Day 2 - Blog Exercise

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

Day 02- The meaning behind your blog name
Day 03- A recent picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Tumblr and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Who are you?

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Before I even met Steven, I heard about this "Chuck". Now "Chuck" does not manifest itself in my brain as a particularly attractive person's name. But when I met said Chuck, the stereotype of names was banished from my brain. However, I was glad to find out his name was Steven Charles, and Chuck was a nickname for his last name. I was honored to take on that last name and the nicknames that came along with it.

Day 1 - Blog Exercise

My friend Paige from high school had this on her blog . . . and I thought it was a fun little exercise of sorts. So I'm stealing. Thanks Paige. I think you are fascinating by the way!

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

Day 02- The meaning behind your blog name
Day 03- A recent picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Tumblr and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Who are you?

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DAY 01

1) If I was a boy, I was going to be named Wilbur David.

2) I love, love, love rain.

3) I would rather live in the country than in the city.

4) My husband and I are complete opposites except for the fact that we make each other laugh.

5) After getting my Education degree, I have started back to school THREE different times.

6) I love school.

7) I dream about being a musical theatre star . . . even though I've never done anything of the sort.

8) I get really anxious about really weird things, yet really stressful things don't wig me out at all.

9) I am all mosquitoes' favorite meal.

10) I am about two bad experiences from being an agoraphobe.

11) I love to write, and by the end of November I will have a novel, even if it's god-awful.

12) I'm a control freak when it comes to myself . . . with all else, I am totally laidback.

13) I get along with boys, or girls who act like boys, better than girls.

14) Labels comfort me.

15) I am actually quite organized, but it's all or nothing. If I am overwhelmed with a project and don't have the means to organize it the way I want, then it's a scattered mess and I give up.

Thoughts on Fashion

I have a love/hate relationship with fashion. I love it in the sense that I don't want to wear scrubby ole rags. I want to look nice. I think about clothes. I like the way certain outfits look together. But ultimately, I hate it. I hate that I have to think THAT hard about it. It's a chore, not a hobby.

I hate that I feel like I have to have "a style". I have to be a hipster, of a vintage-lover, or a business chic, or a jock.

My fear of accessories makes me think maybe I have some undiscovered insecurity. I don't want to look like I take myself too seriously, or try too hard. But I never think that about people that wear accessories. I don't know, I just feel clownish, or spotlighted.

My sister and I were talking yesterday about how refreshing it would be if someone got famous and dressed like a completely average Joe. For example, if I was all of a sudden a famous singer, and I kept my same hair cut, I wore my same jeans, and plain ole t-shirts, and tennis shoes at my concerts.

I was also talking to a friend about names. Somehow we were talking about the name "Mary" and how much we liked it. We liked these sheer names. It offers the owner an ability to just be whoever they are . . . not have to fill out a name.

I think that is my problem with fashion. I want to be the main event. Not my clothes, not my name. I want to wear these things, not the other way around. Does that make any sense at all?

I should mention right now I am wearing my Dad's black crew-neck sweater, black tights, and my Mom's tall black Uggs. It is not my finest hour.

The Traditions You Don't Know You Started

It is no secret that my husband is more or less appalled by my eating habits. This poor man is all about the experience . . . and I am about getting food in my stomach in the quickest, cheapest way possible. He has feared since we've been married that nice restaurants on special occasions are lost on me. He has wondered how to make me feel special. I keep telling him "Bring me chocolate."

I should mention if a meal is made in this house involving more than 3 ingredients or the name "Helper" somewhere on the box, it is made by my husband. The past few months Steven has started cooking dinner for us multiple times a week. He gets the groceries, he cooks, we eat. It has been tasty and healthy.

The other day we both came home tired, and Steven actually wanted to order a pizza and watch a movie at home (which rarely happens). Davie was playing with some blocks in the living room floor, when the pizza came. I told Davie it was time to eat. I was going to fix her a plate and bring it to her in the living room so we could start the movie. But when I look for Davie, where is she? The kitchen table, in her usual seat, waiting for us. My heart swelled and broke.

I was so proud of my husband, not just for going the manual labor of cooking us a delicious meal so often when he comes home from work tired, but for making it a priority to sit down at the table together for dinner. You can't know how much Steven and I have butted heads on this issue since we were married. "What is the big deal?!" I always thought. It seemed like he had all these rules about mealtime that I didn't know. My heart broke because without Steven's input this would never be a habit Davie would start on my part. But now that she is expecting it, I wouldn't have it any other way. I realize how important it is to set aside a special time to just enjoy your family and to share something with them.

The Gift of Foresight

I have these crazy vivid dreams. They are usually completely useless, except for the entertainment factor. But last night I had an incredibly compelling dream. It was like all the things that I could call a "curse" or an annoyance in my life I had the option to put up in flames. I had the matches in my hand, it was all planned out. I lit the match and threw it into my house. In my dream I remember thinking this was a good idea. It would be cleansing to be free of all these material things I am supposed to take care of. All that would be left would be me and my loved ones. We could start over. However, as soon as the flames started crawling up the outsides of the house, I started to feel sick. I started to cry. Not necessarily for the loss of these material things, but because I was destroying things . . . all by myself. It wasn't therapeutic, it was wrong. I remember thinking that I would do anything to take it back.

Today it was like I was seeing things through new eyes. We are honestly honored to be able to have two cars to take us where we need to go . . . even if the payments are annoying. We are honored to have this charming little house that Davie has been so happy in even if it is not in our favorite neighborhood. I am honored to have a husband whose only dissatisfaction with me comes from wanting to be closer to me.

Today in an act of symbolism and curiosity, I burned a piece of paper. As I watched it burn I felt that tightness in my chest and the nausea in my stomach, just imagining if my dream last night had been a reality. I reminded myself that this was just a piece of paper. I have a new thankfulness for the little and big blessings all over my life.

I am so thankful for that horrible dream last night. It feels like since I woke up I was given a second chance.

For Documentation Purposes . . .

I have to admit something. Unless you are blood-related to me, I do not read about your children. I love looking at pictures and reading snippets, but I can say that 99% of the time I do not sit and read blogs devoted to what feats your children have achieved. I don't bemoan these types of blogs, after all I have been known to devote . . . well, practically all of my posts, to my daughter. However, I do it knowing that besides her aunts and grandparents, probably no one else is reading.

Therefore I feel the need to preface this post devoted to my daughter's two years of life, with the title "For Documentation Purposes". I want to remember Davie Lucille, the two year old. If you do not wish to read about my magnificent child, I do not blame you . . . okay, I do a little bit.

Davie Lucille Charles is turning two this very Friday. As of today, I have not yet seen a mean bone in this child's body. She is almost always sweet. She is just sweet. She is stoic, yet friendly. She is a loner, independent, but in small groups she loves to dance and sing and laugh. She has a sleeper-style of learning. She is shown something and may act disinterested, then hours, days, or weeks later, does this something expertly. She is kinesthetic. She loves to move, manipulate, and build things . . . then she does it again 37 times for fun. I have seen her comfort crying children and adults either by saying "I'm sorry" for something that is not her fault or by just appearing out of nowhere to hug them. She has the most delightful spirit. It will break my heart into a thousand pieces on the day when I hear her say something ugly to someone . . . right now I feel like that is just impossible and will never happen. Even when she is upset, she is somehow still sweet.

Besides her sweet spirit, she is quirky. She is just quirky. She says, "Oh boy!" when she is trying really hard to do something. She has the longest attention span of any two year old I know, able to do the same activity for hours. She is amazing at puzzles, and all of a sudden can count to five. She is rhythmic . . . since her earliest days. I love that she laughs out of joy instead of saying yes sometimes.

This weekend we are having her second birthday party at Mimi's neighborhood clubhouse and pool. It will be a Yo Gabba Gabba part, because there are fewer things that she loves more in this world than Yo Gabba Gabba. I don't quite know what to expect out of little Davie Lu at her party. She may be a bit of a wallflower depending on how many people are there. But she has a handful of people that she truly deeply loves. She adores her family, from her own parents to her Great Uncle Bob. Her cousin Harper is her very best friend in the whole world. It warms my heart to see them play together just like sisters. Davie also loves all her "uncles" . . . her daddy has lots of friends that come and play with her often, and have really been a lifesaver when we are in need of last minute childcare.

It's funny as a parent to want to be more like your child. I have thought of qualities that I hope she inherits from her father and from me . . . but I never thought that my two year old would have certain qualities that I want to achieve. It is strange to think of her not existing two years ago. I was telling a friend who does not have children yet, that as a parent, I want to know every Davie Lucille Charles that ever has and ever will exist. I want to see her at every age. I want to remember every detail of her infancy, and yet I can't wait to see how amazing she will turn out to be as an adult.

Happy 2nd Birthday Dizz!

a couple of vids . . .

Davie let this one fly while we were playing with the video camera.

This is what Davie does sometimes when she doesn't like my suggestions.

I guess it's clear that Davie wants Yo Gabba Gear for her birthday.