Marching: 7 Simple Shares

Playground in February. Pretending it is spring.

A few random things:

1. We recently painted the kitchen, dining room, and hallway. The entire house was a variety of tan and I needed to break it up a little. I am so happy with how it turned out! The kitchen and hallway are this color and the dining room accent wall is this.

After. Don't mind the phone charger and the few items missing from the sideboard.

2. Have you seen Home? It is Emaline's new favorite movie. I feel like I did not hear much about it when it came out. When I look it up, the reviews are mixed but my toddler loves it and so do I! It is funny and sweet with a positive message and a great soundtrack. You can find it on Netflix.

Nick and I went to a concert last weekend.
3. My favorite song from the opening act is this.

4. And my favorite song from the headliner is this.

5. The show was at House of Blues Boston. We have had friends complain about the venue before and we never understood. It turns out that the floor is great and the balcony is awful. If you ever find yourself looking at tickets to a show there, make sure your tickets are for the floor. Do NOT buy tickets for the balcony. Trust me on this.

6. If you are not yet watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, you need to check it out. It is informative, sharp, and seriously funny. It airs Sunday nights on HBO. Nick and I watch on HBOGO through our AppleTV and if you don't have access to that, you can find some of his best segments on YouTube like this, this, and now this.

7. Today starts a new month. If you are looking for some inspiration to start decluttering your house, check out this.

Big Things: Focus

Portsmouth

This year, more than any other, seems to carry focus. Not because of some determined resolution but 

because of a path that I have slowly, oh so slowly, been wearing down and creating.

But before I can press my feet into the dirt and continue, I need to take a little bit of time to reflect. A year has ended and a new one has shuffled into place. In reflecting on 2015, the year of balance, it took me a moment to recognize the year as it was. Most of the changes, with some serious exception, are small. A few are light, simple, and fun. But my reason for creating a list is to provide a reminder, context. And in this post of introspection, I realize that 2015 was the year in which this quote proved true:





We rang in 2015 at our house with some of my best college friends. It was wonderful!

A few weeks later, Nick, Emaline, and I flew to Sanibel, Florida with my parents. We rode bikes, collected shells, watched sunsets, drank jai-alai, and swam in the ocean.

While we were there we found out that my Nana Rice was very sick. We wondered if we needed to return home early, but the decision was made for us when a massive snowstorm shut down New England. When we were able to get back,we spent time with my Nana before she passed away.

Nick pulling Emaline through the backyard of the house where my Mom grew up.

My Uncle Paul doing something on the roof. My Nana watching us through the window. The last day we saw her.

On my birthday, we said goodbye to my last grandparent. I wrote about her here. We spent the next few months buried in snow.

When finally the last bit of white melted away, we broke the record for the snowiest winter in Boston's recorded history. And moving forward from that hibernation, I realize now, how many small changes happened then:

• Started a number of house projects 
• Tended the yard and gardens around our home
• Discovered podcasts 
• Continued to simplify, declutter, and slow my home
• Began eating more fruits and veggies with a daily smoothie
• Got myself to enjoy black coffee
• Started wearing lipstick. (It only took me 32 years to decide that I liked the way it looked.) 
• Learned to like cooking a bit more and picked up a few recipes
• Took a painting class
• Attended networking events
• Found a workout class that I really enjoy and have stuck with it. Barre!

In May, we celebrated Emaline's second birthday with a big party at our house and got her a swing-set. A few weeks later, Nick had to go to Amsterdam for a work conference and I took the opportunity to join him. We left Emaline with my Mom and traveled Bruges and Amsterdam for six days. It was a great reminder how much Nick and I love to travel together and want that for our family in the years to come. We also:

• Traveled to Minneapolis three times
• Vacationed on the Cape
• Visited the National Seashore
• Hosted a number of family and friends

The day after we returned from Europe, the organization that I serve as a volunteer board member had our biggest event of the year! We shut down the main street in Portsmouth to host the Stiletto Sprint! A short race run in heels (men and women) to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters. It was an incredible event and I am so proud to be a part of it. In our last meeting, I agreed to take a higher position on the board for this coming year.

And at the end of the summer, I got an offer to join a long term writing project. An author who I love and respect is writing a historical fiction novel and has asked me to research and edit. I officially started on September 1st and it is the best!

In addition to this list, are the countless days I have spent with Emaline. Often we are in pajamas, playing hide and seek or babies or kitchen or coloring or singing or freeze dancing. I will admit that sometimes Emaline has to say "Mama, play with me!" before I decide that it is okay to stop what I am doing (this included) and be with her completely. But every night when I squeeze her in my arms before tucking her in, I know this is a time to cherish. And I do. She is no longer a baby but a little person. She is smart, funny, thoughtful, and curious. She counts, sings, knows her colors and letters, uses a high-pitched voice when we play pretend. Every day she does something that just pulls on my heart. This morning she hid stuffed animals in Nick's jacket pocket to surprise him when he went to work.

So 2016, I am ready for you. 2016 is the year of focus. Travel. Finances. Family. Friends. Writing.

Happy New Year!

Summer List: Recent Favorites

Emaline's favorite book of the summer.

As I mentioned, the summer has been full. When time begins to not feel like my own, it is important to find a little balance. The easiest outlet has always been to read or write. Recently, a friend of mine was on maternity leave and mentioned what a lifesaver podcasts had been for her. The next day another friend who was transitioning from grad school to work, made a similar comment. And so I started paying more attention. And I have discovered a few that I love. Long drives, mowing the lawn, Emaline's nap time. I am hooked.

And sometimes at the end of the day, all I want to do is turn on a movie. We have been watching Peep Show but sometimes I want something with a little more weight. I have found a number of incredible documentaries on Netflix.

I have been asked to send along a list, so here it is. My absolute favorites right now are:


Book:
A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Podcasts: 
Ted Radio Hour
Slow Your Home
Magic Lessons
The Tim Ferriss Show
And as always, This American Life 

Netflix:
On the Way to School
180 Degrees South
Austin to Boston
20 Feet From Stardom
Bill Cunningham New York

Please share your favorites in the comments section of this post!

The Great and The Terrible: Books for Her

Emaline was not feeling well last night so we are taking it easy today. After reading a thousand books, she just fell asleep. She loves books! If she is having a moment I can almost always break her out of it by telling her to pick out any book she wants and that I will read.

A few of her favorites (that we love too) are:

1. 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes
2. Dear Zoo
3. How Do I Love You
4. Brown Bear
5. Little Owl's Night
6. The Day the Crayons Quit

There are so many lovely, creative, thoughtful stories. 

And then there are the ones that make me shake my head. I can't take them out of rotation because she enjoys them and really that's what matters. But after reading them over and over, I have to share!

For example the popular Goodnight (Insert name of state). Terrible! The writing is dry and unimaginative. And in case you thought your state was special, buy a second state and discover the similarities. 

Minnesota on left, New Hampshire on right.

New Hampshire on left, Minnesota on right.

The people who wrote these books are genius in that they are obviously successful- But come on! Try a little! 

And I have to mention nursery rhymes. Emaline loves them! Itsy Bitsy Spider and Wheels on the Bus are her favorites but there are a few in her Real Mother Goose book that don't seem quite so classic.

What are some of your favorites? Any that drive you crazy?

   

Ever Changing: Bucket List

Lately, my bucket list has come up in conversation. People are surprised that I have an actual list (you shouldn't be, I write everything down, it's what I do.) and I have been met with small laughs when they discover that it lives (until now) in the Notes section of my iPhone. So maybe this is a better place for it, I don't know.

See Aurora Borealis
Run a half marathon
Buy a house
Visit Switzerland
Visit Ireland
Visit Spain
Visit Iceland
Visit Antartica
See the Great Wall of China
See the Tunnel of Lights in Japan
Attend a retreat in Bali, Indonesia
Attend Oktoberfest in Germany
Visit the Dolomites in Italy
Visit the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
Go back to Australia with Nick AND Emaline
See Uluru at sunset
Plant a tree on my own property
Finish my novel
Publish a book
Go Desert sand boarding
Visit Charleston, SC
Visit Savannah, GA
Visit New Orleans, LA
Visit Nashville, TN
Stay in the Smoky Mountains with Nick and the Zitelli's
Go Zip Lining
Meet Oprah
See the Grand Canyon
Vacation in a hut over the water in Bora Bora
Visit Lake Louise in Canada
Attend a Music festival
Interact with an elephant
Ride in a hot-air balloon
Attend carnival in Brazil
Visit Napa with Nick
Go on a wobbly wine tour
Camp on the beach
Snowboard
Fly First Class on an international flight
Step foot on all 7 continents
See the Pyramids in Egypt
Climb the Stairway to Heaven in Hawaii
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Georgia
Idaho  
Kansas
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Wyoming

The List: In One Year

 The summer after I graduated college, I was living at home and working my first full-time job. I was saving money and planning a move to Minnesota. I was figuring out life after college.

One day on my lunch break, I was reading in the cafeteria when I looked up to see a guy I knew. He was the friend of an ex-boyfriend and I knew he did not think highly of me. Still, it surprised me when we made eye contact and he stared at me with a look of hatred. He held my gaze for as long as I let him and his eyes burned with animosity. I could not stop thinking about it and by the time I left work that day, I felt sick.

It wasn't until that night, going over the image for the millionth time, that I realized something and just like that, let it go. I started thinking about everything that had happened since the last time I saw him. I realized that he did not know me, not really. A list of events from the last year started populating in my head, each one pushed me forward. And suddenly I was too far away to be touched, too far for his eyes and his anger to hurt me.

As soon as I realized this, I went to my computer and started typing. My intention was to write down all that happened and what came out was the list. Each item was a memory and a thousand stories. With every line, I recalled a moment, planned or unplanned, that had transported me. It was the sum of all these parts that reminded me of all that I had accomplished and all that I have left to do.

I shared the list with my parents and a few friends. When at the end of that summer, I packed up my car and moved halfway across the country, my mom presented the list to me in a frame. Again at my wedding, my older sister read the list in lieu of a speech. Today, as I cleaned my office to prepare for my parents to stay here after the baby is born, I found the framed copy. And again, I am reminded.   

In the past year I...
July 5, 2004- July 5, 2005

Traveled to another country alone

Lived in Australia

Learned another culture

Traveled the eastern Australian coast

Met amazing friends

Fell in love

Snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef

Held a koala

Hugged a kangaroo

Ate kangaroo

Danced on a fire bar

Chilled in an ice bar

Traveled to New Zealand

Went bungee jumping

Went white water rafting

Dove out of an airplane

Rode in a jet boat

Hiked up a glacier

Fell through ice

Conquered a fear

Flew in a helicopter

Climbed an iceberg

Tried absinthe

Went on a road trip

Played with dolphins

Stayed in a hostel

Learned to surf

Flew in 30 planes

Saw an opera in Sydney

Saw the Red Sox win the World Series

Traveled to Minnesota

Traveled to Wisconsin

Celebrated with a Valentine

Tried sushi

Lost a passport

Almost lost a loved one

Walked all night for Relay for Life

Did an internship

Wrote my thesis

Decided to move

Graduated college

Turned 22 

30: Love Day and a List

 Here it is. While I slept last night, without so much as a goodbye, my twenties disappeared. I woke up and I am thirty. 

Nick took the day off and we are going to Stillwater for the afternoon. Tonight, I am going watch my friend Zacc's jazz show at the english pub up the street.  

And inspried by the list below, which is from this blog post,  Nick and I are roadtripping to Omaha tomorrow. Still taking any recommendations about the city...


Originally from January 2011:

Goals for the next 2 years and 2 months

(aka by the big 3-0):

• Travel to at least one new country We traveled to 3 new countries! England, France, and Mexico.
• Travel to at least five new states. We have traveled a lot but not to any new US states. 2/15 Omaha, Nebraska
• Return to Australia 
  

  

  
  
• Visit Great Ocean Road
  

  
• Attempt snowboarding. I would run out and check it off but alas, baby says no.
• Marry Nicholas  August 20th 2011
  
  

  

  
  
• Have a family plan Safe to say it is more of a countdown and less of a plan.
  

  
• Have a house plan.
• Make the big move. I don't know how I thought this would happen as Nick is still finishing his MBA but I suppose, a girl can dream.
• Run a half marathon. Dare I say next year?
• Attempt to write a book... just try
  
  
  Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! 
  
  

  

  
  

Writing is Simple: Simplicity is Not.

I started this blog for two reasons:


1. I love to write. I need to write. I wanted to create a platform that would encourage me to share thoughts, ideas, and stories.
2. I have a desire to seek out simplicity. Little things, like feeling more organized or donating clothes make me feel like I am moving in the correct direction, but it is much larger than cleaning closets. To me simplicity means clearing out the clutter, prioritizing my time, and remembering what's important.


My biggest creative predator is feeling overwhelmed, weighed down, and un-inspired. Simplicity is my solution. The word gets thrown around and sometimes can even sound negative. Simple can sound boring or uneventful, but that is far from what I am striving for. I want to be exciting and remembered and important. I want to dream big and live big.

Nick asked me last night what I want out of life. I had a hard time answering him. Not because I do not know but more that I do not know how the pieces fit.

I wish to:
• have a house
• have a family
• provide stability for my kids
• always be in love with Nick
• travel
• not live in Minnesota forever
• always have a dog or two
• have a writing career
• see my family and close friends often
• see my kids grow up with extended family and friends around them
• be comfortable with money
• live a long, healthy life
• be a good friend, sister, mom, wife, and daughter
• really enjoy my work
• look back at this list and feel satisfied.

Am I asking too much? It's a lot. But it's not insane. I'm not asking for private planes or super-stardom. Nick said he thought I wanted to be J.K. Rowling and I actually do not. I enjoy my anonymity.

I think that my biggest obstacle is that some of my wishes clash. My family is in Boston. Nick's family is in Minneapolis. My best friend lives in Ohio. My other closest friends are splattered around Minnesota and New England and even Australia. The distance will always create challenge. Stability and Travel? A girl can dream.

Breathe Deep: Set Goals

Boston from the airport window as we were leaving. Miss you already.

The holidays are so busy. It leaves me feeling almost breathless and this year left me literally with out a voice. I will write more about that later but for now, these thoughts are pushing to the front of my brain.


I have been making a lot of ToDo lists lately, except these ones are much bigger than laundry and groceries, and I have only been creating them in my mind. It is time to list out what I've been thinking.


Inspired by a new year, a pending birthday, a pending marriage, and a recent surge in friends who have done the same, I have been thinking a lot about goals. What do I want?


I am a great dreamer. I am not a great planner.


This is a living list. I will add, subtract, and cross off as appropriate because nobody can truly plan out their life and nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.

I'm very proud of our $12 fatty Christmas Tree this year

Goals for the Next 6 Months:

• Simplify belongings by donating and selling items that are no longer in use
• Save money according to my Mint goal plan
• Pay off my credit card
• Sell my car (Pay off my car)
• Begin planning for Australia
• Establish and maintain consistent exercise
• Drop back into the 20's
• Everything wedding (too much to name)
• Find a new home and plan the move
• Enjoy the planning process and our time being engaged.
• Return to writing on a regular basis
• See my friends (you know who you are) 
• Take more pictures

I love that I can be a total goof with him and gosh he's so cute!

Goals for the next 2 years and 2 months

(aka by the big 3-0):

• Travel to at least one new country
• Travel to at least five new states
• Return to Australia
• Visit Great Ocean Road
• Attempt snowboarding
• Marry Nicholas
• Have a family plan
• Have a house plan
• Make the big move
• Run a half marathon
• Attempt to write a book... just try



My Adorable niece Kaia opening a gift I gave her on Christmas morning.







Kaia just being as sweet as can be!



Travel: Where I've Been (Update 12/18/15)

I have a travel wishlist. It is long and always growing as I constantly fall in love with new destinations. Sometimes I catch myself writing the names of cities, towns, and countries that I have been. My brain is trying to catalog my trips, for what I don't know. To save myself time and to have a reference, I will put that list here and maybe then I can add to it as I go somewhere new.

Ok here goes (Places that I have been):

Within the US:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut

Florida

Hawaii

Illinois

Iowa

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Minnesota
Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Vermont
Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Caribbean:

Aruba
Barbados
Caracas

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Grenada

Guadelupe

Martinique
Puerto Rico

Saint John

Saint Martin

Saint Thomas

Other:
Australia
Canada
England
France
Belgium
Netherlands
Italy
Mexico
New Zealand
Peru

Venezuela