Tag Archives: weekends

#littlethings Monday

balance, blogging, family, friends, love, M, , , , , ,

It’s been raining for the past three days straight. Not just raining, either, but downpours, windy, raw, and just downright miserable. So, rather than complain about that (since I’ve already done enough of that already!), I figured I would count some #littlethings that are making me happy this Monday.

  1. A relatively unplanned weekend. Including an unexpected date night out with M. We opted to stay local and hit up our favorite wine bar and then a small Mediterranean restaurant that we absolutely adore (the chef was actually featured on the Today Show last year!). I love our date nights out no matter what (and in!), but sometimes we just have the best conversations when it’s just us, a glass of wine, and no distractions.
  2. A VERY lazy Sunday (see #1)…I am not quit sure, but I might have been a titch hungover on Sunday morning. (oops!) So, we had a really lazy Sunday, not even getting off the couch to shower until after 12. Haven’t done that in a LONG time. Needed.
  3. Sunday Funday with my sister Jess and brother in law Scott, post-b9 ass-kicking (by aforementioned sister!). We have the most fun together, and the only thing I wish is that we lived just a smidge closer so those nights can be more frequent. But, prioritizing is going to make it happen.
  4. Monday Funday! Given how shittastic the weather is, M and I decided to extend Sunday Funday into Monday Funday. I am making a little fancy dinner (roasting a leg of lamb for dinner, like I did for Easter!) and perhaps a glass of wine to knock down the Monday blues.
  5. Allowing PMS. Yep, I’m counting that as a #littlething for Monday. Rather than rail against it, I am going to embrace it. That might mean an extra piece of chocolate, or reworking my workouts this week to have one morning LESS of getting up at 5:15 am (check!) and not getting annoyed at myself for my uber dropsy, clumsy, moody self. Just know it’ll happen and it feels a little easier. (I can feel an EPIC PMS week so I think allowing it a little might quell it a smidge, right? M might be thankful for this one, most of all!).
  6. No more work trips for the foreseeable future. 3 trips in 6 weeks was p-lenty. Knock on wood.
  7. And to top it off? This Friday, I get to meet T (and her man!), Sunshine, and CBG for our epic bloggy weekend in Maine!! I have been dreaming about it every night for the past week, wanting everything to go well, the rain to go away and for it to be as fun as I envision it being. I just feel the pressure of hosting such fabulous people coming from such far distances and want to make it worth it, like WHOA!).

What’s better than that, right? A great list of #littlethings to make a dreary Monday just a smidge better. What’s your #littlething to get you through the Monday blues?

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A blissful weekend…in pictures.

challenges, family, life, love, M, , , , , , , , , ,

As I trot off to California for the next four days, I will sear into memory a blissful weekend that I truly believe was even MORE blissful because of shifting my focus and not going into this trip with any sort of ‘dread’ (except for the goodbye to M, which is always, always so hard), but with perspective that it’ll be a fantastic experience, filled with growth.

Without further ado…

Another ‘happy miles’ run with M, even if a bee did chase me and I ran like the wind 😉
got my sushi fix on Friday night, with a glass of wine on the patio
Impromptu trip to the lake on Saturday…check out that glisten.
got to dip my toes into the lake, not as chilly as I thought, either 😉
a sister cookout at Jess and Scott’s, never complete without a photo bomb 😉
I ❤ my sisters!

Complete with dinner on the deck and a crisp rose, and the weekend rounds out to a beautiful close…

And on a weekend that has marked the passing of my Nonna (May 20, 2009), I couldn’t help but think that this picture perfect weekend is her, smiling down, happy to see the happiness and love in my life, and in my sister’s lives too. I hugged my niece a little tighter, with her namesake (Isabel) and just smiled, my heart happy.

She climbed right up into my lap…and though it was just briefly, it’s captured.

~~~

Best. Friday Morning. Ever.

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Alarm clock goes off at 5:08 am (because 5:05 feels *much* earlier).

*groan. yawn. give M a kiss* (and surprised he gets up with me instead of sleeping in another hour!)

On the road by 5:20 to get to 6 am barre n9ne method class (the best way to start a Friday, I am convinced…not to mention the longest.week.ever. Felt like 49 days long or something).

*trying to psych myself up for a 3 miler post-barre with Steph, even though it’s chilly and I’m tireeddddd*

*fabulous* class 6-7 am.

Debate outdoor 3 mile loop with Steph. Know I’m tight on time, and she is too. And feeling slightly wussy in 35 degree temps when we’ve had temps in 50-70 degree range the last week. Quick change of plans: quick run at my sister Jess’s house (5 mins away, you’ll see why I’m going there anyway in a sec…).

7:21 am. Bang out 2.5 miles…wanted 3, but didn’t have time. And a shame, too, because it was actually one of those ‘can run all day’ feelings, surprisingly (even though I thought to myself, how much I didn’t *really* feel like running and if it started to feel like ‘junk miles’ I’d stop. Go figure! No junk! Whee!).

7:45 am. *Fly* through a quick shower at my sister’s with 5 minutes to spare, because I had a very important coffee date and I didn’t want to be late! So what did my lovely sister do? She packed up our obsessed favorite oatmeal into a tupperware so I could eat it as I drove (seriously, that was genius, and it was SO GOOD, even as I carefully drove and ate!).

8:09 am. I went on my merry way, grabbed two coffees on the way and made it to my other sister Jen’s by 8:32 (so I was late by 2 mins…).

Why all the rush-rush this morning? Why, to spend a cherished hour with my sister Jen and my beautiful niece Isabel, of course! (this worked out perfectly as I had a dentist appointment at 9:30 down the street, because yes, I still go to the same dentist since I was 4 years old. I do not care that it is now more than 30 miles away!).

And it was worth every minute of coordination and rush-rush to get there because Isabel was in an absolutely fabulous mood and we had the MOST fun at our auntie/sister coffee/playdate!!

A photo recap says it all:

I think she can see herself at this point, in the camera and starts waving to herself. *cuteness*
And finally, we're both in the picture, and semi-smiling. Success!

Besides that highlight of the morning, Isabel is learning to say my name!!! She says ‘hi jo!’ if Jen says it first, and oh my Gosh, that is the cutest thing EVER to hear out of your niece’s mouth. Best. Ever!

After hugs, kisses (‘blowing kisses’ and kisses on the lips too!), and far too much fun crammed into about 50 minutes, I left my sister Jen’s house with a huge grin on my face, and waved as they waved goodbye at me from the window. My heart felt explosive with joy and love…this was by far one of my favorite memories with my niece and sister in awhile, and sometimes, it’s those unexpected moments that mean so much. It truly has been the best. Friday morning. Ever. (even with the dentist, I love getting my teeth cleaned!)

**This weekend has felt like a long time coming…lots on tap, including a sushi lunch date with some fabulous women (Jess, Meaghan and Samantha!!), a visit to my grandparents (corned beef and cabbage? YES PLEASE! No, seriously, I LOVE corned beef and cabbage and I’m not even Irish!) and much-needed catch-up time with M. Cheers friends, make it a goodie!**

NOTE: if you cannot comment on my post, I understand from WordPress that you must create a WordPress login in order to comment. It’s ass-backward if you ask me, commenting should be OPEN, but I digress. If it’s not working for you and you want to comment, that’s the only thing I’ve heard that works. Sorry, friends! :/