You ever have one of those weeks that kind of takes you for a loop and it throws off your whole schedule? Well that's been this week for sure. Lots of unexpected curveballs that have kept me away from my computer other then for work.

I promised myself a few months ago that I would not apologize anymore for my absences here on the blog. It is hard, but I am learning to let it happen. Life happened. What matters is that this space still brings me joy.

And it does.

Tonight I wanted to write. I wanted to just put some positive into the world. We need that from time to time. We need it from others and we need it from ourselves.

On nights like this, I sit here in silence reminding myself that even when things get tough, I am grateful. I have my beautiful little family. I have people who love me in all areas of my life. I have a roof over my head and a bountiful garden.

I am grateful.

This week on top of all of the crazy, I also decided to start eating better. Start tracking what I am eating and really putting my foot down. It has been 13 weeks since baby bloob was born. I have no excuse anymore to think I am "eating for two".

Comfort food is okay when I need comfort, but I think I have been eating like every meal will be my last. It has started to become very unhealthy for me and my small frame. The weight that I put on before the pregnancy plus the lingering weight from the pregnancy is really doing a number on my knees.

I am human.

You will be reading this on Thursday and I will be counting down the days until Friday. I'm always in a hurry these days. Trying to get to the next thing. I need to remind myself that I not only need to live the length of my life, I also need to live the width.

I need to expand myself so I don't live for the weekend every single day. That makes for a very anxious and tedious life. There's got to be more to life then just living from week to week. Sort of life living paycheck to paycheck. Never saving. Never moving forward.

I will evolve.

On nights like these I need to look at my 100 dreams list. I need to remind myself that those dreams are attainable if I would just think outside the box. Things will change once I reset my thoughts.

Tonight I am full of wonder and anxiety. I want everything to happen now. I am tired of waiting. But then I remind myself that waiting isn't the answer. I need to react and get myself in motion. Keep the mind positive. Then things will happen.

I need patience.

What has been lingering on your mind these days?

Happy Friday dreamers! What kind of dream crushing are you cooking up for the weekend? Me? I'm going to catch up on some reading that is going to help me with something I am very excited about, but can't announce yet. It is a step towards something that is on my dreams list already. Sorry to be so vague, but in the meantime, here are the next 10 dreams on my list!

51. Ride in a hot air balloon
52. Attend a summer Olympics
53. Make $100,00 in one year and then increase it every year forward.
54. Be invited to the White House (Hopefully under a different administration all together)
55. Be published in a magazine
56. Visit Singapore
57. Appear in a movie
58. Have a garden/greenhouse that feeds my family through the year
59. Zipline through the jungles of Costa Rica
60. Commit to keeping a journal for 1 full year

Happy dreaming!

I don't know about you, but when I think of Fourth of July I don't just think red, white, and blue. I think fireworks and pasta salad. I feel like everyone wants to show off their new pasta salads like it's a new car or something.

"OMG did you see Susan's pasta salad? It had some kind of seeds in it. Yes SEEDS!"

Oh Susan. Always trying to one up the next salad. I'm pretty sure I'm Susan in this story so I'm gonna share my pasta salad recipe that is currently packed and ready to roll.

BLT Pasta Salad

While your elbows are boiling, fry your bacon. Once bacon is complete chop into small pieces. Follow with chopping up your green onions. Stems only. Then cut your mini tomatoes in half. I use kitchen scissors to cut the onions and tomatoes.