Friday, March 07, 2008

It's time to Par-Tay!

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! It is time already for the Ultimate Blog Party 2008! Could I offer you a glass of ice tea or how about some homemade banana bread? I'm glad you've decided to drop in for a visit, I hope we can get to know each other better.

So let me get this party started with a random introduction of myself.

I am simply a woman who is trying to figure out this thing called life. My world is revolving around so many things that sometimes my sphere seems to be a little off kilter and I'm in the process of smoothing it all out. I have been married for over 5 years, and have experienced many of the ups and downs of this special union. Fortunately I said 'until death do us part' and we have trucked on and made it through all of the valleys and climbed many hills. I am very happily married, yet it has taken me quite a while to learn that 'picture perfect' rarely exists. If I could live on the set of "Leave it to Beaver" I would in a heartbeat.

However that is not the case. Fortunately though I am lucky enough to have a career that offers tons of flexibility. I am a labor & delivery nurse and have been able to find a position in which I work weekend nights, leaving me the entire week to spend with my Baby Girl. I also teach prenatal and breastfeeding classes and enjoy that immensely. I'm hoping to expand my knowledge someday and return to school and get my Master's degree to teach, if the cards play out.

Despite my career, I would love to be the wife and mother who stays home each day cleaning and cooking and making life, for those I hold dearest in my heart, perfect. I envision our life where things did not get in the way of simple things, where sitting down in the evening to talk about our day was never interrupted by telemarketers or the latest episode of "American Idol". The amusing part of it all is that I live in a reality where I can't keep dirty dishes from piling up in my sink and the laundry pile has overtaken our entire bedroom. Who said it was supposed to be a "love nest" anyways, it's more of a pig pen around here. And should I mention that I rarely cook. In the five and a half years I have been married to my Prince Charming I could probably count a dozen meals I have actually prepared. I know it's not quite a fairytale, is it?

My sweet, sweet Baby Girl is the light of my life and the drive behind my need to get this grown-up thing figured out. I am a mom now after all, it's time to behave as such. My hopes for her are that she will grow up and that her memories will be full of happiness. I know that my strive for perfection in all reality does not equal happiness on her part, but it does on mine. Perhaps it is my fear that I do not want her to see how little I have things together. Just perhaps.

Funny how hindsight truly is 20/20 and that looking back into my own childhood my memories are full of the things I am striving to create for my own "mini me". Okay, okay, she really is her daddy's "mini me" but this is MY blog and I'll call her what I wish. I remember the traditions, the time together as a family, the way my mother's house was run. Not to say that there were never any bad times, just like every home there were, but I'm more in tuned to the good now that I'm a mother myself.

There are a million things I wish I could get right and that I could instill into my little girl. My hopes for her are that she will grow up to be a child of God, that she will someday be a good wife to a man who doesn't deserve her giving nature, and that she becomes a mother who exemplifies perfection to her own children. Maybe if I can learn to live the life I hope for her, she will not have to strive so hard to do the same one day.

This blog is a tool. I am here to develop my inner self, to examine who I am and what I hope to become.

Now Let's PARTY!!!!!


There are so many cool prizes to be won at this year’s Ultimate Blog Party, but my top three picks would definitely have to be:

The custom blog design by Summer
The story package by Cherish Bound
The Boca Beth Biligual Beginner Set by Boca Beth

And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (no order of preference): 11, 24, 29, 37, 56 or cash is always a blessing!

31 comments:

Nadine said...

By reading this post I can see how perfect your blog name is. Thank you for sharing your heart.

Have a great time at the party.

eastcoastlife said...

Hi Meshellyn,
What a unique name!
Nice to meet you. Greetings from Singapore, Asia. Just drop in to say hello!

Melanie said...

So nice to meet you! I, too, want my children to grow knowing they are children of God.

I'll be back soon!

Jay said...

Nice to meet you, and love your words for your daughter. I too wish the same things for mine. Blessings!

Party on!

Julie Donahue said...

Hello! Nice party! So glad to meet you. Hop on over to my party when you get a chance.

a woman who is said...

Oh I hear the heart of my daughter going on here. She is a first time mommy and has been married 41/2 yrs. She has cooked maybe a dozen meals in her married life. Bless the Lord; she has a husband whose mom never cooks. So it's all good! What I love about my daughter's heart and yours too, is that you love your child, and that is the most important thing of all.
So very nice to meet you. Do drop by and see my cute little grandbaby. I couldn't find a picture of your baby?

Chanin said...

Nice to meet you! Love your blog! Stop by and say hello when you get a chance!

Anonymous said...

it's funny, i was thinking about the whole leave it to beaver wishing i was jane lol.
glad you joined the party! :) and very nice to meet you!

Anonymous said...

What a great name for your blog! You have definitely thought a lot about your relationship with your daughterand how to provide a loving home.

Come visit my party!

Rebekah said...

??? Just curious...how on earth did all these random people find your blog, Michelle? Did you make it public?

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

I love your blog. I stopped by because I thought your name was cool. (with about 800 blogs to choose from I have to narrow down my party hopping somehow although I do wish I could see them all).
I'm having a praise party on my blog and am planning a complete praise post sometime this week. Blessings to you!

Misty said...

i loved reading your blog b/cs you sound so down to earth and real... while i am a sahm there are many days i don't want to be b/cs it's hard work! and i have piles of dishes aplenty, that's for sure.. and while you may not be at home, if i could have a job being around the miracle of life, that'd be pretty neat!!

Unknown said...

Nice to meet you. Happy blogging!

Kim for the Kings said...

Actually, I DID figure out it was you! :-) But thanks for confirming! Wow, I LOVED reading this post, M. When I have a little time, I'll have to backtrack through your older posts and "get to know you" a little more. 9 years is such a long time! So, as you know, Greg & I haven't started a family yet, but it's on the horizon...still a ways down but it's there, thankfully. I'm thrilled to reconnect with you, sister!

Kellie said...

So nice to meet you! I've bookmarked you so that when this party is over I can come back and visit!

I would totally be on that Leave it Beaver set with you...in a heartbeat.

Tawny said...

It's interesting to see into the life of a mom who holds down a career and a family! I admire that more than I can say.

If you feel like coming to the party at my place, you can find it here!

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

What a lovely introduction! Makes me want to get to know you better. Especially in regards to homemaker-y type stuff because we seem to have some of the same issues.

Happy partying!

Misty said...

me again... i'd love to play alphabet soup w/ you... is there a certain day of the week or limit to the faves, etc?

Anonymous said...

I really liked your post, and it's definitely made me want to visit again! Thanks for stopping by my site!

Bonnie said...

Thank you for visiting my blog ! I'm so enjoying this blog party !

A labor and delivery nurse ! WOW !! I worked a year in the OB ward when I was in highschool. It was a blast !

Alexis Jacobs said...

I loved your intro. Now I want to spend some time looking around your party. I'll be back!!

Anonymous said...

Great post! Nice to "meet" you!
Thanks for stopping by my blog for the party!
Blessings

Kara S. said...

Thanks for stopping by my party! I'm glad you enjoyed the CVS posts. I think there's 4 posts on CVS if you didn't find them all. Another great place for deals is moneysavingmom.com if you haven't visited there already. :) I totally understand your heart about wanting to cook more for your family as well as live frugally. It's so difficult when you work outside of the home - in the first two years of our marriage, I probably cooked a dozen meals because of my work schedule. Now that I'm at home it is sooo much nicer and we have more now than we did when I was working!

Mrs. Gray's Class said...

It's very nice to met you. Your post was very well written and struck a lot of chords with me. Take care and have a good week party hopping!

Amy said...

What a great party! Thanks for inviting me and thanks for visiting mine! I have really enjoyed reading some of your posts!

bauer zoo said...

hi meshellyn, i totally know what you mean about trying to figure out being a grownup! i'm turning 30 this year, have 5 kids and a great hubby, but still feel like a kid most of the time!
it is really nice to meet you and i plan on coming back!
amyb

Melissa in Mel's World said...

It's SO nice to meet you!

Thanks for coming by to visit me in Mel's World with Melissa Mashburn!

Hope you are having a great time in the Bloggy Party!

Melissa

David said...

Hi! This is Jen, not David (husband). I like your blog design! I want to start a blog...

~cassie~ said...

enjoyed your blog...will be sure to stop back by when I have more time...Happy Partying

Lisa G. said...

What a great blog you have! It's nice to meet you and I hope you are having fun at all these blogs!
Happy UBP!
Hugs, Lisa ~ TheScrapPrincess

Anonymous said...

Hello, it's nice to meet you, welcome to the party even though we are coming to the end... it has been fun, hasn't it? I think it is great that you are a L&D Nurse when I am done having kids and they are all in school I want to take class to be an RN.