Do you ever just sit back and wonder what is it that we are livin’ for? Are we dying to live or living to die? Not to be a cynic, but really, what is it? What is life?
Some may say it is their kids or their job even, some may say it is to travel and explore the world. There isn’t one right answer. Bon Jovi says it is about now or never in his song ‘It’s My Life’, Bob Marley says it is about getting up and fighting for your rights and your beliefs, what is your life theme song? What is your mantra?
My husband this morning said to me ‘Hey babe, do you like our home?’ to which I responded with a ‘well, I mean, yeah’. The conversation continued and he explained that he does to however he has some qualms. Intrigued, I inquired about these qualms and naturally most of them were cosmetic. Now let me say, we have a beautiful home, one that we are incredibly proud of and are incredibly grateful for (despite all the things that went wrong this year, cracked water line to the fridge, whole new HVAC, water heater broke, ya know, alllllll the things all at once, I felt like I was in the movie Dumb and Dumber and our pets heads were going to fall off soon).
Throughout the conversation we talked about moving, building a new house, changing things in our house, retirement and mortgages once we retire and lake houses and vacations and so much. I finally said to him, I think it is bigger than just ‘do we like our home?’. We are blessed with a gorgeous home that most people just don’t have, it isn’t about the home. It is about what is important for us. What do we want out of life?!
To me, livin’ life is adventure, loving my family and creating happiness. Do I always succeed in life based on my own success rating? Absolutely not, but that is part of life too, it is growth and learning, the willingness to change. My grandma and I are very close. I call her almost everyday and it amazes me how much she has changed in just my lifetime let alone her own ( I mean from identifying as a Baptist to my husband teaching her the wobble in the kitchen while we decorate Christmas cookies). She inspires me to always push the grey and never settle for the black or white. Yet, as she gets older, she is getting more and more ‘stuck’ in her ways as some would say, it takes a bit more persuasion but at the end of the day she will almost always step out of her comfort zone. I want that. I want the ability to always be open to change for as long as I choose, but then I want the ability to say no, this is how I like it. The ability to say I have experienced things this way and that and this is what I want to do for me.
They day they were married and celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Aren't they the sweetest?!
Let’s face it, at the end of the day, no matter what our life mantra or reason for living is, life doesn’t always go as planned (hello surprise baby number 3! Or well wasn’t really planning on getting a new car just yet, or even damn, I really loved that job, too bad they are furloughing people due to an insane pandemic). How we decide to overcome these obstacles, grow from them and move on is what makes us successful at life.
We are here to share the good the bad and the ugly of all thing’s life. From how do I pick a new HVAC unit? To what are my long-term goals? We are here to share our experiences, give you insight to what worked for us, not because it is going to work for you, but to come together in solidarity! To share the qualms of life and the random 7 am discussions on if you love your home or not!
Let’s try to make life a bit more ‘fun’ together, share our funnies, our ‘wines and cheeses’, speaking of! I have some pretty good ones.
My ‘cheese’ of the week, my FAVORITE Cab wine IS BACK! For those of you that watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette may have heard of Kaitlyn Bristowe’s wine company called Spade and Sparrows. Well, last year they had a cab and I LOVED it. Then when it was gone, it was gone! I just found out for my winter wine shipment it was back! You best believe I ordered myself 8 bottles of that beauty. My ‘wine’ of the week…. I AM FRICKEN PREGNANT! I know quarantine babies are a thing right now, I don’t know if I consider myself to be having a quarantine baby for a few reasons. 1. My husband and I were never actually quarantined together (probably another great ‘cheese’), we were both able to remain working throughout the pandemic (I don’t think I have mentioned how much I love my job or my employers, but don’t worry I am sure it will come up again, because they are simply amazing!) and 2. We have truly been ‘talking’ about a second baby for a while, we just weren’t quite on the same page about the when… So is marriage, I suppose.
Side note, want to try this amazing Cab Sauv?! Yeah ya do.... click the link baby!
https://kaitlynbristowe.com/pages/shop-wine
My sweet little nugget! Can't wait to meet him, and drink some Cab.... Anyways, I digress, what a shit year to get pregnant. #QuarantineMoms AM I RIGHT!?! The worst year to not be able to drink, your even MORE stuck at home because of the ‘Rona and if you happen to have a baby during the pandemic you are so alone because you are worried about your little baby getting this crazy disease AND nobody can even come to the hospital (maybe this is one of those #COVIDSilverLinings for some of you and that is totally ok, no judgement here sister!)
Either way, live your life in a way that feels successful to you, because that is all that really matters. Keep this conversation going! We want to hear your thoughts! Share with us a few 'keywords' that describe what livin' is to you! Text "MOMMINLIVINW378' followed by your answer to 22333! We can't wait to hear from you.
‘Till next time, Cheers!
(for those of you NOT pregnant people that do drink, try the Spade and Sparrows Cab or Rose, both are a blessing, those of you that are Pregnant or don’t drink, try Welch’s Sparkling Rose. It is a pretty legit option)
-Sierra Zaban
Center Director of The Learning Experience Gurnee
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