choose joy.

more and more lately...maybe turning 30 - although, my husband just reminded me that I'm 31 and so now he's dead;) - maybe having children, maybe just life in general...has made me think about what I really want out of my days. What they say about the days passing slowly but the years quickly...painfully accurate.

most importantly...I want to see my husband and children smiling. I want to feel less of the weight of 'expectations' on my shoulders - and by expectations (because those are good to have:) I mean...the longggggg ass To Do List I've created in my mind for the fixer-upper we call Home:).

i've been thinking a lot about what's most important to us, as a family...to me...because this can mean a million different things to a million different people. 

What I want my children to remember and what I remember as a child. I can't say I remember much about the clothes I was wearing, the parties I went to, what the kitchen looked like, if the house was finished...but I do remember the time we spent together. And we did a lot of that:) 

when I really stop to think about it...my priority is to spend time with my family. To worry less about what's getting done on the house and more about what vacation/getaway we'll be taking next! That's not to say that I never want to come back to putting time into our home and making it Pinterest-worthy or that I wouldn't love to open up my own little vintage shop one day. But for now...

...  

i know it's not always easy to just wake up and make the best of TODAY but Jacob and I are more determined than ever to find financial freedom, try to be more healthy (I'm runningggggg...like for real - follow me on the Nike+ App under caseymsmith:). To start each day with a smile...and to make today...a good one:) I just want to be happy and I know that I can't finish the house this second or put a million dollars in our bank account but there are SO many smaller things (that add up to be huge things) that we can change on our own.

I also know that now just happens to be a good time for us to start making these changes. I'm cutting more hours at work. I'm going back to working every other weekend and holiday but in exchange I'll be able to spend my week days with the kids and be available for Jacob. For quite some time I've wanted to stay home with the kids full-time. This may be as close as I can ever get to doing that but I feel fortunate that I'm getting this time with them, as very few do. 

i love that I'm not the only one feeling this way. Below are some links and some truly inspiring videos and words if you're looking to put some more positive thinking in your life. Keep trying to find your happy:)

JEN LOVES KEV

THE GROMMOM

SUNNYLIT STYLE

i could watch this video daily. It really spoke to me and is pretty much what I'm trying to say here. 

Thank you for sharing Karey...I needed this:)

ad.

so Courts took the leap and got her blog advertised and so I'm following suit!!!

check out our ads over on Milk Friendly - whether or not you go to see our faces on someone else's blog...check out her site. Super amazing family. Super amazing home...in Hawaii AND just started a new business with a great message, Of One Sea.

scallops. the pretty kind:)

i'm up way too late but I feel great about that because I've gotten so much accomplished tonight! And because I'm used to going on an average of 4-5 hours of sleep...I'm shooting to have my eyes closed by 1AM and then be back up by 6AM! Lots more to do tomorrow!

man. Nothing feels better than feeling like you've done something right. Accomplished something. Made something look better. Crossed some things off the To Do List:) I will go to bed tonight feeling like a million bucks...if a million bucks looked like a newly 30 year old girl with a break out on her chin. Damn;)

in honor of my updated blog look: Scallops:)

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

my favorites.

just added another blog to my Fashion Favorites.

Mariannan

usually I try to avoid adding fashion-esque blogs that are completely unaffordable and she surely has some pieces in there that I will, most likely never be in the same room as, let alone, own.

SO yeah. But she's quite cute and genuine and I enjoy her look:)

isn't her hair perfect!? Love:)

the search.

1.

2.

3.

which is your favorite?!?!!?

the beginning....of the end?!

trying a new blog header...sick of that old one and needed something a bit simpler....

and HOLY hell...it's freaking 10 minutes to 2AM. Which means the likely hood of me pulling my ass out of bed by 9AM for coffee with sisters...seriously unlikely. Boo:(

POINT: thoughts on the new header!?

obviously, I'm not a pro with these things but I know that something simpler is for surely me. Giving it a shot for a while and in these wee hours of the morning, I even threw around the idea of changing the name of the blog all together.

Once the wedding is over, I've questioned whether I'd keep the blog going...BUT then I figured I'd leave it be so that while Jacob and I are in Spain, peeps can follow here, if they'd like, to see what we're up to while on our Spain adventure:)

i'm going to give myself 30 days. The 30 days between the wedding and Spain. In that time...I may rename and start something fresh...more related to our lives and not so much our (old news) wedding;). OR I'll get us through Spain and then...you'll have to get your kicks...and fbombs...elsewhere:)

night...morning:)

iphone photo daily.

picking up a few days late...but here's a recent iPhone Photo.

over the weekend we attended our...cousin-in-law's?!..Baby Shower! The whole set-up was perfection. Her mom, our...aunt-in-law, Becky, and her girlfriends did such an amazing job!

it was this great patio/cafe scene. I've now hired someone for our future child's baby shower. No lie:)

introducing our cousin-in-law - as if you didn't already know her...she's kinda a big deal:)

Jenna:)

m loves m. HOOKED.

i run across A.LOT of blogs on the weekends I work...cause I have the Mac with me. Obviously, I work in between finding new and amazing blogs;)

everyyyyyday I find them. But sometimes you come across one that you just REALLY love. Most times I don't do a lot of reading of the blogs. I just skim. Look at the purdy pictures and then move on. But this one I read.

I think some of you would enjoy it too!:) Especially if you enjoy a nice lady and some cute fashion.

M Loves M....check.check.check...check it out.