An Introduction is in Order

I suppose, in the off-chance that someone who doesn't actually know me might want to read this too, I ought to introduce myself and the subjects of my musings.

I am Alex, a dangerous combination of a 20something redhead and Gemini, living life with my husband Travis. Our greatest accomplishments come in the form of two beautiful and spirited kids - Alaina ("Lainey"), who is 2 years old, and Owen, who is 4 months old. Let's pause a moment to "ooooh" and "aaaah":

Lainey is the ultimate free spirit. Her pasttimes include dancing, coloring on anything and everything except paper, eating raisins off of the floor, and hiding from the imaginary worms in our dining room. She is a constant source of amusement and I am amazed every day at the person she is becomming. Her brother, Owen, is my little sweetheart. In his few short months of life he has shown more strength than I've seen some adults display. He was born with a vascular ring, a condition where the blood vessels in his heart did not form properly and created a "ring" that was pinching his airway shut. He had surgery at the tender age of 3 months old, has been hospitalized once since then for breathing issues, but appears to be on the road to recovery. He is a momma's boy through-and-through, and would be a pretty content child if men in general just didn't exist - or at least didn't try to hold him.

In my free time I....wait, I don't have free time. Let me rephrase. I am an artist, have been since I was old enough to hold a marker. I love the expression, and the creation, that comes along with painting. I also do portraits in my non-existent free time. Here is a blatant self-promotion of my art (feel free to "oooh" and "ahhh" here, as well):

We live in the midwest, stragically positioned between a cornfield and The World's Largest Truck Stop. Been there, they have a great buffet. But I digress... There you have the synopsis of this Common Goddess. If you choose to be my "follower" I'm sure you will learn more about us than you ever wanted to know.

A Hello and a Welcome

Yes, it is that time. Time for me to invoke my internet-given right to share my unsolicited opinion on whatever I want, whenever I want, and subject it to as many people as I can, just because I can. It's time for me to BLOG.

I wasn't sure if I would ever join the ranks of Bloggerdom, due to a combination of child-induced brain atrophy and the realization that my days did not, in fact, have 30 hours in them. But in a quest for some "me" time that didn't involve a pillow and unconsciousness, I decided that writing was a good idea.

So what is a common goddess, you ask? Perhaps a common goddess is someone who does something ordinary but in an extraordinary way. Or maybe it is someone who does something extraordinary, yet makes it seem like an ordinary task. Perhaps these two things are one-in-the-same. If you look around, you will find that these types of goddesses are more common than you think.

In my life as a common goddess, my extraordinarily ordinary task is simple - to raise my children to be happy, well-adjusted, free-thinking, boundary-pushing, open-hearted, open-minded, broccoli-loving individuals who are ready to take on the world with their dad and I right behind them. And to try not to lose my sanity in the process....

So there it is. I'm here to share my ordinary wisdom and mistakes, my common musings, and my unusually familiar life with whoever should care to read.