About Me

Learning 2 Exhale is a place for all of us to slow down from the everyday hustle and bustle and learn to just live in the moment. I have a tendency to always be two steps ahead of myself, always looking to the future or waiting for the next big thing. In that, I sort of lose sight of the right now. This blog is all about learning to enjoy the journey and not so much about reaching the “destination.” It’s so great to look back and reflect on how this blog has evolved and sort of taken shape over the last several years, kind of like myself. I started this blog three years ago to chronicle the everyday happenings of my young family and our “big move” to Washington DC. Since then, so much has changed… but then again, so much has stayed the same. My life with my family has grown richer and richer, full of precious memories, two new additions (Lady Bird, and Zeke Bear), our first home together, bold confidence for my passions in life, and endless possibilities for the future. Although it is great to have dreams and look forward to the future, in that, we’ve learned that you can’t lose sight of the here and now—because in the end, those are the moments that truly matter.

This blog is all about learning to live in the moment. So I invite you to come share this journey with me. We all have times in our life when… well, life happens. We get busy with the mundane tasks of everyday, albeit wiping baby bottoms, endlessly plugging away at college homework, going grocery shopping, cooking… then cleaning… then cooking again! It never ends. But then, in the midst of all that… there are those special moments. You know… those times when something amazing happens! You go to the park and watch your kids’ faces filled with joy as they run around with your hubby. You try something new for dinner and it turns out just right. You buy a new outfit, or a new pair of shoes and you do that dance in the dressing room that makes you feel giddy inside. You go to church and the pastor’s message moves you deep down in your heart. Those are the moments this blog is all about! I hope you enjoy reading about all those special moments in my life and I hope you share yours too.

Cheers to living in the moment!

- Crystal

Synopsis of current series:

Share the Moment: A link-up party for readers to join me in sharing those special everyday moments.

Personal Style: I am not fashion expert in any sense of the word, but I finally feel confident and comfortable in my style. It has definitely been a process to get here and I certainly don’t think that I have “arrived,” but my personal style has developed from getting ideas from others, tweaking those ideas, and making them my own. I love outfits that are trendy and vintage-inspired while also capturing a sense of modesty, a touch of romance, femininity, and a little bit of an edge.

I hope my personal style can help inspire everyone from stay-at-home moms to teenagers. I know that for some stay-at-home moms it can seem daunting to just get dressed (or even bathe) in the morning when you have an endless list of chores to do, but I have learned that if you just put a little time into it and make it a priority, putting on those fitted pants, top, and accessories, make you feel so much better while doing the everyday tasks. Also, I hope to encourage teenagers to learn what they like to wear and make it their own—not revealing too much—showing that you can be both fashionable and modest at the same time.

This series also shares my home-decorating style. I love trying new things, being bold, and watching everything come together. Whether it is refurbishing and painting a new piece of furniture or hanging some new accessories on the wall, I want to feel good in my home and there is no better way to do this than to make your house your own. You will also see the occasional DIY in this series.

Organically Green: This series is all about my journey to healthy eating and clean living in my home. To be honest, I have wanted to do this for a long time but only recently—through the help of a good book, Seven, and a friend with some “know-how”—have I began to make healthy and environmentally friendly decisions for my home. I am not a “crunchy granola” by any means, but I care deeply about what I am feeding my family and what kind of steward I am being of our planet (which is God’s creation). I must say, it feels good to be making progress in this area, but the most difficult part of this journey has been figuring out where to begin. What finally pushed me into the “Organicsphere” was transitioning my daughter Lady Bird to solid food; her body was so pure and innocent and I did not want to corrupt it with monosodium glutamate or preservatives. I started to learn about clean and dirty foods, along with recycling and eliminating waste in practical ways. I hope to share the things I am learning in this area with you to both inspire and encourage you to join me in healthy eating and living.

Kiddy Corner: This series is my corner of the World-Wide Web to dote about my kids. We have a three year old daughter, Lady Bird, and a two month old son, Zeke Bear. This can also be called my “update Lady Bird and Zeke Bear’s grandparents with pictures corner.” Just about all of our family lives out of state so this is a great place to capture our kids’ precious moments and share them with our friends and family. I hope you enjoy watching them grow—I know I will.