A Change of Pace AND Scenery

On Friday, I trekked out to Front Royal for work to do some training in our print shop.

Others I know probably would have griped and complained about having to do this because of the long drive, but I had actually been looking forward to it. I needed a change of pace and scenery.

Whenever I have to go out to Front Royal for work, which is not often, I get excited because for one, I don't have to face much traffic; it's a long drive with time to myself to think and pray, or do whatever. And two, because I like seeing the mountains and empty spaces, the country homes, feeling the fresh air, and encountering people who actually greet me and say hello when I walk up to the checkout counter.

The office there is pretty quiet. There aren't a lot of people who work in it, and it's desolate and peaceful. Symbolic of it's surrounding counterparts.

Sometimes, it makes me want to move out there.

I snapped a few photos in the area I was. They're not great. In fact, not even good. But enough to give you a glimpse of the beauty that's right around the corner from the hussle and bussle of D.C.!

And yes, some of them were snapped while I was driving. I know...

Driving down the road to our office.

A golf course along the side of the road.

The mountains. Ahhh...

I took a shot of this because I liked that this 7-Eleven had part-stone siding. 

Heaven on earth.

 Fairview Market: The closes thing to country in Manassas.

Manda's 30th Birthday

R.I.P. 20s.

Not All Gloomy Days are Depressing

There are rare weekends when I feel accomplished. Running back and forth to and fro and tending to Leaves, "leaves" little time to concentrate on anything else. You learn to manage your time, though. Even if it means playing reruns of "The Duck Song" while you check your Facebook. I know, that's not productive, lol, but you need some time for fun too.

Yesterday I cleaned my kitchen and bathroom with Basic H. It is a Shaklee product made of natural ingredients. I am in love with it.

I started using the Shaklee products recently and I have been nothing but blessed. And I am excited to share it with everyone else.

With just a pinch of the Basic H formula diluted with water you've got your All-Purpose Cleaner and your Window Cleaner.

I love using it for several reasons, but the main one being that I don't have to wait to clean until a time when Levi is not around. I can do it with him nearby without worrying he will inhale fumigating toxins. Or let alone that I will inhale them!

My bathroom is sparkling.

Another reason I like Basic H is because it's cheap...ER than most products and last a very long time. One 16oz bottle serves 48 gallons worth of cleaner for about $10.

I also started using the Get Clean Water. It is also one of the best waters I've ever tasted. Even better than my Brita I have here, which I can still sometimes taste the tap water chemicals.

The thing I love about these products is that they live up to their word. They're integrous. In my new endeavour with this company I have found that not only do the products work and are natural, but the organization in itself has a base of simplicity. The products are easy to understand, categorized with ease, and very clean cut.

Ok...back to the real reason I started this post:

It was to write down thoughts to remind myself of what a good day yesterday was. Although it was rainy and gloomy, Daddy, Levi, and I had some time to play and talk before Daddy went to work.

The rest of the day was followed by a productive early afternoon of cleaning - while simultaneously, Levi taking a two and half hour nap. IN HIS CRIB. Hallelujah!

That was a nice treat for me. He never does that. And as a result, I got a nap in too. Love me a power nap every now and then.

I got a lot of laundry done.

I got a lot of folding that laundry done.

And then we went to Wal-mart.

I just went in to get a few things and I'm embarassed to tell you how much I spent. Needless to say, it was mostly all for Leaves. Except for a bottle of Sauvignon Blaunc I snagged to go with my blue cheese and glazed pecan salad later that night. Heaven.

I actually got some vaccuuming done. I cannot even believe it.

Later that night when Levi went to bed I really had a relaxing few hours just enjoying the breeze coming in through the window and checking email that I needed to get caught up on.

That was followed by some popcorn and an episode of Lost.

LOVE days like this.

St. Patty's Day Parade

I took Levi to his first St. Patty's Day Parade on Saturday. And truthfully, it was my first too. I never really understood St. Patrick's Day. I always felt it was just a day for people to wear green and be spirited. Not a bad thing, but I think a lot of people including myself, don't really know what it's actually about other than it's an Irish holiday.

So what did I do? This year I actually took the time to Google it. Turns out, among many other things, it is recognized for bringing Christianity into Ireland. Pretty cool!

It's still a fun holiday. And a parade to celebrate anything is fine by me.

Isaac was at Army drill so it was just me and some family.

Sweet Mema always on her phone.

I think this is the local Irish Riverdance group in Old Town.

Leave's was tired.

A cute little patron.

Mamma Mia's.

Peek-a-boo!

Lunch breaks have opened up a whole new world for me...

Before I had Levi I didn't really take a lunch break. I ate at my desk and worked through. Or used the hour to surf the net and check email. I didn't really need a lunch. And frankly I didn't feel like going anywhere. It was too much effort to walk to the car, LOL.

But now, I find lunch breaks are my life saver.

Today during lunch I sat at a table facing a window, the bright sun shining on my face while I read People magazine. I was waiting for my toenails to dry from the pedicure I just had.

Jessica, my friend and co-worker, was there with me.

She and I had decided to jet outta the office for an afternoon break and make our feet pretty for this lovely weather we've been having. Nobody wants to wear sandals with unpainted toes!!

Jessica had her baby, Luke, two weeks after I had Levi. And let-me-tell-ya, having her to commiserate with during pregnancy, and share stories and worries and milestones with about baby stuff today, has been wonderful. We laugh, we tear, we ask eachother how the other is handling such and so, and so on - and it's fun. And nice. It makes raising Levi relatable and easier.

We have a lot in common.

And today we just needed a break and someone to treat us!

Getting pedis and manis aren't the only thing I do at lunch though. Although it was a rarity, it is becoming more traditional in my life!

I also have found that exercising during lunch is the perfect time of day. Since I am not a morning person and up until recently, it has been dark out by the time I get home, I didn't have any other time to do it.

Now I do.

I pack my workout clothes with me and run up and down the hills of this corporate metro center.

Sometimes it's a little embarassing as I see my co-workers drive to lunch and here I am running wildly, perfuseling sweating bullets, and trying to dodge cars while crossing the street. They must think I am nuts. Well I am. We all knew that.

But seriously these lunch breaks...golden.

I also use my hour to run errands, particularly baby errands. Every time I turn around we need diapers or formula, and what better opportunity than during lunch to get them.

Note: Wal-Mart just opened right across the street in Fast Food Alley. Danger zone!

I'm so grateful for these lunch breaks. If I didn't have this time to run to the post office and mail birthday gifts to relatives or set up Dr's Appts. or, sorry, go shopping at Marshall's, what would I do?

I really don't know.

But I'm so thankful for it.

And just these past few weeks with the nice weather I've made it out running at least 5 or 6 times. Sometimes I am joined by a brisk warm-up walk with Jessica and our boss, which makes things more pleasant.

Small blessings are those that are right in front of our eyes that we forget we have - or don't realize we have.

Who says you can't be a mom and work a workout in too?

Bring it!

I Love Him Through and Through

Tonight I was supposed to go to a seminar on "Creating and Living Your Vision." My mom had volunteered to watch Levi from her normal time at 3, all the way until 9, when I would be getting home. She had volunteered because she wanted me to go - to experience all that the class has to offer. She is such a great supporter.

And I wanted to go.

But a part of me felt guilty for having to leave Levi. And not that Grandma (or Nanny I like to call her, but she doesn't like it 'cuz it makes her feel old, she says) isn't the most suitable candidate to watch him, but I don't get to see him all day (plus he was extremely fussy today). And on top of feeling guilty, I desperately miss him by the time 5 o'clock rolls around.

So I stayed home.

I needed his cheeks. I longed for his smile. I missed him so much.

I think I will hopefully make it to one of the next three sessions when Isaac is off, but for tonight I just wanted to be home and be a part of our nightly routine.

We have it down, me n' Leaves.

Part of our nightly routine includes reading books. And tonight I picked one that a friend, who also has a child, gave us.

And as I held him and read the book...while he grabbed the thick cardboard pages and tried to put them in his mouth (all the while not having a clue what I'm reading him), he let me love him, and snuggle him.

It was worth staying home.

The words of the book are simple, but sweet. A reminder of how we love our children and what we love about them:

"I love you through and through.

I love your top side. I love your bottom side.

I love your inside and outside.

I love your happy side, your sad side, your silly side, your mad side.

I love your fingers and toes, your ears and nose.

I love your hair and eyes, your giggles and cries.

I love you running and walking, silent and talking.

I love you through and through...yesterday, today, and tomorrow, too."

Every time I read this to him I get sentimental because the little boy in the book reminds me of Levi - teeny with light-colored hair.

I can't believe how much I love him. And how one night away from him breaks my heart.

Morning time is our time, and evening time is our time. He's my little buddy that I drag around the house with me while I'm putting deoderant on or doing the dishes. And any time I get with him I cherish.

I love coming home to remnants of his day with Daddy, too. Because even though we can't always be together as a family each night, we leave trails of our day...

These are the trails left for me. Trails that prove a day well spent wrapped in love and play.

My buddies.

My Husband Makes Me Feel Special

Yesterday I took off work because Isaac had court and nobody else could watch Levi. And I got a good glimpse of what it would be like to be a stay-at-home-mom.

We had our morning bottle, then some rice cereal, a nap, followed by a nice long run with the running stroller...in which he napped again. Who wouldn't fall asleep when the warm sun is beaming down on your face with the wind flapping briskly over a relaxed state of motion? Sometimes I wish I was a little baby getting toted around!

It saddened me to go back to work today and wish for those things to become permanent. To believe that one day, maybe one day, I can stay at home for good and take care of my sweet Leaves every day.

That is not the point of this blog - to tell you about my wonderful day at home - though it is worth a separate entry of its own.

I write to tell you about what happened later that day:

Isaac took me to Victoria's Secret.

Yes, he did.

Why? I don't know.

Other than just to symbolize his appreciation and love for me I suppose.

Sometimes he does that. He suprises me out of the blue and does something for me when and how I least expect it.

He mentioned it a few days back, but I didn't think it would happen. I just figured it was a fleeting thought. But he didn't.

I felt so special picking out my dainty things and having the cashier ring them up like I shopped there all the time. All the while putting "tester" lotion on my hands upon standing in line. I smelled good dangit!

To tell you the truth, Isaac deserves his own shopping spree. Or rather, some car-wash coupons or a night out alone for himself. He is a champion dad. Sincerely the best one there is out there. He spends days with Leaves and helps me at night, too. He does dishes, swiffers, and gets little to no sleep. I don't know he does it sometimes.

Anyways...


It doesn't, and didn't, take much to make me happy. Instead of just being the binky-keeper and laundry-folder, I felt like a woman again. It felt good.

And then I chuckled inside as I walked out of the store and put my Victoria's Secret bag next to the box of Pampers.

...

Thank you Isaac, my love, for reminding me that I'm first your wife and then a mother.

Pondering Nakedness

(I got you with the title, didn't I??!!)

HEE HEE.

It's 10:30 p.m.. And Hulu should be working for me, but it's not. It keeps freezing up and it's making me mad, so I guess there's nothing better for me to do but write.

It's weird that I can't turn on the TV now and watch whatever I want when I want. I literally am not able to watch anything unless Hulu is working (aside from reruns of shows on tbs or other things directly on the Internet).

This week I gotta tell ya, I'm a little disappointed. Every time Isaac is off work it seems he is sick. He has off two whole weeks - TWO WHOLE WEEKS - and low and behold the man has Strep Throat. And he is looming around the house in misery.

I was excited about these two weeks because it meant that he was going to be home, every day, and we would be spending time together in the evenings after Levi went to bed. But aside from just being plain tired from taking care of little Leaves, he is sick and not up for anything social. Hrumph.

So, here I sit on the living room couch in my pj's with a big honkin' bowl of popcorn by my side and a non-working Hulu. Levi in bed. Isaac in bed. Quiet, to myself, as every evening about this time for 15 minutes or so, lol.

What to do, what to do.

I've been thinking a lot about brokeness and baring my soul lately.

I talked with a friend this morning about brokeness for a moment, and how she is having to make sacrifices she wished she didn't have to make. And how it's hard, and sad, and painful.

And I thought about my own brokeness and how it is a state that I want to be in as much as I can for as long as I can. Not that God wants me to constantly be broken, but that I want to always know the feeling of my lost parts so I can recount the ways He saved me.

Even if it means baring my soul, or at least parts of it.

I love to write. And write just about anything. But what I'm not doing enough of is stripping my heart down to it's most intimate core so that I can share that I am not ashamed of who He made me.

The problem is that I have so many weaknesses and cold failures that I often wonder if the world would hate me if I bore them out on the table like a turkey being gutted at Thanksgiving. I bet so.

It can get ugly when we lay naked on the operation table.

But those are the times I think God works the most - when He sees the most from us - when He changes us the most:

When we are willing to lay down our own lives - our own disappointments - for a life He is worthy of giving.

We literally have nothing and nothing belongs to us. It's all His. As Job says, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart" (Job 1:21).

Christ knows our nakedness. And if He knows it and loves us anyway, then we should not be ashamed to share it with the world.

The Upper East Side in Leesburg?

It's crazy that Route 50 can take you all the way from the hardcore country to the hardcore city in about an hour.

I went to a baby shower today in Leesburg for a good friend of mine. And Leesburg is on the country-end of which I speak, but it does have some city life to it - from your modern-day Marshall's and Ross to your historic downtown district. I actually go to Leesburg from time to time as my grandmother lives there. But I didn't realize until today how country it actually it is. And how ridiculously nice it is.

I'd been to this house the baby shower was held before. For a wedding reception for the same couple who is now having a baby.

I noticed it was nice then. But I'd only been hanging out outside at the time, around the tiki-torch lit party tent. And I didn't get a chance to see much on the inside.

Today I was inside, surrounded by your upper-class Americans. And they were warm, and friendly, and sweet.

As I made my way to the shower "area" I was immediately taken back by the pristine organization of the party and the extremely intricate details of the planning. The entire thing flowed with her nursery theme and the hosts had even taken paint chips from the couple's baby room to have the letters of the baby name painted on wood blocks to set atop the fireplace, among other things.

Breakfast was offered as a buffet, which served Belgian waffes, sausage, bacon and various fruits, including my personal favorite: kiwi.

A friend had also made cupcakes that were decorated to every sweet-toothed woman's delight, and were neatly set in cupcake holders. Did I mention the buffet was catered with hired help?

There was no professional photographer taking pictures, but her brother-in-law was there for the first half snapping photos with professional gear. He left mid-way to fly to Atlanta to do a "shoot" I later learned. To them, it was "just another gig."

I didn't mention the gifts yet. They were stacked mile-high with different wrapping paper for each. And as the mothers and sister-in-law brought them in, they kept coming, and coming and coming. 

There were so many people there. And my friend, mom-to-be, said she didn't know half of them. I think they are all part of her husband's side of the family, whose parents owned the house.

We took a photo shoot on the stairwell. Need we say more?

Everyone. And I mean everyone (except for maybe one or two), I thought, was dressed to the nines.

Isaac and I are the farthest thing right now from keepin' up with the Joneses so I couldn't relate too well, aside from my love for fashiony things.

But I felt really good today anyway - at peace. And that's a place I haven't been in awhile.

As I looked around this gorgeous, emaculate home, with all the pretty people and pretty things, I thought of the upper east side in New York City. And I felt like we were all there in one of those fancy parties, where a gift from Tiffany's is almost expected. It was fun for a moment.

And I thought...

How could this be? We are 30 minutes from Manassas? LOL.

P.S. - I won the baby game and this was my prize!