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A Well Crafted Life

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***If the title didn’t give it away… this post is all about ME. It is ego-centric and reflective. If you don’t want to read the word “I” a bajillion times then I’m glad you stopped by, but stop reading now. 
I’ll be back soon with something less me-centric. ***
I’ve been super reflective lately because of a few huge things that have/are happening to me right now:
  • I’m very soon to be turning 29 years old. I’ve been looking forward to this birthday most of my life (12/12/12) and have always had certain expectations for where I would be and who I would be at my 29th birthday. 
  • I quit my service industry job of 6 years to pursue writing, look for full-time career-style employment, and/or stay at home with my son. 
  • I moved into a house rather than an apartment for the first time in our marriage.
  • We started weaning and I have my own body to myself for the first time in nearly 2 years. Don’t get me wrong… loved sharing it with my little guy for his enrichment and development. But, I’m happy to have it back. 

 These changes have cause me to really examine my life and what I’ve been doing for the past 29 years.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with me.
 I feel like I’ve become the type of person I want to be and I want to teach my kid(s) to be. I try my hardest to be confident, kind, non-judgmental, giving, and thankful. I’m certainly not perfect. But, I don’t expect myself to be perfect (anymore, that is a whole other story though) and I don’t want my kid(s) to expect perfection out of themselves or out of me. 

But, as for where I am at in my life. 
I expected more from myself. 
I’ve allowed the lack of funds or fear of failure to dictate my achievements for too long. I’ve worked for free to “build my portfolio” or “because I’m not a real pro” for too long. I’ve downplayed my worth for too long. 

And, I’m learning to be okay with that. 
It has all been a part of building the WHO I am part of me. 
But, now it is time for me. 


This is going to be MY year. 
(I plan on being as supportive as ever to my husband and son…
 but, other than that there is going to be a lot of putting ME first this year)

My goals this year: 
  • Finish my novel. I have been working on a novel for three + years now. And, in my freelance gig I had to write a novel in a month. So, now I know I can do it. I am going to focus on my novel and get it done. I’ll be looking for (free/cheap) editors friends who like to read. 🙂
  • Develop my E-course/E-book idea and have it running before the end of 2013. I’m super excited about developing and collaborating with a few friends on this project. 
  • Spend time putting my physical well-being a priority. I will be posting on this later in much more detail. Overall I am pretty healthy, but I have had some significant pain over the past four years that are semi-directly related to my weight. It is time to make this a priority, but I want it to enrich my life rather than take away some of the joy. Finding the balance and implementing a routine will be a huge goal for this year. 
  • Party like its 12/12/12. Silly goal, I know. But, when ever since I turned 12 and my grandmother made a HUGE deal out of the the fact that I turned 12 on 12/12 I have looked forward to my 29th birthday. And, I throw parties. Financially throwing a party right now is irresponsible and not at all possible for us. But, my hopes are that I can score enough freelance gigs to make a small celebration happen. 
Are you where you want to be in your life? 
What are your goals for YOU? 
My husband and I met after we were set up on a blind date by mutual friends. He was three weeks from graduating college and I still had two full years to go. A year and a half later and we were engaged to be married. I had never really even thought about marriage before meeting him. After I met him I felt like my whole world flipped on its head and was finally going in the right direction. June 6, 2006 I married my best friend. To this day I am still excited to share my day with him, to listen to his day, and to dream about our future together.
My favorite memories of the past six years:
Our First Year of Marriage
1. Our wedding & honeymoon

Our Second Year of Marriage
1. Our move to Oregon— we hopped into our Uhaul and hit the road. 
It was a long, hard trip. But, such a good decision for us both.
2. My hubby (after two months without a job) got a job at a bookstore where we met some of our greatest friends. 
Our Third Year of Marriage
1.Visited the Oregon coast for the first time. It was my very first trip to see the Pacific Ocean!
2. My family came to visit Oregon for the first time. I was able to show them all around town. 
3. We threw our very first Halloween party (A Haunted Halloween Dinner Party) and it became a yearly tradition for us to host the Halloween party.
Our Fourth Year of Marriage
1.Went camping with friends at Crater Lake. 
Seriously… Oregon is the most beautiful state I’ve ever seen.
2. Traveled to Colorado to see my brother get married. 
3. My husband found a job that he really loves and is fantastic at.
4. I started my blog, A Well Crafted Party.
Our Fifth Year of Marriage
1. Got to see my lil’ sister get married.  
2. Really got started with A Well Crafted Party having parties featured all over the internet.
3. Hubby and I found out we were pregnant!!
4. We bought our first car together.
5. Went on an anniversary weekend touring Portland as if we were tourists.
Our Sixth Year of Marriage
1. We became a family of three.
2. I was able to introduce my son to his paternal great-grandparents. This was very important to me because I grew up with them and wanted so very much for them to meet my children. This was a first time flying on a plane with a little one as well.
3. The wonderful long visit of my in-laws over the holidays. X was lucky to get to spend his first Christmas with family and I was fortunate to have the extra help over that stressful time.
5. The Portland Blogger Meet-Ups began and I was fortunate enough to get to work with wonderful bloggers and make some great new friends.
6. My son… this year so far has been filled with so much love and learning for both me, my husband, and our son. It has seriously been the best thing to happen in my life so far and everything else pales in comparison.
Today is my sixth anniversary with my husband. 
 
To my love,
Thank you for supporting me and for challenging me.
Thank you for laughing with me and continually making me laugh.
Thank you for giving me our son. 
Thank you for being a wonderful friend, husband, and father. 

I love you always,
Jenni
Thanks to all my readers for letting me share so much of my life with you. 
What has been your favorite memory of your marriage (or relationship) so far?