The Day In Still Lifes

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair." | Khlil Gibran

Although, she's rarely still outside.

Joel is in the mountains with his best friends from high school. I'm so happy they were able to make a trip before we move back East. (photo credit to Joel or one of his buddies)

My Mom sent me this picture of her and my Dad. They are on Vacation with my Aunt and Uncle. (photo credit to either my Aunt or Uncle)

 

My name is Oscar and I get drunk.. off sleep.

Just being hilarious.

Everything is better in a mason jar.

And lets not forget about my ridiculously cute Nephew who is two months old (and two days).

(photo credit to either my Brother or Sister In Law-- probably my Sister In Law) ;)

Gosh, I just love pictures. 

Whoever invented the camera is brilliant. 

Love is

Love is a new Nephew; his perfectly round face, smile and little baby coos and sounds that come out of him. 

Love is art, museums, and holding hands while walking through them. 

Love is a cozy home to call your own, sunshine, a fireplace that you can rearrange with, and plants and animals that give our lives a little more life. 

 Love is learning to remind yourself of the things in life that you feel thankful for.

I love fringe too much and I wear clothes that say my Boyfriend's name.

You guys, it was 75 degrees the other day. 75 degrees! In January! I thought I was being Punk'd. I was hot in just my work polo and my class ate their afternoon snack outside. In January! I couldn't get over it. I went home and sat outside with my cats for a solid hour and a half and after, thought to myself, "It's 5:45 and it's not dark yet. This is amazing." The fur babies got a good brush, I was playfully bitten by a toothless mouth and then I put lipstick on because I was excited.

This is what 75 & sunny in January looks like.

 The amazing Colorado weather isn't the only thing that has me excited lately. After a little over a week of being away, Joel returned home from his Florida tour and with presents. 

Not pictured: a pair of sweat pants to match his from 'The Original' Ron Jon Surf Shop, which I have yet to capture a picture of. Maybe if you're lucky, we'll take one together, because, yes, we are that couple. Sweat pants, that I've already spilt bacon grease on a mug to add to my ever-growing collection, a quote to hang on the wall, which Joel says are his thoughts, completely, even when he's on tour, and Minnetonka Moccasins. Could my Boyfriend know me any better? I think I'll marry him. 

As of January 12th, I am an Aunt. Before January 12th, I never knew what it felt like to love somebody I haven't met. I, still, a couple weeks later, just stare at pictures of him. Technology, this is when I appreciate you most. Since January 12th, I now think I have officially seen the cutest baby. I'll think this until I have my own someday, I'm sure, mainly because they'll be just that, my own. I anxiously awaited the birth of my Nephew, texting my Sister in Law everyday, literally, everyday, asking if there was a baby yet. I cannot wait to be back home and be able to see and spend time with and make this awesome little human smile and gut laugh, to see my Brother as a Dad. My nephew is the cherry on top of life right now and I long for the day to finally meet him and squeeze him and litter him with kisses. 

Johnny Appleseed.

best friend visits Colorado: 4 days

Ben Howard concert: 8 days 

Lana Del Rey at Red Rocks: 102 days 

(this is worth a count down)

the closing of our Colorado chapter: 122 days 

These countdowns sure do give me butterflies. 

 

I literally Googled "How to get yourself out of a funk" last night. 

I sat on my couch, Joel in the other room, giving me my space like the smart man he is, and I read to myself, taking mental notes and then found laughter in what I was doing. We all have days or weeks that you're feeling funky, you're in a funk, things that don't usually annoy you, make you want to cry or just drive and not stop for anything but maybe a salted caramel mocha. Well, I am in funky town, people. And I'm not talking about the place that Lipps Inc. sung about in 1980.

I don't know what it is, but it has taken me over. I have always had a hard time with this. I am an emotional person, but can usually put bad moods into perspective. Right now, negativity is on me like white on rice. And I don't have the answers to why. But chocolate does sound amazing so perhaps I need to look at my planner. Ladies, who's with me? While reading up on how to kick this bs in the tush, I realized that I should probably blog. This was one of the things in the article to destroy a funky mindset. It's been a bit since I've blogged last. The classic phrase of, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" really does ring true. Usually, if there's a lull or a nice, long break in posts, this is probably the conversation I'm having with myself. Do I blog about my thoughts and feelings, with a chance of making people in my life uncomfortable or possibly a little hurt; Make them wonder if it's them that motivated a blog post of mine? Or do I just not write down my thoughts at all? There's your answer. 

The other weekend, I had someone in my life, bring up a time I had hurt them. In middle school. In middle school. I can't stand those years and have a hard time being sensitive to such undeveloped, terribly immature brains, even though I know I was there. I was an awful 14 year old. I felt bad, I apologized but that wasn't enough. I didn't even remember the situation that was brought to my attention, but it obviously hurt her enough to mention it to me in our twenties. I was disgusted at the fact that I hurt this person so much that, as a grown woman, an adult, she felt the need to belittle me, to say something hurtful, to 'get back at' me for something that was said during our middle school days. After my apology for how immature I once was, I quickly realized that the conversation was going nowhere and that a good click of the 'defriend' button, was the best choice. Although, I felt bad for the past, the fact that she came off as immature and hurtful as she did, as an adult, well, I by no means have room for someone like that in my life, even if they are just an acquaintance on Facebook. I like to think that I've done a lot of growing and maturing since middle school and I am nowhere near who I was then. Joel and I have talked various times about how we think we will parent our children some day. I know I will be the more disciplinary one and one hundred percent, he will be the more sensitive one, the more understanding one, mainly during those lovely teenage years. We would hate to hear that our child was bullying or disrespecting others, or not being accepting of people's differences. Mine and Joel's conversation came a day before this woman had mentioned how I had hurt her. I felt so bad about hurting someone's feelings to the point where she was thinking about it 12 years later and if I could go back and change things, I would. But that's just not how life works, is it? 

It reminded me that all I can do, is live from this point on, the best that I can. I can try my best to accept that people are different and at times, people can change and do, for the better. I've also realized in my life lately, that some people aren't understanding of people's differences. There are adults in this world and in my life that still judge and still talk down about how people live their lives differently. I, for one, feel confident about who I am and how I live my life. I blog about things in my life that I find funny, interesting, beautiful, things that make me feel good. Blogging, in itself, makes me feel good. I do it for me. And as adults, aren't we supposed to lift each other up and encourage each other to continue to do things that make us happy? We aren't supposed to discourage each other because we live our lives differently. 

At the grocery store this morning, I had a number of strangers smile at me, I had various workers ask me if I was finding things alright, I even had a man at the check out, who let me go ahead of him, when he had about half the amount of groceries that I had. I left, still in my funk, but feeling better. I came home to someone who kisses me and loves me, even when I'm a giant brat and now you're listening to my thoughts. Strangers, friends, you're listening. You're listening to me slowly put myself in a better mood. If you are, by chance in a funky mood yourself, go to the grocery store smile at a stranger, give someone a compliment, listen to "Funky Town" by Lipps Inc. and then get out of that place. 

Listen to me, because I started this post in a worse mood than I'm in right now.

Happy First of November, friends! 

Everything about Fall rocks my socks off. Although, I'm not currently wearing socks, like you would think at this time of year. I long to be cuddled up, wearing wooly socks right now. Yes, friends, it's been in the 80's. 87 degrees today, to be exact. What is up with that? This girl is ready and wanting Fall, needing Fall. I want to be in a sweater with the windows wide, not turning our AC back on. 

Cheers to the freakin weekend! My goodness. I said to my Co-teacher today, "If there was a sixth day of this, I don't think I could do it." I also asked everyone yesterday if there was a full moon, because my GOSH, are my kids nuts today. I live for my weekends. What would I do without them? Praise the lord, it's the weekend.

Last weekend was a wonderful time, celebrating love. Beautiful, Fall, full of love, gosh, you guys, that's my jam. Joel and I flew home and made the, almost four hour, trip to Wisconsin Dells with his family for his Cousin's wedding. The last time I was at the Dells, I think I was like four? Maybe six? And I was on a dragon roller coaster ride and I was laughing so hard, I couldn't even bring myself to wave at the video camera someone in my family was holding. Hilarious. Lets take a minute to thank everyone who took home videos! And to those who still do! The conversation has come up multiple times lately, about how in this generation, nobody prints pictures off. Everyone takes videos, yes, but I'm talking pictures. When I was home over Christmas, my girlfriend said, "When Sloane grows up I'm going to have to say something like, 'Honey, when you were young, we had something called SnapChat and we have videos of you, but they're floating around in space somewhere, they didn't save to any of our phones.'" Joel thinks we need to print pictures off, at least of our life here in Colorado. We purposely bought a nice little mumble, jumble of frames last week, or one frame made into a cluster, simply to motivate us to print off some great moments we've shared. I said, "Well done" to a girlfriend about a week ago, in regards to a baby photo album I saw sitting on her coffee table. "Good job at actually doing this. I loved looking at photo albums of myself as a baby. Nobody does this anymore!" Cheers to those that still do this. I'm going to be that Mom that's always taking pictures of her kids. I mean, you guys know me with my cats right now. Imagine me with babies. 

I appreciate being able to fly, so much. The ability to just fly home for a weekend, a short, sweet weekend, well, that's something. We had lots of laughs and spent quality time with Joel's parents and extended family at the inside water park and all weekend long, actually. We spent time with his brothers and their wives and both Joel and I got to know his cousins a little more. I love spending time with family outside of holidays. It's just the opportunity to spend that time aside from just holidays. And who doesn't love a wedding? It was fun to be involved with such great people and, oh man, do I look forward to the day that I'm a Kachel and I get to be in the photo entitled, "The Kachel Wives." It makes me smile just thinking about it. Come our wedding day, I will be the last one to turn Kachel, until the day when one of our boys, gets married and turns some other lucky lady, Kachel. Life is so great to day dream about, oofta. I saw Joel's Mom, naked. Did I say, we had many laughs? We danced to Taylor Swift and many other beats and ate probably 6 cupcakes each, then left a trail of frosting back to our hotel room, literally. We saw so many beautiful, seriously, breathtakingly amazing looking trees filled with leaves of maroon, fuchsia, red, orange, you name it, it was that color. Ah, Fall, I want to be on you. We had great company from both sets of our parents the day after the wedding, over wine at a winery in Minnesota and I bought a super comfortable scarf that I realized was Broncos colors after the fact, but hey, I didn't return it. I giggled to myself, thinking how often I relate everything to sports colors. I refrain from decorating anything in my classroom yellow and purple because I won't have Vikings colors in my room. Green and gold! I'm going off on so many tangents tonight. Back to the weekend greats, we spent the morning of the day we flew home, with my girlfriend, her boyfriend and their baby who isn't even a baby anymore! You know when your friends have kids and they do such a good job at being a parent and you feel so proud and happy about it? That was me. Working with kids and seeing it all, I greatly appreciate the ones who do it right. Then again, is there really a right and a wrong way? Well, that's different for everyone, and is a whole other post entirely. It was amazing to just be in their company, eat breakfast and put colored links on and off and on and off Sloane's little wrist as bracelets, after she says, "Help, please," which is really, "ha peas" over and over. Weekend highlights in pictures, ready, go!

Like I said, "Short and sweet." So sweet.

This weather just makes me want to watch Hocus Pocus.

I'm laying down in my back yard and I'm wondering what in the world I would do without my weekends. A weekend is exactly like a good night's sleep; relaxing, recharging, calm. Unless you drank Zquil before going to bed, than your nights are filled with mind boggling dreams and appearances of all the men you've been with in the past, not the current one you love. 

So many times this year, Joel and I have sat in our backyard together and talked about how we got so lucky with our place. We think, "What a perfect 'first time' place for us... we'll never again be so lucky... I could just live out here... psithurism is my most favorite sound in the world." 

I don't think I would appreciate my weekends if I didn't spend 40 hours a week with insane, hilarious, potty training two year olds, that are literally like the energizer bunny. I kid you not, they run laps around my room at 7:30 in the morning and good thing I've had my coffee! "Friends, lets use our walking feet over to the circle time carpet and read some books!" I'm thankful of my ability to turn anything into a song and make everything ten times more exciting and inviting.

I have to say, the only thing cramping my style right now, is Olive to my left, scratching and very aggressively trying to open the door on her own and join me outside. Dear Olive, when you make the choice of trying to burrow your way under the fence and make an escape, you go right inside, love. I trust that you won't attempt it next time you're out. Love, your Mama whose just teaching you boundaries.

This weekend we ventured to the mountains for the 20th Annual Oktoberfest in Breckenridge. It was our third year in a row and I cannot believe my two year anniversary in Colorado is coming up, and quick! We made too much coffee and left the house by 7:30 yesterday and hit no traffic whatsoever. We were already winning. We drank bier out of steins bigger than my head and enjoyed German Music as well as a handful of German chants and bier chugging only for a second. 

 

 I learned this weekend, friends, that I am fine with getting old older. After a stroll through the craziness of Main Street, we finished our biers, hopped in a gondola and ventured 12,998 ft. and played some mini golf on top of a mountain. Upon stopping back to the hotel and eating five pieces of pizza, we went to bed at 9pm. 9pm, you guys! I woke up this morning at 5:55 and felt like a million bucks. I felt like a million bucks because I had probably 4 biers yesterday and I am so cool with that. I am so cool with not drinking a lot and going to bed early. If this is what "getting old" is, "old" is what I want to be when I grow up! Wait, what?

 Joel and I have already decided to make it a point to come back out to Colorado every year for Oktoberfest, even once we move back to the good ol' Midwest. It somewhat marks a different chapter in our life together, maybe the second chapter, and it's a time to remember and a time that we've thoroughly enjoyed the last three years in a row. The changing colors in the trees on the drive there, well, that's something in itself. 

Needless to say, it was a relaxing very grown up weekend and time well spent with friends I hadn't seen in far too long, and my love, who I had been without for a little over a month. Yes, you read that right; a month! A month without kisses is far too long. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers to Fall, Bier, reunions and getting older! 

 

Today, I am thankful for green tea and honey. 

I am thankful for beautiful weather. 

I am thankful for Joel's green thumb, and enjoy taking over for him when he's away. 

I am thankful for a delicious smelling house. 

It's not November but it doesn't matter. 

What are you feeling thankful for today?