When I first began this blog, I was searching for a way to reinvent myself. I wanted to "Start Over."
I suppose that all of us feel that way from time to time. What I failed to realize then, and realize more fully now, is that you can't just start over from scratch. What came before is tied to you, woven into the fabric of who you are now, and who you will become. Instead of starting over, we have to think about keeping on.
Maybe that should have been the name of this blog. MamaNiki:Keepin' on Keepin' on.
Yeah, I like it.
So, updates, updates.
Dos and I reconciled. There's a lot packed into those four little words. They say very little, and yet, they say everything that is important. And that, sweethearts, is how I will leave it.
Now that the kiddos are out of school, we're looking for a new home together. It is exciting and frightening and wonderful all at the same time. Send some healthy doeses of positivity our way, would you? Finding a place for all of these people to live is not as easy as you might think!
Also, we've formed a working band, which you can check it out here on fb:
https://www.facebook.com/BohemiaGoGo
Bohemia Go-Go developed out of Ian's amazing youtube project , Dispatches from the Woodshed. (**Really, if I'm giving you all of these websites, you're going to see Dos's real name all over the place, so might as well dispose of the alias at this point!)
Anyway, the project is an entire year's worth of videos, a different song each day, covers and originals. As of today, we're on Day #272 of 365. Check it out here:
www.dispatchesfromthewoodshed.com
or on fb here:
www.facebook.com/dispatchesfromthewoodshed
Also on my overflowing plate, I'm about to start an entirely new career! Up to now, I've primarily been a stay-at-home mom. And a dabbler at jobs outside the house. Gas station attendant, overnight hotel front desk associate at Foxwoods, Regulatory Affairs/Quality Assurance associate for an environmental testing agency, a paraprofessional working with EH high school students, a cashier at a women's clothing boutique...I've done a lot of all over the place things. On the plus side, I've got versitility, yo. On the negative, none of them have been the right fit.
So, newest career move? A cook! I've been cooking since I was 14 years old. I started by prepping dinner for my parents, who both worked until 5 or later on weekdays. My parents brought us up to believe that family dinner was very important. We ate dinner together every night. Looking back, it's one of my favorite family traditions, even if at the time I thought it cramped my style. In order to facilitate us eating at a reasonable hour though, I had to get things started. Eventually, I moved up from prepping to actually preparing the meals.
It worked out pretty well. Except for that one time I gave my dad food poisoning from undercooked chicken. It was over 17 years ago, but I still hear about it!
Luckily, that is the single major fallout of my culinary journey.
And I've been cooking ever since. The same month I turned 20, I prepared my first all-out Thanksgiving, all on my own. (Okay, maybe I made a phone call or two home to my Nana, just to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything). I cooked a huge turkey and all the sides, which two of us ate sitting cross-legged on the kitchen floor with platters and bowls swarming around us.
Since then, I've cooked many more turkeys, and other things, too. Like I said, I've got versatility. Yo.
I've cooked for my family for years, and for a dozen or more people at a time. But, what I have never done, is cook in a restaurant. I am so excited to move to this next phase in my culinary life. I love cooking. I love feeding other people my food. I love the crew that I'm going to be working with.
If you're in the area, we're opening soon! The Fork & Spoon Diner, 119A Hanover St, Manchester, NH.
Like us here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/fork-spoon-diner#!/pages/Fork-Spoon-Diner/427011570718017?fref=ts
I am just bursting with happiness and wonder over the potential in my life right now. There have been set backs, I have felt down here and there, but what amazes me is the capacity within myself to bounce back. The potential in all of us to expand and develop and rise to challenging occasions.
When I look back over the past few years of my life, at this woven tapestry that is me, I am struck by the unexpected beauty of it. Even those moments that I thought were hardest, the most trying -- in looking back, I realize that those are the most intricately woven sections. The twists and turns in the pattern create strength and boldness in the overall design. If there are shadowed sections, how much brighter they make the positive space. The imperfections lend character, originality, and strength to the embroidery. It is not machine-woven. It's 100% handmade. It is uneven in places, there may be a thread or two waiting to be woven back into the whole. But overall, it's looking beautiful. And looking forward from here, all I can see is boundless possibilities for the future sections.
So, this is me. Keepin' on keepin' on. Living life and reminding myself each day of how much I have. Of how much beauty exists in the world, and what an enormous portion I get to experience in my life each day.
all love,
nik*
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