life Archives - Moments of Musing

Revisiting a BIG Life Goal – What Will We Decide?

Filed Under: goals, life, life update, Uncategorized // August 18, 2022

Are you, today, where you pictured yourself being five years ago? It is something I have personally been thinking about lately as I am revisiting a big life goal.

Back in 2017, my husband, oldest son (then our only child) and I returned from a family vacation. It was then that I placed a dream goal of mine onto my unofficial “five-year plan.” My husband was open to the idea. (Thankfully, we’ve always been on the same page when it comes to big events.) However, he put it on a “ten-year plan.” Either way, it was being placed our life plan.

With the summer days longer and warmer, I was reminded this summer why that goal made it into our plans.

Well, here we are five years later in 2022, and maybe my husband was right about it being closer to 10 vs. 5 years. Lately, though, I have been revisiting that big life goal… And I think I still want to go through with it, at least in some form. There are a lot of variables that would have to be figured out beforehands. Thankfully, we have some time, which is comforting (but also makes me a bit antsy).

Due to the big change it would bring, I do not want to rush. It is one of the biggest –if not the biggest since we have kids now– decisions we’ve made together.

Now, with three kids, two of whom are in school, this decision feels heavier. Our responsibility has grown immensely since becoming parents to three awesome little dudes.

We now feel an urge to not only build to a great life for ourselves, but also for our kids.

Ultimately, I know whatever decision we make together will be the best one for our family.

So, what will we decide? I do not the answers right now. We are unsure of quite a bit. What I do know is that we are thinking about it, and that time will tell…

Winter Home Safety

Filed Under: first alert, life, winter home safety // December 9, 2019

This post is sponsored by First Alert but all opinions are my own. #COWinterSafety #HolidayDeCOr

Early one morning this past summer, our fire/carbon monoxide alarms went off. My husband was not home — I was alone with the boys. I did not smell smoke and believed it was an error but the alarm would not go off so I called 911 out of precaution. Though there was no indication of a fire, the 911 operator told me to take the boys outside of our house in case there was a carbon monoxide (CO) leak.

The boys and I stepped outside in our pajamas and waited for the fire department to arrive. It was a bit of a scary event and my younger son still points to the alarms when he sees them. Thankfully, it was a false alarm. The incident was a reminder of the importance of CO alarms and precautions.

first alert, winter home safety, carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide alarm, CO alarm, fire alarm, parenthood, safe home

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, CO poisoning is the number one cause of accidental poisonings in the U.S. Referred to as the “silent killer,” CO is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas that can only be detected with a CO alarm. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 400 people die every year of CO poisoning, half of which occur between November and February. An additional 50,000 people are treated for CO poisoning.

The First Alert 10-year Sealed Battery Carbon Monoxide Alarm detects dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. This sleek and stylish CO alarm is designed to sit on top of a dresser or tabletop — no installation required!

The alarm has a backlit digital display that shows temperature and peak levels of CO (when detected). This CO alarm provides hassle-free protection by eliminating the need for battery replacements for 10 years. After 10 years, you will hear an end of life warning, letting you know it is time to replace the alarm.

I am a firm believer that one can never be too safe. I am therefore very happy to be using our First Alert CO alarm, which is available to purchase on Amazon. Once it was delivered all I had to do place it on my shelf and now I can rest assured that our home is protected.

Anniversary Trip to Colorado in Photos

Filed Under: colorado, life, travel // November 22, 2019

colorado, anniversary, rocky mountains, colorado rockies, vail mountain, vail village

We are back from our Colorado vacation. It was one of the most beautiful places we have visited and we already have discussed about going back with our boys. Since we rented a car (we were on the fence because driving is not permitted in Vail Village, where we stayed) we were able to drive around and see a few different cities:

DENVER

DRIVING VIEWS

BRECKENRIDGE

VAIL (OUR FAVORITE)

Be sure to check back for a more detailed post about each of the places and what you should know when traveling to the Rocky Mountains!

Change is Coming… and How I Feel About It

Filed Under: life, life change // July 31, 2019

As a little girl, my dreams were very different than how my life is now. That does not mean those dreams were any less valuable or worthwhile. They probably are even moreso now. Lately, the dreams of my younger self have been on my mind and on my heart.

Do I follow those dreams?
Will they keep me back from my dreams now?
What is the best thing to do?
What should I do?

This all brings me back to my solo move to Chicago. Initially, my dad was for it and my mom against it. As it became clearer that I had a good shot of landing my dream job, they did a role reversal! My dad didn’t want me to move but my mom was all for it (I think it really was because she knew how excited I was).

They’ve recently done the same thing again– having initial opinions and then changing their minds. Yes, here I am, 30-years-old and a mother seeking the advice of my parents. While I am an adult with children of my own, their opinions are still something I sincerely value.

I think as parents they worry about how change would affect me, and now also the family Tim and I have created. Of course, Tim and I have thought about that, too. I’ve thought about it a lot and all the unanswered questions scare me. Heck, just the thought of change can overwhelm me.

So, I remind myself:

Change is inevitable. It happens every day, every moment to people all over the world.

And yet, it still has the ability to push me out of my comfort zone, for good or for bad (… but hopefully more for good in this case.)

Because change is scary. Along with change comes so much unknown, many more what-ifs, and a lingering wonder about why and a constant question of whether it is worth the risk.

We can’t really know the answers until we try though, can we?

That being said, our family is about to experience a big life change. Stay tuned for what it is!

Wanting the best for our kids + Exciting News

Filed Under: business school, exciting news, family, life, motherhood // July 15, 2019

Photos by Lily Raya Photography

As parents, we want to give our children the world. Though that might not be possible, giving them more than we had is. I’d say that’s the driving factor in most of my and my husband’s decisions.

We think about where we are in life, and where we want to be. When I first met Tim, he was pretty set on making a career of the military and retiring from it. As a lawyer, however, the prospect of moving often (common in the military) did not seem feasible for me. And he did not desire a career of countdowns, especially when it would mean time away from our future kids.

He explored his options. We each made decisions that would make our future —together and individually— better.

At each juncture of our relationship, we’ve done the same evaluation, and it’s what led my husband to his next and newest endeavor… business school!

I am so excited and proud to announce that he has been accepted into an Executive MBA program in NYC and begins classes soon!