Confidently Katie

I know that a lot of people have made it a goal to read more while there really isn’t much else to do…because you know, global pandemics. I also know that people often make it a goal to read more, but really struggle with where to start, they read a thousand and one reviews, read the backs of lot of books, and still don’t know what to read.

Well, I’m here to help!

At the start of 2020 I set a goal to read more and so far, I’m doing great! We’re a quarter of the way through the year and I’ve read 5 books! I know! I’m surprised too! I’d love to share what I’ve read this year and what I liked and didn’t like about them.

First of all, I know that I always wonder these things about people who are reading a lot of books in short time frames, so I’m going to get these things out of the way. Then buckle in for probably too much information about the books I’ve read so far in 2020.

1// How are you reading? I’m reading in both audiobook and Kindle e-book format. I have a Kindle Fire…8? and I really like reading on it. I like how easy it is to hold in one hand and I also like to read with the lights off, so I like the electronic format.

2// What app are you using to read audiobooks? I have been using Scrib’d. I like it because the subscription includes the books. It doesn’t have everything in the world, but it has a lot! I’ve been able to read several books using it that were recently published, best sellers etc. It’s $10 and so far, worth it. If you sign up use this link! It gets you 60 days free!

3// What genre are you reading? My tastes are varied. I think that if you read through my short summaries and reviews you’ll be able to tell what I’m into!

Now…For the books!

As a heads up, the links to the books are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase one of these books after clicking on my link I earn a very small commision at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for more information! 

1// Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places is about a woman who is the only survivor of a horrific murder that her brother is currently serving life in prison for. She stumbles upon a group attempting to determine what really happened and is surprised to find that many of these people don’t believe her brother committed this crime.

The story is told in split perspective switching between Libby (the protagonist), her mother, and her supposedly murderous brother. The mother and brother’s perspectives told the story of what really happened a little at a time until of course, the full truth is revealed at the end.

Likes: The ending was difficult to guess. I had some ideas about “whodunit” and was engaged throughout the story and definitely want to learn what had really happened.

Dislikes: Libby wasn’t a very strong character. She was just a vehicle to further the plot if you ask me. There were also many very grotesque scenes detailing disgusting devil worshiping practices that I had a hard time with. If I hadn’t been reading in audio format while I washed dishes most night I might not have gotten through those parts to learn the ending.

Overall rating: 3/5 stars

2// An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage is about a newly married black couple who faces an impossible challenge when Roy is wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. His young wife Celestial is forced to figure out how to be married to a man in prison while Roy learns to survive where he’s at and works to clear his name. 5 years later, his conviction is overturned and he and Celestial have to face the lives they’re living in all those years later.

This story is told in a split perspective. It’s mostly split between Roy and Celestial, describing their day to day lives and their differing perspectives and the situation at hand. There’s also a third player, Celestial’s best friend that we hear from for a few chapters.

Likes: I really enjoyed reading this book. It wasn’t extremely exciting but had some very interesting characters. It also really made me think about how horrible and racist our justice system can be for so many. I liked that while it was a fictional story, I thought a lot of the real world version that is out there somewhere and considered how I can be a better ally.

Dislikes: I didn’t love Celestial’s character. I know that she was faced with some pretty challenging things, especially early in her marriage but I just didn’t find her likeable. I tried to give her grace but still found myself repeatedly frustrated with her.

Overall rating: 4/5 stars

3// Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Okay…I didn’t finish this one. I’m about 1/3rd…maybe a bit further into it and I just got bored. I do think I’ll come back to it and finish it eventually but I just had to put it down. I’ll come back here and update when I actually do get through it.

I will say though, this one is quite popular and a few friends have read it and loved it!

4// Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander is told in the first person perspective of Claire Randall (Beauchamp). While “honeymooning” in the Scottish Highlands shortly after the end of WWII Claire travels through the stones at Craig n’dun and finds herself still in Scottland but 200 years before her own time. She is quickly pulled into the conflicts of the era and is dragged away from the stones, leaving her to far away to simply return home on her own.

While evading the many hazards of the time period and one particularly bad actor she finds a companion in Young Jamie Fraser. The first book in the series tells the story of how Claire finds her place in the new time amidst the Jacobite rebellion that is surfacing.

Likes: If you’ve seen the TV show the book is extremely close. Lots of dialogue from the show is taken straight from the books. Of course like anything adapted for the screen, things move a bit slower in the book, but I liked it. I enjoyed how the story was told and didn’t mind the differences (I read the book after watching season 1) I also liked that while some of the subject matter was dark, it was a generally light read that didn’t require a lot of thinking or unraveling of the story.

Dislikes: I didn’t require a lot of thinking or unraveling of the story.

Overall rating: 4/5 stars (mostly just because I liked it. Comparatively the rating could be lower)

4// The Silent Patient by Alexander Michaelides

The Silent patient is an artist named Alicia who is committed to a psychiatric facility for murdering her husband then later refusing to speak. Here she meets Theo, a young psycho-therapist who is eager to help her. The story is told in a split perspective between Theo and Alicia.

I won’t say much more because it’s a psychological thriller that has several twists and turns. I’d hate to give anything away.

Likes: It was an interesting story with characters who had quite a lot of depth. I really enjoyed reading it from start to finish. I was never bored and always found myself captivated by the thought of what might come next.

Dislikes: I guessed the ending quite early. I can’t help but try and dig in and in this case, I had mostly had the mystery cracked about halfway, and would say I’d completely figured it out a few chapters for a big twist. I almost felt like someone spoiled it for me.

Overall rating: 4/5

Last week was possibly the longest week ever. A combination of a sudden earthquake, staying home, working with kids in the house, and just the complete exhaustion from reading COVID-19 news really made it feel like a long week. Personally I would say the weekend was better. We caught church on live stream, I did some work on my garden, reviewed our home inventory, washed the sheets…Basically had a normal weekend. What I noticed, was that I felt a lot better when I was busy.

I know a lot of people are making “Quarantine Goals” and such, which I think is great. I love a fresh start just as much as the next person, but for some reason, a quarantine goal feels weird. I’m struggling to put my finger on why, but it just does.

Instead, I’m trying to just carry on like I normally would, but I’m staying home. However, I thought I could use this wake-up-call type of moment we’re having to take a look at the goals that I set in January and recenter myself on them.

My 2020 goals were to…

1. Eat dinner at the table.
2. Read.
3. Work on my house projects.
4. Invest more time in relationships with our friends and family.
5. Write more.

So far, I’d say I’m actually doing really well with all of those goals…Maybe except eating at the dinner table, we could do better at that, but pretty much everything else, I’m cruising.

• I’ve finished four books. One I didn’t finish and one I’m still calling “in-progress) A full post to come about what I’ve read, what I’m reading, and what’s up next
• I’ve started some work on my house projects. Certainly not a lot of work on them, but some.
• I am almost being forced to spend time more time with my family whether I like that or not! Don’t worry, corey…I like it 😉
• And clearly, I’m writing more. I don’t think I expected so much of the contents of my writing to be about a pandemic, earthquakes, and anxiety, but here we are.

This year, the goals I set were themed around connections. Connections with other, with myself, and with the world around me. It has been hard even for only a few days to feel less connected, but I’m working on ways that I can continually recenter and stay focused on the road ahead and the goals I set for this year.

How are you staying centered?

Pandemics man…amiright?

Okay, so literally no one knew what to expect. Well except for China and Italy who were experiencing this weeks and weeks ahead of us who we could have been learning from and avoid their mistakes. But hey…That’s not what this post is about.

It is true that as an individual, I didn’t know what it would be like to be confined to my home. It’s true that I do still have some choice in the matter. I can leave my home but I’m choosing to be as socially responsible as possible and do so as little as I can. I’ve also worked from home before, for quite some time in fact, but previously I didn’t have a child at home the entire time that actually requires quite a lot of attention. Turns out that even TV and tablets get boring.

That said, I’m still figuring things out. It hasn’t been all bad though. Today I’m focusing on what’s working for us. The good parts. The good parts of social distance and ways that we’re coping on a day to day basis.

1// Cosmic Kids Yoga. A friend posted her three year old doing this and I figured I’d give it a try. The kids loved it and begged to do it again the next day. She does themed yoga that is very age appropriate for kids probably 3-10ish. It’s all modified for kids and the themes are adorable. It is also just about the right length.

2// Crafts…Guys. I love crafts, but they are very hard to do during the day while I’m trying to work. So my mom got me a bunch of construction paper, glue, pipe cleaners etc. and the kids are having a great time doing lightly structured art projects.

3// Family time…We’ve had a lot of quality time together. The other day Clara just jumped into the bed next to Corey with a book and they just sat and read the lion king at some random point in the day. It was adorable and probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

4// Baby number 2. I had my Fetal Wellbeing Scan last week. It showed that he is definitely still a he, he is perfectly proportionate and there are no obvious abnormalities. He’s adorable and we can’t wait to meet him.

5// Virtual Gatherings. We do it for work, but now we’re also doing it for interaction. The other day the kids hopped on Zoom at the end of the night after the earthquake and they loved seeing their cousins on the computer screen and chatting about their days.

There’s a lot more too…like the fact that I have the ability to work from home and wonderful, understanding co-workers than can deal with the TV in the background. I feel incredibly blessed as a lot of people don’t have that luxury and are losing their jobs at this time. It’s also very encouraging to see so many companies offering their normally paid services for free and Disney releasing the new Pixar movie, Onward, early on Disney+ (can’t wait to have a movie night and watch with Clara!)

In all this dark and scary. There is light…The best part might be that we have the best excuse in the world to stay home. And please if you can...just stay home.

This is weird. We’re still figuring things out. I hope that by the time we get really used to it, it’s all over. I hope we can also learn from it and really hold onto these things that are bringing us joy right now.

I left the house today. It was the first day I’d left the house in four days. I had a doctor’s appointment so I had to take Clara to my mom’s and walk into a hospital. It didn’t feel real.

As I walked in, they “screened” me by asking if I’d been out of the country or had any symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath) or around anyone who had them. I said no and proceeded to my appointment on the next floor. This screening was poor. I sanitized my hands, pushed the elevator buttons with my elbow and rode up to the next floor. There were signs all over that indicated only one visitor was allowed. Corey didn’t come because he’s getting over a cold (not the Coronavirus based on his symptoms) and was worried he would get kicked out.

It was eerily quiet. Normally the OBGYN and Midwife floor is bustling with patients. There are usually at least 15-20 people in the waiting area. Today there were 5 including me. There were plans and random floor decor items on chairs so that people couldn’t sit by each other.

I was very anxious. We had to take my blood pressure twice because the first time it was sky high. The second time around I had to imagine myself on the beach front balcony from the hotel on our Honeymoon to relax enough to get into normal range. This was the first time I’d even seen someone who wasn’t in my family or on a computer screen in four days, so naturally I felt strange.

And it’s only been four days.

***

On Wednesday an 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook our house at around 7:00am. The biggest earthquake Utah has experienced in 27 years. The rest of the day was spent talking with family and monitoring seismic activity. I worked too, but let’s be real, it was basically a lost day. I’m still having a hard time believing that it happened.

Luckily this isn’t really part of the new normal, but I just keep thinking…how is this all real. We’re in a global pandemic and we’re going to have an earthquake?

I just…I don’t know. I’m mostly just writing this to write it. I feel like these are things we need to remember. I want to remember how we felt and what this was all like…so here it is, not really organized or pretty, but real.

I wrote a bit about what I’ve learned from COVID-19 last week, and since then the state of the situation has escalated and I feel like I have to write more. I’m not going to re-explain what the virus is, but if you want a good overview, head over to that post. I shared lots of links from WHO and the CDC regarding the virus etc.

Today Governor Herbert addressed the state of Utah along with other state authorities, local health care CEO, an epidemiologist, local university representatives etc. on what measures our state is taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19. I watched most of it this afternoon and read more about it later. Here are the highlights:

• Social gatherings should be limited to 100 people or less including church but not school
• If you are in the “at-risk” population they recommended gatherings of no more than 25 people
• Local universities have changed all classes to online
• Salt Lake County parks and rec are closed through the end of March (I predict they will stay closed longer)
• One school district (a smaller one) closed due to students and faculty having contact with the virus
• The governor recommended having at least a 14 day food supply but urged people not to over-do it and not to buy bottled water if you don’t need it
• They all urged social distancing! The epidemiologist shared some great info about what is still allowed (and encouraged) during social distancing
• If you have the capacity to work from home, they recommended that you do so

There’s more, but that the big stuff. Things escalated rather quickly. After two Jazz players were diagnosed yesterday (which what the HIPAA?! Who said that they could disclose their private health information?!) people started to realize that this is a real thing.

So what have I learned from this?

1// It was smart for me to be a little bit more cautious in the earlier stages of the virus. I have been stocking up on random things for weeks. I did my big grocery shopping last week, inventoried my household items, etc. I am so glad I did that.

2// People do not know how to handle preparation for a disaster. I went to Winco today as well as Smith’s (Kroger store) and folks were buying…the craziest thing. I saw people with like 5 bags of dried beans in their carts. More oatmeal than they could ever eat, cases upon cases of soda…Just weird stuff ya’ll. My friend Liz has a great list of stuff you could actually use for a quarantine situation. I wouldn’t buy all of this stuff, but certainly some!

3// Self quarantine, social distancing, closed parks and rec… these are good things. I have seen this article and graphic about “Flattening the Curve” a few times and I feel like it really explains why these things are important far better than I ever could. But the basic gist is that we need to delay the spread so that we can space out cases, reduce the number of cases at the peak, and allow for time for treatments to be developed, tests to be available, and beds to free up in hospitals.

4// Avoiding getting COVID-19 is socially responsible. I have medically fragile family members. My sisters and my dad are all diabetic and have other complications with their conditions. Catching this virus will more than likely put them in the hospital, and it would likely be a death sentence for my dad. Possibly all three of them. So I’m going to do my part not to get the virus so that I can remain healthy and able to help them when they need it because they need my social distancing even more than I do.

5// Clearing shelves and over-buying is NOT responsible. Folks…You never would have used that amount of TP in a month or two. Not just that, but there are so many other options to wipe your damn ass than TP! But it’s not just about TP. It’s also about the parents who are without wipes because you bought them all. Or who don’t have diapers because you bought enough to get them through potty training in 2 years. Unless you plan to give those away or sell them at cost or less, you suck. Don’t over-buy!

6// If we all lived more sustainable lifestyles this wouldn’t be such a big deal. I can’t believe the number of paper towels I’m seeing in carts. Why do you NEED paper towels? I have about 20 hand towels and 12 cloth napkins. Done. No paper towels needed. Why do you need 4 cases of bottled water? Get a filtering pitcher (or a huge jug or something) It is breaking my heart to see so many people buying water bottles, especially when the governor stated that our water supply is NOT at risk. Using a menstrual cup means I don’t need tampons. Only washing my hair once a week means my shampoo lasts a long time. Living more sustainably has really put me at an advantage and I wish more people were doing it.

7// You probably have about 14 days worth of stuff in your pantry right now without going to the store. My mom is on a cruise (yeah I know scary) and she texted me and asked me to take care of her prep. Instead of rushing off to the store and buying all the stuff she told me to, I went to her house and I took inventory. She has enough staples to last her probably 2 or 3 MONTHS! She thought that she had nothing. Please, don’t just run to the store. Check your pantry, check your deep freeze, go through you fridge. Don’t go buy 30+ days of food without seeing what you have first!

I could probably go on, but I won’t. Instead, I’m going to say my prayers, go to bed, and hopefully wake up to a better day tomorrow.

Happy prepping America.

I’m in a few mommy facebook groups that are specifically for moms expecting a babies around the same time as I am. Some of the hot questions in those groups are all about baby showers and registries. I don’t know why this is such an issue, but moms are very concerned about what people are going to think about their choices surrounding a baby shower.

They’re asking questions like…

Are you having a shower even if no one is throwing you one?

Is anyone having a shower that this ISN’T their first baby?

Why would anyone have a shower for a second/third baby?

Are you doing a registry? What’s on it? Why are you doing a registry if this is your 3rd kid?

Oh. Em. Gee.

First of all, please just do whatever the F*$% you want. Second of all. You should ALWAYS have a registry. There will probably be things that you need to buy for every child (like bottles, diapers, clothings (maybe not as much) new car seats/travel systems, maybe a crib etc. Registries have so many perks too! Some have free stuff, completion discounts, percentage of cash back towards items you need etc. I know a lot of people also ask how they can help. A registry is a great place to send someone who want to contribute. Regardless of your shower plans, set up a registry!

As for the baby shower…You’ve got options.

• If it’s your first baby, it’s not unlikely you have someone in your life that would love to throw you a shower. Talk to your people and see if anyone is interested!
• If you don’t have anyone to throw you one, host your own! No shame im celebrating a new life with your friends and family!
• Have a “meet the baby” part after the baby is born. Lots of people want to meet your new baby and would love to shower them with gifts.
• If it’s not your first baby, you might not have someone jumping up and down to throw you a party, so again, if you want to do one, host your own, or talk to your people! If you don’t want to ask for gifts or don’t need much, ask people for diapers or other consumable items you’ll need that you don’t already have.
• Make it a potluck and forgo the gifts altogether. Invite your friends, celebrate the new baby, and forget about gifts.
• Have a sprinkle. Let people know exactly what you could use help with but make it clear that they shouldn’t go overboard.

But the point here, is that you should really just do whatever you want to do. This is your life, your baby, your family. You👏do 👏you. Forget about what people think. Ignore what’s taboo and what’s not and do what makes the most sense for you and your family. It breaks my heart to see so many women agonizing over what people will think about their decision. I love this Scary Mommy article that echos my sentiment.

Have the shower or don’t. Create the registry or don’t. But ultimately, whatever you do should be your choice regardless of what people will think of it.

If you are an inhabitant of planet earth, chances are, you’ve heard about the Coronavirus (according to WHO the disease is officially called COVID-19 and the virus is called SARS-CoV-2) but just in case you haven’t heard of it the basic gist is that it’s a novel outbreak of a type of virus called a coronavirus that has traveled across the world since its discovery in late 2019. Here’s a WHO Situation Report from March 7th that explains a bit about how many people this has affected and where the virus has been detected. Sitreps are coming out daily with updates on new recent learnings and affected populations etc.

I decided that this was worthy of writing about today because this outbreak has caused mass hysteria in the media and across the US (and probably the world, but I’ll speak for myself as a US resident). A lot of people are very scared of this virus and as a result have been preparing for the worst. As the weeks pass and the situation seems to worsen and I’ve been reflecting a lot on what I’ve learned from it.

1// My family’s hand washing routine is probably leaving something to be desired

There aren’t a lot of things that a person can do to protect against this virus, but one thing that can help is hand washing. Truth be told, a good hand washing routine isn’t just important for a pandemic…it’s important for the flu season, and for newborns, and for safe food handling, and for…general hygiene.

What we’re doing about it: We’re reading up on the CDC’s handwashing recommendations and we’re implementing them. Forever. Not just in light of the coronavirus, but just to be generally more hygienic people. We’re singing songs at the sink to make sure we wash for long enough, and we’re washing more often.

2// Our disaster preparedness plan is virtually non-existent

Listen, I am not the person buying all the toilet paper, purell, and clorox that money can buy…but I am reviewing what WHO recommends doing to prepare in case we shouldn’t leave our homes, or if there is a need to close public places. Or if there is an earthquake. Or if there’s a freak tornado that rips through our valley. Or if there is a terrible snow storm that has us inside for days. Or if we lose power. Ya’ll…I have nothing.

What we’re doing about it: First I’ll tell you what I’m NOT doing. I’m not running to my nearest wholesale store and buying up random canned goods or toilet paper. I’m also not buying bottled water. But I am reevaluating the state of our pantry, assessing our cold and flu supplies, keeping my car fueled to a half tank or more, I bought a few more non-perishable food items that don’t require fresh foods to make (but I didn’t go overboard!) and I read up on some recommendations specifically for the coronavirus. We’re also just looking at our plan in general and we’re going to make some changes (not today..but soon.)

3// Panicking isn’t going to help anyone

I am not panicking. Even as a pregnant woman who may or may not be in a more vulnerable populations…I’m not scared. But it’s hard to stay that way when the media is painting a very grim picture. I’ve seen several influencers spreading fear and panic. It doesn’t help. It makes people do crazy things like buy dust masks and enough toilet paper to wipes all the butts of the world for a year. It’s only making things worse and causing shortages for people who actually need this stuff.

What we’re doing about it: I’m staying alert and informed. I’m reading WHO and CDC recommendations. I’m consuming content from other sources like Dr. Mike, a doctor on youtube you who is sharing regular updates on the virus as he learns more about the virus. But most importantly, my family is not panicking. We’re also listing to recommendations like I mentioned above, practicing some social distancing, not touching hands as much as possible, and finding peace in the fact that approximately 80% of the people who have contracted the virus have survived.

What have you learned from this whole crazy situation? Are you doing anything you might not have otherwise? I want to hear all about it.

Last weekend Corey and I announced that we’re bringing another tiny person into the world. This time the male type of tiny person.

We found out that I was pregnant in November and ever since we have been so excited to start the next leg of our parenting journey together. I won’t lie, I’m pretty nervous to have a boy. My 2 year old nephew was on rung away from climbing onto the roof this fall…boys freak me out. But I also can’t wait to snuggle the little guy and have my very own little mamma’s boy.

There he is in the ultrasound looking like a cute little teddy bear or something. This was at 10 weeks (I’m due August 6th!)

When we got pregnant with Clara, I wouldn’t say it was under the most ideal of circumstances. To say she was unplanned would be an understatement. Corey and I were still in the dating phase of our relationship and were both quite unsure of what the future held for us. If we’d been Facebook official it probably would have said “It’s Complicated”.

It didn’t mean that we’d love Clara any less, but it took awhile for me to be excited about motherhood. Of course after a few months I found that excitement and really connected with Clara. Before she was born I felt quite ready to be a mom, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t still a lingering cloud of uncertainty.

This time around, things are different. Corey and I are married. We planned to have this baby. I bought a pregnancy test before my missed period because I couldn’t wait to find out, not because I was anxious or scared. I told Corey with a smile on my face I couldn’t contain instead of nervously taking a second test at his house so he knew I wasn’t a nut job who bought a positive pregnancy test on the internet (My idea not his 😅) With Clara I was terrified to tell my parents. I put it off for quiet some time. This time I took a test and told my mom the next day because I couldn’t NOT tell her.

I’m excited to experience a pregnancy that I planned for. And I’m excited to see Clara grow into the best big sister. I’m excited to watch Corey hold his little boy just like he did Clara and try to hide the fact that he’s crying. I can’t wait to watch my little family of three grow into a bigger family of four.

Today is our 1st Anniversary.

Corey and I got engaged in late 2017 and were engaged 13ish months. I was not a great wedding planner. Actually, I’m not sure I planned my wedding at all. (Sorry Mom, Megan, and Alexis 😬) I made a few choices like my dress, my venue, wedding party attire and Corey’s tux , flowers, photographer, officiant, DJ, and some color scheme stuff…I also made my own invitations and save the dates.

But everything else. Literally everything else, I owe to my mom and sisters for pulling together and at the last minute. And they really did it well. Everything came together perfectly, however last minute it was.

I’m not the girl that has been planning my wedding for my whole life, but I did still have something of a picture in my head for how I wanted things to go, and I can’t imagine them going any better.

I wore my grandma’s opal ring (that I couldn’t find the night before the wedding and was frantically tearing the house apart to find…) for my something old, a gold necklace given to Clara as my something borrowed, my sparkly shoes as my something new, and well, something else was blue 😏

My dad walked me down the aisle while my officiant played the guitar and sang “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You. ” Pretty appropriate seems how Corey and I were something of fools that rushed in.

We wrote our own vows, which I always thought was cheesy, but it wasn’t. I read through mine and cried. Corey read through his and I cried some more. It’s kind of funny, before it was me standing up there getting married, I thought this was the boring part of the wedding, but I was wrong. This was the best part. The part where Corey and I promised to love each other, no matter how crazy we drove each other. It was pretty great.

Once we’d done the damn thing and were happily married, we took some pictures and joined our friends and family for our reception. The food was great (thank God because we hadn’t even done a taste test before we booked) the booze were flowing (we literally still have alcohol left over from the wedding a year later) and the company was great.

Corey and I danced to “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur. My dad and I got a good laugh and a captive audience as we two stepped to “Red Neck Girl” by the Bellamy Brothers, and Corey and his mom got their groove on to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I guess you can say we aren’t exactly typical.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the night was the Flash Mob to “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake however some of our guests might argue that the most exciting part was watching the Chiefs/Patriots game throughout the reception. That was cool. Personally, I liked the Flash Mob.

We partied the night away, danced with our little girl, visited with our guests, and exited the venue excited to get home and pack for Hawaii the next day. I wouldn’t be me if I had already been packed and ready to go before the wedding.

All in all, it was a pretty amazing night, but the best part of it all was that at the end of it, I got to say “My husband Corey” and I’ve been saying it ever since.

I love you, Corey. Happy Anniversary. I’m excited to continue living in this life we’re building together. You’re an amazing dad, a great husband, and my forever-partner in life. As I write this, you’re making a late night run to Taco Bell and bringing it to me in bed, so basically, I scored a good one.

One year down, a minimum of 30 to go.

I’m big on fresh starts. I love new notebooks, completely untouched by my messy handwriting and inky pens. I love it when a month starts on a Monday. I even love watching my the fuel needle flip from empty to full after I’ve pumped 12 gallons of gas into the car. And I really love a new year.

I’ve found that New Years can actually be pretty polarizing for people. Apparently a lot of people have big opinions on setting New Year’s resolutions, goals, themes, words-of-the-year, etc. Personally I don’t get it. Mind your business. If you love setting goals and fresh starts, take advantage of this time. If you don’t, then don’t. You don’t have to rain on my parade of hopes and dreams for the new year.

Anyway. Fresh Starts. I love them. I love New Year’s Day. I love January. And I love New Year’s Resolutions. Or bucket lists or words of the year or what the hell ever you do to plan for the year ahead. I’m 👏here 👏 for 👏 it 👏.

I have big plans for 2020. I’ve got goals. I’ve got a word. I’ve got a mindset. I’m ready. This year I’m doing something similar to last year. I’ve picked an overarching theme, in this case a word, that I’m building goals around. This year I chose the word “Present”. I picked it because I’ve recognized that the times where I’m happiest is when I’m fully immersed in what I’m doing. I’m especially happy when I’m not sure where my phone is at and I don’t care. So I’m doubling down on being present and focusing my hopes and my goals on that.

My Goals for 2020

1. Eat dinner at the table.
2. Read.
3. Work on my house projects.
4. Invest more time in relationships with our friends and family.
5. Write more.

I think that this year is going to be a good one, and I’m so glad that I’ll be present for it.

Do you set goals for the new year? Why or why not?