Breathe and (Blog) Reboot

Last post was........SIX MONTHS AGO?!

How is that I created a life in which I have no time to blog and even when I do have time I'm so exhausted that I don't want to blog?

Unacceptable.

Life has this way of throwing very fast curveballs; one after the other. The past six months have been far from normal (took 45 teenagers to Europe, my grandmother died, job situation changed) but it finally hit me that you MAKE time for the things that matter. And if your life situation is one that drains instead of drives then you have no choice but to make a choice.

This coming school year, I'm going from a part-time job plus a full-time job (with benefits) to two part-time jobs with no benefits. But for once I'm not worried. I will be teaching what I love and the pay cut will force me to be frugal and enjoy simple pleasures instead of going on shopping sprees to dull the pain from an over-scheduled life.

The road ahead will be rough. Old habits die hard. I love shopping. I love clothes. I'm full of rationals, justifications, excuses, and denials. But I also love making music. Reading. Brewing the perfect cup of tea. Catching up with friends. Evening runs with the Blue Ridge Mountains for a backdrop. BLOGGING.

Turning 30 put a new fire under my feet. No more time to waste. There is work to be done and fun to be had! Time to turn my focus from money and things to music and people. Thanks to you for  reading....it's a simple and powerful way to keep me accountable. More specific details regarding my plans to simplify life coming soon.

For now, time to breathe and reboot! (I think that looks a little something like this.......)

 Kayaking on the James River with my good friend, Megan.

The view of the James River from my grandparents' house.

2014 in Review

Today I scrolled through hundreds of pictures, reviewing the past twelve months of memories. First of all, where did the time go? Did we really experience this much in just one year? Second of all, I'm amazed at how many more pictures I take with a phone/digital camera versus "old" cameras with actual film. We didn't waste any shots back then and now we click and click like we've got no memory bank.

Anyway....here is the year in review. I cannot believe how much went down. What a stressful, yet wonderful transformative year. Let's begin with New Year's Day. SNOW! Winter 2014 brought more snow than usual, which was just fine with me.

Next stop....my 29th birthday in March. That month was so stressful I didn't even want a birthday. But then my mom arranged for some of my closest friends to be present and it turned out to be a perfect day.

Shortly after, I took 40 high school musicians to New York City for a music tour. Here my cousin and I pose outside the Majestic Theater after seeing Phantom. Last time I saw this production I was also on a high school music tour....as a 10th grader. :-)

Next came my graduation from James Madison University. I now have my Masters of Music in Music Education. It was a long, hard road but I am so glad I took the plunge. The cherry on top was having three generations together for Commencement. My grandmother went in the hospital over the holidays which makes this moment and this picture even more special to me right now. She was so proud to be able to attend and wear purple. (Go Dukes!)

My dad and I finally bought kayaks! My grandmother already had canoes at her house so now our whole family can enjoy time on the water. Here I am kayaking with a friend from elementary school I reconnected with over the summer.

As summer flew by, the long anticipated west coast/cross country adventure arrived. What a trip. One of the best days was the one my brother and I spent in San Francisco. How I miss that gorgeous place and the lovely family members who gave us the grand tour.

Along came autumn. From visiting the Edgar Allan Poe museum in Richmond, Virginia to hammocking in the Blue Ridge Mountains it was full of new experiences.

And here we are. Can't think of a better way to end the year than being at home with these buffoons (aka my brothers).

Goodbye, Fourteen! Thank you for teaching me how important family and friends are, that down time is crucial to efficiency in the work place, and how travel is the best way to hit the internal reset button. Perhaps the most important thing I learned in 2014 is best articulated by Christopher Robin speaking to Winnie the Pooh.

"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you imagine, and smarter than you think."

Frugal Fifteen

I can hardly believe it is the new year already. This winter break has been a whirlwind (more on that in a later post), but I was determined to get my list out. There are a lot of changes I need to make in my life but for once I'm excited by the challenges ahead. 2014 was full of unexpected twists and turns but it pushed me to grow in ways I never imagined. It made me believe real, honest change is actually possible. On that note, here are my top seven New Year's Resolutions.

1) Pay off ALL credit card debt.

2) In order to pay off debt......NO new clothes. Thrift stores only and even then I'll have a very small budget. Specifics in a later post.

3) Read 30 books because I haven't read for fun since before grad school AND.....I turn 30 this year!

4) Less screen time. (Hi, my name is Kelly and I'm addicted to my phone.)

5) Take better care of my body: specifically stretching and strengthening my back, cutting way back on sugar, and getting sufficient sleep.

6) Practice violin at least 1 hour a week. When I became a music teacher I stopped practicing my instrument. My dream has always been to teach AND perform but teaching quickly took over my life. One hour will sound puny to my musician friends and by our standards it is puny. But it symbolizes a very big step towards my dream of splitting my time between the classroom and the stage.

7) Give more to others. Whether it's in the form of a listening ear, a helping hand, or a handwritten note, I want to be less selfish, less whiny, and more giving.

Tonight I declare that the year 2015 shall now be referred to as "Frugal Fifteen" (aka #frugalfifteen). Join me as I take on a year of super saving, coupon clipping, simple living, letter writing, book reading, violin practicing, yoga stretching, clothes shopping, and teeth gnashing. Like I said.....it will be an adjustment. Know that I appreciate YOU helping keep me accountable just by reading this blog.

Cheers!

Still & Thankful

This snowstorm could not have come at a better time. First snow of the winter season and it's Thanksgiving! I am very particular about what constitutes the perfect snowfall. This time around was pretty much perfect. It snowed goose feathers all day Wednesday and was the kind of snow that sticks to every branch of every tree. Then on Thanksgiving it stayed foggy and overcast, maintaining a sense of mystery fit for Sherlock Holmes. This picture was from my walk on Thanksgiving morning.

On Friday the sun came out and we took our Thanksgiving guests up to the mountains and into Shenandoah National Park. In the valley the sun was melting the snow off the trees, but up above on the mountain it was still like Narnia.

We timed our trip so we could watch the sunset and it was one of the most spectacular sunsets we have ever witnessed. We parked at an overlook so we could see the sunset and the valley below. Here are snapshots of the sunset, reduced to 4 stages. (No filter, no retouching.)

I started Instagramming the sunset but then something made me put the phone down and just watch. It was almost unreal, the way the light kept shifting, painting the sky in a magnificent array of colors from Sedona red to Indigo blue. Such a beautiful, relaxing evening that was the cherry on top of a lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends.

And yet throughout this vacation.....my mind races. Deadlines loom and my to-do list keeps growing. I have papers to grade and parents to email. Christmas is the busiest, craziest time of year for musicians and as a result Thanksgiving has unfortunately come to represent the calm before the storm. This poses the question: how do you relax when you know there is so much to be done??

I've been thinking quite a bit about this dilemma lately. Life will never get easier. It might improve with more everyday conveniences (that of course come with more money) but we live in a world of stress, pain, suffering, and eventual death. Somehow I convinced myself that if I could just finish my masters, get out of debt, find a better job, meet the perfect guy....I will have arrived, be complete, and not have to deal with anymore than the everyday difficulties such as the common cold or flat tire.

(I can hear life laughing at me with great amusement even as I type this.)

And so I am slowly learning that the key to life is to be present and enjoy what is good in this moment. Deadlines, responsibilities, emails, and voicemails be damned......I will find joy in this moment. When I take a walk through falling snow I won't think about what could make this moment more perfect. When I'm sitting at home with my family, hot drinks in hand, listening to the crackle of a roaring fire, I won't focus on my bad hair day or intestinal troubles. I will smile and find joy in just being together. How sad that everyday chaos has wormed its way so deep into our minds that being still feels like more work than updating Facebook.

All I want this day (for myself and anyone reading) is to be still and be thankful.

Still Life: Autumn Edition

Remember that "grass is always greener" syndrome I spoke of in my first blog post? It seems to come out more when I'm scrolling through other people's blogs and Instagrams. Everyone's lives look stress-free and squeaky-clean. The most ordinary of objects and situations, from a cup of coffee to lunch to autumn leaves fallen on pavement, look so glamorous. Somehow I have decided that their lives are perfect and beautiful. Why can't mine look like a magazine?!

Then I started taking still life pictures and realized that through a camera lens, everything does look glamorous. By focusing on the positive and avoiding the negative, a certain picture (pun intended) rises to the surface. While this can create an unhealthy rose-colored-glasses impression of one's life-as happened to me initially-I believe it can be spun to appreciate what we do have and look at it in a new way.

Exhibit A: My house. Scored these salt shakers for $3 a set at Wal-Mart. Using them on my mantle.

This is my hot drink station. For Halloween, I bust out my Jack 'o Lantern and Poe items.

Last year I started hanging a star light in my kitchen window. Best. Idea. Ever.

I've been experimenting with color on my dining room table. Scored this table cloth from a thrift store, the table runner from Wal-Mart, and candle stand from TJ Maxx.

Even breakfast looks more glamorous through a camera lens!

Pumpkins from the local pumpkin patch. Gloves and mug from Target.

Simple mums and gourds make the best decorations.

Clean Slate

It's the first day of fall and the weather is on point. That crisp bite in the air bringing reprieve from sweaty summer days. (I love summer but I love boots and hot beverages more.) New Year's Day may look good on paper but in my head, new beginnings coincide with the start of Autumn.

By the way, Autumn in Virginia is spectacular.

Speaking of new beginnings......welcome to my newly carved out hole in the wall! I am both excited and nervous to start another blog. I tried blogging about healthy eating, music, and then fashion but remained unsatisfied, wanting a place where I could throw it all down and then some.

This past year (2014) brought some pretty hefty changes to my life. And through it all something within me snapped. It all happened rather fast and a two week west coast/cross country road trip with my brother (more on that soon) was the final step in clearing my head and setting me straight. I was tired of being the "green is always greener" and "if only" girl. Tired of spending money on unnecessary trinkets in hopes that I'll feel happier. Tired of being a selfish victim of the circumstances in my life.  Just. Plain. Tired.

So here I am, crawling out of the pit of self misery and ready to focus on watering my own grass before I set out to conquer other pastures. My family can attest that my first born, always-right, perfectionist, conclusion-jumping self has its moments but I am working harder than ever to identify those moments and tell them to get lost.

Thanks for reading. Here's to the first day of glorious Autumn and a clean slate.

Regarding "Kelly's Cadence." Kelly is my name (duh) and Cadence refers to either rhythm or the closing of a musical phrase. I'm a musician craving more rhythm, closure, and rest in my life so this seems pretty fitting.