So, I begin again.

I feel the urge to write again. It's been slowly simmering inside me and on the top of my mind for awhile. Now, it just feels like the right time.

I've been struggled with where to continue my blogging journey and it has kept me from writing all together. Do I write for others? Do I write for myself? I am sad to say I lost my purpose for writing The Plain Side and quit writing for far too long. Ultimately, I love writing so I just need to write.

I'm done with the excuses. I'm ready to dive back in. I am ready to feel the goodness I feel when I write out my thoughts and tell the story that is mine.

So, I begin again. 

Apartment Life is our life once, again. Some days I feel the walls are closing in on me. Other days I am happy I don't have to walk a mile to get from one side of the house to the next. The upsides to apartment living outweigh the downsides. We're living in Grand Haven again, we're closer to family. School, work, the beach, the park are just a few minutes away. Bills are more affordable and there's a pool we don't have to maintain. Most of our windows look out into the woods, which reminds me of growing up and makes me feel more at home.

Ryan and I recently celebrated 7 years of marriage with a trip to Traverse City: our favorite getaway spot.  I can confidently say we're still totally in love. We're working towards goals and through little bumps along the way we continue to learn with each other.

Edee is 6. How is my little baby 6 years old? I blame time. It's inevitable that it will shock you and amaze you. Gone are the days of Backyardigans and cuddles on the couch. She now loves playing Minecraft, watching Captain Underpants and drawing cat-icorn girls. Edee is creative, adventurous and soaring through Kindergarten. She struggled to get along with others for awhile there but has grown a lot in that area in the last few weeks. Her little voice sounds so grown up when she uses big words in the right context. She still has a way of amazing me every day.

Maddi just turned 14. She's as tall as I am and wears her hair long, like the majority of the girls in her class. She's still our softball star and enjoys basketball too. She is carrying on that love for sports that runs deep in both her parents. She's into painting and is good at that too. Now I just have to get her to believe that.

I suppose I should mentioned I am fully immersed in my little crochet business. Michigan Made stores are loving my Michigan cup cozies. My sister and I make them as fast as we can. My inspiration to create something new is still as strong as ever. If I am not creating something yarn related it's graphic design related.

This is us in a nutshell. This first of the year brought car troubles and a record number of snow days so it was a rocky start. I am confident it's turning around and will be a successful year.

Keep Loving.