On Being Brave

December 6, 2011 by · 2 Comments

The title of this post is an adjective that does not describe me.

At least, I don’t think it does.

Yeah, I’m adventurous. But I’m not brave.

It’s a rare thing for me to do something that might kill me, or worse, result in failure.

I’m about to do just that…do somthing that I might fail at, not something that might kill me.

:)

So I guess that means I get to be brave.

:)

That was a fake, e-smile.

Really. Cause I kind of have knots in my stomach as I think about the next few months.

So I took

a job at a local coffee shop a few months ago.

It was more to get me out of the house for a few hours every week, but if we’re being honest, the extra money has been nice, too.

I’ve enjoyed the people I work with and the friends I’ve made there, but the schedule of it isn’t working.

I feel like I don’t see my family…as in the three of us…all together during the week. Not to mention that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are horrendously long. And it’s starting to wear on us…ALL of us.

So I decided that for the sanity of my family I needed to be doing something where I could at least stay home.

That’s where the bravery comes

in.

In the next month or so I’m going to head a different direction and try something that I’ve wanted to do for a really long time.

And I am so scared I’m going to fail.

Even brave people fail at things, and that isn’t something I enjoy.

That failure thing.

More to come.

:)

P.S. That was a real smile. I can be brave.

Sig

Filed Under: family, just life, where I am

30 Days of Thanks, Day 25: Surprises

November 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I love surprises, really.

In some ways, when we found out we were pregnant with Maelie, we were surprised. And so were a lot of other people.

:)

But the surprises weren’t over.

Just two weeks l ater, we found out th

at my brother and his wife were expecting a baby and actually due three months before me.

(They waited to tell people a lot longer!)

I had worried for our kids with my side of the family.

My brother (my only sibling) already had six kids, but the youngest was ten, and so we knew that most likely our kids would never have cousins close to their age.

So it was a very happy surprise to find out that she would have someone.

And? They were both girls!!!

Sofia was born in March, and Maelie arrived in June.

While we don’t get back to Iowa too often, when we do, they enjoy playing together.

Though it took Sofia awhile to warm up to Maelie, you can see from the pic below that there was plenty of cousin b onding going

on.

They loved each other.

Thank you, God, for surprises.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family, Maelie

30 Days of Thanks, Day 24: These Two

November 24, 2011 by · 1 Comment

I spent today with my two favorite people.

It was low key and involved a lot of food, some crazy laughter, some parade and football watching, and a visit from some good friends.

We chose to stay home this Thanksgiving. Things didn’t work out to invite people over, so we decided to be happy about it just being the three of us.

And? It was wonderful.

I am so incredibly blessed to have Tobin and Maelie as my family.

None of us are perfect…and I’m probably the one with the most faults…but

We love each other.

We laugh with each other.

We complete each other.

Thank you, God, for my precious, precious family.

I am so very blessed.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family

30 Days of Thanks, Day 19: Endings

November 19, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Yikes, it’s Day 19 already?

Seems like this is going fast.

Ok…Endings.

Truthfully, when I think of endings, I think of death. And I don’t necessarily want to talk about that so I’m not going to. :)

Last week I shared a little about my grandma and how she wasn’t doing well following a he

art attack.

Today I got to visit with her a little, and I noticed something.

First of all, she’s doing ok, so thanks to those of you who have prayed for her.

But she is 91…and so, whether she goes in ten years or in ten days, she’s in the ending of her life.

Visiting her tugs a little at my heart. She doesn’t hear as well

as she used to. She moves a lot slower. She needs a walker.

But today…there were good tugs on my heart, too…the kind that make me appreciate the end of a person’s life, especially when that person can take time to share stories that are full of history and legacy.

She told me stories today I had never heard before. For almost an hour, I sat and listened to her talk with my mom about things I never knew…about her siblings, about her family, about her kids, about the old, white farmhouse that holds so many memories.

I felt like a sponge as I soaked up their conversation, not really saying much myself.

When we got ready to leave, I noticed a picture of Grandpa A in his navy uniform that I had never seen before.

(My grandpa passed away before I was born.) I asked her about it because she has never talked about him much. She just smiled and told me that it had been out for awhile.

I made sure to tell her I thought my grandpa was pretty good looking.

I loved her response.

She got this young, girlish, sparkle in her eyes, and nodded. Yes, he was, she told me.

I loved that moment.

It’s one I’ ll never forget.

I was blessed to have today.

A peek into the life of someone I love who is in her ending.

But one who has completely lived and loved since her beginning.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family, just life, where I am

30 Days of Thanks, Day 9: Remember

November 9, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

My first memories of her are fuzzy, but I remember that she had the oldest, creepiest house, and I was scared to go up the dark staircase that led to the three bedrooms in which twelve kids had slept.

She had one, seriously long, dining room table, and we’d all crowd around it for dinner. When the crowd had reached its overloaded max, everyone else would spill over to the couches, the rocking chair, the tiny kitchen table…anywhere they could sit.

It was family bonding at its absolute closest.

Literally.

I also remember she always, always…ALWAYS kissed me goodbye.

As a little kid, I wondered why but have come to appreciate that more now.

I didn’t always love going to her house.

Because along with grandma came scores of aunts and uncles and cousins with whom I didn’t mesh. Never have, but we won’t go there today.

But I always knew she loved me.

And I haven’t ever told her that she is one of my heroes.

Left a single mom of twelve at far too young an age, she went back to school, got her nursing degree, and provided for

her family. She volunteered at her church and went on mission trips almost every summer  to the Appalachian Mountains

to help underprivileged families.

She gave everything she had to give…and I never saw her ask for anything

for herself.

And I’ve always admired her for that…and, in a way, hoped I’d grow up to be even half as strong a woman as she has always been.

My grandma turned 91 years old this past September, and today she is lying in a hospital bed, having suffered a heart attack overnight. She is hanging in there, fighting this battle just like any other…with strength and grace. And a lot of stubbornness, too, I’m sure.

Regardless of when I have to say goodbye to her…tomorrow or ten years from now, I’m so thankful that I can take the time to remember

the impact my Grandma A has had on my life.

I’d appreciate your prayers for her, too. Thanks, friends…love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family, remembering

All the Way From Madison

September 30, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Tonight I’m writing you from our downtown Madison (WI) hotel room.

It’s a very cool room, at least I think so.

:) Tobin’s cousin is getting married tomorrow at the Capitol, so that’s the occasion.

And since this is a home football weekend AND the Farmer’s Market is going on, I am not regretting for a single second the fact that we splurged on a hotel room a block from the Capitol building.

The festivities kicked off early this morning with Mel squeezing in more than is humanly possible before we left.

From the time I rolled out of bed at 7:15 I managed to go for a run, shower and get ready, do three loads of laundry, pack for myself and Maelie, run to Target, Starbucks, and church, come home with time to feed lunch to Maelie, grab some for myself, and get out the door by 12:05.

Yeah, I’m good.

I know you’re all extremely impressed.

And, yeah, my Super Woman cape is in the mail.

:)

Anyway, we’ve already had a fun and crazy afternoon/ evening with family.

Tomorrow is mostly wedding with a little a.m. Farmer’ s Market thrown in there, and

some more family time on Sunday.

It’ll be a good (but busy) weekend. So if I don’t write much, that’s why.

Tomorrow there just might be a picture of Maelie in her Uh-Dorable dress, though, and that’ s worth coming back for!

:)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: family, just life, uncategorized

9 Years Ago Today…

August 3, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I married my man.

Wedding Photo

 

To tell you that marriage has been the fairy tale I always dreamed of would be lying.

But to tell you that our marriage has stretched us, shaped us, and helped us grow…that’s better.

Today we are putting behind us the most difficult year of our marriage so far.

I suppose when you throw first-time parenting, transcontinental relocation, and a brand new everything all together, there’s bound to be some stress.

We’ve had some really wonderful times together this year, but some pretty stinkin’ hard times, too.

I don’t say this to sound negative…it’s true. But I think the ways we’ve grown through those hard times are what has strengthened us as a couple and as a family.

Yesterday I was showing a friend one of our wedding albums…not because our anniversary is today, but because I was looking for something else and found it instead.

:) I’m glad we have it because we accidentally taped over the video of our wedding.

Ooops.

But one thing I still have (on my iPod of all places) is this. (Ok, it’s at the bottom of the post because WordPress wouldn’t let me put it here. :))

The song I sang with three good friends just after I walked down the aisle. (I will not publicly identify these friends… unless they want to identify themselves in the comments.

:))

It’s cheesy, but I love envisioning that moment…as I was just about to pledge my life to the man I loved, not knowing what would come our way…but being completely ok with the unknown.

Marriage has brought so much more than I ever imagined, and though at times it would have been so much easier to give up, I’m so thankful we’ve stuck to the commitment we made to each other.

..and chosen to go forward.

Tobin, I love you. I love your strong, provider instinct but also the way you say dorky things to make me giggle like a ten year old girl.

I love the daddy you are to our daughter and the way she lights up when she sees you. While I don’t always appreciate our differences and the ways that you challenge me, I know that you’re good for me…that we’re good for each other. I love so much about you, and I look forward to many, many more years of celebrating with you.

Happy Anniversary. :)

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, family, marriage, Tobin

Cutest Ever (yes, I’m biased)

July 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

 

Schroeder family

Sig

Filed Under: family

Pieces of a Saturday

June 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So today we’re gonna

go back to the randomness that used to make up my Saturday posts.

Today has definitely had some random moments, so it’s good.

First up…welcome back, sunshine! After several gloomy, cloudy, rainy days, it was so wonderful to wake up to the sun shining!

We tried to enjoy the gorgeous weather, too.

We had coffee on the back porch, tossed around the frisbee a bit, I attempted to blog outside but kept getting distracted by talking to people who walked by ;), and had (another) coffee with a friend in her backyard. Definitely some good sun, and the tan that was fading is revived a bit. Always good.

Mae is back to her two naps right now thanks to the lovely little fever/rash that she’s got. She is NOT happy about it, either, although the extra sleep is good for her. In between naps, though, we packed her up and headed to the farmer’s market in East Dundee.

We browsed a bit and then walked to DQ, which wasn’t very far.

(Yeah, now you know the REAL reason we went there! ;))

And somewhere during our excursion I got wind of some Cupcake Days goin’ on not too far from DQ and ditched the ice cream in favor of cake. (That’s a lingering effect of pregnancy…I LOVE CAKE!) I ate the most expensive cupcake of my life. (To date.) It was YUMMY! And I devoured it so quickly that there is no pic…sorry about that. But for those of you who are interested, it was Raspberry Key Lime and worth every calorie.

😀

Tonight we wanted to check out a freebie concert not too far from our house so we packed up Mae again and headed over there.

But we knew, just a few minutes from our house, that it was a bad idea. Our poor girl just wasn’t up for it…she was cranky, moody, still not feeling well…and we knew better than to try the concert.

We did, however, think that it was worth it…even in the midst of her crankiness…to make a quick run to Old Navy for $2 Tank Top Day.

Oh, how Mel learned her lesson. The lesson that goes something like this:  If-you-want-a-deal-go-in-the-morning-not-at-night.

No more tank tops.

Bummer.

And we ended the night with the girl peacefully drifting into dreamland, Tobin and a friend moving our (new to us) freezer to the basement, and me and a friend making a run to Menards to pick up Mae’s new swimming pool while it was still on sale. 😉 Now we just have to make sure we can set it up without a fence…yeah, it’s on the big side for a first pool. She’ ll love it, though.

And I think?

That’s it for tonight.

Hope you are all having a wonderfully random weekend, just like me.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: family, friends, just life, random

Chattin’ While Drinkin’ Water Out Of My New Orange Water Bottle

June 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Ok, so I’m kind of lacking creativity in the titling of this post. Therefore, you get exactly what’s happening. 😉

Today if you hopped over, you’d find a semi-clean house (yay, Mel!) and someone dying to chat with a human being who can speak words back.

It’s been kind of a rainy, blah week, and Mae and I haven’t been out of the house much other than for random walks and a bit of birthday shopping for my hubby, who turns (whisper) 34 on Tuesday! Anyway, so when today (aka: Park Day) rolled around, I was sure we’d get rained out. Thankfully we didn’t and Mae and I had some time this morning with friends. Ah, what social interaction will do for the heart and soul.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to a visit from some more of our Indonesia friends.

The Hegle’s are a family we’ve known since the summer before we went to Indo, and they’re back for the summer.

We love them, our fellow Packer friends, American Idol party hosts, and just cool people. So looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and introducing them to our girl!

This week I vowed that I would work out every day.

On Monday nights I get together with a group for a walk (a make-me-drip-with-sweat-up-and-down-hills walk, just to clarify ;)) and then some station training with a friend who I think could steal Jillian Michaels’ job. Speaking of Jillian, I bought her DVD, 30 Day Shred, and I have to admit that after three days, I can already tell a difference.

The workouts are TOUGH, but at least they’re short. (20ish minutes.)

I WILL make it through the 30 days!

I WILL MAKE IT through the 30 days!

I WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THE 30 DAYS!

Just sayin’. :) And then I will reward myself with some chocolate and shopping.

Tonight I had a culinary success that I HAVE to brag about. I made homemade pizza on the grill. I read about this on a friend’s blog, tweaked it, and gave it a try.

It was amazing…so amazing that I want to go attack the leftovers, but I’m practicing self control. I’m thinkin’ we might need to make it a few more times this summer, though. :) (Why is it that I seem to follow talking about working out with talking about food?)

We’re still tossing around vacation ideas but have pretty much settled on either St.

Louis or Southaven, since both would involve seeing some good friends we haven’ t seen for

two years.

Good stuff. Now that we have a semi-plan, I’m ready to get excited about actu ally

taking a vacation!

The three of us went on a family “date” tonight. First we headed to Menards to pick up my extremely late Mother’s Day gift…a fire pit. I am very excited about it.

😀 I can’t wait to roast marshmallows and strum my guitar and sing. YAY!!! Then we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things so we can actually feed our friends tomorrow.

We are tossing around the idea of getting a small(er) pool for Maelie since she already loves the water.

We’ve been looking at the 3′ Intex one and wondering if it’s worth it. I know a few people who have them. The way this girl splashes around, she’ll use it all the time. Just wondering if we want to wait another summer. I guess we’ll see what kind of deal we can get.

Ok, I’m just blabbing on and on when the truth is, I’ve got thank you’s to write and some doggies to love and an orange water bottle to refill.

G’nite! Love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: family, friends, just life
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