The Meandering Thoughts of Jan

I came across this quote on the social medias today and I have been thinking about it all day. I actually sent it to a couple of my friends who exemplify this type of friendship in my life. I could have sent it to more.  This is the type of woman I aim to be. I, sadly, haven't always been a friend like in this quote. There are times when cattiness and gossip have leaked their way in, particularly in my younger years. But it is something I am more cognitive of as I have gotten older. I have been on the other side of gossip. I have overheard or had rumors make their way back to me of something hurtful a friend has said about me when I thought they were a safe person. It is painful and feels like emotional whiplash. I've learned lessons on both sides. The main lesson is how can I be a safe person for someone else and how do I find those safe friendships?  Back in high school, I was lamenting to my mom one afternoon about my lack of dating. I could probably count the dates I was a...

  The sweet gift my husband made me for Valentine's. I love it! Yesterday was the Day of Love. Some people hate it. Some people love it. Some people have weird expectations around it. I've come to love Valentine's Day and this was long before I got married. I spent many years in my 20s without a significant other on Valentine's. However, that experience taught me to look outside of our culture's hyperfocus on romantic love and appreciate the other types of love in my life: Good friends, family, and working on my own self-love. I would get my roommates as well as myself valentines gifts back then. I've been known to still buy myself flowers when I feel like it.  This year was an interesting Valentine's because my husband and I are exhausted. It happens when parenting young children, plus the heaviness that life sometimes brings. In all honesty, I did more for our kids to celebrate Valentine's than my own husband. We tend to make this day a family event. H...

 I've never considered myself a crier. Ok, that's not true. From ages 5 - 8, I left the dinner table almost every night in tears. There is a certain older brother who I can point a finger at who may have been the reason for those tears. However, this older brother is really nice now and has been forgiven for the past and the mean things he says now are really funny, so he shall remain nameless. (Unless he makes me cry again...) However, I don't remember crying much as a preteen, teen, or in my 20's. Then I had children and now I am a crying mess. Tears all the time! Add pregnancy hormones and we might as well buy stock in Kleenex since I am their number one buyer. Since I enjoy embarrassing myself, here are some instances that I have cried this week. (We are only on Thursday, so there is still time to add more.) A lovely quote at church . This isn't that weird. I'm a Sunday School teacher for my church congregation and I held it together through the whole lesson...

 I took my youngest, soon-to-be middle child, to the Curiosity Museum yesterday. This is huge. With his mom (me) in the woes of morning sickness aka all-day sickness/pregnancy tiredness for a long time now, he has had to resign himself to morning shows, playdough, and ruling the house. I mean, it's not all bad. He pretty much eats and does whatever he wants. However, I decided we needed to do something, get out, be normal! I asked him where he wanted to go and he told me the Curiosity Museum, so that's where we went.  As I walked up to the check-in desk to show my pass, the nice young man behind the desk said, "I like your hair." It has been a long time since a guy in his early 20's told me he liked my hair. I mean, I like my hair. I like being a redhead and I have learned to appreciate its curliness. My hair is also getting more white hairs amid the red. (Fun fact: Redheads don't go gray because we don't have the pigment to do so. We go white!) Anyway, I ...

I woke up this morning missing my blog. My very early 2000's blog. I had one called The Life of Jannifer during my 20's/single years. Then I had this one from 2010 - 2015 during my early married years. Then I have a website janniferwood.com where I tried to show I'm a serious writer. I still have that website and I'm still trying to show that I'm a serious writer. However, I missed my place of silliness, this little blog. Or I miss being younger, one of the two. Why not post after 7 years?  Also, I find the title of this blog funny because there are a select few people in my life who call me Jan. Most of them are family members or old friends. The even rarer is Janni, which is reserved for some of my nephews and a few other loved ones. My given name, Jannifer, is usually what I go by, but this also tends to be the most confusing for some reason. That whole A and not E throws people. So, I'll stick with Jan on this one.