Monday, August 24, 2015

Currently: August Edition

And just like that, it's the last week of August!  Except it feels more like October in this part of the country.  :(  Come back, summer!  Here's what's currently going on in my world these days!

Reading:  The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. Nora and Kelly both liked it so I am confident that I will enjoy it!  I just finished Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, which was a total CHORE for me to read (I'll admit it, I just don't like classics), so I needed something lighter and easier to get into after that!

Loving: watching Oscar grow and change.  I can't believe how big she has gotten since we got her in late June.  She has another vet appointment in a couple of weeks and it will be interesting to see how much she weighs!  The newest skill she has picked up is playing fetch.  I had no idea cats played fetch but she loves to fetch small balls and toy mice.

All tuckered out from lots of play time.

Oscar gets to have drinks from the bathroom sink.  She is a little bit spoiled!

Hanging out with Phil on his birthday.

Thinking:  about planning a long weekend trip to Boston with Phil in late October. A couple we are good friends with moved out there this summer as one of them will be attending a year-long grad school program at Harvard. It seems like the perfect time of year to visit that part of the country so I hope we can make it happen.  Plus that means I'd also get to see Kelly, introduce her to Phil, and meet her son Max!  The trip would be close to my Miami girls weekend so I just need to make sure I can get the time off from work.  Fingers crossed this works out! 

Frustrated: by my sleep challenges.  After several weeks of really bad sleep that's left me feeling like a zombie, I decided to see a sleep specialist.  My appointment is on Friday and I am hoping and praying that he/she can help.

Feeling:  a little overwhelmed by my schedule.  I feel like free nights are rare and I am not home much.  I can't complain because my schedule is full of things I enjoy doing and chose to say yes to...  but I really could use a week with fewer evening commitments.  I know things won't slow down in the next couple of weeks, but I'm hoping that September will be a little bit of a quieter month.

Anticipating:  my 21-mile long run on Saturday.  I'm a bit nervous as I missed the 20 mile run the weekend of the triathlon.  My training feels a bit off between missing that long run for the triathlon and missing last week's long run since I was at my parents cabin and ran 16 miles instead of 18 like everyone else did, so I really need to do a long run that leaves me thinking "OK, I can do this!"

Watching: the Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network, which started last night.  The Next Food Network Star just wrapped last week so I am glad I have a new show to watch!

Sad:  that this past weekend was the last weekend that we'll spend at the lake this summer.  Summer went by entirely too fast! I'm also sad that the weather for our last weekend at the lake was so crappy (rain, cold weather, high winds, felt like October).  That said, we still had a great time.  The crappy weather meant we played lots of games which always makes me happy!

Working: on incorporating more strength training into my weekly workouts now that the triathlon is behind me.  Ideally I'd like to get two strength training sessions in a week so hopefully I can stick to that.

Grateful: that Phil joined me for the last 5 miles of my 16 mile run on Saturday.  I've gotten spoiled by running with a running club - now I really dislike doing long runs alone!  Mentally, it really helped to know that I could look forward to his company for the last 5 miles, which we ran in a light rain/mist!  Even though it was cooler/rainy, it still felt great to jump in the lake after the run!

Post-run, pre-jumping in the lake.


Listening: to lots of podcasts, as usual.  Death, Sex and Money did a series of podcasts about New Orleans/Hurricane Katrina in honor of the 10 year anniversary of Katrina (side note:  I can't believe it's been 10 years!) so I have been listening to those lately.

Wishing: that summer would return.  I know that a lot of people are happy that fall-like temperatures are here, but summer is so short in the Midwest so I really don't want fall to arrive prematurely!  It's been overcast, rainy and cold here lately and I don't like it at all!!

What are you currently reading, frustrated by and grateful for?

14 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Yay, I really hope you can come to Boston in August :) Would love to see you and meet Phil!

I'm so glad you also don't like the classics when it comes to books. I have always been a reader but could not get on board with most of what we read in high school and college classes. I think it was really only when I "met" you and Emily that I had realized I could still be a "real reader" even if I hated those kinds of books haha.
I'm not sure I'll finish the Read Harder Challenge for this reason. I have enjoyed pushing myself a little bit- but I don't want to torture myself since reading is one of the few things I do that has no obligations involved!

I hope your long run goes well this weekend! I am super frustrated because I think I broke my toe (don't even ask). It hurts, but the pain is not my real problem, my real problem is I'm most likely not going to be able to run now for awhile which might mean no triathlon in 3 weeks.

missris said...

I am NOT ready for fall yet--stay here, summer! Also, my parents' cat plays fetch with elastic hair ties (try it with Oscar if you haven't already!) and it's so fun. She could fetch for hours.

Amber said...

I am really putting off the book published before 1850 category of the read harder challenge because I also am not a classics fan and have honestly never been able to fully get through one! We actually have 7 classics on the hanging shelves in our living room more as "decor" than anything (HA!) so I'm going to read one of those ones. Thinking either Emma or Robinson Crusoe.

Oscar is SOOOO cute. It's hard for me to remember she's a girl because she looks SO MUCH like Webster did when he was that age!

Marisa A. said...

Love the kitty pictures!! Sorry Jane Austen was a chore, admittedly the classics are not for everyone. I love them though and usually end up reading Jane Eyre every fall/winter. It's my favorite :) Right now I'm reading a sci-fi series called Silo. It was in the Kindle library so I figured I'd give it a go. So far so good. I know I'm the minority, but I am LOVING this weather!! We slept with the windows open last night and it was amazing!

Nora said...

We have had cooler temps (80s during the day, 60s at night) so it still allows for summer during the day, and then windows open at night but if it were much cooler I would be frustrated, too. I'm not quite ready to break out the boots and scarves which mentally I can't do until September anyway ;)

Glad you had a good weekend at the lake and that Phil ran with you; what a sweet boyfriend he is!! I look forward to meeting him someday.

A trip to Boston sounds awesome and lovely! Hope it works out for you!!!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

A trip to Boston would be fun!! I've always wanted to go there ... one day :-) That's nice that Phil joined you for your run - I'm sure that makes it even more fun. I always got bored when I ran alone (or even when I go on a walk alone).

Jeanie said...

This first -- Reading: Suite Francaise (almost done) and just started a new Bryant and May mystery. Frustrated by my phone which has stopped working, the new phone I can't seem to get to work and Comcast which is simply Comcast. And grateful that I can be home for the previously mentioned Comcast guy to come visit on Wednesday, fix the phone and I won't have to pay because I bought the service call plan! We learn from our past!

Thrilled to see adorable Oscar and Boston in the future? Fabulous city! I know what you mean about the end of summer. I clutch onto it; I don't want to see it go.

Jenny said...

I'm a sucker for cat pictures, Oscar is adorable. I had a cat who liked to play fetch with small foam balls - it's the cutest! I'm sorry your summer is coming to end, but at the same time I am so ready for it to be my turn to have the sun! We had a teaser of sun at the weekend but now it's back to being wet and gray. Good luck with the sleep specialist.

Leigh said...

Going to check that book out as I need a new one to read. Fingers crossed you can get some sleep help...it's no fun being sleep deprived all the time.

Gracie said...

Yeah, ten years...I can remember it like yesterday. David and I are writing thank you notes to all those friends, family, and strangers who helped us in those trying times.

San said...

Oscar is so cute. I just love her face! Can't wait for the day when we're in a place where we can have a cat!!

I feel for you re: the sleep problems. I rarely deal with insomnia, but when I do, I wanna punch everybody in the face. I don't know how you function. I really hope the sleep specialist has some answers/help for you!

I'd be happy to send you a couple of degrees, so that our weather would "balance out" a bit ;)

Charis Faith said...

She is just too cute!!! I love the pictures!!! My fingers are crossed you get to Boston you are going to love it so much!!! You're running just amazes me, you are a rockstar!!! Love that Phil came and joined you for the last 5!!!

Cherry Blossoms said...

You have lots of fun trips planned. Boston I am sure will be so pretty with all the fall colors. Let me know what the Dr said about your sleep. Has to be so frustrating so hopefully things get better for you.

Abby said...

I am anxious to hear how your sleep appointment went!! I hope you can get some good answers and on a regimen to get your rested!!

I have a really hard time reading classics -- my attention span struggles! I'm reading "Shadow Divers" right now, which I'm loving! It's about a group of wreck scuba divers that discover a WWII submarine. It is cool because it combines history and scuba. But also makes me year to be under the sea! *cue Little Mermaid theme song*

That's so nice that Phil joins you on those long runs! That helps so much!!!