25@25 - The list

Way back in the fall of 2010, about 3 weeks before my 25 birthday, I came across the idea of a 25@25 list.  The idea was to create a bucket list of sorts, of 25 things I wanted to accomplish at the age of 25.  Seeing as I only had a year to complete these things they needed to be realistically achievable time wise and financially. (Catching a Mahi Mahi couldn't be on this list, even though it is a big dream of mine) I thought about goals I had, both big and small, easy and hard, and came up with a list that I started working on on October 6, 2010.  

I had 365 days to cross off 25 things.  Ready.  Set.  Go.  

here she is in all her glory.  The official list.  

the actual goals are in purple, (date completed) and comments in black 

25@25 

1. Learn to "let go & let God" (year long)  This was a big one.  It is one of those things that you never fully accomplish, but rather is a constant work in progress.  I would say I have come a long way though and enjoy life much more thoroughly in all it's splendor after changing the way I live and view it.  The Lord already has it all planned and by golly, usually his plan is 100 times better than anything you could ever imagine.  I finally figured out the best way to live life was to do my best, live with God as a focal point, and sit back and let him do the rest.  (The necklace was something I got to remind me of the importance of this way of living life and has the Bible verse Matthew 6:34 on the back.  It is now my favorite item of jewelry besides my wedding rings and UT ring.
  

2. Complete my master's degree (8/5/11) This bad boy was totally worth the exhausting 14 months…


3. Start keeping a "journal" of some sort (6/28/11) Welcome to the world of blogging. :) 


4. Learn how to make an old family recipe (12/31/11)  Brett's grandma makes something called "new years" bread during the holidays every year and it is a tradition in his family to eat a loaf on new years day.  It is delicious, especially with a little butter and browned on the stove.  It is harder to make than you would think though.  Everything is from scratch, you have to let it rise like 4 different times, and then bake it just so with egg whites on the top.  Brett has been bugging me for years to do it and I finally did! 

5. Become pregnant (5/17/11)  Loving being pregnant too btw. :) 


6. Finish hand sewing our Christmas stockings  I haven't actually finished these yet, and have been working on them for over a year, but WILL before the 6th. These are the kind where you buy the stocking on felt pieces and then cut, sequin, hand embroider, and attach tiny piece by tiny piece. This is also a Haby family thing.  Brett's mom made them for all her boys and Brett said it wasn't Christmas at our house without them so I though I would get it going for our family. Mine is done except for the name and Brett's is close… (I'll post pics when I do)

7. Have mermaid hair (8/1/11)  Yeah, I know you have probably never heard of this term but basically it is the only way I could describe how long I wanted my hair to grow.  Have you ever seen those pictures of mermaids where they are topless but decent because their hair is long enough to cover it?  Bingo.  My hair grows really slow and is fairly thin, so this took forever even with a head start. I never had long hair though, even as a kid, so it was a cool thing to accomplish. 


8. Make at least 3 home improvements (9/5/11)  We are big do-it yourselfers and I love to decorate so this one was fun.  We did way more than 3 improvements, some big and some small, including but not limited to - new ceiling fans in the living room, hardwood floors in the main living area and hallway, painting and installing a new ceiling fan in Tucker's nursery, painting an accent wall in the living room, and redoing the nook leading into the master bedroom.  

9. Vacation outside of Texas (6/17/11) Arkansas for our anniversary trip.


10. Find a church (9/4/11)   Brett is from a traditional conservative Catholic church family and I have been exposed to many different styles and even taught Sunday school.  We tried out a bunch and either they didn't feel right or one of us didn't like something about the service.  But, thanks to an awesome recommendation we are loving Northrock so far. :) 


11. Quit biting my nails (June 2011)  Awful and gross habit which is why it was so important to break…


12. Learn Brett's "love language" and strive to "speak" it (constant) If you have never read the 5 love language, you totally should.  It makes so much sense and so helps your spouse get it too. ;)  Brett's love language is quality time and mine is words of affirmation. 


13. Donate to a worthy cause (8/12/11)  Chopped 10 inches off my "mermaid hair" for Locks of Love.


14. Get a massage I have never had a REAL massage.  I'm working on convincing Brett I need a good prenatal before my birthday since it is on my list, but if that doesn't work, technically I had a 15 minute massage the morning of my brother-in-laws wedding that could count. 


15. Learn how to sew something new (several times) Man my sewing machine has been getting a workout!  I made this sparkly cape for a grad school video/ future librarian job and also spent 6 hours on Tucker's bedskirt.  Neither of which I had a pattern for. :) 

16. Take my vitamins daily (constant) This was easy since I started taking prenatal way back in October of last year to get ready to get pregnant.  But, I used to be really bad about it.  I think it really is true that if you do something for more than 30 days it becomes habit because I have no desire to bite my nails at all anymore and can't stand if I go out of town and forget my vitamins. 


17. Go to a wine tasting (10/9/10) The music and wine festival in Gruene was the perfect way to spend last year's birthday weekend.  My aunt, mom, and friend Karen helped me accomplish this one. :) 

18. Create new centers/ activities for my classroom (constant)  I created oodles! :) 


19. Send at least 5 people heartfelt and handwritten letters I've got one more to write and want to send it to my cooperating teacher from my last semester at UT.  She played such a role in who I am today as an educator and I can not thank her enough for all that she taught me about teaching and myself that semester. 


20. Create unique crosses (constant)  I did a whole post on this experience a few months ago. :) 


21. Go to a "big deal" baseball game (6/12/11) We got to see Texas win the super regional on their path to Omaha.  Hook 'Em! 

22. Purchase and learn how to use an e-reader (6/15/11)  I love to read and actually used to get in trouble for trying to read at the dinner table when I was a kid.  However, I was not a fan of e-readers when they first came out because I love the smell and feel of a real paper book. But, now that I have my nook, I LOVE it! :) 

23. Reread all 7 Harry Potters and see the movies Still haven't finished this one either.  I have reread all the books, but still have to see movies 6 and both parts of 7.  But, by no fault of mine, part 2 of 7 won't be out until November…  I'm still gonna count it since reading the books was the main thing. 


24. Cut back soda to special occasions only (constant) I used to drink a Diet Coke a day.  Now I have a soda about once every few weeks. All about breaking a habit again... Vitamin water and La Croix helped me kick this one. 

25. Pull off a surprise party (5/25/11)  I think my in-laws had a pretty awesome 30th anniversary.  They were definitely surprised! (You can see the excitement in their faces) :) 

Loved this list. 

Loved what I learned as I worked towards the goals. 

Loved the changes I've made.

So, I've got 4 things to finish up and 10 days to do it.  Better get on it...

"So Small"

This is my first post in a long time, and I promise there is good reason for that.  We have had a lot going on at the Haby house and are going through a lot of changes, some big and some small, and I'll get to that…

Me and Brett at our 1st Christmas together 9 years ago as high school seniors. We look so young!

Driving home today Carrrie Underwood's song "So Small" came on and it literally brought me to tears.  Maybe it has to do with my raging hormones, but I just felt the lyrics speaking to me.  (Does that ever happen to you? It happens to me ALL the time, which could be why I love lyrics so very much)  If you are not a Carrie fan shame on you or just can't recall the song, here it is. 

"What you got if you ain't got love

the kind that you just want to give away

It's okay to open up

go ahead and let the light shine through

I know it's hard on a rainy day

you want to shut the world out and just be left alone

But don't run out on your faith

[Chorus]

'Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand

What you've been up there searching for

forever is in your hands

When you figure out love is all that matters after all

It sure makes everything else 

seem so small

[Verse 2]

It's so easy to get lost inside

a problem that seems so big at the time

it's like a river thats so wide

it swallows you whole

While you sit around thinking about what you can't change

and worrying about all the wrong things

time's flying by

moving so fast

you better make it count 'cause you can't get it back

[Chorus]

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand

What you've been up there searching for

forever is in your hands

When you figure out love is all that matters after all

It sure makes everything else 

Seem so small

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand

What you've been up there searching for

forever is in your hands

When you figure out love is all that matters after all

It sure makes everything else 

Oh it sure makes everything else 

Seem so small"

This song pretty much describes how I feel about life at times, especially this summer. Overall I consider myself a fairly quite person who only opens up to those I'm close to and comfortable with and it kind of takes awhile to get to know me because I have got to feel you out first.  Sure I'm bubbly, but I'm always taking it all in and analyzing everything, and I mean everything.  Relaxing is not a word I am familiar with and I am trying to learn to apply that concept in life.  As I've worked through the learning to "Let Go and Let God" 25 @ 25 goal, I have been better about praying on it and handing big things over to him, knowing he has got a plan, but I need to apply that concept to the little things too.  

This summer I felt awful pretty much 94% of the time.  This had to do with a combination of an overwhelming amount of grad school, morning sickness, and overall stress with too many things pushing in at once.  I basically wanted to crawl into a hole and just survive the next few weeks which is pretty much exactly what I did.  In my mind, it was hard to see through the storm, my own personal storm which seemed like nothing to an outsider looking in but was raging in my world, and almost every day was a "rainy day".  It was 2 months of "a river so big that it swallows you whole" and there were many hours wasted on stressing about about things I couldn't change in all the situations.  

Then today, it hit me out of nowhere that "the mountain I've been climbing was just a grain of sand" and what I've "been up there searching for is forever in my hands".  I am now completely done with graduate school and have a master's degree in library science.  I worked very hard to get it and spent the past 14 months pushing myself to the limit to do so.  Now that it is over and I never have to think or complain about it ever again, I can finally look back and reflect on it.  It seemed so overwhelming at the time, in the midst of it all, but it was just another path in the road God designed for me.  And you know what, at the end of the day, even though I am glad I have it, that expensive diploma hanging on the wall really doesn't matter.  The fact that I am beyond blessed with a plethora of beautiful, loving, and amazing people surrounding me is what really matters. 

I have a husband who I adore and appreciate more than words can describe.  He may not be my entire world, but he certainly is the sun that lights it up and keeps it spinning.  I have parents that love me deeply, constantly, and entirely as well as siblings and nieces and nephews whom I love.  Lucky me, I also have a second family of fabulous in-laws packed with parents who love me like a daughter, brothers who welcome me as a sister, and a sister-in-law who is easily the sister I never had and one of my most treasured friends.  My extended family is awesome as well and are the strongest people I know, especially my aunt Dawn, uncle Mickey, and grandmas.  I love you all so very much, even if I don't say it as much as I should.  Let's not forget my two furry, four-legged babies and the sweet gift growing inside me right now that I know I will love with more intensity than I ever though possible. 

Take it to the next level and I have some pretty awesome friends who I can not see for months and then pick up with like we had never been apart. I also work with great people and truly love my job, which makes earning a paycheck 10 billion times more enjoyable.  Even the little things like the fact that I have a nice roof over my head and plenty to eat are blessings that I sometimes forget to count. 

My world is full of love and now that I've figured out that "love is all that matters after all"  all the things that seem scary or overwhelming to me right now really are "so small".

Since that was a dozy of a long post let me sum up the changes/ recent occurrences for you.

* My husband started a brand new job this week. 

* I am done with grad school forever! :) High five for me!

* We spent a nice long weekend at the coast to celebrate the above two things. :)

* Summer is over. :( I can't be too sad about this because I never really had a break, but still.

* I get 22 maybe more like 24 brand new kiddos in my class in a little over a week.  Scary and exciting all at once.  I am already having the back to school nightmares and have spent days in my classroom organizing EVERYTHING.  

* We are starting to shop for daycares.  Apparently you have to get on a waiting list months before the baby is born so ANY guidance in this area would be greatly appreciated. 

* I'm over morning sickness, but the doctor told me that the back/ tailbone/ round ligament pain I am experiencing is going to be bad/ get even worse for me due to a slight medical issue.  Lovely.  The things we mommies go through for our kiddos. ;) 

* Our AC is broken. Not not cooling broken, the guy put a "patch" on it while we order parts/ determine how much needs to be replaced, but it is likely to stop cooling pretty quick here.

* The door handle on our car is broken too.  To get out of the car we have to leave it running, roll down the window, open the door by reaching out and opening it from the outside, roll the window back up, and then turn off the car.  Ghetto much?  

* We find out the baby's gender on August 31st.  Brett and my mom think girl and I am kinda thinking boy.  KIND OF, like 48% of me thinks girl and 52% thinks boy.  I'm a pretty intuitive person; I told Brett I knew I was pregnant about 6 days after conception, way before a test would show it, and was right!  I would truly be happy and beyond blessed with either gender so maybe thats why I am not having any real intuitive feelings.  Brett says as long as they are healthy, happy, can throw a ball, cast a fishing pole, and shoot a gun, we've got a winner. ;)  I think being able to read a book and being nice are plusses too…

* I have a hair appointment at 11:45 tomorrow.  I still don't know if I am going to cut it all off… I have reached "mermaid hair" status which was another goal on my 25 @ 25.  I am sick of blow drying/ straightening it all though. It takes forever when it is this long and considering I am not going to be able to just ponytail it like I did all summer starting on Monday, I better have a plan.  Also it is naturally curly as you can see in the opening picture and when it this long the curl is just a stretched out nasty mess rather than cute so I pretty much have to straighten it.  Brett said he thinks it might make me look 12 if it is short, so it might be a game time decision when I get in the stylist chair.  Here is the current length.

* My mommy took me shopping for some new clothes.  I went through my closet to see what fit and what didn't and realized that even though I'm not showing too much, this baby is starting to give me hips and a butt which I have never really had before.  I also can't button even my way low rise pants and have invested in a Bella Band to try and drag a few more things out. I've only gained one or two pounds thus far (16.5 weeks in) so it's not just that I'm already getting fat…   Destination maternity has the baby belly things that you strap on to see what stuff will fit like when you get farther along and my mom and I had fun with that. ;) 

Simple Sunday

Long time, no post, yes I know.  This week was simply ridiculous and overall not so great.  A few big stress-out sessions here and there and lots of tears made up the majority of my days. Thanks grad school... Today at church, the pastor was talking to the kids during children's sermon about how the doughnut he was holding, (usually a fluffy, sweet, and wonderful thing) had been squished and shaken up all morning since too many people unknowingly mishandled it and now was not quite itself.  He talked about how sometimes we as people go through the same thing and I thought "I hear ya buddy, big-time."  Lately I feel pressure/ major stress pushing in on all sorts of areas from all sorts of people (even people who do so unintentionally) and I was turning into that squished up doughnut.  I don't like what stress does to me, not one bit, and am constantly praying for strength and guidance with that.

But, I'm back, with a realization that I can do small things to make things these last few weeks a little more manageable and actually enjoyable at times (I hate not wanting to get up in the morning because all I get to look forward to is being overwhelmed by grad school and what not.  I'm burning out quick and I feel like my brain may have reached capacity and that sometimes a few hours of work and I don't even make sense to myself...).  I made a commitment to this degree and goal and there's no backing down now, especially when the finish line is less 3 weeks away.  However, I've come to the realization that going day by day, dealing with what is important to ME at that time is what matters at this point.  Sure it sounds selfish, but honestly, I'm at the survival point for the next 15 or so days.  So again, be patient with me, you'll get your darling Dana back soon enough.  :)  

So now that that's out, let me share with you some recent simple joys that help me pull myself up by the bootstraps and keep on trucking....

1.  The game you probably watched on T.V. today too.  Fifa Women's World Cup Final.  These chicks are LEGIT athletes.  I have pretty much no athletic skill, and just watching them leaves me in awe. Abby Wambach and her headers are pretty much the most awesome thing ever.  My parents put me in softball, soccer, volleyball, all that when I was little but when I was doing cartwheels in left field or told my dad that "soccer was silly because you just chased the same ball back and forth" they decided to stop pushing the issue. Yes I cheered in high school, but seriously, that's not really a sport.  And I played intramurals in college, but mainly just to meet the numbers and give Brett a good laugh.   These chicks show some serious dedication and ability and plain out rock!  Go USA! 

 

2. Sonic Happy Hour.  It takes place at the time of day when I seem most in a grad school funk/ brain block and allows me just the right amount of break time with a little "reward" built right in. :)  

  

3.  3 new Essie nail polishes.  I discovered these bad boys through another blog I follow and have since been loving giving myself manicures.  As often as I chip my polish or change my mind on the color I can't afford to have them professionally done. ;)  One of my 25@25 is to stop biting/ peeling my nails.  Nasty habit, trust me I know, but one that was hard to break since I've been doing it since I was a little bitty.  However, I think I have finally 9 months later accomplished this goal.  I only peel my nail if it is breaking now, and can probably nix that with just having a file on hand.   My new vitamins have made my nails 10 times stronger and having a great polish color on them makes me 10 times less likely to mess with them.  Plus, I can do my nails and work on my laptop at the same time. The left one is "pop art pink", the middle is "neo whimsical" and the right is "tart deco".   (p.s. I know I promised a post on the 25@25 deal but there are a few things on there I'm not quite ready to justify just yet.  Let me make it through grad school first.)

4. Chicken Express.  I bet those super awesome soccer girls never eat this stuff.  I don't do fast food very often, and am super picky about it when I do, but Chicken Express rocks my socks off when I'm needing a good fried chicken tender and corn nuggets fix.  Their tea and biscuits are awesome too and who doesn't love some tasty comfort food.  When the lady in the Oreo commercial says "Shut the front door!"  pretty much describes how I felt today eating this deliciousness. :)

5. Getting to spend quality time with my Daddy yesterday while he and the hubs did some carpentry work on a piece of furniture.   He's a bit of a work-a-holic overachiever like myself so we both get pretty busy and miss out on time with each other.  He's a pretty smart guy who gives some pretty good advice. :)

6. Taking a grad school break to clean out the guest rooms with the hubs.  Sure we argued a bit about what to keep/ toss, my finger got smashed, and his idea of decor might not match mine, but I love spending time with him.  He was amazed how much scrapbooking stuff I still have that I have not used in years or plan to get to in years, but didn't push the issue on going through it right this minute, just made room for them in his hunting closet.  I didn't make him narrow down his basketballs or hunting stuff though either so we are getting better at compromising.  However, he couldn't refrain from commenting on the 3, yes 3 plastic storage tubs full of stuff I want to do for my classroom.  He even let me keep the trash bag full of empty plastic bottles after I thoroughly explained how this particular kind was the best choice for a sweet word work or number search center.  What a sweetie. :)   He was amazed I have all these good ideas in my brain, all the materials bought and in boxes, and hadn't touched a lick of it.  Again, thanks grad school.  Once I get back into the swing of things, classroom ideas are easily on the top of the list.

7. Looking forward to a few things.  

- A weekend at lake LBJ with the extented in-law family.   I'm bringing stuff for smores and Skipbo. :)

- The upcoming birth of a dear friend's baby boy.

- Twinks coming to visit and helping me go through my closet like we did yearly at UT.   Naturally some of our old school faves like Fergie, Brittney, Cory, Pat, and the likewise will be joining us via Pandora Radio. We'll probably bake too and hopefully nothing ends up on the floor. ;)

- Convincing my mom to take me shopping for some back to school clothes.  Yes, I'm 25.  Yes my mom still spoils me occasionally.  Yes, I love it. :)

- Getting into my classroom and getting it all set up.  It doesn't stress me out, I love doing it, I just don't have the time yet. :(   I wish I could do it this week, but I have GOT to do grad school instead.  No choice there. 

- Deciding if I want to cut all my hair off in the coming weeks.  I'm thinking I want something like this but my hair is thin and I have a way bigger forehead than she does so I'm not quite convinced I can pull it off yet.  Naturally I'm considering highlights too but thats another financial commitment this cheapo might not want to make. 

And that my friends, is the random post as I watch the last few minutes of the World Cup and dread the paper I have to write when it is over.  It's coming down to penalty kicks again and not looking so good...

"Crossing" # 20 off the 25@25 list

When I started coming up with the 25@25 list last fall (I'll do a post next week with details on that whole literally life changing idea), my crafty self knew I had to put a new project of sorts on there, something I had never done before.  I don't even remember now where I first saw the "unique crosses" that jumpstarted the whole thing, but it has evolved into something I now love doing.  It took awhile to figure out the specifics, (saw blade, wood type and thickness, bonding glue, brushes, decoupage material, paper thickness, etc.) but over the past few months it has greatly evolved.

The first cross was a gift for Brett's grandma and I was super proud of it at the time, but  now I realize it was really just the start of the learning process.  The picture is of the church in Castroville that she is very involved in and that Brett and I got married in.

The second one I did was for a friend's daughter's nursery.  I matched it to her crib bedding and added initials and some ribbon details.

The third one was for my sister-in-law.  It is done in her wedding colors and patterns and has their wedding picture, date and Mr. & Mrs. Haby details.

 


The fourth was for another friend's son's nursery.  This one has a ribbon wrapped cross detail and complements the crib bedding.  (It is attached to the diaper cake since it was part of a shower gift)

The fifth and most recent one I did was by far the hardest, probably because someone wanted to pay me for it so every little imperfection bugged my OCD self, and took forever since I was doing summer grad school at the time, but also ended up being one of my favorites.   It is for a coworker's niece's nursery and has ribbon detail around the middle cross and pink pearl details. 

So now I get to cross off
 #20: Learn to make unique crosses.     Done :) 


This is by far one of my favorite things I have accomplished on my list but also one of the hardest.  I love making them since I get to design the whole thing and try something new every time, but they sure do take forever since it is all done by hand from scratch.  I think the next one needs to be for a room in my own house though....