2018 Reflections to Carry into 2019

Happy New Year! Well, at the time of writing this post we’re now three days into the new year. How are those resolutions holding up? We’ve done well so far, and today the hubby and I made vision boards! Woop, woop! I’ve never done one before, but we did them at the same time, so it was almost like a date. (It helped that the kiddos were napping.) We spent an hour talking over our short- and long-term goals from a personal, family and business perspective and another hour putting the boards together. 

Unfortunately, the girls woke from their naps, spoiling my hubby time and making me realize I hadn’t started my chicken tortilla soup yet. 😮 Oops. No big deal for them, since all they eat is mac n’ cheese and chicken nuggets. Before I knew it, it was 7:20 p.m., time to put the girls to bed, and Pat and I still hadn’t eaten dinner. Well, the crockpot was taking entirely too long, so I threw everything in the Instant Pot (or IP as us cult members like to call it). Pat believes if you get one you’re forced into a cult of IPers, and he’s not far off. 😉 You need to join the cult to be able to use the darn thing, or find a friend who’s an expert and has all the time in the world to teach you.  

Once the IP was done, guess who got an opportunity for a second date? We did! It was 8 p.m. when we sat down to eat. In typical husband fashion, Pat also called out that my chicken tortilla soup was really just “soup,” since I failed to buy tortilla chips. It must not have been too horrible because he had seconds. So, we enjoyed hot “soup” and talked uninterrupted, all thanks to our vision boards. 😉 

Anywho, in the midst of this holiday season chaos, I found time to reflect on 2018. My hope is that in me sharing my reflections you will find your focus for 2019. It’s not too late! 

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From Nun and Too Many Dates to Family of Four

Hi! Welcome to Juggling Work Mama! I hope you enjoy this inaugural post, where I’ll introduce you to myself and my circus. You can also learn more About Me

Up until Freshman year of high school, I wanted to be a nun. In sixth grade I remember writing to the Carmelite sisters and receiving a packet of pamphlets and other information in the mail. I am not sure I ever made it through all of the information they sent me; maybe a Rosary or a little token of some sort would have gone farther in the mind of 12-year-old. 

Then I entered high school, where I discovered boys and a love for babysitting. The convent suddenly became a distant phase, while my desire for a husband and family grew. By the time I graduated college I wanted to be married, but every guy I thought was THE ONE didn’t feel the same way about me. Man…the drama! So, I went to Costa Rica for a year and volunteered as an English teacher and then decided to move to Washington D.C., where I lived with my cousins and started a career. I was there for three years, which was long enough. I remember standing on the metro (subway) late one evening, seeing everyone glued to their phones and not one wearing a wedding band. I had to get out. 

In August of 2011, my best friend and I traveled to Spain, where we hiked 100 kilometers of El Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage walk to Santiago de Compostela (the same town I lived in for a semester in college). It was during that pilgrimage I heard God tell me I’d get back to Colorado, and I’d find my husband. After the grueling, but beautiful, experience of El Camino we braved World Youth Day, where we became the old gals, and rightfully so. We were traveling with a priest and a group of wonderful college kids (my best friend was a missionary at a college campus at the time), and while World Youth Day had its pleasant moments (like seeing the Pope), I remember the heat, crowds and lack of amenities more so. It’s called World YOUTH Day for a reason.

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