Photo of the Day

Some people consider dandelions to be weeds, but I think they're beautiful!

Covet List - Accessories Edition

 

1.) french connection solar clutch
2.) anthropologie expedition obi belt
3.) leather feather headband
4.) kate spade riley sunglasses
5.) orla keily boulevard big zip
6.) chainchainchained little scissors necklace
7.) uo lightweight socks

Photo of the Day

George and I are homebodies. We enjoy watching movies on the couch, and hanging out. I like to mess around in the kitchen. But Noah cannot be contained when the weather is warm (and we don't want to contain him either). He gets giddy when he wakes up and sees that it's a sunny day because he can go OUTSIDE! We went out the other day to kick a bouncy ball around. Those are the types of days where everything becomes worth it!

Brave

I've never really been a brave person. Sure I've survived through difficult situations, but at the end of the day I will always choose the route that requires the least amount of conflict. I choose not to be a bother to someone else, even when I'm encouraged to feel that I am not a bother. I have ideas that I fear executing because I don't want to be judged by others. I also worry that I will not live up to my own expectations.

These issues are admittedly crippling. It's also behavior that I must discourage myself from exhibiting in front of Noah because I want him to believe in himself and his dreams.

So in my effort to break free, I decided to create my own Mighty Life List so I can begin to work on myself. In order to complete a lot of these things on my list I have to be brave. While I am relishing the thought of experiencing and learning the things on my list, I have an ultimate goal. I want to be able to love myself unconditionally.

While I understand that creating this list is just the first step, I am looking forward to crossing items off the list, and will keep track of it. I believe that all of these bullet points are achievable, and will contribute to my quest of fulfillment. 

• take 500 pictures with a digital SLR
• write daily for 1 month straight
• take George and Noah to Israel
• make a hand-blown glass mug
• visit all 50 states
• bake 100 new things
• all girls road trip
• wine in Napa
• start a pottery business
• create the family recipe book
• go on that honeymoon with George
• do 100 over-the-top things for other people
• master an ancient technique
• finish remodeling and re-decorating the house
• take a trip to the rainforest
• make a quilt from the baby clothes
• be able to donate a large sum to a worthy cause
• be financially comfortable
• run a marathon
• plan a retreat
• go on a full-day hiking adventure
• take a cooking class in France
• be comfortable with myself when I dance
• wear a bikini to the beach
• create a photo book of the sunrise and sunset
• spend a week without a car
• speak Hebrew fluently again
• write a novel
• find a female mentor
• introduce Noah to good seafood
• throw a party for a huge celebration
• have another child
• write a letter to my English teacher
• take a creative writing class
• maintain a vegetable garden for a full summer
• help build a home
• spend a week in a cottage on the beach
• quit this career
• read a book under a lilac tree
• pick 50 different fruits with Noah
• practice yoga
• give a heartfelt toast at a wedding
• paint something I would want to hang on my wall
• go fishing for the first time
• make my own journal (learn bookbinding)
• regularly recycle
• learn how to cartwheel
• plant a tree
• draw a portrait of Noah
• finish the degree
• Argentina in the Winter
• overcome my fear of riding a bike
• give George the window seat on a cross-Atlantic plane trip
• go kayaking
• make homemade ice cream
• drive a tractor
• learn how to drive a stick shift
• take a mudbath
• get buried in sand
• learn the names of the constellations
• tea in Japan
• meet a president
• front row at a cavs game
• be part of a book club
• bake for a bake sale
• gather eggs directly from a chicken coup in a basket
• explore the New Seven Wonders of the World
• ride a horse again
• volunteer at an animal shelter
• ride on a hot air balloon for gram
• learn how to use a letterpress
• view a play on Broadway
• own a sewing machine and sew a dress for myself
• soak in a claw foot tub
• buy something large at an antique shop
• teach Noah how to read
• take a women's studies class
• take 100 public tours in Ohio
• tile a floor by myself
• catalog a media collection
• go see a movie alone
• learn 200 new games
• cook rissotto
• learn how to dive
• solve a difficult math problem
• become encouraging of other people's dreams
• design a textile
• find a perfect shade of lipstick for me
• be able to cook 200 different soups successfully
• carve a toy out of wood
• throw a football far and accurately
• discover my own religious beliefs
• take a surfing lesson
• work on a ranch for a day
• take a tour of castles in the UK
• jury duty
• save 6 months worth of salary
• take a mediteranean cruise
• host a formal dinner party
• go meatless for a month

Aba

My father's parents were Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel after the war. They helped build up the land into a thriving, rich country. My grandparents own a farm with turkeys and cows and olive trees. They make their living off of hard work, nourished by a very stubborn dessert earth.

My father was raised to work hard and love your family. He was taught how to cook food, milk cows, and value an education. He knows how to make eggplant delicious 500 times over. He also knows what it's like to relax after a long day, and laugh at jokes at family gatherings.

When my mom and dad got married they tried to live the life that my grandparents started. But it wasn't for them. My mom grew up in the states and missed the conveniences of home. So they packed their bags and two small children and moved here.

Miles away from where he grew up, my father created an environment in our home that was similar to how he grew up. He fiercely loves his family, and believes that hard work will get you far in life. He works two jobs, and takes care of my mom, and her mother. He looks forward to phone calls from my sister and me. He is a very proud man.

I am looking forward to instilling the values passed down from his parents to my son.

I call him Aba, and today is his birthday. I hope he has a fantastic day! I love him very much.

Town

We did not anticipate children when we first decided to move to this town. We got a great deal on the house and it was convenient to the freeway. But through the years and different life events, we have become smitten. This small town features a 50s vibe where children ride their bikes up and down the street and residents walk to work every day. I call it Pleasantville and was incredibly freaked out by it when we moved in. You can't really find it in too many places these days, but at this point I am truly smitten.

Things I enjoy

I think along with having a growing list of my quirks, I am going to maintain a running list of things I enjoy.

• ice cream
• flowers
• sleeping in
• a cool breeze on a hot day
• lemonade at the fair
• a road trip
• family dinner night with other couples
• taking pictures of the kid
• a trip to target for new reason but to spend some cash
• cozying up under a blanket
• good red wine
• an evening, a dvd, a couch, and a husband
• choosing pictures to hang and hanging them
• daydreaming
• turning nothing into something
• baking from scratch
• following a recipe with good results
• creating lists

Photo of the Day

Having Noah around forces us to spend a lot of time outside when it's warm. Fun!

Photo of the Day

When the summer time comes I anticipate many days running around outside shoeless, enjoying the feeling of the earth below.

Commiserating

Right now the city of Cleveland is crying. My city, the one I was raised in has been defeated yet again. This is a story that is told over and over again multiple times a year for various teams within the community. This is a city that is used to the drink of sorrow over another loss. It's the same story, different year.

Right now I am focusing more than ever on improving myself. I am working toward becoming the person I truly want to be. I am determined to change my path and grow along the ways.

This all seems familiar. For the past few years I've witnessed the team suffer immense defeat, only to be swept up in the optimism of a fresh new season the following Fall. Despite the loss, the team comes back feeling rejuvenated and confident. A few months after an immense failure, the city starts awakening, and people start to cheer again.

That is an inspiring aspect of being on the losing end. The losing side has felt the raw emotions of disappointment, and yet they come back as determined as ever to turn it around and better themselves. Wherever there is a loss there is a chance for improvement, and despite the fact that expectations may be broken again, those expectations are not faltered.

I dislike watching a team that I have grown to respect throughout a season of watching them play loose. I would much rather see them figure out their issues and win, though at the same time that defeat is what humanizes those guys who this city is so in awe of. I can't wait for next year when hope is restored and the growth begins.

Though I hope my growth will begin sooner than the Fall, I feel inspired right now to pick up my pieces and put them together in a way that makes sense to me. My life is very good right now, but I still don't feel like I am a winner, and I need to change that just like this city.