My Quest

A few nights ago I came across my journal from the college years and decided to read through it and see if I could get a few laughs out of it. I started the journal my freshman year and finished right before I got married, at which point I started a new journal (that I almost never write in except for big life events like traveling to Europe or having a baby). Aside from getting a few really good laughs out of it (did I really have so much boy drama?) I realized that I used to be a much more goal oriented person. I guess being a student kind of forces you into that frame of mind. During school you have a specific goal or focus. You have projects that continually challenge you and push you closer to the desired outcome of graduation and employment. You have a purpose and are looking forward to an end result of all your hard work. As a student I was forced to dream. I dreamt about the kind of social work I wanted to do, the kind of person I wanted to be, and all the things I wanted to accomplish. As a stay at home mom I think it is often easy to get stuck in a routine (or rut) and forget about improving myself. So I got to wondering...am I an interesting person anymore? If I went to a dinner party tomorrow night would I have anything to talk about besides Aubrey's different colored poops or nap schedule? So, I'm on a quest. I'm not exactly sure what the specifics of my quest are, but I do know that I want to make some new goals for myself (aside from the very broad goals of wanting to be a good wife and mother). Maybe I need a new hobby. Maybe I need to pick up an old talent that I've let go for a while. Either way, it's time to kick myself out of this rut and get on with it...

After thinking about it for a while I've come up with a few ideas. First, I really want to be a good cook. I really enjoy cooking for my family, but I need to get more organized about it and learn some new things to cook. So my goal is to try at least 2 new recipes a week. I've gone through my cookbooks and put sticky notes on every page with a recipe I am interested in that I haven't tried yet. This includes meals and desserts. (The picture I included is me barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen in Mexico)

Next I started thinking about my old job, and some of the things I miss about it. I don't miss all the time I spent driving, I don't miss the bureaucracy of it all, and I definitely don't miss the paper work. However, I do really miss the people (especially the children). I miss the feeling of making a difference in someone else's life. I miss teaching people. So I think maybe it's time to start volunteering. I know it sounds selfish to volunteer in order to fulfill myself...but it's better than not doing it at all! My baby goes to bed around 7:30 so I could do some things in the evening, or I could find something where I could take her along.

I also want to read more, scrapbook, learn how to paint, start playing the flute again, exercise daily, all while keeping a spotless house. Hmmm...I think maybe I'll just start with the first two.