Weekend Recap

Oh Monday...  you came way too fast.  I need another weekend to recover from my weekend...  Such is the plight of a someone that is half-way through moving.  Here's how I filled my weekend.

I took Friday off so I spent most of the day schlepping things from my unit on the 13th floor to my new unit on the 8th floor.  Thank God for elevators.  I managed to move 5 out of 6 of my book cases and all of my books.  My bedroom went from looking like this...

To looking like this.

I'm so glad that the property manager let me have the keys to my new unit early.  The movers come this Friday but it was nice to gradually move things down to the new place.

Mid-day, I took a break from schlepping boxes to pick up tickets to this show, which I'm so excited to go to!!

On Friday night, we went to a get-together at a college friend of Phil's.  We hadn't seen the couple that hosted for 6+ months, I think, so it was fun to catch up with them and see the other couples that we hang out with on a regular basis.

On Saturday morning I joined my club for a hilly long run.  The run is entitled "Potpourri of Hills" and is probably the most challenging long run route our club does.  I ran 11 miles and was definitely tired at the end!  I know Minnesota is less hilly than other parts of the country but those 11 miles felt tough!

On Saturday afternoon I went to a charity bowling event.  I bowled terribly so opted to only play 1 game.  I got to hang out with my friend Amanda and her family so it was a really fun afternoon.  On Saturday evening Phil came over and we did more packing/moving.  I was so over moving at this point, but Phil kept saying, "let's just do one more trip" over and over and over again.  We ended up moving most of my clothes and the contents of 3 closets.  We got quite a bit done and I was glad that he pushed me to move more than I thought we would that night.  By the time we called it quits, it was after 8 so I ordered GF pizza and we called it a night pretty early as we were both exhausted.

Sunday consisted of - you guessed it - more moving.  I unpacked the rest of my books and moved my patio furniture and some of my kitchen stuff. I wrapped up all of my moving tasks by 3 pm on Sunday because I just needed some time to just 'be'.  I was on my feet for much of Friday and Saturday so my legs were definitely feeling it by Sunday afternoon.  I had the best intentions to get a workout in or go to yoga but I decided to count the schlepping of boxes as a workout. 

My friend Amanda comes over tonight to help me pack up my kitchen.  Once that is done I think I will feel ready for the movers to come.  This week is going to be a bit hectic as I have a work dinner tomorrow night and book club on Wednesday night so I am glad I got so much done this weekend!  

Life is feeling a little chaotic/overwhelming right now.  Besides moving, I'm also coordinating a volunteer night for run club and then I go to Virginia for that hellaciously long presentation...   So I am going to take a little 2 week break from blogging.  I'll be back at the end of May with photos of my new home!

When was the last time you moved?  This is my 3rd move in 25 months - I am SO SICK OF MOVING (yes, ALL CAPS).  Moving 5 floors is easier than moving 1,000 miles, but it's still so much work.

TGIF!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Yesterday was kind of my Friday as I ended up taking today off to pack.  The movers come a week from today and I have barely packed a thing so hopefully today will be very productive.  I've got something going on pretty much every night between now and my move...  and then I leave for a business trip... so I feel a little overwhelmed.  Here's hoping June is a little more quiet.

The high of my week was my weeknight "date night" with Phil.  I call it date night but we usually stay in as that's what we prefer, especially on a week night.  We went for a run together and grilled.  We are loving spending all of this time together outdoors!

Grilled chicken, peppers, and zucchini (and potatoes roasted in the oven) = happy belly!

The low of my week was hearing some sad news about a friend's sister-in-law passing away after a brief battle with cancer and finding out that a friend's mom's cancer is back.  Gosh I hate cancer so so much.  :( 

A book I am reading is Man's Search by Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl for my postal book club book. For those not familiar with a postal book club, each person sends a book and a notebook and the books gets mailed to a different person every 2 months.  Each person puts their thoughts in the notebook and then at the end, the book is returned to the person who initially sent it.  It's a really cool concept!  I'm excited to see what everyone thought of the book I picked out (

A podcast episode I loved was the Dear Sugar podcast about friendships ending.  There were a couple of interesting reflections in the podcast.  One reflection that struck me was that we completely expect that most of our romantic relationships are going to come to an end (until you find "the one") but we expect every friendship to last forever...  which is usually an unrealistic expectation since people grow and change and not every relationship can withstand that growth and change.

For my workouts, I completed a lower body shred workout on Monday, a run with Phil on Tuesday, a treadmill run on Wednesday, and I'm counting packing and moving boxes today as a workout.  Tomorrow I am planning to run 13 hilly miles with my club and if it's not raining on Sunday I want to go for a long bike ride. 

The best money I spent was on some clothes at the Cabi party I attended as well as through a personal stylist I've been working with at Keaton Row, which is a styling service I just heard about and tried (more on that in a separate post). I have gotten rid of so much clothes over the last several months, it's time to rebuild my wardrobe with pieces I am excited about!

My plans this weekend include packing, packing and more packing.  Besides that, we have a get together with some of Phil's college friends tonight and tomorrow I will attend a charity bowling event that a college friend and her husband plan each year for the non-profit they established in memory of their daughter that was born prematurely and passed away.  I'll pack more on Sunday and start to move some things down to my new place (the property manager let me have my keys early which was so nice of her).  I'm bummed that I won't get to see my mom on Mother's Day but with my upcoming move I just couldn't swing a trip to the lake.  :(

What was the high of your week?  What are you currently reading?  And Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, moms-to-be, and moms-at-heart out there - especially to my amazing mom, Marlys!  

Virtual Coffee Date

Happy Monday!  It's been awhile since I've done a virtual coffee date so I thought it'd be a good way to share tidbits of what's going on in my life.

If we were having coffee today...

- I'd tell you that I had the best weekend that included things like going to the driving range with Phil, a baby shower for a good college friend, a long bike ride with my friend Courtney, a dinner with some of the girls that were at the baby shower, and a fun afternoon with Phil on Sunday.  The weather was in the 80s on Saturday and it was just a glorious day and one of those days that made me think, 'gosh I love my life!'

- I'd tell you that I was relieved when the condo I'm renting sold after ONE showing.  Leaving your place in showing condition is a pain so I am so glad it sold so fast!  I'd also tell you that I am moving in 10 days and have barely packed!  A girlfriend is coming over to help me pack my kitchen the week of the move, which will help tremendously as that's my least favorite room to pack/unpack.

- I'd tell you that the presentation I gave at a conference last week went pretty well and that I am relieved it is behind me.  I'd talk about how freaking stressful these big group presentations are and how anxious I am for the one I will give in Virginia in 2 weeks because it is 75 MINUTES LONG.  That's WAY too long for me to stand up in front of a group of people and sound interesting (especially when the topic of my presentation is "the benefits of utilizing a Portfolio Analytics system"...).  Luckily after this presentation I get a break until August.

- I'd tell you how excited I am for my meet-up with Kyria in Colorado at the end of May.  We both love to hike and spend time outdoors so I know we are going to have a blast.  Our plan is to do a really long hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park area on Saturday and then a shorter hike, possibly in the Boulder area on Sunday before flying out that evening.  After doing some research on hikes, it's making me want to plan a week long trip out there with Phil as there is SO much to do.  Plus, I'd love to take him to Steamboat Springs so I could show him where I worked and do some of the hikes I did when I lived there.  There are so many places to go, and such limited money and vacation time... 

- I'd tell you that the beautiful spring weather we've had lately (like this past weekend's weather) has done wonders for my mood.  It's funny how much nice weather impacts us Midwesterners.  It's been great to resume my routine of going for a run with Phil one night a week but in addition to that we've taken long walks, swung on swings at a local park (I guess we are kids at heart), and practiced our rock skipping on the Mississippi River.  I've also been helping him out with some yard work around his house which I have really enjoyed!

- I'd tell you that Phil and I are going to try camping this summer.  I have actually never been legitimately camping (meaning sleeping in a tent) as we had a camper when I was growing up.  I think that it's something we'd enjoy doing together but we are going to try to borrow some equipment from friends before taking the plunge and buying all the necessary equipment. I'm really hoping we like it because that would really make birthday present shopping a whole lot easier when his birthday rolls around in August (he is the toughest guy to shop for!).

- Lastly, I'd tell you that I am 2 weeks away from the one year anniversary of moving back to Minneapolis.  It kind of blows my mind how fast the past year has gone.  Anniversaries of events always make me extra introspective so I have been thinking back on the last year and how my life has changed.  There have been challenges, mostly related to work, but all in all, it's been a pretty incredible year.

If we were having coffee today, what would you share with me?

Music, Books, Miles and Looks of April

Happy Friday!  Happy first day of May!  I've got a day trip to Des Moines today for a client meeting so it will be a long day.  Here's hoping the 7+ hours I'll spend in the car with a sales rep go by fast...

Music:



Lay Me Down by Sam Smith - This song is sad but I think Sam Smith's voice is so beautiful.  

Books:

April was another strong month of reading for me as I read 6 books.  I didn't really love anything I read this month and instead finished every book thing, 'hmm, that was ok.'


Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - 3 stars
Euphoria by Lily King - 3 stars
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green - 3 stars
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay - 3 stars
Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman - 2 stars
Scaling Down: Living Large in a Smaller Space by Judi Culbertson - 3 stars

Miles:

My mileage was high in April as I ended up running 100 miles!  I increased my long runs last month in preparation for the half marathon that I ran last weekend so I am not too surprised that my mileage was as high as it was.  In the months of May and June I will probably back off on the miles as I don't want to get burned out before I go into marathon training in July...  Although I won't be surprised if I ended up running higher mileage again because it's easy to get swept away in what others in my running club are doing.  My next race is my triathlon in August so I will start to train for that now.  I'm taking a tri swim class that starts in May which I am excited about!

Looks:

April was a weird weather month.  We had some nice weeks, but we also had some extremely windy weeks and some extremely cold weeks.  I actually wore less springy clothes in April than I did in March.  I could only come up with one outfit worth sharing for the month of April.  As usual, I'm dressed in Banana from head to toe.

I feel kind of meh about my wardrobe right now but am hoping to find some new outfits at a Cabi party I'll be attending at a co-worker's house next week.  Cabi is a company with "looks" that have pieces that are interchangeable.  Each season they release a new collection and the new pieces coordinate with looks from previous seasons.  It sounds like a great way to build multiple outfits off of a few interchangeable pieces.  A couple of my co-workers wear a lot of Cabi outfits and they always look so pulled together so I am hoping to find a few new things for my closet.  I got rid of about 3 garbage bags of clothes last month so I figure I have earned a few new outfits!