When I started this blog 2 years ago, (wow can’t believe it’s been so long!!) I wasn’t too concerned about a name.  Not knowing much about blogging, what I wanted the space to be, and figuring that me, myself, and I would be the only ones reading it… I decided to name it exactly what it was, “New to me.”   I knew that was pretty boring, and since I was a French minor and well, everything sounds better in French (right?) I called my space Nouvelle a Moi. Plain and simple.  And then there was my description…

“In some ways I compare my new stage in life to arriving on Pandora in the movie Avatar (I’m not as dorky as this makes me sound, I swear).  It is a beautiful place, full of beautiful amazing things- and yet there are aspects of it that are frightening, and almost everything about it is new.  This blog is a way to help me figure out what this new place looks like- I have no idea what to expect, but plan to enjoy as much as I can.” 

Go ahead and giggle at me.  Reading that, I’m laughing right along with you.  As you might be able to tell, I had a slight obsession with Avatar.  Seriously, I loved that movie.  And for whatever reason, apparently I felt really connected with it at the time, hah.   

Besides giving myself a little laugh, looking back shows me how far my space has come, and how much I have grown since it’s beginning.  Realizing that my blog was much more than just a random outlet - I decided it was time for a new name.  I wanted it to be more than just what I was feeling at that time in life (Avatar, hello) and instead, be more of an extension of who I am.  I wanted it to be true to me, who I want to be, and what I hope my blog will be.    

Looking for a name that did a good job of that, one that I wanted to be near and dear to my heart, took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.   I’m terrible at naming things and wanted it to be just right.  So, after much thought and many random ideas, lovemin found its way into my heart.

I shared the unveiling with you back when I first named the space, but now that I’ve officially switched over with a new logo and made www.loveminblog.com my home- it feels like time to share the heart behind the name. 

Here’s what lovemin is to me: 

·      a play on the idea of "love, Mindy" – All my blog posts are written from my heart, with love.  I want people to feel loved when they stop by my page

·      a play on my nickname of Min – my name is Mindy, but those close to me often refer to me as Min… meaning I'll get personal and be real with you on my blog.  

·      a play on sounding out the name as "love ‘em in" – as in, ‘love them in’ to the Kingdom. 

This last one is the one that sold me on the name, because it gets to the real heart of the reason that I write.  Let me explain.  I believe that God loves us so much that He sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross and save us from sin through His resurrection.  And I believe that we have a loving God who He wants us to be a part of sharing His story and proclaiming His love with the world so that one day everyone might come to know Him.  That’s a huge part of my heart, and ultimately the reason that I write- that’s the reason I live the way I do- And that’s my goal, to love others into His kingdom.

That is why lovemin is so near and dear to my heart; it is a reminder that just as my life is not all about me, I don’t want this space to be either. It’s about loving others in to His Kingdom.  Having that name smack dab at the top of my blog, in my url, on my business cards and what-have-you, is a good reminder of all that I want this space to be- and of the creator who shows me His love each and every day, even when I don’t deserve it.

Sharing the heart behind lovemin, I hope that you have a greater understanding of who I am, and what you’re going to get when you visit this space.  It is most definitely not going to be perfect, or clean-cut, or all about butterflies and roses, because life is messy and it is hard.  But what you will find is this- words from a girl who writes from her heart, who will get personal and be real with you, and who wants you to leave knowing that you’re loved. 

xoxo

Just as I predicted in my March to-do list, this month has most definitely been crazy!!!! But this month, is particularly special in it's craziness because most of it is due to the celebration of my lovely sister (shown above) who turned 30 last weekend!  In honor of this milestone birthday, she decided to not be overwhelmed by the number but instead turn it into an awesome month in which she would accomplish a bucket list of 30 random items.  I have had the pleasure of accompanying her in checking off some of these items like, going to the Milwaukee Roller derby, having dinner with our relatives, and the latest and greatest adventure- a photo scavenger hunt!  My sister, Steph, has been wanting to do a photo scavenger hunt for YEARS, and so we decided this was the year to do it.  Excited to celebrate my sister in such a fun way, I went to work on planning the event.  

From finding the perfect spot to host the event- at our friend Robert Klemm's restaurant Industri Café, to invites, RSVPs, choosing appetizers to serve, and most importantly, creating the list for the hunt, everything went off without a hitch.  

With a quick meeting at Industri at 2:00, lists and rules were distributed and the teams were off and running.  For the next hour and half, 4 teams of 4 were scattered throughout the city gathering as many photos and videos from the list that they could manage before 4:00.  Walking like ducklings in a row, acting out an earthquake scene, taking a mustache selfie, and even making an attempt at a mechanical bull are just a few of the activities you may have seen had you spotted us out in Milwaukee that day.  Here's just a taste of the craziness and fun that went down last Saturday. 

Taking a nap on a bench or chairs & "I can't believe we all fit in here!"

Team selfie wearing mustaches & another "I can't believe we all fit in here!"

All four teams completing the  "jumping on a bridge" photo with at least 3 people in mid-air

  

In case you can't already tell from these images, let me tell you it was a BLAST.  Finishing as many items as possible and racing back to Industri by 4:00, we gathered for drinks, appetizers and a viewing of the results.  Many laughs were shared as we viewed each team's pictures and videos, and tallied the scores. It was so much fun to see what everyone came up with, and most importantly to see my sister thoroughly enjoying the celebration.  (Not to mention, it was in fact my team that pulled out the win!! woohoo!) 

If you've never done a photo scavenger hunt… I highly recommend it.  It was a great way to get out into our city, be a little crazy, and celebrate with friends.  

Want to plan one?  Here's a few recommendations:

• Set a time limit.  This keeps it from getting too long, anyone from getting bored, and brings the group back together.
• Make a list with both photos and videos.  The videos were pretty fun to watch.
• Mix in some location specific assignments.  It was fun to have a chance to be explore Milwaukee, and also run into the other teams at different points through the hunt.  (Note: We used cars for our hunt.  That way we had more flexibility to be all over the city.)
• View the photos/videos as a group!!!! What's the point of capturing the images if no one else will see them?? This was a highlight.

Need some more ideas?  Here's the list that I came up with.  It's a mix of ideas from my own head, as well as others that I found online.  If you happen to love it, feel free to use it!  Then tell me how it went, I'd love to hear about it.  

I am so glad that my sister put this item on her birthday bucket list - it was a highlight of my month, and an activity I look forward to planning again in the future. 

Thanks for tagging along- now go plan your own hunt!! 

xoxo

P.S. if you've never been to Industri, you have got to check it out.  Bacon wrapped water chestnuts, lobster hush puppies, homemade kettle chips, and the most delicious meat balls (that I may or may not have had 6+ of), were the AMAZING appetizers that everyone at the party was raving about.  Don't delay, head on over.]   

I seriously feel like I can't keep up with life lately.  I swear that just yesterday I was posting my February To-do list, and yet here we are in the first week of March.  Yikes.  Yesterday I was feeling so overwhelmed by all the things I needed wanted to accomplish by the end of the day that instead of doing them I decided it would be a perfectly good day to crawl back into bed in the afternoon, catch up on a few episodes on Netflix, and just rest.  That's exactly what I wish time would do- realize that it's been racing around like a crazy person and take a breather and just slow down!! Wouldn't that be amazing?

As a result of life seeming to race by lately, I have to admit that I did a terrible job on my to-do list from February.  Here's how it panned out.

•               find an area rug for the living room  I'd like to partially cross off the first item because I did in fact find an area rug that I love… just haven't been able to purchase it yet.  I found it here, online at West Elm.  I absolutely love it, (not so much the price tag) but I need to make a trip to the Chicago area to look at it in person. 

•               rid Finn of his itchy mites (I hope I hope) Yay!  We had the last Lime Sulfur dip for Finn at the Humane Society last week!  Praying that the last bath did the trick and that the mites are gone for good.  

•               do something FUN!!!!! My husband and I had the pleasure of attending an Oscar Gala!!! We went to it last year (I wrote about it here) and it was soo great.  Getting dressed up, walking down a red carpet, getting a few photos snapped, and watching the Oscars while enjoying a delicious meal? Umm yes please! This is technically not in February but since it happened before I wrote the March goals list, I am counting it. hah. 

•               celebrate my hubby - plan a date Life is so busy- I feel like my husband and I never see each other.  This is a must-do in the near future.

•               read The Fault in Our Stars Suuuuper good book.  Also super sad.  Definitely recommend it.  I also read Wool by Hugh Howey - I could take or leave that one.  

•               work out weekly (at least once a week in addition to volleyball)

•               get into a daily rhythm of reading the Bible

The last two on the list are ones that I am still working on but didn't quite get where I wanted to this month.  I am discovering more and more the importance for me to work out regularly, not just because it's a good thing to do but because I really need to have toned muscles that can support my efforts to having good posture.  And as far as reading the bible everyday, I tried really hard at the beginning of the month and it was going well!  And then I fell off the track or something and it just went downhill.  This will forever be on my to-do list.

I'm calling my March To-do list post March Madness because that's what I feel like this month is going to be like.  My days are planned out basically all the way through the end of the month.  I'm pretty sure I will be coming back to write the April post and be saying something very similar to how I started out today's.  Oh well, such is life.  I shall strap in and hang on for the ride.  Here's what I'm shooting for this month.

•               go look at (and hopefully) buy the area rug from West Elm

•               celebrate my sister's big 30 with all sorts of fun all month - I have to pause and tell you about this one.  My sister is turning 30 this month and she has decided to do something awesome to celebrate her special year.  She is doing a "birthday bucket list" made up of 30 items that she will complete during her birthday month!  The items range from trying a new class at the gym to, going to a roller derby, to having a photo scavenger hunt- lots of random fun to be had.  I think it's such a brilliant idea and I'm blessed to be able to tag along for a lot of it :)

•               eat breakfast every day 

•               read 2 books 

•               try a Yoga class 

•               work on project for dad's work 

Thanks for tagging along for the ride with me again this month!  Have some goals you want to accomplish?  Join me and link up with The Tiny Twig.  Cheers to making March awesome.

xoxo