High Five for Friday!

We made it!! High five for Friday!!

*I found the idea for "High Five For Friday" through The Small Things Blog.  I am taking part in this "High Five for Friday" reflection each week. Hopefully you will too!* 

My top 5 moments of the week:

1. Working on "business stuff" with Amanda on both Sunday and Wednesday night. Each night we had a planned agenda and accomplished a lot! I honestly didn't think this would be possible; I thought we would have gotten side tracked with talk about other issues and gossip in our lives. But, no! We remained focused and we were determined! It felt so good! 

2. I accomplished a new recipe for dinner on Sunday night. I made a meatloaf for the first time! It's not my favorite meal, but it was brought up in a conversation the night before. After a quick recipe phone call to my mom on Sunday morning, I was ready to go! It was very tasty and my husband requested that I make it again this week! Success!! :-)

3. Canceling my after school club on Tuesday. For a very long time, I felt bad about taking sick days or personal days. I never missed a thing and I never said "no" if asked to be on a school committee. I am finally learning to say "no", to take sick days and personal days, and I even cancel things when I know there's too much going on to balance my life appropriately. Experiencing and living through wedding planning helped me with this important life lesson and I'm finally finding the balance with professional vs. personal life. It's so important!

4. Crossing off everything on my Friday to-do list. I was nervous all day about making sure that I had enough time to travel from one county to another. I was so afraid of getting stuck in traffic with the long weekend approaching. The nail salon was screaming my name and I made it my mission to get there tonight! My eyebrows were disgustingly overgrown and my nails needed a serious makeover from New Years Eve festivities. I love treating myself to these treatments and I go very often, but life took over and I haven't been there in over 2 weeks. I felt SO relieved when I made it there in time. I walked in with my Pumpkin spice coffee and was relaxed within minutes. The knot in my stomach had finally disappeared!

5. Watching an old couple hold hands and help each other up the stairs. I've seen this a lot lately and I just melt inside. I saw it the other day at the grocery store and again tonight at the movie theater. Due to the snow and icy roads, I've noticed how these couples hold onto each other and take care of one another. At the grocery store, the old man was holding his wife's arm tightly as he guided her carefully to the car door. Tonight at the movies, the couple interlocked their arms and walked slowly up the stairs together. It was just precious! I've noticed my parents doing this more and more with each other too. It's just so sweet and speaks to the power of love, the power of forever. 

5 Things I wish I knew 5 Years Ago

As I write this post, I am thirty minutes away from turning 30 years old. I'm entering a new phase of life, and looking back and doing some final reflecting before I jump with both feet into my thirties! I wanted to make a list for my 25 year old self. Things that I wish I would have known five years ago if I would have had the wisdom I have now. If you're in the middle of your twenties right now, you may find my list helpful!

1. You think you know it all. You don't. I have gone through more in the past 5 years than I could have ever imagined. You need to go through the disappointments, the heartache, the job loss, etc. to learn more about the world. Luckily, we grew up during an amazing time. There was no internet, simple television after school, and creative play. As we grow up, we learn that life isn't perfect, but the difficult times in your twenties will set you up to be wiser in your thirties.

2. Trust your gut. It's right. So many times I ignored this. If you're in a relationship that just doesn't feel right, GET OUT NOW. I don't care how much time you've invested, how many of your friends are getting married, how behind in life you'll feel. Don't spend your time with the wrong man. If you aren't happy with someone, be happy without someone. Make yourself happy first. I promise you WILL meet someone new...and someone better for you. So unload the guy who doesn't make you the happiest woman in the world and free yourself up so you can find the guy who can!

3. Stop thinking you're getting old, running out of time, and need to get married because everyone else on Facebook is. Facebook is every girls enemy. If you get a pit in your stomach every time you see another gushing girl's new engagement ring, you have two choices. A.) unfollow their news feed. B.) take a break from Facebook entirely. You have to understand that you are not behind. In fact, you are a smart girl for being careful about who you're getting involved with. Marriage is a serious thing. Of course, every girl has a vision of the white dress and the beautiful flowers, but along with the fairy tale comes a life long commitment. Before you rush to the altar, make sure that the man you want to marry is the right man. Neither one of you should have doubts. If there are doubts, refer to #2.

4. Enjoy this time of your life. I know everyone including Aunt Sue and your long lost cousin Joe tells you that these are "the best years of your life." (Not for anything, people are telling me that now, too.) Aunt Sue and Uncle Joe are actually right. Your twenties are the times where you can have fun without complete adult responsibilities. You're settled in a job, most likely college educated and figuring out what you want out of life. Enjoy late nights out with friends, quiet time with your significant other, shopping by yourself, and seeing the world. Take it all in. The only person you have to worry about is you. You have plenty of time for everything else. Right now is your chance to do you.

5. Learn about the world and make your own opinions. The best part about not having tons of adult responsibilities is that you can explore the world. Travel and experience new places. Take a road trip at the drop of a hat. Hop on a flight to Europe and explore countries that inspire you. Don't let anyone keep you from enjoying your life. Know that some people who claim to be your friends are more like your enemies. Learn about yourself, what you like and what you don't. Make life choices based on what your heart wants, not what anyone else tells you to do.

I truly wish I knew these five points five years ago. Time goes by in a flash. Live every day, love every moment. Take pictures and make memories, but please know you are right where you are supposed to be on this journey called life. Throw your plans away and live life. I promise you, it's all going to work out just the way it should, and you can smile on the eve of your thirtieth birthday, because you know more about yourself on that night than you did just ten years ago...and you won't be able to sleep because you can't wait to see what life has in store for you next.

Goodnight, world. :) xo

Mail

I always have and always will love getting mail. When I was a little girl, I would hear the mail truck go by, and I would run outside to see what the mail man left for us. Usually there wasn't anything left for me. It was always the same old...bills, catalogs and other "junk" for my parents.

As I got older, more and more items would arrive just for me. Magazine subscriptions, small bills, and the occasional card. Now that I'm an adult, I still love to get the mail. Most of my mail is usually bills or junk mail, but I LOVE the week before my birthday. My mailbox fills up with birthday cards, and it's so exciting to get well-wishes from those near and far. 

Today I received three birthday cards. One was from my aunt (and godmother), another was from my best friend Allyson who lives in Florida, and the last was from a very dear friend and her mother. I love displaying my birthday cards on my table in my living room just as a reminder of the people who are close to me.  

Tomorrow is the end of my twenties. My students are somehow well aware of this fact. They commented on it all day, and told me I wasn't too old. I'm sure I'll have a great story to tell tomorrow! 

Apartment style: seasonal decorations

On my way home from work tonight, I stopped into a few stores and quickly noticed that I was bombarded with Valentine's Day decorations. Although I knew that these decorations were on the shelves right after New Year's Day, it seemed like there was SO MUCH. It was almost overkill, but... instead of turning away, I became hooked. 

I scanned every shelf filled with candies, containers, stickers, and cards. I looked and looked and looked. I love Valentine's Day and I love the fun, vibrant colors... reds, pinks, whites. I was determined to find something. Why? I have no clue!

I decorated our apartment with little things that we bought last year and with new items that we received too. My bridesmaids created "seasons" baskets for my bridal shower (filled with decorations and other fun stuff for each holiday in the different seasons). Amanda created me the winter basket filled with Christmas and Valentine's Day goodies! 

So that's my dilemma! I feel the urge to keep buying cute decorations for every holiday. The shelves inside the stores continue to debut the cutest things for each holiday. When do you finally put your foot down with holiday decorations? Do you even decorate for each holiday? I'm interested to hear what happens in other households. Fill me in!! 

Best friends

Dawn and I met tonight at my apartment to discuss our most exciting adventure to date: this blog! 

We spent the night giggling and laughing at one another as we scoured the internet to make this blog just what we wanted.  If you were sitting with us you'd be cracking up with us, or thinking we were nuts!

Regardless, we can't wait to share our plans for the future of 730 Moments with you. In the meantime, go make some crazy plans with your best friend. Aren't those kinds of plans the best?!

Design Night!

At the start of the night, we had a laundry list of items to attack for our new business. We decided that these few hours would be best spent on design factors. A night devoted to redesigning our blog! 

For almost 3 hours, we sat side-by-side in  Amanda's kitchen, hands on keyboards, laughing and mumbling under our breath. 

I was in heaven! We were on a mission! One thing led very quickly to the next and we accomplished signing up for our own domain, choosing a new template design, and we even began creating accounts for social media. Oh, the beauty of the internet! I am SO excited to share this with you all very soon!!

Tonight I was reminded of how lucky I am to have such an amazing best friend and now I can call her my business partner, too! It will be hard for me to sleep tonight because my mind is running with ideas!

Running errands

Today I left work early (meaning I didn't stay long after the kids left; I left on time!) to run errands and to cross a few items off of my to-do list. 

I find it difficult to rush around after work. Do you? Am I the only one that feels this way? Firstly, everyone is on the road with you, attempting to get home as soon as possible. The highway can be a scary place to travel during rush hour! Second, it gets dark so early around this time and it feels much later than it really is. I become much sleepier, especially with the heat pumping in the car! And finally, as soon as I leave school, I dream of going home and changing into comfy clothes. I always tell my colleagues that they wouldn't recognize me outside of school due to my love for sweats! :-)

Running errands after school=coming home during dinner time. I walked into the smell of pasta sauce simmering and my husband in the kitchen. Although I was incredibly grateful that he was cooking, my hunger pangs got the best of me and I immediately muttered "I'm in a bad mood." Poor guy. I HATE when that happens! "I'm sorry for what I said when I was hungry." He understood! Just another reason why running errands after school isn't the best idea for me. Stop procrastinating, Dawn! 

Heading in a new direction

Life is so funny. You begin on your journey, and as you're navigating along your path, you come across obstacles and hardships, as well as incredible moments you'll never forget. Sometimes things in life happen, and we just can't seem to put our finger on the "why." (Try teaching that to a group of third graders who are learning about cause and effect...lol) 

Anyway, I could list about one hundred events in my life that I couldn't explain while I was going through them. There were many moments where you feel like the world is against you. Looking back, though, it all does tend to make sense. 

Through my own life experiences, I have found that even the most devastating moments have led to a better life. I most certainly couldn't see it then, but now I am so thankful that the waves of change crashed into me and pushed me towards better. I'm now living a life that is more incredible than I could have ever imagined. 

The need to document my life through photos

The need to document my life through photos...

I blame it on my parents! My parents raised us (I'm one of 4 siblings) with a camera and video camera in hand. My mom, a stay-at-home mom, was a master at taking photos and video (on what seemed like a daily basis), particularly to show my dad, who worked a lot. He felt like he was missing out on all of the small moments that we experienced throughout the day. So, like any good wife and mom, she documented everything. Everything in my eyes, at least. :-)

Growing up, my sister and I loved sifting through old photo albums and bins filled with our old beta and VHS tapes. We would spend hours filtering through them and watching simultaneously. I remember doing this as early as 8 years old and the habit never died. As my brothers grew up, they also joined in this fascination. We are so lucky and fortunate to have the smallest of our childhood moments captured in pictures- photo or film. My answer to that infamous question: What would you grab if your house was burning down? "MY PHOTOS," I always yell. Nothing can replace them. Nothing. They're priceless and I'm incredibly grateful. 

I grew up echoing my mom's love for documenting our lives in this way. I continued to document my life through photos when she couldn't... all throughout high school and college, after college, and even in my classroom (creating class newsletters around photos). 

Through my love of photos came a new (yet similar) hobby... scrapbooking! Main goal? Finding artifacts about my life that I could save and cherish forever. I have a page in my high school scrapbook filled with movie ticket stubs that my husband and I saw from when we dated in high school. I have scrapbooks for everything! :-) 

My mom taught me to capture the smallest of moments and I now have an obsession with it. I just love capturing memories and holding onto them and I honestly feel awkward if I don't. I cherish the fact that I can relive experiences and reflect on them. I absorb the memories and emotions again, and again, and again. 

That's just another reason for why I LOVE this blog. Capturing a photo of my day and writing about it? Being able to look back and relive it? Yes, please.

This past weekend I celebrated my other best friend's son's 5th birthday. I was snapping away! This upcoming weekend I'll be celebrating Amanda's 30th birthday and you better believe I'll be snapping away! 

My favorite gifts are the most meaningful and they almost always include photos for me to laugh and cry with. My sister surprised me with a photo book on Christmas Day. It's titled "Through My Eyes" and documents my wedding planning journey through her eyes. Every single bit of it. I was blown away. Yes, you guessed right, I was sobbing Christmas morning. My heart flutters when I recall that moment and whenever I catch a glimpse of the book on display. 

I worked on a few projects tonight that centered around photos, which obviously inspired my post. I hope to share more about my hobby/obsession in later posts, too. There are so many projects on my to-do list that I'm looking forward to completing! I'll be sure to document every step of the way! :-) 

Good friends...old friends!

Have you ever had  a person in your life who knows you better than you realize?  Someone who you don't see all the time, but they usually show up just when you need them.  This card came today from a very dear friend, who used to be my dance teacher, and then my boss!  The amazing woman who sent me this birthday card is that kind of person to me.  I live in New York...well....I recently moved to Connecticut, but she lives in Las Vegas.  I haven't seen her in quite a few years, but we keep in touch over email, text, and the old fashioned way.  She always remembers my birthday, and this year is no different.

The card came, and I knew it was from G.!  She always sends cards full of glitter to celebrate, and I couldn't wait to see what was inside.  She wrote me a note full of inspiration and encouragement.  She sent words which said just what I needed to hear today.

Today's post is a little bit short and sweet, but I'm basically thankful for all the people in my life who I love, and who are near and far.  I hope you have someone special in your life like G.  She's a pretty amazing lady.

Have a sparkly night! xoxo

Checklists galore!

Amanda and I had a business meeting tonight about our future endeavors. We will be blogging about them soon and can't wait to share this with you. More than anything, we're excited to hear feedback from you about everything!

I took 8 pages of notes about possible ideas that we will be implementing. We had such great conversation and the ideas flowed seamlessly from one to the next.  It was comforting to know over and over again that we were on the same page. Although this won't happen all the time, I believe it's important to feel this positive energy in the beginning stages of potential business opportunities.

We ended our night with a checklist for our next meeting. We will each come back to the drawing board with proposals for each other. I love that I'm wearing a new hat and trying something different for 2014 and I'm SO lucky to have my best friend by my side. 

Brainstorming

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" --Mary Oliver

What a weekend it was!  It began with my nieces first birthday party, and ended with a brainstorming session with Dawn.  I took a picture of my notebook where all my notes from today's brainstorming session were written.  The two of us were energized with excitement as we discussed ideas for some new creative paths we could take.  

Dawn and I met in college during our freshman year.  From the start, we learned about one another, and the largest thing we had in common was our goal to teach.  As time has gone on, our friendship has only become stronger.  We've been there for one another through thick and thin. We have been the voice of reason when it is needed, and the shoulder to cry on when we felt like things were falling apart before our eyes.  I watched my best friend marry the love of her life this past August, and I can only hope I find a love that is as strong as the love she has with her husband.  Dawn is the one friend I can share anything with, and I honestly can't wait to see where this next step in our friendship goes.  We're quickly becoming creative partners in a new endeavor that is falling into place as I write this!

In the meantime, I continue to learn about what it means to live life and enjoy each day.  Spending time with my niece on her first birthday was incredible.  I look at this new little person who has so many incredible things that lie before her.  She has no idea what is in store for her, but I hope some day to share words of wisdom with her as she grows.  I can't help but to want to encourage my niece to take risks and enjoy life.  Love every moment, and never lose that life-loving belly laugh that she has today.  Keep seeing the beauty in everything she encounters.  Her eyes are so pure that everything is beautiful and new.   I hope she always describes the ordinary things in life as "pretty" like she does now. 

I'm looking forward to the excitement that is in store for this week.  Dawn and I will be doing some maintenance to the blog this week.  Hopefully by next weekend, you'll be reading an updated version of this blog with a design that really reflects who we are.  

Have a wonderful Sunday night!  xo

Positive energy is brewing.

I got home 20 minutes ago, showered, got into comfy pajamas, and here I am writing. I'm determined to continue posting each day, and will not miss my Saturday post just because I was out late.

I came home at 2am with an immense amount of enthusiasm as adrenaline pumped through my veins. I was fueled with this positive energy after meeting with my brother and his girlfriend.  We met for an early dinner at 5:30, grabbed dessert at an awesome bakery, and didn't leave their house until after 1am.  Our night started and ended with discussions about new business opportunities. My brother inspires me in so many ways. He is 26 years old and has started two businesses on his own, launching one as recently as this past week. I promise that he can inspire you too! 

Each of us took turns sharing about careers and new opportunities on the horizon. It's amazing what ideas can come out of good food and good company! I want to bottle the positive energy that I have tonight and save it for the days when an extra burst or recharge is needed.

I am SO motivated to put new ideas into action. My mind hasn't stopped brewing proposals since Amanda and I last met. I'm extremely excited to discuss future endeavors with her very soon and we promise we will share them with you as soon as possible! 

I took a picture of my "left over" bags and boxes because it summarizes our night of great food, great conversation and great energy. 

                              ***

Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals - LL Cool J