This morning, my dearest Mother nominated me to do the Gratitude Challenge. You know, you've seen posts on Facebook about it, don't act like you haven't. Can't we all just take some time to voice what we're grateful for? 

My immediate response was, "Three things a day? There are way more than three things a day." So instead of changing up my status on Facebook daily, I'm choosing to just make it one, nice, grateful blog and call it good; better than good.

I figured I would make notes, daily, and then on the fifth day write a blog. But, since it's Sunday and I literally cleaned my entire place yesterday, top to bottom, washed all the floors, did all the laundry, I have a few hours to acknowledge some things that I have even come across this morning that I am grateful for. At the end of the week, you better count on me writing about the other things I feel grateful for. 

So, like I just said, I cleaned all day yesterday and after drinking my coffee, eating breakfast and chatting with my Mom, I felt motivated to organize a bit. In my world, there are always things to clean and organize, thanks to my Mom. This cleaning gene is sometimes a problem. ;) 

I came into our guest room and started to go through some things. I love throwing things away. The feeling of getting rid of clutter and making room for things that I actually use and find beautiful is a great feeling to me. One thing that I feel the need to keep, you're going to laugh, because cards are one thing that people often do throw away. Cards! Yes, cards! As many of you know, I'm a sucker for inspiring words and people's ability to show love and appreciation for others. This brings me to the first thing that I am grateful for on this Sunday. 

1. I am grateful for people who have shown me appreciation for my work and care for their children in my life. I came across cards from my Director, Co-Workers and parents that were written to me the week before I left KinderCare back in Wisconsin, before moving to Colorado. My director wrote, "Kelsey, thank you for being a part of my team. You are so creative, organized, caring and have a great sense of humor and positive attitude.  I appreciate all of your hard work, your ability to get along with everyone and all that you bring to the center. We are all so lucky to work with you." The end of one of the cards from one of my infant parents says, "Those kids and families in Colorado don't know how extremely lucky they are to have you. You will be truly missed." I came across the card that all my Co-Workers wrote in and I laughed out loud and you can bet that I got tears in my eyes too. One Co-Worker and friend wrote, "Thank you for being such an inspiring Co-Worker and for all of the help you've done for my teaching abilities. You have taught me a whole new side of positive attitude and living your life to it's fullest potential."  How did I seriously get this lucky, to work with such amazing women in my life? 

Of course, going through things I came across a trillion and one pictures of Joel and I. And now I'm just thinking about how I never print out pictures anymore and that I probably should. 

2. I am grateful for Joel's ability to have such a big heart and not be embarrassed to show his love. From his random post-it notes that I felt the need to keep (because I throw everything away, right?) to all the Birthday, Christmas, Missing you and 'just because' cards he's written to me through the years. If I was asked to explain to you the love I feel for Joel and the love we share towards each other, I don't even know if I could. There are no words. Alright, I'm getting sappy. 

"Lust may ebb and flow, but the friendship and gratitude never should."

I love our life together. Thanks for... just everything.

There are a million others things I am grateful for in this moment, on this day, but I'll refrain and I should probably go take a shower anyways. The last thing is: 

3. I am grateful for our abilities to change as people; to grow over time. Even in the last two years of living in Colorado, I see changes in the person that I've become and am becoming. I find my tastes in style, decorating, music, even my taste buds have done some evolving. I like squash now, you guys! I told my mom this morning that I wish she would have kept everything that I told her I didn't like over the years, or that I thought was ugly, because I probably like it now. I find it so interesting. Oh, life, how you continue to amaze me. 

Hang tight and by the end of the week, I'll have plenty more things to say, I always do. ;) 

Now, why don't you go ahead and acknowledge all the things that you are grateful for. It will make you feel amazing. I know I'm feeling pretty stellar right now, that's for sure. 

"There can be no joy in living without joy in work."

It's my favorite time of year, you guys! The windows are open, it feels like Fall and all I want to do is go buy a new pair of boots and a pumpkin spice latte. I'm choosing to not think about the fact that I'm missing out for the second year in a row on the 'Great Minnesota Get Together', deep fried pickles, giant beers and my favorite ride, "Techno Power" and choosing to think about how amazing the weather is here in Colorado instead. One of my bests is home from San Francisco, back in the Midwest and I can't stop thinking about how badly I want to be there with her. Lets be honest, I've been thinking about home since I've been back on Mountain time. 

Last week I had a serious case of Vacationitis. I had been back in Colorado for a week and felt homesick. Homesick for the first time since I've lived in Colorado. That's almost two years, you guys! Two years here and I have never felt a longing for home like I did last week. If you must know, I feel better now! Between me being gone for a week at work, and my Co-teacher being gone for a week after, my kids were Tasmanian devils and I seriously questioned my profession, every single day after work. I even cried two of those days. I laugh now, as I look back and picture myself in the shower, shaving my legs and crying and Joel walking in and wondering what the heck was going on with me. 

This week's mood, I'll have you know, is right up there, where it usually is; up on the high road, appreciating all life has given me, with a smile on my face. Joel had musician friends in town last week and at this time last Friday, I was getting home from work and locked myself in my room with my cats and laptop and had a serious pity party. Pity City, population 1! I figured, lock myself in our room instead of be a giant bitch brat to whoever I talked to. The Great Gatsby saved me that night, as it usually does. 

With both my Co-teacher and I being back this week, things are slowly starting to get back to normal. I hugged the shit out of her upon her arrival to work on Monday. Every day, I see my new toddlers listening better, using their words instead of their hands and I'm confident that last week was probably the worst, mainly because my kids didn't have the security and consistency of both of us. One of my little boys has cried at drop-off for the two weeks that I was gone and my Co-teacher was gone. We laughed the morning that both of us were back and he came right in smiling. Trust me, little man, it feels good for me too. All feels right in the world again! 

Today was great! Our school was closed to families and was an in service day for us teachers. I slept in, ate breakfast, drank double the amount of coffee and washed my bedding, all before I had to work at 8:30. My Co- teacher and I had a chance to clean our room, without anticipating toddlers waking up every few minutes and I got to focus on putting up new boards. I excitedly asked my director to come look at my finished products and smiled to myself as it reminded me of all the times I would invite my mom into my room when I was little, eagerly showing her the dance I had just made up to my favorite song, or the fact that I learned all the words to a song that I needed to sing to her. My Mom, my favorite audience; I felt so proud. 

I'm ending this post by honoring another wonderful Mother I know. The one who asked my age the first time she met me, who had to make sure that this baby face that I've had since I was two, wasn't a minor down in her son's bedroom. 

I've already told you today, but I'll say it again; you deserve the best day, after helping raise three crazy Kachel boys and continuing to love them and their significant others. I imagine I'll be calling you for help someday, with my insane, ADD, ADHD children. 

Happy Birthday, Diane!

 

Every Day Was Wonderful.

Welcome home to myself and cheers to being back on mountain time. I was just thinking to myself that I felt so much more motivation to blog back home in Wisconsin and felt overly inspired but had less time to actually do so. I'm loving all the reactions, hugs, cheers and high fives I've gotten regarding my last post. To say that Joel and I are ecstatic about moving home into a house. to call our own. is one solid understatement. Oofta! 

The last ten days back in the Midwest were dreamy. Yes, I said dreamy and no not specifically because the majority of my thoughts were day dreams of living in the house I grew up in and remodeling it and filling it with children but that's accurate. Let me tell you friends, I have baby fever. There are so many ridiculously awesome and adorable babies filling my life. I'm reminding myself every day to just enjoy the days with Joel and that we have the rest of our lives to procreate and lets just enjoy our friend's babies for now. The times that we are naked and giving each other massages to spa music, are times we tell ourselves we wouldn't want to go comfort a crying baby. 

After a 15 hour drive that I slept through entirely, we made it to Durand, Wisconsin and the first person we saw was my sister in law and her new puppy. Intending to catch up on sleep before even setting up our tent, we laid in the sun and caught up on life but never on sleep. As my close friends and our families filed into the land, I was like a five year old on Christmas morning, cheesing from ear to ear. That night, I also found out that I'm not only going to be an Aunt for the first time, but I'll be an Aunt to a little boy, who I hope learns all his dance moves from his Dad, my hilarious Brother. 

After an amazing weekend cathing up with my girlfriends, playing flip cup with water (because that's what you do when you're 26 and refuse to be hung over the following morning) endless laughs, a perfect weather river float and too much delicious food, the weekend I wait for all summer long, came to an end. And it couldn't have been a more perfect way to start my ten day long vacation, where summers are the absolute best. 

 

Before Joel and I even came home, we agreed that a trip to Valley Fair was quite necessary, partly because that last time I had been there, I had braces and I couldn't remember the last time I indulged in Dippin' Dots a couple times in one day. Conveniently, my girlfriends had already planned a date to go and it worked out for us to be at their sides. We couldn't have asked for a better day, weather wise and we even got stuck on a ride, but only for a few minutes. Joel and I ended that day with a send-off dinner at his Grandparent's house for his Cousin who just moved to London for the next year and a half. Eating delicious food and sitting on the grass, blowing bubbles and sharing funny conversations about 'the secret ingredient' in the bubble mixture, it's times like those that I feel lucky that I'll be marrying into the family someday. I chuckle to myself each time I've said that in conversation the last couple days because, hey! I can now. I'm not being crazy. Being with someone for over five years and already having gone to look at rings with them, I can say that and not be a crazy female. ;) 

I visited the Early Childhood center that set the bar high for me. The amazing management and co-workers that I had there all turned into family and I was devastated to leave them but at the time, was excited for our adventures in moving our life to Colorado. I saw kids that are now three that I had in the older infant room prior to leaving. I saw one little girl I used to babysit and hugged her way too tight after she shoved her chair back, threw her crayon down on the table and came right over to me as I walked into her Pre-K class, in hopes to see her. I sang "Happy Birthday" to a former co-worker, gave lots of hugs and feel confident that I want my job back there, upon returning home and of course, I'm bringing my babies there someday. "I will hire you back tomorrow if that's what you want," was a sentence that made me even more excited to move home. 

Last year, Joel's Aunt had the wonderful idea of each of the grandchildren having a designated month to do something special for their Grandma. Our month was August and could not have worked better, us both being home for a little over a week. Joel and I picked up his Grandma, spent the day catching up, eating lunch and filling her in on our life plans all while enjoying life's natural beauty at the Minnesota Arboretum. I can't even tell you how beautiful it was, you guys. The colors! Ah! I live for that stuff! 

I would imagine Spring there is insane. I couldn't stop thinking about how great it was for us to spend that one on one time with his Grandma and how badly I wanted to go back during every single season and take an obnoxious amount of pictures of the Crab Apple Tree field. 

We also made a trip to Vino in the Valley, which is the cutest little vineyard between two valleys in Wisconsin. We drank delicious wine with my parents and my Brother's Godfather and his wife, ate amazing food, listened to great music and witnessed two hot air balloons, filling up and taking off. 

We ended our trip home with a celebration at the cutest wedding venue you've ever seen. 

At the rehearsal, I said to Joel that I thought the venue was perfect and "Hmm, would Kevin and Kristen mind if we got married there, as well?" Unfortunately, the venue closes down by 10:00PM and I would like to avoid having the same exact wedding photos as our family, so we'll be looking elsewhere. It was a fun thought.

Congrats to Joel's Brother, Kevin, and his new Wife, Kristen. Aside from the scalding hot sun during family photos, the day couldn't have been more perfect. 

We love love.

Yep, I want to get married now.

Home Sweet Hudson

I can't believe I haven't taken the time to thoroughly fill you in on Joel and I making the move back home to the Midwest. I know I mentioned it briefly in my last post but went into no details whatsoever. Shame on me! 

If you are one of my close friends or family members, in the last week you've heard this story, perhaps a few times, so bare with me here. My Dad has been talking about retiring now for the last couple years, knowing when he was going to be able to do so. Both my parents are from small towns farther in Wisconsin. They are the only two, between both families that ventured away and made home in Hudson, Wisconsin, right on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, literally on the border, happily alongside the St. Croix River. Being the outspoken child that I am, I've always told my Mom and Dad, jokingly, but not really, to just give Joel and I the house. My mom always laughed and told us, "yeah right" while my Dad never said much, because the possibility wheels were turning. Recently, my Dad has said that he's been crunching some numbers and mentioned to us that once he retires, the house can be ours. No, they aren't giving us the house, we will be paying it off over time. Anyone who knows Joel and I, knows that our professions, are ones we aren't in for the money, by any means and that we can't save money to save our lives. Truthfully, we would be spending the rest of our lives saving money to buy a house. This way, my parents don't have to remodel and put time and money into changing things around the house in order to sell it (we plan to do some remodels at some point) and we don't have to go through all the time and stress one puts in through the process of buying. They will continue to get income from us to put towards anything new with their house, payments, whatever. I'm laughing because I don't even know buying and selling house terms and thank the sweet lord baby Jesus that honestly, I don't ever have to. This is one area that I will happily avoid during my years of 'becoming an adult.' Get out of jail free card? 

Being home and being surrounded by our friends and family, seeing the house that we plan to start our family in and it's amazing location, makes us want to speed up our life a little and that is a thought I'm telling myself to throw out the window, there's time. We walk around the house; inside, outside, the backyard, the front yard and talk about all our plans and then we just jump up and down like children hug and are so happy. We feel so blessed. 

Now, our move home won't be for another year and half, two years, so, Colorado friends, fellow employees and employers, don't fret. We'll make the most of our time together while we still have it. I know there will come a day when I will be driving down 94 and I will frantically look left and then right and see no mountains. I know the sunsets and sunrises won't compare, simply because there aren't mountains in front of them. I will appreciate our time out West and the oppurtunities it gave us as a couple to grow together and be thankful of our ability to move our life 17 hours away from all the people we love, to somewhat show us how blessed and appreciative we should be towards them. I've learned to drop the tendency to compare, but in all reality, there is no need to; the mountains are breathtaking and beautiful but they just don't compare to the love and closeness you feel from friends and family and the familiarity of home. I can't stop thinking about how happy I am that my kids get to have the childhood that I had, be close to the things that I was so lucky to be close to, and literally grow up inside the walls that I grew up in. 

My heart feels so full, you guys!