Drum Roll Please

Since the month of LOVE is almost over it seems appropriate to finally post about my big news. In fear that my words would not be eloquent enough I kept putting off this post. For some of you this is old news. Old news, or new news, it is great news and I am so excited to finally present it on my blog. Drum roll please…my son Aiden is engaged!

My future daughter in-law, Chelsea is the perfect match for him, and the VandeClan couldn’t be happier. They both have found each other’s lobster in one another. Chelsea is the sweetest, most loving, positive, pragmatic, joyful, and caring individual I have ever met. Her beauty radiates from the inside out. Chelsea’s smile will melt your heart and her optimistic outlook towards life will make you question any looming negative thoughts that may reside within you. She is a stunning, classic beauty that can be completely goofy and silly; she is a total kid at heart.

Aiden and Chelsea are both thought provoking, intelligent individuals and some of their viewpoints on life can be polar opposite. With differing perspectives they balance each other like yin and yang. Aiden and Chelsea's beliefs, opinions, and principles may not always completely align (like almost all relationships) but it is how they embrace these differences that far exceeds any young relationship I have ever witnessed. I know this makes them sound so serious, but that is far from the truth. They are giddy and silly in love, but with a maturity beyond their years that I admire.
  

Musically, Aiden and Chelsea are very talented. They literally make beautiful music together! They do not publicly perform, but every once in awhile we have the pleasure of sneaking a listen. Aiden on guitar and both of them on vocals is so perfectly harmonious.   

Aiden is the happiest I have ever seen him when in the company of Chelsea and that makes me happy.  The date is set in September 2015, which will be here before we know it. I am thrilled for this new step in my baby boy’s life and look forward to watching Chelsea and Aiden’s future develop before my very eyes. The love and respect that these two young adults posses for each other will undeniably stand the test of time and go down in history as one of the all time great love stories. I am privileged to be a supporting character.

Congratulations Chelsea and Aiden. I love you both with all my heart.

Photo Credit - Thank you, Kevin Antholt (Chelsea's Dad)

A Note About the Pictures – In the second week of December Chelsea went with her family on vacation to Hawaii. With help from Chelsea’s mom and dad Aiden planned to fly to Hawaii in the middle of their vacation to surprise Chelsea and pop the question. The pictures are from their time in Hawaii and the exact moment Aiden proposed!

Sunny Can Be Deceiving

My family moved to the Seattle area from California when I was eight years old. The rain and cold never bothered me until I was in my late 30’s and now every year from November to May my dissatisfaction for Western Washington's weather grows. Last week we experienced a huge dip in temperatures signifying what lies ahead for the rest of fall and the coming winter. When I am cold I freeze up! Even though the logical side of me tries to get my body to understand that movement will warm me up all I want to do is curl up in a ball, wrap myself in blankets and fall asleep. Instead of embracing my cold weather style and realizing that my sweaters and coats will finally see the light of day, I long to be a snowbird and abandon everything to seek the comforts of the warm sun. Unfortunately, the rest of my family is content with where we live all year round and who am I to disrupt that?

I’m not sure what has caused this cold and rain wimp disorder, and I do realize I am being extremely WIMPY, since Western Washington does not see the kind of cold that other areas do. Since there is no known magic pill to cure me I have written down five reasons that the cold and rain are beneficial in an attempt to lift my spirits. 

1.    Rain = Green - The rain keeps our state beautiful and green. I haven’t done much traveling, but from what I have heard nothing beats the lushness of Western Washington. There is so much magnificence that surrounds us and without the rain we would see much of it go away. 
2.    Negative Ion Benefits – Negative ions are tasteless, odorless and invisible molecules that we inhale when we are in environments that contain moving water, like rain. Once the negative ions reach our bloodstream, they are believed to produce biochemical reactions that help to relieve stress, alleviate depression and even boost our energy.  ~ Redlands Daily Facts
3.    Drinking Water – According to Livestrong rain provides 30 percent of our fresh water for drinking.
4.    Animal Life – Ask.com reminds me that just like we need water to live, animals also depend on rainwater for survival. Several species in the ocean rely on rainwater that flows from land to the sea to provide them with the essential minerals they need.
5.    Cold Weather Burns Calories – The Huffington Post reports that simply being cold can cause a significant calorie burn. Wait, what!? I can burn calories without exercise? Yahoo!

I may still bitch and moan about the weather, but I am hoping that these facts will help get me through to summer. What do you do to survive the fall and winter months?

Delaney and I photographed two outfits on this sunny, but cold and windy day and we were chilled to the bone!

Pants: H&M (old, like these & these)  Lace Top: Forever 21 (similar)  Shirt: Plain White Button Up Shirt (similar)  Jacket: Express (on sale - 30% off)   Necklace: Forever 21  Shoes: Sole Society (old, like these & these)

Random Thoughts - My Personal Blogger Pledge

A month ago, I started a new chapter to my life and dove head first into a flooded ocean of bloggers where some sail luxuriously in yachts drinking champagne and others, like me, hang on to dear life by driftwood barely keeping our heads above the waves (don’t worry, it will be my only metaphor!). It is human nature to equate oneself to those who are doing the same thing and try to measure up, but over the last couple of weeks it began to consume me knowing that there is no way that I can compete with girls that are 15-20 years younger than me. I had to remind myself that my overall goal for blogging was not to become famous, but to share my life interests in a digital diary, to occupy the time once filled with an actual paying job, but mostly to stir up my creative side to a new level.

Being artistic does not come naturally to me and I am awe inspired everyday by how original and imaginative people are when sharing their perspective of the world. When I continually match myself to the myriad of bloggers out there I am intimidated and overwhelmed. Finding my own expression is stifled and I lose my true identity by struggling to achieve something that others have already mastered. I realize now that this fixation is smothering my vision and keeping me from truly doing what I set out to do in the first place and I am longing for something more… All Fred up, in its infant stage, needs a face lift!

I have discovered that what lies deep in me is the desire to produce new content in unexpected ways. So as I continue my blogging journey, I want to make a pledge to myself and to YOU, my current audience, who consists of a small group of family and friends. You have shown interest in what I am doing and I am so grateful for you everyday. This pledge will help me set goals for the coming months and years of blogging and I am encouraged that it will set me on a new path of self-fulfillment and maybe even self-discovery. I will read my pledge often to retain my sanity and remind me to stay focused by keeping me on the right track. Change will not be instant or drastic and will depend on resources that I am able to acquire and how quickly I can conquer the learning curve that lies ahead. So please do not expect overnight greatness.

My Personal Blogger Pledge:

~ I will strive to generate inventive work through creative avenues.

~ I cannot guarantee that others will like what I think is beautiful, but I will find fulfillment in sharing and take criticism as a means to learn and grow.

~ I will show beauty in surprising ways with the end goal being to inspire, create discussion or stir up emotions.

~ I am not an expert, by any means, on what I include on my blog and I will never pretend to be. My posts are only my own opinions, thoughts, and feelings.

~ I will never be pretentious or snooty.

~ I will never take myself too seriously. Finding humor in everyday life situations is a necessity and being goofy and silly is ingrained in my soul.

~ I will do my own thing. It is important to be true to myself. When I develop a new concept, I will act on my creative ideas and not spend time worrying about if somebody else has already done it (who knows, maybe I will do it better!).

~ I am blogging for personal fulfillment and discovery in a mindfulness manner. If others want to partake in this journey with me I will be ecstatic, but I will not measure my success on how many people follow, like, repost, regram, or retweet me!

~ Reference to the above: I give myself permission to do a happy dance if I get one hundred likes… 100! It is validation that what I have created people have enjoyed. Celebrate it. 

Random Thoughts - Gaining Clarity through Running

I am a runner. Well, that's at least what I try to make my body believe. Last Friday, I started running...again. The last time I ran was on my birthday, which was over a month ago. Why? It isn't because I hate running, it is because I lack motivation to go out and Just Do It, even with great Nike's sitting in my closet. In fact, I love everything about running. When I run I get lost in my thoughts, it is a great stress outlet (when there are days I feel like Atlas), and it always gets my creative juices flowing. One Thing for sure is that I feel rejuvenated and healthy when I run, but on a scale Five to One, five being the most experienced, committed runner, I am a two striving to be a five.

Last Friday's run brought many emotions to the forefront due to the uncertain direction my life is going these days and the even bigger question of where do I want it to go? Even staring at A Sky Full Of Stars won't bring me clarity. So, all the self-doubt, confusion, and insecurity that I felt when I was a teenager listening to U2's The Unforgettable Fire, trying to find my way, were all rushing back into my forty-year old body. Then the tears started flowing! I am not a stranger to what I call "the cry baby run", it has happened to me several times before, but this time was different. I was scared. Scared that I made a huge mistake quitting my job, scared that I will not discover what kind of career I want to do next, and scared that if I do need to go back to work sooner than planned I will not be able to find a Suit And Tie job that I am so qualified to do. I felt like a little kid who has to confess to the grumpy neighbor that the Broke Window on his house was caused by my baseball going through it.

Finally, gaining composure (it's difficult to run and cry at the same time), new thoughts and emotions flooded in and I was so relieved to Feel love. I realized that with all of the huge mistakes and poor choices (there have been some doozies!) I have made in my life I am surrounded by people that have forgiven, encouraged, and never left my side. I felt at ease that everything was going to be okay because this is no Ordinary Love that I am feeling. I have a support group that will guide and reassure me that the path I am choosing leads to happiness, fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment. And if I am getting off track they will be there to point me in the right direction.

In my eyes, I am the luckiest girl on earth to have:
~ a husband who cares for me, looks past my flaws and encourages me to keep going when I don't have the confidence to carry on.
~ four beautiful, talented, strong, empathetic children (I Would Die 4 You) that have taught me more than I could have ever imagined and kept me going purely because they exist.
~ my mother, father, step-mom, step-dad, sister and niece who inspire me everyday to be the best person I can possibly be through unconditional love and acceptance.
~ a network of friends, old & new, that have shown me more than just A Little Respect. They have cheered me on, believed in me, let me be my goofy self with no judgment, and snapped me back into reality when I was completely lost.

Needless to say, that this run turned into a much needed look inside myself filled with sentiments and epiphanies. Even though I know self-doubt will rear its ugly head again down the road I know that I have people to fall back on that will uplift and reassure me. My only wish is that someday I will return the favor and that all of you who are reading this realize that there are many people in your life who will comfort you when you are feeling low, are always ready to listen and help you along the way. I now know, no matter where life takes me, it is the people who are in my life that are the most important part of who I am. Bring it on life. I am ready to conquer!

Who inspires, reassures, and guides you through life?

Below is my moody running playlist. No wonder I end up crying! :)

What are your favorite songs on your running/workout playlist? I would love some suggestions.