2011 was the year of…
a new blog
a new beginning
rekindling an old love
bringing all of that together in one place
As you’ve probably noticed there is less of client work here and more of what makes familyness…well…familyness! 🙂
Years ago I wanted to be a family and marriage therapist.
Except for that one part…the part where people are mean to each other and do things to one another that people who love each other shouldn’t do. That’s the part that I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave at the office. I would carry it around and worry about those relationships. Those people. It would follow me home.
It was then that I discovered a professor who studied what made happy families: happy!
I was going to go study and get my Masters with him. Instead, Mike and I, followed a job to another town. We decided to start our own family and hoped that we’d be good at building a happy one.
We’ve had an incredibly happy life. One that fairy tales would be jealous of…
We’ve definitely had our difficulties, sad times, broke times, stretched too thin times, late nights, babies that seemed to never stop crying, deep discussions, regrets over decisions we’ve made together…you know what I’m talking about…but through it all we’ve remembered each other.
If we were going to go through this stuff…it was one another that we’d want to go through it all with.
(sometimes that’s easy to forget)
I’ve wanted other people to feel that fun, happy, excited zest for family life and marriage that we’ve felt.
And also share the little reminders that whisper in my head when times get to the hard stuff that we’ve all experienced.
I knew that my blog was the place to do it.
I acknowledge that there’s hard stuff out there.
It’s a big bad world. There’s plenty to complain about. Here, though, I’ve decided is the place to see the beauty and laugh at the hard stuff…or some how get a different look at it.
And maybe this blog has ended up being more for me than for anyone else.
Knowing that I want to post something that’s helpful to your family has made me a better mom to my family. I’ve caught myself slowing down more, giving more to my kids and my husband, putting my creativity where it counts…into the people I love the most.
And I’m not talking about doing crafts for crafts’ sake.
I’m talking about doing meaningful things that change the dynamic of your family and my family, things that build memories and create traditions, and give us an opportunity to take advantage of minutes that pass too quickly in our relationships, a way to snatch our families from the crazy expectations that abound, and the time that the world at large tries to sneakily steal away in the daytime, right before our eyes.
With that in mind…here are some of our (you and me) favorite posts of 2011:
An Open Letter to All Valentine’s Day Haters
Thank you, to each of you, for coming along to a Year at the Yellow House.
That you take the time to stop here is important to me.
Everyday when I think about posts I consider your family and my family. I want what’s best and happy and inspiring and meaningful and exciting for your kids and mine, my marriage and yours.
I hope that you feel that when you arrive here.
And I hope, too, that someday, we meet and we talk about you and your familyness.
xoxo,
Davina
 PS!! Stay tuned tomorrow for a poll and a contest!!
3 Comments
Always love your blog! Thanks for sharing so much of your life.
I loved the look back….at 2011. You have a very special family and I always enjoy the things you share here. Can’t wait for the nex 5 weeks to zoom by.
Mom
I love your blog: what I learn about your family, what I can share with others, and how it helps Daddy and me see ways we can strengthen our life. Thank you Davina for who you are and your decision to strengthen your own family and other families through this blog!!!