I have written and rewritten my About page several times. For many months now it has stood mostly blank. I find it to be an incredibly difficult and daunting task. And this is just a blog. Not the dust jacket on a new novel. Not a bio in a magazine. Not a profile for Match.com. Just a blog.
The irony of it all is that I am able to share intensely personal things in my posts, but when it comes to my About page, I clam up. I can’t figure out how to distill myself into one or two cute little paragraphs. I could go with just the facts: Sarah, 32, happily married with three sons, lives in Connecticut, works part-time, mothers overtime. But what does that really tell you? Not enough. Not for me, anyway.
I want you to walk away today–each day–with a bit more than just the facts, a bit more than just an incomplete About page. I want you all to get to know me. (And there are so many of you!) So know this: I am here to give myself away. It’s how I am. Here to connect. Here to be honest. And that’s what Five for Ten is all about.
With my new-found courage from your Monday and Tuesday posts, I am going to re-publish my original About page. I hesitated over it for so long that one day I finally took it down. It doesn’t tell the full story–how can you do that in an About page anyway?–but it is real, raw and honest.
However, this page is a little too heavy for me right now. It does not depict the light in my life. I want to show that. I need to show that. I want to write to remember the thousands of tiny swells of happiness that fill me up with light and laughter every day. And I am full, to be sure.
So I’m here today to take a crack at rewriting that darn About page. Or perhaps just adding to it. And my happiness, like many of you I’m sure, starts with the the major moments of joy. With a timeline. A very simple timeline that has for years now provided me a palette of emotions that run me up and down and over and through on any given day. But, to be sure, brings me lots and lots of light and love and !!!
The !!! of my life–A Picture Story
I moved to Florida and met a boy. He had dyed blonde hair and a smart, tan body. He sang “Sweet Virginia” in the car on the way to the beach. I was just a girl in a bikini for the first time, trying to learn to have fun again. Trying just to be.
In what was one of the biggest “oh shit” moments of my life, I found out I was pregnant. The baby grew inside me and my world became clearer and brighter. When I gave birth, the world then fell away, and I fell in love again. With Jamis.
Dan and I said yes and placed our rings on a slippery white ribbon that was passed between family and friends. The images of that day show the most honest smiles I’ve ever seen captured with a camera.
We moved to Connecticut and instituted grand summer vacations with my siblings and their children. Summer splashing with cousins while I sip a margarita is almost too much !!! to even be contained by !!!
Just when my chips were down and I thought it would never happen, I got pregnant again. And the whippersnapper of our house was born. That’s him up there at the top of the page, won’t you say Hi to Max.
And just when I least expected it, I got pregnant again right away. Master Ethan is a master hugger and a bearer of great, great joy. Enter life with three kids. Enter life with three boys. Enter a life of chaos, a family of 5, and a whole new approach to the term “letting go.”
And then there’s this: a blog my sister started on a whim one year ago. A place for us to talk about having three kids. A place to talk about motherhood and womanhood and silly things like Chips and Dip. A place to practice our writing again, a thing we have both missed for too long.
This place is my !!! right now. Right now, in this very minute you are reading this post, it and you and Five for Ten are my !!! The photographs above give me my material, but you give me an audience with which to share it all. So when we talk about happiness today, when I talk about !!!, this is what I am talking about.
***************
Because I think we all need to recognize the !!! in our lives more often–moments both big and little–I would encourage you all to start a !!! series. I’m on board. And Bad Mommy Moments and MomalomsMom (woohoo) are too. But let’s start right here. Right now…
Seeing you all here for Five for Ten makes me want to scream !!! right out my front door.
And when my big kid asks me to sing The Way You Look Tonight.
And when Max says “baby Ethan is my best friend.”
And when I stop and talk a big, deep breath and am able to say ah, this is my life. I love my life.
*
What makes you
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This post, you, and your 5/10 are so !!!
You totally raised the bar of !!! (And the About page.)
We’re in it together.
And that alone makes me even more !!!
Sarah, I’m at work and you’ve inspired me to tears. Really. This place, this thing you are doing here is amazing. What you share of yourself, it’s a gift and I’m soaking it up. I can’t imagine I life where I wouldn’t have “met” you and so many other mom bloggers. In the sharing of our lives we are making those connections you speak of, it’s a powerful thing.
I’m amazed by your three lovely boys. As you know I have two of my own and I’ve told you before that I long for a third. But oh how it TERRIFIES me.
I’m on board for this !!! series. How could I not be when you make it sound so good.
And now I MUST work.
.-= Christine LaRocque´s last blog ..Happiness From Trying Again =-.
Christine. Fear is what most propels me forward sometimes. Strange, I know. But some of my most powerful successes have come straight out of fear.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..The !!! of My Life =-.
Don’t let three terrify you. It really is a beautiful thing. And having more reasons for !!! in your life can never be THAT horrible.
And also? YOU have brought me to tears. I sat on my bed half-dressed this morning and the tears rolled down as these first few comments rolled in.
Man!!!! You have now given me something to meditate on for the rest of the day. I have so many !!!! in my life. Most of them happy !!!!!’s. But I think you need an equal amount of sad and scary !!!!’s to be part of the human race. Thanks for the inspiration. I’m on it!
.-= Emily @ mothersofbrothers´s last blog ..Good News about a Bad Habit =-.
Given you something to meditate on?
Given you some inspiration?
I’m honored and humbled and so totally !!! about both.
!!! You rock my world. I love the pictures–especially the wedding ones. Do you see how he’s looking at you? !!!
And boy, do I hear you about the About page. I’m oddly devoid of words when it comes to that…maybe because it’s scary to define myself on a page.
.-= TheKitchenWitch´s last blog ..Veg-Head Monday: Zucchini Stuffed Tomatoes =-.
It’s one of my favorite photos. Him, me, that look. My smirky smile. I can’t get enough of it.
And yes, Missy A, get going on the About page. I know you have a little more !!! in you. :)
Smooches.
Your story gives me chills :) How it came out of thin air, and moved along with bits of !!! in every step!
So lovely, Sarah!
.-= Corinne´s last blog ..{Five for Ten} Courage =-.
Thank you, Corinne.
My story is so very thick with struggle that it was a great pleasure for me to piece this post together. Difficult, to be sure, but oh so very worth it. I need to celebrate the !!! in my life more often, without being prompted, just because.
This is so lovely. I love the pictures and your timeline, and your being so aware of how very FULL your life is, of all of those swells, big and little. One of the !!! of my life has been finding you and this blog!
xo
.-= Lindsey´s last blog ..The Geography of Love =-.
Oh and it is full. So very full it’s spilling over. Sometimes that makes me feel I’m drowning, sure, but the swells of the tide keep me bobbing along.
Your !!! moments make me smile and tear up. The pictures, the memories, and the transformation you have made into the you that you are now is real and amazing. Everyday I think how lucky I am to have stumbled across your blog.
Here’s to many more !!! moments!!
.-= Amber´s last blog ..That Was Love =-.
Amber, ditto. I definitely feel that there is more reason behind this blog-building-connections thing than I’ll ever realize. So very !!! to have met all of you during Five for Ten, Round I…and now? NOW? This…is amazing. Round II is AMAZING.
Sarah – this is the mother of all About pages. It may not be all-encompassing but it’s the essential you. The person who we grew to adore after months of reading about your trials and triumphs of motherhood. And your bond with your sister is inspiring, even beautiful! It is what I want for my someday children to have.
Also, thank you to you and Jen for creating such a lovely space for us to meet and share and love and unite.
As for the !!!, well I have to say, THIS is IT!!! This very moment. Amid the hustle and bustle. Amid the dreams that loom at the far end of our reach. Amid the chaos and comfort of routine. Amid all that is our little family unit of three, and I couldn’t have imagined a better life than THIS !!!
.-= Justine´s last blog ..Two sides of the same coin =-.
I wept when I read this. In the car. At a stop light. Wept.
You make me feel it’s all worthwhile. Every minute spent challenging myself to write and to put it all out there.
Thank you.
So very very much.
!!!
I love the !!! series. It’s so fun. and let me just say…your new About page rocks! It’s so true about those pages, what do we write? I have cringed at mine for a long time. Perhaps it is time to revisit it…
.-= Gibby´s last blog ..Happiness =-.
And the cringing is exhausting, isn’t it? Makes you feel like you don’t accept yourself or you don’t have anything unique or cool to say about yourself. But that’s not true. We all have it. It’s there. And once I spun my perspective, it all came through for me. And I know it’s only the beginning.
Here’s to many more !!! in my posts.
Thanks goodness for the !!! in our lives. The good, the bad, and the in-between. And I appreciate hearing the full “about”. Thanks for sharing an authentic version of you, and all your !!!.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Happy Right Now =-.
Oh yes. Authentic is what I’m all about. There’s just no room in me for anything less. So me and !!! can be best friends because I am jumping in with both feet.
:)
!!! Is exactly how I felt after reading this post! That and a little ??? because my About page is all but blank. There’s some info about the blog, but nothing about me. I have written the About page several times. Never posted. I’m inspired!
Thanks for your story. Beautiful children. I love your wedding photos and your descriptions of your family vacations. Talk about !!!
Oh yes. The vacations ARE so very !!! Seven adults. Nine children–all so close in age. It’s a blast. It’s a whole week of !!!
And I’m glad you are inspired. See how it works? You guys inspire me, I inspire you. It’s a beautiful, beautiful circle.
I like this a lot, and I am thinking a lot now about the idea of integrating the !!! with the ‘About’. Funny how they don’t always go together so naturally, when really, along with the @X!?, they constitute each other and ourselves.
.-= macondo mama´s last blog ..Here goes… =-.
Macondo! I think you’re on to something with @X!?. That’s what most of my days feel like!
.-= Jen´s last blog ..The !!! of My Life =-.
I’m really keen on synchronicities and coincidences, they affirm to me that there is more going on than we are fully aware…
Your !!! message interweaves with my own “blogging birthday” today, my realization that I nervously hit “publish” for the first time one year ago today, and after showing up every day for a year, I really feel that !!! feeling.
Namaste!!!
.-= Privilege of Parenting´s last blog ..Casting an eye toward Happiness =-.
Congrats! We completely skipped over our blogging birthday, but we’re only a few months older than you. !!!
.-= Jen´s last blog ..The !!! of My Life =-.
“I’m really keen on synchronicities and coincidences, they affirm to me that there is more going on than we are fully aware…”
Oh yes, yes, yes!
I am right there with you on that. RIGHT!!! THERE!!!
And congratulations. It’s a wild ride, this blogging life. And I can’t ever imagine living without it now. Talk about !!!
Namaste InDEED.
“The photographs above give me my material, but you give me an audience with which to share it all.”
So very !!! — the audience, the passionate eyes and open hearts of a circle of women and men who listen and nod their yesses both imperceptibly and enthusiastically.
This circle and these yesses are truly, truly amazing.
I love seeing your pictures. They’re perfect. And I, too, stumble around with About pages. With “About Me.” I wrote about it a couple of months ago, in fact. I almost feel like saying, read my blog and figure it out. All the labels just make me seem boring and trite.
.-= Jana@Attitude Adjustment´s last blog ..Being Brave =-.
Oh yes. Boring and trite is what we least want to seem, right?
I don’t know why I fixate on the about page, but I do. I’m sure it is a reflection with my own struggles of accepting exactly who I am…but that’s much too deep to dive into on the blog on a Wednesday.
!!!
I feel your angst about rewriting the About page. Anne and I just finished doing this ourselves; it took us five — FIVE!!! — months to complete. There were many drafts, but in the end we decided to tell just a very small sliver ourselves. Because how to you capture all of who you are in one page? Impossible.
Yes, totally impossible!
But after my own little revelation, I hope to be able to tweak it for good…and add a little lasting !!!
I’m just finding you…and what a find. You make me excited. This whole circle of people that care about parenting and writing and being sort of OUT THERE with life. It’s refreshing.
So, I joined…real fast. Hope I’m playing by the rules. But you don’t seem too tied to rules.
And I’m wondering something…why is your wedding ring on a slippery ribbon and what was the significance of your family touching it? Did I miss a post in which you talk about this…because this sounds very intriguing to me. I love little rituals like this.
Thank you for hosting us here.
Re: the wedding ring.
My husband and I rushed to the courthouse one day in November, getting there just before they closed for the day, and tied the knot. Legally. Months later we had a formal wedding with friends and family on a beautiful day on Cape Cod. Because we had already gotten our wedding bands–already been wearing our wedding bands–I decided to do something more symbolic with them. I slipped them onto a ribbon and kind of felt it united us. I passed the ribbon onto my family and friends to each hold for a moment and think a good thought for us. It was a sweet, touching moment. And I adore that picture.
I’m glad you came by and are intrigued. This is the most amazing community and it has just grown and grown and grown. Feel free to jump in with a Happiness post. And catch up on our posts over Days 1-3.
I love the letting go. Your !!! moments are precious. Heres to Five for Ten. I don’t know how many times I’ve said that this week.
Yes. Here’s to Five for Ten indeed.
!!!
this whole thread has been such a great start to my morning. it is just so full to uplifting thoughts and evidence of what a strong woman you, sarah, are as well as all the moms/dads/women/men that are here participating in this whole 5 for 10 thing. i keep reflecting on what a great opportunity this has been for me to finally start pushing myself a bit beyond my comfort zone in my blog. to open up to a bunch of new and unfamiliar people. to make my blog public on facebook. lots of growth for me, and i am so grateful.
and i am with you on the ‘about me’ page. i resisted any sort of bio for so long…until i realized i had to put something there if strangers were going to be stopping by!
.-= kate´s last blog ..happiness =-.
I’m so glad that so many of you see exactly what I see: an amazing community of writers sharing their thoughts and their stories. YAY!
!!!
To your story, your pictures, your loves, your life.
And to your About Me makeover! Just last week I added an illustrated version to mine, too.
I am all about some !!!
.-= Leslie´s last blog ..Courage under love – and a little fire =-.
I am ALL about some !!!
yes yes and yes
and YES that so many people are on board with the whole idea of !!!
I don’t think I could live without it now
It’s in my head all the time
!!!
It’s really nice to meet you Sarah! I find it so difficult to imagine the person behind the words. I now feel I know you a little bit better.
Happiness for me is my family. I love my boys. Love them. But now I’m in a place where I have to find me, again.
And funny enough, Sarah, I found her on some plank word document pages. With a character, wildly brave and willfully, a Gypsy girl named SARAH! She is named after the patron Saint of the Gypsies–Saint Sarah.
Happiness is every moment when my mind isn’t preoccupied with fear!
I’m glad you feel that you know me a little bit better. That’s really the gift that I wanted to give back.
And I think that the name Sarah for that Gypsy girl is perfect! Find her and you a little !!! to fill your days with.
I just have to go !!! over the little ones. I love the last pic, you in the hospital gown, holding the baby, little one looking on. You look like you were meant for the job, and you look like you’re TRULY HAPPY!
Thanks for being an inspiration. Thanks for putting yourself out there. Enjoy your family, whether they make you !!! with gladness, or frustrate the !!! out of you!
.-= goofdad´s last blog ..Children’s Day at the Coast =-.
Yes, I love that picture of me in the hospital, with my infant and my not-even-really-a-toddler-in-my-eyes cradled and close. It is hard hard hard having them so close in age, but when Max tells me that Ethan is his best friend, my mind flashes forward 10 or 15 years and I know it to be true.
And frustrating the %#@! out of me? What, have you been peeking in my windows? Or sitting on the curb outside my house and hearing me yell? Cause there’s lots of !!! but there’s also lots of %#@! It’s par for the course. Can’t have one without the other, right?
!!!
!!! This whole Five for Ten is a big !!! It’s inspired me, challenged me, brought me to tears, made me think. It’s amazing and wonderful. Most people think Twitter is just silly and I have to agree that mostly it is. But without Twitter I would not be HERE, and that would be such a loss! A hole I wouldn’t have known I had. Thank you for all you share, for all you inspire us to share.
And I loved the pictures – your boys (all 4) are beautiful!
.-= Cindy´s last blog ..Letting Go =-.
Inspirational and challenging? Well then we’ve all done our job, haven’t we? And I mean, of course, a big, huge collective “we!”
So glad for Twitter. Yes indeed. It’s brought me to more people than I had ever realized.
!!!
I was feeling !!!! a few minutes ago when I got home after kicking some Swedish girl’s butt on the tennis court and now… but now? Now I am an even better kind of !!!. The kind where I am full of warm fuzzies. Smiling. Loving the pictures, the words, the YOU that I feel jumping off my computer screen. This was beautiful. Perfect.
All I can say is that there is NO WAY I would still be doing this bloggy thing if it weren’t for you and Jen. No way. I never would have found all of these connections without you guys. Your words have inspired me to look inside myself more and more honestly. Your comments have helped me get through so many days that I’m not sure I could have mustered (I had mustard here and wondered why it looked funny) through. Thank you for bringing me so much !!!!
And now I’m off to rewrite my dull About page that really doesn’t say much about ME.
xo
.-= becca´s last blog ..Silent Moments =-.
Becca. I heart you so much my heart is blasting open with !!!
!!! is the perfect description for the joy in my heart that there are no other words strong enough to describe. Thank you for sharing yours with us. You rock, lady.
.-= Kisha Floren´s last blog ..Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. -Abraham Lincoln =-.
Kisha,
Thank you. ALL of us Rock. Look what we have done? It is inspiring, it gives me chills, and I am honored, humbled, in awe.
And !!! to that Abe Lincoln Quote. Indeed, Abe, Indeed!
This is absolutely beautiful. I have two sons, so some of my !!!’s as you know are off the wall. But those little moments add up to one great life. I love this post. And I totally understand how your feelings on the “about page”….I really need to work on mine. Thanks for your lovel piece of happiness today!!!
.-= Suzicate´s last blog ..Freaks, Geeks, And Squeaks =-.
I’m going to say !!! to your mention of boys and their !!! Because man oh man is there a lot of craziness. But you are right, it is those moments that add up to this great big life. And I am honored to have it, and to share it all with you.
I love when you post wedding pictures– you always look so happy. So… !!!
Lots of days I’m just trying to keep my head above water, and don’t remember to take time to look for the !!! moments. I worry they sometimes pass me by .
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..adventurous =-.
It’s funny, Melissa, I generally shy away from the wedding picture thing, but some of them I just can’t deny…total happiness (and really, if I left them out of this one what WOULD I be saying).
I worry the !!! passes me by, too. And a lot of time it does. But I will tell you, honestly, that since we’ve started trying to take pics of !!! and actually placing little pieces of paper saying !!! on it in the pics? I have felt it more and more. Stopped to feel it. Recognize it. And say ah. And that is good stuff in my book.
Thank you for sharing. Please continue, I love to hear about other peoples lives. It gives me strength some days when I don’t think I can make it thru my own. Thank You for that.
The photos are beautiful.
Thank you. The sharing is key for all of us. I need as much strength from you as you hope to get from me.
!!!
That is THE very bestest “About Me” I have ever seen. It makes me think I’d want to be your friend if I met you in person, and I don’t think that very often. I love the “!!!” to describe the indescribable IT. Great post.
Ooooh, love that FRIEND part. Because that’s exactly the way I WANT you to feel. Yay. And how very very !!!
Wonderful moments. And a wonderful way to capture them. I wrote about a bit of my !!! (love that) in the middle of the night. Of course, it had to do with boys. Kids being kids. The sweetest stuff.
Love your !!! concept. May you have many more exclamation moments to come.
Oh Wolf.
You alone are cause for !!!
Amazing! I don’t think I could write this type of an “about” page.
.-= Nicki´s last blog ..Happiness =-.
Well now Nicki…just give it a go. It doesn’t have to be my story, or big moments, and it’s actually not even all about an About page. Just make it a blog post. Out of !!! moments captured with your lens.
Wonderful post! really inspiring to read and see those wonderful pictures. I never thought sharing the memories of life could be done so beautifully well. I am also sharing my life experience in my blog, I think I definitely need to take some lessons from you. Keep rocking..I am following you on twitter straight away. :-)
.-= Anto´s last blog ..Deadlines – Day 18 =-.
Thanks! We take a leap when we share anything at all. But my motto is always to share the real and honest me. Otherwise, I’m doing nobody any favors, least of all myself.
Life memories are the !!! that keep us moving along.
!!!
I heart your About page. Your husband, your boys. And you.
You just keep peeling the onion. And it makes me weep.
xxoo
Tears of happiness with my mama?
!!!
Boys we have crushes on who become the partners who support our dreams and the fathers who play tag and change diapers and hold little tiny fingers in their own giant hands … That’s my !!! today.
Oh yes. Yes yes yes.
I wondered about the relatively blank About Page since your blog posts are so full life, the real & true stuff, and !!! Well, your new About Page has lots of !!! and should be the yard stick for About Pages. Your energy is infectous!
.-= Erica@PinesLakeRedhead´s last blog ..Ever have one of those days? =-.
That’s funny, Erica. Jen did mention to me…”you know, you ought to get an About page back up there.” So I re-published the old one. And when I sat to write my Happiness piece I thought–THIS IS PERFECT. Because life is full of !!! and I needed to focus on that while writing my profile. It made it so much easier.
Where’s the Kool-Aid? I’m hooked on this Momalom train! ;) Really enjoying this…and I’m also one to try and focus on the !!! instead of the *^)(! b/c it makes life so much happier!
.-= Tiffany´s last blog ..Gimme That Girl =-.
Yes, yes it does.
I’ll meet you in the grassy knoll and we can sip some red, sugary bliss and banter on happiness until the sun goes down.
!!!
Finding this blog has totally been a !!! moment for me. I love it, and all of the other blogs I’ve found through 5 for 10.
.-= Allison @ Alli ‘n Son´s last undefined ..Response cached until Thu 13 @ 21:28 GMT (Refreshes in 41 Minutes) =-.
Thank you, Allison, I feel the same way.
Wonderful post – you know those about pages that say “mother of three, living in XYZ” do not tell a story. What you have written here does make for a really great about page, one everyone new to this site would read. I am new to your site and reading this tells me so much about you and why you write on this blog and what it all means to you.
As for those !!! moments for me, now I am happy, they happen all the time, they are those little things and moments with my daughter and family that make each and every day special because of that little bit of magic my daughter brings to it.
Phew! I’m so glad my About page rewrite is touching so many people. It really truly is my whole intent and purpose to connect with more and more people.
Thank you.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I loved reading it and seeing your photos. Nice to meet you. Oh, and my happiness post is actually posted yesterday should you want to stop by and read it. Looking forward to getting to read more.
.-= Melodramommy´s last blog ..Diaper Deliverance and the Potty Training that Followed =-.
We will get to each and every single one of the posts linked up. Five for Ten ROUND TWO has taken us by surprise, so we are taking a little longer to get there, but don’t worry, we surely will!
!!!
I love how families spring out of places we never expected, never understood, never knew we had within us. Your About page tells your story so beautifully.
And any series you two develop, I’m in — whether it’s !!!, or %(*$ or makes me write my posts while wearing yellow rubber gloves.
.-= Launa´s last blog ..A few things that won’t fit in our bags and boxes =-.
Launa, I forwarded this comment right off to Jen. She would totally appreciate the part about the yellow rubber gloves.
I’m so glad you like my story (and me, dare I say?) and so so SO glad you are liking !!! because I LOVE !!!
All of these wonderful posts on happiness have helped me zero in on my own definition of happiness, which might be a little bit closer to contentment than to !!!
But I love the !!! I love the idea and I love the !!! moments that make even a content life that much sweeter and that much richer. So here’s to the !!! To experiencing the !!! and to capturing the spirit of the !!! to sustain us through the decidedly un-!!! moments.
.-= Kristen @ Motherese´s last blog ..Random Acts of Courage =-.
Oh, sweet friend, methinks contentment is !!! in more of constant, peaceful state. I like that you are zeroing in on that.
And yes yes yes to capturing the !!! and bottling it up and keeping it close to our chests and our mouths for when the un-!!! tests us and threatens to take over.
xoxo
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I think like many of us life has thrown you happy, but scary surprises. It is funny that something so terrifying can end up being the happiest moment of your life.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Happiness or Contentment? =-.
Yes, yes it is. Were I not to get accidentally pregnant I can tell you there’s a 95% chance I would not be in these shoes today. And these shoes? Though boring and plain, are comfortable. I love these shoes.
Loved to read your story! What a great idea for a McLinky! :)
hey there, trying to link up…and it’s not working. Either that, or pretty soon you will have me linked up 6 times! any suggestions?
.-= julie´s last blog ..Happiness… =-.
Julie,
Sorry bout that. I’ll take care of it for you.
!!!
Words seem to pale next to pictures, especially when you’re getting at what it’s all about. Great way to introduce yourself–so much more intimate and real, and so clearly !!!
My happiness today? My daughter’s, who couldn’t possibly know it’s been on my mind this week. She grabbed my hand as we walked up the stairs last night and said, “Mama, this makes me happy.” Such a big concept, such a simple source. I love how children reveal what’s really at the heart of things!
Diana’s last blog ..Two for one
Oh, I love how they do that too. The sweet stuff and the hand holding makes me swell with !!! tears of joy. It’s when they get to the heart of things when things aren’t going too well and mommy is stressed that makes me swell with tears of sadness. Either way, those little kids, they are darn perceptive, aren’t they?
Oh my. These photos are !!! in every way. What a beautiful family. This is absolutely happiness.
What’s on my !!! radar right now? Next month will be nine years of marriage!!! Planning a great summer road trip!!! Playing hooky to go to a day baseball game!!! Husband’s awesome chicken cacciatore with wine!!!
.-= Eva @ Eva Evolving´s last blog ..It’s alright to not be happy =-.
Okay, since it’s 6:02 and the only thing resembling a meal in my house is chicken nuggets (again!), I am officially jealous of your last !!!. But I’ll take the summer road trip and the playing hooky to do just about anything too!
!!!
Oh dude. I kinda love you. And I kinda love that about page. I have all kinds of !!! in my life. And I guess I need to look into starting a board like you suggested.
You’ve done a lot in your young life Sarah….a lot. Right on for all of the !!! in your life.
Your new about page makes me smile.
:-)
.-= Lee of MWOB´s last blog ..If I Could Dive Into A Vat of Happiness =-.
Yay for smiles. Just yay.
And you know what? I’m looking forward to these little !!! posts from time to time. I’m going to collect pictures (already do, actually) ala Bad Mommy Moments-style and start capturing the moments when they happen. It really is quite revolutionary to be so focused and aware of the !!! in my life, both little and small. I feel like more of an active participant. And that makes it even a better idea! Who wants to sit back and let life happen to them?
And Lee, you always make me smile.
!!!
Sarah I love this. So genuine and the best photos. You are adorable by the way…
.-= Maureen@IslandRoar´s last blog ..Peter Pan =-.
Thank you, Maureen. Adorable isn’t a word I ever think of to describe myself, but it makes me smile to read it from you.
:)
I read !!! yesterday. I was inspired and I am so excited that you were too, look at the results. Raw, emotional, happy and perfect. As always Sarah, you make me feel like I am right at home.
.-= Shawna´s last blog ..Without Borders =-.
Making you feel like you are right at home makes my heart swell with joy. Hugs and love and !!! to you, Shawna.
Like half the people who read this, I need to redo my about page! This is awesome. We should own these spaces, no? I mean, not try to be clever or analytical but just !!! about them! Like Kristen of Motherese, who commented above, mostly I feel I am content as opposed to !!!. What your post has inspired me to do is not only notice the !!! moments but maybe create them. Maybe I need more in my life. I don’t say this self-depricatingly (I know I spelled that word wrong!), but with some real thought and insight. I’m going to ponder this for a bit. How can I be more !!! (???)
This series has been so amazing. I’m a former journalist, used to writing on deadline, but a kind of haphazard blogger. I love being given a topic and a deadline, of sorts, and, especially, knowing that people are going to read what I right. You’ve energized my writing in a way it hasn’t been in awhile. Thank you.
.-= Kathryn @ Marbury v Madison Ave´s last blog ..Happiness revisited =-.
Kathryn, I have to tell you that I have been struggling with some major writer’s block lately. With Five for Ten coming up, I was getting nervous. I didn’t know if I would be able to bring the words together the way my mind wants to (and my fingers never seem to cooperate). But having these topics has been key. But, even more so (and let’s be honest), it is the energy of this community that is pushing me pushing me pushing me to find the !!! within me, within my writing.
So I am here to thank all of you for helping me to bring it back.
I adore your thoughts on !!! and I know exactly what you mean. Post Five for Ten we will be creating a new series in conjunction with Bad Mommy Moments. Maybe it will give you the platform you need to focus a little bit more on the !!! in your life. It’s not something that is there all the time, to be sure, but it IS something that we can make a conscious effort to be more open to.
So glad you are here, Kathryn.
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