Most simply described, I am a multi-tasking mama, one that my sweet husband of five years {Blaine} would elaborate upon as a bit compulsive and more than a bit high-maintenance. On my best days, I am an overachiever actually achieving a thing or two maybe even with a little serenity, and on my worst, I am an overachiever on drugs….quite possibly {and knowingly} scaring those that step in my path to the Ultimate Achievement {why is this beginning to sound a bit like the opening of an AA meeting and what exactly is Ultimate Achievement??}. I am not crafty, but I am “concepty.” In other words, I can see an idea, mold it to work well in our little world and then commission my incredibly talented mom to create. I love to read, like writing {see the About My Life portion of this post}, love shopping and traveling, enjoy cooking and baking for my family. I love to talk {see About My Career section of this post}, embrace volunteering for organizations I believe strongly in and above all love making memories with family and friends.
Logan Grows Up – A New Name
B and I have a preciously precocious {ever notice how closely those two words resemble one another?} two-year-old daughter, Logan Elizabeth or LE as my sis named her. She is the originator of this blog, as it is a simple and fun way to share photos of the Peanut {another nomenclature we often use deemed upon her by my other sis} with our friends and family. After nearly two years in the blogging world, I've realized this site has evolved into a bit more of a creative outlet for me. And though aforementioned sweet hubby will frequently give me a hard time for utilizing this site as my soapbox, I love writing and find this a wonderful place to do it. {Case in point - He is driving the car as I write this and he just pointed out that this is not a post…it is a novel}. I don't claim to have anything overly earth shattering to say {which is why I am not a highly acclaimed, wealthy author}, but I do love to string words together from time-to-time. My friends and family claim to like reading these words. They may just say due to the obligations of familial ties. The blog was originally titled “Logan Grows Up,” but I realized recently that additions to our family may one day feel a bit left out if only our family blog was only named for our first-born, thus the New Year 2011 name change.
My Past
I was raised in a Christian, conservative home as close to idyllic as the typical American family gets these days - a little bit of Cleaver, a little bit of Cosby. My mom and dad raised three very independent, opinionated daughters, spread over a nearly 11-year span. I'm the oldest of the three sisters and most definitely fit the birth order mold. I have followed the most traditional paths - I was a bun-headed ballet dancer through my childhood and college, finding discipline, self-confidence, travel opportunities and most importantly deep friendships as a result. Unlike my middle sis {who went on to dance professionally until her recent retirement}, I realized I had not the necessary passion or raw talent for professional performing, so I graduated from Florida State University {Go Noles!} with a degree in English/emphasis on Creative Writing {though I argued with my mom that that wasn't what I should do…she was right, I was wrong…the nursing career I thought I wanted is actually in the future for baby sister, not me}. I immediately and in the way the early 2000s allowed, seamlessly entered the workforce at a large marketing agency and my love of public relations began. My dad always deemed me to have the "gift of gab" and I managed to put it to good use. A few years after graduation, I married my college sweetheart and after a spoiling honeymoon abroad launched into Life.
Within months of our marriage, we both changed jobs. I departed hospitality public relations for a stint in sales and B found his calling in the world of bean-counting and thus went back to pursue a second college degree. We bought our first home {in the height of the market, I might add} and set a precedence to above all enjoy the Life we'd been handed {often seemingly on a silver platter}.
Today, I am still a multi tasker to the Nth degree, but after the birth of our sweet girl in 2008, I quickly realized that Good Mama was the title I most wanted on my business cards. I also knew in my heart that that didn't mean just one title on those business cards. Many moms {my own is the perfect example} are wonderful at full-time motherhood, but honestly I crave a little professional time in the industry I hold so dear. Luckily, God and fate, Blaine and Peanut, my incredible family and a dear friend have enabled me to create what on many days is the perfect balance. I still work in the intriguing, fast spinning world of public relations for a small agency owned by aforementioned friend. I have amazing clients and the flexibility many moms only dream of. I work hard for said clients, love what I do during working hours and make income to support my shoe habit {a new pair of Kate Spade heels make me as excited as a teenage boy taking his car out for his first solo spin}. Most importantly, I still get to spend the coveted toddler years with LE, trying to be Super Mommy & Wife. I aspire to be a little bit Martha, a little bit Oprah {though Kitty Kelley’s Unauthorized Biography that I am currently reading makes me question that}, a little St. Theresa and a lot of my own mother. I hope B and I are able to teach our own Peanut and future children what our parents taught us….to have a dedicated, entrepreneurial spirit, embrace a love and respect for the world we live in, a love for the God that created our Life, a passion for learning and a value in family and friends. I hope my decisions and actions teach our daughter to be an independent thinker, a confident decision maker and to have a grateful, gracious spirit.
About Our Future
We have had our fair share of tough days, but a bit more than five years into our marriage B and I are writing this story called Life to be engaging and entertaining. We have moments and sometimes days that could have an eraser or delete button taken to them, but overall, for the most part, we take it as it exists and simply Save As….writing the story permanently to leave indelible mark on our souls and on the souls we are so gratefully surrounded by.
If this post has not made it clear, the blog is a place of my own brain-dump writing. It is a place I can share pictures of the mundane and memorable alike, a place to share anecdotes from Peanut’s growing up years, a forum for me to vent about days that don’t turn out the way I tried to write them and to share the moments and ideas that do go according to plan, thus making us all smile at the end of the day. It is my blank slate to creatively chronicle the fleeting story of Life.
