Women Who Eat Chocolate

I've always said "someday" I'll write a book, "someday" I'll be an accomplished blogger, "someday" I'll make money doing what I love.  "Someday" is officially NOW . 

So here I am on a Thursday morning. The sun is breaking gently through the dappled lime green leaves on trees that are finally catching their summer legs. My coffee steams beside me and I ponder the crazy, stupid tears that have unwittingly caught me off guard as of late. I've written so many blogs about my kids, and when they are no longer here I will write about my husband and myself and the rambling adventures we long to go on. Don't worry, I never run out of material. But today I need one more blog about a child. One more.  You see, my baby is graduating this Sunday. He will don mortarboard and gown and receive a piece of paper that says he has achieved. ACHIEVED. For this I need a pause. Allow me one more weepy mess of words entangled in emotion because this is how I let it out.  As my children well know, Hunter was not planned. He was a sneaky little guy that was breathed into life when Selena was just two months old. God decided we needed a dark-headed, smile...

WEEPY OLD REPOST ALERT! #graduationweek Taking a plunge you’ve never taken before is scary. It’s a leap of faith that goes like this – JUST JUMP. My bones feel slightly achy and my head is a little light-headed from the braveness that I’m feeling from taking that plunge, yet here we go ready or not. This wheel of life keeps turning faster and faster and I find myself at an age I thought ancient before. Yet, I don’t feel ancient. I feel fresh and free, ready to be at the center, for once, of where God wants me to be. How remarkable it feels to actually be obedient to a calling you know is yours. Most of us stay in the safety of the known, the proximity to what is near and familiar. Then there are the dreamers, those of us – money or not – who have a grand scheme of what we should be doing and try to get there – sink or swim. I’m swimming furiously as I type. I’ve written before of things my heart longed for as a girl fresh out of school: finding my mate, having children, raising them ...

If I can muddle through May without becoming a sobbing mess, it will be a miracle. Personal changes, an 18th birthday, a graduation party and an actual commencement might do me in. I digress, though, because these are the feelings I have in my head, and what I actually do on the outside is get things done. It’s time to push my sentimental feelings aside to when the house is actually empty and plan, plan, plan!  When you mention the word “party,” you’ve said the right thing. I like to party and I give a good party—you heard me. Wheels start turning in my head for ideas, food, and preparation and I can’t wait for it to all come together. Most of it doesn’t happen until the week before because we all know that I work better under a tight deadline. Yes, I’m a last minute puller-together, and boy, is it a  rush.   I’ve planned two graduation parties that went off without a hitch, too many birthday parties to count, and numerous proms. I wish I could say we just give regu...

Loving these words today. Embracing them.  

I’ve decided that today will be a list day. Do you keep lists? I keep to-do lists, lists for groceries and lists of books and movies I want to read and see. Usually they get lost somewhere because I don’t keep them all in one place, but I have a pretty good memory when it comes to things I need. For a long time I refused to keep my lists on my phone because, I don’t know, it just felt weird. Now the notes on my phone are a long list of websites, addresses and other information I don’t want to forget. There are so many things to remember! So, without further ado, here is Missy’s list of random things I do to keep my life in order, stay interesting and not lose my head. 1) Grocery list. This is usually a running list that stays in my head and when the day comes to go shopping, I write it down. I know, not the best way to keep track. Milk, bread, eggs and those pizza rolls and chicken nuggets that my kids never seem to grow out of liking. Yogurt, bananas and Cheerios for Missy, and for ...