It's been a long time

It's been a long time since I've updated. In reality, there is no good reason. I didn't have any personal tragedies, no epic battles with depression, no whirlwind adventure.

All I did was buy, repair, and move into a house. Pretty humdrum in the grand scheme of things.

I also joined BzzAgent, which is a marketing company that has people test products and services and give real, honest feedback about it. I've been part of 3 tests so far, 1 was great, 1 was "meh" at best, and the third is still going on, and I haven't had need to use the product yet.

There are a few things I've been putting together, but thanks to the whole Mom/Moving/Life thing, I don't know when or even if they will appear. Man, I suck at this blogging thing.

Hi, I'm Tonee. I'm a survivor of suicide.

In this picture, I'm the brunette. (I have a thing for dying my hair, ok?) The guy with me is named Brad. We met very early my freshman year at OhioU. We were both in the theater department, and both debating whether or not it was the place for us. Actually, I found out later that he wanted to ask me out until he found out I had a boyfriend. Instead of being a couple, we became close friends. Even after we both left OhioU, we stayed in touch. He was from Cleveland, I'm from Columbus. He came down to visit me quite a bit. We made it a point to stay in touch, even if we didn't see each other every day anymore.

On January 17, 2012, my dear friend Brad was found dead at his alma mater, John Marshall High School, in Cleveland. He was 25. It took over a year for his family to let some of his friends know that his death was ruled a suicide, not accidental.

I missed his funeral. I had a two month old and an ice storm rolled in down here, so I just couldn't justify the 2+ hour drive. It's something I regret, even though I know my daughter's safety was my top priority.

I don't have a whole lot of pictures of the two of us together, but I do have a lot of memories. Recently, I've caught myself crying just thinking about him because I know how much fun he would've had with my daughter. He met my husband once, before we were married, and missed our wedding. He regretted it, but life doesn't always accommodate what you want. I wish he'd have met her.

Brad's death, even before I found out it was suicide, has impacted me in a way no other death has ever affected me. I've lost many older relatives. I've lost a childhood friend to war. But Brad - losing him at all, let alone to suicide - has hurt me every day since January 2012.

Part of me feels guilty.

He and I battled depression together, so was there something I could've done to make it better? Could I have been there more to help make him stronger?

Part of me hates him.

I hate him for not holding on. There's so much more to life than the pain, and I hate him for not holding on long enough to find that out. I hate him for not taking the medication the way he was supposed to take it. I hate him for quitting. I hate him for leaving us all behind.

Brad, like many suicides, was loved. He had a network of friends who loved him. Parents, a baby brother, cousins, aunts, uncles...the list goes on. Brad. Was. Loved.

Most suicides are people who are loved. The sane, rational, educated side of me knows this. I know I couldn't have fixed it. Once someone really decides to do it, there's nothing that can really be done to stop it. We can try, but really, it's all up to them. Some people reach out, to friends, family, or the suicide hotlines. And they survive. They keep fighting. Slowly, but surely, they find their way back to themselves and their lives go on.

Some people don't. Brad is one that didn't.

I miss him every day. I still cry because he's gone. But, every day, it gets a little better. I'll see something or hear a joke that reminds me of him and I'll giggle or grin instead of sob.

I was able to play Bully again for the first time since he died. He introduced me to that crazy ass game, and we spent hours playing it. I didn't cry, I had fun. Things associated with him are starting to get fun again.

I de-friended him on Facebook, though. I couldn't handle seeing all the posts to his wall about how much he is missed. That was just too much.

But that's OK. A link on a social media website doesn't validate a friendship, or taint my memories.

Although I do find myself wanting a clove cigarette from time to time after not touching one for years. I'll blame his influence on that one. Someday I might even light one up despite it being many years since I've had one, just for him.

Mommy's Night Off

I finally convinced Nate that being a stay at home mom is harder than he seems to think it is. He finally believes (for whatever reason) that being on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week is very grinding. As a result, we've started doing "nights off." Usually it's Mommy's Night Off, where he takes the kiddo over to a friend's house. The guys play video games and she runs around and eventually falls asleep until it's time to go home. It's also good for her to learn to sleep somewhere other than her own bed. I get to do whatever I want on those evenings. Starting next week, we're having a Daddy's night off in the mix where baby and I do our thing, and he goes out with friends and does his thing, guilt-free. It's taken us 18 months, but we finally figured out that having time alone without being on parent duty is necessary to our mental well being.


Tonight is Mommy's night off, as was last Saturday. Last week I went to a movie completely alone for the first time in my life. It was AMAZING. Seriously, if you've never gone to a movie completely alone, go do it as soon as possible. For that matter, take yourself out to dinner, too. I did that for the first time when I was 20, and I loved it. I still do love it, but due to being a one income family, it doesn't happen as often. And I don't mean running into McDonald's. Do at least Olive Garden on your own. Someplace with a waiter/waitress. It's liberating to just be on your own time table.

So far tonight I've left the house long enough to buy a really big bottle of wine (Woodbridge, so mid-range Mondavi. Cabernet Sauvignon if you care, because it's my favorite type of wine.) I've had four full glasses, and I'm feeling damn good. I rarely drink anymore. Being pregnant and then breastfeeding for a year killed my drinking abilities. OK, so I didn't breastfeed in the normal way. I was intimate friends with a breast pump, but still, for the first year of her life my kid had maybe a grand total of 20 ounces of formula. I'd say that's something to be proud of because breastfeeding and pumping is fucking hard. It shouldn't be, but it is.

I should add that I have zero problem with mommas who formula feed their kids. I have a lot less parental judgement than many. If you can breastfeed, please do. If not, there's no shame in formula. Frankly, I'm very surprised with myself that I EP'd (exclusively pumped) for as long as I did. Really, my only parental judging comes from people who can't properly use a car seat. Seriously, it's called a CHEST CLIP not a fucking belly clip.

Don't drink and blog, kids. It results in really messy entries. Do I care right now? No. I'm going to keep going.

Something I've been asked repeatedly is "What kind of parent are you?" Honestly, I'm still working up an answer to that question. I'm thinking that when I'm sober I'll have to spell it out.

For now, I'm going to go drink a glass of water so the hangover tomorrow doesn't kill me. Eventually, though, I have a couple of semi-serious topics I want to write about. I just want to be sober and able to cry when I write them.

Struggles

I've dealt with depression for years, both with and without medication. Somehow, no matter what drugs I'm taking or not taking, I get hit with a bout that I just can't shake about every 15 months.

Right now, I'm not on any medications. I stopped them in January after their effectiveness was just not there. We (my doctor, husband, and I) decided it would be worth a trial run without them. I do have a one month supply stashed if I should need to start back on them, but so far so good.

Until the last six weeks or so.

I've been feeling off. I try to do things out and about with my kid, try to keep my house clean, try to just live my life, but I feel off. I can feel myself being isolated. Now, the tricky part is figuring out if it's all in my head, if I'm unconsciously isolating myself, or if other people are isolating me for whatever reason. It's all happened to me before. The challenge is that when I'm slipping, I can't tell the difference. I know it's happening but I can't figure out the cause. In turn, that makes it even harder for me to pull myself back out of the depression. It's all a cycle, and it sucks.

So I've been isolated. Despite trying my hardest not to be, I am. Nate's noticed it, and he's trying to figure out how to deal with me when I'm like this. So far the most effective method has been him just flat out telling me, "Hey, you're being crazy." I hate it when he calls me crazy, so I think it's dramatic enough in its simple way to stop me in my tracks and help me get myself together.

 You see, I have something called dysthymia. It's not as severe as many forms of depression, but it lingers. On and on and on. I think part of the curse of it is that since it isn't as severe, you can tell something isn't right. You KNOW you're messed up and you're powerless to stop it. There are therapies, medicinal and not, that treat it. I'm trying a nonmedicinal form, and it's more successful than not.

This is just a rough patch. But hey, at least I know it's happening and I can do my best to plow through it.

There's an old saying that if you wag a dog's tail, you'll make it happy because of the association with tail-wagging and happiness. I don't know if that's true or not, but that's what I'm trying for myself.

Honestly? It's working a little bit better every day.

I'm *that* Mom

So tonight has been the first time since before my kid was born that I've been home alone. I begged and pleaded and my darling husband finally took the kid out without me so I could be home alone. I've done nothing but play computer games since I upgraded my graphics card this week. It's been a glorious evening.

Yesterday evening was a graduation party for my friend Jill, who finally completed her bachelor's degree. It was a great time, and I think I earned the title of "That Mom."

You see, it started raining. We were at a park, so mud puddles formed quickly. The bigger kids (ages 4-7) started playing in the puddles. Of course, I let Addy join. I had the means to dry her off and make her comfy in the car, it was hot as hell outside, and I thought it'd be funny. Ultimately she was drenched head to toe and got herself, me, and everyone she came in contact with muddy. And she giggled, laughed, and squealed with delight the entire time.

That's right, I let my 18 month old play in a mud puddle until she was a mess. And I laughed with her.

Mud puddles are AWESOME.

I also let her eat a brownie AND a cookie. She also ate real food, and I think she realized what a treat those sweets were because I've never seen her actually savor food before.

As far as parenting goes, I decided while I was still pregnant that I was just going to roll with it and do things the way that felt right to me. I do some research, chat with other parents, and then go with what feels like the best fit for my family. This has led to a very difficult age in child rearing actually being fun. Yes, she still has epic drama queen meltdowns if I put the wrong shoes on her, but that's what toddlers do. They freak the eff out over everything. They're starting to form their own little opinions and still lack a good way to express them. You'd be frustrated and prone to melt downs, too if you hadn't developed good communication skills.

So there you have it. My kid has eaten junk food and played in mud puddles. And we loved every minute of it.

2 Down...

As of Saturday, I have hiked all of the trails in 2 of the MetroParks. I've hiked them all in Inniswood Metro Gardens (a super-easy one, given) and now I've hiked them all in Three Creeks (another easy one).

I have one trail of less than 1.5 miles left to hike up at Blendon Woods, and one paved trail of about 2 miles to do at Walnut Woods and I will have those parks checked off the list.

There are still many, many miles to go, however. I'm so excited for consistently nice weather. The paved trails allow me to cheat at put the kid in the stroller, whereas putting her in the carrier lets me burn some extra calories. It's win-win.

I've been reading a lot again, and I'm grateful for every page. I just recently finished Stiff by Mary Roach, and The Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Next up, Bonk by Mary Roach and part 2 of Jennifer Worth's Memoirs.

I've also reactivated my account over on Find A Grave. I've already helped a couple of people track down stones for their research, and I'm hoping to get a lot more active with that now that the weather is nice and my kid walks. It's so much easier navigating a cemetery when your companion is capable of walking alongside you.

That's all I have today, a couple of quick, silly updates. If I ever have time again, I'll actually put together something of substance to share.

The MetroParks Project

I keep getting asked why I've decided to hike all of the public hiking trails in the MetroParks system (except the Greenway Trails). Honestly, I have no idea why. I have always really loved the MetroPark system, and being outside is my best form of exercise. Not to mention I have a little kid who loves outside and all it entails.

I guess that's my reason, then. I want to be outside, I want my kid to be outside, and I want to show appreciation for the system in some small way.

I'm around 20% done with the just shy of 100 miles of public hiking trails.

I haven't set a deadline for completion because I never know for sure when I'm going to get a chance to pop out and hike a trail. It'd be my luck I'd be one trail from completion and it'd flood out or my car would break down or some other force beyond my control would make me miss the deadline.

So this is a life goal. The sooner I complete it, the better, but there will always be more.

Earlier this week the Buckeye Trail at Walnut Woods opened. Land was recently purchased for a new park just off of 104 a little south of where I currently live. New parks mean New Trails.

I'm still trying to find out about Rocky Fork.

As part of this project I've put together a little binder. I have printed maps of each park with a trail list that I can check off as I finish, and a pocket for a copy of the official maps available at the parks. I'm trying to figure out what other sort of data I want to accumulate throughout this project. Maybe once Addy is older we'll add a flora/fauna checklist or similar. Suggestions are very welcome on that topic.

There you have it. I want to hike them because I can. I want to collect some sort of data while doing so, but I haven't decided what that will be. I want to teach my kid to appreciate nature from a young age.

Heading towards Normal

Slowly but surely, the weather around here has been improving, meaning we've been going outside as much as possible. It's been glorious!

We spent one afternoon knocking off an easy set of trails from the list (Inniswood) and as of earlier this week, the Buckeye Trail at Walnut Woods is opened, so that's next on our hit list. I have a special appreciation for the paved trails since I can cheat and toss the kid in the stroller for those.

A friend of mine recently turned me onto the show Call The Midwife. I'm hooked. Once I finish the book I'm current working on (Stiff by Mary Roach) I'll be reading the first of Jennifer Worth's memoirs, which are the basis for the show.

Overall, my life is a fairly steady routine.

The biggest thing is that this Saturday is Walk MS, and I'm woefully behind on my fundraising goal. If you wanna chip in towards a world free of MS as part of my fundraising effort, please, click here.

That's all I've got, really. Check out the MetroParks page to see the updated tally.

Sick Kids Wreck Days

It's been close to 10 days of sickness in the Keating household. Just as it seems like Addy is healing up, she relapses. Poor kid has been fighting a cold with a disappearing/reappearing fever for the better part of 10 days. Fortunately the fever has been gone for 7 of those days, but the runny nose and now cough from the post nasal drip just won't go away.

We've been cooped up in the house because of this, and I'm going insane. The weather is finally feeling good, so I'm desperate.

I did something silly that I've been procrastinating on for a very long time. I took my work bag from my last job and finally cleaned it out. I put all the papers from the old job into recycling, I threw away all the expired alcohol wipes, and even put the bag itself into the washer. Now I have a binder filled with page protectors and a pretty (but worn) tote bag that no longer has a job. 

There hasn't been much going on thanks to the sick kid. I started watching Call the Midwife, my Degrassi addiction is still in full force, and...yeah, that's it. I have several books on reserve at the library, so that's cool.

Eventually, I will sit down and make a list of interesting topics I could blog about. Actually, I'll say it's happening soon, but I'm reserving the right to use the Joe Peacock definition of "soon."

This & That & some ancient Jews

There are quite a few things going on in my universe recently, but I can never seem to find the time or the words to talk about them properly.

The weight loss is continuing, although it has dramatically slowed down. I blame myself for being less active recently. We had a cold snap and I hate the cold, so I went into lazy mode and hid in the house. The weather seems to be improving finally, so hopefully that will change.

Addy is sick. She woke up on Thursday a snotty mess and has gotten worse each day. Yesterday wasn't too bad, but now she's running a fever that won't quite break even with medicine. It lowers, but doesn't break. She's currently sleeping way earlier than her usual naptime. I'm guessing she's just got a nasty cold, but if the fever doesn't break today I'm calling the doctor first thing in the morning. I live in fear of an ear infection. I'd rather go in and be told it's just a cold than ignore an ear infection and have an ear drum rupture.

Other than my impromptu trip down to Slate Run, I haven't been to a park in a while and once again I'm blaming the cold. I did realize that I have one trail left up at Blendon Woods and 3 very short trails left in Three Creeks. Hopefully those will get knocked off the list soon. I don't want to drag a sick kid out of the house unnecessarily, though.

Of course the Gay Marriage debate is raging right now. I'll say one sentence and move on: I fully support equal marriage amongst consenting adults, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

I've been very behind of a lot of news recently and the part of me that is used to being plugged in all the time feels very deprived and ignorant. At the same time, the part of me that loves the happy little bubble consisting of me taking care of my kid is quite blissful. Ahh, to be worldly and self-absorbed all at once.

This past Tuesday, Addy and I went to Cinci to meet up with some friends at the Children's Museum. Now, my love of the Cinci Museum Center is well documented. I love the building, I love the museums, and I love the people. Until now, however, I'd never had an excuse to go into the Children's Museum. I now have a walking, exploring, mischievous toddler on my hands. We didn't even get a chance to explore the entire Children's Museum it's so big! I'm really excited to get Nate down there with her to play and explore. He still hasn't made it down there with me.

I also checked out the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. I know that's strange to many since I am a pretty vocal secular humanist, but whole college life once I abandoned theater was about archaeology. I had to see one of the coolest archaeological finds in global history. The exhibit was great, even for those of us who don't subscribe to the religions. There are many wonderful pieces, from pottery to mosaics, that highlight life in the 1st century BCE. It's there through April 14, so if you get a chance and you like history, go see it. The 10 scrolls are super cool to see, too.

That's really all I've got for now.

Where is Spring, exactly?

Today is March 20, the official start of Spring. Someone forgot to tell Ohio's weather.

It's currently 39 degrees fahrenheit at my house. This time last year, it was a record-breaking 84 degrees fahrenheit. I'd be perfectly content with a high temperature somewhere in between, say 55 or so right now.

Normally this time of year I can shut my heat off during the day to save power, I can sometimes even open a window. Instead I'm bundling myself and my kid up just to make it to the car.

I'm miserable in the cold. I want my Spring warmth. I want to put a big dent in the hiking goal, and I can't do that with the kid in tow when it's this cold.

Although, we did venture out yesterday. I knocked out 3 little trails down at Slate Run and found out that the Buckeye Trail in Walnut Woods still isn't open.

I also went over to Batelle Darby on Saturday and knocked out a trail over there. Yes, I also visited the Bison.

My weight loss has slowed down, and I have only myself to blame. I spent a week hiding from the cold and eating junk food. Fortunately I only set myself back a little bit. My ultimate goal is still very achievable in a healthy way. Despite the set back, I've noticed that my clothes aren't bursting at the seams to hold in my girth, so there has to be at least a little change happening.

On a related note, my poor kid is trapped in between clothing sizes. She's comfortably in 24m/2T shirts. However, she's all torso, so while 18m pants are the perfect length for her, they don't accommodate her belly. 24 month pants fit her belly, but are comedically long. I want shorts weather to show up so my kid doesn't need all of her clothes cuffed up at the bottom!

A Taste of Spring

We're finally getting a taste of spring here in Columbus, and I couldn't be happier about it. Usually by mid-February, I'm a wreck and so sick of the cold that I'm going crazy.

March showed up with 6.9 inches of snow that, fortunately, melted pretty quickly. Each day it's been getting warmer and my soul has been perking up. Yesterday it was above 60! Today it's supposed to be above 65! Hallelujah!

I'm currently sitting in a silent house (Addy's asleep), enjoying my lunch and the breeze coming through the living room window. Once I'm done with this, I'm going to bake chocolate doughnuts to share with the guys.

Every Sunday my best friends get together and have our own version of family dinner. Everyone takes turns cooking (or paying for takeout) and we hang out, eat, play games...you know, things normal families do without the drama.

These weekly gatherings are what started the Nerf arms race, which is on temporary hiatus because Tim took a dart to the eye. We're adults, you think we'd be smart enough to wear eye protection.

Now we're on a board games kick. Last week we played 13 Dead End Drive. Remember that game? It's effing AWESOME. This week it's hard to say what we'll do, but I'm going to take a couple of my board games over.

I'm a board game junkie.

This & That

I've updated the MetroParks page. Yesterday we walked the Sweetgum Trail over at Walnut Woods, and I found out that the Buckeye Trail is now open. So, 2.6 miles checked off and 2 miles added to the list. I'm still trying to find out if Rocky Fork is officially open.

I realized that maybe I should start taking pictures from the trails, but then I also realized that I've typically got a 23lb toddler strapped to me while I'm hiking, so snapping pictures isn't always easy. I'll figure something out. Maybe I'll snap pictures from observation decks or of trailhead signs. Something.

We also took a trip out to the Ohio Statehouse earlier this week. Flat Stanley had a blast, and Addy acted indifferent except when she squealed at other people. Flat Stanley also saw the Dispatch building and the oldest church in the city. I created a twitter account for him, so if you feel like checking it out it's @CbusFlatStanley. I think I've only tweeted a couple of times from that account so far since I tend to take the Flat Stanley pictures with my camera, not my phone, but I'll work on that, too.

As of my last weigh-in, I have lost just shy of 15lbs. I have a weigh in later, but I don't know if I'll be able to blog later, so for now that's the number you all get.

Since I can't think of anything remotely relevant to say right now, here are a couple of pictures of Flat Stanley's adventures so far:

Outside of the Dispatch building

In front of the Statehouse

Flat Stanley Is On The Loose

A friend of mine is a teacher in Minnesota, and her class is doing a Flat Stanley project.

It's a project based on a children's story. In the story, Stanley gets smushed by a billboard and is flattened. His parents then fold him up and put him in an envelope to go visit a friend in California. The project has the kids create their own Flat Stanleys and send them out into the world as a way to learn geography, history, and a little bit about another place.

Since I live in the capital of Ohio, I felt it was my duty to host a Stanley. He showed up yesterday, and he is awesome. Today he visited my mom at the school bus compound, and he got a great view of the city skyline. Over the next week I have big plans for him to showcase some fun things in the city. I think that, in addition to emailing the pictures to my teacher friend, I'll share his adventure here, too. I'm thinking I might even frame him with my favorite picture from the adventure once all is said and done.

Stanley checking out the school buses

Stanley getting a great view of the skyline

More MetroParks Love

I've been kicking around an idea for a while, and I'm pulling the trigger.

I want to hike every single trail in every single Columbus MetroPark.

I thought of maybe doing it all within a year, but I have a kid to think about, so I'm going to call it a 5 year goal. This could get interesting considering one new park is partially open, another opens later this year, and they just bought land for yet another new park. Maybe I should call it a lifetime goal?

Either way, I'm going to have to figure out a way to track which trails I've done. Maybe I'll just keep a check list of all the trails and check them off one by one.

I'm not yet counting the Greenway Trail system. That's a goal for someone without a toddler.

So, there's my goal. I want to hike them all, with or without my kid strapped to me.

Let the adventure begin!

EDIT: I've added a page. I've listed every park and trail (with a few exceptions, explained there). I've also totaled up miles per park, and added a running tally at the bottom. Go me! I'll update that page as I complete trails or as new parks/trails open up.

My Kid Walks!

Addy took her first steps on January 9, and every day would take a few steps, fall over and crawl where she wanted to get. Gradually she walked more and more, to the point she doesn't crawl around the house at all.

I'm excited. She still crawls when we're at other places, but even that tendency is starting to fade away. My little girl is really becoming a toddler, which is exciting and terrifying. She's been a climber since before she could even crawl, and she's now getting downright daring.

She's also starting to show preference between items. She prefers one book over another, one shirt over another, etc. Most recently she's starting bringing me jackets (if they aren't put away properly) and freaking out until I help her put them on. She wore a denim jacket all day (including nap time) one day last week. She brings me a pair of her shoes and says "Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!" until I help her put them on her feet. She's preferring her white tennis shoes this week, and will even walk with them on, which is a first. Usually shoes on her feet would inspire her to crawl. Last week, she wanted to only wear her pink cowboy boots.

Sad Puppy is still her absolute favorite toy above all others. She'll throw anything down, including forbidden items, if presented with Sad Puppy.

So, I guess today I'm realizing more and more how fast they grow up. When you aren't a parent, you don't fully get it when people say that. Damn you, general knowledge for being correct!

Earlier this afternoon, Addy was standing in front of her rocking chair and watching Sesame Street, and I realized she's starting to look like a kid more than a baby, too.

I blame the tennis shoes.

Balsamic & Onion Pot Roast with Roasted Red Potatoes

I found a recipe for Balsamic & Onion Pot Roast indirectly on Pinterest. It was linked on a blog I found via Pinterest, and it is quite possibly the best pot roast I've ever had. I tweaked the recipe a very tiny bit, and my husband ate most of a 3lb roast in one sitting. (yeah, it's that good).

Here's the Link: Kalyn's Kitchen: Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

What I changed was minor and can be ignored, but I kinda forgot to decant part of the fat from the broth at the end, but I had trimmed the roast very well, so there wasn't really any to decant.

Also, I used a 5qt cooker and 8 hours was a touch too much. Next time I'm pulling it at 7 hours.

I paired her pot roast with roasted red potatoes, and here's what I did with those. I cooked these for just the two of us with plans for leftovers, so adjust as necessary:

6 medium red potatoes, diced in medium to large chunks
3 tablespoons of butter
1/4-1/2 c fresh chopped parsley
salt to taste (optional)

In an 8x10 glass baking dish, put 2tbs of butter in the bottom of the pan.

Put the pan in the cool oven, and turn it on to 350 degrees to pre-heat. After 3-5 minutes, just as the butter melts, pull the pan out.

Put in the potatoes, and stir them to coat in the melted butter. Add the parsley and a little bit of salt (if desired) and stir/toss them some more.

Make sure all the potatoes are very well coated. Put back in the oven for about 45 minutes, checking it fairly frequently after 40 minutes. I've made these 100 times and they cook for a different amount of time every time.

Test them by poking one with a fork. The potatoes should be sturdy enough to be poked with a fork, but starting to get soft. If it's tough to poke the fork in, wait another few minutes and check it again.

Depending on your personal preference, here is where the 3rd bit of butter comes in. Sometimes I leave them in to where they're starting to get just a touch dry. If this is the case, add that last bit of butter and mix well. That extra butter will help soften them back up and make them extra tasty.

TIP: leave the skins on the potatoes, they're tastier and prettier that way.

Columbus MetroPark Love

I absolutely love the Columbus MetroParks system. I've loved it as long as I can remember. I still love it even though I nearly stepped on a black rat snake down in Three Creeks that one time. Yup, I nearly stepped on a snake and I still love my park system.

To me, exercising isn't the boring crap in a gym. Seriously, push ups and weight lifting and running suck. They're boring. To me, exercising is being active outdoors. One of my favorite things to do in the world is to hike in the woods. Be it an easy paved trail through the parks, or a more rustic trail, I love it. Every week, weather depending, I've been heading out to a MetroPark and hiking around with the kid strapped to me in her carrier. It's the FatAss Momma version of backpacking. Sometimes it's a short 30 minute trek, sometimes longer, but I always have fun and Addy has started looking around and being interested in the things around us as I walk. My goal is to hike at least 1 trail in every single MetroPark. So far, I've done all of the trails except for 2 in Blendon Woods, and yesterday I went up to Highbanks and hiked part of two trails. It was muddy and getting dark, so I only got a 2.2 mile loop done.

I love it. Absolutely love it. I'm looking forward to Addy being a more reliable walker so I can let her toddle along the paved trails a bit. I want to share a love of nature with her.

These parks are how I'm starting to shed my sedentary lifestyle, slowly but surely. I try to get out and do a minimum of 45 minutes hiking at least once a week. This week I've gotten out twice, for a 30 minute and then a 45 minute hike. Today I'm not going out because it's way too cold to drag myself and the kid out there. We'll see how the weather is tomorrow.

There are some absolutely beautiful spaces here in Central Ohio. If you're nearby, I urge you to check out at least one of the MetroParks. It's worth it, I promise.

Fatass Update

I've been doing very well with sticking to a maximum number of calories each day, and as a result, I've made smarter snacking choices. It's funny, I still indulge in junk food every once in a while, but now that I'm a month in, I no longer feel deprived. Heck, I even indulged in some McDonald's the other day. (Those large fries were totally worth the 500 relatively empty calories).

So, I'm down 10.3 lbs overall as of this past Friday. You can't really see it yet, but I've noticed that my clothes are starting to fit just a little bit better, which is motivation enough for me right now.

I was asked why I'm doing this, and I could tell you the noble reasons of just wanting to be healthy and wanting to set a good example for my daughter, and those are true. I can say that I want to prove that I can control myself, and that is also true, but I'll give you the true, original reason I decided to start making better choices:

I want my existing clothes to fit again. I'm cheap & lazy and don't want to have to go buy a bunch of new clothes. I have some awesome tshirts and comfortable jeans that just don't fit my fluffy self. I worked hard building my crazy tshirt collection, damnit!

I did purge out some pieces that are just inappropriate for me or that will NEVER fit again no matter how much weight I lose (post pregnancy/breastfeeding boobs, anyone?). I also got rid of those pants that I couldn't figure out why I still had them. I still probably own too many clothes, but I'm not purging anything else until I know for sure what kind of weight I maintain.

I've found that sticking with this for the just over a month that I have that little changes have been the biggest help. Bored? Take a short walk. I dance around to music while doing dishes. I dance around a lot, actually, now that Addy can somewhat walk and spends more time on her feet.

I honestly am looking forward to her walking more because I think chasing her around will do wonders for building up a more active lifestyle.

The Mommy Wars Are Stupid

In many parenting situations, I'm a live and let live kinda mom. I try not to be the parental equivalent of a Bible thumper, but there are a few things that just bother me to the point I want to smack parents around.

Improper Car Seats
The recommendation is no longer that your kid stay rear facing until 12 months of age or 20 pounds. The recommendation is now 2 years of age, period. The reason is simple: INTERNAL DECAPITATION. There are bones not fully developed until age 2, and in the crazy physics of a car crash, a rear facing seat, properly installed, absorbs the impact instead of your child's neck. The AAP recommendation is everywhere, and the new car seats that my husband and I bought had the recommendation on the display tags, on stickers by the straps, and in the booklet teaching you how to install the damn things. The paperwork from our pediatrician says it, the pediatrician told us to wait until 2 years old to turn her around, and a quick google search will pull up the AAP recommendation and a whole bunch of articles about the change. So, when my Facebook feed is filled with people flipping their children that are less than a year old, I get pissy. (Here's the statement from the AAP, complete with a link to the technical specifics: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/state-advocacy/Documents/Child_Passenger_Safety_SLR.pdf )

I also get pissy over the chest buckle being on the belly instead of the chest, and people putting their puffy coated children in the car seat. With something so critical to your child's safety, wouldn't you want to know how to use it properly?

Vaccinations
I chose to vaccinate my child. I did the research, I weighed the pros and cons, and I made an informed decision for my child. Personally, I don't understand why people choose not to vaccinate, but it is a choice that is made, so whatever. What gets me pissed off is when the anti-vaxers tell me I've given my child cancer, or Autism, or have caused her to be mentally retarded or otherwise abused her by choosing to vaccinate. I get really, really, really pissed off when the Sanctimommy berating me for vaccinating my daughter has a daughter with pierced ears. Apparently my medical needles are unacceptable but your "looking pretty" needles/piercing guns are fine? Bite me, bitch. (For the record, I don't care if you get your kid's ears pierced young. We've just decided to wait to see if she wants it done and I want to her care for them herself.)

Breastfeeding Vs. Formula
As long as I'm feeding my child appropriately and not putting Mt. Dew in her bottles, it's none of your business how she is nourished. You want to nurse in public? GO FOR IT! Wanna whip out a bottle of formula instead? GO FOR IT! Feed your child, let me feed mine, and let's move on. Instead of worrying about whether my boobs function properly (I worry about that enough for myself, thanks) why don't you worry about the lady over there who just dumped Mt. Dew in her toddler's bottle. I think  she deserves your rage a hell of a lot more than me.

While we all are told, countless times, that breast is best, it isn't the only option, and for some, it isn't best. Happy mommy who formula feeds is a hell of a lot better than the stressed out wreck. Make your choice, and be happy with it. What's important isn't that you breastfed for that first year (and if you did, I salute you because that shit is HARD.) What's important is that your child was nourished, happy, and healthy. And you didn't go crazy resenting him.


I just realized that I could go on and on and on over these Mommy Wars. They're FUCKING STUPID. Unless the debate in question is an actually dangerous debate (see: CAR SEATS AND THEIR PROPER USE) the rest is all opinion. Find the parenting style that works for you, and roll with it. Oh, and while you're memorizing Dr. Sears, find some time to respect those of us who decide to give it our own try. My kid seems pretty damn happy considering I've been winging the small stuff for the past 14.5 months.

How I Met Nater-Bater

Have I ever told you how I met Nate? No? Well, then, I suppose I should.

First, a bit of background information. Back in early 2008, I was working at a music store in a mall and still dating my college sweetheart, Leo. I should say up front that Leo was and is a great guy, but he and I had run our course, and ultimately, we were bad for each other. We influenced each other in very negative ways. While we were still officially a couple, the relationship had all but died at least six months before I met Nate.

One Friday night in February, I was working the closing shift as I usually did when two guys came in looking for a specific CD. We were extremely busy, so my part-timer was helping everyone else while I dealt with a very difficult customer. The two guys said they'd come back in a bit. I'll admit it, I checked out the tall, skinny, dark haired guy. I liked what I saw.

A little bit later, they came back. It turned out that the slightly shorter and much stockier of the two was looking for a specific Dropkick Murphys CD. While Rob was in the proper section looking for it, I walked over to the Staff Picks shelf and grabbed the CD from my music picks and handed it to him. Comments were exchanged about the quality of the picks on the Staff Picks shelves. So, as you see, the "in" of the dating world wasn't initially with Nate, it was with Rob. Luckily for me Rob wasn't remotely interested in me. That would've been just weird.

Nate, being the smart ass he is, was, and always will be, pointed to my DVD picks and complained that I was missing one of the best movies ever. Without missing a beat I told him that "Boondock Saints isn't on there because I sold the last copy yesterday."

His jaw dropped.

That was the movie he was thinking about.

We kept chatting to the point that I closed the store 10 minutes late. Fortunately Gina, my part-timer, was awesome and took care of her half of the closing procedures without me having to tell her what to do. Great employee, right there. Anyhow, as I was closing the gate, Nate asked me to join them for a late dinner once I was done closing the store. I declined as I hadn't been home for a few days at that point, but I told him to come back and see me as I practically lived at that damned store.

I assumed I'd never see him again. I was wrong. I saw him again a mere 24 hours later. That Saturday night I was having a party at my apartment. He showed up at the store to see if I wanted to get together, so I invited him to the party.

He was the last guest to arrive, and I told everyone beforehand that for that night, I didn't have a boyfriend. Honestly, I'm *really* glad that Jill, Leo's sister, had already moved out at this point. Anyhow, I ended up being a lousy host and ignored most of my friends for Nate. After everyone else called it a night, he was still there. We stayed up until the wee hours, and then slept (yes, just slept) in my bed until he had to leave for work at 7am. I'd given him my phone number, and he said he'd call.

Once again, I assumed I'd never see him again. 

I was wrong again.

He called me that Tuesday, and came over to my house that Wednesday. Since then, we've spent a total  of 6 nights apart. He pretty much just moved in with me at my apartment. We got married just shy of a year and a half later. Next month will be 5 years that we've been together. That thought baffles both of us considering that now we're married and have a kid and we haven't killed each other yet.

I guess Dr. Seuss was right:

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”

Goal Update

Just a quick update about my quasi-diet: I'm currently on day 2 of a No Soda challenge. I bought some of those Crystal Light energy packets, so I get my caffeine in 10 calories and no sugar instead of 140 calories and a ton of sugar. I'm down 2 pounds since the first of January, so I feel like the little changes are helping.

I'm making it a point to try to get out of the house walking with the kid strapped to me at least once a week. Last week I hiked through the woods (on easy/moderate snowy trails) with her in the baby carrier. I seriously love the Columbus MetroPark system.

That's all I've got for now, but unlike past attempts at healthy, I'm nearly 2 weeks in and still feeling like this is something I can manage. If I keep improving my diet and losing weight at the rate I'm going, I'll have the 70 pounds gone by the end of the year. Fingers crossed for that one.

A Story and A Goal

Once upon a time, I was the epitome of the extrovert. I was confident, I loved people, and I was happiest when I was the center of attention. I had hope for the future, I liked where my life was headed, and I was surrounded by awesome people.

Somewhere along the road, something changed. I don't know what exactly, or really even when it happened. All I know for sure is that I changed, and it wasn't for the better. I started taking antidepressants, and things started getting better. My confidence started rebounding and life was awesome again for a while. Then it all slipped backwards again.

The only thing I can figure is that my outlook has shifted. I've gone from sported rose-colored hipster eyewear to being a hardcore cynic.

I hate that.

So here's my goal: I want to recapture at least a small percentage of that exuberance of youth. I'm 26, which is way too young to be grumpy and frumpy all of the time. I realize that I'll never be the optimistic, naive, endlessly energetic young girl I was at 18, but I can regain my confidence, my love of people, my love of life.

I have achieved part of this rebirth. I have the absolute best friends in the world. Friends who have been around longer than anyone else, have witnessed the changes, and are still around. We've all gone out and done our own things, but ultimately, we're better than family. Check off awesome people from the list, as I've got 'em.

I have a daughter now, who is turning into a pretty awesome little person. She's bright, she's funny, and she can already laugh so hard she can't breathe (and probably pees herself, but since she's still in diapers that isn't a big deal right now.) I have a husband who is Captain Awesome more often than not. Sometimes, I'll admit, I just want to junkpunch him, but I suspect that's part of us growing, changing, evolving, whatever together.

The goal & the challenge is the hardest part for me.

I want my confidence back.

I once considered myself a rock star, a goddess, a force of Awesome from the land of Kick-Ass. That is what I want to recapture the most.

Part of this problem is that I've really slacked on taking care of myself. I eat like crap, and I'm nowhere near as active as I should be. I've started changing that. I realized that I don't want to be 9 months pregnant, see 250 on the scale at the OB and start crying. I don't want to see 250 on a scale EVER again.

I realize that the new year is when everyone makes these choices and changes, and most people don't stick with them. I'm trying this time, for real. I have 68 lbs to lose to be my personal version of ideal. I want to lose this weight by the end of the year. I want to be back down before I get pregnant again that way I start off a 2nd pregnancy at a healthier weight. I'm jumping ahead a bit since we haven't decided if we're even having a second kid yet, but I think it's a good thing to tell myself to keep myself motivated.

So, I've started adjusting my eating habits back to how they were when I was at my healthiest. Instead of a couple of big meals filled with calories, I'm spreading my calories out throughout the day. I'm limiting my soda/caffeine intake, and making sure the big calorie items I do eat also pack a nutritional punch. I'm grabbing healthier snacks. Instead of chowing down on a bunch of oreos, I've been grabbing veggies. Little things, yes, but I've been in rough shape for years, so baby steps are what I need first.

I'm also making it a point to be more active. Addy isn't walking around yet, but I'm still finding ways to use her to my advantage. I've started putting her in the baby carrier & walking around outside with her strapped to me. Today, we walked for a mile in the snowy woods. My body is a bit sore, but nothing I'll regret tomorrow. Plus, she snuggled up against me, which she never does anymore. Win for the Momma.

The steps I'm taking are small, but it's all I can handle right now. I figure if I work towards getting myself healthy that my confidence will soon follow.

A girl can dream, right?

A Letter to Addy: A First Year Recap

This was written back in November, about a week before Addy's birthday. Once again, I've randomly decided to share.

My Dear Addy,
    Right now you’re actually napping, which has already started to become a rarity. It’s the day before your first birthday, and I figured I should put together something to let you know how life is at this point for us. Because you sleep in the same room where my computer lives, I’m using a very old iBook to write this, which means I’m seeing a picture of you less than 24 hours old. I think that’s probably a good place to start, with your birth.

Your original due date was November 7. That day came and went, and even the doctors couldn’t believe I was still pregnant. It was very obvious that you were dropped low and ready to come out, you just weren’t. I had an appointment for a nonstress test on November 14, just to make sure all systems were still functioning properly since I was a week overdue. They checked your heartrate, my blood pressure, and did an ultrasound to make sure everything inside was still good. I was supposed to have that test that morning, go to my regular OB the next day, and we had an induction scheduled for that Friday night. If you’re keeping track, that would’ve made me nearly 42 weeks pregnant when you were finally born. Luckily, it didn’t go that way.

The ultrasound technician gave the all clear signal, and estrimated that your size was around 8.5 lbs. The problem was that they had to essentially scare you into moving around, and my blood pressure couldn’t make up it’s mind what it wanted to do. They decided to go ahead and check me in and start the induction that day instead of that Friday night.

The very long, very boring process started at noon. I’ll save you most of the boring details, and let you know that it involved lots of waiting, and lots of boredom. Every time they checked me, they could tell we were progressing, although slowly. Around 12:30am, my water broke all on its own. It was the strangest feeling I’d ever experienced. It still is, come to think of it. About 2 hours later, the contractions were coming so fast and furious that I needed the epidural just to be able to breathe. It was heaven to me. The worst part of all the pain was that because you were trying to get out, my hips were out of alignment. Every contraction sent a ripping pain through my hips. The epidural let me breathe again since that pain was gone. I got a few hours of sleep.

Around noon on November 15, they were getting concerned. Things had stalled out. We should’ve had a baby by then. I was really afraid of a c-section, so I begged for more time. They could tell you were engaged, but for some reason just couldn’t get out. At 3:30pm, they told me there was no other option, that I needed surgery. I signed the forms. At 4:28pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011, you were born via cesarean section. It took 3 people to dislodge you. The first words the surgeon said to us was “There was no way she was being born naturally.” You weighed 9 pounds 14 ounces, and were 21.8 inches long, which, for the record, is the size of an average 2 month old.

You were extremely observant right from the start. You were always bright-eyed, watching the world around you. At one week old, the doctor even commented on it.

The first two weeks of your life were hell. You’d shriek from midnight to five am, no matter what we did. We’d try feeding you, changing you, rocking you...it didn’t matter. You’d just shriek. After that, though, it got better. You’d wake up after about 4 hours to eat, then go peacefully back to sleep. At six weeks old, you’d sleep 8 full hours! We were extremely blessed! Since that day, you’ve only woken up in the night a handful of times, and usually from teething pain. That is one thing we are very, very fortunate to experience. We never had to sleep train, and even if you were a nightmare of fussing and attitude during the day, you’d sleep at night.

Every day, you change. You learn something new. By 3 months old you could hold your head up off the floor while laying on your tummy. At 5 months old, you were able to sit unassisted. Shortly after that, you started rolling and crawling. Now, at (almost) a year old, you can stand up on your own, but as of today you still aren’t walking without holding on to the couch. You’re faster while crawling, and that seems to make you happy for now.

Your first tooth popped in just before you turned 6 months old, with the 2nd one joining less than 2 weeks later. The top 4 central teeth all came through at the same time somewhere around 8 months old. Just last week your 7th tooth came in, and it looks like number 8 won’t be far behind.

You were born with copper red hair and bright blue eyes. So far, both are sticking. You looked like my clone at first, and even now you look more like me than your daddy.

You smiled for the first time at 6 weeks old, and you haven’t really stopped. You have this great facial expression that looks like you’re imitating Benito Moussolini. You like to scrunch your nose and snort a little bit when you’re excited. I taught you how to throw both arms up in the air when someone says “Touchdown!” and you have been clapping your hands all by yourself for months. You get excited, and you just clap your hands and snort. You dance, by either bouncing to the rhythm or by waving your arms, sometimes both. You prefer regular music to kids music. The first time you ever actually watched something on TV, it was Sesame Street. You stared at the TV for 10 minutes. You also watched almost half of Beauty and the Beast, and nearly the entire movie of The Nightmare Before Christmas. You are your momma’s girl. Whenever the theme song for M*A*S*H comes on, you freeze, whip your head to the TV, and stare.

For the longest time, you’d only pull the fur of the cat and dogs. Now, you pat them while giggling. You like to grab Patches, Granny’s dog, by the face so she’ll lick you. You’ve tried to lick her back more than once.

Your version of baby kisses has been to essentially bite our noses for most of your life. Once you got teeth and hurt us, you stopped doing it. Now, you’re doing it again without actually biting us. You give hugs now. You love to hug anyone that you’ve met before. You’ve started learning how to lounge, to feed yourself, and you can even climb into your own high chair while I’m getting your lunch ready.

You have an attitude already. You know what things you aren’t supposed to do, and you’ll do them anyway just to see how we’ll react.

But you’re helpful, too. You can put your arms up so we can change your shirts easier, you help put on your coat. You’ll try to wipe up the table after you eat. You put your toys away, although not always in the correct place. You like to put EVERYTHING in the ball popper. I’ve found blocks, pacifiers, magnetic rods, balls to other toys, fake eggs...anything you had that would fit.

Every single day, you become more of your own little person, and for me it’s bittersweet. I want to remember every single moment, even though I know it’s completely silly. I’m hoping by writing these letters, that I’ll remember more and you’ll be able to see what it was like from my point of view. There is one thing that will never change, no matter how much you do: I love you. You are my baby, and you always will be, even if you have a baby of your own. I never fully understood the feelings behind that before I had you, but now I do. You’ve always got me and Daddy, kiddo.

I love you!
Mommy

December 1, 2006: The Day my Grandma died

This is copied & pasted from the rambling I wrote back in November, about a month before the anniversary of my Grandma's death. In case the iBook croaks, I want to have this somewhere else.

The iBook that this is written on once belonged to my Grandma, so you can imagine that nearly six years after her death, it’s a rather old laptop. It was originally given to my dad, who had zero interest in it. I ended up with it. The case and the laptop still smell like Grandma’s house. I know this, but for some reason today when I opened up the machine and the smell hit me I started crying.

I think part of it is that I realize my own daughter will be a year old in a week, and that she’ll never know the awesome woman that was my Grandma. Part of it is that the Holidays always make me miss the family I used to have.

I have pictures, and stories, but somehow I wish I had more to share with Addy. To let her know just how great of a woman she’s named after. I mean, Emoline has popped up as a name throughout our family for generations, but the most recent before my own lovely daughter was my Grandma.

December First will mark six years since my Grandma died. I’m pretty sure that day is burned into my memory for eternity. I was sitting in my living room in my very first apartment at 2353 1/2 N. High Street, just north of the OSU campus. I was waiting for my mom to show up, as we were heading down to the hospital to visit Grandma. She’d had a nasty stroke but had started to recover. I remember answering the door for mom, and telling her I still had to get my shoes on because I’d gotten sucked into something on TV.  She sat down on the futon that was our couch, and told me we weren’t going to the hospital because Grandma had died that morning. She’d gotten the phone call shortly before heading up to get me.

She had been recovering from the strokes she’d had. One nasty and a couple of mini strokes. She was mentally there if not there fully physically. From my uinderstanding, she had several massive strokes one after the other that finally took her out. I’m not gonna lie, I hope I have half of her resiliency. Seriously, it took MULTIPLE MASSIVE STROKES to take that little Irishwoman out.

My mommy held me as I cried my eyes out, and she barely shed a tear. Her own mommy had just died, yet she paused her mourning to comfort me. I guess that’s what you do as a mommy, you take care of your kids first and yourself later. She stayed with me until she absolutely had to leave to get back to work. I went upstairs and curled up in my bed, crying. I set an alarm for when I had to get up and get myself put together for work as I worked the short shift at FYE that evening. I left my bed to pee, to grab a snack and drink, and to feed my gecko, Henry. Other than that I didn’t leave that bed until my alarm went off and I had to get myself presentable and head off to work.

Apparently the fact that I was going in to work after a major trauma was too much for the powers that be. Heading down I-71, a tire on my trusty Dodge Intrepid blew. Yup, tire blowout on the highway. It gets better. My jack broke. Mom came to rescue me, and her jack broke. Stupid Intrepid. Fortunately an ODOT first responder found me, and he had a heavy duty floor jack so we were able to get my spare put on the car. It gets better still. As if my Grandma dying and my tire blowing out wasn’t enough to ruin my day, my spare was flat. At this point, fortunately, I’d already called work crying and trying to explain that I would be late. Lucky for me I had a great boss and she told me to just take the night off, get myself and my car together, and to call if I wouldn’t be in for my shift the next day.

I ended up in my mom’s car, leaving mine on the side of the highway, and going to my parents’ house. Luckily, I drove my own car home that evening after my dad rescued it and fixed my flat tire. 

Overdue Babbling

This particular update is being brought to you from a very old, very outdated Apple iBook. The teeny little 12" one at that.

You see, several years ago, my technologically capable Grandma decided she wanted a laptop and this is what she bought. she loved it, she used it all the time to play games online, to email family, or to just browse the web. When my Grandma died in 2006, the little iBook started out with my dad but ultimately came to me. It sat in a closet for several years, and then my tried and true HP was stolen from my apartment on campus. Fortunately I had a desktop by then so all that was lost was pictures. Lots of great pictures, yes, but it could've been worse. The iBook came out briefly, but ultimately ended up back in the closet.

Anyhow, when I had Addy in 2011 (see, I can't say "last year" anymore), I dug out the iBook to take to the hospital with me. It's a good thing I did considering I had an unplanned c-section and therefore was in the hospital for the better part of a week. This little iBook saved my sanity. There's nothing quite like being stuck in the hospital recovering from major surgery and being restricted in your movement thanks to tons of IVs. After we got home, the iBook went back into storage. We didn't have wifi hooked up at the house until recently.

Our dear friend Jimmy bought us a wireless router for the house as a Christmas present so I could cut down my data usage on my phone and indulge my kindle habit without having to tether myself to the desktop.

Of course, I broke out the little iBook. And that is when it hit me. This iBook has been in and out of storage for the last six years, and yet it still smells like my Grandma's house. Let that sink in for a bit.

Perspective: A closet at my parents' house, a closet at my campus apartment, a closet at my first place with Nate, several hotel rooms, a hospital, and my closet at my current home. And it still smells like Grandma's house.

I, of course, immediately started sobbing. Hardcore ugly crying to be more precise. I think part of the punch was that I pulled it out just before the 6 year anniversary of my Grandma's death.

As a result, I wrote out a rather long journal entry just remembering her. I'm debating sharing it.

If I decide to share it, it'll pop up within the next few days.

365 Project

I've seen a lot of 365 project ideas running around the internet. I've always thought they were pretty fun and creative, but I lack creativity, photography skills, and follow-through.

I've decided "Screw it, I'm going for it!" the other day. So, I'm going to take at least 1 photo a day of something involving our lives. I'm not doing any fancy theme. Honestly, I just want to capture some of the moments in our lives. I've started and have actually taken pictures for the whole 2 days of 2013 so far! Better than most other projects.

I may or may not blog them all, but we'll see what happens. Unfortunately the ancient iBook is a bit too old to pull things from my camera, but that doesn't make it impossible to blog from this computer, just inconvenient for spur-of-the-moment thoughts.

So there you have it. I'm attempting a 365 project. If this time next year I've managed to actually have the pictures I want/need to take, then hot damn!!