Celebrating Family

I'm spending a long weekend with family. It started Friday night with dinner at my favorite restaurant, Red Rose. 

  

Wait, back up...it started with time spent with my niece and nephew, playing games and having fun!

  I'm here for a baptism. My sweet cousin Danielle and her husband, Henry, asked me to be Godmother to their beautiful daughter, Josephine. Time spent with my family is filled with laughter and giggles. It fills me up the way nothing else can. I'm savoring every moment of these days as I remember the words of Maya Angelou, "I sustain myself with the love of family."     

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for providing this space for sharing our celebrations. Please join us and share your own!

Drive

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Traveling changes my perspective. 

I get a chance to slow down and look at things from another angle. My cousin got married this weekend and I drove up to Massachusetts to be there. 

I could have flown, but there's something about that long drive that brings me peace. I know the route like the back of my hand, so I can relax into the drive. 

It's been fifteen years that I've been taking this route home and I feel like I  notice different things each time. This trip brought brilliant autumn leaves. I love the freedom of leaving before the world wakes up and watching the sun rise. 

Rest stops provide a moment to stop and look around.

Flying might save time, but it doesn't bring me peace of mind. I figure things out on the road. Sometimes the music blares and a belt out a few tunes and other times I listen to audiobooks or podcasts. It's time when I must be mindful and pay attention to the road...time when I think about life. 

Arriving at my destination feels like an accomplishment. I left one place and I arrived in another. Seeing the happy faces of my family and getting the hugs...it's why I travel.

No one seems to understand why I drive. I get looks of confusion and furrowed brows. Questions like, "How long does it take you?" and "Wouldn't you rather fly?" greet me each and every trip. The answer is no. I wouldn't rather fly. I get to drive! Is there traffic? Yup. Construction? Sure. Bad drivers? Certainly. Driving is about the time and the quiet and stopping and looking around in a world that's so busy. 

Celebrating Family

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for the opportunity to focus on celebrations every week! September 19 will mark our 100th celebration! Please join us!

I'm writing this blog post on my phone because I'm in Massachusetts this weekend celebrating my cousin's wedding. I'm attending an "I Do BBQ" with family and friends. 

Spending the weekend before school begins four hundred miles away was stressing me out, but now that I'm here...it's perfect!

Yesterday I took my sister and niece and nephew for ice cream. We played games and built Legos! 

We played in my notebook when we were out at dinner.

Last night, I got to be the one to read bedtime stories! 

Today, a morning with just me and the kids to some fun places. I love getting to spend time together and spoil them! The BBQ is this afternoon. Lots of family to visit and relax and have fun!

I celebrate my wonderful, loving, beautiful, crazy family today! 

Celebrating Space

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for the opportunity to focus on celebrations every week!

This week I am celebrating space. Space to write. Space to read. Space to cry and laugh and live. Space to BE.

Space to be.

There's a terrific blog called, The Messy Middle, and this week she wrote a post about slowing down. She said, "Our lives demand so much motion. But our souls demand stillness." This week, there's been space for stillness. The stillness can be hard, but it's where we grow and learn. I celebrate the stillness and space to just BE.

Space to write.

Writing has been such a focus for me this summer. I have miserably failed this past week...well, I haven't written what I wanted to write. On Instagram, Glennon (author of the blog,  Momastery and the book Carry On, Warrior) posted a picture of her writing space.

I needed to reorganize my space...I found a candle that looks and smells lovely. My pens surround me, as does my washi tape. I have a picture of me holding my sister when she came home from the hospital...reminds me of family that loves me! Googlie eyes that remind me to laugh and not take myself too seriously. My writing room tends to get warm, so I even have a tiny little fan. It's warm and homey and I love coming in here. Thanks for the inspiration, Glennon!

Space to read.

I have my bedroom back. I was bringing all of my writing into my bedroom. It's out now and it occupies it's own space. Whew! My bedroom makes a beautiful reading spot, as does my couch...I LOVE all of my new pillows.

Space to cry & laugh & live.

I celebrate my friends and family who generously give me the space to be me...crazy me...and they love me anyway! Phone calls and texts connect me with those I love who live far away!

My Name is Auntie Chelle!

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, & Anna for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers. 

In school, I'm known as Ms. Haseltine. When I am home with my family, I'm Auntie Chelle.

It's so much fun being Auntie Chelle! I get to be silly and laugh. I have interesting conversations. I make silly faces.

I play games. I go on adventures! I act as a jungle gym.

Monday night I got to take a car ride and see Christmas lights!

I was flabbergasted with the amazing lighting displays! After, we stopped at a family favorite, The Pizza Shop, for a cheesy concoction! Mmmm!! While we waited for our food, we practiced our writing...

Jack is writing in my notebook.

"See what I wrote, Auntie Chelle?"

Jillian can write words too!

Here are some of the words that Jack knows already!

 Today Jillian and I get to spend some time together! YAY!

We are so excited!