The New Mom Life

Hello friends! I’m back and I’ll start with a little recap of what’s happened since my last post: I have since gotten married, had a baby, been promoted at work, slowed my LLC down, and became an aunt. It’s been a year of firsts and the biggest adjustment would be the honor of becoming Christopher Hogie’s mom ☺️. I’ve been quiet on here trying to decide what to write and it hit me while I had a brief conversation with another new mom on Instagram. So, today I will be discussing moms and the feeling of love. *Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional these are my thoughts and feelings on my own personal experience.

The Love: When you are pregnant with your first everyone will tell you, ‘it’s love at first sight.’ Of course you believe them! They’re talking about a human growing inside you that is 50% you, 50% your spouse and 100% uniquely them – what is not love!?

Well, what people don’t mention is that the love feels different than the ‘in love,’ love. I would agree it is love at first sight and I loved my son the moment I knew of him but it’s a protective almost, if not, instinctual love. Every mother loves their baby, no question. So, what the heck am I talking about?

As I was reminiscing about when Christopher was born compared to now, 9-months-old, I realized – my love bloomed over time. It was always there at my core like a seed planting its roots during the nightly feedings, diaper changes, and cries. As his lovely personality started to shine through. It rooted on the days that were trying and nights that seemed endless. The love was there and it grew and continues to grow.

I think it was month 3 or 4 when it really hit me. We started to truly understand each other. It was then that my love bloomed and we started to feel understood by each other. We’d play games and he has started sharing his food and toys with my husband and I! I find myself just sitting there at times watching my son in awe of his determination to figure out how to put a cheerio in his mouth or use a toy. I remember my mom telling me that my grandpa Uncie used to say, “I don’t remember my life before my children. I just know there was a time before and then my life began.” How true! I’m only 9 months into this game and It feels like forever and I can’t picture myself without Christopher. As our children grow I can only expect that my love for them will as well.

The Takeaway: I have found that seeking out those who you trust who are mothers are the best resource when I have questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out and if you feel you don’t have anyone please send me a message, I’d gladly be yours!

“When you are looking at a mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.”
Charley Benetto

The Growing Never Ends

The hiatus is over now that I’ve found my groove as a working adult. It’s been a crazy transition figuring out all things adult (and wedding planning). As I’m finding out, the growing up never ends but increases dramatically. We go from care-free college students to full-blown adults in a day. I was not one of the lucky ones who had a job lined up and waiting for me when I graduated. I also wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my degree.

After the excitement of graduating the fear of interviews set in. I knew I needed a job but every description I read I felt unfit for. I was so in my own head.

I applied for a few advertising jobs at ad agencies and made it to the second round interviews with each. I got so nervous for these interviews that I subconsciously sabotaged them. When I got home from the last one I know I had tanked them and all the worry of getting a job and benefits hit me real hard. I just sat in my room and cried until I felt better. Crying is great! I felt one million times better and my head was clear. I felt a tug inside saying it will be alright, you’re enough, I have a plan for you. There was my answer. Stop trying and start feeling. I immediately said a prayer to be open to God’s will for me.

The next day I told my mom that I just have to let go and let God lead and oh man, did He deliver! I was visiting with my mother-in-law, Jacque, and she told me that there was a position open at Touchmark at All Saints, a retirement community that her mother lives in. She thought I would be a good fit there. So I looked up the job and there it was, Life Enrichment for Memory Care, a job that felt so right. I applied, went through a few rounds of interviews and got the job.

I LOVE my job from co-workers to residents it’s the perfect position for this season of my life. I let God lead me and I found my place. Following the path God has is one you would have never envisioned for yourself yet feels completely right. Because I work at Touchmark it has allowed me to create H Media, LLC which is a social media managing company (more on that in the next post). The growing never ends! To those reading this who are entering the working world I’ll leave you with this: Don’t let the worry get you down, trust your gut and you can do anything you put your mind to!

“For I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future”

Paris: Oh La La!

I’m back folks! I’ve been in Europe just over a month and I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. We last left off with the red grapes needing to be harvested. I ‘m happy to announce that they have been successfully picked, pressed and barreled!

Since the red grapes were done Austin and I headed to Paris for four days packed with amazing sites, history, and crepes with speculoos (thank Belgium) and in true Austin fashion we did not skip a beat!

The Arrival: We reached our Airbnb after sundown and as soon as we were settled in Austin and I went for a night run. The first place we stopped at was Notre Dame. It was magnificent all lit up in the misty night sky (see picture below). It went perfectly with the opening song of The Hunchback of Notre Dame – “The Bells of Notre Dame” that instantaneously started in my head as I looked at it. My childhood self would be very proud!

The First Day: We started bright eyed and bushy tailed! We went to Sainte Chappelle and Conciergerie, where they had imprisoned Marie-Antoinette before her trial. It was fascinating to see how each sell was a little different based on how much the imprisoned person could pay. Next, we stopped at Shakespeare & Company which lead to us finding a street that we named, Couscous Alley. It’s a street with multiple couscousries (I think I made that word up) from Indian to Moroccan cuisine and they have a person outside trying to get anyone and everyone to eat at their restaurant. It’s like bartering for food. We decided not to eat there and got THE BEST Gyro I’ve ever had. It was full of fries, thinly cut meat, lettuce, tomato and tahini. It was a delicious!

The First Day Continued: We went to Napoleon’s tomb (it’s HUGE – refer to your right) and the museum of armor. Napoleon’s tomb is quite large and to put his height in perspective he was only an inch taller than me, which is short. The museum was fun to visit because it has one of the largest collections of military art and history in the world. Starting in the Middle Ages. It was so fascinating to see the evolution of it all. I thought of my brother the whole time because he loves history and knows so much about Napoleon and the like. Next, we saw Le Louvre where I got to see the Mona Lisa! I thought of all my art people while I was there (you know who you are), and ended the day on the roof of the arc with a great view of the Eiffel Tower all lit up!

The Second Day: We walked until we dropped and I’m not exaggerating! Today was the day we spent at Versailles. You could stay here for two days and not see it all! We saw the hall of mirrors, Austin ran 10 miles and I got some exploring in at Marie-Antoinette’s gardens. It was so surreal! My childhood friend and I watched that movie quite a bit when it came out and it sparked an intrigue of her life for me and now I got to actually see it! Austin and I did have to resort to pep talks by the end of the day to make it all the way back to the castle through the town to the train station… luckily, we made it! Don’t feel discouraged to go, they offer golf carts to be rented for those who want/need it! *A little information for anyone wanting to go to Versailles from Paris – you need a ticket that’s different from the the one you use one the metro. If you don’t it’s a 35 Euro fine each person.

The Third and Final day: This has been one of my favorite days thus far. Why? It was the day we went to the Eiffel Tower and it was Austin’s 25th Birthday! We started the festivities at a breakfast nook called, Kozy Bosquet. If you are ever in Paris, go there – http://www.kozy.fr! They make fresh orange juice to serve, all the baked goods are made the morning of and always changing with friendly service and a great cup of coffee! It’s with in walking distance of the metro and the Eiffel Tower with decent prices. I got a Caramel Cortado to go and we headed to the Eiffel Tower!

The weather was perfect so we walked up the stairs and the view was worth it. Once we had descended from the tower we made our way to the Musee Marmottan Monet and headed to the Musee de Orsay! The Orsay museum had some paintings that just make you stare in wonder. It was quite an experience and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates art, even if it’s just a little.

The Birthday Dinner: Couscous Alley is where we decided to have dinner for Austin’s birthday. We chose the Moroccan one and they were so happy they sat us by the outside window so people would see us eating and they would come in. The staff was so fun! We shared a pailla, it’s a sweet and savory appetizer and just hits the spot (see picture below)! Then we each had huge plates of food and couscous with a bottle of wine. As we were finishing there were three tourist groups that walked by and people stopped and took pictures of us. They didn’t even try to hide it which, I thought was hilarious. We started posing for them, haha! The waiter came by and gave us yummy mint tea to get us to stay as long as possible. Once we let our tummies settle we decided to go for a walk and find Moulin Rouge. It was so crazy to see it in person! It was a great day with the one I love and I loved celebrating his day!

As always, thanks for stopping by and next time I’ll be talking about the apple orchard we are staying at! Let me know if you have any questions about my travels or travel in general – I’ll answer to the best of my ability!

“A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life” – Thomas Jefferson

PS – for those going to travel to Paris get the Paris Museum Pass, it gets you into almost everything and it’s 100% worth it! Just go to the tourism office and ask about it. They will help you! During high tourist season to try to buy them online the day before it will be faster.

The Harvest: Le Pian-sur-Garonne, Chateau La Corne

I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since Austin and I left for France! It’s been such a whirlwind and a great learning experience. We are in the Bordeaux area staying at a vineyard and helping some family friends harvest their grapes! They are such a wonderful couple! We have been given a great place to stay and fed simple yet delicious meals. Now our plan is to stay for a second week as well given that our experience thus far has exceeded our expectations.

The Region: We are in the Sauternes area along the Garonne river. This region is known for a specific mold that grows on the grapes that gives the white wine a perfect balance of sweet flavors, making it the wine of choice for rich nobles before sugar was discovered in the Americas. It’s called “botrytis” or more commonly known as “Noble Rot.” The Noble Rot dehydrates the grape while keeping the sugar levels. The process is quite fascinating and you can read more about it in the link: Noble Rot – Winefolly

Our Hosts: Steve and Diana have been in the wine industry for 25+ years.

The Steve: Hails from Buckinghamshire, England and lived in the US for many years. He worked in sales and marketing at Veuve Clicquot, Pahlmeyer, Bergstrom and more in the US!

The Diana: Reigns from Tucson, AZ and travelled in Up with People, which is how we even knew about them. Diana worked with Robert Mondavi, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Obsidian Ridge (just to name a few) as a national sales director in the US as well!

It is an honor learning from them 😊🍇🍷🥂

Their story: In 2017, they decided that they wanted to have their own vineyard and to make their own wine in France, so they did (super cool)! They have a beautiful property with views of rolling hills, vineyards, sunrises and sunsets. There is a cute little apartment connected to to the Château that they rent out for Airbnb alongside their winemaking. Château la Corne – AirB&B

The harvesting: All of last week we harvested the Semillon grape. Our days (Monday-Saturday) have been filled by picking grapes from 8am – 6pm with a group lunch thrown in there with spectacular food! There are about 5 others who have retired here in the region and like to stay busy by helping with harvest. It’s also a great way to stay social and to interact with fellow neighbors. All of them have been so welcoming to us. Jack is one of the retirees who has been doing this for years and is a complete jokester which makes the picking go by much faster. The materials we need while picking are our hands, clippers and a bucket. The old vineyards here are too narrow to be picked by machines. It’s not easy work but it’s so rewarding! We can see the silver lining at the end of each day.

It’s important to get the Semillon off the vine as soon as possible as Steve and Diana are bio and the Noble Rot is only good for so long. We also needed to be picky (pun intended) and make sure we harvested only the best from the vines! It was so tiring the first few days. Just standing and picking under the hot sun my legs were so exhausted. I hadn’t felt such physical exhaustion since my Up with People days! After day four my body was used to it and it become second nature. It took a total of five days to harvest the white grapes. They have already been pressed and are now in the fermenting phase of their life. It smells amazing! Steve and Diana have been showing and teaching Austin so much about the different ways to ferment and how to do it properly for which kinds of grapes. There’s so much to learn!

The lesson: The most important lesson we have learned from Steve and Diana is that there is always something to learn with wine. There is so much and its ever changing. Noble Rot happened on accident because a nobleman told his harvesters to wait until he got back. It took so long that mold grew on them. They harvested anyway and BOOM! – Noble Rot became a thing.

Now that the white grapes have been harvested we start with the red today!

“In victory you deserve Champagne. In defeat, you need it” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more about our trip!

Summer 2018 is one for the books!

I have always thought it was funny how people think summer is less busy than the school year. In my 23 years of experience I have found the opposite. Summer is full of things from camp, family vacations, weddings and everything in between. This summer has been one amazingly fantastic whirlwind for me and my family!

Whirlwind #1:

The Brother, Paul, got married in Tucson, AZ to my awesome sister-in-law, Leslie! I had never been to Arizona and it was a week full of new sights, hiking with friends and being with family. 10/10 recommend family weddings and everyone should visit Arizona! It’s breathtaking!

Whirlwind #2:

The Fiancé, Austin, on August 11th, asked me to marry him, I said YES! I’m still in shock (a good shock) and so unbelievably happy! I had no idea it was coming and he surprised me at my families lake cabin, which is my favorite place in the world. We were fortunate to be able to celebrate with family the whole weekend. It was perfect 🙂 My heart is full!

Whirlwind #3:

The Trip, in May, Austin and I decided we wanted to go France and travel around Europe to visit friends and learn more about viticulture (aka lets go try yummy wine). In order to make this happen, we have been busy working, working, working! Austin was full time at Calico Skies Vineyard and Winery and I worked at the Catholic Community Foundation of Eastern South Dakota, Marie & Marie Bridal and Minnehaha Country Club. It sounds crazy busy but all of my jobs were so great and everyone I worked with was so nice! Somehow, Austin found time to plan our whole 3 month trip to Europe and I can’t believe we leave Sept. 2nd (that means tomorrow). Austin and I will begin our trip in France, and then onto Greece, Morocco, Italy and so many places in between! I will be posting here every week with updates on where we are and what we are up to!

PS – We are only using carry-ons for our 3 months of travel – here’s to hoping I didn’t forget anything 🙂

Needless to say I will NEVER forget summer 2018 “The Whirlwind”

“Travel is never a matter of money but of courage.” – Paolo Coelho

*Stay tuned!! I can’t wait to share our travels with you!!

The Helenisms: part 1

Welcome back! Today is the day I explain what a “Helenism” is. I mentioned this in my first blog post and I promised I would elaborate, so here it is!

The definition:

Helenism- a noun, usually happens when someone (Helen) speaks before they (she) thinks and can happen at any moment.

The example:

My family is not from South Dakota and all of our relatives live far away consequently, my family invites friends over for holidays. One Christmas Eve, when I was 11, we had the Duffin family over. They are the kindest people you will ever meet. They have four kids all around the same ages as my siblings and me. They are high achievers, faith filled, unassuming and all extremely smart. As the festivities continued on we decided to play the newest, hottest game out there, Apples to Apples. We were having a great time laughing, making jokes and then tragedy struck! Something came up that had to do with body odor so I tried to make a joke about antiperspirant deodorant. However, my lovely 11-year-old self (clearly old enough to know what antiperspirant was) called it anti-depressant deodorant… untitled-77

Everyone burst out laughing and I thought it was due to my amazing comedic gift. Oh, boy was I wrong. One of the Duffin kids (he was about 18-years-old) laughed and said “Those must be some pretty happy arm pits,” and the room erupted! As the realization of what I had said sunk in, my face turned bright red and I started perspiring. I wanted to crawl under a rock. I could have really used some of that “anti-depressant” deodorant right then. After giving myself 30 seconds to feel utterly embarrassed I decided to own it and laugh along. That’s why this memory is one of laughter rather than embarrassment.

This tactic comes in clutch on many occasions. Learning to laugh at myself has been an enormous part of my personal growth and becoming who I am today. I’m so thankful I have the ability to see the bright side of these situations!

There you have it, Helenisms: part 1. More to come, stay tuned!

“If love is a treasure, laughter is the key” – Yakov Smirnoff

*Feel free to leave a comment or message me, constructive feedback is great!

Hi, I’m Helen!

Hello friends! Welcome to “The H“. This is where I will be writing about my everyday “Helenisms”, travels, and unique experiences along the way. My inspiration for this first blog stems from being “made fun of” in college by some of my closest friends, who by the way are still some of my closest friends.

The background:

In May of 2013 I graduated high school and took a gap year to travel with the organization Up with People. It was the best decision I could have ever made for myself ( a story for another time). So consequently, I started my college career in the spring semester of 2015. I chose to go to South Dakota State University, SDSU where two of my high school friends went. Naturally, I clung to them for the first few months. My idea of college culture was definitely different from what it actually was. I assumed everyone knew each other and were hanging out. I was worried I was behind on the whole “friends thing” and my extroverted side was pushing me to get out there and meet people. The FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) was real!

The story:

One day I was walking with my high school friend, Jane, and she was laughing and making fun of me because I would smile at everyone and say “Hi, I’m Helen!” I just wanted to make friends and memories. Is that so wrong (cue: hands flying up)? I think not. This habit of introducing myself came from my upbringing as well. My parents always taught me to look people in the eye, smile, shake their hand and clearly state my name (I was/am a mumbler). When Jane would introduce me to her friends she would always die laughing as she watched my arm extend out, smile on my face and hear the words, “Hi, I’m Helen.” It eventually became the root of what my friends call “Helenisms” (there will be more to come) and to this day I still say that same sentence and I have met some of the most interesting and exciting people because of that simple gesture. Thanks Mom and Dad!

The end:

So to you readers, “Hi, I’m Helen (insert smile and handshake)! Until next time.”

Feel free to message me. I love constructive feedback! Let me know if there’s a topic you want to hear more of, let a sister know.

Friends are like four leaf clovers, hard to find, lucky to have. — Anonymous