When you forget your moves...make them up!

OMG! Last night's recital was the BEST! Although as a mother it can be very stressful, from getting out of the house with everything you need...make-up, curling iron, hairspray, costumes, shoes, coloring books, camera, video camera, flowers, etc. to getting a good seat, doing costume changes, getting the perfect pictures and shots...but it is so totally worth it!! To make it even better, Ayva completely stole the show!! During her ballet routine, all the girls were supposed to line-up on one side of the stage and sashay one at a time across the stage, but their cue in the dance studio was to line up by the windows, and since the stage had no windows...the girls were all kinds of confused! Needless to say, they got the sashaying started, and Ayva went out of order and didn't quite know what to do so I guess she just made it up with a smile and a giggle every step of the way! She had the whole crowd laughing and it didn't phase her at all! I am so proud of her and I think this proves what a confident and unique girl she is...two qualities I think will take her far in life!! And I'm pretty sure she has a solid future as a performer!!

The Evolution of Ayva

The Evolution of Ayva..... my pride an Joy and the absolute light of my life! <3


The Prima Ballerina

The Tap Star Extraordinaire

Picture Day for Preschool...she'll be graduating soon!

Washing the hard-to-reach-spot on my Jeep!

Giving "sissy" a little love!

Taking a ride with Uncle Mark

In the pit at the Monster Truck Rally

I brought MY princess to see Disney Princesses on Ice!

Coloring Easter Eggs

On our way to Kindergarten Round-up!

First time Ice-skating this winter!

Enjoying the fall at Hick's Orchard! We picked up some Cider and Doughnuts...yummy!

First Day of 4-year-old preschool!!

A successful first ride on the 50 cc four-wheeler!

Summer Fun at Haviland's Cove!

Water balloon fight at her 4th birthday party!Swimming in Uncle Jerry's pool

Happy 3-years!!

Building a snowman!

Mommy's Alma Mater!

Happy second birthday, sweet girl!!

Not just another bad day!

Besides this annoying heat wave that we're having, you could say that my day started out much less than perfect. I woke up this morning, got in the shower and when I went to go and wake my boyfriend up, the power went out! It was out all morning, so...no blow dryer, no straightener, no COFFEE...and one very frustrated me. As if this weren't bad enough, my daughter's daycare called and said that she and her two kids were sick with the stomach flu...eeewww. Enough said...I was on the phone quicker than quick finding somewhere else for her to go! I was running late, but I was a woman with a mission. I needed to get Ayva out the door with her dance shoes, and her two dance costumes for her dress rehearsal tonight! Mission accomplished. Out the door, riding to work with the Jeep top off...two girls on the open road! There were plenty of other annoying things that crept up throughout the day, but when I got Ayva to her rehearsal and saw how beautiful she was in her cute little costumes with her cute little friends...and then dancing on stage like the little whimsical fairy that she is...made all the hustle and bustle totally worth it!! It wasn't just another bad day after all!

Charlie Brown

Something interesting that I love sharing with people (it makes for a great ice breaker) is that my Daddy's name is Charlie Brown! Very cool, I know! Perhaps even cooler is that he is the Original...I think he was born before the comic came out! Anyway...as if growing up with a Dad as cool as him wasn't cool enough, the fact that he is charlie Brown made it even cooler. And we've definitely made the evolution and run the gamut as far as Peanuts stuff goes...people often asked "is you're mom's name Lucy"-no actually her name is Charlotte! We've owned a dog and named him Snoopy, and Yes- my father even had the stereotypical Yellow shirt with Black zig-zag! He's a way cool guy, a wonderful father, and and amazing "Poppy" to my daughter...I guess you could say I'm a pretty lucky girl!

Welcome to my melt-down...

I've been in a real funk lately that I just can't seem to get out of! I'm pretty sure I'm having a pre-midlife-crisis, since it was all triggered by the approach of my 28th birthday.
Don't get me wrong...I am INCREDIBLY happy and could not ask for a better partner to spend my life with but things just keep getting in my way...
1) I don't have a job next year...call it the bad economy, call it me not having my Master's done in time, call it me getting royally SCREWED...either way you put it, it really puts a damper on things!
2) Everywhere I turn, someone is getting engaged, getting married, having a baby...etc. The stars don't seem to have this in mind for me, and I get so angry at myself for wasting my opportunity for a beautiful, happy marriage on Mr. Couldn't Be More Wrong If He Tried (this is putting it nicely!)

However...I am not completely pessimistic and insensible...there are some wonderful things to celebrate...
1)I just celebrated my three year anniversary with the most wonderful boyfriend I could ever ask for in the world!
2)I have a beautiful daughter who lights up my days and will be starting Kindergarten this Fall! <3
3)I will be able to take her to school and pick her up on her first day of Kindergarten!
4)I have a wonderful partner and family who loves and supports me everyday no matter what!
5)My boyfriend won a 2010 Camaro from his work that we get to keep until September...so Summer cruisin'...here we come!
6) 27 more school days until SUMMER VACATION!!!!

New York City, here I come!

As life takes over and the hustle and bustle of everyday keeps me so busy, I love to have the opportunity to sit back and reminisce to my carefree college days. I remember one particular weekend, some of the best girls you could ever meet and I decided to take a trip to New York City. We hopped a train and began our journey. One of our roommates was lucky enough to have family that lived in Queens so they arranged to pick us up and let us stay with them for the weekend.
Now, being a very small town girl, I was not used to the subway or the nuances of city maneuvering...but you would think I was used to stairs! After all, we DO have lots of stairs, even in the small town of Granville!! Well, needless to say, as my girlfriends and I arrived out of the station in Queens, ready to meet up with our host family, I went tumbling down the stairs, arms full of bags and made the grandest entrance possible...and at that moment there was no questions in our greeters minds as to whether we were the group they were supposed to be picking up! I am happy to say that I did not get hurt, (the laughing and bags broke my fall) and the rest of the trip went off without a hitch. I brought back some very fond memories that I will remember forever and I still enjoy laughing about my fall down the subway stairs!!

Quotes

These are just some random quotes that inspire me or just help me get through the day with a laugh!

"It's not what you got, it's what you give. It ain't the life you choose, but the life you live." ~ Tesla

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promplty announces she never did care for pie." ~Tenneva Jordan

"Motherhood is not for the fainthearted. Used frogs, skinned knees, and the insults of teenage girls are not meant for the wimpy." ~Danille Steele

"Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" ~Miss Frizzle

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." ~Abraham Maslow

A little about me!

My name is Lyndsey and I am 28 years old. As I am swiftly approaching thirty, I feel like my life has just begun to really fall into place. I have a wonderful, beautiful little girl, Ayva who will be turning 5 in June and starting Kindergarten. She is the absolute light of my life and what has kept me going through some really hard times.
Four years ago, I went through a divorce, which is the best decision I could have ever made! I have no complaints because I got a beautiful daughter out of it and it led me to where I am today!
Tomorrow I will be celebrating my three-year anniversary with my boyfriend. We met through a blind date and had an instant connection! He is wonderful in every way. He is an amazing father to his two children , a 12-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. Blending our families has been difficult at times, but we've all weathered the course and have really come together.
I am FINALLY working on my Master's, which is a huge weight off my shoulders. For so long it seemed like I was never in a position where I was able to work on it. Finding this program opened up a lot of opportunities for me and turned out to be the perfect fit that I was looking for.
So now, after years of feeling like I was going nowhere, I can now see that I am definitely headed forward in the right direction. I am very happy with all of the decisions that I have made in my life and where those decisions have led me to!

How did I get here?

Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. Maybe it all started in first grade when I had this wonderful student teacher in my classroom. Miss Lang was young, energetic, fun and everything that I wanted to be. We became very close in her short stay in my classroom. When the sad day came and it was time for her to leave, we exchanged numbers and kept in touch. She became my friend and my mentor. During the summers she would take me to the lake, to summer library events, and I was even the flowergirl in her wedding! We have kept in touch all of these years. I visited her classroom when I was completing field work for my undergraduate courses. It is amazing to see how our relationship has evolved through the years! Now, we are both teachers, with our own classrooms and its nice to know that now we are like colleagues. I could call her up anytime and bounce ideas off her or tell her about my day.

My angel

Angel

Sweet, Beautiful

Dancing, Laughing, Playing

Love of my life

Ayva