Wait, you're not perfect?

Day 24: your top 3 worst traits

Laugh out loud. And then, "Wait, really? Cause now everyone will think I'm not perfect which goes against everything blogging is all about, right?" Again, laugh out loud.

So last night when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...I asked Mitch to help with me today's blog post. He obliged. And then I said, "What are my top 3 worst traits?" He looked at me, visibly knowing that he was entering dangerous territory, and said, "Can I answer in the form of an interview question?" (like when you try to throw a positive twist on your weaknesses) I chuckled and waved him on. Here's what he said:

+you're too nice
+you're too beautiful
+you smell too good

Aw, so sweet. So smart. Well played, my dear. And as much as I'd like to leave it at that and withhold my perfect status (sarcasm), I will expand on my husband's list. The truth is:

1. I'm impatient. Since the beginning of (my) time, I have never liked "going through the process". My mother will attest to this. As will my sister. I like the end result but I don't want to do the work to get there. Throughout my childhood, this manifested itself in things like getting ready to go play in the snow but not wanting to go through the difficulties of putting on my gigantic gloves. Or not being able to get the double-knotted ribbon of my birthday presents untied. So I would whine wait for my sister to help me. Lucky for me, she was (and is) the type who enjoys a challenge so these things didn't really bother her...even though sometimes she acted like it and huffed and puffed at me while doing what needed to be done.

In adulthood, I just get super bummed when I don't get what I want, usually materialistic. Enter: #2

2. I'm selfish. This shows up in a LOT of areas in my life. Whether it's the fact that I never get to sleep in anymore or that I get upset when Mitch wants to clean the car on a Saturday evening instead of spend time with me. It's an ugly trait that I work my hardest at beating but I think it's only part of our nature as humans. Ick.

3. I procrastinate. And in turn, I cause myself great anxiety and stress. Like if I know people are coming into town, somehow I always wait until the last minute to get the house ready. And then I'm running around with a crazy toddler at my feet pulling down every towel I've just folded and going through every toy I've just put up. Unfortunately, I found out early in life (i.e. waiting until midnight to work on that project that is due tomorrow...help, mom!) that I work best under pressure. I've gotten a lot better over the years about doing things in advance. And I am the type of person that likes a "plan" and being organized. But procrastination just gets the best of me, a lot of the times.

So, there ya have it. Now I've gotta go take my car to get the oil changed...something I've put off for the past 2,000 miles since I now have 5,000 miles on the car. Oops.

2 things school didn't teach me

Day 23: Things you've learned that school won't teach you.

There are lots of those, don'tcha think? The first one that comes to mind is: being a mom.

I don't think there is any possibly way someone could have taught me how to be a mom. And that's the beauty of motherhood. For me, it was one of those things that just came naturally. I do give credit to my own mother for setting such an inspiring example of how a mother should treat her daughter. But still, there's so many parts of being a mom that are just built within us as women. Things and abilities we had no idea we were capable of until that bundle of joy arrives and you have no other choice but to take charge. No amount of schooling could have ever prepared me to be a mother because Lydia (and every other baby out there!) is so unique, so unpredictable.

The second that comes to mind is: budgeting.

This one still blows my mind. All throughout school, you are bombarded with the task of figuring out what you "want to be" when you grow up, where you're going to go to continue your education outside of high school, what job will make you the most money. Education is built around the end goal of making (tons of) money.
So where in the world is the class on how to manage all this money you are planning on making? Especially when a majority of people walk away from their education with a butt load of student loan debt (thankfully, Mitch and I don't have that burden).

My parents and aunt and uncle did a great job on teaching me about money (among many other things) early on in life. Whether it was through a game of Monopoly, a trip to the grocery store with a lesson on what we needed to buy and what we had to spend, being advised on making smarter choices with my allowance, or just some random moment where the time was right. I was taught how to balance my checkbook the moment I opened my first bank account. And although I may not have done that to the "T" all the time (wink wink, mom!), I still know how to do it and I understand it's importance, especially now that I have my own budget to run.

Budgeting is hard. It takes time to get into a groove. It takes commitment. It requires discipline.

But it can also be fun (sitting down with Mitch and creating a budget/moving money around together is fun to me, for some reason! #nerd). It is essential. And it's extremely rewarding; not just being organized and putting a name to every single one of your dollars and knowing where it's going, but also rewarding when you realize you are saving money, when you realize you are spending less than what you actually make and have extra money left over. When you really learn how to live below your means in order to have an abundant future for you and your family. That's rewarding to me! And I just need to give a huge shout-out to my husband for doing an amazing job with our budget and be so diligent...even when I don't like it and I complain (urgh) about something I really want but don't need! Thanks, dear :) Love you lotsos!

Slower Traffic Keep Right.

Day 22: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel.

Well, I'm not usually one to rant about things. I don't really see the point in all the negativity. BUT, for the sake of this challenge, I will share with you one of my most fierce pet-peeves. A major frustrating, hair-pulling, face-palming pet-peeve. Ready for it?

When slower traffic doesn't keep right.

Oh. My. Stars.

This drives me absolutely batty. It sets my teeth on edge. My poor husband has had to endure this frustration of mine a good many times. I think it's because it's such a simple rule (at least where I live). Slower traffic keep right. The left lane is for passing. Good bye. The end. Once you've passed the slower car who's on the right, simply get back over in the right lane until you reach another vehicle needing to be passed. And so on and so on. (a quick shout out to my mom and uncadon for teaching me this early on!) This keeps the flow of traffic right on target. And it lets people like me who want to go a little faster scoot right along without being stuck behind someone going 60 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about safety. And I don't go flying down the interstate. But it is very frustrating when people don't follow the rules of the road. This rule also applies to anywhere there is more than 1 lane. There is a lane specifically for those who want to go a little slower than the rest of the traffic or for those vehicles who literally can't go very fast. There are big yellow signs that say it. The left lane is not for the huge RV pulling their vehicle or that work-truck with a thousand ladders piled on it cruising at 5 mph under the speed limit! Urgh! And if you are going less than the minimum speed limit (especially in the left lane), that can cause just as much danger since people aren't expecting cars to be going that slow.

Also, when did people stop getting over in the left lane when you're merging onto the interstate? (Unless there's no room for them to.) I've noticed that a lot lately. Not cool, people. Not cool.

Just sayin'!

So that's really it. This will end my "rant". Don't judge :)

Looking back

Today is an easy post. Share some of your favorite posts form your archives. Thank goodness, 'cause I've got friends in town and I don't wanna spend a lot of time blogging right now. Plus, it's raining outside. And the kids are napping. So, I think I'll make this short and sweet so I can get to movie-watchin'!

Let me take you back in time:

+ Road Trip, Isle of Palms, Shark Attacks, & Jelly Fish stings: Part One and the Part Two! - this was an eventful trip with our best buds!
+ The Spot - a quick post about our "spot" back when we first started dating :)
+ This is Home - my struggles with moving away from my home of 12+years
+ 8 quick facts- this post is just that...8 quick facts!
+ Our Romance: Chapter 1

Charleston eats: Five Loaves Cafe

This place! Absolutely fantastic!

Five Loaves Cafe is nestled in a little shopping center in Mt. Pleasant. They've also got another location downtown. And it's been on my list of places to try for about a month now. So when my sister came into town last weekend, we made it our destination for lunch!

And man, were we all pleased! They have so much to offer! Healthy and fresh foods, vegetarian, gluten-free and allergy-friendly options, all of their chicken is free range, all natural from Tanglewood farms, they use hormone-free angus beef, AND they support the community by partnering with local suppliers for their vegetables, pasta, nuts and breads! Thumbs up for that!

My sister and I ordered the Roasted Turkey (half size) with cranberry spread (yummo), herb cream cheese (double yummo), lettuce, tomato, and onion on a croissant. I had a potato and broccoli soup while Amanda had a salad. Mitch ordered the Peppercorn and Coriander Hormone Free Rare Roast Beef on a spinach tortilla wrap with balsamic and roasted garlic dressing. All of it: perfection. Holy yum. We definitely recommend those sandwiches!

On top of the mouth-watering food, the atmosphere was delightful with creative light fixtures a-la baskets and a cool sky-light thingy...and the staff was ever-so friendly! Enjoy some pictures of our quaint visit and be sure to stop in here when you visit Charleston! If you're local, be sure to get your boo-tay over there ASAP!