lightning

if my 9th grade self were to ask my current self for “advice” this is what I’d say

It’s ok to spend a Friday night at home with your parents

Say yes to random dates even if you’re unsure about it

Always look where you’re driving especially in parking lots

Classical music is good.

Don’t feel weird about inviting yourself places, nobody really cares anyways.

Play the piano more often

DO NOT take chemistry. It’s so not worth it.

It’s going to go by so fast

So take more pictures

And keep a journal

And lay in more fields at night

And spy on people cause it’s funny

And play night games with random people

And go on that trip to California with those girls that kind of scare you

And toilet paper people’s houses that you don’t even know with people that you don’t even know

And go to the knightings even when it’s pouring rain

And skip acro class to figure out the fight with your friend cause that’s more important

Take your dog for more walks

Save your money

You don’t need to have a bunch of friends, just a few good ones

And go to every dance because before you know it it’ll be your last one and you’ll be chanting “senior year” and you’ll be jumping in slow motion and all of a sudden you’re looking at your best friend and you’re crying and you’re both thinking the same thing. “How did we get this old”.

And stop thinking so much

Stop thinking that people are always looking at you

Cause that boy probably isn’t looking at you so stop trying to find him in the mosh pit at the dance

And don’t lie to your best friends

And pray every day and have seminary up the canyon in your friends car

And dance down the hallways every day and always be the people to dance at events when a song comes on even if it results in everyone calling you the “dance company girls” for the majority of your senior year.

And just be kind

You’ll make it. And it will be a hard 3 years but it’ll also be so freaking good. That’s the cool thing about high school I guess. Is that one second you’re crying in your calculus class cause you just failed and the next you’re crying cause you’re laughing so hard.

It’ll be hard

But it’ll be so freaking good.

What’s on my desk

I spend more and more time at my desk these days, doing everything from preparing the family taxes to working on this blog. Because of this, my workspace is constantly changing. Holding the clutter at bay is challenging, so I prefer to keep nearby only a few quality items that serve multiple purposes over a stockpile of things I might never need.

My daily planner

My planner is one of those simple ring binder journals you can pick up from any stationery supplies store. White paper. No ruled lines to cage my venturesome handwriting and doodling. I’m an obsessive note-taker and fill pages to the margins with to do lists, rough sketches, and ideas for blog posts. I usually go through one planner every month.

Staying Organized

Who me? Organized? My husband might tell you otherwise, but I do find it hard to keep track of our weekly schedule. You know: school, swimming, grocery shopping, tidying up, paying bills, remembering appointments and so on. Fortunately, in our house we all pitch in. No one person does everything. But we do have a little secret that helps our day run more smoothly.

Travel Tips

There are millions of tips out there on how to fly with kids, what to bring on camping vacations, which suitcase to buy, where to go and what to see in just about every corner on Earth. What I want to share today is something a little different – something that we discovered last summer during a family hike in the Appalachians.