What's Saving My Life Right Now

 Earlier this week on Best of Both Worlds, the hosts shared what is saving their lives right now. I've been on the complaining side lately with all the early wake-ups, cold weather, and other challenges. And while I think it's important to "keep it real" around here, it's also kind of refreshing to think about the good things in my life right now! 

- Our gas fireplace. We converted our wood-burning fireplace to gas in early January and have used it a TON. It's probably been used almost daily since it was installed since we haven't had much warm weather. I've used it every night this week since it's been pretty wintery out there!

- Taking turns getting up with Will. Phil and I trade off morning duties. I did not do this with Paul even though I remember struggling with early wake-ups. I don't know why we didn't trade off, though! But once Will was weaned from breast feeding, we've been taking turns getting up with him. I'm pretty sure I suggested it, so it's a good reminder to ask for what you need instead of assuming your partner knows.

- Magnatiles and this chair, both of which were hand-me-downs from friends. The magnatiles have entertained Paul for HOURS. In this picture, he's building a house for the pound puppy Phil had as a child plus some Paw Patrol characters. He will happily play on his own with magnatiles. It's harder to find things that entertain Will, but he loves this chair. He likes climbing in and out of it and will try to do a somersault off of it with mixed success. 15-month olds are hard to entertain so anything that hold his attention for 5 minutes is a win!

- On that note, Paul's sudden but intense interest in coloring has been wonderful, too. It's another activity he'll happily do without much intervention from us. You can see from the picture below that he has to color EVERY SQUARE INCH of each page! Sometimes he'll ask one of us to color with him but it's an activity I don't mind! So I guess the theme of the last 2 life-saving things is things that captivate our children. 

- The library. I take home about 20 picture books/week and always have 2-3 eBooks checked out for myself. So far of the 27 books I read so far this year, 26 came from the library! I am glad that we have a wonderful library that is only about a mile away. I'm hoping to take Paul there soon. He hasn't been there since pre-covid since his mask adherence isn't great (he will wear it but then will often suck on the part by the mouth and probably touch it so overall, it's not very effective). But masks are no longer required so it feels like a good time to bring him. 

- Buying lunch one/day week now that I'm back to the office. I'm planning to write a post about the pros and cons of being back in the office, but one big pro is the treat of eating out once/week! I also treat myself to a weekly latte on a different day of the week. 

- Skyways walks on days I'm in the office. Since it's so dang cold here in Minneapolis, our downtown area has an awesome skyway system. You can get nearly anywhere without stepping foot outdoors! I try to take a 30ish minute walk at lunch time each day while listening to podcasts or an audiobook. It's very easy to hit 10k steps on days I'm in the office with a walk at lunch and the walk to/from the parking ramp. 

To give you an idea of how extensive the system is, here is a map of the skyway. The red lines are the skyways.

 - This may be controversial to say, but our son's iPad. We bought him a refurbished iPad for Christmas but he only gets to use it during quiet time on the weekends. It's loaded with an educational ap called ABC Mouse and the PBS Kids video and game aps. So I tell myself it's ok for him to have screen time since he only has access to educational things. Letting him have iPad time allows us to rest/get a break when Will takes his mid-day nap. I tried asking Paul to have quiet time in his room with toys but he wasn't great at staying in there. The iPad has solved this! When it's nicer outside, I'd like to do some big kid activities with him while Will naps, like going to a book store or the library or park, but for now, Phil and I need the opportunity to lay down and read/zone out/nap. 

- Hand-me-downs. We have been on the receiving end of so many hand-me-downs. I do not particularly care about whether my kids are fashionably dress. I favor function above all else - does it fit/is it comfortable/can they run around and play? That's all the really matters to me! Will seems to grow out of things so fast so it's nice to pull from the clothes Paul wore and not have to scramble to buy something when he changes sizes. Paul has moved into a new size, too, but I've been able to pull from boxes of stuff friends and my neighbor gave us. We are paying it forward by passing off hand-me-downs to others. In the photos below, Paul is almost 20 months and Will is almost 16 months. The outfit (which was purchased by my MIL in Europe!) was more seasonally appropriate for Paul as he wore it in October, but a shirt with a cat is always in style in this cat-loving house!

- Today is the last day of March which means we are one month closer to reliably good weather!! April may contain some snow but the average temps should be much better.

I could go on and on! Your turn - what's saving your life right now?

Bright Spots of August

I've got to say that I am looking forward to closing out the month of August. It has metaphorically kicked my *ss. But last week at my uncle Keith's funeral, I was touched and inspired by the stories that many shared about my uncle Keith. He had this amazing zest for life, an infectious smile, and the ability to look on the bright side of things, no matter how difficult life was. The pastor encouraged us to carry on Keith's legacy by approaching life the way he did. So, I am doing that today by pushing myself to look back on the positive moments in August, because there were a lot of them!

In August I...

...had an awesome girls weekend with some college friends. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was working on a puzzle together. It's nice to be around a group of people who have the same definition of fun as you do. #puzzlesrule
 

...spent time with my favorite guy. In this picture we are in front of Lake Harriet. It had just rained so the sky is gloomy, but I think the overcast sky is beautiful. 

... hosted this wonderful couple, showed them the best sights (in my opinion) of Minneapolis, ate delicious food, and reveled in being able to have so many long talks with them.

... soaked up some kitty cuddles with Oscar. I know I look awful in this photo because I had done a bunch of cleaning/gardening/errands and hadn't showered. But when Oscar willingly jumps up on me, I try to document the moment because it doesn't happen all that often! There are few things more comforting than a purring kitty on my chest.

... got a good laugh out when Phil gave Oscar a "Trump-esq toupee".  She wears it better than Trump, in my opinion. I don't know how we got her to sit still long enough for this photo, though! #oscarforpresident.

... watched these two bond together. Phil is certainly her favorite so he gets way more cuddles than I do!

... celebrated Phil's birthday with friends two Fridays ago (and again last week with another group of friends).

... shared several caprese salads with friends that were made with my home-grown basil and tomatoes.

... felt a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment when I took on canning by myself and preserved 45 pounds worth of tomatoes from my garden!

Yes, August had a lot of rough moments. But there was a lot of beauty, joy, and satisfaction, too. And that's what I am going to try to focus on when I think back on this month.

What were some of the bright spots of August for you?

The Next Big (Exciting) Change

Back when I did my virtual coffee date post in early March, I alluded to the fact that the winds of change were going to be blowing through my life again soon. It feels like change has been a constant part of my life over the last 4 years, some positive and some not so positive. Luckily, this next change is very positive as I will be moving in with Phil in May when my lease is up!

As I've shared this news with family and friends, many have asked if I am ready to give up my downtown lifestyle. While I have adored living in this condo building, the answer is - yes, I am ready. I'll miss the view and the convenience of living just over a mile from work but I'm ready to move to a house.

Luckily Phil lives in an area that is close to downtown (~5 miles). I can still walk to a grocery store and Starbucks, and he's in a great area for running and biking as his house is only a half mile from a creek I run by often and a mile from the chain of lakes that I love to run around. He also lives really close our friends, Courtney and Luke, which is a couple we spend a lot of time with; I envision lots of weekend trips to the Farmer's Market with Courtney! I'll also be able to get to work easily as there is an express bus which stops right in front of his house (talk about convenient!) and gets us downtown in about 20 minutes, which is how long it takes me to walk to work. Phil and I work the same hours so we'll be bus buddies, which is pretty cute.

After 12 years (!!!!) of living alone, it will certainly be an adjustment to live together. I know there will be a period of adjustment but I have more feelings of excitement than anxiety. I'm excited about this move and I know that it's the right thing for us to do at this time of our lives.

More than anything, though, this change feels surreal. I spent years watching most of my friends get married and merge lives with their husbands, but after years of dead end relationships and frustrating dating experiences, deep down inside of me I had accepted that it probably would not happen for me, and I was pretty OK with that. But now, it is happening and we are taking a giant step towards permanently entwining our lives, which leaves me with lots of "is this really happening?" thoughts and feelings.

In the midst of those surreal/"somebody pinch me" feelings, I feel excited. Excited to come home to Phil every single day and spend more time together. Excited to be greeted by Oscar each day when we return home. Excited to not have to compare schedules and figure out whose place we'll be at when we spend time together. Excited to not have to pack up groceries and kitchen gadgets and such when I cook dinner at his house. Excited to make changes to his house (which I love, by the way) to make it feel like ours. Excited to take over a little corner of his yard so I can experiment with gardening. Excited to move to a place where I can feel a sense of permanence as we have no plans to sell and move anytime soon. Excited to build a life with a man that I love so very much and am so compatible with.

Good Things Friday

Nora often closes out her week by listing out some of the good things happening in her life, so I thought I'd follow suit and do the same!  Here are some of the good things going on!

1.  I have my appointment with a sleep specialist today.  I've been struggling with sleep for a long time, so I'm classifying this appointment as a good thing in my life because hopefully I'll be one step closer to sleeping better after this appointment.

I hope the person I meet with can make some sense out of my sleep log and has some solutions.  Averaging < 6 hours of sleep is not enough for me!

2.  I got the OK to take time off for our October Boston trip so that trip is going to happen! I'm really excited to see our friends, meet up with Kelly, and explore a new city with Phil!

3.  Speaking of travel, I get to travel to Kamloops to visit Amber in just under a week!  I'm really excited to spend 5 days with her exploring her area of British Columbia.  The pictures she posts are so stunningly beautiful so I can't wait to see the area with my own eyes!

4.  I didn't mention this before, but the weekend of my triathlon, I was side-swiped by a car when I was on the way to the race expo.  The damages were just cosmetic so it's not a huge deal but I was relieved to find out this week that the other insurance company is accepting liability so I won't have to pay anything out of pocket. The other guy was 100% at fault as he changed lanes without looking and did not see me, but you just never know what is going to happen when insurance companies are involved!

5.  I am wrapping up my 6th week of work and am really liking my new job!  It's crazy to me that it's already been 6 weeks.  Time flies when you enjoy what you do and the people you work with!  This past week I got to visit our HQ in Chicago, which was a jam-packed whirlwind trip, but I was able to fit in an early morning run along the lake.  Last time I was in Chicago, I was struggling with RA and unable to run so I especially appreciated being able to run on this trip!

Chicago, you are so pretty!

6.  Allison and her husband had Phil and I over for dinner last night.  It was great to catch up and after a couple of days of travel, it was great to eat a home-cooked meal!

7.  We have a fairly quiet weekend on deck.  We're staying in tonight and I will make this pasta dish for my olive-lover, tomorrow I'll run 20 miles with my club (eeks!) and on Sunday morning I'll volunteer at a trail race my running club is putting on.  Besides that we have no other plans which I am so happy about.

What are some good things happening in your life right now?

Good Things

For the most part, the tone of my posts lately has made it pretty apparent that I am a bit down in the dumps.  This is to be expected given the stress of CFA studying and my upcoming move to Charlotte, which I just can't get excited about (at least not yet).  I know I have to trust that I will find things I like when I move there.  My mom sent me a really good "Green Eggs and Ham" analogy last week to remind me that, until you've tried something, you can't say you don't like it.  Granted, since I have been to Charlotte about 8 times, I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what living there will be like, but that analogy was a good reminder that I really have to give Charlotte a chance.

But, despite the heaviness of my life these days, there are some good things happening in my life, so I thought I'd take a moment to focus on those in a post so that I have something to look back on when I am having down days!

- Bye bye undergrad student loans.  Between my tax refund, some money I received from my grandma, and my bonus at work, I will be able to pay off my undergrad loans in full this month!  I am SO happy that these are getting paid off so I can really focus on paying off my massive grad school loans!

- Game night.  I have always loved playing games so it is really nice to date someone who does as well.  On Saturday night, I introduced Phil to a Rack-O, which is a game I haven't played since I was a child.  He must have had beginners luck or something as he beat me 4 games in a row! 

- Landlord relief.  When I sent a tax form to the tenant that lives in the condo I own, he responded and let me know that his girlfriend will be moving in this spring.  This tells me that he is likely going to stay around for awhile as why have someone move in if you are planning to move in the next 6 months or so.  His lease went to a month-to-month after the first year with a 60 day notice, so it's just a relief to feel like it's likely he'll stick around!  Plus he is an awesome awesome tenant who pays his rent early most months!!

- Promoted.  I found out last Friday that I am being promoted to Vice President.  I had a feeling this was coming so I am happy that it is finalized.  Promotions are weird in the financial services industry.  My job doesn't change, there are just higher expectations on me, which I am totally fine with.  I know I have been performing at a VP level since my boss left so I know I can handle the extra expectations. 

- Running.  My local club's spring session started up on Saturday, so I got to do a 'long' run of 8 miles with them (which I totally don't think of as a long run but I guess it counts compared to the 4 milers I've done lately).  I am glad I'll get some runs in with this group before my move.  I am also researching clubs in the Charlotte area.  I haven't found anything comparable to my current club that includes things like coaches, etc, but hopefully I can at least find a group to do long runs with during my marathon training cycle.

- Chicago!  Speaking of marathon training, I got into the Chicago marathon.  I consider this an accomplishment because the registration process was a complete and total disaster - so much so that they had to take their registration site down for over a week (it might still be down?).  There are 4 people from my local club running it, and I am super excited that Amber, Lauren & her fiance, and Anais will all be running it as well!  I can't wait for this blogger get together!

- New digs.  While I am not all that excited about downsizing and moving into a smaller place, I am excited about the kitchen in my new place.  It has granite counter tops, a beautiful back splash, new stainless steel appliances, and an island.  The kitchen is my happy place so I am looking forward to making meals in a beautiful, remodeled kitchen in my new home.

Your turn - tell me something good that is happening in your life these days!

These days...

These days, my life is feeling very full. I'm spending time with family. I am meeting new people. I am being challenged at work. I am tapering in preparation for the marathon.

A full life means that I am not home very often. I look around my little shoe box condo and wonder how it is possible that it is so disorganized when I am home so little. I feel a tad bit guilty when I choose coffee with a friend over an afternoon spent cleaning.

But then I read this little passage by one of my favorite authors, Mary Anne Radmacher, and I feel a little bit less guilty...

"chances are... forever is... sitting outside my door. why am i doing the dishes? days speedily tick past, my future, in, pours from this pen of today, written with apparent ease. a precious vapor disappears. in the clearing of it i shall see that i am aged. i shall wonder how i could have dedicated so many days to the pursuit of nonessential things. what of all those days can i recall? as i learn to embrace the gray and the wrinkle, i open the door to chance. i whisper to forever, "let's now go dance and leave the dishes for later."

I am a bit behind right now. I'm behind on cleaning my condo. I'm behind on projects I want to tackle this fall. I'm behind on reading. I fall into bed each night feeling exhausted - but very fulfilled.

My life is full right now and I know that when I look back, I won't regret the fact that my condo isn't spotless. I will be glad that I let things slide a bit so I can do the things I really enjoy and see the people that I love to be around.

Do you ever feel guilty when you let certain responsibilities slide a little bit?

On the Good Things in Life

I've been a bit of a downer Debbie lately - but after reading my sister's post on Saturday, I was inspired to focus on the good things in life! Here are some good things from my weekend!

• Spring is here! It was absolutely gorgeous this weekend - over 60 degrees on Sunday. I love that I was able to have the patio door open all day on Sunday. There is nothing like fresh air and sunlight!
  

• I've successfully taught myself to crochet! My grandma gave me a book with instructions on crocheting and I think I've figured it out. I'm currently working on a blanket - so much for starting on a small project!

• I made some gluten free banana bread this is just delicious. I swear, you can not tell it's made with gluten free flour. Of course the chocolate chips I added sure help! My mom never added chocolate chips when we made banana bread so it feels like such a treat (and more like a dessert) when I add them to my recipe! How do you like your banana bread?
  

• I spent time catching up with friends on Friday & Saturday night and Sunday afternoon and still had plenty of 'me time' to unwind from a busy week. Having some 'me time' each weekend is crucial!

• I'm starting to sort of like biking. I don't like it nearly as much as running, but I do love that I can read while biking! Reading while running is impossible for me. I just don't have the coordination. When I see people reading while running on the treadmill, I am amazed.

• I made Beef in Pomegranate Sauce for dinner on Sunday. My cousin has raved about it and I finally got around to trying it. It was so good. You must try it. I served mine with the ultimate comfort food - mashed potatoes. I adore mashed potatoes. They are so easy to make - every time I make them, I wonder why I don't make them more often! How do you make yours? Do you hand mash them or do you use a hand mixer like I do (I like mine extremely smooth & fluffy)?

What were some 'good things' you enjoyed this weekend?