My pre marriage fantasy gets a reality check

Before I met mr. Baker I was planning on going to England for grad school. I daydreamed I would meet some older, sophisticated, successful man who looked like this:

Imagine how I laughed when I saw this same actor, who had lent his face and northern english accent to so many a wandering dream to fun and romance a la the British Isles, in the trailer for the Hobbit looking like this:

I know that the old joke is how marriage is never what you expect it to be, and how quickly the exterior qualities of one's partner go down hill fast. However in my life of "exceptions to the rule", can I really be surprised that the "husband" I once envisioned, before meeting Mr. Baker, went to seed, yet Mr. Baker is all the more appealing.

I don't know if anyone else can find the humor in this, but honestly ....

...I think I made the right choice....

... my real life husband has filled my life with "dream checks"--times when I couldn't believe that life could be so good--  and I have been so happy with Mr. Baker as my best friend and companion through life.

And we look forward to going to see the Hobbit together for date night someday ;) HAHA

New Beginnings

As a young teenager, my church young women's group always held a night called "New Beginnings". It was a time to renew efforts on our progress and review what we had accomplished in the past; a time of advancement and inspiration.

Now as a woman, I have something new in mind

You may have noticed that I have not blogged in a while.

I've had a time of personal realization. There is a plague among women of trying to be or at least appearing to be super woman. This "I can do it all, and do it effortlessly" causes much lack of self worth and pointless self pity in many women. On the flip side, the attitude of "this is who I am, take or leave it, and I don't care" is equally abhorrent.

At any rate I fall in the former category all too often in my life and came to realize how pointless that was.

So I've taken a turn of "I'll just do me duty" and not worry what people may think or say. I have responsibilities and I must set an example of what I think is right. However example and influence stem naturally from intentions and you cannot hide fake and superficial.

In a nutshell, I've been busy focusing on what I need to do rather showing off what I do.

It's been a "New Beginning" of priorities and outlook and it has permeated to my actions and day to day work.

I've simplified and let go of a few things.

I've set up goals and schedules

I've felt the urge to do more for my family.

One thing I've come to realize is my need to improve in meal planning

We need to eat healthier--that's nothing new. So I made a plan. I grabbed a copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and perused the "Best Odds Diet" section that list foods in groups and how much you should eat of them. (I choose this approach because I am in the time of my life of where I will be having children for the next few years or so, and I found this very resourceful when pregnant with my little ballerina).

I thought it would be a good idea to pick a few new foods from these lists every week and try them. AND so as to prevent them being put away and forgotten to long after their expiration date (a fate that too often happens to new foods) I conveniently put them all in a basket on top of the fridge. I call it my "New Beginnings" basket-- a new beginning to foods I've never tried or am less familiar with. Now when I go to prepare a meal, I can reach for the basket, grab something, and try something new and healthy....problem solved.