nostresshere

So the big job prospect did not work out. I was 1 of the top 2 candidates out of 300 applicants, so at least I can feel as though I did OK. That said, we've decided as a family that I'm going to only apply for jobs that would be amazingly awesome and in the meantime, I'm going to focus on photopol.us, Happy Bullets, and home life. This is day 1 of my new life perspective and here's what I've done so far:

- taken kids out of after school care as of May 1
- called electric company to lower kilowatt rate from .16 to .12
- researched home refi
- taken major action to begin repairing our credit
- invested a little bit with our new e-trade account

Boring stuff that I would not normally spend too much time on, but it feels pretty good to start these processes. We should be out of credit card debt by July (woooo hooo!!), and on our way to being more financially secure. Fingers crossed, and here's to my new job as a full time Mommy blogger.

So between a job layoff, and family hurdles to work through, much has happened in the last two months. I tend to have trouble sitting still, so while applying for new jobs, I started a photography blog with my pal, Ange Fitzgerald. Enter photopol.us.... It started from just wanting to create a way to stay plugged into what I enjoy. The jobs I'm applying for are not in the photo industry. As natural as it may seem to want to do what I love professionally, I learned the important lesson back in college that when your art becomes your career, there is little time left to enjoy it. Photography for me is more of an outlet... a therapy if you will. But I know myself well enough to know that if I don't have a reason to stay plugged in, I may get caught up in day to day life, and drift and fall away.

So photopol.us is in full force, and has teamed up with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff to present our first annual Oak Cliff Art Crawl. We're curating three spaces and have invited several other galleries and artist studios to participate. We've been busy coordinating sponsors, posters, bands, and refreshments... Can't think of a better way to spend my time right now.

In personal news, I should find out this week if I have been selected for a new career I've set my sights on. Up until last week, I was 95% confident that I would get it, but now I'm more or less 50% sure. With that said, I am getting used to the idea of spending the summer with the kids full time, and focusing on photopol.us. This crossroads has caused me to take a lot of stock in my life and how to spend my time. Jason and I have been able to spend way more time together (since I am no longer working 50-60 hr weeks), and we've been redefining our goals as a family. I feel so grateful for him and for everyone who has been there for us lately. Whether I become a full time mama blogger/event planner, or take up a new career (more later), I look forward to many relaxing Saturdays and Sundays spending time working on home projects, going on family bike rides, scrutinizing the social calendar (so it doesn't take over our lives), supporting our community, and being true to myself and to those I love.

February shook me pretty hard. Jas and I went through something that couples aren't really supposed to go through. I'm not about to start talking about it, but the point is... I always seem to have to learn things the frickin' hard way. The only saving grace has been that growing back together is WAY more fun than growing apart.

We have re-prioritized and decided that our relationship and family is tops. We always assumed it was, but realized we were taking it for granted and went way too far our separate ways. Yes, I will still be doing my photo stuffs and he will still be doing his community stuffs, but everything will take a back seat when necessary for us.

People say that marriage is hard work. We have always believed that it isn't hard work at all. Parenting is far more difficult than being married (but with sweet little rewards that make it so worth the while). However, a happy marriage definitely requires nurturing and communication. I still won't say that it's "work" by any means. In fact, this re-prioritization has been quite playful and fun. It just requires keeping each other in check, and after time, people can easily forget to do that...

I just wanted to blog a little about this, because a couple of you may know that it's been a challenging year for me and for Jason (by default). But there was a point when it all came to a head, and it was the biggest wake up call I've ever had. After four days of sheer and utter pain, we cohesively decided to move forward. together. The result has been a second honeymoon (not without many hours of therapy and moments of fear and sadness). This is real life folks, and it ain't always easy. I am just extremely grateful for whom I have to share mine with....

She was getting ready to go on a date with Jas to the girl scout dance, called "World Thinking," Each couple was to choose a country and dress in the traditional clothing. I teased them saying that they would be the "whitest" couple from India there. D'Arcy was on cloud 9 the whole night, and Jason said she didn't want to leave the dance floor the entire time.

When the kids were babies, as adorable as they were, I was anxious for a time when they would be big enough to interact with on a conversational level. I pined for the post-diaper/post-temper tantrum years. "When they are 6 and 8," I thought to myself, "life will be great! We will be able to go to a restaurant and mutually enjoy each others company." Well, my baby is now 6, and I can hardly believe it. I catch myself getting pings of sadness when I see babies and toddlers. But it's worth it to see them grow up and share in the magic they see in every special moment. Happy Birthday D'Arcy Moon!