my 2 precious hours of quiet time (Pt 1)

Last night I had the pleasure of having two hours of ME time sitting outside, in the gorgeous evening air, thinking about the state of my life. I won't go into everything, seeing as how some of it is a bit heavy.

I am not a patient person. Everyone that knows me, knows this. I think a lot of that has to do with outlook on life. Life goes by way too quickly, it happens fast. If you don't act on something, it could very well zoom right past you. I've played the waiting game before, and it's not something I enjoy. I've been waiting for some things to happen for quite some time now, and by doing so, I've let other things zoom past me. "Wait....how the hell did that happen?" Some people will call "fate. destiny." Whatever man. I believe opprotunites are shown to you to take advantage of them. I'm not a "Wait and See" kind of girl, at all! I like to take action, to make things happen. If there is a problem, I like to fix it right there and then.

Enjoying the little things. This is probably my favorite thing to do! I love to take a moment and enjoy these things :) I have a friend that comes over to hangout with Abbi and I, and I really enjoy the time. It's nice to have someone around that loves your daughter, and enjoys spending time with you too. Even if it's just for a couple hours, it's nice to know that person cares enough about us to take time out of their day, to show how much they appreicate us. Getting that text from someone that just says "Hi, I'm thinking about you. Hope you're having a good day" can turn my mood around on a dime! Going outside, stretching and soaking everything in is one of the most refreshing things to do. Smiling at a customer and telling them hi. All those little things add up to big things!

Spending time with those I care about. I know my time is more limited these days. Working full-time, being a mom, friends, family. I can get very overwelmed very fast! But that doesn't mean I don't have the time for those in my life. I can't drop everything and meet up with friends downtown anymore. But I do try my hardest to make time to do just that (which is usually on the weekends). My evenings are spent at home with Abbi, and when she goes to bed, I have LOTS of free time...at my home :) I can't get a sitter for her every night so I can go out, nor would I want to! I love spending time with my daughter, she's awesome! Flexibility is the key to making this happen.

I try to keep a positive outlook on life. Lately this has been a little hard. I've been letting a lot of things get to me and bring me down. I don't know if it's just because I've been pretty busy, not getting enough sleep, not eating enough of the right foods and/or enough food. I try to give thanks whenever I remember too (memory isn't the best these days, probably for the all the same reason as above). I even give thanks when I catch a green light! LOL! Seriously, try saying "thank you". Last night, I was on the verge of snapping. I hadn't ate much, I was exhausted, there were so many things to get done, and Abbi was very fussy and demanding of attention. I went up to my friend who was playing with Abbi, and gave them a HUGE hug and said "Thank you. Thank you for being here and for always being there for me and us". After that, I felt so much better and relaxed and ended up having a great night! The power of being thankful is strong.

So I'll wrap up this rambling with....Be thankful. Be still and listen. Take action. Do the little things. Surround yourself with good people. Be open. And everything will be alright! :)

Part 2 to come later...stay tuned!
Much Love

a season of weather

While Abbi is taking her afternoon nap, and the threat of severe weather hangs over us, for the fourth day in a row...now seems like a good time to talk about weather. If you're just joining in and don't know a lot about me, I'm an avid weather freak! Growing in Kansas, it's not hard. As a little girl, I was pushed towards science. I was so curious about how things work and why. I can't count how many tornadoes I've seen, with chasing, hitting an area close to me, or by accident (which has happened more than I care to admit). The weather has always fascinated me. I learned as much as I could understand as the years went on, and decided in college I wanted to study atmospheric science (and about 5 other degrees, but that talk is for another day).

I haven't finished my degree at KU yet (another topic for another day, but basically it comes down to my daughter at the moment). I've learned so much about weather in the time I was at KU. With the rise of social media over the last few years, it's hard not to follow depending on your neck of the woods. It's an interesting science full of dynamics (literally, took dynamic atmo, I have the mental and emotional battle scars to prove it.)

However this year, it's taken it's toll on me. We've seen major EF5 tornadoes wipe towns off the map. Joplin, MO and Tuscaloosa, AL are the major ones that stick out. Reading, KS was hit by an EF3, which for a small town, is devastating. Every year I see more and more chasers out there, and this is extremely dangerous! Seems like a lot of you don't know how to abide by driving laws, yeah I said it and the YouTube videos are out there to prove it! It's just been week after week of severe weather here, severe weather around family, severe weather devastating the lives of friends. It hasn't been fun. I used to get really excited and giddy over severe weather, now it just gives me anxiety. It's not that my passion for weather has changed any. I love studying the weather, making forecasts, and learning why things happen the way they do. Maybe it's because I have a daughter now, and I just can't ride the weather like I used to. I have to make sure she is ok too.

I guess my point of this rambling about severe weather is that, yeah it's cool. It's fun to see a tornado. It's incredible to watch a storm build out of nothing, and produce wicked acts of nature. But please take heed to it. It's not something to take lightly. Please always be prepared with an emergency kit. Food, water, batteries, chargers, flashlights, radios...whatever you feel you need for. Have a plan of action ready to go.

This Public Service Announcement was brought to you by, Me :)

Oh blogger

I've been toying around with the idea of blogging again. I find myself involved in the most intense thoughts sometimes, that I feel like I need to share them. Although, that may have it's downsides ;) And where on earth would I find the time to blog? I am now the mother of a 9-month old baby girl, working full-time, trying to have a tiny bit of a social and dating life (which, btw, I suck at!) I won't go into the dating life on here. I like to keep some aspects of my life somewhat private (albeit the occasional emo tweeting). So who knows, check here more often, we'll see what happens.