Wellness check: 4.5. I’m ok but I’m a year-round teacher and we have EOGs this week. 🫠
Also I wanna know what the meaning behind the lightning bolt is in holland’s store because our mascot is the “lightning” and I would totally wear that hat to outdoor lunch and football games and stuff!
I'm a high school teacher with 2 elementary kids...and school is OUT here in Michigan (famously, where Erin said she would love to live) :). We left after school to road trip to southern Utah, had a brilliant time, saw amazing sights, pooped in pools across the country, and we are now headed home to REALLY start summer break. Erin, walking the Camino has been a dream of mine too. I'm out of shape and tires, but I love Jesus and believe I might learn something on that walk. Let's goooo! :)
Erin, I'm a 51 year old teacher and empty nester, and I'm having a trash 90s (80s for me) summer. Walks with my dog, yoga, picking tomatoes, waking up when I want, naps, movies, reading and the library summer reading pro, PB&J's, wearing pajamas all day, and Murder She Wrote.
Summer is here and work is crazy! I am at about a 1.45 and the kids seem to be at about a 11.95! (On a 1-10 scale). I work full time and there doesn’t seem to be any other full working time moms around me. I know there are out there but just not in our little circle of friends.
My precious husband has been out of work for 8 months. I am working hours of overtime as a Peds nurse practitioner to keep a financial cushion. Our youngest son has an addiction to pornography with the entire schedule-less summer before him. BUT a dear friend gifted me a Silent Retreat today and I have had a moment to cry and breathe and pray and find thankfulness again.
Not exact but a similar story- have you heard of the musician Tyson Motsenbocker? He went on a walk after his mother died, inspired by Franciscan monk Junipero Serra, along the coast from San Diego to San Francisco. This path is known as “El Camino Real”. He published a book full of stories of what he saw and learned along the way, “Where the Waves Turn Back”. It’s a beautiful recount of how when his mom died the childhood version of his faith did, too. He explores what his beliefs mean after God didn’t spare his mother. Truly a wonderful book!
Last year I visited Santiago de Compostela but arrived on a bus (I am 79!). I have an Australian friend currently walking for the third time. So glad I got to go.
I wanted to be sure to comment today so I could point y'all to this Instagram account I found this week: https://www.instagram.com/scottishgeologist/ It's exactly what it says on the label - she's super-Scottish, she's a geologist, she LOVES rocks, Luisa's got it all.
I guess I'm about a 5? On the plus side, while it's been stupid humid here for awhile thanks to all the rain, the stupid heat is only just starting. Which is saying something, consider we were hitting 100+ degree temps for most of May last year. I also just ordered pizza from a place named Garlic Jim's. I feel Garlic Jim is probably trustworthy on the subject of pizza. On the other hand, I'm staring down the barrel of a couple of pretty busy months and in a weird headspace about how much faster each year seems to fly by (usually this flares up around the holidays, but it can happen with any new season where there seems to be a lot of "this is a super-special time of year - better make the most of it!" messaging flying around). I'm going to a toddler birthday party tomorrow though, so it can't be all bad.
Living in Spain right now (school is not out for another 2 weeks...yikes!). You can do bits and pieces of the Camino rather than the whole thing. Plus there are companies that will plan your entire journey - book hotels, plan the route, get your bags from one place to another. My plan though ... drive it! :)
I’m at a 2. Everything is too much, I’m fully overwhelmed, and don’t want to be a responsible adult anymore. Kid has only one more week of school, but is upset because he loves school and thinks summer is stupid and thrives on routine. Hubby has major health problems that were kinda resolved for a bit, but completely dissolved into chaos last week. And thanks to therapy, this feeling majorly repressed person is feeling all the feelings, and I don’t like it.
Well, hello! I'm a 7? The gift of having grown kids in May is never lost on me. At some point, May will just be May!
Erin, I have friends who've done the Camino and it is amazing! It's a bucket list thing for me, but not all 500 miles - you can do segments of it which have slightly different names.
I need lessons on how to do summer in the south. Next year (July), the Transplant Games are in Birmingham and I'm pretty sure I'm going. But y'all scare this California girl with talk of swamp butt, gnats and surface of the sun heat. As I type this here in N. Calif. we've got a lovely coastal fog and it's 57 with an expected high of 70. I'm an absolute baby about extreme weather. How do you do it? What should I know?
All good thoughts and prayers are appreciated as I have to have a spot of melanoma carved out of my hand next week, plus it's testing month for this transplant recipient so all the awful tests are on deck. I have enough PTSD around all of this, so just breathing my way through the next month.
The great part of this is that once it's over with, we're headed out to camp and hike our way through Glacier, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone! I can't wait to see all the things I've only seen photos of! Anybody been there?
Overall, just feeling darn lucky to be alive for the hard and the beautiful. In this crazy world, I'm choosing to focus on all the little miracles!
I'm probably a 4. I got caught in the middle of a significant conflict at work yesterday and couldn't do anything to make it better, which is just unbearable for this enneagram 9 heart. Then today I was not in work but at a funeral, for a lady from a church I belonged to for 10 yrs but no longer exists. It was a reunion of sorts and lovely, but I'm just feeling all the emotions. Been burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle) lately so I think I'm just run down. Treasures: I just found out the great British sewing bee is back on TV so I've got some gentle escapism to look forward to for the next few weeks 😊
Hello! I had to take a hiatus for a long time due to some very, very high stress levels. Thankfully, those stressors have taken care of themselves (after six months of uncertainty) so I am at a solid 8 today.
Weekly Treasures have been as follows:
-Outlander! I did not enjoy it the first time but now... so good. I don't know if I'll read the books, but I am in love with the aesthetics and time period clothing.
-Jasmine Holmes' and Charaia Rush' Reading Everybody Black reading challenge. I am currently reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for the Something Global category, and whew! The perfect blend of history, family, and so many rich quotes that I am writing some down for further study.
-King Arthur's banana chocolate chip muffins. I have started baking again after said stress and this recipe is perfect to use up bananas (I use a local mill's flour when I can and Good and Gather chocolate chunks from Target). Add cherries for a complete breakfast, and it is delicious.
I can't wait to catch up with you all! I've missed you!
I'm at a hopeful 5? I think? Maybe? My brain is so fried these days it feels like I can't think at all. On the other hand my body is feeling stronger than it has in a long time, so hooray for that! (Chronic illness is weird, y'all.) The big, hard things are still too big and too hard but a little easier to deal with at the moment.
Treasures:
🌺 I've been having way too much fun planting, sowing and fixing up my parents' garden. I didn't even know I was this into gardening but apparently I am!
🧳 Next week I'm going on a little mini-vacation and I am so excited!
💇♀️ This week I got a much needed haircut (my hairdresser is finally back from maternity leave, yay!) and bought a pair of pants that I think will be perfect for summer.
📽 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret didn't get a theatrical release here but now it's available to stream and I'm looking forward to watching it tonight!
The chronic illness stress is awful. I struggle with mental health this past year has been difficult, especially as I work my way through the system. Gardening is grounding for me and I try to fill every spare pot in the garage with something that grows!
Wellness check: 4.5. I’m ok but I’m a year-round teacher and we have EOGs this week. 🫠
Also I wanna know what the meaning behind the lightning bolt is in holland’s store because our mascot is the “lightning” and I would totally wear that hat to outdoor lunch and football games and stuff!
I'm a high school teacher with 2 elementary kids...and school is OUT here in Michigan (famously, where Erin said she would love to live) :). We left after school to road trip to southern Utah, had a brilliant time, saw amazing sights, pooped in pools across the country, and we are now headed home to REALLY start summer break. Erin, walking the Camino has been a dream of mine too. I'm out of shape and tires, but I love Jesus and believe I might learn something on that walk. Let's goooo! :)
Erin, I'm a 51 year old teacher and empty nester, and I'm having a trash 90s (80s for me) summer. Walks with my dog, yoga, picking tomatoes, waking up when I want, naps, movies, reading and the library summer reading pro, PB&J's, wearing pajamas all day, and Murder She Wrote.
Summer is here and work is crazy! I am at about a 1.45 and the kids seem to be at about a 11.95! (On a 1-10 scale). I work full time and there doesn’t seem to be any other full working time moms around me. I know there are out there but just not in our little circle of friends.
My precious husband has been out of work for 8 months. I am working hours of overtime as a Peds nurse practitioner to keep a financial cushion. Our youngest son has an addiction to pornography with the entire schedule-less summer before him. BUT a dear friend gifted me a Silent Retreat today and I have had a moment to cry and breathe and pray and find thankfulness again.
Not exact but a similar story- have you heard of the musician Tyson Motsenbocker? He went on a walk after his mother died, inspired by Franciscan monk Junipero Serra, along the coast from San Diego to San Francisco. This path is known as “El Camino Real”. He published a book full of stories of what he saw and learned along the way, “Where the Waves Turn Back”. It’s a beautiful recount of how when his mom died the childhood version of his faith did, too. He explores what his beliefs mean after God didn’t spare his mother. Truly a wonderful book!
What a small world- I went to Bible school with Tyson Motsenbocker almost 20 years ago! I'll have to look up his book!
Whoa, that is crazy!! It’s a really beautifully written book and full of fun, interesting stories. I love his music also!
Last year I visited Santiago de Compostela but arrived on a bus (I am 79!). I have an Australian friend currently walking for the third time. So glad I got to go.
I wanted to be sure to comment today so I could point y'all to this Instagram account I found this week: https://www.instagram.com/scottishgeologist/ It's exactly what it says on the label - she's super-Scottish, she's a geologist, she LOVES rocks, Luisa's got it all.
I guess I'm about a 5? On the plus side, while it's been stupid humid here for awhile thanks to all the rain, the stupid heat is only just starting. Which is saying something, consider we were hitting 100+ degree temps for most of May last year. I also just ordered pizza from a place named Garlic Jim's. I feel Garlic Jim is probably trustworthy on the subject of pizza. On the other hand, I'm staring down the barrel of a couple of pretty busy months and in a weird headspace about how much faster each year seems to fly by (usually this flares up around the holidays, but it can happen with any new season where there seems to be a lot of "this is a super-special time of year - better make the most of it!" messaging flying around). I'm going to a toddler birthday party tomorrow though, so it can't be all bad.
Yay Laurel Dawn, maker of beautiful things!!!
Living in Spain right now (school is not out for another 2 weeks...yikes!). You can do bits and pieces of the Camino rather than the whole thing. Plus there are companies that will plan your entire journey - book hotels, plan the route, get your bags from one place to another. My plan though ... drive it! :)
I’m at a 2. Everything is too much, I’m fully overwhelmed, and don’t want to be a responsible adult anymore. Kid has only one more week of school, but is upset because he loves school and thinks summer is stupid and thrives on routine. Hubby has major health problems that were kinda resolved for a bit, but completely dissolved into chaos last week. And thanks to therapy, this feeling majorly repressed person is feeling all the feelings, and I don’t like it.
Yeah, stuff just sucks sometimes.
I'm so sorry. That is too much.
Blehhhh. Vanessa, I am so sorry. Being an adult really does suck sometimes. I feel ya.
I’m at a 9! In June I have Fridays off. All 3 boys are home. Remodel is done. Pool is cold. Life is good.
I so love that Holland lists benefits for her clothes! I’m still loving my daisy sweatshirt ❤️
Well, hello! I'm a 7? The gift of having grown kids in May is never lost on me. At some point, May will just be May!
Erin, I have friends who've done the Camino and it is amazing! It's a bucket list thing for me, but not all 500 miles - you can do segments of it which have slightly different names.
I need lessons on how to do summer in the south. Next year (July), the Transplant Games are in Birmingham and I'm pretty sure I'm going. But y'all scare this California girl with talk of swamp butt, gnats and surface of the sun heat. As I type this here in N. Calif. we've got a lovely coastal fog and it's 57 with an expected high of 70. I'm an absolute baby about extreme weather. How do you do it? What should I know?
All good thoughts and prayers are appreciated as I have to have a spot of melanoma carved out of my hand next week, plus it's testing month for this transplant recipient so all the awful tests are on deck. I have enough PTSD around all of this, so just breathing my way through the next month.
The great part of this is that once it's over with, we're headed out to camp and hike our way through Glacier, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone! I can't wait to see all the things I've only seen photos of! Anybody been there?
Overall, just feeling darn lucky to be alive for the hard and the beautiful. In this crazy world, I'm choosing to focus on all the little miracles!
Happy Weekend friends!
Praying for you. Hope you'll have a wonderful trip!
I'm probably a 4. I got caught in the middle of a significant conflict at work yesterday and couldn't do anything to make it better, which is just unbearable for this enneagram 9 heart. Then today I was not in work but at a funeral, for a lady from a church I belonged to for 10 yrs but no longer exists. It was a reunion of sorts and lovely, but I'm just feeling all the emotions. Been burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle) lately so I think I'm just run down. Treasures: I just found out the great British sewing bee is back on TV so I've got some gentle escapism to look forward to for the next few weeks 😊
Hello! I had to take a hiatus for a long time due to some very, very high stress levels. Thankfully, those stressors have taken care of themselves (after six months of uncertainty) so I am at a solid 8 today.
Weekly Treasures have been as follows:
-Outlander! I did not enjoy it the first time but now... so good. I don't know if I'll read the books, but I am in love with the aesthetics and time period clothing.
-Jasmine Holmes' and Charaia Rush' Reading Everybody Black reading challenge. I am currently reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for the Something Global category, and whew! The perfect blend of history, family, and so many rich quotes that I am writing some down for further study.
-King Arthur's banana chocolate chip muffins. I have started baking again after said stress and this recipe is perfect to use up bananas (I use a local mill's flour when I can and Good and Gather chocolate chunks from Target). Add cherries for a complete breakfast, and it is delicious.
I can't wait to catch up with you all! I've missed you!
I read Homegoing years ago and I still think about it regularly. Incredible book!
I loved Homegoing! It catapulted Gyasi into my "immediately buy everything this author writes" category.
I'm reading it as part of Sharon McMahon's book club! I saw Transcendent Kingdom on the last page and it's on my tbr list.
I'm at a hopeful 5? I think? Maybe? My brain is so fried these days it feels like I can't think at all. On the other hand my body is feeling stronger than it has in a long time, so hooray for that! (Chronic illness is weird, y'all.) The big, hard things are still too big and too hard but a little easier to deal with at the moment.
Treasures:
🌺 I've been having way too much fun planting, sowing and fixing up my parents' garden. I didn't even know I was this into gardening but apparently I am!
🧳 Next week I'm going on a little mini-vacation and I am so excited!
💇♀️ This week I got a much needed haircut (my hairdresser is finally back from maternity leave, yay!) and bought a pair of pants that I think will be perfect for summer.
📽 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret didn't get a theatrical release here but now it's available to stream and I'm looking forward to watching it tonight!
The chronic illness stress is awful. I struggle with mental health this past year has been difficult, especially as I work my way through the system. Gardening is grounding for me and I try to fill every spare pot in the garage with something that grows!
Yes, it's been really good for my mental health as well!