Finding My Path : Experimenting and Hoping for the Best

This girl is such a wonderful person. I am in awe of her. #love #snuggle #daughter

I’ve written quite a lot here about my journey to find my path in life, both professionally and personally, and since it’s been a while, I figured it was time for an update. When we last left you, I had quit my full-time, high pressure career to start a new position as the head of marketing for an IT company. An IT company that happens to be owned by a certain cute entrepreneur. This guy.

#tbt Photobooths are our jam.

Our plan was for me to work part time until both kids are in school full time, with hours added in as need be for events and deadlines. I also planned to keep blogging five days a week here at Crazybananas and writing freelance articles as often as possible. Oh, and I took a position as a research editor for an incredible design website too. And I am still doing photography on the side.

Guess how long it took until I burned out? Two months. Just two months, that’s it! After I left the Alt Summit conference in late January, I was overwhelmed with how I was going to make my life’s passions my eventual career (the “plan” is when Trent sells his company I would be able to take a full time job blog/photography position somewhere, or even make a living freelancing). All of the incredible women I met seemed to be doing so much more than I had time for, and I felt hopeless. Yet, I kept at it for another 30 days before I finally said, ENOUGH.

For a month now I have not written a freelance blog post. I started posting here only 3 days a week instead of 5, and all but threw out my editorial calendar that haunted my dreams. I started writing when I felt like I had something to say, instead of feeling like the sky was falling if I didn’t just post something (ANYTHING!) here. A few photography projects fell to the wayside as I prioritized the assignments I had already committed to, and then I didn’t add anything new to replace them.

So, how’s it going? Well, the work is okay. Yes, my page views on this site have dropped and yes, my social media interaction isn’t that wonderful, but I’m still posting here. I feel good about what I’m putting out into the world wide web, and I’ve pretty much eliminated all the filler. I miss contributing to other blogs, but I have confidence I’ll be able to pick up again soon, once I get a better handle on what my schedule with two kids at home, plus part time work, plus bloglife will allow. I’ve had a few photography shoots for friends, and I completed my Go Mighty project. Things are still moving, the world is still turning.

The most important thing is how I feel today. I feel good. I don’t feel the adrenaline rush that typified the last year of my life as I began this journey, but that’s okay. You don’t have to be inspired every day. Some days you’ll look at your vision board or your list of goals and you’ll think…meh. That is OKAY. In fact, it’s probably for the best. Because after a few days or weeks or months or even years you’ll look at that list of goals and feel a flutter in your tummy again. Your heart will race and you’ll think, “I’m gonna do this!” And the best part? You’ll be in a well-rested, happy, good place when that moment arrives, instead of strung out and exhausted. You’ll be able to tackle it because of taking your time, not in spite of it.

So, that’s my update. I am still here. Not every night, frantically typing in to the wee hours, but instead, pouring out some thoughts before I shut the lid to my laptop and head off to read my new favorite book (A Song of Fire and Ice, I am loving you right now!). I feel good, content and happy. And even though I’ve seen there are less of you reading here now, I think the very best of you are still around. Thank you for being here.

Happy Weekend!

My luggage is adorable.

Hey, hey, it’s FRIDAY! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually sad that Spring Break is almost over. Yesterday Lu and I spent the entire day together (post upcoming…I love my girl and this city we call home!) and I remembered how lovely it can be when we all just slow down and have a bit of fun. This entire week, sleepless hotel nights not withstanding, has reminded me how much I adore my little family and how even when something is less than perfect, if they are happy, I barely notice. Watching the kids soak in this break and our time together has been worth every missed email and passed up freelance opportunity. Next week we’ll be back to the normal grind, but for a few more days, we can pretend we live in funland.

Here are a few awesome links from around the web to entertain you this weekend. I’ll be back to a normal blogging schedule next week, and I can’t wait to share some fun projects I’ve been working on. (Sidenote: I need to find a synonym for “fun.”)

My FAVORITE web video series The Lizzie Bennnet Diaries is nearing the end of it’s run. Yesterday they posted the episode where Darcy and Lizzie proclaim their love…and it killed me dead. This is why the Internet is such an amazing place. People can take something that has been done hundreds of times over, and make it their own. And with very little upfront capital, they can share it with the world, via a few clicks. Fantastic!

Have you ever thought of yourself as stylishly unique? Well, this thoughtful post from Erin over at Design for Mankind might change your mind. Do you think you dress for yourself, or for your tribe? I’d love to say I dress for myself, but I have to admit, I do think I fit in to a certain tribe and most of this tribe’s members probably dress themselves I lot like me. (Says the girl wearing thick-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans, a striped top and a scarf with patterned ballet flats…)

I am so excited to read Minimalist Parenting (downloading on my Nook as we speak!). This book by Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest gives advice and real steps on creating a life for your family that’s based on “less” in a world full of “more.” I am such a fan of this idea and am so excited it’s coming to the forefront of parenting news. What do you think?

I love this post my friend Nicole wrote on simple birthday celebrations. In Lu’s life we’ve had three big birthday parties and three smaller affairs (like a picnic with the godparents or cake for breakfast) and I’d say she loves the simple parties as much as the big ones. In fact, the first big friend party we threw had Lu in tears half the time due to all the attention being on her (I can relate, girl). And as with all of Nicole’s posts, the photos are beautiful.

Watercolor Easter eggs are on our weekend agenda! Weirdly, I have all the materials on hand. Does this mean I’m crafty now? So strange.

College Humor made a live action version of Dora the Explorer starring Ariel Winter from Modern Family. It is probably the best thing ever. “It’s Swiper! He’s working with the Iranians now!”

Here are a few other pieces I’ve contributed to around the www the past few weeks:

The Zesty Digest is hosting a rad giveaway…you should go enter!

You Are My Wild is one of my favorite photography projects on the web right now. I was so lucky to be able to interview some of the participating photographers for a piece for Design for MiniKind.

Have you heard of the site, The Kid Should See This? It’s a curated video site that a mom created when she found there was content on the web she WANTED her kid to be watching, but would be hard for him to find. I did an interview with the creator, Rion, for Design for Minikind.

The wisdom of six year olds…oh, I can relate.

Spring Break : The Omaha Zoo

Hello friends! I’m checking in quickly in the midst of our “at home” spring break. This year I decided to try and make our lame, no beach spring break a bit more fun, so I enlisted my mother-in-law on a road trip. She had no idea what she was in for…but a few hours north (and a few episodes of Jake and the Neverland Pirates too many…yo ho ho my butt) we arrived in Omaha, Nebraska, where we spent two nights. We stayed in the Old Market area of downtown and LOVED it. We can’t wait to go back in the summer when it’s a bit warmer and there is more time to explore.

Our main reason for visiting was to see the Omaha Zoo, and although it was cold, we had a great time. I only ended up with photos of the aquarium and the cat complex, mostly due to a certain two-year-old in our midst. He loved the aquarium, so that was easy…then he fell asleep right before the cat complex, so that worked out too. Other than these photos below, you’ll have to follow our trip through the lens of the iPhone on Instagram, under the hashtag #springbreakin. It’s much easier to whip out an iPhone when you’re wrangling a cranky toddler through an indoor rainforest than it is a giant DSLR. The more you know…

We adored the zoo, and the kids are still talking about our trip. Lu can’t stop talking about the penguins and the baby lions (photo below…they were so cute, walking around like drunk, lion toddlers!) and Tate keeps talking about the hippos and monkeys. I was a huge fan of the tigers, as you can see below. And the gorillas were incredible! One baby gorilla and her mama spent about 15 minutes trying to communicate with Lu through the glass. It was such a surreal and incredible experience. It was cold, but many of the zoo’s exhibits move indoors for the winter months, so there was still a lot to see. Trent’s mom (Grammy) went with us and not only slept on a hotel couch-bed, but also took Lucy swimming in a questionable hotel pool while I napped with Tate. We are so lucky to have her in our lives.

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I hope you are all enjoying your spring break, and hopefully it’s a bit more springy where you are! I’ll have some more updates on the rest of our break later in the week, including our inaugural trip to the Great Wolf Lodge Indoor Water Park and Hotel. Ack!

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