the little things

1.24.2018

Blog Moving Day: We're packing up our bags...

I have been on Blogspot (Blogger) over 10 years. It's time for a fresh start! This blog is moving to a new site.

You can now find The Little Things at aimeelorraine.wordpress.com

Thank you for following along...now time to pick out some new pillows and curtains.
Xxoo
Aimee

12.31.2017

Holiday Wishes & A Happy New Year

I'm writing this on the last day of 2017. Sipping a glass of Sprite, because my stomach decided to get nauseated after I inhaled pizza for dinner. A glowing fire is warming the hearth a few feet away. And the sounds of a NBA PS4 game come from the loft above with echoing cheers from the boys. I can't help but feel a little nostalgic tonight. It's freezing cold outside after all. Everything inside feels warm and full.

Hopefully my stomach will stay that way.

When Mark and I were dating we had horrible luck on New Year's Eve. So much so that to this day we don't venture out on the last night of the year. The first one spent together ended in a fiery blaze, as the neighbor next door from a party we were attending had the unfortunate luck of catching his house on fire.

The next year we ran over a dog. It was as awful as it sounds. The horrible screams and as we stopped and tried to reverse it screamed again. I will never forget it. When we tried to get out to help it, the poor soul ran away. I hope that it wasn't really hurt, maybe more scared at the interaction underneath our car. Inside this is what I tell myself.

The following year we were a short hair length away from running over a deer. Luckily the brakes on our car quickly reacted and we missed it moments before impact. This is when we agreed. Never go out on New Year's Eve. We couldn't imagine our fate or anyone else's if we tried.

Home feels good anyway. Cozy and content within our own walls. The fireplace is calling me, tonight it dances in a beautiful symphony and I can't think of a better way to close out this holiday season.

It all goes so fast, doesn't it? Thanksgiving pours into Christmas, and next thing you know it all comes to an end. The celebrating crescendos, the bliss into reality. And we make promises to ourselves. These next 365 days will be brighter, bolder, and maybe we'll let go of a few pounds in the process.

We had a beautiful snow earlier this month. A white blanket over the grass, trees, sidewalks and benches. A fresh perspective with one glance out the window. Perhaps this night gives us that same hopeful heart. A blanket of untouched fresh interpretation of the world we already live in. An opportunity to remain in our own back yard, yielding a newness otherwise overlooked.

I hope that 2017 was a lovely one for you. The fire still burns for the brightest year yet. May we hold onto that hope, that love for our new perspective. This year, my word is AWAKE. To be conscious, aware of all that I seek. To wake up to what has always been within me. What about you? What word will you strive for in these next 365 days? What shall you hold in the fiery heart of your hand...

Happy New Year loves.

(No animals or humans were harmed in the making of this post)

11.30.2017

Hygge

We have this beautiful annual practice. I hadn't realized the proper name for it. Since moving to Georgia, we simply piled in hearty food and sweet smelling candles, fun games and cozy flannel shirts for a weekend mountain cabin escape.

The Danish have a word for it.

Hygge.

Coziness in life's simple moments.

Encouraging us to be present in the moment. Let go of expectations. Of commitments, judgements, and all the other "ments" of the season.

Embrace the opportunities to gather together. To sip a warm mug of cider (or mimosa). Bring out the crochet hooks. Watch flickering candles dance in shadowed corners. Turn off the electronic devices. Read a book at an unhurried pace. Slow down.

Easier said than done, right? I feel the pull more often than not to be doing everything all at once. To be more organized. To get more done. Inevitably I come to the understanding that all of it is too much.

You'll find me sitting on the floor at this stage. Likely with head against the wall and arms outstretched to the universe, questioning why there's not enough time in the day for all of these micromanaged tasks? Overwhelmed and exhausted by the unrealistic expectations that I place on myself.

Sound familiar?

We do too much. Our prioritized, task managing brain forgets that we have a choice. After all, the world will not collapse if we let go a little more often.

Beauty isn't complicated. It's simply underneath the busy layers that we build up around us. I try to remind myself that moments matter. Looking back to our weekend in the mountains, I smile easily on the memory. The day that we spent out on the screened in porch, sipping drinks, playing games and truly living in the moment. I hope to slow down this holiday season, and make Hygge a regular practice.

The thing is, you don't need a cabin or mountain for this feeling. Perhaps some flickering twinkle lights and hot chocolate. Definitely pajamas. And most importantly each other.

10.25.2017

Lately, October edition

I'm still in a state of mental fog.

I'll blame it on our extended summer heat.

Just this week it is actually starting to feel like fall. All of the beautiful things that make this season my favorite. I have been anticipating the red, orange and yellow leaves turning on our trees. Seriously, what could make this season any cozier? Oh yes...the cooler weather.

Another reason that I may be in an actual mental fog is work. Extra shifts and clinical rotations within a cardiology internship for all the new nurses to the hospital (ahem, even though I've been a cardiac nurse for 7 years). What this means is that all my extra time and energy goes to relearning atrial kick, preload and after load, electrolyte imbalances and interpreting ABGs.

Secretly, I'm in love with it. The notebooks, packets of homework, and putting on a mask and gloves to learn more about my beloved heart. It's kind of got me in the mood for more school. But not in a serious, let's apply to a program mode. More of a what-can-I-learn-to-help-my-patients state of being. As a nurse, any time that you can reignite that flame (in the midst of call lights, bedpans and angry doctors) take it, grab onto it and be glad you get paid to be on this side of the fence.

One thing this lack of extra time brings is the disappearance of my writing. Not that the blog is any indicator (if it were, I'm already in pretty sad shape), but the book has been put on hold for the time being. There's still plenty to come, and soon I'll be asking for trial readers. Because 2018 is going to see Aimee getting an editor and maybe even a literary agent. I want to get this story out and into the hands of people. Because it's about people. The human spirit...and I have a feeling that in this political climate, we could use more honest stories about humanity and the inherent good in people. What do you think?

To catch you up a little bit on our family...at the end of last month we decided to take the kids to the state fair. Unbelievably enough, it was our first time together.

I cannot get enough of all the beautiful colors, sounds and smells of a fair. I may not be eating meat, but the smell of corn dogs and BBQ had my mouth watering. No worries, the funnel cake had my back.

We decided to stop in the 4H area first. Some of the animals were more shy than others. This chick wanted her time in the spotlight.

The goats' goatee gets me every time.

We found ourselves high up in the air on one of the lifts that takes you across the entire fair. The kids weren't sure about it at first. We busied ourselves with people watching and deciding what other rides to go on.

The gigantic slide was a big hit. Caleb and Mark went so many times that they got rug burns.

We ended the night eating some of our favorite foods and watching a sea lion show.

And of course winning some prizes...

We had so much fun, we're already talking about next year when we get to go back.

It's hard to believe next week is Halloween, and then that's it for October. I feel like it always goes by so quickly. Last night we actually turned on the heater. It reminds me about what I love this time of year. Coming together under the coziness and savoring the moments we have with each other.

Really, at the end of the day...those little tiny building blocks of moments are what makes life so beautiful. We hope that you are enjoying each of yours.

9.29.2017

My girl, you are 10

Dear Katelynn,

On Sunday, you turned double digits. The day felt like a little ceremony of sorts. A discovery of who you are becoming...and it is less and less that baby girl whom I remember. Little hands and toes of years past are becoming longer and less recognizable. When did this happen? When did this baby of mine become a young girl?

You've always had that special knack of transporting me. Into the grown up version of you. That quick wit and curiosity for the world pulled me up and out of nostalgia. You are ready for this. Ready for the world to finally discover your gifts.

I still like to imagine that I have a few things to teach you. Maybe I always will. After all, the life that I have lived has led me to these very moments. With you.

I cannot help but smile when I realize that it is you who has been my patient teacher all along. Letting me see within the kaleidoscope of love through your eyes. To get a glimpse of a world that doesn't give up on you. Seeing only the good in others. Laughing aloud at what makes your soul smile. Living in the moment and not in the past. Being free without holding back. I sew up the patchwork heart on my sleeve, carefully stitching it with your light.

Yes, dear one. You have always taught me that dreams are within our reach. You are my star girl. Always searching, always grasping, always discovering. Ever cascading us into the beauty of what it means to explore within our own hearts for the answer. If I can teach you anything, I hope it is to keep you on your quest.

Happy Birthday, our sweet girl. A decade of love, our hearts unfolding. The future is boundless. Reach for your own starry night.

Love you forever,
Mom