Cast of characters

So that you know who I am talking about.....

There's me, bellacola. I'm the main character in this little saga. I'm a high school biology teacher with a PhD in Evolutionary Biology (yeah, I know). I have a little boy, P, who I'll talk more about in a bit. I'm married to J, who will also get a nod here. My current ambitions are to become a homeschooling SAH mom to at least two kids and become a yoga teacher. I'm one of those people who does not have a set direction: I change my mind about what I want to do at least once a day, more if I'm bored. I have finally come to accept myself in a world full of people who ask 5 year olds what their life's ambition is (I'm guilt of it, too, I admit!). If you had asked me a year ago what my ambitions were, I would have told you that I wanted to defend my dissertation and become a high school teacher. Well, blammo! I got those crossed off my list, and now I'm ready to move on! I like to think of myself as an adventurer, someone always ready to grab life by the horns. I may be completely delusional, though.

P is my son. He's nearly 4 and just cute as a button. He's also pretty hilarious, and will dance on command, which is wonderfully entertaining. I spend a lot of my time kissing him, since I know there will be a day when he does not like it when I snuggle his hair and kiss him all over. Boo-hoo! He's the kid I hope to homeschool in a year or so.

J is my husband. He's currently a "high powered executive" which means that while he is technically the boss at his job, he's basically the guy cleaning up ALL the messes. He works a lot, but he seems to dig his job a bunch, and I'm hoping that it will one day support my desire to loaf about the house in nigh but an apron and a smile (ok, realistically, baby puke stained sweats and a sleep-deprived grin, but it still sounds more appealing that work attire). We've had our ups and downs and are currently not living together, but we should be again this summer.

The animals: we have a dog and four cats (two at each household). They are annoying and seem to constantly make messes. They may make occasional appearances.

Friends and relatives: well, we are a pretty simple bunch without any close living relatives (I essentially don't have any relatives, making for little drama, but few Christmas presents and fights over the drumstick at Thanksgiving, as well) or very many friends. When the friends and relatives to pop into the saga, I'll be sure to protect their privacy with badly disguised versions of them.

Now you have a little primer on the crazy 'cola household(s). Back to your original program!

So what gives with the name?

About the name: Well, you know how some people will read the last page of a book first, to try to predict what is going to happen? I've always disliked those people, even while fighting the urge to do it myself. I want to enjoy the journey, yet I'd still like a glimpse of the nature of the future: Gentle or harsh, loving or unyielding?

I've realized that we already KNOW the answer to this big puzzle (and it's a happy ending!) but it's the JOURNEY we are unsure of. So, the temptation to "peek" at the end (by worrying, overthinking, and nagging) are fruitless, since I can't know the journey till I walk it and I already know the end is full of soft fluffy pillows and piles of gushy Ambrosia salad. ;)

This blog is going to help remind me that I don't need to look at the last page first. I need to look at the page I am on today.

Love,
bella

Welcome!

To my *mumble, mumble* attempt at starting a blog. Sigh, you say, How long will THIS one last? Well, I don't know, but that's half of the fun of reading, right? Will it still be there tomorrow? Will she EVER update again?

Oh, burning questions. Makes life interesting, yes?

In this blog, I am going to chronicle the events of 2009 that lead me to my goals.....numerous and poetic all, but they mostly fall under one of two umbrellas: Losing Weight, Saving Money. So, that's what I am after: I want to be healthy again and not feel so icky and I want to pay off some of this darn debt already!

My big plans include trying to conceive (eep!) a baby this summer, paving the way towards being a radical, homeschooling mama who rocks, and having a relationship worth fighting for (you'll be happy to know that it's there right now, but I don't know how wide a platform it's on. My goal is to build that platform so it can't fall off!).

So, stay with me as I slog and jog towards all that I desire, as I'm sure some of the falls along the way will be quite spectacular (but with no lasting damage, I hope!).

Love,
bella