Wedding Guest Book

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

When Chris and I were married in 2011, I knew I wanted to have a personalized scrapbook guest book, but didn’t have the time to make layouts before the wedding (we were engaged and married in just four months!). Fast forward to this year, when Becky Higgins came out with the Project Life mini albums. This was exactly what I was looking for!

The Cover as it is now (this will likely change).. but that's the best part of Project Life.. nothing is permanent!

The Cover as it is now. It will probably change., but that’s the best part of Project Life- nothing is permanent (after all, creativity is an iterative process, right?!)

Elements that make this album unique

There are two personalized elements that were used for this album: blank cards that were on the table at our reception and the physical cards that accompanied gifts.

Store-bought cards

I absolutely loved some of the cards people gave us. While they are impersonal in the sense that they were not made specifically for us, our friends and family purchased them with us in mind. And you can see that in the way they all go so well together. In fact, there were several cards that we received from multiple people.. I guess they had us pretty well figured out!

Using Store Bought Cards in your wedding guest book

Using Store Bought Cards in your wedding guest book

But it’s the personal messages that make me keep going back to this album. Some of them are quick scribbles – “we are SO happy for you!” and some of them are much longer, more personal, more sentimental. For the cards whose messages I couldn’t part with, but didn’t want to detract from the aesthetics, I placed behind decorative fill cards with a tab. (see pink tab in center, top, right)

Use a tab to put a personalized message behind a picture of the person that wrote it

Use a tab to put a personalized message behind a picture of the person that wrote it

Products Used

The album is a mini-album by Becky Higgins. The fill cards were made from the same scrapbooking paper kit I used to make the invitations. I used elements I had purchased with this album in mind and added plastic words and a small card kit I picked up at Michael’s. The cards and album all came together fairly quickly and certainly most of the time was spent cutting paper and trimming the corners.

Reflections on this Album

As I put this album together, I felt so incredibly grateful for the friends and family we have. Their cards were so special, so kind, so loving. At one point, I found myself welling with tears of joy. I never do that. Weddings are one of the few opportunities we have to hear so many wishes of kindness and joy from those that matter most in our lives. And I am thankful, happy, elated to have created a keepsake that captures the essence of that day.

Enjoy!

Cover Page

Cover Page. Really loving the page-size photo.

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

doily message someone left in our card box and a cut up store card with a sweet message

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

love how simple some of these pages are.. quality over quantity

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

love how coordinated and intentional this looks

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

example of a personal note. this one came on the back of our response cards, but the purpose is the same. this will be covered up with a blank card eventually.

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

more cards to fill out

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book Last Page

Project Life mini album: Wedding Guest Book Last Page

Last Page Detail: Small Card Element

Last Page Detail: Small Card Element

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hot Yoga Session 6: A Lion and a Swallow

Posted on May 19, 2013 by

This was originally posted in January 2012 to document my 30 days of hot yoga. I was recently inspired to be more self-reflective after a terrible flu season which sent me to the ER twice. Doctor’s orders were simple: start taking care of yourself (again) or you’ll need surgery. Well, that’s all I needed to propel me into living a healthier, more personally sustainable life amidst balancing a busy career, volunteering, and figuring things out with our new baby.

Join me here, on Sundays, where I re-blog reflections from 30 days of hot yoga and hopefully inspire you to embrace change positively with passion and find opportunities for personal growth wherever you can find it.

–

During today’s class our instructor mentioned that inside all of us there are two energies – a fierce, unyielding power (lion) and a nurturing, graceful peace (swallow). I think we can all agree that over the course of a day, a year, a lifetime, we experience both energies. Sometimes we are unyielding lions. Sometimes we are peaceful swallows.

If you were to ask any of my coworkers, college friends, or volunteer contacts, they will all tell you: in the choice between lion and swallow, I am unquestionably a lion.

A lion is not a bad thing. Tapping the fierce power that is within yourself is something we could all use from time to time. I have a wonderful heart. I have good intentions. And I have tender moments. But if you want something done, and if you want to do it well, I am exactly the person that you would want to help you.

In the last few days, however, I have found myself so at peace with the world. I feel like I’m lightly floating from one thing to another. Nothing bothers me. Everything is just as it is. And this got me thinking… after 30 days of yoga, am I going to become a swallow?

Hello, minor identity crisis.

We all know people that are classic swallows. The super nice, never worked up, always finding something positive in the worst situation, gives a sense of peace and comfort, the one no one would ever challenge, the person that everyone trusts.

When I initially sought out this experience, I did expect physical changes, and did hope for a greater inner strength. But a total shift in identity? Woah. Let’s take it easy, here!

Still, I can’t help feeling unmistakably… different. changed. grown. wise.

Checking in.

Tadasana. Photo courtesy of Yogajournal.com

Physically, I change every day. In today’s practice I still needed to take occasional breaks, but my abs are stronger, my arms are more defined, and I feel taller. [I honestly feel like I've grown an inch. When I walk, my body is more upright. When I stand, it's with a surprising presence.]

And so today it seems only appropriate to focus on the tallest of all poses, mountain pose. It’s a pose that is often taken for granted. After all, we have been standing most of our lives, so how hard could it be?  My instructor walked us through this today and I can tell you, it’s not.

You can read all about how to do it in this article on Tadasana at yogajournal.com.

Just as with most poses, there are many ways you can approach this posture. But today we focused on finding unity in opposition (a theme I happen to love, both for the physical component and for the symbolism). We worked on flexibility, finding length and space through alignment. We engaged our legs, arms, and shoulders, and relaxed our faces, eyes, and bellies.

Lesson.

And perhaps the lesson which resonates most with me is that each day, each practice is different. Sometimes you are a lion of strength and power. And sometimes you focus on breathing, on finding depth and space in places where you didn’t have it before, on peace, on quiet. It’s the combination of the two – strength and flexibility, fierce and nurturing, yin and yang – that makes us whole.

We have good days and bad days. By understanding that we must experience one to understand the other we can find peace. And that, dear friends, is beautiful.

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A Look in the Garden

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

image

After separating the bulbs and replanting last year, our garden on granite has produced only one tulip this spring.. But it’s a pretty one!

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Hot Yoga Session 5: Food = Fuel and Bring on the Salt!

Posted on May 12, 2013 by

This was originally posted in January 2012 to document my 30 days of hot yoga. I was recently inspired to be more self-reflective after a terrible flu season which sent me to the ER twice. Doctor’s orders were simple: start taking care of yourself (again) or you’ll need surgery. That is all I needed to hear to propel me into living a healthier, more personally sustainable life amidst balancing a busy career, volunteering, and figuring things out with our new baby.

Join me here, on Sundays, where I re-blog reflections from 30 days of hot yoga and hopefully inspire you to embrace change positively with passion and find opportunities for personal growth wherever you can find it.

–

How is it going?

Session 5 kicked my butt. Ironically, it was a short basics class which focused mostly on positioning your body correctly in each movement and a lot less posture-intensive from the all levels version. Yet, still, I found myself in child’s pose (protective ball) while our instructor narrated breathing through the discomfort in our first position. I “cheated” with knees whenever possible just to give my shoulders a rest. I “took a break” to get hydrated not because I was thirsty, but because I just couldn’t hack it. And I celebrated, quietly and to myself, when we reached the end of class. But I was ready to start looking forward. I can do this, I am committed, and I’m ready to get some advice on how to make it happen.

Advice (from a professional) for Surviving and Thriving 30 Days of Hot Yoga

After class I asked my instructor for some advice on surviving 30 days of hot yoga. But I realized, as I said it, that I don’t want to just “survive it”, I want to THRIVE. She understood, and here is her advice:

  • First, congratulate yourself for making a commitment to furthering your practice and to your physical and (for some) spiritual well being. Yoga is a holistic practice which can inspire and change your life {and it has}.
  • Second, don’t try to do every move. Instead, only participate in postures that nourish and further your practice {I laughed when she said this – that’s easy! I couldn’t do them all if I wanted to!}
  • Also, make sure to hydrate consistently {more about hydration later}
  • When you drink, you want to replace electrolytes lost during the practice. {Full article on hot yoga and electrolytes here through Livestrong.com}
  • Make sure to eat salt, especially if you’re craving it {and I was!}
  • And if the heat is wearing you down, do a session at home (out of the heat) just to give your body a break or take a day off. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
  • Take care of your body. This is a practice that requires a lot of it, take care and rest it.
Take care of yourself.. sleeeppp

Take care of yourself.. sleeeppp

Her advice was spot on and I appreciated every bit of it {you don’t have to tell me twice to add more salt to my diet!}. But there was one piece of advice which I took to heart: take care of your body. Oh boy, did I need it! But how?

After a class where my body was absolutely exhausted, sore, and all muddled up with lactic acid. In the past, when I have had sore muscles, I either take a bath or – if I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity – jump in a hot tub. Well, today I was lucky, and I headed straight for the hot tub. After an hour between the hot tub, the shower, and the steam room at my fancy gym (healthworks is one of the top rated women’s gyms in the country, I am so fortunate to be a member there) I felt like I had switched bodies. It was amazing.

So here is the lesson: take care of your body. Use it. But care for it afterwards. Know that when you start a new routine, you are going to need more rest. Allow yourself the space, time, and ability to grant your body its time to rest. You will not only recover faster, you’ll be better positioned to push yourself forward, get into shape quickly, and attain the physical condition you want. Go for it!

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Life is Quiet (and that’s a good thing) (Project Life: Week 16)

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

This is a post about finding appreciation for the weeks when there is not a lot happening and why that is so important.

We all love showing off our finest moments. This likely roots from days – that we all know well – when photographs were expensive to print and cameras were typically reserved for occasions like holidays and vacation. Thankfully, those days are gone. And it has never been more affordable to take all of the pictures you want, store them on finger-nail sized storage devices, and share them with everyone you know.

This is a good thing. But many of us have some catching up to do.

Take a look at the typical Facebook profile. More and more we are catching on to Facebook as a medium for sharing small, every day successes over self-serving posts. Part of that comes with age – and I mean both age of the users and age of the site itself. And part of it comes from the fact that most people now have a camera-enabled phone that travels with them nearly all of their waking hours. And, even more importantly, we now have sites like tumblr, flikr, and instagram where we can share our photo reel with everyone we know.

This is a wonderful thing. But it goes deeper than that.

I like seeing pictures of my friends in the places that they travel. In the places that they live. In the places that they love. But what I like the most is seeing pictures of my friends that gives me a peek into their lives. I’m not talking about cute-angled head shots, I’m talking about footprints in the sand, their favorite ice cream shop, a meal that they love. And thanks to free camera filter apps, the photos are actually nice looking.

You see, it’s in our quietest moments, the weeks when nothing is really happening, that we get a glimpse into who we really are. Because it’s not about the event, or the place, or the excitement of something – it’s about the people that I know sharing something that has meaning to them. And I love every single shared moment.

Project Life: Week 16

Not a lot happened this week. We worked. We had colds. We recovered from our colds. We quietly enjoyed the cool weather. We settled into our routines. We made funny faces. We smiled a lot. And I loved it.

Project Life: Week 16

Project Life: Week 16

The frog stickers are from baby shower wrapping (from my sister). The paper arrow was free-hand cut from two pieces of scrap paper. I have visions of purchasing stamps, I just can’t seem to find a set that I want to buy. Suggestions are welcome!

Arrow

Arrow

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Back to Work from Maternity Leave (Project Life: Week 15)

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

This is the week I went back to work after 3 1/2 months on maternity leave. And it was great.

You hear stories from women about this experience. For some, it’s SO hard (those are the most common). You hate to leave your baby. You find stress in the workplace. Things are difficult. This was not my experience, and perhaps that is why this week was so wonderful.

First, it’s about the baby’s personality. It’s amazing to me how much character a baby that cannot sit or eat has. Max doesn’t DO anything other than look at his mobile, smile on occasion, and nurse for hours every day. So I was pleasantly surprised when we took him to daycare and had a chance to watch him take it in.

First Day of Daycare

We had explained to Max that he was going to get to “see the babies” this week. We talked to him about daycare, about how mommy was going back to work, and how he was going to get to play all day with babies his age and some really nice ladies. Of course, he’s only 3.5 months old, so it’s not like he understood any of it, but I felt like we did our best to inform him of the changes to come. Who knows, maybe he understood?

As soon as we entered the infant room, Max became attuned to the changes in the environment. There was something different about this place. Something different from anything that he has known so far. And then the muffled sounds became more clear: there were babies here. THERE ARE BABIES HERE! His face lit up and he grinned from ear to ear. He turned into the room and never looked back. So Chris and I melted into the background, and skulked off to work, slightly defeated at the unceremonious separation from our little guy.. for the first time.

Back to Work

Work was uneventful. I spent the day setting up my computer, getting in touch with everyone, catching up on paperwork, and preparing my work schedule for the next several months. The best way I can put it is: it was enough. We’ll see what the future brings. For now, I am content.

Project Life: Week 15

Project Life: Week 15

Project Life: Week 15

Close up of Max’s name owl at school. So. Incredibly. Precious.

detail

detail

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Hot Yoga Session 4: Your Body is a Vehicle

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

This was originally posted in January 2012 to document my 30 days of hot yoga. I was recently inspired to be more self-reflective after a terrible flu season which sent me to the ER twice. Doctor’s orders were simple: start taking care of yourself (again) or you’ll need surgery. Well, that’s all I needed to propel me into living a healthier, more personally sustainable life amidst balancing a busy career, volunteering, and figuring things out with our new baby.

Join me here, on Sundays, where I re-blog reflections from 30 days of hot yoga and hopefully inspire you to embrace change positively with passion and find opportunities for personal growth wherever you can find it.

–

How I’m doing

Session 4 came and past with a surprising amount of optimism. I’m definitely achy, but was able to do at least a few sun salutations before hiding in my ball again (a version of child’s pose that is more about hiding than resting). I left the class feeling fortunate to have made this commitment to myself and quite energized. Of course I’m sure that was at least in part due to the fact that my favorite instructor hosted the class.

Inspiration

Favorite pose of the day: Warrior 3

To me, the yoga experience is best shepherded by someone that not only “gets it” (direct quote from Chris) – i.e. understands how each posture translates into the next so the workout has a flow to it – but also adds some life lessons throughout the practice. Tonight there were several lessons, but the one that really stood out to me was ‘your body is a vehicle for experience’ and that your ‘physical condition is not permanent, but always changing.’ And when you hear it in class you think about how it’s not only true, but beautiful. The transient body helps you to breathe through tough postures and give yourself a break when you can’t, because the work you do today will help you be stronger tomorrow.

After class – the reality check

But then you leave class and normal girl-mind takes over and you think – if my body was a vehicle, it would be an old, out-of-tune, oversized boat and, really, I would prefer it to be a slick sport model. And, frankly, I’m not going to have fantastic abs tomorrow, I’m going to be grouchy and tired and swollen from the 100 ounces of water (ya, that’s actually true!) which I have to drink in order to make it through the day. So, with that, I wanted to spend a few moments reflecting on the girl mind how shapes can be deceiving.

Vehicle Upgrade and why Skinny is not Healthy

Full disclosure: After Chris and I were engaged in spring 2011 my regular gym routine was replaced with all things wedding planning. That is to be expected, as planning a wedding (especially when you get engaged and married in 4 months) can be intense, as it takes a lot of time to plan. But reducing (or, in my case, eliminating) your exercise routine has its costs. And even if you’re a regular pedestrian like me (I walk 3 miles roundtrip every day to/from work), you still need resistance training to maintain a healthy percentage of muscle (yes, it’s a good thing, more muscle = higher metabolism and lots of other good things) which leads to a healthier body (vehicle upgrade), improved physical fitness, higher energy levels, and basically you look better naked (definitely recommend the LBN workout through Women’s Health Magazine).

When you first stop working out, you actually lose weight (i.e. muscle) by doing nothing. You appear to be in better shape. People compliment you on the hard work you must have done to get there. And you feel a sense of totally undeserved accomplishment for it. The reality? You’re entering the world of skinny-fat.

I’ll post specifically about skinny-fat soon {it’s difficult to reference with a quick online search, most sources are crappy blogs (whoops) and muscle building is an industry in itself}. But here’s the short of it: you can have a very low body fat percentage and have an equal likelihood of developing the same health-related illnesses (diabetes, fatty liver, etc.) that overweight and obese bodies are commonly associated with. And without getting on a podium and preaching, I’ll just say that it’s really time to drop the scale and weight-loss mentality and start focusing on body fat percentage. {Since you won’t believe me without a photo, check out this blog post (by CrossFit Gym in CA). The article itself gives a few very descriptive pictures and a somewhat distracted overview of skinny-fat, but it’s not a bad place to start.}

So I will fully confess that part of my motivation for doing this (a small, small percent) is honestly to hit the restart button on  my health from the very beginning of the year/decade. And, let’s face it, cardio routines, exercise machines (also something to avoid, btw), running (which, folks, can also lead to skinny-fat), and free weights are not inspiring enough to deserve 30 days in a row. Besides, yoga can bring you closer to enlightenment.. and if I happen to be able to move into a headstand at the end of it, I won’t complain.

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Keep it Simple (Project Life: Week 14)

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

I have this unique ability to make things that would otherwise be simple unnecessarily complicated. This is especially true when I care about the outcome. Whether it’s a craft project, a favor for a friend, or a task at work, I find myself turning what would otherwise be a fun thing into a burden. I get stressed. I have some kind of intense stare-down with myself, wondering how and why I got so stressed in the first place. Enter, meltdown.

Minor or not, it’s a habit that I see play out all the time, and that is when I give the same advice friends give me when I’m being a nut. I think it’s as much about the questions as it is about the message, so here are the quotes:

  • “Wow. That sounds like a lot of work. I would not put that much effort into that kind of a project.” <me: if you only knew how much time I had already spent on this… >
  • “Do you really think they are going to care about whether or not the hat is hot pink or just bright pink?” <me: well, I want to make sure she likes the… wait. you’re right. >
  • “How much time did that take you?” <me: answer is about 1/4 of the actual amount of time I spent (embarrassed face)>
  • “Why are you doing this again?” <me: good question. >

So here are some things that I do to stop myself from wasting too much time for no good reason:

1. Theme. Set parameters. Make decisions to help you set a general guideline for what you’re trying to do. Is this a backyard barbeque or a ladies luncheon; are you making an everyday hat, or a special occasion hat for photos.

2. Consider how much time you are willing to invest in what you are doing (note: the answer is not “as much as it takes”). If you are event planning, it’s xx hours per week; if it’s a favor for a friend, offer an afternoon or one weeknight.

3. Stick to #1 and #2. If you go back on those, you start over. Every. Single. Time.

4. Keep it reasonable. Most people, most friends, are appreciative of the sentiment. While I’m sure they will ooh and ahh over the spinach turnovers you made from scratch for their potluck dinner, the truth is, no one is going to know – or appreciate – how much time you put into hand making the dough. So don’t.

5. Remind yourself of the WHY. Why are you going to this event? Why are you making this gift? Why did you offer to do x, y, z? Most often the answer is a lot simpler than what we invest our time in. You want to see your friends. You want to show someone you care. You want to help out someone in need. If that is really true, keep it that way. Be helpful. Be thoughtful. Be friendly.

6. No one cares about details like you do. I can’t think of a better example of this than at a wedding. Sure, maybe the wedding planner forgot to display the handmade bar menu you made, but does that mean no one got a drink that night? NO. Did everyone get a chance to celebrate your big day? YES. Will anyone remember that the menu was missing from the bar? Maybe tomorrow. But not in 5 days.. and certainly not a month from now. And if you spent 30 hours making that bar menu, then please go back to #1.

7. Save the details for the end. Details are just that.. details. People will notice if you don’t have any clean forks. They are a lot less likely to notice that you glazed the handmade cream puffs with a thematic pattern. And even if they do, all they really want is to eat them.

–

So, with that, I introduce Week 14 of Project Life. The week where I was forced to keep things simple because, as I am reminded on a daily basis, babies do not allow the flexibility in your schedule to sweat the details. And they certainly do not care how long you spent dressing them for the holidays. Chances are, they’re going to mess it up before you even get where you’re going anyway. And that is why I like baby hats.

Project Life: Week 14

Project Life: Week 14

Project Life: Week 14

Rub-on detail

Rub-on detail

sticker over cherry card

sticker over cherry card

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Making Complicated Tasks Manageable

Posted on May 2, 2013 by

I have a reputation for finding a way to work with disorganized people. You all know one: the project leader that no one wants to work with because everyone who works for them gets a bad review. Is it just coincidence that they happen to have the worst staff in the office, or could it be their management style?

I am currently working through a project that is not only over my head technically, but that is completely outside of what I normally do. To add to it, I am working with a really nice manager that is terrible, absolutely terrible, at explaining things. As usual, I have spent the last week doing everything other than this project. But all good things must come to an end, and I have a client deadline that has to be met.. tomorrow.

We have all been here: you finally get that opportunity to show your potential at work, you are excited for the chance to prove yourself, and quickly become overwhelmed. Somehow I find myself in this position a lot and it can be very frustrating. But when things seem out of reach, don’t give up. You can do it, you just need the tools to make it possible.

Grab a pad of paper and a pen. Drop into the zone. And think like an engineer.

Lots and lots of checklists!

Lots and lots of checklists!

Acknowledge Your Situation.

First, you need to know that if something is really difficult, it is probably not your fault. I put a lot of blame on managers because I honestly believe one of the primary responsibilities of a leader – any leader – is to be able to transfer their knowledge and experience to others. If you can do that successfully, you will be an irreplaceable asset.

Some of the most experienced, intelligent, and successful leaders I know are the ones that can take something incredibly complex – like designing an entire treatment plant – and break it down into simple, accomplishable tasks that a recent graduate can complete in no time. But most people – and most managers – are not that way. And unfortunately we’re all held to the same standard. It’s up to you to make up the difference.

Write what you know.

This could be a list of facts or a couple of sentences on the task itself. Usually figuring out what you know leads to a lot of questions on what you don’t know.

Sometimes this task is quick, but it can also be very involved. Be patient and take the time to understand what you are doing. If you stress over efficiency with time, you can set yourself up for failure.

Allow time to let it sink in. When I am doing something outside my comfort level I make a lot of lists and review those lists often. If you reach a point where you feel like you can’t move forward, take a break. Go for a walk. Get lunch with a friend. Or review it before you go home. Either way, your brain needs time to let new concepts sink in. This is active time. Review the list in your mind. Does it make sense?

Review it again. Then move to the next step (if you haven’t already started it).

Write what you don’t know.

I like to draft an email with a list of questions that I have. Sometimes I can answer the questions myself, and if I can’t I know who to ask or what steps I can take to find the answer.The remaining questions should be directed to the person(s) that are most likely to know the answer or know how to get the answer.

This step can also help to direct you to start your own task list. Make a “to do” list and add check boxes to track what you have accomplished.

Depending on the complexity of what you are doing, you might want to list obvious or assumed steps, such as “make a task list” or “start the draft memorandum” or “ask Tom where to find the report”. Not only does it help you to organize your mind and help you get off to a good start in the morning, completing simple tasks can help you feel a sense of accomplishment and helps build momentum to move forward.

Start Checking Boxes.

Start Checking those Boxes!

Start Checking those Boxes!

Ultimately, you need to deliver, so do whatever you need to do to accomplish the task at hand, on time, and with as little stress as possible.Give yourself time in between hard tasks if you need it. Pace yourself. But get it done.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

I love questions. I love asking them and I love getting questions. Why? Questions help the person asking get more information and they signal to a manager that you are being responsive to their task.

Unfortunately, not everyone is good at answering questions and you’ll have to work around personalities, at times, to arrive at the resolution. If you aren’t getting the answers you need, try asking someone else. And keep asking until you understand.

Just remember, this is just as much about the person that gave you the task as it is about you learning from the task.

Good luck!

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Thinking Positively Through Challenging Times (Project Life: Week 13)

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

Holiday time. Time for family firsts: baby’s first Christmas, first holiday season as a new family, first opportunity to create family traditions that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, that did not happen this year. So, instead of creating new family traditions we learned a valuable lesson about what the holiday season is truly about.

I’m sure you have heard this saying before: at least you have your health! When we are down, when life is challenging, when things seems impossible to overcome, it can be difficult to think positively. We focus on the negative, we wallow in our misery, sometimes we even find other people who are also unhappy just so we can commiserate and share our gripes. Why? What are we even so upset about?

For years my husband would say the same thing: you have a choice. You choose to be upset. You choose to let this bother you. And you can also choose to move past it.

And that usually lead to further frustration. To think that I had any control over anything or anyone else. After all, I’m the one who was wronged. I’m the one who was treated poorly. I’m the victim.

But, to be honest, he was right. And this holiday season I experienced one of those ah-ha moments where I had the insight and awareness to choose how to experience life’s challenges.

It was the day before Max’s three-month birthday and he was sick for the first time. As self-pronounced cool-headed parent, I chose to take this in stride and do my best to be clear headed (despite my sleep-deprived state) and do the best I could for my poor little guy. But his fever ran high and we were all but forced to go to the emergency room because of his age (20 hours shy of 3 months) and his fever (just under 101F).

A week later it was Christmas, and while the fever had stabilized, he had racked up an impressive list of ailments, all at the same time. So impressive, in fact, that the pediatrician, who has seen thousands of children over her career, said that she had never seen anything like this before: croup, conjunctivitis, high fever, stuffy nose, stomach bug, and an ear infection. My baby, the overachiever.

I missed all the fun parts of the holiday season: the company holiday party, the work group lunch, festivals, craft fairs, family gatherings. But I had a choice, and I chose to find the positives in our situation.

Stuck indoors, I used the time as an opportunity to hand make all of the Christmas gifts for my family – crochet cowls, slippers, stuffed animals, a painted train table for my nephew. I made hats for my friends that had babies. A photo album and journal for my sister.

I watched every bad holiday movie available on TV and streaming on Netflix. I listened to more hours of holiday music than I have cumulatively over every holiday season ever – in my life. I crafted, created, and read every blog I could find about crafting and creating.

There is something about hand making things that is so incredibly personal. While making a cowl for my sister I thought long and hard about what color she would like, what style would suit her best, and what texture she would prefer. I thought long and hard about details, because it was in those details that it became a gift for her.

I can’t say it was the best holiday season on record. Certainly life has been better. But it was memorable – in a good way.

Project Life: Week 13

This week I incorporated holiday cards from family. Because even though there are not in our pictures – they live in Minnesota, while we’re in Massachusetts – they are as much of a part of our holiday as everyone else.

Project Life: Week 13

Project Life: Week 13

The cards are a mix of Recollections holiday season paper and elements, cards by Ali Edwards, and card stickers from Target.

I debated about including an entry on the ER visit. After all, recording life is about celebrating the positives and remembering the best memories – big and small. But this was a memorable event. And despite the difficulty, it was the first time that I felt like I truly earned the title “mom.” I guess that comes with spending the early hours of the morning in the emergency room with a small baby, sternly refusing unnecessary and risky procedures, and getting thrown up on several times a day. After that, it’s hard to sweat the little things.

Strong little guy

Dad making the best of our time in the ER

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