30 Reasons I Loved Turning 30!

In no particular order....

1. These guys. They are actually reasons #1-30, and the gifts in my every day!
2. I got to celebrate in both Chattanooga and Louisville! Let the celebration continue for days and across states! Here is sweet Gege playing peek-a-boo with Will.
3. I get to share my birthday with the best Birthday Buddy in the world: Gege!! (P.S. Like Will's outfit? She gave it to him! Thank you, Gege! I can't believe he is already wearing 6M clothing!)
4. This face. I mean, come on. Will=LOVE.
5. My dear friend, Carol, gave me two tea towels from Stratford! She had been holding onto them for two years! I don't deserve her friendship. How fun are these??
6. Have I mentioned Will?
7. Lots of sweet cards from family, friends, and students (THANK YOU!!!)

8. I also had several dear, dear friends write emails (Blaires) and call (Neens and Ali, each twice!) and mention my b-day in their blog (Mary). Thank you ALL!! I promise to write/call back ASAP!

9. My own "30" glass to always remind me of this occasion forever. All this needs is a little margarita...
10. Seeing Will in this adorable outfit from Sally, Bill, Allison, and Shannon. It fits perfectly! Thank you!

11. Freedom. I have been wanting to read this book since it was released a couple weeks ago. I mentioned it once and he remembered. He is the best. I can't wait to read it.
12. I can't seem to rotate this picture, but you can hopefully see how cute these Dr. Seuss onesies are. One of my students (who shares my birthday!) gave them to Will. I was so, so touched.
13. She also gave me this insanely beautiful book. It's huge. Lots of fun reading ahead, my little man.
14. Will in his McCallie football outfit.
15. This is what I came home to on my birthday. Perfection.
16. Yahtzee!! I recently rediscovered this fun game when Clay and Will and I went out to eat a couple weeks ago. The restaurant (Sluggo's) had lots of games, and when I saw Yahtzee, my mind immediately went back to my childhood days when I would play this with my dad for hours. Of course I taught it to Clay and he won by a million points.
17. My wonderful, super thoughtful friend Ashley gave me this yummy looking cookbook. Now that I am no longer pregnant, I love to cook again (I took at 9 month hiatus; cooking did not appeal when I was pregnant) and can't wait to try these out.

18. My grandmother also gave me a cookbook: The Best of the Best of Kentucky. YUM!!! They have one for every state--check it out. This collection is comprehensive.
19. Ashley also gave me this fun dish towel. It's too cute to use! Love the tassels!
20. Will, Cam, and I walked out of our house on Tuesday to find our the three adorable children who live next door all playing outside. As soon as they see us, they stop playing and break into a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday." Their mom, also a Sara, then comes stumbling along holding this beauty. If you have seen the front of our house lately, you would agree that this is the prettiest element of our landscaping. Fixing up our front yard might need to be this weekend's project.
21. Birthday dinner and brownie cake with Dad, Mom, and Nonna
22. A caramel cupcake from the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. That place knows how to make insane desserts.
22. Isn't this stunning? Gege needlepointed this for Will's nursery. I can't stop looking at it.

23. Gege also gave me a beautiful, engraved silver jewelry box. So thoughtful!

24. Mom and Dad renewed my People magazine subscription. I know it is a rather silly magazine, but it is perfect for working out!!

25. I don't know if you know, but I have a son named Will. :-)

26. Dinner at Boccacia's. YUM-O.

27. Date night with my husband!!! A sweet friend watched Will as we went on our first real date since Will's arrival. I didn't think we HAD to go on a one-on-one date, but then we did...and it was glorious. I love dates with my husband!!

28. And then he gave me this. WOW. He said it was from Will. I said Will has REALLY good taste, both in jewelry and in daddies.

29. All of the sweet Facebook posts that wished me a happy birthday. Facebook may have its negatives, but man, it makes you feel love on your birthday.

30. The thought and hope that the next 30 years will provide me with as much laughter, love, growth, and joy as my first 30 years.

Thank you everyone!!!!!

Today I will...

...not eat after dinner.

It's silly that I do so (I am not hungry) and it affects my run in the mornings, so I am going to try to stay disciplined about this.

Ok, two "Today I will"'s down. Walk, check. No post-dinner snack, check.

Faith

My day dramatically improved after writing that last post. Simply being with Will makes me laugh and smile and marvel at the beauty of life.

Will, Cam, and I piled in the car and drove to Greenlife, where we parked the car and walked across the Walking Bridge and through downtown to St. Paul's. Clay had a vestry meeting tonight, so we decided to surprise him outside church when they wrapped up. Seeing his face light up and then melt when he sees Will was more than enough to remind me that life is sweet.

We are also both in bed before 10 p.m. It's a miracle.

But as I lie here, I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of today. I was frustrated by a student who wanted to earn the perfect score--close to perfect just wasn't good enough. Meanwhile, I am sprinting through my days trying to do everything as perfectly as possible--and feeling disappointed when it doesn't happen. I teach girls all day long that achieving perfection is impossible, that perfection isn't the end goal. The goal is to grow as a writer a little bit every day, to become a little better every day, to become a little more thoughtful every day.

I am excited for my "Today I will..." goals.

Honest

It's pretty easy to read blogs and think that people lead romantic lives full of Kodak moments, important revelations, and constant personal growth. I read blogs to be inspired to be a better person, to see how my friends are pursuing lives of meaning. But there have also been a few blogs I respect primarily because they are open and honest about what challenges them.

So while my life is SO full and SO good, I thought I would take a minute to be honest--with you, yes, but also with myself. Because half of the reason I keep up with this blog is because it enables me to write about my life in a way that provides me with clarity and reflection.

Today was a no good, very bad day. Will didn't sleep a wink last night, and Clay was taking the GRE today, so he needed his rest. Thus, Will and I had our first all-night date. It was an anomaly for sure (for the most part, Will is sleeping from 9-3 and then from 3:30-6 a.m.), but it came on the heels of 18 hours of grading this weekend and our first real small group gathering, which was at our house. Mondays are also my long teaching days--I teach all 5 classes--so the all-nighter put me in a bit of a daze all day long.

Ok, no big deal. I've pulled all-nighters before.

But today was progress report day at school, which meant that everyone was hyper aware of grades. And our opening address at chapel was all about how our girls should have confidence in themselves and believe they can be the best and stand up for themselves when they feel something hasn't gone right. A great message, for sure, but on grades day, that means lots of girls questioning their grades and arguing that they deserve higher scores. Great day to pass back papers, too, huh? So I have a student who literally gets in my face over a 48.5/50 ("Why didn't I get a perfect score?? You didn't say anything negative about my paper. I deserve a 50/50!!") and refuses to back down despite my efforts to justify the grade.

I skipped my workout this morning and lunch to grade and conference with students--all after spending 9 hours a day this weekend grading papers and STILL not being done with my grading. I check my email, and of course I get some emails that make me feel like a bad colleague, a bad friend, a bad mother ("Read all about your child at 3 months, 3 weeks"...what? my child is 3 months, 3 weeks?), and suddenly I am so aware that I SO do not have things under control.

All of this comes on top of feeling disappointed in myself for not initiating some efforts to make myself a better person--initiatives that I keep thinking about but not doing because I just haven't committed myself to the tasks.

Some days just stink. And I know it, and I am not asking for sympathy, because I know in the grand scheme of things, I am SO blessed, but I want to be honest about the fact that some days really do feel like a struggle.

So I am instituting a new blog feature, one that I can do quickly even when I don't have time to write anything else: "Today I Will..."

I read and watched No Impact Man this weekend, and among other things, felt inspired to think about what I can do to live a more intentional life. I am tired of to-do lists and daily schedules...I need something deeper to help guide my thoughts and actions. But I need to be realistic that I can't totally change and improve all at once; hence the daily focus that enables me to fully experience one intentional decision each day.

So...Today I Will take Cam and Will on a good walk.

I know I usually do this, but lately I have been pushing it back when I get home--and then sometimes not getting around to it at all. But Cam deserves a good walk--and Will loves being outside. And I need to walk, not eat, as soon as I get home. That means I need to walk right now.

It's been a bad day. But it's not over yet.

Will is 3 months old!

Look at our little man! He loves being 3 months old...

...but it is tiring, too!

Mama loves my feet :)

Here is a glimpse of what we do when I pick him up after school every day.

We love to discuss our days together.

One final note: Will has made me happier than I have ever been.

He is a beautiful gift to us every single day.

I can't believe how blessed I am.

Baby Boys Everywhere!

Today Will and I went to a "Sip and See" at our headmaster's house. What were we sipping? Nothing like wine in the middle of the afternoon! What were we seeing? The McC class of 2028! Man oh man, there are LOTS of baby boys on this campus now! Five boys were born to campus families within two months this summer--and one more to a faculty member off campus. These boys are sandwiched between Alana, born in April, and Harper Reese, who we are anticipating any day now. The dining hall is pure comedy--its strollers and babies everywhere. We love it! Before I get to those pictures, here are some "catch up" ones of Will:

This is my phone background. I LOVE IT.

Will is obviously a little younger here, but it was too cute not to include. This was right around the time he started smiling :-).

Clay and Will at Nightfall last weekend.

Our dear friends Nick and Ashley came over for dinner on Sunday night. Will decided to dress up for the occasion in his necktie onesie and seersucker shorts (because he can't wear those suckers after labor day...)

Will thoroughly enjoyed our walk along the river on Labor Day.

Now for the "Sip and See," which you will soon see should have been called the "Feast and See"

How cute are these cupcakes?

Yum.

Here are five of us with our babes. We are missing Melanie (Baby Jude), Dodd (Baby Wylie), and Erin (Baby Selleck)

Gail is one of Will's favorite people on campus. She LOVES all things baby--and Will clearly loves her too. It's tiring being the center of attention :-).

Will turns 3 months on Friday...

Baby Steps

So I have been a working mom for 3 weeks now, and while I have been trying to inspire my 10th and 12th grade students with effective writing skills and tips, I have been learning a few lessons myself.

Actually, I have been learning A LOT.

My first focus as a working mom has been on a daily schedule. One reason I love teaching is because every day is so darn regimented. Bells ring to signify a shift in focus, there is time built into each day for eating and exercising and planning and teaching, and I know that come 2:45 every day, I can be in the car, on my way home to Will.

In the past, my schedule has been pretty much designed around my interests and passions. If I wanted to go for a long run, I went. If I wanted to go out with girlfriends on a weeknight, no problem. I did everything when I wanted to do it.

Lesson #1: My time is no longer just my own.

Now my schedule revolves around Will's childcare, feedings, and sleep routines. Thankfully, I have a husband who understands and respects my needs and priorities--largely because they are his, too: quality time with Will, time with each other, exercise, grading time, reading, down time, gatherings with friends, healthy eating.

With these in mind, I have crafted a schedule for myself that tries to incorporate time for each of these priorities. Here's what my Monday-Friday work days look like:

3:15 a.m.: feed Will

5:30: alarm goes off, make bottle for Will, out the door by 5:50 (Clay takes Will to Carla's)

6:00: arrive at GPS

6:00-7:00/8:00: run around downtown Chattanooga, work out at GPS gym

7-7:30: shower and get dressed at GPS

7:45: at my desk, ready to go

7:45-11:18: teach three classes

11:18-12:45: grab a healthy salad for lunch, meetings/lunch in faculty lounge/grading time

12:45-2:45: teach 2 more classes

2:45: head home to pick up Will from Carla's by 3 p.m.

3-6: Will and Mommy time. Feeding, playing, reading, walking, and (if lucky) more grading

6:00: head to dining hall to meet Clay for dinner OR make dinner at home

6:45-8: try to get some more work done

8-9: Will's bedtime routine: bath, pajamas, feeding, reading, rocking, sleeping

9-10:30: more grading and/or prepping

10:30 (hopefully): off to bed

I know this post sounds awfully boring, but it feels good for me to write this down after trying to figure it out these past couple of weeks. I have probably annoyed my colleagues to no end because I have asked so many of them to explain their days to me. They usually say things like "I teach and then I exercise and then I make dinner..." and I am like, "No. Give me a minute by minute play by play so I know how in the heck you do it all." I have friends at school who have three kids and are training for marathons--oh yeah, and are excellent school people. Impressive.

I just can't get enough of learning about people's schedules. How people organize their days is fascinating to me.

Here's what I love about my schedule:

* running in the mornings (especially on the days I meet friends) is HEAVENLY.

* I love my job.

* 3:00 p.m. is like Christmas morning every single day. I am literally shaking on my drive home because I am so excited to hold Will.

Here's what I am still working on:

* Time with Clay has been seriously compromised. I am not okay with that on a long term basis.

* I basically eat another meal when I come home at 3. Is it because I am hungry--or bored?

* I am usually okay energy-wise throughout the week, but come Friday, I am dragging. I realize this will hopefully get better when Will starts sleeping through the night.

* I don't have a lot of free time for my students to come in and ask questions, conference with me, review their writing, etc. My time at school is pretty fixed and focused.

Then Friday night comes and everything slows down. LOVE the weekends. Clay watches Will on Saturday mornings so I can go for a long run (ran 9 miles today--longest I have run in a year. I seriously have so many endorphins that I think I will be deliriously happy for a week) and then we enjoy time as a family. Grocery shopping, walks with Camden, cooking good meals or going to fun restaurants...I don't care what we do as long as I am with my boys.

I am lucky to have to have a husband who supports me in every way--and is a loving, hands-on parents. I am lucky to have a fun, energizing, stimulating job. I am lucky to have a boss who tells me to go home at 2:45 to be with my son. I am lucky that I have a childcare provider who is loving and thoughtful with Will. I am lucky that Will is healthy. I am lucky that we have a dining hall to go to for dinner if we want to. And I am lucky to have family who are willing and eager to step in and help in whatever ways they can. Sure, it's been a transition, but I am lucky that it's been smooth.

And I will go ahead and say it: I am certain that I am a better mother and wife and person because I am teaching. And I think I am a better teacher now that I am a mother. I totally understand how that is not the case for many other women--I can easily see that. For me, though, this is working. It's not perfect, but it's working. And I am not sure I want to strive for perfection anyway :).

Getting Started Early...

No one could be more excited that it is football season than my husband. He loves watching it, reading about it, listening to podcasts on it, and playing it on the PS4. He also loves coaching it (and I might be biased, but I think he is pretty darn good at it, too). So when his team headed down the road for its season opener, Will and I were there to watch the blue bring home victory!

I think he likes football.

Will at 11 Weeks

This one is for you, Gege! LOVE his Chattanooga Choo-Choo outfit!! SO cute!

Our little man is growing up before our very eyes! Here is what is going on with Will these days...

* He is firmly in his 3 mos. clothing; we already transitioned out his 0-3 mos. outfits. And so many of them were so cute!

* He is smiling at us all the time. He totally charmed this couple behind us today in church; he couldn't stop smiling and cooing at them!

* He loves bath time, which is awesome considering we are trying to ease into a sleep routine (beginning with sleep associations, like bath time and reading). He loves to kick in the tub.

* He is already attached to his owl "lovey," which Clay and I affectionately call "psi u" and chi o" in honor of our fraternity and sorority, both of which had owls as their mascots.

* He went to his first football game on Friday night--and was a good luck charm. McC pulled it out in the last minute of the game. Way to go, Will!

* He and Carla are doing so well together. I love coming home and seeing them so at ease with each other--and then I scoop him up and we have hug time until I can let him go long enough to put him in the car seat and take him home.

* He is still waking up 1-2 times a night to eat, but he immediately goes right back to sleep. We are hoping he starts stretching this out so that we might get a full night's sleep here before too long. All the books say that by 4 months he will be able to sleep throughout the night without a feeding but that until then, we need to follow his lead. And his lead is asking for milk at 3 a.m.

* If you watched the video, you may have noticed some white spots on his tongue. He has a mild case of thrush (baby yeast infection), which we are treating with an antibiotic 4x a day. Doctor Dodd says its no big deal.

Saturday Mornings=Bliss

So we are settling into a routine here in Chattavegas now that school has started and Will is approaching a sleep schedule. Our work weeks are scheduled pretty much down to the minute in order to allow us to get everything done that we need to, but once Friday nights come along, we transition to relax mode. Add in a good night's sleep and we wake up on Saturdays feeling like new people.

Will has been pretty vocal lately, so I tried to capture some of his sweet sounds this morning. I didn't manage to get a smile out of him, but hopefully you can tell here that he is trying to say hi!

My Love Affair with Blogs

I was reading my highly intellectual People magazine on the elliptical yesterday when I flipped the page to see a picture of...one of my childhood babysitters. I recognized her immediately: Catherine McCord, who in addition to being one of my favorite babysitters was also a frickin' Victoria Secret and Calvin Klein runway model. I AM NOT JOKING. Man, I thought she was pretty, but dude, one of my babysitters was a SUPERMODEL. Crazy.

Anyways, the reason she was in People was not because of her modeling--no, its because she is the author of a hot blog on baby and kid food: Weelicious.com. WHAT? She was super cool in my book until now, but she has now earned a spot on my bookmark header. Clay and I have already decided to try to make most of Will's baby food (for both health and financial reasons--plus, I love cooking!), so I have a feeling this site will get lots of hits from me once we approach that milestone. For now, we are still loving the milk...especially at 3 a.m. :-).

I am also excited about the blogs I am incorporating into my classes this year. They provide us with an attractive space online through which we can discuss texts, brainstorm and draft writing pieces, and connect our studies with information on the web. My blog got me writing again--I am hoping these do the same for my students.

Senior English: Clarity

Sophomore Honors English: Reflections

Sophomore English: Inspired

We're back and better than ever!!

Most people who read this have seen all these pictures, but for those who haven't...

Meet William Bradley Gahan!

Born on June 10, 2010, weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz., and measuring 21 inches, this sweet little guy has totally captured our hearts--and our time! Hence the summer of no blog posts!

We have indulged in a summer of holding our little one and thus not blogging. I am okay with that. But now that school is back in session and we have emerged from our sleep deprived semi-coherent states, I am more committed and inspired than ever to chronicle this time in our lives.

Why? Simply put, I have never thought or felt or learned so much in my life.

While I still feel like I am the same person in many ways, I revel in the fact that I also feel more fulfilled and utterly joyful and peaceful than ever before. Will has made me see our world and live my life in some radical new ways. And I want, make that need, to have a space in which I process and record these realizations in writing.

i am ready to return to the blog.

What have I experienced this summer thanks to the gift of Will in our lives?

1. Insane happiness. Every day I wake up to Will, every afternoon I return home to Will is like Christmas all over again. I feel like my life is a dream I am fortunate enough to experience again and again each day.

2. A deep appreciation for sleep--and the knowledge that I simply don't need that much of it. It's been at least 10 weeks since I slept for more than 5 hours straight, and there have definitely been moments when I wish I could sleep through the night, but I also love the quiet moments at 3 a.m. when it is just Will and me rocking in the chair, me making up verses to "Hush Little Baby." I will never forget those tender moments.

3. I also have discovered a whole new form and level of love for my husband. We've always been a team, but Will demanded we take that partnership to a much more intricate, open level. We have had to communicate more frequently and honestly than ever, which is often pretty hard to do, but it has led us to such a good place now. We feel like we have turned a corner in terms of understanding to be both good parents to Will and good partners to each other, but we are also constantly aware that just when we figure something out, Will throws another challenge our way. Man, parents are saints.

4. Speaking of, I have never been more grateful for the love and generosity of my parents and Clay's parents. Clay and I have dedicated so energy to trying to be good parents to Will and he is only 10 weeks old. Our parents have done it for 30 years. WOW. Thank you. We have learned so much from you--and continue to learn by your example every day.

5. We have also experienced the overwhelming thoughtfulness and generosity that exists in the parenthood community. Gifts, advice, cards, food--you name it, we've been humbled by it. This "Pass it on" philosophy is so refreshing. I love that parents help each other out so naturally. Certainly all of our children benefit. What a beautiful community we have been ushered into thanks to Will. I hope I will show the same care to other dear friends who become parents in the future...

6. Immense love from our families. Thank you all. We love you more than words can express.

7. So much fun. We laugh all the time at Will's funny faces and sounds, we coo and smile right along with him, and we delight in his embrace. We are excited to get to know him--a notion that sounds weird considering we might have some hand in how he turns out, but we have realized more than ever that he is already his own person and we are privileged to share in his life.

It certainly has been a special summer for us, one full of so much love from all directions and in all ways. We are just so grateful.

But now it is the start of a new school year and thus we must forge ahead! So I hope it is okay that I pick up the blog at this point rather than try to catch up.

Here we are in my new classroom a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, Will doesn't hang out with me in this chair every day, but he is being lovingly cared for by Carla, and I am blessed to have some awesome students this year. And every day at 3 p.m., I pull back into McC with shaky arms--I am that excited to get to hold my little man again. And it's at that moment that I know I might just be the luckiest girl on the planet.

More to come--and soon, I promise!

June 6 came and went...and no baby!

Our doctor suspected we would deliver late, and she was right: yesterday was the due date, and I physically felt...nothing. Hmmm. Of course, emotionally I was excited and relieved (that Clay made it home from Mercersburg and his AWESOME commencement speech) and thankful (that my wonderful Mama is here!!!) and relaxed (it's summer!!) and energetic...but I have to admit that I also thought a lot about how my particular labor experience is going to turn out. We induce a week from today if he doesn't arrive on his own before then, and my doctor says that my body is far enough along that my chances of a C-section aren't higher with induction now, but I still selfishly hope to "feel" labor beginning and have that experience of "Honey, it's time!" But I woke up this morning thinking about how, no matter what, a week from now we won't be waiting any longer to meet this little sweetheart. What an overwhelming realization.

So...here is what Mom, Clay, and I have been up to as await our little man:

* The upholstered rocking chair arrived! Hooray! It's huge and comfortable and adorable and perfect.
* Opening presents! Man, Mom's friends and my amazing friend Liz are SO thoughtful and generous!!! Baby G is already so spoiled! He will be the best dressed baby...
* We went to church yesterday
* We went to the Farmer's Market, where we bought ingredients for a yummy stir-fry that mom made last night--and we bought spicy mexican food for lunch :-).
* Going on lots of walks
* Going to the lake
* Reading and relaxing
* Making a playlist for the hospital
* Packing our bags for the hospital
* Talking to family and friends on the phone

I am so grateful to my fun mom for coming to stay with us while Clay was in Pennsylvania (check this out to see a picture of Clay delivering his speech--he is such a rockstar!) and continuing to put her own life on hold to be with us as we wait Baby G's arrival. As always, she is so selfless, helpful, and fun to be with!

We'll keep you updated! Love to you all!!