New Spaces

Filed Under: 101 Days of Blogging, Inspire, Love, Mompreneur, Our Home, Wellness Tagged With: 101 days of blogging, food photographer, mompreneur, our home

It’s been several months of new spaces for us, and yesterday I entered yet another.

Back in January via my delish 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake recipe, I shared that I was looking for an office studio space. I mentioned,

So today, and last week, and every single day until I find it…..I am officially looking for office studio space – a working environment away from the home where I’m able to have a better balance of “work” time then “home” time because it’s something I have not had for years.

Recently, I shared that I had found my space, but that I wasn’t ready to share it quite yet.

I’m glad I chose to wait because the spot I had picked out ended up not completely working out. Not “completely” because it’s not the spot I wanted, but I’m still working with the same owner, and that was also kind of important to me.

Anyways, my original spot was one large open room. It needed work and a lot of clutter removal. I was totally cool with it, though, because the space itself came with charm.

It didn’t work out, and that’s probably okay because the new office studio space I got is much bigger, perfectly clean and ready to move into (today!), and has everything I’ll need for all pieces to my business (clients, photography, styling, other content creation, designing, copy, and then, of course, this blog + the very limited health coaching I still do, and Beautycounter).

New Spaces

Yesterday I got the keys to the new place. It’s a 2 bedroom apartment, complete with a full kitchen and bathroom, and it even has a dishwasher, which I find to be hilarious because our rental house doesn’t even have that.

I went yesterday just to stand in the apartment and soak up my vision for what I want to do with it, and how I want to fully utilize the full space (if I’m paying for it, might as well use all of it).

It’s hard to imagine if you’re not there, but these pictures give a rough idea of what the place looks empty.

Here is what I’m going to do with it:

The living room: Photography. I love shooting in natural light, and the large window will accommodate that perfectly. That said, because there is just one large window in the room, I can black it out if needed, once I get the appropriate tools to shoot in setups other than natural lighting. A simple table and my shooting gear will live here.
The kitchen: Recipe development, cooking, baking, clean up. I don’t know how I ever thought I might be able to do without a kitchen at my fingertips. The ease of making something and walking 15 steps to shoot it will be priceless. Also, all that cupboard storage for the multiple food shipments I receive on a monthly basis. You can never have enough kitchen space.
Bedroom 1: Props storage. When looking for a place, this was one of the things I was most concerned about. In California, all my props lived in several bins on a huge rack we had in the garage. Over the years I’ve collected so many props, and I use them constantly. It was a pain in California, though, because I’d have to gather from outside, bring in to our house, and then return outside again at the end of the day (even if I had more to do the following day). Again, my props will live 15 steps away from where I’ll shoot. My goal is to have all props organized for super easy pulling, depending on the shoot needs. Also, now I can buy more, and I have a vision for that, too 🙂
Bedroom 2: My office. Yes, my own room and own office. Do you remember seeing this farm table in the kid’s playroom? I might try to make this my office desk. I always knew that once we moved from California, I’d take it for myself, but I wasn’t sure how. I’m hoping it works as my desk. My office will have all the things I need for day-to-day business like an office would have.

There is this little space in the kitchen for a small table. I’m going to get a table of sorts for this space. Why? Because it can be dual-acting: prepared food extras (for when I need to grab ‘n go for styling) and also for when I want to invite someone over for coffee or lunch. Seriously. It’s going to be quiet in there (which is what I’ve needed), but my plan is to make it cute, cozy, and invite-able. New Spaces www.sarahkayhoffman.com Kitchen table area

I am creative, but when new spaces feel cozy and charming, I’m inspired and the creativity runs wild.

Basic. Like any other 2 bedroom apartment in rural Minnesota.

But I finally have a space that’s all mine to separate work and home (and produce, produce, produce!), and I could not be more excited about new spaces. Once it’s all set up (at least structurally, I’m guessing it will constantly be a work in progress), I’ll share what it looks like.

p.s. via a private Studio Spaces Pinterest board, I’ve been saving some ideas, but I’d love yours, too! Do you have your own office space? Where did you find the stuff for it? I’m craving a big, beautiful color wheel, for starters.

p.s.s. Speaking of new spaces, moving into our “new” house is getting closer and closer. I can’t wait to share it with you! In the meantime, I keep adding new ideas to two Pinterest boards you might enjoy: Our New House (I started this one a long time ago, but the recent pins are most relevant) + Kid Rooms (Why do I have only one board for all 3 of our kids? Because I’m not doing any woo-woo “themed” rooms i.e. princesses. I want all their rooms to be a classic, classy, mostly neutral and clean look.)

Xox,
SKH

If you don’t have time to read these posts daily, but don’t want to miss them, be sure to follow via Bloglovin’ and/or join my personal e-newsletter HERE. I am doing my best to send a once per week email recap of prior week’s posts.

These posts will all live under “Wellness+Lifestyle” and also tagged with “101 Days of Blogging.” The 101-day series runs from Monday, January 8, 2018, through Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.

Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts

Sarah Kay Hoffman

You will heal. I will help.

http://childlike-sports.flywheelsites.com

Too Much Stuff

Filed Under: 101 Days of Blogging, Inspire, Love, Our Home, Wellness Tagged With: 101 days of blogging, change, life, our home

We have too much stuff, and it’s driving me insane.

Whenever a major change occurs in life, there are bits and pieces of life that start to surface and you begin seeing things in a whole new light, for better or worse.

For me, too much stuff has been yet another one of these bits and pieces.

When we lived in California, we moved three times. Each time we moved, our house got bigger. I don’t think there is anything wrong with house size.

I love space (I’ve already written about that love for space HERE). Big, wide, open space.

The problem was that each time it got bigger, naturally more stuff was bought and added.

Making the move back to Minnesota meant a huge reduction in space. We have about 1/3 of the space we had in California, and if you think I’m complaining about that, I’m not. Do you want to know a little secret? There is something super cozy about less, and in fact, sometimes I even enjoy it. What the rental house did for me during just the first month was prove that we have way too much stuff.

Too Much Stuff

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Too Much Stuff www.sarahkayhoffman.com declutter 40 bags in 40 days challenge

Last week, I saw one of my besties do an Instagram story that she was participating in the 40 bags in 40 days decluttering challenge. I didn’t know it was called that then, but I sent her a text to inquire. She told me the official name and I looked it up immediately. Duh, surely I needed another challenge on my plate 🙂

Directly from their website, below is a snippet of the challenge.

40 bags in 40 days is a forty day period (coinciding with the 40 days of Lent) where you declutter one area a day. The goal is one bag a day, however you can have more or less. The 2018 Challenge starts February 14 and goes to March 31. Millions of people have read about #40Bagsin40Days and 2018 will be my 8th year hosting the challenge.

Going through our whole home once a year has helped us live a simple life. My husband and I have six young children and after 40 Bags last year, downsized our home by one half to be closer to work and family. The more we have simplified our life, the better it gets. I like how 40 Bags in 40 Days gives my home a refresh. I can see what’s working (and what’s not working), and look at our “stuff” in a new light.

She nailed it, “The more we have simplified our life, the better it gets.”

I thought about those words and about the challenge last night. What if I did the challenge in this house, and then we moved into our new house with space galore? What is that saying about the desire to minimize while ultimately maximizing?

I reverted back to my love and appreciation for space and separated space + stuff because they don’t have to go hand-in-hand and, in fact, should not go hand-in-hand.

I remembered something from a night Ryan, Samarah, and I spent in California when later I’d write about it via, “The More You Take Away the Better it Becomes.”

The Journey from Anxiety to Trust sarahkayhoffman.com The More You Take Away, the Better It Becomes www.agutsygirl.com

Long before now, I craved space, not stuff.

So now, during this life change, it’s time to go through another period of decluttering.

40 Bags in 40 Days

Clearly, I missed the Lent challenge this year. But it doesn’t matter, the concept stays the same no matter when you do it.

When we moved into the rental house, probably half of our stuff went to storage, so I am unable to do a full challenge anyways. That said, this gives me the opportunity to do the challenge two times in one year. (I know, I know, slow down, you’re achieving far too much. Trust me, my husband is going to love this post.)

I am starting the first challenge on Monday, March 12 (saying it here to keep me accountable!). Some days I’ll need to do more than one bag, as I’m traveling a lot for work now, but 40 bags will be done in 40 days.

Once we move into our new house and all the “too much stuff” from storage arrives, I’ll immediately do it again. This should be sometime between October and December. (I’m still holding out telling you about our new house for when the time is right. I am so excited about it – we are so excited about it!)

Do you have too much stuff? Have you ever done a challenge like this?

Xox,
SKH

If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.

Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts

Sarah Kay Hoffman

You will heal. I will help.

http://childlike-sports.flywheelsites.com

There is No Dishwasher

Filed Under: 101 Days of Blogging, Inspire, Love, Our Home, Wellness Tagged With: 101 days of blogging, change, minnesota, our home

Brace yourselves for what I am about to tell you. There is no dishwasher in the rental house we are living in. (My mom isn’t sure I’m going to survive this next year.)

My Junior year of college I lived in a house with all guys. It was a fun year, but man that house was gross and never clean. We had no dishwasher, and I remember always doing everyone else’s dishes – mostly mac ‘n cheese crusted, ketchup-stained plates.

I didn’t like it back then, and I’m not about to rave about doing it now.

If it was just Ryan and me, dishes would pile up quickly, but with three littles, one meal and the entire sink and its surroundings are flooded.

Everyone made comments before we moved in, “Well you know there is no dishwasher, right?” But waiting for the perfect rental house wasn’t really an option because the way this all played out went like this:

We knew, late spring, that we would be moving back to Minnesota, but likely not until February or March of 2018 (maybe sometime in mid-January).
We took our time with almost everything except choosing a realtor to sell our house in California.
We made plans to move to a nearby town (first Mankato, Minnesota and then Owatonna, Minnesota).
After looking at houses in Owatonna, we just didn’t find what we were looking for.
An opportunity for a forever home that had crossed our paths long before now, re-crossed the path. But, the thing was – the house is in Waseca.
After many discussions and thinking about it, both Ryan and I knew the forever home answer deep down.
We decided “Yes” on the forever home and on Waseca where we were both born and raised.
Very soon after I got the news about my dad, and after going home for Thanksgiving I told Ryan, “I don’t care what it takes, I’m going at Christmas time.”
Do the math. One month to find a place to rent while we are in transition waiting for our forever home.

With just one month and limited rental opportunities, being picky wasn’t an option, and being picky about not having a dishwasher was definitely not an option.

There is No Dishwasher

So there’s no dishwasher, and we’re doing a lot of dishes, but you know what I absolutely love about the sink space? The space above it. This is it.

There is a little open-space nook that, when I saw it, immediately reminded me of the farmhouse we stayed at this past summer on our mini-vacation. The one that looked like this.

My open-space nook is much smaller, but I was excited all the same.

Right now, I find myself dwelling on a lot of things, but I also find myself turning most situations into something positive, exciting, and inspiring.

Like this…..where there is no dishwasher, but an overwhelming feeling of “happy” just because of a little farmhouse nook I get to stare at every single time I’m doing the dishes.

It’s not my old kitchen in California, and it’s certainly not my new kitchen in our forever home, but (truth be told) it’s cozy like the traditional kitchen space I adore and having the opportunity to adore it will be short-lived.

Wonder what I placed in the space? I’ll show you soon.

Xox,
SKH

If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.

Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts

Sarah Kay Hoffman

You will heal. I will help.

http://childlike-sports.flywheelsites.com

House and Home

Filed Under: Love, Our Home, Wellness Tagged With: 101 days of blogging, california, change, our home

Yesterday I felt a deep sting in my gut, and with the sting, I kept playing over-and-over in my head the differences between house and home.

It wasn’t that long ago when the sign went up for the first time. Ryan and I both said that day, “Well, now it’s getting real.”

Coming Soon

At night, Ryan and I would box things up and put things into various piles, “Sell, Throw, Donate.” We used Ceci’s room (my favorite room in the house) as the dump area for all the things, which to be honest, I hated, because that last month I was in California, I didn’t get to enjoy the room – at all.

But little-by-little, we began cleaning things out of the house. “Stuff” was reduced, pictures taken down, and then for me, clothes organized so that the movers could just come in and box it up. (And please let me be clear here – Ryan did almost everything else. Everything. I’m not taking my job back here with all three littles lightly, but what he’s been doing is typical of Ryan – above and beyond.)

The morning I left California for good, I went out to our porch to put my shoes on. I sat there for about 5 minutes, one last time. I was trigged to crying like a child. I felt so sad.

I will never forget how we landed upon that house. We knew we had to move because our family was going to grow (just prior to getting Isaiah). But the house we really wanted, fell through. And then, by pure chance and luck, this house popped up.

It was in a community we had only heard of once or twice, but that day, immediately upon driving into it, we were sold. We saw the house, with our porch, and huge open spaces inside and I think it was only a day or two later (maybe even day of), when we put in a bid for it.

For the next 2+ years, we made so many incredible memories there.

And on my last day in California, all of those memories danced through my mind.

I cried as I walked through every room one last time, and cried horribly ugly tears as we drove away.

For Sale

This past Monday the movers came.

Once the house was cleared out, we had it cleaned and then our realtor came, and took pictures.

Yesterday morning, Ryan sent me the link to the house listing.

I have only been able to look at it one time so far because it still doesn’t seem real…..that it’s empty (and clean – ha!), and that for Ryan and I, it has now become a house – no longer a home.

House and Home

I have told people many times since leaving that if we could have taken that house and moved it to Minnesota, we probably would have.

We loved that house, and we made it our home.

But today, today it is no longer a home for Ryan, Samarah, Isaiah, Amiya, Reagan, and I.

Today it is on the market as 1287 Remington Court (for sale). She is ready to be a home for a new family.

We are still getting ready to embrace our next home, and what I will tell you is that we currently have two houses lined up – one of which will be temporary and one permanent – like forever, forever. (When the time is right, I’ll share about both of them. I promise, especially because our forever home has a history so rich I still pinch myself almost daily over it.)

The temporary house will feel more like a house than home, but what Ryan reminds me of all the time is that we will make it our home because home is truly where the heart is and where all the people you love most in the world reside.

It’s why we came back “home” to Minnesota, to Waseca.

And it’s why, despite the sting of letting go of our California home, I do know deep down that that home is now just a house.

It’s just a house.

p.s. The faster our house in California sells, the better because I want Ryan back ASAP. The open house is today and tomorrow from 1-4pm PST. You can find the listing HERE, and if you’re in California and are looking for a home or know someone who is, please pass along the link and/or this post.

Xox,
SKH

If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.

Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts

Sarah Kay Hoffman

You will heal. I will help.

http://childlike-sports.flywheelsites.com

How to Build the Best Home Gym

Filed Under: Inspire, Love, Our Home, Wellness, Workouts Tagged With: fitness, home gym, our home, running, workout

When my online interview with Experience Life magazine comes out, you’ll see how I talk a little about our home gym so before the article releases, I thought I’d share with you how to build the best home gym (or how we did, anyways).

{I also promised to write this post last week when I published, “The Bigness Project.”}

A long time ago, maybe like a year ago, Ryan and I quit our gym memberships and started working out at home. We more or less felt we had to because after Isaiah came, there just wasn’t the time anymore. Before Isaiah, I would usually go to the gym in the mornings and Ryan would go at 5 pm after work. (And before Samarah, we went whenever, for however long, and it rocked.) Neither scenario no longer worked once we got Isaiah, and obviously, life is far more insane now that we have Amiya, too. So we decided to put the pedal to the metal and go all in with building out a home gym, er, garage gym.

In the beginning, we only had a few random dumbbells, a yoga mat, and a stability ball. And guess what? For a couple weeks this was okay because we learned to get creative and also how to do a lot of bodyweight + Tabata Workouts. Handstands, anyone?!

How to Build the Best Home Gym Spartan Training, Week 4 Fitness Weight training sarahkayhoffman.com

But then, we realized that in order to make a home gym truly work for the long haul, we would need to build it (Ryan was going crazy without the ability to lift heavy and in the ways he has been used to his whole life) out much more.

Our garage is fairly, so we chose to put the gym it in the “tandem” portion vs. our guest bedroom inside. And it has worked perfectly for us for many reasons, namely that it’s nice and cool out there (except for in the dead of summer) and we can crank the music early in the morning (even when the babies are sleeping).

And even though it’s not 100% clutter free, it 100% works (but we are working to remove more things from the garage to make it even cleaner). You can get a little idea of what it looks like if you follow me on Instagram because I’m always sharing workouts there. Like yesterday….

Shown: Majorly sped up version of #BignessProject #LegsDay (#quads focus). ????????‍♀️ . . . Not shown: Walking lunges. . . . ???? Bonus shown: a little mid-#Workout dance ???? + stretch because, well, why not?! ✌???? . . . #girlswholift #motivationmonday #fitness #Fitfluential #garageworkout #Homegym #fitnessathome #strength #strengthtraining #hangry #buildingmuscles @reebok @reebokwomen @nikewomen @easportsinsider #Fitmom #motherrunner #fitmoms @fitfluential #iamwellandgood @greatist @experiencelifemag #fitmomsofig

A video posted by Sarah Kay Hoffman (@paleoishmama) on Feb 6, 2017 at 12:28pm PST

So the big question is, “What fitness equipment is in your home gym?”

How to Build the Best Home Gym….

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How to Build the Best Home Gym

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How to Build the Best Home Gym sarahkayhoffman.com Fitness at Home

I studied to be a personal trainer through the NSCA (before Samarah), but never finished the program (I really should), so I know a thing or two about at-home training and having equipment available that can serve a variety of purposes. This is exactly what we’ve done and will continue to do with building out our home gym.

Squat Rack. We have the Pro HR500 Fitness Half Rack, and this was one of the first things we bought. Zero regrets! I love everything about having a squat rack with these pull-up bars attached. A squat rack is very multi-purpose.
Barbell and Plates. The barbell and plates we have did not come with the squat rack. Separately, we got a barbell and 300-pound weight set similar to this. In the beginning, before we had the Bowflex Dumbbells set, I used the barbell and individual plates to do many different random workouts and exercises. (Plate curls anyone?!)
Dumbbells, set. There are many different ones you could choose from. We have the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells (Pair). Each dumbbell goes up to 52.5 pounds, and switching from weight-to-weight is super easy.
Dumbbells, individual. We have some 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, 12’s, and 80’s. Random. I know.
Treadmill. I bought this used, from a friend. It’s one just like THIS. I love it! Do I think everyone needs a treadmill? Probably not, but a treadmill isn’t just to log 10-minute miles, 5 days a week. In fact, I only use it for the mundane if it’s icky outside. Instead, I like to use it for sprinting intervals, hill workout, lunges, and lateral work. (Side note: I also heard TreadLift is a pretty cool program. I have not tried it yet.)
Bench. We have this one, and it’s perfect because it’s adjustable, which I think it kind of necessary if you’re only going to have one bench to start with.
Pull Up Assist Bands. We have the WOD assist bands in black, purple, and red.
Resistance Bands. We have a set of Resistance Loop Bands. The 14-Week Bigness Project I’m currently doing said I’d need some, so I quick grabbed a multitude of bands (for variety).
Resistance Bands with Handles. We also have a set of Resistance Bands with Handles (and ankle straps).
Ab Roller. You don’t need anything fancy. Ours looks like THIS one. Alternatively, you can do ab rollouts with a stability ball.
Stability Ball. Our stability ball isn’t even “pretty.” It’s THIS one, but I think I use it, on average 1-2 times per week. Bonus: You can sit on this at your desk if you’re into that sort of thing.
Yoga Mat. If you want to do yoga at home, then you’ll absolutely need this. We don’t do yoga at home, but use ours for floor core work, stretching, and other things like that.
Kettlebell. Yes, we have just one currently, it’s a 35 lb Kettlebell.
Epic Bars. Ha…..this one is totally optional, but I can’t do gym without my Epic Bars so I quickly ordered a 12-pack of the Bison Epic Bars on Amazon. Obv.

The reason this post is called “How to Build the Best Home Gym” is not to tell you that our current gym is the best, but that we’re working on it.

I believe that in order to build the best home gym, you must have the basics (squat rack, dumbbells, bench), but you must also have an assortment of things so that you’re able to hit muscles in a variety of ways while also never getting bored or staying complacent for too long.

How to Build the Perfect Home Gym 24+ Things for Building the Perfect Home Gym sarahkayhoffman.com

That said, here are the things we still need (some sooner rather than later):

Boxes. If we feel like putting them together, we’ll grab these boxes. Otherwise, the standard will be just fine.
(Edited: Bought this.) Jump Rope. I’m really picky with my jump ropes, but I think I’ve decided on this one.
(Edited: Bought the PROCIRCLE.) Foam Roller. We have one, but it’s very average. I’d love a TriggerPoint GRID (or PROCIRCLE), and I think that anyone who lifts a lot or works out in general should have something that digs in a little more like these. Otherwise, a nice variety of sizes like THESE would work well, too.
More Kettlebells. I need to start practicing the Turkish Get-Ups, but beyond them, there are so many things you can do with Kettlebells (I am addicted to Kettlebell swings). I love THIS brand of Kettle, so we just need to get weights 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60.
(Edited: We bought this TRX Training Kit. Love it!) TRX Bands. Having a great TRX Training Kit allows you to do a ton of suspension training + also have the ability to move your home gym along with you when you travel.
More Plates. I would probably be fine without more plates, but Ryan could use more.
Bumper Plates. We don’t, however, have any bumper plates, and I really dig them. The 230lb colored set is what I have my eyes on.
Bosu Ball. These are nice for core and stability work.
Floor Mats. We currently just use a huge, old rug for the majority of floor space, in addition to the garage flooring, but it would be nice (maybe once we clear out even more space) to get the foam puzzle floor matting.
Full-Length Mirror. This sounds super vanity. It’s not. Mirrors are critical many times to ensure proper form for avoiding injury. Any basic one would do.
Peloton Bike. This one is just a major wish-list item! Have you seen the new Peloton Bike yet? It’s like spin class right at home. My friend, Megan, has one and absolutely loves it. They are pricey, but she says well worth it.

And there you have it, all in one place.

Any other must-have fitness items I’m missing?

p.s. A couple fitness boards to follow for workout inspiration: Fitness + Tabata, Crossfit, & Bodyweight Only Workouts.

Xox,
SKH

Sarah Kay Hoffman

You will heal. I will help.

http://childlike-sports.flywheelsites.com

The Family We Choose

Filed Under: Love, Our Home Tagged With: cecilia from italy, foreign exchange student, life, love

I know just as well as anyone else what a normal family is, and that the family we choose (either given to us biologically or not) is the perfect family.

You’d think I have been living under a rock, but Ceci has Ryan and I using WhatsApp so we can text freely with her, now that’s back in Italy. I had never used it before, and until her, I had not even heard of it. Am I 95-years-old or what?!

I published my last Ceci letter on Wednesday, right after she left. I titled it, “My Hardest Goodbye.” I didn’t wait for Ceci to give me her final thoughts because I didn’t want to inundate her with another “to do” immediately upon returning home to Italy, jet-lagged and all.

But in true Ceci fashion, on the 6th (yesterday), super late at night for her (1:30 am in Italy), she sent me a WhatsApp message, “Emailed you right now! (Still dealing with jet lag.)”

I opened the email, unsure about what I’d read. With her permission, the below is what she wrote (verbatim).

p.s. I titled it, “The Family We Choose.” And then I grabbed a Kleenex because, well, so has been the story of this week.

The Family We Choose

The Family We Choose sarahkayhoffman.com Italy Ceci

6.1.2017

And here we are, the time that I wasn’t looking forward to, the time where I start waiting for an indefinite time to see you guys again, and it’s honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever have to do in my life.

In these past 5 months I’ve learned quite a bit how to deal with distance, but now it’ll be different: when I was there I had dates, I knew exactly when I was going to see one of my two families again, now I’m not sure of how long I’ll have to wait, and this is honestly freaking me out, I miss you, so much.

5 months flew by so fast, and I’ll never stop saying that!

But now it is the 6^th again, so let’s focus on our last month (sigh!)

December, if I have to be honest, has been one of my favorite months, and it’s probably been because of Christmas and the trip to Minnesota.

This past month I learned, more than ever, that HOME TRULY IS A FEELING. I can guarantee that I’ve never, ever, ever, ever felt as a foreign neither at home in California nor at home in Waseca, MN, and between people that I’ve seen maybe even just a couple of times, I felt just as a member of the family, and they felt just family to me.

The Family We Choose sarahkayhoffman.com Carlie and Ceci

I learned to welcome new people, complete strangers, in my life, with no prejudices from neither sides; I learned to open myself and let everyone discover who I really was without any fear to be judged, and I learned that people can be really amazing. Because those people that I welcomed into my heart have really been able to take a big part of it, and now it’s full of love for every single one of them, and this truly is amazing.

But if I learned how to welcome people into my life it’s because they taught me how to do it by doing it first.

When I was in Minnesota I found myself being truly amazed from the people I met, and I’ll explain why.

Thankful sarahkayhoffman.com Ceci Month 4 with Samarah and Isaiah Venice Beach

When I first got to know Sarah and Ryan, I didn’t know there could be anyone else like them, I had never met anyone like them before, and I had never felt at home (but so far away from my home country) like that with anyone else before, and anyone had never welcomed me with such opened arms before, so I was already seriously amazed. Until the time that I met their families and discovered that there is a reason why they are such amazing people: because their families are just as amazing as they are.

So if there is something that I learned in these 5 months, it is that FAMILY doesn’t have anything to do with blood, instead, WE CHOOSE OUR OWN FAMILY, and however it is composed, as crazy as it could possibly be, even if we have to deal with distance between the members, even if it takes dedication and patience, even if sometimes we think it doesn’t, it fits us perfectly, and the love that you share with whoever you choose as your family can not be compared.

The Family We Choose sarahkayhoffman.com Ryan, Ceci & I

Loving and missing all of you so, so much.

I hug you tight,
Ceci

p.s.s. Ceci – We’d choose you over and over and over again. You are the family we choose. XOX sweet girl.

p.s.s.s Ceci – Both our families adore you! They will love your letter.

Xox,
SKH

Sarah Kay Hoffman

You will heal. I will help.

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