we had to pick up his check anyway. We caught up with Jen whose kids we've taken in for private lessons before and he got to talk to the management about another employment opportunity in the next month. He would be working at the same place but with a more consistent schedule and higher pay. I'm so excited for all the new opportunities life has been giving him from this to a scheduled teaching job at a nearby dance studio. I couldn't look up to him more as a fellow dancer and human being.

After picking up his check, we wandered onto the main street. I've always wanted to check out these little shops because of how extremely cute they look from the outside! I've only ever been in a few of them for some little snacks. And the first store we checked out was my outstanding favorite of all time.

So, you guys know how I've been so into home decor lately? This store was all "hip" home decor and OMG it had basically everything I collaged for you guys in that first post. Everything was so cute and interesting and Eric found so much stuff he wanted to. If only we had a bigger space... it would look exactly like this store. Seriously. So, maybe next year... there'll be many more trips to there. Haha.

Here is a little corner of the store.

This lovely drawer matched my nails and, oh, I wanted it so badly!

On top are some entryway organizers in silver metal and wood and some card cases. (:

We did end up buying something that was on sale and necessary; a outdoor mat for wiping shoes (light brown with a white mustache, approx. 20"x8"). And it was only about $13! UGH. Steal. It's so cute and functional! We checked out a lot more stores but everything was so much more gaudy and tacky and just out of an affordable price range.

After hitting the street, we stopped by a little cafe for a pick me up and chatted over our drinks before heading out of town again and to Walmart for some necessities.

I love the chances I get to just sit down and have a conversation with this man. We live together and spend a lot of our time together but finding time to just talk is so important to us.

We printed some pictures and picked up some rugs, thank you cards, floss, snacks, a broom, and some storage containers for Izzy's stuff. We still have all her clothes in the gift bags from the baby showers while we transition them to baskets and storage bins. We still have to wash them all before they're ready. So, I think I'll work on that today.

After Walmart, we went to the post office to mail off something his family left behind while they were here this past weekend and my first SOLD piece(s) of art! I was so excited to send these little guys off to a new family (I know they were sick of me).

Then, we hit up Bojangles for some food before heading home for some Netflix and down time. The rest of the day was spent writing thank you cards and Eric working on his resume and curriculum. (:

So, in all, a very chill day with the lovey. Now, he's at work while I'm here cleaning up and getting all of Iz's clothes ready. (: I just separated everything and started the first load! I've ended up dividing all of the articles into either warm/dark and colors, warm/whites, cold/dark and colors, and cold/whites. I just want all the stuff to be ready when she gets here!

Well, cheers to a productive day. Our next prenatal appointment is on Friday and our next birthing class is on Monday. Today we kick off the new year with some cake and sparkling cider.

Cheers to 2014; thank you for all of your days but we must part and move on to another year!

xxx

Beth

5 Ways to Push Forward and Not Give Up

It's so, so, so hard to take a breather.

But when you do it's so worth it.

Here's five simple and fast ways to work through some of life's frustrations:

1) Plan Ahead.

This isn't for everyone but, personally, I like to work solutions out with pen and paper, organization, and tons of planning. It helps me figure out what my options are and how to effectively jump over any hurdles.

For example, if my problem has to do with a lack of finances, I will sit down and write out all my transactions. If my problem has to do with career choices and decisions that may affect my future, I will sit down and write out all my options, all potential paths, and what to do from where I am. In essence, I do my best to sit down and take into consideration what I currently have rather than what I have lost or what is blocking my path.

2) Take a Breather.

Just breathe in.

And out.

And think about nothing.

For at least ten minutes.

This really helps reset any bad mojo that may be going on in your mind giving you a fresh approach to the problem that frustrated you in the first place.

3) Talk It Out.

Talking out a sticky situation is kind of like planning ahead but with another person to bounce ideas and opinions off of. Sometimes it's good to get feedback but a lot of the time it's nice to just have someone who can listen to you, allowing an internal dialogue to develop that doesn't require sitting down and writing.

4) Release.

I very much believe in expression to combat any internal struggle. Here are a few ways to express your emotions and create at the same time:

• Dancing
• Doodling
• Running
• Writing
• Singing/Playing Music
• Cooking

5) Remember.

Try to recall why you chose the path you're on in the first place: your passion, a need to help others, a childhood dream, etc. Whatever it is, imagine it and zoom in on the first time you realized that this is where you are, even if you did get knocked off track a little.

A friend of mine once told me that life is a road and at the end is your goal; bad or negative things that happen are just little detours and it's up to me to return to the main road to trudge on.

xxx

Beth

New Year's Goals!

Last year, I had three resolutions.

1. Turn in all assignments for all my classes in the spring semester.
2. Save money. I’m not sure about the details of that yet… Maybe just coins. Maybe like 100 a month? I’m not sure. I’ll have to talk to EC about it. We just really need to start saving. Right this second.
3. Always be on time. Always get enough sleep. Stay on schedule.

I struggled to keep to these in the Spring. I had just experienced an awful loss in my life and focusing on anything was hard. Many a nervous breakdown occurred. That being said...I felt a lot better after that semester. I took summer classes and I think I did a really good job staying focused, turning in all my assignments, not spending so frivolously, and being on time. I think I just needed time to feel better before really tackling school again.

So, in between summer classes and fall classes, I created two goals.

1. Commit to study times: get dressed up and eat/drink healthy.
2. Go to every class: get dressed up and bring a drink!

These goals I made a little differently. I really thought about what I needed to work on to be successful in my academics. I decided that previously my grades weren't so great because of my problems going to class and making time to actually study. Then I tried to figure out what would help me accomplish these goals. Usually getting dressed up just motivates me in general to do things and proper nutrition will allow me to focus and accomplish what I have to do in any moment, especially in one where procrastination is prone.

On to this new year!

1) Pass Foundations II (3D Art).

I've tried to take this art class two times before this one. Third time's the charm? I'm just hoping I can pass it this time. Here's what I can do to pass this frustrating class:

• Work on every project every single day for (at least) an hour.

2) Save money.

This one is very vague... Maybe we can just make the steps toward it a lot more specific?

• Divide up any unexpected income.
• 1/3 to the past - loans, credit card amounts, debt.
• 1/3 to the future - investing in any future purchases.
• 1/3 to the present - home improvement, unnecessary purchase.
• Only bring cash shopping.
• Credit cards/debit cards make you think less about the money you're actually spending. Using cash will make you think twice about what you're really spending your money on.
• Even if it means writing checks out to Eric and having him withdraw the money.
• Put 5% of every paycheck toward future self investments.
• Personally, we'll be saving up for overseas vacations or classes while Izzy is in summer camp or college.
• So, if I make $200 this pay period, I'll put $10 toward that fund.
• Stick to a budget.
• Create list of income/expenses.
• Figure out what needs to get paid and how much to spend on groceries and gas.
• Then figure out what's left over and what that should go to: past, present, future.
• Go grocery shopping with a very specific list.

3) Think kindly and patiently.

• Give myself a break. Take a breather for ten seconds and really think through a situation.
• Be patient with myself and remind myself that "I am only human". 
• Practice/rehearse different "trigger" situations to approach problems a different way.
• This article I found provides a very helpful audio to work on any kind of situation.

4) Be on time.

• Get ready an hour ahead of time: make-up, outfit, diaper bag, my bag (wallet, keys, etc.), coat, shoes.
• Be ready to fly out the door when the time comes but also to spend the other thirty minutes working on an assignment or cleaning up a little.
• Leave the house ten minutes earlier than needed.
• Get EC out the door with time allotted for travel + ten minutes.
• Get myself out the door with time allotted for travel + ten minutes.
• Prepare food as soon as grocery shopping is over.
• This way no time or money is wasted cutting off rotten parts of food.
• Keep monthly and weekly calendar updated with all important things.
• Appointments, classes, work, etc.

That'll be it. Time to drill all of this into my brain!

xxx

Beth

Home Makeover for 2015

I have spent most of the day watching videos of room and house tours feeling inspired to redecorate and rework my own living space! So, I browsed a few choice websites and found these little beauties. I wish I could afford all of them (or even just one...) but looking at them and imagining in the apartment is enough for me. Almost like looking at pictures of food and imagining how they taste.

Anyway, here are a few of the things I have fallen in love with.

Top Left: I love this little set of vases from ModCloth! They're $35.00 for four lovely vases. The color palette is just right and would look perfect on a bookshelf.

Top Center: This planter is from Etsy giving off a beautiful polished thrift look. The shop is from Israel and offers many other porcelain goodies.

Top Right: This terrarium pillow's design makes the little plants adorable and gives a flair of nature without all the soil and watering responsibilities. (ModCloth)

Middle Left: I am absolutely in love with this little library card catalog. It makes a quirky side table with storage for all the little knick-knacks in your house. (Etsy)

Middle Right: If the pillow didn't do it for you, real plants are an instant room brightener! I'm obsessed with the different geometric planters all over the internet. This Etsy shop offers a variety of designs to suit any needs.

Bottom Left: Again, I am obsessed with these geometric designs and this frame took my breath away. It's 4"x6" but can hold so many different paper sizes and easily interchanged. I've never really liked the way normal frames sat up with a little piece of board. This takes away the tackiness and replaces it with such a refined look! (CB2)

Bottom Middle: These little candle holders are to die for. The different colors work in perfect harmony with one another and when lit, they look heavenly. (ModCloth)

Bottom Right: ModCloth has a lot of posters to choose from but these stopped me in my tracks. They're so interesting to look at and would be lovely when framed separately and put above the couch or bed!

5 Reasons Why I Loved Being Married and Pregnant in College

1) Complete and utter focus on academic and career goals.

I'm less worried about the social aspect of college: friends and significant others. Not just because I found both of these things in one lovely person but because this lovely person encourages me to work on projects and go to interviews and all the other things I hardly want to get out of bed to do. He hasn't taken away my needs for other people but given me new focus.

She, too, has given me new focus. I work with a new determination because I want to be the woman my mother is for me, for my daughter. My mother has always been my role model. She is hard-working, focused, persistent, and optimistic in all the things she does. I hope I can be the same person for my little girl.

2) "Grown-up" matters become less intimidating and more necessary.

A year ago, my errands were constantly restocking their pantry, picking up supplies for school projects, doing laundry, etc. Now, it's more along the lines of paying bills, registering for government services (insurance, welfare, etc.), calling credit card companies and rental agencies. My mom used to do all these things for me last year. I was careless with my money and eager to have her do all the phone conversations and bill paying for me.

Now, the responsibility is mine and my husband's. Now, I'm eager to transition into our own everything rather than my mom handling my name.

3) Sharing a last name.

Our last name allows us to see each other when we're in the hospital, allows us to sign legal documents for each other, allows us to send thank you cards and presents as one entity rather than two individuals. Some people might be scared of this. Commitment is a scary thing, indeed.

To me, it's not only convenient but completely and totally comfortable.

4) Learning to love things far larger than myself.

Eric and Izzy allow me to see beyond the superficial. I don't care about money or appearance or success. I care about safety and happiness and honesty. If, in the end, I become successful but I'm not happy, I would frown at my future. It's more than just a dollar; it's more than just a big office in a famous company. It's the people I help and the close relationships I treasure that make me who I want to be. 

I, personally, think there could be no better thing to be than a loving woman, wife, and mother. These nouns don't sacrifice my success. Sure, there's negative connotation attached to these words. So many people my age don't want a commitment, much less a husband or children. But in my position, I feel powerful. I feel like I can do anything with my family by my side. They encourage me and give me a reason to go to work, a reason to maintain all aspects of my life, a reason to live.

5) Consolidation.

I've gotten rid of so many bad things in my life. Well, not bad. Just...negative.

People. Materials. Traits. 

I know I will change in the future but for now? I am so happy with where I am and what I have. It may not be a lot of seem like a lot to other people but to me it is everything.

That wraps up my five reasons.
Much love,

Beth

What makes someone so strong?

I, like any other person, love to be complimented. I love to have affirmation that I am headed in the right direction. I love being told I'm doing something good.

But that isn't what makes me stronger.

It's the insults. It's the ridiculous suggestions. It's the thoughts of another person forced upon me. I love being exposed to the cruelty of people.

That's what makes me strong.

The first time I was pregnant someone said "I'm mad at EC for getting you pregnant", as if to say "If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be in this negative situation".

I love Eric. It was as much my fault as his that we became pregnant the first time and it is still BOTH our faults that I was blessed enough to make a beautiful life again.

I miscarried and someone said "I had a friend who had a baby and had to drop out of college", as if to say "Good or else you would have ruined your life".

I wanted my baby. I do NOT think losing my baby was a relief because then I could focus on graduating from college. If I did drop out of college, that would be my own choice and would not mean my life would be ruined.

I understand that both these comments could be seen as positive. I understand that some people probably agree with them. And that's fine.

But, to me, these comments are irritating. We didn't tell many people. I still have a hard time talking about it with anyone other than Eric. We confided in people we thought we could trust and find support and love from. I couldn't believe that anyone, especially "friends", could actually say these kinds of things.

Blunt, ignorant opinions make my stomach churn. But these told me who my real friends were. These showed me who I could really trust. These forced true strength to come forward. Or else I would have become one of them. The battle everyone fights in their lives involves real people. It involves being stomped on and kicked when you're already bruised and bleeding, weeping on the floor. It involves active decisions for your own well-being and humanness. It involves you to get up and fight back-blood, bruises, and all.

Other people can praise you and kick you as much as they want. That's out of your control.

It's up to you to stand up and come out of it all stronger.

Come on, Iz!

I am so ready for her to come, you guys. Seriously.
I love reading this book because I feel so much more prepared to do mommy things like breastfeed and give her baths and help her put herself to sleep. I just...want to try out my knowledge but I can't because she's still in my belly! Haha.
I would have gotten the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" one but I'm a little past that part. The "What to Expect the First Year" seemed to make more sense at the time. But, boy, is it helpful! It has a lot of lists for what gear to get and the studies done on all different kinds of tools to help baby. I personally take comfort in the fact that it's the 3rd edition (2014) so it's all updated information! (:
A lot of the other baby books I've bought are reasonably dated (2002 or 2005) so reading them makes me a little nervous. They all basically have the same information but I know I can trust this book.
I want to start a little library for Izzy.
I want to move into a larger space to organize everything.
Don't get me wrong...I'm very, very, extremely thankful for where we live now. It would just be nice to spread things out a little more and not have to move things to make them function...like the rocker which has to be pulled out if you want to sit on it or books that have to be retrieved after the coffee table has been moved. Haha. I'm okay with it. Being in this space makes me think we need to consolidate and get rid of things we don't need but I wonder if we'll get into a bigger space and think "we need more things...".
Anyway, I have one last exam today! And then I'm home free. (=
Tomorrow, I'm guiding a school group with Pegge through the museum, Saturday I'm guarding, Monday is my last day in the office, and next Thursday and Friday I'm guarding again. So, I have a good amount of hours in at work. But after next Friday, I will have little to do before school starts again or Izzy comes. Maybe I can spend most of that time preparing for her arrival. (:

This was mostly a random text piece...but thank you if you read this far!

xxx

Beth

Finals Week!

We all have finals to look forward to...this is the last week of school before our sweet Iz comes! (:

I'm trying to work as much as possible before she arrives.
We got a Christmas tree!

It makes me very happy. There aren't any presents under it...but we've bought some early gifts for each other before Izzy comes: some new gaming stuff and prayer journals and a coffee travel cup. You could guess who got each of those things but you might be surprised. Haha. (:

We recently also bought Izzy's carseat and stroller! And reorganized all her stuff into the bookshelf for easy access!

She has bags of clothes...but we're working on getting some bins like the pink one on the bottom to store them all in! Everything is a work in progress...just like her.

I'm just happy because winter break means the finish of another semester, a time to earn more money for the family, and the creation of new life.

Eric has been so great. Not just for me personally but in terms of his own life and Izzy's life! He has sacrificed so much working long hours and still going to class and getting all that work done...along with taking care of me and going to ALL of my prenatal visits! He also takes care of a lot of our legal stuff: credit cards, rent, WIC and FNS, car check-ups/repairs/etc., and so much more. On top of that he still finds time to do dishes and laundry and he still makes the bed most mornings. Oh, and he cooks most of the meals (Or else I just eat fruit/veggies/cereal/yogurt/etc.). I could never thank him enough for all he does because there is just so much. Not saying I don't do things, too! I go to work, school, prenatal visits, some bills, budgeting, household stuff, etc. We share a lot of the duties but we just usually try to get stuff done while the other is doing something so we can spend more time together when we get free time. Still, we find time to ourselves and I am so thankful we can.

I'm sure that was long and boring but he really does a lot for me.
And I just didn't think I'd find someone I'd have such a balance with.
I really am lucky.
I wish everyone could have an EC...but I'm so glad he's my EC.

Anyway, cheers to everyone who has finals on their plate this week! Good luck to all and just try to get a little bit of sleep! The end is near! (:

xxx

Beth