A Thankful Heart

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grateful 2014 color

My heart is so full, friends. And not just because it’s almost Thanksgiving, although that helps. What could be better than pie and food and family and laughter and all that good stuff that comes along with the holidays? Thanksgiving has a special place in my heart because it really is all about being together and enjoying each other, without all that greedy gift stuff that can stress me out during the Christmas season. I’m excited to take some time off with my family and spend as much time as possible in my elastic-waisted pants. Ahhh, gluttony, an American tradition.

I’ve alluded to some big changes happening around the Crazybananas headquarters in 2015. While I can’t share every small detail (soon!) I can say starting in January this blog and everything that comes with it, including photography, freelance writing and design, will be my full time profession. I mean, along with nose wiping and lunchbox packing, obviously. I’m so excited/thrilled/terrified to start this journey, which is something I’ve been working toward for the past three years. I know this won’t be an easy road, but the idea of doing what I LOVE for a living is just an incredible thing. I’m so very grateful. I’ve spent most of my career working my butt off at jobs that didn’t make my heart sing (or hum or whistle or anything, actually) in order to provide for my family. I’ve sacrificed for them, and now they are choosing to sacrifice for me. I am so thankful to my husband and kids for being the greatest supporters of me and my crazy notions. This change will affect them in big ways too, and they are on jumping on board this train with little complaint and lots of cheerleading. I am the luckiest.

I’m also thankful for YOU! Yes, you! If you’re here reading this, or if you’ve ever shared, commented, liked, retweeted or posted anything from this site, you’ve helped me to realize my dream. It may seem like a small thing, but to me, it’s huge. I simply would not be here without you.

So, to say THANK YOU, I’m giving away a pair of tickets to Motown the Musical, part of the Broadway Across America series, playing in Kansas City on December 11th!

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is Broadway’s record-breaking smash hit that tells the true story behind the beat that changed minds, touched lives and took the world by storm. Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations – MOTOWN THE MUSICAL shows how these legendary artists and so many more created the soundtrack that transformed America.

If you haven’t heard of this incredible Broadway show, watch the trailer below. It’s freaking fantastic!

To enter this giveaway, please go to this survey, which will help me determine what you want to read on Crazybananas in 2015. Once you’ve completed the survey, come back here and leave a comment. (Ed note: If you’ve already completed the survey, just leave a comment below saying you’ve already done so…you don’t have to fill it out twice.) Easy peesy! You can get additional entries by doing the following:

– Liking Crazybananas on Facebook
– Following Crazybananas on Twitter
– Following Crazybananas on Instagram

Don’t forget, once you’ve followed any of my social media accounts (or if you’re already following!) to come back to this post and leave a comment so I can be sure your entry is counted! This contest will close on Friday, November 28th at 5 p.m., so get those entries in before you eat too much turkey and fall asleep!

Thank you again for all of your support and love throughout the years. I am so humbled and grateful. I’m not really a hugger, but I’d give you all a huge bear hug if I could! Happy Thanksgiving!

A Few Things to Love Today : Blanket Scarves, T-Pain and Meditation

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Anyone else in the midst of a crazy, wild, nutso schedule? I’m assuming it’s not just me, as the mamas of the world start gearing up for the holidays while still trying to maintain their regular responsibilities like work and making sure young children do not color all over their van seats with a sharpie. Just me? Anyway, I wanted to share a few things that are making me smile today, as I’m procrastinating all of my actual work.

Blanket Scarves
I ordered this through my friend Kelly’s website, Redefined Mom. Kelly has a way of finding THE BEST deals on the internet, and her site is one to bookmark, especially for the holidays. She has posted this deal for these amazing blanket scarves a few times, and after I saw hers in person, I had to buy one for myself. Early Christmas present?

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I have pretty much been wearing it non-stop, and while some people (ahem, husband) think I look like I’m headed into the arctic tundra, a really cute hipster girl working at H&M pulled me aside to ask me where I got it because she liked it so much. Which, if you know me, is the best thing that’s happened to me all week. Also, when paired with this beanie from Aerie, make me “look like Christmas,” according to one of my friends. So, basically, it’s a win.

T-Pain Unplugged
I saw this story last week, and when I watched the YouTube video, my whole heart exploded. Read or listen the story first, then watch Faheem Najim (aka T-Pain) just blow your mind.

There is nothing I love more than when someone takes off all the armor they wear to protect themselves and is vulnerable in a way they haven’t been before. Glorious and beautiful and worthy.

Meditation
Okay, this is a little woo woo for me, but meditation has become a daily part of my routine that is sort of changing my life. I say sort of because I’ve only been doing it a few weeks, and who knows, I may fall out of love with it as quickly as I’ve fallen in love! I’ve always really liked the idea of meditation, but my brain tends to behave like a squirrel on caffeine, so sitting in the quiet was not something at which I excelled. As a recovering perfectionist, I don’t enjoy trying new things, especially when I’m not a gold medalist right away, so when meditation was difficult for me, I decided it wasn’t something I could do. However, a few weeks ago a group of women I love and respect were talking about meditation, and they reminded me the whole point of meditation isn’t to be perfect, but to practice being in the moment. I’ve been trying a 15 to 30 minute meditation every day since then, just to see if it was do-able for me, and it’s enriched my life in ways I couldn’t imagine. I’m calmer with the kids, kinder to my husband, more relaxed in general. I didn’t even notice it until there was one day when life was too busy and I didn’t make the time to meditate…and whoa, the difference was scary! In the past I’ve been so caught up in doing it all perfectly, but this time around I’m just focusing on doing the best I can. I tend to like guided meditation, so I’ve downloaded a bunch of 15 to 30 minute podcasts by Tara Brach, a meditation teacher and phychologist, so I can listen to them whenever I get a chance. I’ve meditated in a quiet spot in my house, lit with candles…and in my car, and in the gym locker room, and waiting for pickup at the kids schools. Each time I feel like I’m probably doing it all wrong, but I do it anyway. Maybe that should be my mantra, “Do it anyway.”

2014 Mini Shoots…the Conclusion

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I’ve finally wrapped up all the work on this year’s Fall Mini Shoots, and I have to say…it was so awesome! In the past, these small shoots have felt overwhelming and stressful for me, but this year it all went so smoothly. I’m not sure if it was due to an amazing group of easy-going families or myself being a little more go with the flow these days, but either way, it was an experience I am so grateful for! To everyone who participated, THANK YOU! You helped me rekindle my love of photography, and especially of photographing families. Thanks for reminding me how lucky I am to do what I do.

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Clement Hiserote Sneak Peek

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Gratitude, Silliness, and the Lessening of Obscene Hand Gestures

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A few months ago I joined a gratitude group. Yes, I know it’s all a little woo woo, but for this recovering cynic, staying positive can be pretty hard work. So when I heard some friends were starting a group all about thankfulness, I was totally in. I love journaling about the happy things in my life, but because I’m only accountable to myself, I tend to let the task slide in favor of seemingly more fun items (like rewatching the entire Fringe series from beginning to end because I’d forgotten how incredibly hot Pacey Witter Peter Bishop looks in a sharp peacoat). Soon I’m grumpy, surly and an all around Grinch, and before you can say “Are you PMSing or something, Megan?” I remember I haven’t been very grateful lately. Mystery solved. Someone call Angela Lansbury.

So I joined this gratitude group and basically we just send little messages to each other via Facebook where we tell the others something we’re grateful for that particular day. Everyone comments on each other’s sharing and it’s really quite lovely and uplifting. Sometimes I share simple things, like when Tate finally napped or when Lulu rode her two-wheeler for the first time. Other times I share deeply personal items, like when I looked around me and realized my life, which was in such chaos not so long ago, felt good and real for the first time in a long, long time.

I don’t know when gratitude changed my life, but I’m sure that it has. A few days ago, a car cut me off on the highway and instead of honking my horn and waving obscene hand gestures, I took a deep breath and told myself that person must be on the way to something really important. Maybe their wife was in labor or maybe their kid was throwing up at the nurse’s office in school? Who knows? I just sent a little prayer into Universe that they get wherever they are headed safely. I know, right? I can’t believe myself either. Who am I?!

I can tell you I am not a person for whom this comes easily, and I’m just as likely as you to scoff at the silliness of it. But I’m also a person whose blood pressure is lower and sleeps better at night. My brain is not wild with the craziness of the ungrateful (and therefore always needing MORE MORE MORE) person I was before. I am not looking to fill some hole in my life with more stuff or more people or more food or more throw pillows or more blog posts…I’m all filled up. Is this because of gratitude? Maybe. Can I prove it? Nope. But I’m gonna keep my glass half-full anyway, just in case.

@dallasclayton just gets it. #rainbows

Image by Dallas Clayton

The Secret

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I was tagged by a friend for a gratitude challenge on Facebook, and while I know I’m supposed to list out things I’m grateful for today, I don’t know how to limit myself to only a few. My life is so full, so silly wonderful, narrowing it down would be impossible. I believe we go through hard times and struggle so we can fully appreciate it when life is good. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember on the darker days, of which this past year I’ve had many, but then, one day, the sun comes out. And holy wow, life is good. Not perfect, not even close, but incredibly lovely in all its imperfection.

Today I spent the entire day with my family. It was heaven. There was the cider mill and the bike rides and the dog park and the book store and the fire pit and the leaves crunching and the eating on the patio. There were runny noses and skinned knees and bad directions and turning at the wrong (right?) corner and I’m right/you’re wrong’s and I’m sorry’s and I love you’s. I ended my day swinging in a hammock with my husband, wrapped up in a pink snuggie and watching my kids perform a play about ninjas they created in the backyard. This was life today. As I write this I’m snuggled up with a cup of warm apple cider and a pumpkin candle filling my room. My dog hasn’t even eaten any of my shoes today!

Tomorrow might be hard. Yesterday may have been the worst. But right now, today, I am so grateful. My tank is full. It isn’t always easy, but as long as I stick with gratitude, service to others, and connection through my spirituality, I’m good. I don’t need much else.

I hope wherever you’re at today, whether it’s dark or light, you can find a small thing to be grateful for. Gratitude changes everything. Trust me, I’m a certified reformed cynic who is surprisingly… actually… really… truly… happy.

xoxo,
Megan

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