What 36 Looks Like For Me

We celebrated my #36 at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Jack wanted them smear whip cream on my face. 🎉🎂#birthdaydinner #mohaus2016

A video posted by Cheree Moore (@mo_haus) on Nov 4, 2016 at 3:31pm PDT

My brother texted me this morning and asked how I felt. Is thirty-six supposed to feel different? "Have I achieved old lady status?" I taunted back.

At 36, here are some things that are true for me right now.

There's a good chance this will all be different five years from now.

1) I don't feel old. I don't feel young either. My back aches when I get up in the mornings, and some weeks I feel like a new ache or pain has come to haunt me (hello back pain after camping for two nights!).

2) I have good friends that span the years ahead of and behind me. I look to the ones slightly ahead for cues on what is coming, and hopefully I encourage those behind. Really, we are all just cheering each other on... hanging on through the difficult times and celebrating the good.

3) I think the biggest thing that has changed since my 20s (besides becoming a mother) is my need for community. What that looks like continues to surprise me.

At some point I had a preconceived notion that I would find my little tribe where we worshiped, or among the other moms at preschool drop-off, or even with people in my neighborhood. And while I have developed good relationships in all of these places, I really found my people at the YMCA. 

It was not a place that I set out to find friends, but it has been the place where my strongest friendships have formed – sweating together in boot camps, and then sharing our struggles and victories on the playground afterward. Who knew that would be a thing in my life?

4) With each passing year, life continues to simultaneously speed up and slow down. 

5) The hard things have become harder, and the good things have become sweeter. 

6) Some aspects of life I feel like I have figured out, while other aspects I thought I had figured out turned out to be completely wrong, and still other things I find myself completely clueless about. I'll know everything by 40, right? 

7) I still think cooking with olive oil and garlic makes any dish better...

8) and Daniel still jokes that if you like a dish I make, you better savor it because it is unlikely that you will see it on the menu again..

9) Coffee still makes my mornings go round – though instead of needing it to get my brain flowing to crank out work at a desk, it is my kids who know that it takes one cup before I will be functional.

10) In terms of personal goals, I was able to check off "complete a triathlon" from my bucket list before I turned 36, but in reality, I have relaxed on trying to actually complete my whole bucket list agenda.

11) The things that make me happiest continue to be experiences I have outdoors with the people I love the most. The photos in this post are my highlight reel for the past year.

I can't wait to see what the coming year has to offer!

Lists From Previous Years: 
27 Random Things (2007) // 25 Things (2009) // 100 Things I would Like to Do In My Lifetime (2010) // Things I am Looking Forward To (2011) // 32 Things (2012) // Thursday Things (2013) // 12 Things (2014) // Thirty-Five (2015)

Thirty Five

Entering my 30s was rough for me. The summer before my 30th birthday I quit a good job, sold a house in another state and was living in a 30-ft camper in a campground. Life was feeling bleak and very much on hold. I felt like there were so many things I had failed to accomplish as I stared 30 in the face, and I was really lonely. 

Five years later, so much has changed. I am in a very different place – literally. We have moved twice in the last five years [Hollywood and Signal Mountain] and we now have two precious boys [Jack and Isaac].

My lower cupboards are full of kid's plates and cups. I find toy cars, swords and dinosaurs in the oddest places. I have an ever-growing pile of kid's artwork that I haven't quite figured out how to deal with. I change poopy diapers on a daily basis, haven't had a good night's sleep in a while, and answer a never-ending string of "why" questions. But I wouldn't change my life for anything.

I didn't cross many new items off of my List of 100 Things to do in my lifetime, but that doesn't bother me. My life is full and, even with the hard moments, my 30s have been my favorite decade. Each passing year is better than the last.

I don't know if the changes in me are because of motherhood, or if it stems from the wisdom you can only gain with age. Perhaps difficult life experiences have helped me embrace where I am today instead of longing for what I don't have. I don't know. At 35 I am no longer looking for the adult in the room, and I don't feel like I have to prove myself to gain validation from others. I don't have regrets, even though there are some things I wish I could do. I am embracing the season of life that I am in.

There are elements of my life that I would change if I could – namely Daniel's long hours and commute time, but we have learned to make the most of a challenging circumstance, and I know that life as it is right now won't stay this way forever. There will be more hardships, but I believe that there are also wonderful days ahead.

Here are Five Things I hope to do before 40 (though, hopefully I will have many more adventures and projects):
1) Participate in a Triathalon
2) Remodel our master suite
3) Take an epic road trip to visit various National Parks
4) Hike 100 miles on the Tour de Mt Blanc in France
5) Take a multi-day paddling trip in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area

I can say without a doubt that I am looking forward to being 35 and all that the coming year holds.

 

Things Lists From Previous Years:

2007 Things // 2009 Things // 2010 Things // 2011 Things // 2012 Things // 2013 Things

// 2014 Things

Lately

Not much has been going on in my neck of the woods lately. We were really busy and then we weren't. Sometimes you just need a break.

It seems that summer camps in the Chattanooga area are a big deal. A really BIG deal. I haven't been able to totally sort out my feelings on this. 

I grew up going to church camp when I was in grade school (for one week each summer to Camp Omagh in Ontario). Then as a teenager I spent many summers attending Wilderness Trek (a backpacking trip in Colorado) with my youth group. I really loved those trips. 

Now I have a toddler and there is pressure to sign up for summer camps. I just don't know. Won't he have as much fun hanging out with me at the pool or Y or whatever Daniel and I decide to do with him on the weekends? Is the summer camp thing really necessary?

Anyways, that is where my head is. I have this belief that if Daniel or I didn't need or do it as kids, then it isn't really a necessity. Just my thoughts right now. Maybe I'll eat my words and sign Jack up for gymnastics next month... who knows.

In other news, Jack got into preschool for the fall. I am really stoked about this. Somehow it makes me feel more like a grown up – I had to call the school for information, visit the school, meet the teachers, ask my questions, fill out an application and then get really excited when I got the call that we were off the waiting list. It is weird that I'm 33+ and this makes me feel like a grown up?

One of the things on my Bucket List is to drive across the country, camping and visiting National Parks. I'm a little jealous that one of the bloggers I follow is doing this with her family. Ashley Ann, her husband and 5 kids are traveling this summer and doing what I dream of doing. I am living vicariously through her blog right now...

In addition, a friend is currently visiting Yellowstone, one of my college professor's just returned from visiting the Badlands, and the parents (of a friend from my high school days) are riding a motorcycle from Arkansas to Alaska as we speak. I am very much enjoying all of their photos on Facebook (and trying not to be too jealous).

On the workout front, I have really been enjoying the boot camp, pump and Pi-Yo classes I have been going to. They give me some time to myself and some days I just need a break from Jack – it's amazing how an hour of doing something that is just for me can make my bad days better. It makes me a better mom. Working out has also helped me work through some of my feelings about my miscarriage. I was bummed, but also a bit angry about the experience. Group exercise has allowed me to work through those feelings in a way I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.

Anyways, that is just a little update on me lately. Boring life, living vicariously through others and working out to get my endorphins going and make me a better person.

Moving

Moving Day was exactly one week ago. I feel like I have been treading water for the last two weeks, trying to stay afloat in the craziness of it all.

We closed on our house last Thursday without too much hassle. 

Since Daniel has been working very long hours and was sick on Valentines weekend, I requested that we have a family date on closing day. Daniel took the day off from work and we started the day with breakfast the BlueGrass Grill in downtown Chattanooga. 

This is one of our favorite breakfast places and eating there in the middle of the week meant no wait. Jack liked it as well – he helped finish off Daniel's stack of strawberry pancakes.

After breakfast, Daniel dropped Jack and I at the Creative Discovery Museum for some playtime while he went to get stuff from one of our two storage sheds. He also had to get our check for closing that afternoon.

Jack had a blast playing. On this particular trip he was most focused on the art room. It's interesting to me that when he went to the museum with Daniel a few weeks ago, they mostly played with the water tables, working the dams and locks. 

This time it was all about drawing and clay – of his own choosing.

When Daniel picked us up, we hurried back up to Signal Mountain to drop Jack at our friend's house. Moving without some kind of support system would be a nightmare (especially with a toddler). We are so thankful for friends and family that have helped us out.

After dropping Jack off, Daniel and I went to the final walk through at our new house. Thankfully everything that we requested to be done had been completed.

While Daniel made sure things were in working order, I did a quick run through and made notes on where I thought furniture should go. Moving into a new house with a new layout takes a lot of mental gymnastics.

Once we were satisfied with the walk through, we headed across town to the actual closing. Closings are kind of weird. You sit face to face with strangers and talk about your finances. At least the seller seemed nice. In a strange twist, the couple we purchased the house from was moving next door to the cottage we have been staying at since the first of January.

As soon as closing was done and we had our keys, we thanked our realtor profusely for letting us drag her to so many houses and then we found a Starbucks. We were both exhausted and felt like celebrating with caffeine. I realized later that night that Daniel and I completely missed lunch.

With coffees in hand, we made a stop at Home Depot for paint... where we had the following experience:

Daniel and I split up. I headed straight for the paint samples while Daniel went to grab other paint related items. While looking at samples, a sales person approached me and asked, "Are YOU GUYS homeowners?" Since I was by myself I ignored the sales guy. He tried again, "What kind of projects are YOU GUYS doing?"

I looked up and realized there was a guy next to me, also looking at paint. Feeling sorry for the sales guy, I made eye contact and said something along the lines of, "Well, for starters, our projects are at different houses."

The sales guy was a bit embarrassed for assuming me and the other guy were together. But not to be deterred, he asked again if either of us were homeowners. The other guy copped out and said, "No." I said, "yes" and waited for the inevitable sales pitch... "You planning on doing a kitchen renovation any time soon?" I had a good answer to this question: "Actually, no. I just bought a house and it has an amazing kitchen!" The sales guy immediately told me, "Congratulations."

At this time Daniel walked up behind me and the sales guy proceeded to say, "Oh, I know about you, you just closed on your house 2 hours ago! Again, congratulations." And he walked off. His comment surprised me because I didn't share that level of detail. It turns out that the guy had already talked to Daniel.

Upon leaving Home Depot and heading back up to Signal Mountain to get Jack, we stopped to pick up pizza to share with our friends. 

Jack had had a wonderful afternoon playing and it was nice that we didn't have to worry about him while we took care of business. We are so thankful to have good friends that live close by that could share our special day with us.

When we finally got back to our rental cottage, Daniel put Jack to bed and I changed clothes and headed over to the new house where I started painting Jack's new room. I wanted to get the walls primed before the movers showed up with our stuff, so I painted until the wee hours of the night.

It has been a trying week as we work to get settled. There are so many boxes to unpack and work to be done, but we are incredibly grateful that we are starting to feel settled in our new-to-us home. I think I am going to mark #79 off my life list (own a cabin in the woods... I think this house basically fits that criteria, though definitely not a log cabin).