Story of Today: Wednesday

So, this write up should be a bit more detailed since I'm not falling asleep typing like I was last night. :)

6:45am - We had an early riser today. He came and hung out in bed with us for about 15 minutes until I got up and went for a run.

8:00 - Nicholas left for work and I made peach muffins with the fresh peaches that didn't fit into our cans from the night before. They were DELICIOUS if I do say so myself. I was a little sad because I couldn't convince anyone to come over and eat some with me.

9:00 - I spent the rest of the morning cleaning our kitchen. Not the most fun task, but I'm pretty sure the state of your countertops is directly related to the state of your mind so sacrifices had to be made.

10:00 - Griffin went down for a nap. I went ahead and got ready and then spent some time researching party ideas for an upcoming shindig I'm planning.

12:15 - Griffin woke up right around when my parents showed up. They fed him lunch while I finished getting ready.

2:00 - We all headed to Princeton for my swearing in ceremony. Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Cunningham generously agreed to swear me and Nicholas's coworker in and was completely lovely during our visit.

I have to be honest. It's been a long journey to this moment and it felt pretty awesome to be able to officially call my self a lawyer. Of course, the emotions of the moment were a bit overwhelmed by having to recall my dueling history.

Oath

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth, and be faithful and true to the Commonwealth of Kentucky so long as I continue a citizen thereof, and that I will faithfully execute, to the best of my ability, the office of _________ according to law; and I do further solemnly swear (or affirm) that since the adoption of the present Constitution, I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as second in carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending, so help me God."

4:00 - Then I came home and went back to my regular job. :) Griffin went right down for a nap so I laid down on the couch but literally the SECOND I closed my eyes, he started crying. Recently, if he takes one long nap, you're only going to get maybe 20 minutes out of a second round. I went in there and we read books for a little while.

6:00 - We went over to the Miller's home for a Miller Law Firm social. We had wonderful food from Spicy Ginger and even better company. Griffin came for the first part of the evening and then my parents came and got him. He is currently spending the night over there. We enjoyed the rest of toddler-wrangling free night with everyone, even taking a dip in the pool.

9:30 - Got home and relaxed in front of the TV, which for Nicholas means watching for 5 minutes before falling asleep on the floor. :)

The Story of Today: Tuesday

8:30am - Our morning started at around 7:30 with snuggles in bed. Griffin and I took Nicholas to work and the Griffin insisted we go by Kirchoff's for breakfast.

9:00 - Griffin really enjoyed his two mini-muffins.

10:00 - We met our summer play group at Yaya's Island for lots of romping and rolling. They have a small toddler inflatable where Griffin had lots of fun crawling in and out of the small pool area.

11:30 - We walked down the block for lunch.

3:00 pm - After lunch, Griffin took a nap. Ron came over and watched him while I went to a doctor's appointment.

3:30 pm - We ran some errands.

6:00pm - This sign changed our evening.

7:00pm - Ron came over and played with Griffin while Nicholas got dinner together.

7:00pm - Griffin was a fan of the zucchini.

7:30pm - Ron put Griffin to bed. (That happens a lot)

9pm - We canned all the peaches tonight.

It was exhausting and now I'm going to bed.

The Story of Today: Monday

7:00am - Our day started early. Nicholas brought Griffin into our room for some cuddles.

7:30 - Nicholas rode his exercise bike. I let the dog out and gave Griffin his milk, while I checked email and Facebook.

8:30 - Nicholas left for work and my mom came over for breakfast. I lured her here with magic coffee and then got her to babysit while I went to yoga.

I have really enjoyed capturing the simple, every day tasks.

11:00 - I had a great yoga practice today. My mom said she and Griffin had a great time but that there was a biting incident. I told her she really shouldn't bite the baby. ;)

11:30 - After I put Griffin down for his nap and took a shower, my mom and I started making jewelry from some beautiful beads she brought back from Italy. Griffin ended up sleeping for FOUR hours so we got a lot accomplished.

4:30pm - I had a chiropractor appointment so Mom and Griffin went shopping. Then we met and switched cars. Griffin and I ran some errands at Home Depot and Wal-mart. I had one of my favorite moments of the day at Home Depot. I was carrying Griffin in his sling and while we were waiting for our copies, he put his head on my chest and I sang him a little song. Nothing huge. He didn't take his first step but holding him close like that is a feeling I wish I could bottle and keep forever.

6:00 - We picked Nicholas up from work. He often gets in the back of the seat and rides with Griffin, which I find completely adorable.

7:00 - If this isn't one of the sexiest thing a man can do with his hands, I don't know what is.

7:30 - Getting ready for bed.

7:45 - A quite dinner alone.

10:30 - Spent the rest of the evening watching TV and writing this.

Week in the Life

All of you who have been requesting more posts are about to get your wish...and then some.

Inspired by some pretty amazing bloggers, I've decided to tackle a Week in the Life project. A few months back I posted a "Day in the Life" story to capture Griffin's day to day routine. I was pretty happy with the results but I think I'm ready to take it to the next level. My goal is to capture the real day to day existence of our entire family and turn it into a photo/journal/keepsake album. I also want to post pretty detailed wrap-ups everyday.

My bigger goal is to really be present during this incredibly special time in our lives and capture the precious details and tiny blessings that happen every single day.


...but the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
- Anna Quindlen

Crafty

Oh, I've been on a roll people. I finished my craft/exercise/laundry room (pictures to come soon) and all of sudden all these projects I never had room to do before were all but completing themselves!

First, I've had this little book-as-picture-frame project on my list for YEARS. Literally, I tore it out of a magazine probably five years and I'm so glad I held onto it because it turned out so well!

Next, I finally framed my Secret Service buttons. When I did advance for Hillary, the agents would give you these little buttons to wear so that they knew you were legit.

I also framed my NOW round from the March for Women's Lives. I was allowed backstage to collect autographs from all the celebrities in attendance. They auctioned off the actual sign at a fundraiser but I made a copy and kept the marker they all used. I met SO many awesome people that day: Sheryl Crow, Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, you name 'em - if they're liberal, I met them!

And for my pièce de résistance I turned $5 worth of burlap into an outdoor rug!!! I am SO happy with the result.

Here's the tutorial if anyone is interested.

Spray Park

Why you're jealous of me.

Because I'm married to Nicholas Holland and you are not.

Not only that, but I've been married to him for SEVEN years...and you have not.

I mean let me just lay it out for you real simple. First and foremost, he loves me. Unconditionally loves me. Loves me when I'm sick and cranky. Loves me when I'm hyper and obnoxious. Loves me when I nag and complain. Loves me, loves me, loves me.

And really, in the era of Tiger Woods and Jesse James, that would probably be enough. But he doesn't stop there. Nope, not my guy. On July 5th, 2003, he stood up in front of a crowd of people and promised to always respect me and treat me as an equal. He has never broken that promise.

Each year I'm married to Nicholas I realize just a little bit more that love comes easy but respect is hard to find. This man respects me and trusts me and my decision-making as much as I trust his. I used to always say I fell in love with the way in his mind worked but it took me a long time to realize the feeling was mutual.

When I said, I think we should move to Paducah to raise a family. He listened. He didn't agree immediately but even taking it into consideration is more than most men would ever do.

But the truth is Nicholas Holland is not most men.

Nicholas Holland is my man. And he is very, very special.

And that is why you are jealous of me.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been pretty crazy here in Quilt City. Last weekend, I went to Lexington for my third baby shower of the month. My friend Alexis is expecting her first baby in August and we are all SUPER-excited for her. We had a wonderful time ohhing and ahhing over the adorable baby things and playing lots of baby trivia games.

After the shower, Alexis, Aimee, Catherine and I drove to Kentucky Lake where we met up with Elizabeth and her children for a few days at the famed Allen Lake House. It alternatively stressful and hysterical, which is just how we like our girl's vacations. ;)

I was pretty exhausted since somebody (ALEXIS) is a famed sleep-fighter so I stayed up WAY past my bedtime every night. I took Thursday to regroup then went at it again this weekend.

We just returned from the Heath High School's 100th Anniversary. There were over 900 people there celebrating my alma mater. Since I was the fourth generation of my family to graduate from Heath, it felt like I was related to about half the room. It was a little intense to be in such a huge gathering people and recognize so many faces. We had a wonderful time visiting and reminiscing. There was even some dancing!

Tomorrow it's off the Lake again for Fourth of July and then Monday Nicholas and I celebrate our 7th Anniversary. Oh and did I mention I have strep throat? Just shining it on a few more days...I also promise to have more Griffin shots soon!

Summer Fun

Playgroup buddies.

In the pool with my pal Emmett.

Finger painting.

My new swing!

My first finger painting session!

Leaf Beetles

There is something VERY intense going on in my backyard.

Gâteau de Bayou with Toasted Salty Caramel Meringue

Yes. Yes, I did.

Funny baby

Griffin recently discovered that squeezing his little stuffed dog's paws will make it sing. Unfortunately, squeezing its paws is a little beyond his physical development so instead he would just lay his entire body on top of the dog. Pretty funny.

Summer Play Group

Several of my close girlfriends are teachers. Since they have the summers off, we've been meeting on Tuesdays for play dates. All of our boys are close in age so we've been enjoying our summers together. We've gone to Amy's pool and to splash day at the library.

My goal is to take a group shot at every play date.

Luke Braboy, Carson Chestnut, and Griffin

Carson Chestnut, Griffin and Abe Taylor.

Griffin's First Birthday Party

So, Griffin's first birthday party was a raging success. I want to thank everyone who came and to all of those who made the day extra special - Millie for making the cake, Ron for making the photo booth, my aunt Lana for helping decorate and my ROCK STAR in-laws who were such a huge help the entire weekend.

The birthday party consumed so much of my time and energy I'm paying attention to some much neglected areas in the aftermath. The blog is on that list and I hope to be posting more soon.

Until then enjoy some birthday video!

Griffin's First Birthday Party from hollandnm on Vimeo.

dispatches from quilt city

Oh where to even begin...back in December my grandmother and I were driving through Marshall County on our way to Holiday Open House. Suddenly, as we fly by at top speed (Mema has a bit of a lead foot), I notice these trees bedecked with faces made from all manner of found objects.

"What is that!?!" I exclaimed.

All my grandmother knew was that the landowner was the thorn in his neighbor's side and that they were constantly trying to sue his little found art exhibit into oblivion.

Well, I made a mental note to get back out there as soon as possible and take a closer look. Several months later, on our way back from the lake, Ron, Mom, Nicholas, Griffin, and I stopped at what we later learned was named "Hillbilly Gardens."

What a miracle...out in the middle of Marshall County. A folk art miracle.

The owner/artist Keith Holt has transformed the land inherited from his father into a found art exhibit/roadside attraction/Americana wonderland. For a small donation, one of his children will take you on a tour of the "lawnmower graveyard" and the "hillbilly rocket ship." I'm not sure if all the hillbilly references are ironic, self-effacing, or just plain funny and I don't really care. When it comes to art, I don't discriminate. I love Monets hanging in museums as much as the next girl but there is something truly special about an untrained artist taking the medium of everyday existence and trying to make something special.

And Hillbilly Gardens is special. Very special.

Oh and did I mention Toyland - the 3000 piece toy collection?

Gotta leave you thirsty for more I guess...

Socialism: It Ain't All Bad!

It's exhausting being a political science major these days.

You spend four years in college studying the political spectrum. You write long research papers on socialism, Communism, and the differences between the two. You learn about Marx and the intricacies of his theories. You take test after test on the application of these theories throughout history.

Then you get out into the real world and shit hits the fan. All of a sudden socialism and Communism are used interchangeably (some even throw fascism in the mix for added fun!). Despite the endless examples of socialism in every single modern democracy, you hear it used regularly as a four letter word in political debate.

Well, I've decided to try a fun little experiment. I call it "Socialism: It Ain't All Bad!" I'm going to start posting positive examples of socialism at work in our own country and other democracies.

First up - The Green Bay Packers!!!

The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Brett Favre, FOUR Super Bowl wins - you don't get more American than that!

And owned by the ... wait for it ... GOVERNMENT! That's right the Green Bay Packers are a non-profit, community-owned organization. The scourge of capitalism - the team has strict bylaws that prevent any share owner from profiting (that's right they legally can't make money) from ownership or gaining majority control of the team.

The Packers are the only NFL team organized in this way. Many argue this is the reason the small community of Green Bay has been able to keep its team, while huge cities like Los Angeles go without.

So there you go. Socialism at work.

Maybe it's not so bad after all! ;)

Like mother like son

Griffin took to this whole birthday present thing like a duck to water.

Update

Thirty before 30

1. Have another baby.
2. Visit Abraham Lincoln's birth place and grave.
3. Watch Griffin play in the ocean for the first time.
4. Plan the most perfect first birthday for Griffin.
5. Read A Wrinkle in Time.
6. Have the most spectacular 30th birthday party.
7. Organize my pantry.
8. Learn how to play chess.
9. Make a crepe cake.
10. Landscape our yard.
11. Find a hairstyle I love.My high school classmate Carrie cuts my hair now and I LOVE her.
12. Write a historical fiction short story.
13. Paint my den and kitchen. Pics to come later.
14. Finish the ancestry book I've been working on.
15. Have a romantic weekend away with Nicholas sans bebe.
16. Start doing yoga again.
17. Run a marathon relay.
18. Read The Age of Innocence.
19. Visit my best friend Laura in New York City.
20. Buy another pair of Manolos.
21. Go to New Orleans for the first time. We had such a wonderful time!
22. Plan a fantastic girls weekend with my best friends from college who are also turning 30 very soon!
23. Make these chocolate chip cookies.
24. Find a job I love.
25. Turn my current laundry/storage room into a craft/exercise room.
26. Get a fantastic family portrait taken.
27. Go back to DC for a visit.
28. Read The Lacuna. Reading it right now and having a bit of trouble I gotta be honest.
29. Go to Lillith Fair.
30. Learn how to play tennis.

Day 365

And to think we thought of this a mere test run for the big party...

Happy Birthday Griffin!

Happy First Birthday from hollandnm on Vimeo.