In case you were wondering.

Inca Kola reminds me of Emma. Cheers to Chad for hanging on to this bottle for however many years since his last trip to Peru. Viva Peru!

Self-care.

I am writing this while sitting in the car outside someone's house--a no-show, as I (not-so)  affectionately am calling this person right now. Maybe if I sit and write for awhile she will show up so I can do my job.

I thought I would like more of the blogtember prompts. The prompts I looked at doing this week were on personality tests (you take one and give your response to the results) and on how social media has changed you. I just didn't really feel interested in talking about either of those things. My own thoughts are faaaar more interesting. (Kidding. . . well, am I?)

Yesterday in my MFT supervision group this girl was talking about self-care and how important she thinks it is in order to contitnue doing quality therapy work with clients. I have been thinking about some of the self-care things that I have neglected to do lately. Why do I neglect these things? Because I am busy maybe, or lazy. Not to be a downer, but sometimes when you are in a "giving" or "helping" profession, I think it feels like you just don't have anything left to give to yourself. Self-care would really have to be a high priority, and a very conscious and intentional effort has to be made. I'm sure this is true for just about any busy lifestyle, regardless of it being a "helping" profession or otherwise.

My current self-care regimen consists of watching House with Chad before bed a few nights a week, and trying not to say no when invited to hang out with friends. Actually, those two things seem to go a long way in keeping me buoyed up and going during the week. But I have several others I would like to get back to doing (these are all things I have done in the past, so there's no reason I can't start again).

• Playing and listening to live music. This is healing for my soul, and I need to stop glancing over at the piano/guitar and then aimlessly back to my computer screen. I need to create, and as much as I love blogging, and home decor, and crafty-stuff, songwriting is the best way I've ever found (well, and maybe journaling, too) to express myself. Maybe it's because I am allowed to put my thoughts all down at once, and unless someone is very rude, I usually don't get interrupted mid-song. And no one interrupts my journal, that's for sure.
• Journaling. See above.
• Being outside intentionally. In other words, not just walking five feet between my house and the car and appointments. Not just happening upon my daily dose of Vitamin D. This means eating my breakfast out on the porch, or taking a walk through a park (instead of Target or Family Dollar) when I find myself with time between sessions during the day. (Ahem, maybe instead of sitting in the car writing blog posts. Although, this is good for me right now.)
• Running. Or working out regularly. I ran last night for the first time in at least a week, and I know I need to make time for it more often. It feels good and there seems to be no quicker way to de-stress.
• Reading scriptures & praying. Chad and I almost always read together before bed, and we always pray before bed. But I need my own time to really soak it in, and I need to be having my own personal conversations with my Heavenly Father. That's just how I feel about it. There is something more candid and real when I study something out on my own or express my thoughts in prayer. Not that I don't LOVE when Chad and I do it together, because I do, but I just know I seem to regress in my own personal relationship with my Savior when I don't make it an individual priority. Plus then, our gospel conversations are usually better anyway, because I have some of my own thoughts to bring to the table.
• Going to the library. One final self-care item that I stopped doing several months ago because I accidentally kept a bunch of books for way too long and racked up some fines, and I felt so dumb about it I just dropped the books off and never went back. But I love books, and I love libraries. I need to pay my fines so I can make that part of my life again.

I think that's pretty much it. What do you do for self-care? How do you keep yourself motivated or on track for doing those kinds of things for yourself?

Post-Surgery Chad

Chad had a minor, outpatient surgery done yesterday. We really didn't think it was going to be a big deal and we didn't plan for any major deviations from normal life because of it. As in, I went about my normal work schedule yesterday, and picked him up when the doctor called. I dropped him back off at the house and resumed work (although once I had laid eyes on him post-surgery, I felt really bad about going back to work).

Chad, true to form, has handled his recovery like a champ. I know he must be in some pain (they don't just hand out percoset willy-nilly, right?), and he's moving around a little gingerly, but overall he seems to be feeling pretty good.

I just love him so much. When I went to pick him up yesterday, he looked kind of yellow and sleepy and really weak sitting there in his hospital gown. The nurse wheeled him out to the car in a wheelchair (standard procedure, I know, but it accentuated his momentary helplessness). It is a rare opportunity to see Chad this way and to actually be able to do things for him he would have a hard time doing for himself.

Not that I want him to stay sick (at all!), but I'm just saying, that aspect has been kind of nice. I feel like he is always doing things for me that make my life significantly easier, but I have a hard time finding those kinds of things to do for him. I would write more about it, but I am off to work.

Ciao!

Three Months Off

So, I don't read many blogs right now, just because things are busy and I don't get around to it. But I manage to keep up with my friend Suze most of the time (plus family and close real-life friends, of course), and she is usually the one to clue me in to blogger happenings. Thanks, Suze!

 Like this one: blogtember. A new prompt for each day in September. No promises I'll do one each day, but it'll be fun to have something to write about when I feel like it.

 The prompt for today asks what I would do with 3 months off from everyday life. It would totally depend on whether I had unlimited resources. And whether Chad had 3 months off, too. But here are a few things I would try to squeeze in:

 A visit to Colorado (I miss my family so much right now!)
A trip to Charleston, SC (I can't get that place out of my head after almost going there twice recently) A stay in Hurricane, UT with my bff, Maggie
A trip to Aruba for a solid 2 weeks
And at least 1 solid week of lounging. Non-traveling lounging, that is. And some of my non-lounging activities during that week would include yard-saling and painting my bathroom.

 But honestly, things are pretty good in real life. I love going to bed at the end of a long day snuggled up with my boo. Life is good, good, good. What would YOU do with three weeks off?

Labor Day + Hair + Starstruck.

Labor Day was lots of fun. Chad and I went to play sand volleyball with a bunch of friends from church yesterday. We went at 9 in the morning, and by the time we finished up around 11:30 it was HOT HOT HOT! After volleyball, I joined my favorite little girls and their parents (thanks, Lau family!) for a romp around the splash pad at Waterfront Park. It was so fun.

Chad's been battling a little bit of a cold/cough/sinus infection (good grief!) for a good week and a half, so he called it quits after the volleyball game. Poor guy. I so want him to feel better, partly because when he's sick and in bed I have the horrible habit of pestering him to entertain me. Turns out I still need to hone my skills as a caregiver. . .

In other news, I cut my hair about a week ago. I always have a hard time getting my haircut for some reason--actually, I know exactly why! Because it's expensive, and time-consuming, and I'm usually too chicken to do anything drastic. But I finally went for the A-line bob I've considered for ages, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! Yesterday, when we played volleyball, I didn't even bother putting it up, and (miraculously!) it didn't even bother me one bit. When my hair is long and I put it up, I can never keep it securely in place because it is so heavy and ponytails usually just fall out if I move around too much. So having it shorter (which I always assumed would be a lot more work), has actually been super convenient and nice. Plus I feel cuter.

Okay, and finally--did you look at the comments section from my last post? No? That's okay. Check it out-- I am totally starstruck. Can't wait til September 21.

Hope your three-day weekend was glorious and that you are stoked for the week ahead! What did you do this weekend? 

Spooning.

Well, I've practiced the spoons a couple of times since I posted last, so I decided to take a little video this morning. I don't know how youtube managed to select the ugliest face out of the whole video for the still shot, but wow! I really outdid myself. :) I will just say that the time investment to learn the spoons has been minimal, which has made it so fun. Setup and take-down are a snap, so I can usually talk myself into practicing even if I only have a few minutes. And there is so much you can do, rhythm- and choreography-wise. I'm still pretty boring, but check out Abby the Spoon Lady and you'll see.

Oh my gosh, and I just went to her facebook page and discovered she is doing free workshops at a jugband festival in Louisville next month!! This is my lucky day. Wowzas!

Sigh. I am seeing a client in half an hour. I should probably not be wearing pajamas and writing about spoons. Work is going SO well. Almost too well (is that possible?).

Tell me, what is your favorite random talent? Do you have hobbies that keep you in your pajamas longer you should be in the morning?

Where Have I Been?!

I know this question has been lingering in your mind--don't pretend it hasn't been. (Just kidding--I actually think it's funny to apologize for going "missing" from my blog. I'm pretty sure you're busy enough with real life to not have noticed. Let's hope, anyway.)

I can't wait to steal from photos and videos from Chad's new Samsung Galaxy (!!!), because he has largely become the family photographer of late. There have been weddings, family visits, long drives, and visits to Asheville, NC (or approximately one of each of those things, actually). I will leave you with a sneak peek of one of the highlighs of our trip. Her name is Abby the Spoon Lady, and we saw her play live on a street corner in Asheville. Isn't she amazing?! I am dead set on learning to play the spoons. Yesterday was my first "lesson" (read: watching youtube tutorials and practicing at home).