Wellness by the Week

I got this idea from a blog that I follow by the fabulous Meg  And I think it's fabulous.  Life is so cluttered and so busy, and this is a fabulous way to focus on small steps to being a more healthy and complete person bit by bit.  Who's in?!

Seasons of Love

I'm afraid my heart is in one of those mooshy gooshy girl moods where everything feels soft and warm and I just want... something. My brain is craving something besides the peanut butter m&ms I left in my camping bag in the trunk of my car. The thing is, it's cold out there now, it's warm in here, and honestly, I don't want to put pants on... Anyway, back on track. My brain is craving a workout. A real barn burner of a think puzzle. Last time I felt like this I signed myself up for a second bachelors degree. Oy. I even downloaded a brain training app that's supposed to "give your brain a daily work out." And it does, but it's not enough. I need something. Something. I think it's the fall. There's something about the chill of fall that makes a girl long for a great pair of boots, a soft warm sweater, and a calloused hand to hold while walking down a tree-lined street. This is not an ideal time to watch Midnight in Paris in the absence of someone to curl into during the movie. Yet it's all that sounded good on my DVR tonight. I've been craving something lately, I can't put my finger on what exactly it is. I've dove into books that quench the thirst for adventure in a far off land, and movies that do the same. There is a stack of nine, yes, count them, nine books on my nightstand. Some I've finished and just haven't moved to my finished basket, some I'm in the middle of, and a couple I've started and then decided I wasn't in the mood for. ADD much? :) Each tale I read or play I see just makes me want to read and see more. My appetite for fantasy and adventure is becoming insatiable. It's a beautiful thing to be able to dream, no? Bring it on fall, I welcome you with open arms!

First photo by yours truly, second two from Pinterest

Thought Keeping Me Up Tonight

Ok, its not so much keeping me up, that was probably my evening nap. But the memory does flit through my mind from time to time... That's just too long of a title. My third grade teacher, Ms. Crescent, told my parents once at a parent-teacher conference that while I was a delightful student to have in class, sometimes I needed to follow the rules. She showed them a piece of writing I had done and pointed out that while it was actually correct in the way I used it, she had taught us that day that sentences shouldn't start with"and." I did it right though! I'm still bitter about it. I don't know why. I can even tell you where her classroom was, where we were sitting in the classroom when she told us that, and that I was wearing hot pink pants and a hot pink and white striped button-down shirt. I need to learn to let things go.

A Memoir

Today I lost a mentor and a friend; The woman who was my second mother through my teenage years, who loved me and helped teach me how to love others. When nursing school was a dream for me she answered all my questions and cheered me through the realization of my dream. She put up with my and my best friend's medical terminology quizzing, and didn't even seem to mind. She was a great influence on that nice kind sweet gentle person I used to be, that's still inside me somewhere.  And now she's in a better place, free of pain, and of the torture that pained her these last few months. Peace and blessings to her sweet and amazing family. She will be greatly missed.
As I walked into work today, I couldn't help but think that the clouds were dark in mourning, but they parted to welcome her home, and for her to be able to watch over us still. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have that families are forever.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston Churchill

Today

I believe in unplanned ice cream in a park with live music. I believe in taking one day a week for yourself with nothing that you HAVE to do. I believe in talking with your family every day, no matter your age, no matter the distance between you. I believe in a summer diet of watermelon, cucumbers, crackers and popsicles. I'm the girl who likes to reminisce over her own photos from years gone by; laugh, smile, and cry. I'm the girl who will cry like a baby while watching an HBO special on Derek Jeter's 3000th hit. I believe in going to bed before 9pm every once in a while.

Home Free

You'll all be very happy to know that they let me back in the country, and even more surprisingly, no one had to drag me kicking and screaming. Greece was absolutely incredible. I am still computer-less, and my ocpd won't let me write about it and post photos later. So stay tuned. Suffice it to say that each section of the trip had its own magnificence. Athens had the history, Mykonos had the beaches, and Santorini had the culture. Santorini was the pinnacle of the realization of an eleven-year dream, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! In the meantime, the things I will miss the most are the beautiful sunshine, the indescribable clear blue water, the sounds of the church bells over the nighttime city sounds, and the sounds of the beautiful Greek language. I am glad however, to be back in a land where people are allowed to flush their toilet paper, and smoking is socially unacceptable. And my bed, oh my bed. Always my bed!