(A weekly round up. Each week I am going to “wrangle” my life's happenings into a post filled with pictures, lists & general tidbits about the past 7 days.)
Hi, friends-- Happy Thursday!
I feel like I haven't had the chance to sit down & write in a really long time... which isn't particularly true, but I haven't "wrangled" in some time, and the life that I want to share with you has been piling up in my memory bank. This morning I sift through the piles of memories and bring you only the best :)
Unexpectedly, it's been a really busy month at work for me, and I feel like I am have been scrambling every evening to piece together all the necessary life pieces of the the work-life puzzle. It's been chaotic, to say the least, but it's been so good. There have been more than enough moments filled with laughter, long hugs, and staggering moments of realizing the beauty around me to balance out the fatigue & frustration.
Here's a peek into the past couple weeks in my world (this is gonna be a long one, so grab a cup of coffee & settle in!):
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First of all, I want to say thank you for all your supportive comments on my marathon reveal post. I'm so excited. I'm so nervous. I have no doubt that this is going to be a life changing experience for me.
I'm still working on developing a training plan (thanks, Heidi for the hints!), but in the meantime, I've challenged myself to a 30-day (hopefully) habit forming challenge -- The SWSU Challenge, to be exact. To find out more, click on the challenge tab... or just click here.
But first, because she's so cute, a picture of my little workout buddy:
(As soon as I put down the camera she stood up, moved completely onto the mat, and executed a perfect downward facing dog. No big deal... Cats are amazing...)
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After what felt like 2 months of steady rain, this week has provided a welcome break. We've had rain, yes, but lots of sunshine interspersed throughout. I'm soaking up every drop of sunshine I can. ... And carrying my umbrella religiously.
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(Gracie helping me set up my bedroom furniture. Clearly. She's sitting in the dresser.)
Going back in time a bit: I spent my birthday weekend moving. Oof.
I've had it on my Amy-Do list for quite some time now to move my childhood bedroom furniture over to our new house (you know, for about a year, now!) A mindset that I am rather proud of, although it has the tendency to overwhelm me more often than not is, "I need to do this now, because I know if I don't, I'll keep pushing it back & pushing it back. Why wait?" So it was, I found myself the day before my birthday, sorting through piles of dust treasures in my room.
And, while I grumbled multiple times to my father that I was going to have to type up a post titled, "Confessions of a former pack rat", over all, it was a very cool experience. I did throw out bags of trash. ... Multiple bags of trash (seriously, Amy?! why did you ever think it was a good idea to save "Pick & Save" receipts from your time in Neenah? And you first ever utility bill stubs? Not exactly of sentimental value...) But I found boxes (relax Jon... shoe boxes) of treasures. I found the encouraging note my mother wrote to me when I got braces in middle school, and was certain that it was going to be the end of me. I found the scrap of paper Jon gave me his phone number on... all those years ago before we had the slightest idea that we would be WE until death do us part. I found little "love notes" that Saundra used to leave taped to my computer screen when we lived together our sophomore year of college. I found letters from my grandpa, written in his signature blue sloping script; envelopes tucked with newspaper comics he had cut out for me. Treasure.
Needless to say, it was an exhausting (emotionally & physically) weekend for me. But it was one of those where I can look back and say I was really present in every moment. ...And, silly as it sounds, years from now, I know this is how I'll remember my 25th birthday.
My mother's comment was, "Gosh, Amy - your 'big birthdays' have been spent cleaning ..." And she's right: my 21st birthday was spent sneezing in my grandpa's attic. My 25th birthday was spent (sneezing) in my childhood bedroom (closet). ... Let's see where 30 finds me. I'm hoping I'll be cleaning for a baby... or a puppy... or, you know... cleaning our new vacation home in Hawaii ;)
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Last Thursday I had an exceptionally wonderful lunch break.
...While I realize it's not environmentally friendly (uh, or wallet friendly, with the soaring gas prices...), I have been coming home for lunch lately ... it's good for my soul. On Thursday, in addition to some always-appreciated Gracie-snuggles, I had a package waiting for me on my front porch. I opened it to find this lovely & thoughtful gift from Jenny:
Does this girl know me or what? This week I am so thankful for good friends.
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If you follow me on twitter (this means you, Hannah!), you all ready know that I spent this Tuesday traveling for work. The trip ended up being a lot longer than we had anticipated (ie: left the office at 8am, arrived back at the office at 7pm. Woah.) But we got to travel through Hocking Hills (Logan County, OH)... which, in my opinion, is some of the most beautiful country ever. The landscape (rolling hills, fields of flowers) feeds my soul. Since I wasn't driving, here are some pictures from the trip (the barn at the top of the post is from Logan County, too!):
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I was going to say that this text required no explanation -- it just made me laugh ... but then I thought maybe it deserved a little background. So here you go: I have no idea why, but for some reason, several months ago I started receiving the magazine "Working Mother" (perhaps somewhere I indicated an interest in "work-life balance" issues? ...Not a clue.) Anyway to take things a step to the more awkward, not only am I receiving this magazine at a time when motherhood is still a few years away... BUT! ... the magazine is coming to my name at my parents' house. ...Needless to say, this has inspired some interesting conversations!
...And for the record, "grand kitties" would only occur due to divine intervention ;)
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And with that, I think I'm about typed out, and I want to hear from you!
What is the best road-trip location near you?
Tell me about one of your favorite unexpected birthday surprises!
Stay tuned for:
- A special "love letters" post, coming tomorrow.
- A date recap (spoiler: WINERY!) coming at you this weekend.
