Transitioning

A few weeks ago, C turned to me and said, "so, I guess the blog is dead, huh?"

Whoops. I insisted that is it, in fact, NOT dead, and I truly believe that. Obviously, things have changed in my life, and when life changes, my writing changes, but I can't imagine not having a space to put words to paper screen, at least some times. I can't make any promises or guarantees on what blogging looks like for me now, but I can promise that this little internet spot is not dead. It's not! I'm still here.

My maternity leave is officially over, and I'm returning to work and trying to find our new normal. We got into a pretty good pretty alright routine over the last three months, and it has given me major anxiety to think about changing that. I've always known that maternity-leave-life was a bubble, a blip in time, and not "real" life, so I didn't worry too much about getting too organized or settled, but I really felt like I was JUST starting to get the hang of being a mom when it came time to totally overhaul things. Womp. Now that we've come to the time where things are how they will be for the foreseeable future, we will work on finding a new routine, balancing marriage and parenthood and careers and pets and home ownership, and somewhere in there, I will fit my blogging. It's likely to be much sparser than before, but perhaps more real because of that. We shall see.

In other news and possibly more important news, we bought a king-size bed. That's always been a "some day" idea for us, but we bit the bullet and went shopping on Saturday. It was delivered yesterday, and last night was pretty much the best night's sleep I've gotten in 2016. Definitely worth the money. If you have a husband who's over 6 feet tall and likes to sleep like a starfish (granted, I sleep that way, too!), I highly recommend getting a giant bed. It's like an island, and I love it. Hashtag adulting.

Unexpected Maternity Leave Side Effect

I have spent the first 8 weeks of my maternity leave doing something I never expected to do... Getting addicted to DIY television. 

Yep. 

I can't stop watching. 

My DVR is filling up with episodes of "Rehab Addict" (love her!) and I'm spending my days watching things like "Texas Flip and Move" and "American Rehab: Detroit." (I'm also watching Parenthood and kind of want to be a Braverman, but that's another story.) I don't really have a DIY bone in my body, but I'm picturing all the things we COULD be doing in our house, and also kind of itching to buy a dilapidated house and fix it up. That is clearly a terrible idea and something that will never happen, but... What if it did?! I am starting to understand the appeal of renovations and fixing up a beautiful old home. 

It's probably a good idea if I just stick with watching all these shows on TV.  A girl can dream, though!

Plane life

Last week, I was on a total of six airplanes. That seems like kind of a lot for one week. (If that does not seem like a lot to you, I am not jealous of your life at all.) I am pleased to report that I only had one majorly turbulent flight, and I only had one not-so-great seatmate. Considering four of my six flights were with Southwest (cue open feeding seating frenzy), I consider this incredibly successful.

As a general reminder, it's not a great idea to be the person who falls asleep in the middle seat and can't control their body after that. Especially if it means the seatmate beside you has to scrunch into the farthest edge of their seat to avoid you resting your head on their shoulder.

Also, use a hair-tie and put your mane into a ponytail so that your seatmate doesn't also have to worry about your hair water-falling itself into their personal bubble while you doze.

On the list of good seatmates were the gentleman who was happy to lift my (very heavy) backpack into and out of the overhead bin, and the gentleman who held my coffee while I tried to figure out what to do with it while getting myself organized and buckled in. Small gestures of kindness go a long way when trapped in a flying metal tube.

Final observation from last week: having a set of terrible, misbehaving children juxtaposed with adorable, angelic children makes the first set look (and sound) that much worse. Talk about a headache.

Coffee Talk #9

It is just starting to be consistently warm enough to not need a jacket in the afternoons, and that makes me happy - and it also usually indicates the beginning of iced coffee season! My go-to at Starbucks or a coffee shop is a large iced coffee with a little sugar-free vanilla syrup and skim milk. Yum! Iced coffee is super easy to make at home, though! Either make an extra pot of coffee and refrigerate, or use leftovers from that morning's pot. I keep an ice cube tray full of "coffee cubes" in the freezer, and use that whenever I make iced coffee at home. Cools everything down perfectly, and doesn't water down the crack coffee. Win, win!

Just writing this down is making me want to run across the street to Starbucks and get a caffeine jolt. Must.... resist....

It's as good a day as any for a "coffee talk" post, though - won't you join me? What's on your mind?

• I took a "professional headshot" at work this morning, which must be some sort of joke... I'm not very good at being a professional or an adult most of the time. 
• It is NHL Playoff Season, and things have been tense in our house. Our Caps took their series to Game 7 (#theworst), which was last night. After several minor heart attacks, they managed to pull off a win with no overtime! SIGH OF RELIEF. On to Round 2!
• On Sunday, we met up for lunch with my in-laws at one of our favorite local places, Brock's. C suggested sitting outside on the recently re-opened deck / patio - such a great idea! It was a little chilly, but the sun felt great, and the views were picturesque. I foresee lots more meals there this summer! 
• Baltimore... So many thoughts. I am praying for peace and the safety of all involved. 
• April is the longest month ever. I cannot believe it's still not over. It just keeps going with general sad event after sad event. Get me outta here. 
• We used Trader Joe's frozen crab cakes to make crab cake sandwiches with homemade Old Bay aioli for dinner last night. That was an excellent decision. 
• On a sunny afternoon a few weeks ago, my boss and I went for a quick walk around the Mall to get some Vitamin D and talk through a few things going on in the office. I am definitely guilty of forgetting the beauty of DC - it's so easy to look past when you see it every day. Stop and smell the roses, right?

• I am currently a super guilty cat mama because I accidentally locked Mac in the guest room before I left for work yesterday morning. Poor baby spent the whole day trapped in there! He got extra dinner and snuggles to make up for it, but I still feel bad.
• C's birthday isn't until June, but I know it will be here before I know it. Per usual, stumped on what to get him. I swear, that man is impossible to shop for. Anyone have any ideas??
• We went to visit C's sister and our niece the weekend before last, and they had her dressed in the MOST adorable onesie (that I may or may not have provided for them...) - could you not just eat her up?? 

How's your day going? What's new in your life? Hope you are having a great week!

Behind the Scenes

I have been getting the dreaded "there is not enough space on your phone" message for a while now.... usually every time I try to take more pictures of one of the cats. (#crazycatlady - don't care) but more notably when I went to try to record Ashley's grand entrance at her surprise party on Saturday and couldn't! Sigh.

In the interest of being able to capture more cat pictures, and whatever else strikes my fancy, I finally moved all my pictures to my (extremely old, probably going to die soon) Macbook last night. What a fun exercise in reliving lots of random events! I managed to clear off enough pictures and unused apps to make space to keep the ol' iPhone running for a bit longer, but I thought I'd share a few pictures that never made it past my phone to the blog, or even Instagram. Time travel with me!

I had a craving for possibly the entire month of January for chicken and dumplings - but not regular chicken and dumplings, the kind my mom makes, which is more like chicken stew with biscuit "floaters" (so weird, but so good). I finally made a batch and it was the most delicious bowl of goodness I'd eaten in a while. Love those cute little biscuit pieces!

True story: when I sat at the winery with my girlfriends for a few hours in 60 degree weather in March, I acquired my first sunburn of the season. Please note exactly where the cuff of my jacket started, and exactly where my hair tie was sitting the whole time. Pale person problems.

Toby managed to pour his entire body into this shoe box that was sitting on the floor. There are several pictures of him where just his tail is hanging out of the box - every other piece of him was nicely packaged into a rectangle! Cats are weird.

I found these adorable Sperry flip flops on Zappos and had to have them. How cute is that punch of brightness from the floral fabric? Side note: yes, I also purchased Crocs. Not ashamed. In my defense, they aren't traditional Crocs, but the sandal style that they make. They are great lake shoes, because they can get wet and dry so quickly! whatever.

While wandering through HomeGoods recently, I noticed that they had a large collection of lake house-themed items, so I snapped several pictures to send to my parents. I managed not to buy anything, because you can really only have so many things that say "Welcome to Our Lake House".... I guess. 

Do you keep all your old photos? I have years' worth on my laptop and external hard drive - not even all good ones, plenty of outtakes and things that should have been trash. I can't stand to part with them! Picture hoarding... it's a thing.

Saying No is Hard to Do

I have a problem: I'm really bad at saying no.

Seriously, it's an issue.

I am a people-pleaser, and a do-er, and an extroverted introvert. When invites and ideas start flowing, I almost automatically say yes. I like to do things! I like to see people! I don't like to let people down, and I definitely suffer from FOMO. I don't want to live vicariously through pictures or miss out on the fun - I want to be part of the fun. So I say yes! Let's do all those things! But I always come to kind of regret that decision. I don't regret the things I take part in, but I do regret not allowing myself to say no, and give myself a little time to recover from allthethings.

Spring brings weddings and babies and parties and celebrations, and it's so much fun, but I inevitably wear myself (and my husband) down. Unfortunately, it's already happening this year, and it's not even April - we are smack-dab in the middle of four straight weekends that are booked solid with plans, and I can already feel the dust and laundry piling up in the house, my stress levels increasing, and my sleep levels decreasing. It takes a toll on my total well-being!

For a while, C and I had an agreement that I had to literally schedule one weekend per month during which we would have absolutely no plans, so that we could do the things that need to be done: laundry, housework, yard work, grocery shopping. There was a time when I would write in my calendar, "DO NOT MAKE PLANS," and leave that weekend empty. Looking at my spring schedule, I'm pretty sure I need to reenact that rule. Here's to making an effort to gently and firmly saying no sometimes, so that I don't actually lose my mind.

How do you say no? Do you suffer from FOMO?

Holi-daze

Serious questions I am currently pondering: do the minor holidays become more fun when you have kids? Is that inherent, or do you have to work at it? Will I be good at it when the time comes?

By "minor" holidays, I am referring to almost anything that is not Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the 4th of July - take it to be whatever you like. Personally, I'm thinking of Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween. Do holidays like those become more important and / or more fun if you have children to celebrate them with?

Yesterday was an absolutely normal day for us - I wore green to work, sure, but other than that, there was no recognition of  St. Patrick's Day, whatsoever. Granted, neither of us are Irish.... but then again, neither are most of the people I see "celebrating." In the past, we've drank green beer, and experimented with black and tans, but we haven't ever decorated or gone all out or anything. The same goes for things like Valentine's Day and Halloween: we don't really decorate the house, we don't do anything special other than have a nice dinner for the former and hand out candy for the latter. HOWEVER... everyone I know who has kids seems to really embrace these "minor" holidays, and have a ton of fun doing it.

Exhibit A:

My friend, Ashley, made leprechaun traps with her two kiddos. How freakin' cute is that?! It looks like so much fun. Clearly, though, if I tried to convince C to sit down and catch a leprechaun with me, he'd look at me like I'd just grown two new heads. And the look would be well-deserved.

My Facebook and Instagram have been covered with special pictures for these minor holidays: special outfits, fun treats, new activities - you name it. Who comes up with these things, and how do you know to do them? Do you just automatically have more fun when you have kids in the game to work your magic with? More importantly, will I be good at celebrating the minor holidays when the time comes, after years of generally ignoring these days? 

Coffee Talk #8

Today is the worst kind of Wednesday - gray, wet, and slightly chilly. It makes the idea of doing almost anything productive fly straight out the window... or at least straight under a cozy blanket. With a hot drink. And Netflix. Hmm.... Want to join me?

• I currently have the slightest smidge of a head cold (and so does just about everyone in my office! gross) and while searching the house for some medicine, I realized that I didn't have anything that wasn't at least a year expired... and maybe more. Oops. So I stopped at the store on my way home last night to pick up something new... and walked out with two types of cold medicine and two flavors of ice cream. Something is bound to heal me, right??
• It was beautiful on Sunday, and I cleaned the house with the back door open and fresh air blowing in. Amazing how we can go from getting almost 6" of snow one day to having temperatures in the 60s just a few days later! I was happy to see the snow and ice melting away, and relieved to say I think we've finally moved into Spring for good... knock on wood!
• The nice weather left me searching for my flip-flops to throw on the other day, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I think that maybe, in the midst of the great closest clean out I did a few months ago, I managed to get rid of both of my (old, nasty) pairs of Rainbows. Dumb. But probably a sign that I really did need new ones, since I couldn't determine the "older" pair from the "old" pair. Anyone know a good place to get new Rainbows? I am loyal to those flops!
• We really need to start our taxes. Procrastination at it's finest, my friends.
• Someone tell me what this "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" stuff is. (Did I get that right?) Why is it blowing up my social media, and why am I just now hearing about it?
• We are in a dinner rut. We've fallen into a routine of making the same handful of recipes over and over again each week. Anyone got anything super good, super easy, and super quick? I need to find my old "30 Minute Meals" cookbook by Rachael Ray again...
• Speaking of dinner, C offered to make something for dinner last night that would "make me feel better" since I've got this cold.... say what you will, but I picked taco salad. Hashtag comfort food. My comfort, anyway!
• My friend, Aileen, and her husband came over last week to play Cards Against Humanity (hilarious) and hang out, and she brought a batch of her homemade Thin Mint Sandwich Cookies with her. They are so delicious, and she just posted the recipe on her blog today - so check it out!
• The coming of Spring means the to-do list of house projects is growing exponentially. Topping the list is fixing our front porch, which was damaged a few storms ago by the wind. An entire section of the porch railing was blown clean off! We are looking a smidge red-necky right now, so I'm hoping we can get to that in one of the next few weekends. Unfortunately, it probably means replacing the entire porch railing... why do a small project when you can do a big one?
• Two of my high school girlfriends are coming to town next weekend for some girl time, and I am beyond excited. It's been way too long since we've gotten together! I am looking forward to planning some fun things for us to do.
• I could really use a new purse. I'm talking a good, heavy-duty, every-day bag that can go from office to home to date night. My current bag is the "How Does She Do It" by Stella and Dot in Pewter Metallic, and if they still had the same bag, I'd probably just buy it again...but it looks like they discontinued this color. It is so versatile and sturdy and amazing. What do you use to carry your life around in? Help!

Check out my previous coffee talk posts - thanks for hanging out with me for a bit!

Not ideal

A Friday night summary and / or reflection on my day:

Things I do not recommend:

• three hours of dental work on a Friday morning when you have severe dental anxiety 
• having 4 fillings replaced and / or done at one time under the same circumstances 

Things I do recommend:

• taking Valium prior to having all that work done
• having a husband who will drive you to and from your dental appointment
• taking a 4-hour nap post-appointment to let the medication wear off
• having a husband who will bring you Panera soup for lunch and make you baked potatoes for dinner so there is no crunching
• a long Parks and Rec marathon all evening while you recover 

Welcome to my Friday. It was rough, but it's getting better. :)

Unexpected Happies

Note: thank you!! for all your comments and love on my last post about bad pet parenting - I am definitely feeling better knowing that I am not alone!

It can be hard sometimes, I think, to remember to notice the little things in life and really appreciate them for what they are. It is especially hard for me to do that when we reach the loooong days of winter, when it feels like everything is gray and dreary and like it may never be warm outside again. (Hyperbole, I know, but come ON!) It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and focus on the things that stress us out, rather than the things that bring us joy.

I've had a few moments of unexpected "happies" lately - things that were semi-insignificant, but caught me by surprise and were a little spot of happiness that would sometimes go unrecognized. There are days when you have to truly seek out the positive things, but I promise you, if you are looking, you will find them.

Standard cheesy quote.
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A few examples...

• Recently, I was telling a coworker about a book I'm reading and really enjoying, but mentioned that my library checkout was going to expire before I could finish and I was bummed because the waiting list is about 100 people long (seriously). She thought for a moment and then said, "Wait! I have that book at home!" and the very next day she brought it to me. She hasn't read it yet, but was happy to loan it to me for the time being.
• I received a small award at work, given to me by a coworker, recognizing me for my contributions to the team. I work with some great people, and we all value each other very much, but sometimes it is nice to see some formal recognition, especially out of the blue!
• Yesterday, my friend, Aileen, brought over some K-cups of coffee that neither she nor her husband will drink because they are too sweet. In my house, we drink just about anything (and especially love flavored coffees!), and I'd just realized that morning that we were almost out of K-cups! Her gift came with perfect timing, and I thought of her while I enjoyed my morning cup today.

I am definitely guilty of overlooking happy events like these, in favor of focusing on more stressful or more negative aspects of my life. The truth is, when I stop and think and look around, there is always something to be thankful for and to be happy about. I just have to take the time to appreciate it!

What small thing has made you happy lately? Anything goes!

Monday schmunday

Ahh, Monday, we meet again. Why do you always come so soon??

Good thing I am armed with coffee and a cute new blouse, courtesy of Tar-Jay. I shall win this battle!

We had a lovely weekend. How was yours? If you live anywhere near Boston, I suppose you were preparing for Snow-magedeon Round (uhh...) 3? I'm so sorry. I would be happy to take a little bit of the white stuff off your hands!! I've been feeling a bit gypped this winter. 

Yesterday was the complete opposite of a winter wonderland around these parts. Rather, we were faced with the first amazing, teasing spring-like day of the year! I kid you not, the weather yesterday was perfect. It's been a little weird around here lately. This is Friday morning versus yesterday afternoon: 

Uhhhh yeah. Weird. 

But I am not one to complain about pretty days, and we took full advantage! Spending the morning and afternoon with the backdoor open for some fresh air felt amazing - you never notice how stuffy it is inside with the heat pumping until you get to open the door and feel a fresh breeze. The boys loved it, too. "Look, Mom! The WORLD!" 

C and I started the day wth a little DIY action: installing under-the-cabinet lighting in the kitchen. We were lounging around yesterday morning watching TV when I noticed the lights on a show we had on, and said "don't you wish we had that?!" One trip to Lowe's and a Starbucks stop later, we had the power tools out and were making it happen.

Cashed in my birthday reward! Venti skim caramel macchiato, I love you. It's been too long.

The man in action

I adore the results. It was just what we needed! We installed plug-in LED lights under our three main kitchen cabinets, and provided a great amount of light to previously dim prep areas. It makes such a difference! This probably doesn't show the effect well enough, but it's a start.

Next on the agenda was getting outdoors: a run through the battlefields was the perfect way to enjoy the sunshine. I needed to break in my beautiful new Brooks shoes anyways, so it killed two birds with one stone run. Who woulda guessed I'd be running outdoors in a tank and capris in February?! It was lovely. Four easy miles was just what the doctor ordered.

I fully intended to make a big batch of my mom's chicken and dumplings yesterday, but I just couldn't bear to make stew when the weather was so gorgeous. Instead we opted for grilled chicken kebabs and grilled veggies, and enjoyed the most glorious "it feels like summer" dinner while watching the Grammy's. We were all tuckered out from a full day of activities. Kitten yoga, anyone?

Waking up to temps back in the 30s this morning was kind of the pits, but in so glad we got to take advantage of a beautiful day in the dead of winter. We just might survive this one after all!

If it's not on Instagram...

...did it even really happen?? Like just about everyone these days, I Instagram a lot of things (or, to clarify, a lot of pictures of food and my cats - whatev!). I thought it would be fun today to share five pictures from my phone that I DIDN'T put on Instagram... filter-free and not squared off, these are just random, every-day-life shots!

My friend, Aileen, made me this adorable birthday cake - isn't it the cutest? Her pink rosettes were just gorgeous, and the cake was delicious, too!

A few weekends ago, C & I went to a Capitals game with the rest of my family - we had such a blast, and the Caps won! Can't ask for much more than that. We enjoyed some food and drinks in the Player's Club beforehand, and had a great evening.

My sweet Mother-in-Law surprised me with some birthday goodies! We happen to work in the same building (small world, huh?), so she snuck up to my desk before I got to work and left me muffins and fruit to share with my team. The sign says, "from the birthday fairy!" Lucky for me, I know her name.

After the Capitals game, we stayed the night at my parents' house since it's a little closer to DC. The next morning, my mama made a special birthday breakfast: huevos rancheros from scratch, with fruit salad! Yes, that is approximately one inch of guacamole on top of my eggs... it was delicious!!

Last weekend, C and I ventured out to one of our favorite wineries: Old House, in Culpeper. My sister and brother-in-law got us a wine club membership for Christmas (best gift ever!), and we needed to pick up our first shipment. We enjoyed a free tasting and then sat and admired the view with some wine and snacks. It was such a lovely afternoon - perfect day-date for us!

Do you follow me on Instagram?? If not, you should! @lndsywst - lots of food, fitness, and cats, just like this blog... ha!

Never have I ever...

Do you remember that game we all (right?) used to play in high school and college, called "Never Have I Ever"? In high school, it was pretty tame, but in college, it was a drinking game, and it was always a riot to try to come up with the most outlandish things that people have / have not done... ohhh, memories!

When I saw that The Lady Okie was co-hosting a link-up with Kiki with a Never Have I Ever theme, my interest was piqued. What fun! No drinking here today, unfortunately (apparently they condone that at work??) but I thought I'd play along anyway. Ten fingers up, friends - let's play!

Believe it or not, never have I ever...

Broken a bone.

Seriously. Not a one. Not a finger, not a toe. 

Stayed overnight in the hospital.

The only time I've ever even been to the ER was when I was in high school and had mono, and that was only because the clinics on base were closed on Sundays, except the ER. That's probably a story for another day, though.

Gotten a speeding ticket.

Notice I didn't say "been pulled over" for speeding. That's a different category! I have gotten a ticket for running a red light, and another for an "improper lane change" when I wrecked my car in college (the $35 ticket was just kind of insulting on top of all the damage!). 

Been to a Whole Foods.

Now I'm just refusing to go out of principle.

Taken a hot yoga class.

I want to, but I haven't.

Smoked a cigarette.

Not a single puff, not even just to try it.

What's something you've never done, that lots of other people have?? Feel free to join the link-up fun if you're a blogger!

Well this made me feel 13 again!

This is kind of a wimpy post, but I am coming to you live from Flint, Michigan, today, where it is freakin' cold, and I can't stop shivering long enough to type a real post! Thank the stars above for a Starbucks close to the hotel.

I've seen this "Four Things" survey floating around the blog world in the last few weeks, so thought I'd give it a shot. Filling this out REALLY made me think of email surveys that went around back when I had my very first email account (with Juno. What the what?!) in like 6th grade. Those were fun. Right?? Let's do this.


Four names that people call me, other than my real name: 

• Lindz 
• L-Dubs 
• Gypsy (that one's from my sister... Don't ask!)
• My last name (or a version of it)

Four jobs I have had: 

• Substitute teacher (In college, on breaks)
• Student athlete tutor (In college - very fun job!)
• American Eagle (I lasted approximately 6 months in retail - not cut out for that life!)
• Gold's Gym Kidz Club (Glorified babysitter, with a free gym membership)

Four movies I’ve watched more than once: 

• Love, Actually (I can quote the whole thing)
• Elf (Again... I can quote the whole thing)
• Finding Nemo (I am five years old at heart)
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? (One of C's favorites that he has subsequently turned into one of mine)

Four books I’d recommend: 

• The Kindness of Strangers 
• The Language of Flowers 
• Tell the Wolves I'm Home 
• Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood 

Four places I have lived: 

• Blacksburg, VA
• Woodbridge, VA
• Frankfurt, Germany 
• Littleton, CO

Four places I have been: JUST THIS WEEK!

• Flint, MI
• Saginaw, MI
• Kalamazoo, MI
• Detroit, MI

Four places I’d rather be right now: 

• Home (seriously - get me there!)
• OBX 
• Jekyll Island, Georgia (where we went for our honeymoon - I'd love to go back!) 
• Germany (there is something magical about Germany around Christmastime!)

Four things I don’t eat: 

• Applesauce (too mushy / weird texture)
• Eggplant (too mushy / weird texture)
• Clam chowder (.....too mushy / weird texture)
• Curry (really just don't like the flavor)

Four of my favorite foods: 

• Enchiladas verde (my go-to order at any Mexican restaurant)
• Chipotle chicken salad (I'm getting hungry)
• Schnitzel (all-time favorite! With all the delicious trimmings, too)
• SweetFrog (duh!)

Four TV shows that I watch: 

• Bones 
• Elementary 
• Big Bang 
• Cold Case 

Four things I am looking forward to this year: 

• A couple of house projects that we are tossing around
• Christmas!
• NYE in Nashville 
• The birth of my first niece in April

Four things I’m always saying:

• "I'm hungry"
• "I'm tired"
• "I need to pee" (constantly. hashtag baby bladder)
• "Can we stop at Wawa?" (I love Wawa. Seriously.)

Want to play along?? Feel free to copy and paste :) Hope you are having a great week!

Hallo-weekend by the numbers

I need a weekend to recover from Hallo-weekend. My brain is not quite functioning up to par yet, so I'm light on words today. Inspired by this post from P!nkPers!stence today, I thought it would be best to just sum up this weekend with some numbers. Let's see...

8: hours in the car back and forth
336: miles driven

3: cases of beer consumed
 

2: the number of points we lost the game by

4: cab rides back and forth from downtown
 

45: degrees it was during the game
 

34: degrees it felt like with the wind chill

1: cell phones temporarily lost (it was under the bed)

4: people who took long afternoon naps and nursed hangovers on Sunday

2: nights downtown pretending we were in college again

1: margarita the size of my head

7: number of times I was carded buying alcohol

1: number of times I was not carded buying alcohol

1: number of orders of fried pickles consumed
 

3: videos of me "nerdy dancing" that will never be seen on the internet

105%: amount I miss my college town

Choosing kindness

One of my most favorite mantras (quotes, words of wisdom, edicts, whatever) is "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

I first heard this saying while I was working at the hospital after college, and it rang so incredibly true with me. Everyone I met in the Radiology waiting room was fighting a battle, be it big or small. It wasn't my place to determine the size or extent of their battle, but it was my place to recognize that they were suffering, and to offer kindness. That quote struck a heart-string, and it has been with me ever since.

[source]

Recently, I learned of two different co-workers who have been struggling with some mighty big battles. These are strong, positive, amazing women, who have never once let on to the fact that everything in their behind-the-scenes home life is not as good as it should be. I was almost dumb-founded to learn about the battles they have been suffering through, while constantly being kind, generous, and thoughtful to those around them. It stopped me in my tracks. These women have chosen kindness, and extoll it on the people around the people around them. What an inspiration!

It is a choice to be kind - one we should all make. In every interaction you have, with every person you meet, you have the choice to simply be kind. It doesn't have to be overbearing or over the top; it just has to be heartfelt. Make the choice. Deliver kindness.

[source]

I don't mean to sound preachy or high-and-mighty. I just want to share something I've been thinking about. You don't know what battles the people you around you are fighting. You don't necessarily need to know. But I am making an effort to remember that everyone has some weight on their shoulders, and the least I can do is choose kindness. I hope you do, too.

Long nights make for long days

I am not a good sleeper. In fact, I'm quite a bad one, at that.

Be careful not to misinterpret that statement - it's not that I don't like sleep, or don't want or need sleep. I really love it. And I definitely want and need it. I'm just not very good at actually achieving good, restful sleep.

My brain tends to go into over-drive mode at night (I received an actual medical diagnosis of suffering "racing thoughts" at one point) and it's very, very hard to shut down, even when I'm tired. My body can be totally worn out, screaming for rest, and my brain is still going a mile a minute (usually creating heart-pounding anxiety, because it's always when I generally start thinking the worst of the worst stuff, awesome!).

Once I do fall asleep, I'm not great at staying asleep: I tend to wake up multiple times throughout the night, either getting up to use the restroom or just laying awake because something disturbed me. I'm pretty sure I inherited this lovely trait from my mama. She's a really light sleeper, too - I can remember standing next to her side of the bed when I was little, just barely whispering "mom!" and her instantly being wide awake. I thought it was just a mom-thing, but, since I'm not one yet, I think it's just a trait... sigh. I wish I'd inherited my dad's ability to sleep through anything and everything, instead!!

C, luckily thankfully (I guess) does not have this problem - he generally sleeps like a rock all night, every night. Me, on the other hand? I toss and turn, and the slightest thing wakes me up and keeps me up. Lately, that thing has been a certain kitten who wants to bound across the bed and aggressively snuggle. C keeps snoring away, never even noticing the cat in the bed, but the minute Toby jumps up, I can feel it, and I'm awake. We try to solve this by closing the bedroom door, but if the door is closed, the cats sit outside it and cry, which (surprise) keeps me awake. Again, C doesn't even notice.... ha

Anyway. Over time, I have developed a list of things that generally sometimes help with my sleep issues. I thought I'd share a few of the tactics that I rely on, in case there are any other (sleepy) bad sleepers out there reading.

1. A warm drink: I rely heavily on Sleepy Time Tea, which is an herbal blend made with natural sleep aids. I make a cup before bed a lot of nights, and if I'm really feeling wired, I use two tea bags to double-brew and hopefully get a little more oomph. Another go-to for me is a cup of warm milk with some Ovaltine powder stirred in. As old as that makes me sound, it is really comforting, and it's what I usually make if I find myself awake in the middle of the night.

2. Don't look at the clock: This one is hard, but it really helps me. When I wake up in the night, I make every effort to not look at the clock beside my bed. If I could, I'd get rid of the clock all together, but I'm pretty sure not having it would cause me anxiety... what a cyclical issue, ha! If I look at the clock, I start to get worked up about the sleep I'm not getting. Which obviously doesn't help! So, I do my best to not look at see what time it is, and just work on keeping my eyes closed and going back to sleep. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I don't need to know what time it is.

3. White noise: We run a box fan in our bedroom 24/7/365. I have found that having some noise in the background keeps me from focusing on either the impending silence, or the little tiny sounds that a house makes when it's quiet. The sound of the fan is just loud enough to keep me from hearing every drip or creak, and quiet and constant enough that it helps lull me to sleep.

4. Benadryl: I'll be honest - in college, I got a bit too reliant on both prescription and OTC sleep aids, and had to work really hard to wean myself off of them. I didn't like the fact that I couldn't sleep without taking something, and I thought it was better to naturally sleep badly. I still generally feel that way - it's better to just be in my natural state than reliant on medications. However, we do usually have a bottle of OTC Benadryl, which has the same active ingredient as an OTC sleep aid, but at a much cheaper price. On really bad nights, or after a few days of not sleeping well, I will take one pill, and it usually does the trick. It's just enough to put me to sleep without making it hard to wake up again or making me groggy the next day.

5. Multiplication tables: This one is probably unique to me, but it works. Your average "counting sheep" or just counting "1, Mississippi, 2, Mississippi" doesn't work for me, because I count too fast and then get anxious about how much time I've spent counting (a little crazy, I am!). I resorted to multiplication tables a few years ago, and have found that they have a much better effect: I have to think just enough that it keeps my brain focused, but is repetitive enough that eventually I fall asleep. I start at 1x1 and work my way to 1x12, then start over with the 2s. A few rounds in, and I'm usually sawing logs!

Do you have trouble sleeping? Any tricks that work better than others? Are you someone lucky enough to have no trouble sleeping, anytime and any place? Trust me, I'm jealous...! Teach me your ways.

Five for Friday: best links of the week

There's really nothing like the sound of a smoke detector chirping to tell you the battery is low.... at 2:30 AM. Right?? You've never seen my husband rip something off the wall the way he did with that dang thing, before tossing it under a pile of blankets in a spare bedroom and grumpily climbing back into bed. We have those stupid wonderful alarms with built in batteries that can't be removed so... it's still at home chirping. Perfect. Welcome to Friday!

I thought I'd do something a little different for Five for Friday today, and share with you five links to some of my favorite things on the web this week. Take a peek!

Brain on Fire // I think I've found the next book I want to read... sounds fascinating. And terrifying.

I See You // Sam @ Reddy or Knot linked to this article this morning and it really touched me. I think that I do a good job of trying to "see" people versus just immediately judging and looking away, but I know that I am guilty of the glance-over, too. Children can teach us so much.

Baked Goat Cheese with Pull-Apart Baguettes // Could this look ANY more delicious?! I think not... I need to bring an appetizer to a get-together this weekend and I may have just found exactly what I was looking for!

A 20-Second Stretch for Better Posture // So important for those people (like me) who are stuck at their desk most of the day. Fight against bad posture! Take a few seconds to do this simple stretch.

A New Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Theory // Potter fans will enjoy this one - an article describing some of the links that may go unseen regarding the Deathly Hallows.

Did you read anything inspiring or interesting this week? Send it my way. Have a wonderful (hopefully long!) weekend, my friends.

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha
As if they weren't enough fun, they are doing an awesome giveaway this week - go check it out!

linking up with karli and amy

Coffee Talk #5

Well hi there. Anyone else running around like a chicken with it's head cut off this week? ::crickets:: no? Just me? Well, alrighty then... moving on.

I was woken up at 4:45 AM this morning by an aggressively snuggling kitten, which is either something out of a dream or a nightmare. HE JUST WANTED LOVE. I get that. But... it was a little over the top and he would not go away and therefore I am going to need an IV drip of caffeine to get me through this day, which is already scheduled to be extra long. Super! So what better day for a "coffee talk" post?? Grab a cuppa (or a glass of wine, depending on what time you're reading... no judgement here) and settle in.

• Since this is coffee talk, let's start with something actually coffee-related: the PSL (dun, dun, dunnn....) - we all know that I love all things fall, and I definitely love all most things pumpkin spice. However, I once calculated that your regularly-made, grande Pumpkin Spice Latte clocks in at a whopping 10 Points Plus. When I'm following WW, I only get 26 for the day - do I ever really want to spend more than a third of my daily points on one drink?? No, no I do not. (Additionally, I've seen all the article about the questionable ingredients Starbucks uses in the mix.... blerg). So, know what I get when I have a hankerin' for a PSL? Grande Blonde roast, one pump Pumpkin Spice syrup, add skim milk. Bam. All the PSL flavor, none of the wonky / gross stuff. Try it. You're welcome.
• Additional coffee choice: Pumpkin Spice coffee from Wawa or Dunkin' Donuts. JUST as good, if not better.
• Did anyone else watch the series premier of Red Band Society last night?? I've been waiting for that one for a while. Got to say, I liked it - it's the sort of cheesy show I can get behind, knowing that it's probably going to make me cry a lot because I'm emotional like that. C, on the other hand? Pretty sure that's one he will not be watching with me.
• Speaking of television, I am stoked for fall TV to be back! I can't wait for the new seasons of American Horror Story: Freak Show (I'll probably never go to a carnival again), Sleepy Hollow, Bones, and all my other usual faves. What are you watching this fall?
• I have a shopping date with my mama this weekend and I can't wait. I am in desperate need of some new pieces. I have been throwing things into Goodwill boxes left and right (C probably thinks I've lost my mind), but I am just so tired of all the worn-out pieces in my closet. Must remedy. Slowly. But surely.
• I've been reviewing some resumes at work lately for a position that needs to be filled, and the amount of spelling errors and other mistakes that I've seen are mind-boggling. If there was ever a time to make sure a document is absolutely perfect, it's when you're applying for a job. Please, for the love of heaven, at least use spell-check, if not your most trust-worthy grammar queen (or king). Come on, people!
• C and I watched the end of both the Orioles game and the Nationals game the other night, the ones where they clinched the divisions, and we watched as they went into the locker rooms to celebrate. While C was just excited about the success of the teams, I was focused in on the fact that so many of the guys were having SO much trouble opening the champagne bottles. I know they were excited and bouncing off the walls, but still.It was kind of hilarious! So much struggle. Apparently, they did not perfect that skill in college.... #sororitygirltalents
• Has anyone updated to iOS8 yet? I backed up my phone and cleared a million things off of it to make space last night, but I haven't actually pulled the trigger. Can someone please reassure me that it'll be ok? I'm scared!

So what's going on in your world? How's your coffee? How's your day? Tell me something interesting!

wonderful weekend

Our first "no plans" weekend in a long time turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. C told me several times yesterday that this weekend was the most fun one he's had in a while... and that's saying a lot, because we've been doing a lot of fun things! Just goes to show that sometimes downtime is crucial.

We kicked off the weekend with dinner and a concert - totally low-key style. As I mentioned, we got tickets to go see Dierks Bentley with some of my book club girlfriends & their significant others. We started out by meeting everyone for dinner at Chipotle, and hung out for a while debating the merits of getting to the venue in time to see the opening acts. In the end, we just meandered our way over, and got there right before Dierks started. No one minded!

We had a great time, and we were back home by 10:30. How's that for a rowdy Friday night??

On Saturday, we had Stephanie and her husband over for an impromptu football-watching party... and unfortunately had to suffer through a VT loss. The guys cooked up some wings and cheese fries, though, and we picked up a Sam Adams fall sampler box, so at least the eats and drinks were good, though the game was not so much. 

We tried to use our Caps tradition to swing the game's momentum... no such luck.

After S & C left, we deemed nap time necessary, and snoozed for a while before hitting up the nearest Red Box for Spiderman 2 and pizza-making supplies. We were going to order pizza, but as we wandered around the grocery store, we realized that we really prefer making our own. So, personalized naan pizzas it was. Yum!

Look at these cuties who are finally starting to get along! #pileofkittens

Sunday morning called for a lazy breakfast. I pulled out the cast iron skillet and whipped up a new recipe from Iowa Girl Eats - it totally hit the spot!

C & I were brainstorming ways to remake this one, but change it up a bit next time. It's totally versatile and delicious. While C mowed the lawn, I got to work on a major house-cleaning session: from ceilings to baseboards and everything in between. It was a gorgeous day, and it felt so good to open the windows, get some fresh air in the house, and wipe away a season's worth of dust. Ick. Everything gets so polleny in the summer, there's no way to avoid it or ever truly keep it clean. The end-of-the-season wipe-down is critical. And refreshing!

I couldn't let the first truly fall-like day get away without a run, so I headed out for a few miles on a local trail while C pulled together a pot of chili for dinner.

I made the mistake of telling him that I didn't think it was spicy enough when I got home.... the final result had us both sweating! I have been looking forward to chili season for weeks, and I was so happy to have the first pot on the stove. It's been a long time coming!

Next weekend, I'll be getting ready for another business trip, so having some time to spend this way was wonderful. It felt like I recharged my batteries - no crazy to-do lists, no racing against the clock, just moving from one activity to the next whenever I felt like it. There is so much to be said for days like that!

And we allllll slept soundly last night. Hooray!

How was your weekend? How's the weather where you are? Did you do anything fun? Make it a great week!