Tag Archives: friendship

Small Town Living – Relationships

Listening to a client who came into the store, I heard this statement, “I just don’t have time to waste on things I don’t care about. I only spend time on activities I really enjoy.”

Interesting. So I assume you are a recluse then? You don’t have many friends? You don’t find it easy to foster relationships with people? Are you happy being alone with your passions? If that’s true, more power to you! I know there are introverts who need time away from others to recharge. But does that really mean they want to be alone and without friends? FOREVER?! ALL THE TIME?! I doubt it.relationships

If you only spend time on activites/passions that are important to YOU, you will rarely, if ever find it easy to foster relationships with people around you. How many yous are there out there? How many people are going to connect with you on every activity that you find important?

Small Town Life – Delivery

If Small Town Life has taught me anything, it’s that food is the only way to react to anything. This spring has been a time of going out and coming in life. There have been several deaths in the church and my family and around town and basically, the whole town reacts with food. They make freezer meals and bring them over or just come with a meal that’s ready for that night. If someone dies, you won’t have to cook in that house for a month. images3

Of course, we had a baby this spring and that same thing happened. FOOD! It’s awesome

Truth: What else can we do when we want to support those who are going through something? Either a new something or a sad something or whatever. Food delivery is standard because it helps in several ways.

1. Usually, food is delivered in throw away containers. This means, if you have paper plates, no dishes. As a new mother and also someone who has dealt with a death in the family and severe illness in the family, I can attest to the awesomeness of not having to do dishes!paintings-family-food-tables-Thanksgiving-Norman-Rockwell-Turkey-bird-_472406-32

2. Having food delivered saves money. When you are dealing with a new expense of some kind (a baby or a funeral or hospital billls), having food delivered saves money. Maybe not alot of money but some and every little bit helps.

3. It is one less decision that has to be made. Have you ever been in the situation where one more decision will throw you over the edge? After having a baby or deciding on someone’s end of life wishes, deciding what to have for dinner is just one more thing and it might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

So, to all those ladies who organize meals for people in the church or community – keep on keeping on. If you are one of the people in the crowd – sign up. That one meal makes a world of difference to those who are hurting, busy, or just plain overwhelmed.Saturday-Night-Live-The-Return-Of-The-Church-Lady

Small Town Living – A Little Love Story

imagesThe thing about growing up in a small town is – it’s alot like a soap opera. Everyone knows everyone from birth or not much later and when it comes to dating and love, people are passed from relationship to relationship like the cup game. So the reality is, many young people from this small town want to leave in their adulthood simply to find love outside of all the people they know. They want to escape the soap opera of the town to find love in the big big world out there.

It can really go either way. Either you marry that one that you loved since you were 6 or you go out and find that soul mate who didn’t grow up in the same town you did.

I left. I needed to leave my small town. I had already stopped dating for a while in college. But it was still a place where we all knew each other and the soap opera was prevalent. I went out into the world thinking I would actually take a break from all the crazy dating game I had been seeing and “take a year off.” I moved to Pennsylvania to work at a school that presumably was staffed by married people and where there would be very little chance of me meeting anyone. I was wrong.

First day and Andy sat down my me. He asked me to dinner. We were never friends. We ARE best friends but maybe it was better that we never knew each other in childhood. Maybe the fact that we had both graduated from college before we even met is the reason we are able to have such a great marriage. There is no history or craziness to cloud our relationship. wedding gift flatIMG_9963 8x10

The thing is, I met the love of my life and it was IT! I knew I was ready for a real relationship because I had finally stopped looking for a relationship. I wasn’t needy, he wasn’t lonely. We were happy with ourselves and it made it easier to be happy together.

Now we are back in my small town and I’m teaching him about all the people I know and the past and everything but it’s just a story to him. It’s not his life. Our life now is his new small town living.

Bracelets

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I think I’ve spent to much time at summer camp. These little bracelets were all the rage when I was a camper and camp staff. Of course this is the most basic, but its the limit of my braiding skills. I used my limited skills to make one for our four year old. She was very upset that her six year old sister received a rubber band bracelet from her Montana friend.
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I’m not THAT mommy…

I sat down with another mommy the other day to shoot the breeze in the coffee shop and we of course were talking about parenting…

Well, I was talking. She was listening.

I talked about how I just feel like I’m not the mommy who plays with her kids and I’m not the mommy who wants to do all this “mommy” stuff. It’s hard to be a Pinterest mommy. Those mothers who do projects, homeschool, keep a perfect house, are organized and are able to just embrace being a Stay At Home Mom are amazing. It’s really a job… a job that I don’t want. It’s one that some are amazing at.

I can’t play the violin. I never really wanted to play the violin. I love watching people play the violin. It’s an amazing instrument but it’s not my gift. I’m ok with that.

Why am I not ok with being a working mom? Why do I feel guilty because I’d rather do dishes and cook dinner than play barbies? Why do I feel guilty that I’d rather be at work and make money and run my business than be at home doing crafts and taking the kids to the park?

I love watching them grow. I do the best I can to maximize the few hours in the evening I have with them but… I’m just not THAT mommy.

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found this image on google.