Quarter century thoughts

Yesterday I turned 25. Quarter century...halfway between the teenage years and 30. Don't worry, this isn't going to be a dramatic post about how I feel ancient. It's not that at all. I sort of spent yesterday analyzing and reflecting on my life so far...insert lecture from all of you in older generations that will say "You are just getting started", "Your life is far from over" etc etc blah blah blah....ok people, I know this, that doesn't mean I can write about how I feel about my life right now. It's not like I am writing to say "MY LIFE IS OVER!!!" or something like that. Um, hello, have I ever been that dramatic?

In my 25 years of life I have been through my fair share of trials (no more than most though). I am what most people would call "normal". I am a child of divorce and a blended family, while I had friends in school I pretty much hated High School and couldn't wait to get out (details are irrelevant), I went away to college and got my BA in Family Life and Counseling, got married, got a job in my field and had a baby. As I type it I feel as though I am typing a checklist. This was never the way I approached life, especially after High School. While I was never opposed to dating it was never a high priority, I dated exactly one boy in High School and after being dumped on Valentine's Day I did not date again until I met Michael. He was my "first" everything (except hand hold)...my first kiss, my first love, the first boy I cried over, my husband, and the first (let's be adults here) man I slept with. I don't regret any of this and though he drives me crazy I am incredibly in love with him in a way that many people, even those close to me, don't fully understand. So, as I stated above, this paragraph proves I am pretty "normal", possibly even boring by some standards. As I was coming up on my birthday I was looking into the lives of those I graduated with and observing some pretty exciting things...some of those people have done some crazy, amazing, wonderful things. Then came the "comparing" thoughts. And maybe my life is not as exciting or interesting as some of theirs. But let me tell you about my life from the non-check list perspective, or rather, let me remind myself about my life from the non-check list perspective...I have not two but four parents that love me very much, though they are incredibly different they make up a world of love and support for me. Though my step parents came into my life at different times they are very much a part of who I am today. And, even though divorce is never easy and there was a time that I felt more hate than love the whole experience has made me who I am today. The trials that were brought on in my teenage years also contributed to making me the person I am. I chose to go to a college where I was loved and accepted and met the love of my life. There I met a few that are my best friends and I learned a lot about relationships and how life works. There I met the man who is now my husband. He is challenging, exciting, loving, crazy and compassionate. He is a protector, a provider and, let's be honest, sometimes a pain in the butt (who isn't though, right?). He is the person that is willing to learn and strives to be pursuing something and he encourages me to do the same. Someday there will need to be a separate blog just for him and our journey. So, after NCC I graduated and got a job working in foster care. Now, unless you work in foster care or have been in the system in the last few years you probably don't know as much about it as you think. I strive to approach my job with love, compassion and support and recently I have been told by more than one person that they appreciate me and think I am doing a good job (truly a blessing). I get the opportunity to support families and love on kids...and I get to do it for a living. Is it incredibly difficult at times? Yes. Do I love it? Yes. In this season of my life that is priceless. Moving on, Declan....quite possibly the coolest kid on the planet. And, while we were not planning on having children as early as we did, he is the biggest blessing and, some days, the only reason I hold it together. This blog is getting long because of all these things going on in my life, so maybe....I am not as boring as I thought. But if all these things above are what defines boring then I am ok with being boring.

I am mother, wife, daughter, friend, foster care specialist, chef, chauffeur, personal planner and organizer, laundry service, cleaning lady, doctor-mom, supporter, encourager, accountant and budgeter, playmate, and lover. I am blessed.

Everyone has thoughts, everyone has a story, this is a small tidbit of mine. What's your's?

That's what's up...for now.

First world problems...who is this crazy person?

We are a culture obsessed with technology, I know, I know you're saying "tell me something I don't know". Wanna know how I have come to terms with this realization? Our internet has been out at our house for the last few days. For the Struthers family this mean no pinterest, no netflix, no xbox live....WHAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?! Sure, I can use my phone with my limited internet access, that sounds like a brilliant idea. Or not. Besides, who wants to look at that tiny screen for a long period of time? Not this girl. As I was saying, the internet being out has caused me to rethink how I spend my time. I don't even consider myself one of those people that is always on their phone or obsessed with social media. Sure, I am on facebook a few times a day but I am not as bad as "that one girl". So, why am I regularly thinking about what to post on my facebook status or twitter, or making sure I take a picture to post on facebook or, and this is the worst one, "OMG, that person defriended me on facebook!!!" Who is this person?  Five years ago I would have said, "I don't need a smart phone" and now, let's be honest, I could not survive the perils of this world without my Iphone...and I don't even have SIRI!!! When was the last time I read a book? More importantly, when was the last time I read my bible? Wellllll, I read my bible on my phone, that counts...right...yes...maybe? Maybe for some it is the same thing, but not for me.

I'm not really sure where I am going with these thoughts other than I have resolved to pick up a book more often. Now, will the modem that is the nemesis behind our internet outage be replaced in the near future? Duh, of course. But, this internet outage has definitely been a reminder of a few things. For one, how dependent we are on technology (and how scary that thought is) and also how we of this generation need to remember that happiness exists outside of twitter, facebook, instagram and Safari. Well, if you are reading this, maybe it might be a good idea to ponder what you would do without technology. Food for thought. Or maybe just food for my thoughts. Blessings to you in your conclusions about technology.

That's what's up...for now.