Sunday, January 30, 2011
Good Friends
Yesterday we invited ourselves over to Andy and Kim's house for the KU/K-State basketball game. Andy and I grew up together in Wichita and hanging out with them is like hanging out with family. (Luckily I like mine or that wouldn't be a great analogy). Harper loves playing with their daughter "Baby Lily."
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Photo Hunt
I went hunting for photos on my Mom's computer this weekend because I am notoriously bad at taking pictures. Conversely, my Mom always has her camera with her and takes generally awesome pictures. Here are a few from the holidays that I would have liked to post a month ago.
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Harper got reaquainted with her cousin Ellery this past summer (my cousin Kristen's daughter). Since then, Ellery has come up daily. It's either "I had fun playing with Ellery," or "I'm not Harper, I'm Ellery," or "Look, I'm dancing like Ellery," or "Look, I'm swinging my hair like Ellery."
Well Ellery came for a visit at Christmas and was a wonderful sport at keeping Harper entertained. I just love this picture of them holding hands. Of course Harper was nearly apoplectic with joy for weeks afterward!
While in Wichita at Thanksgiving we visited Botanica. Harper was listening to carolers when they gave her a bell to play during their songs.
My sister Jill's new little girl, Austen
That's it for my picture dump. Oh wait...I was missing one. This year's Christmas PJ's!
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Harper got reaquainted with her cousin Ellery this past summer (my cousin Kristen's daughter). Since then, Ellery has come up daily. It's either "I had fun playing with Ellery," or "I'm not Harper, I'm Ellery," or "Look, I'm dancing like Ellery," or "Look, I'm swinging my hair like Ellery."
Well Ellery came for a visit at Christmas and was a wonderful sport at keeping Harper entertained. I just love this picture of them holding hands. Of course Harper was nearly apoplectic with joy for weeks afterward!
While in Wichita at Thanksgiving we visited Botanica. Harper was listening to carolers when they gave her a bell to play during their songs.
When I was about 9 or 10 our families hired a professional photographer to take a family portrait at Christmas. My cousins and I all wore matching outfits. I so wish I had a copy of it to post here. There were about 11 of us--grandparents, parents, and five grandkids. Now, with spouses and great-grandkids, our family has over doubled in size. Time has flowwwwnnnn by. Don't think I won't dig up those old pictures though--I think I need a family "rewind" post soon.
There are very few pictures of Josh, me, and Harper together. Let this be the third or fourth of many...
My sister Jill's new little girl, Austen
That's it for my picture dump. Oh wait...I was missing one. This year's Christmas PJ's!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Couldn't Pay the Rent!
In November I quit my job to join Josh in his firm, Joshua Best Studio. I did this as a total leap of faith. Leaps of faith are harder to come by in this economy. Safety, security, and knowing what's coming next--that's what people want. Probably half of Josh's friends and acquaintances have lost their jobs in the last two years. If they didn't lose a job they certainly lost income, bonuses, and other benefits.
When no other job was forthcoming, Josh struck out on his own. For about six to eight months, this consisted of nothing more promising than another lunch with another contact trying to sell himself and his skills. We had to accept help from our families to keep us afloat.
When this caused me too much shame and embarrassment, I went to the Department of Family Services to apply for food stamps and daycare assistance. I figured that it would be less shameful to stand on our own by any means necessary than to have our parents pay our bills. When this didn't work we talked about selling our house--another dead end. We exhausted lots of of other possibilities until finally, work started trickling in. Then it started pouring in.
Josh became not just busy, but too busy. All of the sudden he was the breadwinner again and he needed help. So that's where I took this leap of faith--to join him to try and grow this business.
I think there are few people who are close to us who don't question this choice. Or at least worry about it. I didn't take this leap knowing we have years of financial security ahead of us--more like 5-6 months. The rest is up to us--how hard we're willing to work, how many opportunities are out there in this strapped economy, and how much personal fear and stress we can stand.
It kind of feels like an extreme sport--an adrenaline rush every day to where by 3pm, I can count on either feeling like I'm going to pass out from exhaustion or puke from the anxiety. It's pretty exhilarating.
I've wanted to be business owner for a long time. I feel that dream starting to take shape as I see opportunities develop in this new endeavor. Maybe by the summer time it will be a complete failure and we'll have to go back to being employees. But I've already lived out my worst fear--not having money; seriously considering moving into my parents' basement; giving up things that I "want" in place of things that I "need."
I've also seen what no options and very little hope can do to my marriage, my mental well being, and my joy for life. It makes me want to take control and take chances I wasn't willing to take before. It's really lousy and wonderful at the same time. We didn't ask for any of this to happen to us but it was the hand we were dealt, as the old saying goes. So rather than be passive and make choices from fear, I'm taking chances and eliminating regrets. In the meantime, I'm trying not to puke.
When no other job was forthcoming, Josh struck out on his own. For about six to eight months, this consisted of nothing more promising than another lunch with another contact trying to sell himself and his skills. We had to accept help from our families to keep us afloat.
When this caused me too much shame and embarrassment, I went to the Department of Family Services to apply for food stamps and daycare assistance. I figured that it would be less shameful to stand on our own by any means necessary than to have our parents pay our bills. When this didn't work we talked about selling our house--another dead end. We exhausted lots of of other possibilities until finally, work started trickling in. Then it started pouring in.
Josh became not just busy, but too busy. All of the sudden he was the breadwinner again and he needed help. So that's where I took this leap of faith--to join him to try and grow this business.
I think there are few people who are close to us who don't question this choice. Or at least worry about it. I didn't take this leap knowing we have years of financial security ahead of us--more like 5-6 months. The rest is up to us--how hard we're willing to work, how many opportunities are out there in this strapped economy, and how much personal fear and stress we can stand.
It kind of feels like an extreme sport--an adrenaline rush every day to where by 3pm, I can count on either feeling like I'm going to pass out from exhaustion or puke from the anxiety. It's pretty exhilarating.
I've wanted to be business owner for a long time. I feel that dream starting to take shape as I see opportunities develop in this new endeavor. Maybe by the summer time it will be a complete failure and we'll have to go back to being employees. But I've already lived out my worst fear--not having money; seriously considering moving into my parents' basement; giving up things that I "want" in place of things that I "need."
I've also seen what no options and very little hope can do to my marriage, my mental well being, and my joy for life. It makes me want to take control and take chances I wasn't willing to take before. It's really lousy and wonderful at the same time. We didn't ask for any of this to happen to us but it was the hand we were dealt, as the old saying goes. So rather than be passive and make choices from fear, I'm taking chances and eliminating regrets. In the meantime, I'm trying not to puke.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Random Thoughts
Harper is absorbing information at an alarming rate. She overhears things and repeats them days, sometimes months later. Usually it's something Josh teaches her. Her latest thing? She puts on a gameshow-host voice and says "Here comes big momma!" whenever I enter a room.
She also likes to wear underwear on her head:
She also likes to wear underwear on her head:
S.A.D.
I found out from my doctor that I have S.A.D.=Seasonal Affective Disorder. He told me I need to go sit under one of those non-tanning lamps and take some vitamin D. I have a feeling that everyone in the Midwest has S.A.D. I was going to list some of the symptoms here so that you could self-diagnose but they are too, well, sad. Plus, when I told my sister, she said, "That's a real thing?! I thought it was just something that happened to people in Michigan." I'm not completely sure what that means but I guess that I would, in fact, be seriously depressed if I lived in Michigan. So there you go.
I tried to find this affliction in my copy of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." Josh, for years, would not allow me near this book for fear that I would diagnose myself with a host of illnesses. This is true. I always think I have something life-threatening. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a hypocondriac. The DSM classifies Hypochondriasis as "fears of having a serious disease based on a misinterpretation of one or more symptoms." See how handy this book is as a quick reference?
Once, my friends Christy and Aali gave me a novelty gift--a little spinnning wheel of physical symptoms that could be interpreted as anything from a harmless malady to a fatal cancer. The wheel was called "Yes, you really are dying." I laughed when I got it, but I'm telling you, I've used it as a reason to obsess over a sore throat.
I recently had to have the painfully embarrassing conversation with the minister at our church, that I can't take communion by intinction because I don't want to catch the flu from my church friends. At least now, with S.A.D., I can just tell people that I'm too depressed to get out of the pew.
So anyways, I don't like winter, cold, snow--and right now there's a heaping crapload of it coming down on my neighborhood. So until the weather warms up and I can crawl out of my cave, I imagine my days will look a little more like this:
I tried to find this affliction in my copy of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." Josh, for years, would not allow me near this book for fear that I would diagnose myself with a host of illnesses. This is true. I always think I have something life-threatening. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a hypocondriac. The DSM classifies Hypochondriasis as "fears of having a serious disease based on a misinterpretation of one or more symptoms." See how handy this book is as a quick reference?
Once, my friends Christy and Aali gave me a novelty gift--a little spinnning wheel of physical symptoms that could be interpreted as anything from a harmless malady to a fatal cancer. The wheel was called "Yes, you really are dying." I laughed when I got it, but I'm telling you, I've used it as a reason to obsess over a sore throat.
I recently had to have the painfully embarrassing conversation with the minister at our church, that I can't take communion by intinction because I don't want to catch the flu from my church friends. At least now, with S.A.D., I can just tell people that I'm too depressed to get out of the pew.
So anyways, I don't like winter, cold, snow--and right now there's a heaping crapload of it coming down on my neighborhood. So until the weather warms up and I can crawl out of my cave, I imagine my days will look a little more like this:
Monday, January 10, 2011
Snow Day!
I don't like the snow. I would like to be living somewhere warm. Nevertheless, it was a snowy, snowy day here in Kansas City so we decided to have a little snowy fun...
We bundled up tight this evening and spent approximately 5 minutes trying to build a snowman. The snow was too soft so we just took some pictures instead.
We bundled up tight this evening and spent approximately 5 minutes trying to build a snowman. The snow was too soft so we just took some pictures instead.
Harper's first snowball...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Love, Logic, and Resolutions
I just ordered my copy of "Parenting with Love and Logic" to help me get through '11 without slitting my wrists. If you are a parent with a young child, then you know what I'm talking about (both the book and the wrist slicing). My daughter turned 2 1/2 and went ten shades of crazy. Josh and I were not prepared and we do not seem to have a consistent parenting style. She is starting to rule the household. Not good.
Please let me know if you have a parenting recommendation--book, technique, whatever. I had a discussion about some of this with my cousin over Christmas and we went down the list of currently-favored parenting gurus, but I forgot about "Love and Logic." We'll see how it goes. I love my daughter more than any living, breathing, dead, or inanimate thing, but I also want to string her up by her toes. (I promise I will not go through with this plan so please don't call DFS, person with no children and/or sense of humor).
On another note...tonight I sarcastically asked Josh if he had any special New Year's resolutions as I handed him his footlong, quarterpound, chili cheese coney dog from Sonic. It has over 50 grams of fat. I was thinking that maybe he'd like to use that gym membership he purchased several months ago. But he had another resolution--he wants to be more appreciative. I wanted to say, "maybe you should start by appreciating your arteries," but I love my husband. Plus, I was, admittedly, the one who agreed to drive through Sonic to get Josh the aforementioned meat catastrophe. And I also know that in all seriousness, what Josh meant is that he would like to be more appreciative of all the blessings the last 4 or 5 months have brought us. We have come a long way since January, when there was no work and getting our bills paid was a major lesson in humility.
So yeah. I think that as a New Year's resolution, being appreciative and grateful for our lives, our talents, our joys, and our journey right now is pretty good stuff.
So here are some more resolutions from the Best household:
1. Take a vacation, or two, or three
2. Take piano lessons (Josh)/Take tap classes (Jeana)
3. Exercise patience
4. Pray
5. Indulge in more things that are just for fun
6. Take better care of each other
7. Return my library books on time
8. Trust our instincts
9. Strengthen our friendships
10. Get a regular sized washer and dryer and burn the stackable
Please let me know if you have a parenting recommendation--book, technique, whatever. I had a discussion about some of this with my cousin over Christmas and we went down the list of currently-favored parenting gurus, but I forgot about "Love and Logic." We'll see how it goes. I love my daughter more than any living, breathing, dead, or inanimate thing, but I also want to string her up by her toes. (I promise I will not go through with this plan so please don't call DFS, person with no children and/or sense of humor).
On another note...tonight I sarcastically asked Josh if he had any special New Year's resolutions as I handed him his footlong, quarterpound, chili cheese coney dog from Sonic. It has over 50 grams of fat. I was thinking that maybe he'd like to use that gym membership he purchased several months ago. But he had another resolution--he wants to be more appreciative. I wanted to say, "maybe you should start by appreciating your arteries," but I love my husband. Plus, I was, admittedly, the one who agreed to drive through Sonic to get Josh the aforementioned meat catastrophe. And I also know that in all seriousness, what Josh meant is that he would like to be more appreciative of all the blessings the last 4 or 5 months have brought us. We have come a long way since January, when there was no work and getting our bills paid was a major lesson in humility.
So yeah. I think that as a New Year's resolution, being appreciative and grateful for our lives, our talents, our joys, and our journey right now is pretty good stuff.
So here are some more resolutions from the Best household:
1. Take a vacation, or two, or three
2. Take piano lessons (Josh)/Take tap classes (Jeana)
3. Exercise patience
4. Pray
5. Indulge in more things that are just for fun
6. Take better care of each other
7. Return my library books on time
8. Trust our instincts
9. Strengthen our friendships
10. Get a regular sized washer and dryer and burn the stackable
Here's to 2011!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
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