Meet Tesla

Friday we picked up the newest member of our family: 9-month-old Tesla.  She is a snuggle bug, and we are all smitten.

A New Season

May will mark the first month I will be a stay-at-home mom and part-time college student.  I already hold a B.S. in Psychology (Crisis Counseling) and a M.A. in Human Services Counseling (Crisis Response and Trauma), and currently work as a Child Protective Services Investigator.  Mid-month I will finish out my notice and in addition to being able to stay at home with my youngest until she starts school, I will be pursuing my Master of Art in Teaching: Elementary Education.  Upon completion of this degree I'll be licensed to teach K-6, and I'll also be qualified as an adjunct professor for college.

I'm so excited to begin this new season of life, but I can't pretend it's not scary to "give up" everything I spent years working towards in order to pursue a brand new career path.  I'm lucky that we have the financial means for me to be able to take this step, and I'm grateful I have the support of my loving husband in chasing this new dream.  I know this move is going to be great for me as an individual, and for my family as a whole.

My professional goal has always been to make a positive impact in the lives of others.  I thought I could do that via counseling, then via social work, or through this or that - but I was a bit idealistic in what I would actually be able to accomplish in those roles.  Teaching will give me that opportunity, and I think my psychology background and work experience will be invaluable assets in the profession.  I know there will be rough patches, as there are in any careers (even the perfect, dream job has some negatives) but for me, the pros far outweigh the cons.  The perk of having holidays, Winter/Spring breaks, and Summers off to enjoy extra time with the kids is pretty appealing!
  
Until I'm rooted in my new career, I will have plenty of extra time to devote to my family.  The time away from them was the most difficult part of working full-time, especially all the school functions, sports activities, etc. I had to miss because of work.  I'll be pursuing my degree at a slow, part-time rate, and I'm hoping this will even allow me enough time to dedicate to self-care and pursuing my own personal goals and hobbies (like blogging!).

Our New Sectional Sofa

We bought a new sectional sofa!  As a family of 5 with a small living room, we have always had a problem with seating, particularly when we have guests.  I had been saying forever that we really needed to get a sectional because it made more sense in our space.

I wanted to get something that would be sturdy enough to last, but because we still have small children I didn't want to spend a fortune on high-end furniture..

I took to the blog world and the resounding recommendation for affordable, sturdy sectional sofas was Ikea's Ektorp.  It's marketed as a "4 seat corner" but you can honestly seat six people comfortably (and several more, if needed).  The best thing about this sofa is the fact that the whole thing is slip-covered, so I can literally wash my entire couch.  With 5 of us around, there's bound to be accidents - and now I don't have to worry about them at all.

Despite being able to wash everything, I went against the many, many recommendations and did not pick white.  I chose the Nordvalla Dark Gray, but I will tell you that it is nothing at all like the picture on the Ikea website.  The fabric is very similar to denim and looks much more blue in person, especially up close.  I like this a lot better, as it is literally the exact same color as the gray in my rug.  Also, the cool thing about a slipcover is that I can pick up a new one at any time and completely transform the whole room.  I may opt for white in the wintertime - it would look amazing against our Christmas decor.  But I'm extremely pleased with what we've got for now.

Funko Pop Collection

Last year I decided to start a Funko Pop collection for no other reason than I thought it would be fun to hunt down beloved characters from shows, movies, books, etc.  Aside from Spock, the characters in my growing collection have all been gifted to me, so I really haven't even touched on my own wishlist yet.  I'm loving what I have so far though!

101 Things in 1001 Days

Some people love the idea of resolutions, goals, bucket lists, and long to-do lists; while others can't stand the concept (for good reasons that I completely understand).  I happen to be a member of the first group.  I find that writing down all the things I want to do, the personal challenges I want to complete, or even just listing out the things I need to take care of helps to keep me organized and inspired.  And I find that checking things off my list motivates me to be even more productive and check even more things off.  I've also always found that sharing my goals with others helps me feel accountable, encouraged, and supported in my endeavors.  So I've decided to share my latest list project here!

You may have heard of the 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge, and as a list lover, this is right up my alley.  I love the idea of having a longer-term, more realistic deadline, and I plan to pull from this list when I'm creating my short list of monthly goals (something I've been doing successfully for a few years now).

I tried to pick things I'm pretty firmly-rooted in, things I really want to do, hoping that the list will stand the test of time and will still be applicable in two years' (plus) time.  However, I know that things will change and some of the items may no longer be relevant in the future, and some of the goals are rather lofty.  I'm not holding myself to any strict rules, but I do hope to check most of these items off by the end date.  For me, this really is all about the journey - and what I can gain from the journey - rather than the destination.  

I plan to blog about each of the goals as they are accomplished as a way to stay motivated and inspired, not to mention accountable.  Without further delay, here's my 101 Things in 1001 Days list, in no particular order.

Start Date: 1/1/2017    End Date: 9/29/2017

    1.   Come up with 101 things (a freebie but it's harder than you'd think!). Completed 1/1/2017

  TRAVEL

    2.   Trip to a beach none of us have ever been to before.

    3.   Eat crabs in Maryland.

    4.   Hershey, PA.

    5.   Disney World.

    6.   New York City.

    7.   Visit a state none of us have ever been to before.

    8.   Biltmore Estates.

    9.   Have a kid-free getaway.

  10.   Go on another cruise.

  11.   Visit a city none of us have ever been to before.

  12.   Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge.

  13.   San Francisco.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

  14.   Drive-in movie.

  15.   Go to a MLB game.

  16.   NFL game.

  17.   Virginia Holocaust Museum.

  18.   See the Hokies play live.

  19.   Go inside a lighthouse.

  20.   Virginia Museum of Transportation.

  21.   Implement monthly game night

  22.   Go to an amusement park.

  23.   Go to a fair or festival.

  24.   Ice skating.

  25.   Zip lining.

  26.   Visit a planetarium.

  27.   Go to a zoo.

  28.   Splash park.

  29.   Explore caverns.

  30.   Go to a Pow-Wow.

  31.   Family picnic.

  32.   Camping.

  33.   Go skiing.

  34.   Make a gingerbread house from scratch.

  35.   Try geocaching.

  36.   Cook a family meal together.

  37.   Play a round of mini-golf.

  38.   Implement monthly movie nights.

  39.   Race each other on a go-kart track.

  40.   Hike a new trail.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

  41.   Get CPR certified.

  42.   Be able to do a handstand.

  43.   Photograph DC's cherry blossoms.

  44.   Complete a New York Times crossword without cheating.

  45.   Photograph wild horses.

  46.   Run a 5K.

  47.   Go rock-climbing.

  48.   Read 100 books.

  49.   Plan and photograph another themed family cosplay shoot.

  50.   Learn calligraphy.

  51.   Open a photography side business.

  52.   Dye my hair blonde.

  53.   Maintain goal weight.

EXTENDED FAMILY AND FRIENDS

  54.   Host an Ice Cream Social.

  55.   Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange.

  56.   Host David's 40th.

  57.   Host a game night with friends.

MEMORY KEEPING

  58.   Professional family photos 2017.

  59.   Professional family photos 2018.

  60.   Professional family photos 2019.

  61.   Make keepsake boxes for all three kids.

  62.   Create a family cookbook with family recipes.

  63.   Design a "Year in Review" card to mail instead of Christmas cards.

  64.   Complete a "Day in the Life Of" photo project.

GIVING BACK/COMMUNITY

  65.   Rescue another animal.

  66.   Donate plasma.

  67.   Adopt a child for Christmas.

  68.   Volunteer for Libertarian party.

  69.   Vote every year.

  70.   Make a paper flower bouquet as a gift.

FINANCES

  71.   Exchange British pounds for American dollars.

  72.   Buy a house.

  73.   Emergency savings (amount hidden).

  74.   Pay off credit cards.

  75.   Open a savings account for each of the kids.

HOME WORK

  76.   Have a raised bed garden.

  77.   Makeover the downstairs closet.

  78.   Finish Faith's room.

  79.   Finish Noah's room.

  80.   Update Olivia to a big girl room.

  81.   Renovate the kitchen.

  82.   Makeover the carport to a patio area.

  83.   Replace the roof on the house.

  84.   Finally finish purging of all unused/unnecessary items.

  85.   Buy a fire extinguisher.

  86.   Create an emergency survival kit.

  87.   Create an emergency supply of food and water.

  88.   Clean out the shed.

JUST BECAUSE/MISC.

  89.   Participate in Fantasy Football.

  90.   Design and purchase another watercolor family portrait.

  91.   Get another tattoo.

  92.   Make homemade peanut butter.

  93.   Make homemade jam.

  94.   Make homemade cheese.

  95.   Legally change my name.

  96.   Buy a sectional sofa.

  97.   Add 3 books to my "Pretty Books" collection.

  98.   Complete a 1,000 piece puzzle.

  99.   Sell old/unused camera gear.

100.   Build/buy a map to pin family trips.

101.   Paint another picture for home decor.