spilling onto the screen

Life gets busy. And I get overwhelmed. And I have a choice to make. Do I give up this thing that has brought me such solace and community and strength? Or do I forge ahead, letting my brain spill out onto the screen and knowing that anytime I open my heart it helps me grow a little? 

I choose to forge. I cannot promise it will always be meaningful or insightful or witty. But hopefully it will be some of the time. One of my favorite bloggers Adriel started a second blog where she sets a timer every day and writes for five minutes, unedited, until the timer dings and she prints "Publish." I like it. I like the challenge that exists from letting yourself write freely without any constraints, or worrying that you left a post out from some important event. And then you chide yourself for not blogging your birthday, because what kind of blogger doesn't blog about a day entirely devoted to her? And then you put it off for 2 days or 4 days or a week and then 30 other things have happened and you don't know where to start. So I will write about what I feel like. And hopefully my community will still exist. Here is the recap:

I successfully made it through my biggest event of the year. As a fundraiser, it takes all year to plan one night, one night where 420 people all gather together in a room to eat dinner and dance and bid on auction items and donate money. And you hope they love it and are generous and you kind of have one eye half closed all night waiting for it to be over and to see if all those late nights were worth it. They were. $253,000 raised for my nonprofit, 420 happy guests, lots of sleep for Lindsay. 

My brother had his birthday and it was awesome and I love him so much. He also has a cute new girlfriend that we all get to meet this weekend and I am excited to embarrass him and hopefully not be too embarrassed myself. 

Valentine's Day was super fun, as my sister and her husband and my parents all got together, made our best dishes and had the fanciest potluck ever. Crab cakes, steak, lasagna, and on it went. So much better than being rushed out of a $50 fixed price dinner at a restaurant.

Lila refused to wear pants today. It took 15 minutes, two parents, a dancing Grinch doll singing about how wearing pants was fun, and a YouTube video on my phone distracting her to get them successfully on and buttoned. Oh the joys of toddlerhood.

I surprised Brian and whisked him away for a weekend in Asheville all by ourselves. No dogs. No Lila. No Goldfish crackers filling the bottom of purse. It was delightful and I can barely stand to be back to real life today.