So, I have no excuses. An entire 9ish weeks off for summer break and I didn't blog...not a single post. Wait a minute--Actually I do have excuses:1.) Both my babies graduated which took a weird toll on me....like my babies are grown up....now what?!!
2.) One of my bestest friends moved half way across the country leaving a total void in my life and a minor depression as the realization set in place that another soul sister has moved far away (this makes three sweet friends that have moved away now--and I selfishly would prefer to have my tribe within a quick coffee date distance away) BUT counting my blessings for the sweet women who continue to be near and dear AND are a quick coffee date away;
3.) I was freakin exhausted from the 2017-2018 school year and the shenanigans that accompanied it;
4.) Being a special education teacher is D R A I N I N G (of course I need to follow that up with also, "R E W A R D I N G" so I don't look like a total asshole);
5.) I was in a total state of rest, relaxation, and reflection as we had ZERO vacation plans for the summer. I was able to truly just rest, relax, and reflect;
6..) I didn't really feel like I had much to share during my time of hibernation--until now, as I was strolling through my camera roll to reminisce, I realized I was in a groove. I was trying new things and jiving with some new healthy routines. Yay! I'm not a loser!!
So, lets jump to the present time. I have now been back to work for the 2018-2019 school year (in the same teaching position since I didn't get that little job I was hoping for at the end of last school year) and we are a good nine weeks into the school year. Funny how things work out. I am a woman of faith and I'm just putting my trust in knowing that God has me right where he wants me...even if I can't see all those reasons just yet. I do know that I have the privilege of working with some amazing people who motivate me to always work my hardest and trust that we are capable of making great things happen for students. How cool is that?!!
So, some delayed summer reflections since we are already deep into pumpkin-spice- everything-season (I am not a hater....on the contrary, I LIVE for PUMPKIN SPICE season!) here we go.... So Father's Day was AWESOME for one very simple reason--we surprised my husband with these amazing portrait paintings of our fur babies, Oscar and Penny, done by the amazing tattoo artist, Kevin Lewis from High Voltage Tattoo, aka LA Ink. My daughter has been getting some pretty rad artwork done from Kevin over the last year or so and he generously offered to paint portraits of our dogs!!! He is an animal lover at heart and his talent and love is noticed in all the beautiful details that he caught in painting O and P's portraits. I'm still awe-struck every time I see them!! We have never been able to really surprise Bryan with anything super cool until now!! So, that was a super fun surprise!! We hung the portraits up in my husband's office right where they belong!! Don't let that rough exterior fool you, my husband is a big teddy bear and he loves our fur babies like crazy!! Haha!!
I also spent some time over summer visiting a couple of farmer's markets. Found some super cool products (one that i will do an individual blog feature on...once I build the courage). But for now, check out these cool lollipops!! Amborella Organics came up with this super clever idea of infusing seeds in the lollipop "stick" so that the sticks can be planted in soil after the organic edible flower infused lollipop is enjoyed! This is what Amborella Organics has to say about this awesome product: "A seed-bearing lollipop is an organic candy with edible herbs and flowers that weave throughout. After devouring, you can plant the biodegradable stick in soil horizontally, cover with a layer of top soil, water daily, and grow a herb or flower. Each heirloom herb or flower grown has a connection to what you just ate; Sage & Marshmallow grows a sage plant, while Peach & Marigold yields marigold. While we are proud to offer treats that are both kid-friendly and adult approved, a seed-bearing lollipops is about forming a relationship with nature and sharing this experience with those you love. We believe nature is the greatest medicine and most enlightened teacher." I cannot wait to plant my Amborella Organics lollipop sticks!! I will keep you all posted on my herbs and flowers!! Cool right??
So, speaking of COOL...I listen to a LOT of podcasts...like everyday (again, another idea for an individual blog post dedicated to my favorite podcasts). I would always hear an advertisement for Ritual Vitamins. It's a multi-vitamin designed specifically for women and the nine essential women need. Ugh, I absolutely loathe swallowing pills / vitamins HOWEVER I know I don't get all my daily essentials in the foods I choose to eat daily, so I decided to subscribe and give this multi-vitamin a shot. First of all, they look really cool. Like these see-thru capsules with the different vitamins "dots" all incapsulated within the capsule. AND, maybe most importantly for me (again, since I loathe swallowing pills), these capsules are coated with a peppermint oil leaving the perfect peppermint flavor in your mouth and disguising the nasty multi-vitamin taste that typically makes me gag. Sorry, TMI. 
Maybe one of the biggest changes and challenges I started (again) this summer was heading back to the gym. ugh. Ugh. UGH! I suck at the gym. I've had so many issues in the past that stemmed from working out...like tearing my ACL and meniscus (so badly that it had to be surgically repaired with a cadaver ACL!!) Then a couple of years after that I broke my stupid ankle (literally stepping off my porch) causing more problems with being able to work out (pain free)--read all about that fun chapter of my life at Diary of my Broken Ankle Hell . But regardless, I knew it was time to put the excuses behind me and do the walk of shame back to EOS and renew my gym membership. I went back in July and made a commitment to go 3-4x per week until the school year started and then at least 2x per week after the school year started. I'm proud to report that i have met that commitment 100%. I am not proud to say that my results from working our consistently are a bit pathetic. I thought for sure I would drop a pound a week and be back into smaller jeans in no time. Well, it's been a solid three and a half months and I'm down a solid seven-eight pounds. I'm that girl that thinks that I go to the gym and weight should just drop by proxy!! Nope, not the case for me. I have a serious case of hypothyroidism which makes dropping weight nearly impossible and truthfully, I love bread and lattes--the vanilla kind (half sweet, but still). I honestly would rather stay a size 14 the rest of my life and still have the sweet pleasure of enjoying bread and vanilla lattes. So there. I think that's three strikes against me. BUT what I will say is, I actually am really enjoying my time at the gym. It gives me 45min to an hour of time to just sweat things out. I pop on a good podcast or stream a good HBO series and jump on that elliptical machine!! Even if the weight is s l o w to burn, I'm enjoying this new balance. Something I've wanted to commit to for a long time now--good work/home/personal balance.
So even though I professed my love for lattes, I have made changes in that area too. I committed to reducing my coffee intake to no more than 2-3 days a week and add the commitment of drinking Kombucha. I HATED Kombocha the first time I tried it. I don't know what I was expecting but I know I wasn't expecting this vinegar explosion in my mouth after I took a big healthy gulp of my friend's drink! Try it, she said! You'll love it, she said. Oh. My. Gosh. She almost got it spit in her face!!! Anyway, we were talking again over summer about good gut health and probiotics and yada, yada, yada and I thought, what the heck! I'll give the 'ole 'bouch another try. I went to Target and bought five different flavors from five different brands. I found that I really loved the "berry" ones and really, REALLY loved the GTS brand Gingerade!! So, like my gym commitment, I have also been successful in my coffee reduction and my Kombucha consumption increase! It's been a win win!!! Lately, I've been drinking the Humm brand. They have a strawberry lemonade that is SO good!! And I also really love Pink Lady Apple from Health-Ade! So go, Lisa!! I'm my own personal cheerleader for sticking with these positive intentions!!!
I should round out my summer recap by mentioning that I had made real purposeful time to spend with friends and family. From a trip to the most beautiful beach I have ever been to in Laguna Beach with my lovely niece, to a day in the Temecula Wineries with my besties who visited me from Santa Barbara and Pasadena after they have BOTH left me and moved out of our little city (but I'm not bitter and they will always have a piece of my heart), and finally my work besties who have become sweet, dear friends faithfully came to my home weekly as I hosted The Bachelorette!! We laughed, we snacked, and we playfully gossiped! We even decided to start our bookclub back up. We read one book, met at the cuban coffee shop to discuss and then chose our next book....which everybody has read but me!! But I still have time, right? Another bookclub night hasn't even been scheduled yet and I'm the most awesome 11th hour warrior you will ever meet. So I will get that book read! Promise.
Lastly, ended our summer with an Angels baseball game. We went to a handful over the summer....unfortunately we lost just about every game....but anybody who knows me knows I go for the people watching, hot dog, and a cold beer! So, success in my book!!
I've come to the conclusion that I had a GREAT summer. It was quiet but good. Lots of changes in family dynamics. Not so easy to book vacations with two adult children who are both successfully working full time and taking this ADULTING stuff real seriously. I say that in the most proud way possible. Love my babies, love their work ethic, love their commitment to responsibility, and especially cherish any time the four of us can be together (it's not as often as I would like...but I'm adjusting). Love my hubby and our fur-babies and find myself sincerely content. I find myself being still within my commitments and truly just actively waiting on how to recognize what this next phase in life actually looks like!! I think it's looking good....
How do you transition through the changes in your life? Do you take time to reflect on the closing of one chapter and the beginning of the next? Do you have difficulties defining those chapters at time? What are your commitments and goals?
#SummerVacay #Family #NewChapters #Adulting #FurBabies #HighVoltageInk #KevinLewis #Portraits #AmborellaOrganics #Eos #Fitness #TheStruggleIsReal #Kombucha #GTSKombucha #HummKombucha #Health-AdeKombucha #BestiesForLife #BacheloretteNight #BookClub #Goals #SorryNotSorry
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