a perfectly perfect long weekend....

this weekend
had a little bit of
everything
i could want
in a long weekend.

Trails, beaches,
a little bit of family time,
some productive time
around the house -
lawn cut and whippersnipped,
house cleaned up,
pop tent moved to a it’s new location…

Sunburns, fireworks,
fresh strawberries,
lemon sugary donuts,
new headphones,
blogging in bed,
fans full blast,
reading books every chance I get
and trying to
absorb every second of this weekend.

As I write this I am 100% happy
but also exhausted
and wondering if 7:30 is too early for bed….
cause it’s definitely
too late for a nap
and I still have one day of this
sweet long weekend left.

I hope your weekend
was full of all the
little things that
make you smile.
♥

slow living in the big orange house...

I am not sure that this is
really a
new
direction for me…
but I am definitely
leaning into it hard
right now.

slow living.
living with intention.
mindfulness.
whatever you would like to call it,
it is my new happy place.

I am taking life slow
and really trying to savor
all the small moments…
and experience all the things,
from the most mundane dish washing tasks
to the bracing icy cold showers
I have been attempting to add to my day.

I have been watching a lot of Andrew Huberman
on youtube…
and trying to incorporate some of what
he talks about into my daily routine…
(hence the cold showers)
but also getting out into the sun in the mornings,
trying to catch the sunset (while getting in a walk),
yoga nidra (which I just tried today and LOVED)…

proof of a sunset walk….

And at the same time,
I am really trying to embrace my life.
I am working on things -
my house, my career, my health,
my relationships with family & friends
and making sure I fit in the fun creative stuff, too.
(like crochet WHICH I AM ADDICTED TO
even though I still kinda suck) :)

There are so many things that make me happy right now.
The heat pump making my living room so toasty,
fuzzy socks, silky pjs, ice cold water (in a glass, not in the shower),
a quick evening walk in the rain, lilacs in a jar of water,
talking to the plants, watching the Office with 27,
trips to the dollar store and finding the cutest pillow case ever,
doing the 30 day declutter challenge with friends and making this
area a little less stressy (poor girl fix, heh).

This feels good.
For a little while, I was feeling
out of sorts…wrinkles, weight gain, strike, money and stuff…
but I feel like I have settled a bit.

I have found a bit of a groove.
And I like it. I think I am gonna stay here for a while.
♥♥♥

thinking thoughts out loud...as i often do

I just renewed this website
and the cost was higher than I had intended
(my fault for not paying attention)
so now I feel like I better start using it
to make good on the extra money I accidentally put into it.

But also the brighter longer days
are making me dizzy with
excitement…there are so many things
I want to do…
so many things that I struggle to focus
on just one thing
to settle down on doing…
and instead I make list after list
of what I could be doing
instead of actually doing anything….

But….baby steps. :)

I have been writing this blog for a long time.
I don’t really do it for any reason other than
as a way to document my life for me…
it’s a way to push myself to do things…
to find ways to be creative.
I am not going to be famous….I don’t need a huge readership…
I am not looking for likes or follows or shares but I do love the
connections it occasionally brings me.
I just want to be able to look back and smile
and think
oh….I remember that day.

I remember feeling that way.

I remember doing/making/seeing/hearing/eating that. :)

All that said,
I am going to come here more often….
and I am going to use this to push myself
to not just make the lists
but actually COMPLETE something on said list.

I’d love it if you come along for the journey
but only if you wanna.
If this kinda thing feels cringey to you…
selfies and affirmations and slightly sad attempts
at poetry and lopsided sketches
and a multitude of photos of candy, ice cream and doughnuts
then….
you might want to avoid this page.
And I’ll totally understand. Heh.
♥

But it’s about to get messy.
And real. But fun.
Cause at 52, I can’t keep worrying what
other people think….
I started life as the “weird” kid in class,
I may as well keep going. Consistency is key.
:)

and 50 before fifty morphs into 50 in my 50's! (i just like lists...)

{cause I am very good at
going easy on myself
and giving myself second
(and third) chances…}

if you have been here for a while,
you know that i started a
50 before 50 list
which changed to 50 - IN - 50 list
but management has decided that
it would be much more prudent,
given the glacial rate i am progressing at,
to change it to….{drumrollllllll}
50 in my 50’s

AND HERE IS WHAT IS LEFT ON THE LIST::

Get a new tattoo (I have a plan for this)
(tandem) skydiving
Province/place I have not yet been
Give blood
Finish Bernadine story (or any story)
Build a robot
Knit a robot
Go sledding
Try rock climbing
Get a passport
Watch all Game of Thrones
Go on a train
Play badminton
Try kickboxing, karate, judo or boxing
Climb a tree
Bake an apple pie
Make a puzzle
Drive (with someone) - motorcycle OR racecar
Paintball
Photo walk
Hit goal weight
Tree-go
Zipline
Rollercoaster
Heavy machinery
Learn how to drive standard
Learn to drywall
Make a calendar
Pop up shop
Etsy refill
Ariel yoga
Make meat pies
Build a snowman

now to stop
dilly-dallying
and actually
CROSS THESE OFF THE LIST….
wanna help?
:)

cause i am dorky....but you knew that....that's why we are friends...

Every year,
I choose one word
to be a compass for the year….
some years, it works out
fantastically (like glow! and adventure!),
other years can be a bit of a bust.

Last year my word was Resolve…
which was ok…i mean…it worked….
I did some grown up stuff,
and I came to terms with some stuff
about me and who I am/was/hope to be.

But I didn’t really feel like it
lit a fire under me…it was just….
ok as a word.

This year, I chose CULTIVATE…

And I am pretty excited about this.
I feel like this is the year
I start to put the broken pieces of myself
that I have been picking up off the floor
and digging out from under the bed
and finding tucked into the back corner
of the closet
and start nurturing them, putting them back together,
to nourish and love and encourage
the little geek girl in me…heh.

This year will see a resurgence
of the 50 in my 50’s list
(see how flexibly I keep adapting the
title to make it work with my procrastination….heh)…
I want to be a year
of learning and growth and
deepening my current friendships/relationships
and being open to new ones.

I want it to be year of loving life…
embracing it fully and if you are in my life,
be prepared for my attention and affection
and hopes that you will join me
in grabbing this year
by the throat and loving it hard and with feeling.
(yeah, sometimes I am overly dramatic…)

Life is short.
What matters to me right now
are the people in my life…
the experiences we share,
the adventures, the connections…
I want to look back at 2023
and feel a full heart,
to know I lived a year in
honesty and vulnerability…
with my pollyanna positively annoying attitude
and that every day,
I tried to make someone somewhere smile,
even just a little bit….
cause that makes me smile, too.

Sooooooooooooo….
consider this fair warning…
oh, and if you are up for
paintballing, rockclimbing
or tandem skydiving,
let me know.
heehee.
:)