special moments

throughout life we often have "ah ha" moments. special moments. those moments that ignite you and remind you of your life's purpose.

yesterday i had one of those moments.

throughout the year our school has various performances, feasts, and school community programs. events that we do together as a school. ages three to twelve. it truly is endearing. yesterday was our thanksgiving celebration and feast. it was a day of fun, games, singing, and eating. there are so many things about this event that moves me. the children plan almost every aspect of the day, with little adult intervention. they plan the games and activities that included face painting, arts and crafts, jumping rope, a snack station (because we all know kids are always hungry!), four square...the list goes on. they also prepared the feast environment. they arranged and set the tables, made name cards and napkin holders and decorated our dining space. it was beautiful.

their independence is remarkable.

before we all came together to give thanks and shared our meal as a school, we spent time with our music teacher singing songs that the children have been practicing for several weeks. the excitement, joy and level of participation is immeasurable. to hear a room full of children singing their hearts out, together is such a sweet sound. to hear this group of children sing, to hear their desire to perform for each other and with each other is truly amazing. this moment was blissful, carefree, and jubilant. these moments are often difficult to describe. it's a moment that feels so perfect in a world of imperfection. it's a moment of "wow! i am a part of something that is breathtaking!". it's a moment of wonderment. moments like these are so meaningful through something so simple.
so, it is difficult to describe because these moments don't happen everyday. that is what makes them extraordinary. that is why they ignite your soul.

it is moments like these that are so special. that remind you of the "why". why you are doing what you are doing. what makes it all worth it. some days our impact feels so small, but on days like this, when we are a community doing great things together, it reminds me of my "why".

no matter how small or large the impact we make on others, it's important. and they remember. so make it worth your while. remember your why.

xoxo,
ks

semi-organic life

so. i made a change to my "workout" tab. some of you may have noticed. some of you may not. the "workout" tab really wasn't doing it for me anymore. i write down my daily workouts on paper. so, for me to log-in and also document it here, well, you can see i was really failing at that. plus, i never really received any feedback on it. so i am going with the assumption no one really benefited from it being there.

BUT! i have been wanting to write more about our lifestyle. not to shove it in anyone's face, but because i enjoy it and it excites me. and anything that creates passion, is worth sharing. and by writing about it, we can talk about it and share ideas, thoughts, concerns...anything!
the tab above is entitled "semi-organic life" because that is exactly how we live. we eat as clean and organically as we can. but, for us, we know that it's not possible all the time. my exercise and wellness regime is a huge part of my lifestyle too. so that will filter in here as well. my thought is to put up a regular blog post, much like this one is, and then store all of the "semi-organic life" blogs under that tab. it will be a away of categorizing some of my blog posts. so, if you are interested in just our lifestyle blogs, you can gain access to them all in one place instead of having to sift through everything.

so, what will i write about in "semi-organic life"?

• food!
• healthy eating
• recipes [hopefully. i am so bad at writing down my recipes.]
• workout ideas
• my personal workout schedules/routines
• workout goals
• struggles with living an organic life [costs, resources, etc]
• workout challenges [injury, illness, travel]

this is a new project for me. i am excited about it and look forward to continuing this journey with you all.

xoxo,
ks

NEAM

what is NEAM?

NATIONAL EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH.

as most of you know, i write another blog about my journey through life with epilepsy. throughout the month of november i will be sharing a great deal of information about epilepsy, resources, stories, research, and various organizations.

therefore, i would like to take this opportunity to invite you to read, share, and comment on black out: my epileptic journey.

if you have epilepsy, know some with epilepsy, or are just seeking information, [black out] is a great place to start.

xoxo,
ks

thankful

thanksgiving. ahhh. a day of family and friends. and stuffing our faces like true americans. just like the pilgrims and indians did.

but fo' real. i love thanksgiving. i hate that christmas commercialism has made thanksgiving the red-headed stepchild. what made christmas so special that it has be to louder and more annoying to overshadow thanksgiving? thanksgiving is the time to eat too much delicious food and to get drunk with your creepy uncle. it's a time to laugh. and share. and maybe stay up too late reliving childhood memories. remember that terrible haircut and bad outfit you had for picture day? yeah, the haircut that you gave yourself and the outfit that you picked out. yeah, let's go ahead and tell that story for the 300th time. that's what thanksgiving is about. ahhh. memories.

so, in honor of thanksgiving, i'd like to share a few things that i am thankful for. and since thanksgiving falls on november 24th, i'll go ahead and share 24 things. yeah, i'm crafty like that.

by the way, this list is in no particular order.

i am thankful for....
1. my dogs always being excited to see me when i get home. always. it makes any day a good day. ok, well at least a better day.
2. my husband's snuggles. nothing in the world can compare to it.
3. my sense of humor. it's pretty much at a 5th grade level. and i am so okay with that.
4. a roof over my head. and food in my cupboards.
5. an extremely supportive family.
6. my health. some days are better than others. but every day is better than what some others go through.
7. finishing graduate school. well, almost.
8. christmas tree cakes. i know, stupid christmas had to sneak into my thanksgiving list. but they are just so damn good. i could eat them all year long. easter. memorial day. 4th of july. halloween. really any holiday will do.
9. my friends. i love them all and don't see them as much as i would like.
10. a good night's sleep.
11. laughing until i cry. usually because of something i said.
12. an amazing husband who loves me more than i could have ever imagined.
13. hurricanes hockey. through the highs and lows, i am thankful to enjoy a team so much that i want to go to all of their games.
14. the sunniest of days.
15. the ability to write. and to enjoy doing it. seriously, i should make it my day job. or at least my half-time job. something??
16. being in a position in my life where i can be choosey with my future.
17. the little things.
18. hot apple cider on a cold day. yummmm.
19. my job. and that i love it and my boss and co-workers.
20. a delicious glass of wine.
21. vacations! the husband and i are heading to OBX on friday. yipppeee!
22. to be an american. and i am thankful for the service men and women who protect our freedom every. single. day.
23. momma sales' pumpkin pie that i plan on destroying tomorrow.
24. YOU. seriously. YOU. every person that touches my life, whether it be every day, one a week or once a year, i am thankful for you. you are important to my life. and i am so glad you are a part of it.


i hope you all enjoy your thanksgiving, whatever you do!

xoxo,
ks

life flies.

it's november.
holy shit.

this has been the fastest semester of my life. it was august like 5 minutes ago. and i'm not even kidding. i feel like it is going by so fast that i can't even enjoy a freaking minute of it. we live week-to-week. with all of our crazy plans. we barely scrape by just to begin another crazy-ass week. phew, i feel worn out just thinking about it. i mean it's tuesday. i work all day today. tomorrow will be a school day: school work and night class. thursday i work all day. friday i have to work a half-day, then i have a lunch date and wedding dress shopping! yay! then football saturday! arrrgghhh. and sometime in there i will have to find time to do more school work for next week. but when? who knows. i can only think so far in advance.

and that is just school and work stuff (plus a little bit of play). i didn't even touch on wedding and thesis stuff. those are two other big things that occupy my life. i am really surprised my head hasn't spun off yet.

here are my saving graces:

keith. seriously. he keeps me grounded. probably more than he realizes. but also he can tell when i am starting to unravel. and helps me to relax.

making ME time. everyday i try to save time for myself. exercising is usually my ME time. i enjoy it. plus i want to look super sexy on my wedding day. so, it's somewhat two-fold as to why i do it.

i have finally learned that i can't do everything all the time. i can only do what i can do. if it has to wait until tomorrow. well, then it will. the world will not end because it has to wait. if the laundry piles up, so what? if the house goes un-vacuumed for one more day, who cares? contrary to popular belief, i am not superwoman. i have to rest sometimes too. so the laundry, vacuuming and school work can wait.

my life is crazy. it always will be, as much as we try to fight it. so instead of fighting it, i think it's time we just embrace it and enjoy it. because most of the time we do!