Words from the Woodstove

S o it's been a little while since I've blogged, and all I can say is, well... life. 😂 In my head I always think of January and February as the slow season and down time, since it's the time of year that is most quiet for me at work. But, then I remember it's the most quiet time of the year for me, and I should make the most of it and get busy livin'. And, since I have a list of things I want to accomplish this year, it's even more true now! I've been thinking about blog topics this week, and I decide we're going to have a little chitty-chat about history, what it means to me, and what makes my wee little heart cry. We all have the value systems we do because of what we've been taught, or something we've experienced, or a combination of the two, or simply because we read about it in some article someone shared on Facebook and now suddenly decided it's something we should believe in (aka all those millennial "influencers" I've

O k, so most of you know that I've been passionate about writing in some shape or form for most of my life. When I was growing up, I loved to read other people's writing ( seriously... like every tween girl in the early 90s, The Babysitters Club series was my favorite). I've still got my beloved yet tattered 7th-grade (aka 1992) copy of To Kill A Mockingbird , one of my all-time favorite works. And even though its cover has been taped back together more times than I can count, I just can't bring myself to part with it. Did I also mention I have a thing for nostalgia? I loved to write poetry, fiction, essays, you name it. My 6th-grade teacher, Mrs. Donley, had us complete regular writing projects. Each month had a theme, and various elements you had to include, such as an essay about a historical figure or event; an interview-style write-up with someone famous related to that theme; a poem; letters to someone from that era we'd want to meet; and lots of others, but

Hey ya'll! It's been a busy few weeks in my world between big work projects, holiday happenings, a visit to Raleigh to visit my brother and his family (finally got to meet my newest niece!), a trip to Florida for a conference for work, and a fairly sizable snow storm for the south, so an earlier update didn't quite happen. But it's happening now! Progress on the 40-before-40 list has been happening in big waves, you guys. I'm super proud of myself for what I've achieved so far, and I can't wait to get busy with the rest of the list. A quick note for those keeping track: although I will officially turn 40 in September next year, my goal date for finishing the list isn't until December. I work for a camp for teenagers, and progress will slow down a bit during that awesomely chaotic time we call summer, so I've given myself an extension until the end of 2019. So, without further ado, here's what I've been working on lately: At the ove

When I turned 39 back in September, I decided that I wanted to spend the next 365 days trying to stay focused on living my life with more intention and purpose than ever before. So I spent the past two months crafting and refining my 40-before-40 goals, a list of the 40 things I want to accomplish before I turn 40 in 2019. I'm ridiculously good at crafting lists upon lists upon lists of goal-setting... it's my jam . However, I'm not always so good at actually accomplishing said goals. Because of this,  it was important to me that the list only include things that are attainable and within the reach of my current financial status. During the process, I brainstormed my own ideas, borrowed some I read on Pinterest, had some help from my friends, and then narrowed it down to the 40 I felt drawn to the most. My goal was to have my list finalized and published by Thanksgiving weekend, and here we are! My list, which is in no particular order, includes a variety of things, inc

I absolutely love Pinterest! It's a brilliant way to take the old-school vision board (remember when we had to tear out pages of magazines?) and turn it into something digital you can take anywhere. Yes, sometimes it's a giant time suck like every other social media site. But only if you let it. If you limit how much time you spend browsing, you won't waste away the entire day pinning recipes you'll never make or directions on how to create the perfect smoky eye that'll just turn into raccoon eyes when you try it on yourself. When I Pinterest (Yeah, I just made it a verb), I have a focus for every session I'm on the site. If I'm feeling a little low and need a pick-me-up, I'll look for inspirational quotes that make me pause. If I'm feeling lazy and need motivation, I'll look for new workout ideas. If I'm feeling creative, I'll look for new craft ideas. Often, you see statuses crop up on Facebook about Pinterest "fails."

I'm watching a documentary on Netflix called First Position , and it's all about young dancers trying to win the Youth America Grand Prix, and a chance for serious scholarship money and job contracts. They spend hours and hours every week training as classical ballet dancers, giving up other, more traditional childhood activities. They do it because they love it. They do it because their passion runs deeper than anything they've ever known, even at their young age. They do it because, as a dancer, there is nothing more energizing and spectacular than being on that stage. The lights, the enthusiasm from the audience, the opportunity to perform in front of lots of people... it's all so incredibly thrilling. The more make-up and hairspray, the better. The more sequins on your costume, the better. These kids are incredibly hard on themselves... more than likely, harder on themselves than anyone else could ever even attempt. They are like any other elite athlete (and befo