I've finally reached that point

My entire life, I've been counting down to something. Always waiting for the next big event, the next milestone, the next, way-more-exciting-than-what-is-happening-now thing to happen. I even wrote an entire blog post dedicated to countdowns almost 4 years ago, when I was at a very different place in my life.

When I was little, the "big things" were so innocent:

"I can't wait for that sleepover at my friend's house."

"I can't wait for Beauty & the Beast to come out on video."

"I can't wait for our trip to Disney World."

When I reached adolescence, it was all about wishing my youth away so I could be "older":

"I can't wait to turn 13 so I can be a teenager."

"I can't wait to turn 16 so I can drive."

"I can't wait to turn 18 so I can be an adult'" (HA!)

"I can't wait to turn 21 so I can (legally) drink alcohol."

"I can't wait to start my first 'real' job."

And then into adulthood, it was all about hitting the "adult" milestones

"I can't wait to finish grad school!"

 "I can't wait to buy a house!"

"I can't wait until our wedding!"

"I can't wait to have babies!" 

And finally, the journey into parenthood:

"I can't wait to be pregnant again."

"I can't wait to hold that baby in my arms."

"I can't wait until she sleeps through the night."

"I can't wait until she walks"

 

"I can't wait until she talks" 

See a theme here? Waiting, waiting, waiting. Lots of waiting. 30 years of waiting in fact.

Some would argue that I'm simply a future-oriented person who gets excited over the little things. This is true. But on a 14-hour drive in the middle of the night on our way back from Charleston, I had a revelation of sorts.

I was lamenting to Jon that our summer vacation was over, the last of 3 trips I've had the privilege to go on this summer, and that meant fall was right around the corner.  Fall is an extremely busy time in the life of a college career counselor, so I knew the "lazy" days of summer were coming to an end.

But then I looked in the back seat, at my sleeping babies, and all of a sudden I had this overwhelming urge to freeze time. They both looked so angelic, so peaceful, and I will have that beautiful image in my brain for the rest of my life.

Because I finally realized: "I don't want this time to end."

I've spent 30 years waiting for the next big thing, and now, I realize the biggest and best thing is right here, right now. I've always wanted to speed things up, and now, I am at the place in my life where things are so good, I'd be content to stay in this bubble for the rest of my life.

I'm not saying my life has reached it's peak; far from it. There are goals to achieve, memories to make, and I still want to contribute to the greater good in a way that I have not discovered yet. I'm still going to look forward to events with the same joy I always have.

But after all of the waiting, the wondering, the struggles, and the pain, I don't want to wish away one more second. Every second I have on Earth, and every second I have as a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend is a second worth cherishing. I get it now.

 

The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

 This was one of those super busy, amazing weekends. Not one minute was wasted.

We have been wanting to go to the Columbus Zoo all summer to check out the new Heart of Africa exhibit. Though it can be pretty crowded at times (it is always within the top 10 zoos in the country), we decided to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and go early on Saturday morning. We had a blast!!!

  First stop: the petting zoo. Emerson was scared of the animals at first, but once she found out she could brush the goat's hair, she was all in.

 

The Heart of Africa exhibit was just so cool. You almost forgot you were in Columbus, Ohio. 

Apparently, the lion doesn't just sleep tonight. He sleeps during the day while hundreds of people watch him and his friends.

Did I know that was a warthog simply because of Timon & Pumba? I can't say.

It was hard to get a good shot of this, but that is a Labrador playing with the cheetahs. They are being raised together. Is that not the cutest thing you've ever heard of? I loved watching them play together!

 

Emerson loved the bears.

And the "pink ducks"

When asked what animal she really wanted to see, Emerson said penguins, so we walked around a great portion of the park trying to find these little guys.

Anna and Leo (my nephew) had so much fun they passed out.

My first carousel ride!

She kept looking for Nemo. 

"Is that Nemo, mommy? Is THAT Nemo? Which one is Nemo mommy?"

Soon, sweetheart. Very soon ;-)

"Hey Leo! Wake up and check this out!"

When she finally woke up, Anna LOVED watching the fishies in the aquarium. Her squeals of delight made the whole trip worth it.

 

 Aunt Kiki!

If you are anywhere near the area, definitely go check out the Columbus Zoo! Fun for the family, inexpensive, and the Bavarian pretzels are pretty tasty! :-)

Lately

I am..

Enjoying...the summer evenings. One of my favorite things about summer is that I can still sit outside without the porch light on until at least 9pm. It's perfect.

Loving... my sweet girls. Anna's personality is really starting to emerge, and I just love watching the two of them interact more and more.

Obsessing over.... how gorgeous my girls look in the photos taken by a friend of "Ma" (aka Bev, my mother in law). Taking photos of three very mobile children can be a challenge, but Jenn did a great job!

I think Emerson is starting to look more and more like me (albeit a much more beautiful version) and I have to admit I'm not upset about it ;-)

Exercising... by running. Eek! I forgot how much I missed running (well, the endorphins at least) and dare I say I may be looking at running a race again this fall?!?

Getting SUPER excited for.... our trip to Folly Beach in less than 2 weeks!I can't wait to spend some time laying on the sand (though probably not much time since I have two toddlers) and exploring the gorgeous city of Charleston.

Watching.... The Bachelorette. Obviously. It's my summer guilty pleasure. Only a few more days until spunky Andi decides between nerdy Nick and jock-y Josh. It's very obvious that she picks Josh, and I think they're a perfect match.

But, if it were me, I would have gone with Chris. I have never been enticed by the farm lifestyle, but Chris's preppy farmer look is H-O-T. Period. Don't tell my husband.

Reading.... just finished Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlin and started Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead.

Dreaming... of another trip to Napa, and soon. It was heaven on earth to me.While we're at it, if I could just relive my So Cal girls trip, that'd be fine by me too.

Listening to... HA! I couldn't name one song on the top 100 chart right now. The only songs that go through my head all day, every day are from Frozen or Tangled. 

Well, that's me in a nutshell! Summer 2014 is proving to be one of the best summers yet! :)