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apayne1002
- Dec 14, 2017
- 1 min
12 random facts about me (according to my husband)
The countdown to Christmas is on...12 days until Christmas morning, which means it's time for 12 Days of Blogmas! First up, 12 random things about me... I don’t know about y’all but it’s hard for me to find things to say about myself. So I decided to do an “about me” post with a twist and asked my husband to just spout 12 things about me. Below is what he had to say. SN: We sat at the dinner table and knocked this out in about 7 minutes. This is legit the fastest blog post I’
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apayne1002
- Nov 30, 2017
- 2 min
When things don’t go as planned
Things don’t always go as expected. And what I’ve learned is that some of my greatest lessons have come from a perceived ‘fail.’ At the beginning of November, I wrote about my intent to join #bloglikecrazy, a challenge to publish a blog post every day for 30 days. I made a calendar of topics, planned out my social media strategy, even started a few drafts before November 1. I was ready. Now here we are 30 days later… Did I publish a blog post every day? Uhm, no. Not even clos
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apayne1002
- Nov 27, 2017
- 3 min
Oh hey, progress
The other day Dropbox was harassing me about logging in to an old account before it got deleted. (Rolls eyes). “Let me login to see what I have saved so I don’t lose anything important.” Among a few dozen documents there were also videos and photos, mostly dated from 3-4 years ago. While scrolling through, I came across a video that I recorded the weekend we moved into our new house a few years ago. The walls were bare. The carpet was freshly cleaned. The wooden blinds were n
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apayne1002
- Nov 3, 2017
- 3 min
That time I was a coward
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon. We were in game three of four at a soccer tournament and I was more than ready to get through the final two games. I stood in the grass watching coaches corral their teams for pre-game pump ups and post-game recaps. There was a team gathered nearby waiting to warm up. As two boys stood in line, I overheard one say “What do you call a …” I froze. No way did he say what I think he said. I continued to listen. “How do you make a …” he continued
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apayne1002
- Oct 24, 2017
- 2 min
Reflections of a birthday girl
364 days passed like that! Too fast and furious for my liking. But here I am, celebrating another glorious year on earth. Some years I want nothing more than a quiet dinner at home with hubs and the kiddos. Other years, I want more of a celebration....this year had a celebration vibe. See, my 20s were about everybody else. I became a wife, a mother, and a professional. These were all beautiful, life-changing events that I wouldn't trade for anything. But truth be told, I of
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apayne1002
- Jun 3, 2017
- 3 min
Dear Me, I love you to the moon and back
I remember the first real love letter I wrote to a boy. Not one with check boxes for yes and no if you like me, but a legit we'll-be-together-forever love letter. It was well thought out and had an impressive degree of depth (especially considering my age). I was recently out having wine with a girlfriend and she was telling me about her experience with a life coach. The coach had given her assignments for self-reflection and real-life application, and there was one assignmen
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apayne1002
- May 21, 2017
- 2 min
Why you may not be crushing your to-do list
You go to check your business email, which Google has so considerately organized under the Primary tab, but then you see 17 new notifications on the Social tab. “I’ll just take a quick look.” Click. YouTube tells you some of your favorite gurus have posted new videos, a blogger you follow has a new post, and Facebook tells you Keisha posted a new photo. “I wonder what she’s been up to.” Click. A quick scroll through the comments and you see Tonya Hut posted a comment. “I have
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apayne1002
- May 6, 2017
- 2 min
Home sweet home
There’s something to be said about the comforts of home. I was in my hometown last weekend visiting family and friends. I don’t make it back nearly as often as I could/should, but when I do, I just love being there. There’s a certain comfort and soothing nostalgia that I can’t get in any other city. It rejuvenates me and makes me feel whole. I wish I could bottle it up and keep a secret stash. I’d be lying if I said it was all good, though. I mean, yeah, there’s the joy of
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