Dear Nathalie,

My dreams are coming true! You are speaking more!! Mummy has taught you the difference between hot and cold and you can say the words and show that you know the difference.

We have had the opportunity to be in your presence several times… Easter was a thing. and you still had no clue what the hubbub was about but you did hunt for some eggs. This is a unique year in that Easter fell on April 1st…a.k.a April Fools day. In my family, there was talk about hiding empty eggs. Or not hiding eggs at all and sending the children out to hunt for eggs anyway. I’m pretty certain it was Uncle Ray that voiced these ideas.

It is hard to gather all of my recollections this month…I’m not sure why; I know I am tired right now and I just want to get this letter to you complete because Aunt Pixie is DYING to see the videos.

I can’t blame her. You are just too stinking cute. So much so that I needed to capture the cuteness on video rather than just photo. To make up for the lack of photos last month, I believe I have overcompensated this month. It has been hard to choose what to post here. I will start with the stills.

I am going to start with some photos that your Father shared with me:

Look at all the bubbles! Your Mummy loved baths when she was a tot as well.

Speaking of Mummy…She shared this photo of you LOVING THE CAT HARD…so much that we can barely see her in the photo!

Poor Dash!

Here is one that appears to have captured the moment when you were patting the cushion next to you wanting Mummy to come and sit. You do this a lot and even if the space next to you is just a sliver wide we try to comply. Yes, it’s awkward and uncomfortable but if a toddler pats a cushion inviting you to sit…you sit.

In this one, you can barely see you, but Daddy snuck this photo of Papa and me attempting to soothe you to sleep. Back when your Mummy was a wee tot, she loved for me to rub her forehead and face and it would put her to sleep…I was trying that but it was not working. Then I realized that ever since you were very tiny you pulled on your ears when you are tired…so, I started rubbing your ear and the moment I did that… EYES CLAMPED SHUT! It was a MIRACLE!

Now let’s get a bit of video evidence of your cuteness.  This first one, you were doing EVERYTHING possible to NOT sleep.  Papa had taken you outside, more than once, trying to wear you out so that you would drift off easily…but NO…you were not having any of it.  This is a video that makes it look like you are fighting with your coat…the reality is that this is you physically fighting the need for sleep and your coat was the available object. In the end, Papa picks you up and walks you around the house until you fall asleep.

And this is the video where I requested a tissue…

And this is the one where you were carrying Whimsy around the house in a bag…by “carrying” I mean DRAGGING. (this is also a great example of the voice Papa uses when he speaks to Whimsy…and to you.)

This might be my favorite.  You discovered (meaning I showed you) the sprayer attachment on the kitchen sink.  You said “HI” and “Here you go” and “Papa” and “Thank you” and “Bye” and you DRANK FROM A CUP WITH NO LID!  I have much more video of this but this is short and sweet. Also, your hair is out of control…all of the time!

It was terribly difficult to pry you away from the sink and the running water.  But once we did…your clothes were wet so we put you in some jammies and around that time is when night fell and suddenly you started showing signs of fear.  We think it was shadows and darkness.  On more than one occasion something caused you to run lickity-split and full force into Papa’s arms.  Once Mummy and Daddy came to pick you up, Mummy gave you a lesson in Shadows 101.  I don’t think you really comprehended it, but she gave a good effort and with consistency, you may learn over time.

Ok, I think that covers all things YOU for the month.  Until next time NattyBug.

Love you bunches!

GranDawn

In a world filled with self-help books and bullet planners and TED talks and life-planning workshops, one might feel a sense of pressure to set goals in every area of their life.  School, Career, Marriage, Physical Health…you feel me?  I’m feeling a bit annoyed by the pressure.  (obviously, this is a “Just Venting” post right?)

So, I am an avid audiobook listener.  It’s what I do while driving alone, or cleaning the kitchen or other mindless tasks so that I can “read” ALL OF THE BOOKS that I want to read while still GETTING THE STUFF DONE.

I am currently listening to Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  First, I love this book, and I am not done with it yet…almost, but not entirely. Rachel is REAL Y’all.  Read her stuff.  Anyway, at one point she talks about setting GOALS, and it was in that moment that I realized:  I am thrilled with my career.  I could live the rest of my life exactly where I am and love it; I hope to.  God willing.  This place that I have been called to is my sweet spot.

So, that being said, I want to say that I DON’T HAVE A CAREER GOAL. I never really did. I know I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was little.  As a tween, I envisioned a future where I drove a semi truck (BJ and the Bear was a huge influence…I hearted Greg Evigan back then), specifically a big red semi truck!  I also wanted to look like Judy Landers while driving said red semi truck.

I never said my childhood goals were realistic.

Beyond that… as I grew older my sole intent was to move out of my parents home and be an independent woman…however I could make it happen. I did dream of being a 9-1-1 dispatcher…briefly… until I did not get the job in my early 20s.  That was the first job I had ever applied for and NOT GOTTEN.  I know… UNFATHOMABLE.

I have had MANY jobs.  I believe there is a post somewhere on this blog that lists them all.  Wait…that’s not my point.  I did not then and do not now have a career goal.  I left jobs when it was right for me to leave them and just kept following the path until God used some strange ways to bring me to where I am now. I have had additional jobs while my role at Granger Community Church was part-time; I even considered leaving it when an invitation to become a 9-1-1 dispatcher was extended to me because I needed to think about <GASP> future retirement plans. Yes, it was a life-affirming moment when I was selected to begin a job as a dispatcher…They like me!  They really like me!  Long story short, God called me to stay in this role, but now it is a full-time position. Indeed the dream I did not know I had.

So, when I hear a guru tell me to WRITE MY GOALS DOWN, or even suggest that I MUST HAVE A CAREER GOAL, I want to challenge the idea.  I am where I want to be.  I’m not complacent or giving up or lazy.  I am HERE!  What I will say is that I am always striving to add to my blessing…knowledge.  I have a TON of CEUs for a degree that I don’t have. You heard me…I don’t have a degree!  “But, Dawn…shouldn’t that be your goal?”  and to that, I say “PFFFFFTT”  –  I have no desire to sit through AT LEAST six years of schooling that would include classes that are NOT relevant to what I do.  Also, I have no desire to add said courses to my budget because I am NOT acquiring any additional debt.

Time to end vent…  Do I have goals?  Hmmmm.  Perhaps.  I feel that I have HOPES.  I hope to improve my physical health and overcome the barriers that contribute to any problems.  I hope to have a home that can be the hub for both sides of our family as well as incorporate opportunities to entertain friends. I hope to live until I am 120 years old with my mind fully intact and my body holding up well.  If that sounds lazy or complacent…you are entitled to your opinion.

I, however, feel that I am doing my best to listen to the direction of God and live my life according to the steps He reveals to me.  I know He has goals.