25 Things I've Learned in 25 Years

As I always do around this time of year, I wanted to take some time to think about all the things I have experience and learned throughout my life.

So here it is , a list of twenty-five lessons I've learned thus far in life:

1. There’s nothing wrong with being best friends with your family. They will always be your biggest supporters and will stand behind you no matter what.

2. Salt is the cure to anything – tears, sweat, or the sea! And salt can even help heal a scraped knee. It may hurt like none other, but it sure does help it heal quickly. I’ll never forget the time Papa told me he was going to rub sugar in my scrape since I knew how bad salt hurt. He said the "sugar” wouldn’t hurt… sure enough, it was salt! OUCH! :)

3. People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Each one is truly important and shapes us into who we are today. True friendships last a lifetime even if you go too long without talking last. The ones that you pick up right where you left off with (even if it’s been months or years – it’s those relationships that are the most important).

4. Protective brothers are blessings in disguise. If only a 15 year old knew this truth. Regardless of the fact that on her first date two of her three brothers follow her to the movies and sit right across the aisle from her and her date.

5. Treat people with respect, encouragement and an open heart. It's not always easy, but at least you'll know you made the effort.

6. Your mom really does know what she’s talking about. She has lived it and knows what is in your best interest… like it or not! And yes, that even means when it comes to boys. :)

7. You can’t sell lemonade and trail mix (or painted wooden crosses made by Trevor out of kindling pieces) on the corner of a private driveway like you can in town.

8. It's true what they say about finding the person you will spend the rest of your life with. You just...know. With every inch of your being. And even on the bad days, you still feel it at your core - and that's what matters most.

9. Planning a wedding is the most exciting, joyful and exhilarating moment and every girl should experience it!

10. Now that I have Isabelle I truly grasp the love that my parents have for me and it completely blows me away!

11. It's so incredibly important to surround yourself with people who have the ability to bring out the best in you. The ones who inspire you, encourage you, help keep your head on straight, and give you a shoulder to cry on. These are the ones that matter. Anyone who doesn't bring out the best in you, perhaps isn't the best for you.

12. The dishes and piles of laundry will be there tomorrow, but you’re baby will only be little for so long. So leave the mess and enjoy every moment as a mommy… even those 3 a.m. wake ups. Instead of dreading not getting enough sleep, cherish the alone time you get with your little one.

13. Leaches, bird mites, and hornets won’t kill you, but they sure can get you into a mess.

14. Writing your deepest darkest sixth grade secrets in notes to friends and leaving them in your jean pockets for your mom to read is not the smartest idea. No wonder moms know everything.

15. I’m not cut out for watching scary movies and never will be…I’m okay with that.

16. First kisses are absolutely amazing - but so is realizing you're with the one who will receive your last kisses, and all the rest that fill the in-between.

17. While making Christmas cookies, getting the “goofies” and giggling for hours is sweeter than all the different delicious cookies put together.

18. You will never feel unsafe when riding in a car with your dad as the driver, but will feel the need to remind your husband to drive carefully over and over no matter the distance you are driving.

19. Living within walking distance from your Papa and Grandma is the ideal situation.

20. Being hardworking, optimistic, kind, honest, helpful, and always willing to learn will get you further in your career more than anything else.

21. Your happiness is determined by your attitude and reaction to situations. If you choose to be happy you will be happy. It’s a lot less work than you think.

22. Watching your body go through the transformation while growing a baby inside of you and then giving birth is one of your only chances in life to assist God in a miracle and it is such an amazing process.

23. You can never take too many pictures or eat too much ice cream!

24. Walking down the aisle with your dad to your new husband is more memorable than you can ever imagine. Your fairy tale is finally coming true and it seems so surreal.

25. You never know when and where you'll meet the people who end up being the most important. So, be friendly. And smile a lot.

Who am I (at the moment)?

I am…

… two days away from turning 25! It is actually hard to believe really. In one sense, I feel like I’m still that 20 year old who runs wild with no worries or responsibilities to speak of besides making sure I get to class on time and on the other hand, I feel like I have done so much in the past few years that 25 doesn’t seem old enough. I’m excited for this birthday this year! Since turning 21 all the other birthdays just seemed to come and go. There was no real significance and I didn’t feel the need to truly celebrate. But this year I feel differently! I’ll be a quarter century old, half way through my twenties. When I look back on the last 25 years of my life I feel like I’ve been through a lot… nothing too dramatic, but I’ve lived life and I’ve lived it to the fullest with a few bumps along the way. I’m happy about that and can’t help to think what is to come in the next stages in my life.

… also thinking about starting a new blog (one separate from this one). I would like to write about some of the untold stories of new moms and most specifically working mommies. Some kind of brutally honest and humorous blog for mom’s to gather and read stories that might just make them feel a little more normal (if that even exists) for some of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences they might have. I think we get so caught up in being the perfect mom/wife/career woman that there is an unspoken rule about not talking about our true daily happening. So that is in the works… stay tuned! =)

… so in love with my life! My husband is my everything and I am thankful for every day we have together. The fact that we were able to create such a precious and beautiful gift from God, little miss Isabelle, it just makes me fall in love with him more and more every day. I always knew I wanted to be a mommy, but this is so much more than I could have ever dreamed of! I always thought I would only be content being a stay at home mom, but now here I am with a full time career that I love and I am perfectly content being a working mommy. Now don’t get me wrong, there are days that I would love nothing more than to stay home and have 10 babies, bake cookies and pies, have a sparkling clean house and dinner on the table when my hubby walks in the door every day, but who knows how I’d feel if I was really living that day in and day out. For now, I’m happy playing the working mom and wife role.

… currently reading a great book called Crazy Love by Frances Chan. It has really helped with my spiritual growth lately. It’s giving me a whole new perspective on what having a relationship with and true love for the Lord is all about. I might just have to do a separate post about the first two chapters so far. I’m loving it and it is part of a blog book club called Bloom that I am a part of. I’m also excited because I found a church that I am going to try out on Sunday. It’s been something on my heart for, I don’t know, way too long and I’m ready to find a place that I can meet some new people (hopefully some mommies my age) and build on my Christian walk. … going to finish this post now because it has turned out to be way too incredibly long and I apologize for that. If you’ve taken the time to read this entire post, thank you. Sometimes it’s a getaway for me to sit and write about my thoughts and feelings and I hope you don’t feel bored by reading what I am up to these days.

WHOO HOO! My "birthday weekend" officially starts in t-minus 19 minutes! YEEEHAW!!! Have a great weekend my friends!

Come along with me...

Hi, I’m Tatum! I’m 24 (25 in two days actually, YIKES!) and am a new-ish mommy who works full time. Nice to meet you...

I absolutely love my career, but sometimes playing the role of mommy, wife, and career woman can get a bit overwhelming. Over the past few months I’ve been thinking a lot about how much my attitude affects my happiness. I’m most often a very optimist and happy girl, but sometimes I let the smallest things bother me and get in the way of my happiness. And one of the biggest things I've learned in the last little while is how my reaction to something has the power to make an entire day blissful or the exact opposite (which is, quite frankly, crappy). Unfortunately I usually only take my frustrations out on and show my not so good side to those who are closest to me (like my husband), which I think most of us do. I’m not quite sure why we do this and I don’t think it’s okay. So I’ve decided that I need to be more aware of my thoughts and reactions in all areas of my life – family, marriage, work, driving, etc. There’s no reason for me to be overly happy and sweet to people at work, but then come home and let my guard down and show my ugly side. So that is my new mission and what brings me here!

Sometimes I feel that as women we are expected to keep our cool, our emotions suppressed, and our stories secret. But what better way to deal with the day in and day out stresses of being tugged in a million (okay, maybe not a million, but it can feel like it) different directions than to share with other women that are in the same shoes (which, honestly are not so great on this end… I desperately need to go shoe shopping!). So come along with me dear bloggy friend and find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. Let’s share our successes, our stresses and our crazy, funny, and downright silly stories all the while trying to improve ourselves and our happiness! I’m sure we’ll have a few hiccups along the way (because, well, we’re human), but I’m up for the challenge! Are you?