Where the Magic Begins! {#DisneySMMoms 2013}

The most magical email arrived in early Spring of 2012. Our family had been invited to attend the Disney Social Media Moms conference at Walt Disney World. From the very first word in our invitation we could feel the magic that would be this trip for our family. After 4 yours of our grueling shift swapping schedule we would have the opportunity to take our very first family vacation together.

From the moment we stepped foot in the Orlando airport we felt only the wonderful magic of making Disney memories for our family.

Little did we know at the time how turned upside down our lives would be. Only two months after our return from the conference Tim would start down his journey with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Throughout his treatment and twice monthly chemo treatments we would often reflect on our trip and the happy memories we were able to make as a family. Especially in those early days when we didn't know the prognosis was going to be so good.

Late last night we received word that the conference would be held this year over the Mother's Day weekend (May 9-12, 2013) which is also our wedding anniversary. What a tremendous way to celebrate both of those things and Tim's status in remission. We know that this event is invitation only and that we might not make the list this year, but we have our fingers and toes crossed that come Monday, the day of his final chemo, we'll be able to celebrate the end of cancer ravaging his body with a trip to the most magical place on earth. If we aren't selected this year, we know that those who go will have the experience of a lifetime and we can't wait to hear all about it.

In the meantime, keep your fingers and toes crossed for our family.

A List of Loves

I love my family, friends, cherry pie, Michigan, Baltimore, DC, long drives, hooded sweatshirts, naps, airports, computers, Facebook, Twitter, bananas, apples, live storytelling, cup holders, Diet Coke, vodka and pineapple, scalding hot showers, cheeseburgers, Broadway musicals, hip hop, cooking competition shows, Arthur Christmas, Love Actually, The Lorax, James Franco, Alicia Keys, Matt Damon, Jimmy Fallon, laughter, jokes, snuggles, being left alone, talking, not talking, walking, dancing, learning, surprises, crowds, holidays, making people laugh, thinking, ironing, repetitive tasks, blogging, giving guided tours, Angry Birds, yellow, casseroles, Chicago, hotdogs, the Orioles, live sports, Target, a new haircut, sunrises, sunsets, swimming, a good pillow, smiles, free stuff, YouTube, creativity, passion, variety, straws, NPR, socks, scarves, automatic soap dispensers, candlelight, compliments, paying it forward, lemurs, getting the mail, history, Burt's Bees peppermint chapstick, curbside recycling, rain, white noise, feminism, non-fiction, office supplies, and so much more.

What/who do you love this Valentine's day?

Lent for the Non-Catholic

In the latter part of high school and throughout college I found myself checking out all sorts of religions and spiritual practices. There is some neat stuff out there and one tradition that I have always liked is Lent. I love the idea of committing yourself to some change for 40 days. Historically I have always given up something, but last year I decided to start adding something to life instead.

A few months ago I vlogged about some basic things I'd add to a life list (before I actually sat down and typed one up) and on that list was planning for the next day. It seems relatively simple and yet for the few days that I followed through with it after I made that video, it felt good. I think that I benefited, my son benefited and so did my husband and the other people in my life. Maybe they didn't know that that was what they were feeling, but I felt that armed with a map for the day my mood improved and I could look back and have an idea that I did accomplish something. In our current lifestyle it seems easy to get lost in the "just trying to hold on" mode and I want to break free from that.

So here's my Lenten resolution. I resolve to sit down for ten minutes at the end of each day and write a loose plan for the next day. I want to be open for spontaneity and changes in direction, but I still want to know where I am headed each day.

What about you? Do you give up/add something to your life for Lent?