Ok so a day late and I haven't been commenting much but today I have time. So.
I feel like a lot and nothing is going on right now. I am currently on a 12 day "staycation" that I both had to take because I accumulated 100 hours of vacation time from last year and I badly needed a mental break from work BS. This is day three and I am already bored out of my mind and very lonely. Tim works on a farm, 6 days a week, 9-10 hour days (guys there is a reason they can't find local people to do farm work the time commitment is insane) so I'm alone all day and just...don't have much to do. And as I mentioned before, I have no friends in about an hour radius of me.
The other big downside is I am really unmotivated to leave my house because the weather feels so oppressive to me. I know a lot of you are from places south of me and I sound like a big baby but it's 90 degrees and humid as all get out in vermont and the thought of being outside makes me want to cry. Also my car has no AC so driving anywhere is like being in a torture box. I want it to be fall NOW.
Speaking of my car - the windshield cracked randomly, both things that hold the back door open snapped off, the AC doesn't work, there is a dent in the back from when I hit a fence 2 years ago...and this is a 2015 car that I bought just two years ago! What a lemon! It's falling apart and besides the dent none of it was my fault! I can't afford to fix the thousands of dollars this car needs and I desperately want to just trade it in but that whole process was so stressful last time that I can't even bare the thought of doing it again. It makes me want to cry. I really want someone to just take care of me, or at least help me take care of me. But no one is going to do that.
Anyway - here is what I really want to talk about. Because I have endless hours with nothing to do I started watching Friday Night Lights. This show started in 2010 when I was a senior in college but it completely missed me - probably because I have less than 0 interest in football and kind of think a whole town being so completely invested in a high school sport is weird (I'm sorry! My high school didn't even have a football team!). But I am really enjoying this show. I loved Scott Porter in Hart of Dixie and he's so cute in this. And if I just zone out while the football stuff is happening it's enjoyable. Anyway, I'm like 10 episodes into season one and it's great. Not as great as watching dawsons creek for the first time over the winter (wow nostalgia) but pretty good.
Last thing, I have a book hangover from reading four really great books back to back: Killers of the flower Moon, project Hail Mary, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and We Were the Lucky Ones. All really different but really good! I have four other books from the library waiting for me to read but I am having trouble starting. Just have to do it I guess.
Books and TV are my companions and my treasures this week.
Good morning to the Saturday stragglers! I feel that Balto tweet in my bones. Get it together, people!
Speaking of vaccines, I emailed my dad a big list of sources detailing why he should get vaccinated. He said he was working his way through it, but I haven't heard anything else, so who knows. I also texted my grandmother to say that I really think she should talk to her doctor about the vaccine and could I help her find resources that addressed her concerns and got no reply. My mom has been working on her for months now to no avail, so I didn't expect a miracle, but I did expect at least a "no, thank you".
My cousin has been in the area for the summer, so of course we waited till the last minute to get together. We had dinner the other night before she heads home this weekend and had a great time.
Ts and Ps for our sweet baby vet. She's had some monster cases the past couple of weeks and is doing a lot better than she thinks she is, but a lot of the first months of practice life is realizing (often repeatedly) that you don't always get a neat answer and you can't always fix it. It's tough for everyone and the only out is through.
Ts and Ps for me, too, because I have about 6 weeks left in my current job and have put basically no effort into finding a new one. I'd like to have some time off in between, but it would also be good to at least have some wheels in motion before I leave my current position.
There was a discussion on here awhile back about our collective regret about not having seen enough of Paul Bettany's catalogue, so I watched Uncle Frank on Amazon and it was so, so good. He is stunning in this movie.
I've also watched a couple of episodes of Paris Hilton's cooking show on Netflix in which I was delighted to learn that Kim Kardashian is very much the responsible mom friend. It's cute and mindless and therefore perfect for weeknights.
My unit at the hospital where I am a nurse has been turned into a Covid unit. This is unsettling until you know that I work with the best team of humans and wouldn’t want to go through this with anyone else.
Greetings and salutations from MN in a sassy dress (it has pockets) and my usual mask in the office.
So summer.
Like truly, where did it go?
It felt like once my son's baseball season ended I was supposed to have all this amazing free time and *cue crickets* it felt like it just WHOOOOMP, ended.
This week. The past couple months. A LOT.
I was excited as I had planned a trip to Texas that was supposed to be next week to meet some of the Texan/OK swipes, but due to all things Delta Delta Delta (she don't help ya help ya help ya)* I postponed my trip. I was heartbroken. Truly. I needed this trip to reboot and fuel me as Fall will be brief here in MN and then another winter I worry will be impacted by *gestures* soooo.
But, in pure Mel fashion I needed to flip the script before I flipped a table (but I did flip a few birds mentally if you get what I'm saying) ---- well I remembered something else I always wanted to do. Years ago, after my mother passed, a colleague told me about a yoga/meditation/silent retreat she went to on the east coast and when she was researching that she did find a place in MN that did something sort of similar, only less yoga, less actually expectation to do anything --- http://www.paceminterris.org/
I called them.
They had space for next weekend!
So yep, your girl is going to head up to a stay in a cabin with no electricity for 2 nights and I'm thrilled. I won't have any contact with anyone there unless I want it. And I learned today that while they used to host a communal meal, now they don't so basically I'll be in my little space Friday-Sunday morning and living off the basket of bread, cheese and fruit they bring me each day but will also replenish my ice for my cooler that I will be bringing. And in that cooler, along with a couple salads I plan to bring -- I will also have wine. :) Guys. I'm excited to read, write, knit and be comfortable in the silence.
I was also very blessed this week to see my dad and other family members to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday - it was lovely to see him and laugh with my aunt and grandmother and other guests. Also the one selfie he let me take turned out great. :)
So this weekend will be easy going for the most part. I am not feeling compelled that I have to do all the things. I think if anything 2020-present has taught us. Just doing what we have to is more than enough.
Well friends just when you think life is a dumpster fire that will never end… you trip taking out your trash and have to call 911 from your Apple Watch because you can’t stand. 🤦🏼♀️ Heard my right ankle pop and my foot was facing the wrong way 🤢. 11 hours in the ER later, I’m wheelchair bound with temporary casts on both feet from knee to toe. Surgical consult on Tuesday.
Luckily my mom is retired and healthy and has moved in to take care of me because what else do you do when this happens and you’re single? For the first day I cried every time I had to get in the wheelchair. It’s the lowest mentally I’ve ever been. I’m feeling a bit better emotionally, still feel a little like Job and God is just letting this happen to me, and physically I’m managing the pain alright. Prayers for me please and again, I want to see your treasures. 💙
Good morning little swipes! (Well, it's still morning here in California, so good afternoon to the rest of you! haha)
It has been an absolutely bonkers insane week for me, prepping to have college students back on campus at the end of the month. It is pretty wild that for us, the freshman and sophomore classes have never been on campus, the junior class has only experienced 3/4 of a year on campus, and the seniors left when they were sophomores!
But, amidst the crazy, I come to you needing some recommendations.
🥿 #1: Any good recommendations for comfortable flats/heels/shoes for (office) work? (I mean, I have my eye on a pair of Rothy's, but ya girl is definitely looking to spend less than $50 here.)
💄 #2: We are back to wearing masks at work, so I need some recommendations for lipstick that won't get all over the inside of my mask! I've always loved a fun lip, but I realized during the pandemic (and about a bajillion zoom calls) that a fun lipstick color is now part of my personality and my favorite part of my outfit. I don't care if I'm wearing a mask all day, I really love wearing lipstick. 😂 So, any recommendations for ones that don't smudge? I am open to both $8 drugstore lipstick and $22 Sephora lipstick. 😉
🥴 Here's a little turd: TikTok is making me think I might have ADHD. 😂 Granted, I've been wondering if I have it for the last 6 years or so, and I've never been officially diagnosed or tested for it, so I might be wrong. But this week the TikTok algorithm has been showing me videos like "Here are some unexpected signs that I have ADHD" and etc. And after like three of these videos where I was like "Yep I do that, and that, AND that. Okay...", I'm legit wondering if I should make an appointment to get tested. I'd appreciate your prayers here, and would love to hear if you've experienced something similar! 💕
Lastly, here are some of my favorite treasures from this week:
This week has been a real mixed bag for me. For the turds, I would super appreciate prayers as i enter a season of anniversary anticipation for some trauma. The body keeps the score, two months to the day. I am working in patience, prayer, tending to my body, and feeling this wave of grief. There is a lot of good, and this wouldn’t be this way without a lot of healing and work, but each season is tough. Thanks for being here with me when the wind is a little out of my sails.
Treasures include Beth Moore reading the book of Revelation out loud (Ch 1 here: https://twitter.com/BethMooreLPM/status/1427960008843665415?s=20), several lake perimeter walks, sunsets, and ice cream with friends. A little vague but still super grateful ☺️☺️
Well well well. It's Friday again. My kids went back to school on Monday and I swear angels sang when I walked into the house after dropoff. My fourteen-year-old and the rest of the high school left on Wednesday for ten days hiking the Colorado Trail, so we're a family of four for another week. It's fine, except she's the responsible one and now I have to empty the dishwasher and feed the dog myself.
My husband Nate has been dealing with drama at work this week. He's realized that his boss is an verbally abusive narcissist (why are there so many of these in leadership?) who routinely gaslights and berates Nate. Now that he can articulate what the issues are, Nate reached out to HR about how to get out from under this guy's leadership and they were super supportive and affirming. A half hour later, his boss reamed him out on a zoom call in front of a couple other colleagues who were like, WTF? One of them called Nate's boss's boss and complained. The higher-up immediately called Nate and was like, "His behavior is totally unacceptable and I will see to it that you don't have to work for him anymore." So it's been this huge roller coaster of downs from his boss and ups from his colleagues and superiors, and I can tell that it's fundamentally changing for the better his perception of his value to his company and his ability to stick up for himself. He's emotionally exhausted, but overall feeling really good about himself, after years of questioning his worth because of this jerk.
Beyond that, I continue to be dismayed by the horror in Afghanistan and Haiti and in ICUs across the country. My current plea for vaccination is to give the healthcare workers a day or two off, for goodness sake.
When I commented last week, my husband had just tested positive. I tested negative on Friday, but then woke up last Saturday with a sniffly nose and re-tested and it was positive. HUGE sad trombone. Luckily, my symptoms seemed relatively mild - nasal congestion, dry cough, and then just utter exhaustion for the first 3 days, but I think that my Fauci Ouchie got to work and I'm feeling mostly recovered! My husband is much better too and officially out of his quarantine. Things that I think helped us (warning - I am not a doctor!!) - trying to get up and move as much as possible (versus just laying in bed all day), starting a z-pack at the direction of our doctor to prevent further infection, taking zinc, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C, and then we also used an incentive spirometer (purchased on Amazon) to keep our lungs moving. I know so many people are not so lucky with their outcomes, so I am feeling incredibly fortunate with ours.
Side note: it is impossible to quarantine from 2 young children with both parents are sick. We did our best, and thank goodness - they have not shown any symptoms. All are scheduled to go back to school on Monday (praise Jesus!). My 6 year old missed his first week of first grade (this is a new school for him, so I was already feeling worried). He is not in the least bit bothered by missing it! My MIL (battling stage 4 melanoma) was also unaffected (she did have covid twice already, though no vaccine).
Speaking of my MIL - she is going to her oncologist today for next steps. Her immunotherapy did not work - the cancer is growing and spreading. If you can spare an extra prayer for her today, would you? Her name is Diann - she is so good-hearted, and my boys just adore having her living with us. I am not sure how much more heartbreak we can take (lost my husband's brother in April, his father in June, and now his mom going through cancer).
Ok that was a lot of catch up, so quick treasures and then I am out:
- feeling better (obviously, but truly grateful for this)
- drinking one GALLON of water daily for the whole month of August so far is making me feel magical (turns out, I was a dehydrated lizard!)
- Sacred Cinema on the Bible Binge going through the Marvel movies!
Off to catch up on comments while I finish up work for the day!
Helloooooo, friends! It's been a while since I've been here in the comments (I'm not even sure how long), but it's good to be back! Life has been crazy and hard. I feel like Michael and I have lived five years worth of ish in our first two months of marriage. For those who don't know, we lost his mom the day after our wedding, and since then, we've been dealing with all sorts of *insert many bad words* from his family. But, we cleaned out his mom's storage unit three weeks ago (which was a *situation* in itself), and we feel like we've finally been able to breathe and begin to grieve without being preoccupied with family ish.
Some treasures from the last couple of months:
-I went on a VERY last second and unexpected girls trip with a few dear friends two weeks ago. We stayed in a bougie hotel, ate tons of yummy food, rode bikes, and shopped in all the cute boutiques we couldn't afford. It was just one night away, but it was lovely and just what my heart needed.
-The Boy and I are planning our belated honeymoon/early anniversary trip, and I'm so excitedddd!
-Next month, we'll be going to Minnesota, and I get to meet Mel (obviously this hasn't happened yet but it is a big treasure to look forward to)!
-I've been on a reading binge, and I just pulled ahead of Michael in our 2021 reading challenge. Just finished Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, and I couldn't put it down!
Also, can I give a shameless plug for my friend's Instagram page? She thrifts mostly high-end clothes to resell, and she's only like 300 followers away from reaching 10K and getting that swipe up! If you like great clothing at good prices, or you just want to support a woman's small business, would you give her a follow? She's @bb.collections_!
I’ve been lurking all summer because life has been weird. But I’m back and better than ever!! I start my first college classes next week! I’m a senior, so it’s just a few at our local university. But we love getting some college paid for by the government! I have a long lazy weekend to spend with my bonus family before school starts. Life is good.
My treasures this week:
📖 I made a trip to Barnes and Noble! I got a new planner and Be The Bridge by Tasha Morrison
📚 I also got The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I read it in 24 hours and I’m still thinking about it. If you haven’t read her stuff, I am obsessed with her as a writer. I sobbed and I cackled in the same chapter. It’s got some salty language scattered throughout. It’s set in 1964 South Carolina, so there’s a lot of racism that can be hard to read. But! It’s all about the power of women, specifically Black women. There’s a little interracial love story. It’s a magical book. 15/10, would recommend to a friend. (Also, trigger warning for suicide.)
🥜 Honey roasted cashews. I’m dealing with a lot of health issues. So, dairy is not my friend at the moment. Probably gluten too, but I can only fight so many battles at a time. Eating caramel corn is amazing, obviously, but the dairy kills me. Weirdly, I found some gas station nuts that taste like caramel corn! I’m not sure why honey roasted cashews taste like caramel corn. Maybe it’s wishful thinking. But, they bring me joy!
🏫 School starts Monday. I love school.
💪🏻 I have the best physical therapist. After a month of twice a week sessions, we’re down to once a week! It’s exciting, but I’ll miss that extra time!
My back has been aching ever since our move and turns out I have a “narrowing disc space”, so I’m on prednisone and a muscle relaxer. I’ve been trying to take it easy and this was the first week of school, so I thought that would be easy, though sitting in long drop-off and pickup lines is PAINFUL.
Wednesday (2nd day), our power was out. Then I got a call from the nurse that my daughter couldn’t walk. Out of nowhere, she suddenly got dizzy and was having to hang onto things to keep from falling. We waited at urgent care for hours and then were sent to the ER. My husband swapped because my back was hurting so bad and they waited all night. Her MRI was normal, so we are supposed to have her rest through the weekend and we have a referral for a pediatric neurologist at UVA. She is walking much more normally, but it is still so scary to not have a cause or really a cure.
I was already really overwhelmed by the move and pain and the world and this is just…oof.
I would really just like one week of complete mundanity!
These tweets are great! Gah! What a week. "Well. Everything is terrible." Was my husband and my standard reply to "How are you?" In addition to all that Erin mentioned, we live in Northern California and are watching wildfires devour places we grew up. Again. This is the 3rd year in a row. And on Wednesday we were informed that we were part of the T-mobile data breach so we spent that night and all of yesterday putting freezes on credit, setting bank and credit card alerts, and changing eleventy-billion passwords. Dumpster fire, indeed.
But we donated to Preemptive Love on Tuesday, and bought teacher supplies Wednesday morning and Erin's right, it is exhilarating to be a helper! I freakin' love school supplies. I don't need any in my house, so I love to find someone to buy them for. Helen from Green Bay, thank you for cheering up a dismal week!
One of the best parts of my week was on Tuesday. My husband and and I were having a little, uh, "business time" 😉 and he made a joke that made me laugh so hard I snorted 17 times. Like howling, weeping, my abs hurt from laughing. It was my favorite kind of joke, delivered perfectly. Just thinking about it now makes me laugh. What a gift to laugh like that. It's been a long time.
I didn't plant much of a garden this year, but have this bonkers sunflower patch with several kinds of giant sunflowers. I bundled up a couple bouquets to deliver to some friends having birthdays. One, a single gal, an extrovert, weathering Pandemic and Pandemic 2.0 with her dog, alone in a small apartment, was particularly moved and thanked us repeatedly. She sent a text the next day, "It made me feel so loved." Makes me want to grow more flowers and give them away. You never know how someone is doing, really.
Looking forward to reading all your news and notes.
Had a rough night with the babe, and am contemplating a second cup of coffee. Bright spot - my three big boys are currently distracting baby Finn until his breakfast time, so I need to make this quick.
Treasures this week:
1. The Pour Over - I've mentioned them before, but they are the only news I can read without getting rage filled or incredibly overwhelmed with sadness. Bipartisan reporting with a Christian worldview: https://www.thepourover.org/?grsf=f5vhry
2. AirBNB and VRBO: we have no trips scheduled, but that doesn't mean I can't dream. Currently scoping out rentals in San Diego for fun.
3. Shadow by Kara Swanson. This is the sequel to my favorite fiction of last year (called Dust) and it was so good. The duo of books is a reimagining of Peter Pan.
4. Homeschool Planning: we don't start for another week, but I am enjoying getting all the library books put on hold and picking them up and pinning all the school things on Pinterest. Next week will be my big printing and organizing week. LET IT BEGIN!
5. Sleep. I don't get enough right now, but when I get an hour nap or a 3 hour stretch at night, man, it is MAGICAL.
Alright, little man is hungry. I'm out. May you have the best weekend available to you (thank-you, Pantsuit Politics).
My husband's grandfather passed away unexpectedly last week, so we made an emergency trip (along with my brother- and sister-in-law and their 6 month old baby) up to TN for the funeral. When we came back (at 9pm on Wednesday), we discovered that our fridge was not refrigerating. So we contacted our landlord, only for her to say that actually the previous tenants had bought the fridge and left it, so it's our fridge and our responsibility. Zach tried to fix it, and it seemed like it was working, but it's not, so we're waiting on a repair person. And then, this morning our shower/tub/toilets all backed up, so everything smells and we can't use the bathrooms (obviously my period also started today, because of course). The last straw for me was the wasp in the bathroom, which Zach and I dealt with by closing the door and crossing our fingers that it won't get out.
Thank you for letting me complain, I'm going to hide under a blanket now.
I was absent last week. I was drowning in unnamed feelings. When I get that way I get less chatty and tend to turn inwards.
Turns out I have feelings the uncertainty about school, about having an almost college graduate, a senior and the last Spatz to start preschool. As you kids get older you start to become aware that there is less and less you can control. And worse less you can do to keep them safe. It’s joyous that they are growing. A privilege that I’m aware not everyone has but it’s also so gut wrenching.
Eric and I took time to pray over each of our kids back packs, write Gods word inside them and sent them out into the world.
So fun has happened here too despite my feelings. Hank and Waylon are very invested in praying. The either use their prayers to list the things they want us to buy, they thank God they are handsome or use the prayer time to voice their complaints. It makes me giggle time. Autumn took herself to the doctor yesterday. She had to fill out her own paperwork. I got a delightful text from her that read “what’s my ethnicity?” After laughing for probably longer than I should have! I respond with “you have blonde hair, green eyes and sometimes turn pink from the sun. You are white!” 🤣 Denver is actually enjoying school which is a first for him and Chandler is loving being the only Spatz left at her charter school.
I’d just like to take a moment to toot my own horn📢 for a hot second. Last Friday my dryer broke. I called the repair guy who said he could come the following Wednesday. That’s not okay. While I am down to free-lip not everyone in this house is. I thought I’m relatively handy. I’ve replace plumbing parts, installed a toilet and fixed some electrical things. How hard could a dryer fix be?! Y’all I took the dryer apart, pulled the motor out, found the broken part, fixed it put it all back together. GIRD YOUR LOINS!!! I FIXED THAT MFing dryer all by myself!!! It works!!!! I am so proud of myself!!! I may have sent the sassiest Marco Polo ever to my people!!
Y’all go out into the world today full of Gods never ending peace and share just a bit of it with others.
Ok so a day late and I haven't been commenting much but today I have time. So.
I feel like a lot and nothing is going on right now. I am currently on a 12 day "staycation" that I both had to take because I accumulated 100 hours of vacation time from last year and I badly needed a mental break from work BS. This is day three and I am already bored out of my mind and very lonely. Tim works on a farm, 6 days a week, 9-10 hour days (guys there is a reason they can't find local people to do farm work the time commitment is insane) so I'm alone all day and just...don't have much to do. And as I mentioned before, I have no friends in about an hour radius of me.
The other big downside is I am really unmotivated to leave my house because the weather feels so oppressive to me. I know a lot of you are from places south of me and I sound like a big baby but it's 90 degrees and humid as all get out in vermont and the thought of being outside makes me want to cry. Also my car has no AC so driving anywhere is like being in a torture box. I want it to be fall NOW.
Speaking of my car - the windshield cracked randomly, both things that hold the back door open snapped off, the AC doesn't work, there is a dent in the back from when I hit a fence 2 years ago...and this is a 2015 car that I bought just two years ago! What a lemon! It's falling apart and besides the dent none of it was my fault! I can't afford to fix the thousands of dollars this car needs and I desperately want to just trade it in but that whole process was so stressful last time that I can't even bare the thought of doing it again. It makes me want to cry. I really want someone to just take care of me, or at least help me take care of me. But no one is going to do that.
Anyway - here is what I really want to talk about. Because I have endless hours with nothing to do I started watching Friday Night Lights. This show started in 2010 when I was a senior in college but it completely missed me - probably because I have less than 0 interest in football and kind of think a whole town being so completely invested in a high school sport is weird (I'm sorry! My high school didn't even have a football team!). But I am really enjoying this show. I loved Scott Porter in Hart of Dixie and he's so cute in this. And if I just zone out while the football stuff is happening it's enjoyable. Anyway, I'm like 10 episodes into season one and it's great. Not as great as watching dawsons creek for the first time over the winter (wow nostalgia) but pretty good.
Last thing, I have a book hangover from reading four really great books back to back: Killers of the flower Moon, project Hail Mary, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and We Were the Lucky Ones. All really different but really good! I have four other books from the library waiting for me to read but I am having trouble starting. Just have to do it I guess.
Books and TV are my companions and my treasures this week.
Good morning to the Saturday stragglers! I feel that Balto tweet in my bones. Get it together, people!
Speaking of vaccines, I emailed my dad a big list of sources detailing why he should get vaccinated. He said he was working his way through it, but I haven't heard anything else, so who knows. I also texted my grandmother to say that I really think she should talk to her doctor about the vaccine and could I help her find resources that addressed her concerns and got no reply. My mom has been working on her for months now to no avail, so I didn't expect a miracle, but I did expect at least a "no, thank you".
My cousin has been in the area for the summer, so of course we waited till the last minute to get together. We had dinner the other night before she heads home this weekend and had a great time.
Ts and Ps for our sweet baby vet. She's had some monster cases the past couple of weeks and is doing a lot better than she thinks she is, but a lot of the first months of practice life is realizing (often repeatedly) that you don't always get a neat answer and you can't always fix it. It's tough for everyone and the only out is through.
Ts and Ps for me, too, because I have about 6 weeks left in my current job and have put basically no effort into finding a new one. I'd like to have some time off in between, but it would also be good to at least have some wheels in motion before I leave my current position.
There was a discussion on here awhile back about our collective regret about not having seen enough of Paul Bettany's catalogue, so I watched Uncle Frank on Amazon and it was so, so good. He is stunning in this movie.
I've also watched a couple of episodes of Paris Hilton's cooking show on Netflix in which I was delighted to learn that Kim Kardashian is very much the responsible mom friend. It's cute and mindless and therefore perfect for weeknights.
My unit at the hospital where I am a nurse has been turned into a Covid unit. This is unsettling until you know that I work with the best team of humans and wouldn’t want to go through this with anyone else.
Greetings and salutations from MN in a sassy dress (it has pockets) and my usual mask in the office.
So summer.
Like truly, where did it go?
It felt like once my son's baseball season ended I was supposed to have all this amazing free time and *cue crickets* it felt like it just WHOOOOMP, ended.
This week. The past couple months. A LOT.
I was excited as I had planned a trip to Texas that was supposed to be next week to meet some of the Texan/OK swipes, but due to all things Delta Delta Delta (she don't help ya help ya help ya)* I postponed my trip. I was heartbroken. Truly. I needed this trip to reboot and fuel me as Fall will be brief here in MN and then another winter I worry will be impacted by *gestures* soooo.
But, in pure Mel fashion I needed to flip the script before I flipped a table (but I did flip a few birds mentally if you get what I'm saying) ---- well I remembered something else I always wanted to do. Years ago, after my mother passed, a colleague told me about a yoga/meditation/silent retreat she went to on the east coast and when she was researching that she did find a place in MN that did something sort of similar, only less yoga, less actually expectation to do anything --- http://www.paceminterris.org/
I called them.
They had space for next weekend!
So yep, your girl is going to head up to a stay in a cabin with no electricity for 2 nights and I'm thrilled. I won't have any contact with anyone there unless I want it. And I learned today that while they used to host a communal meal, now they don't so basically I'll be in my little space Friday-Sunday morning and living off the basket of bread, cheese and fruit they bring me each day but will also replenish my ice for my cooler that I will be bringing. And in that cooler, along with a couple salads I plan to bring -- I will also have wine. :) Guys. I'm excited to read, write, knit and be comfortable in the silence.
I was also very blessed this week to see my dad and other family members to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday - it was lovely to see him and laugh with my aunt and grandmother and other guests. Also the one selfie he let me take turned out great. :)
So this weekend will be easy going for the most part. I am not feeling compelled that I have to do all the things. I think if anything 2020-present has taught us. Just doing what we have to is more than enough.
Love you all,
Mel
*reference: https://youtu.be/1178vgH54pU
Well friends just when you think life is a dumpster fire that will never end… you trip taking out your trash and have to call 911 from your Apple Watch because you can’t stand. 🤦🏼♀️ Heard my right ankle pop and my foot was facing the wrong way 🤢. 11 hours in the ER later, I’m wheelchair bound with temporary casts on both feet from knee to toe. Surgical consult on Tuesday.
Luckily my mom is retired and healthy and has moved in to take care of me because what else do you do when this happens and you’re single? For the first day I cried every time I had to get in the wheelchair. It’s the lowest mentally I’ve ever been. I’m feeling a bit better emotionally, still feel a little like Job and God is just letting this happen to me, and physically I’m managing the pain alright. Prayers for me please and again, I want to see your treasures. 💙
Good morning little swipes! (Well, it's still morning here in California, so good afternoon to the rest of you! haha)
It has been an absolutely bonkers insane week for me, prepping to have college students back on campus at the end of the month. It is pretty wild that for us, the freshman and sophomore classes have never been on campus, the junior class has only experienced 3/4 of a year on campus, and the seniors left when they were sophomores!
But, amidst the crazy, I come to you needing some recommendations.
🥿 #1: Any good recommendations for comfortable flats/heels/shoes for (office) work? (I mean, I have my eye on a pair of Rothy's, but ya girl is definitely looking to spend less than $50 here.)
💄 #2: We are back to wearing masks at work, so I need some recommendations for lipstick that won't get all over the inside of my mask! I've always loved a fun lip, but I realized during the pandemic (and about a bajillion zoom calls) that a fun lipstick color is now part of my personality and my favorite part of my outfit. I don't care if I'm wearing a mask all day, I really love wearing lipstick. 😂 So, any recommendations for ones that don't smudge? I am open to both $8 drugstore lipstick and $22 Sephora lipstick. 😉
🥴 Here's a little turd: TikTok is making me think I might have ADHD. 😂 Granted, I've been wondering if I have it for the last 6 years or so, and I've never been officially diagnosed or tested for it, so I might be wrong. But this week the TikTok algorithm has been showing me videos like "Here are some unexpected signs that I have ADHD" and etc. And after like three of these videos where I was like "Yep I do that, and that, AND that. Okay...", I'm legit wondering if I should make an appointment to get tested. I'd appreciate your prayers here, and would love to hear if you've experienced something similar! 💕
Lastly, here are some of my favorite treasures from this week:
I have been playing this song on REPEAT when I've needed a serotonin boost: https://open.spotify.com/track/5eoDlvrUWSZyOP3LlOToAQ?si=9a62edea28644007
And here are a couple of my favorite TikToks:
Pit of Despair
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRFmN6f2/
I am trying this hack for my duvet cover this weekend!
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRFmha7A/
Punk goes Broadway (PUT IT IN MY VEINS)
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRFmnJ7X/
Looking forward to hanging out with you in the comments today!
This week has been a real mixed bag for me. For the turds, I would super appreciate prayers as i enter a season of anniversary anticipation for some trauma. The body keeps the score, two months to the day. I am working in patience, prayer, tending to my body, and feeling this wave of grief. There is a lot of good, and this wouldn’t be this way without a lot of healing and work, but each season is tough. Thanks for being here with me when the wind is a little out of my sails.
Treasures include Beth Moore reading the book of Revelation out loud (Ch 1 here: https://twitter.com/BethMooreLPM/status/1427960008843665415?s=20), several lake perimeter walks, sunsets, and ice cream with friends. A little vague but still super grateful ☺️☺️
Well well well. It's Friday again. My kids went back to school on Monday and I swear angels sang when I walked into the house after dropoff. My fourteen-year-old and the rest of the high school left on Wednesday for ten days hiking the Colorado Trail, so we're a family of four for another week. It's fine, except she's the responsible one and now I have to empty the dishwasher and feed the dog myself.
My husband Nate has been dealing with drama at work this week. He's realized that his boss is an verbally abusive narcissist (why are there so many of these in leadership?) who routinely gaslights and berates Nate. Now that he can articulate what the issues are, Nate reached out to HR about how to get out from under this guy's leadership and they were super supportive and affirming. A half hour later, his boss reamed him out on a zoom call in front of a couple other colleagues who were like, WTF? One of them called Nate's boss's boss and complained. The higher-up immediately called Nate and was like, "His behavior is totally unacceptable and I will see to it that you don't have to work for him anymore." So it's been this huge roller coaster of downs from his boss and ups from his colleagues and superiors, and I can tell that it's fundamentally changing for the better his perception of his value to his company and his ability to stick up for himself. He's emotionally exhausted, but overall feeling really good about himself, after years of questioning his worth because of this jerk.
Beyond that, I continue to be dismayed by the horror in Afghanistan and Haiti and in ICUs across the country. My current plea for vaccination is to give the healthcare workers a day or two off, for goodness sake.
Greetings from the other side of Covid!
When I commented last week, my husband had just tested positive. I tested negative on Friday, but then woke up last Saturday with a sniffly nose and re-tested and it was positive. HUGE sad trombone. Luckily, my symptoms seemed relatively mild - nasal congestion, dry cough, and then just utter exhaustion for the first 3 days, but I think that my Fauci Ouchie got to work and I'm feeling mostly recovered! My husband is much better too and officially out of his quarantine. Things that I think helped us (warning - I am not a doctor!!) - trying to get up and move as much as possible (versus just laying in bed all day), starting a z-pack at the direction of our doctor to prevent further infection, taking zinc, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C, and then we also used an incentive spirometer (purchased on Amazon) to keep our lungs moving. I know so many people are not so lucky with their outcomes, so I am feeling incredibly fortunate with ours.
Side note: it is impossible to quarantine from 2 young children with both parents are sick. We did our best, and thank goodness - they have not shown any symptoms. All are scheduled to go back to school on Monday (praise Jesus!). My 6 year old missed his first week of first grade (this is a new school for him, so I was already feeling worried). He is not in the least bit bothered by missing it! My MIL (battling stage 4 melanoma) was also unaffected (she did have covid twice already, though no vaccine).
Speaking of my MIL - she is going to her oncologist today for next steps. Her immunotherapy did not work - the cancer is growing and spreading. If you can spare an extra prayer for her today, would you? Her name is Diann - she is so good-hearted, and my boys just adore having her living with us. I am not sure how much more heartbreak we can take (lost my husband's brother in April, his father in June, and now his mom going through cancer).
Ok that was a lot of catch up, so quick treasures and then I am out:
- feeling better (obviously, but truly grateful for this)
- drinking one GALLON of water daily for the whole month of August so far is making me feel magical (turns out, I was a dehydrated lizard!)
- Sacred Cinema on the Bible Binge going through the Marvel movies!
Off to catch up on comments while I finish up work for the day!
Helloooooo, friends! It's been a while since I've been here in the comments (I'm not even sure how long), but it's good to be back! Life has been crazy and hard. I feel like Michael and I have lived five years worth of ish in our first two months of marriage. For those who don't know, we lost his mom the day after our wedding, and since then, we've been dealing with all sorts of *insert many bad words* from his family. But, we cleaned out his mom's storage unit three weeks ago (which was a *situation* in itself), and we feel like we've finally been able to breathe and begin to grieve without being preoccupied with family ish.
Some treasures from the last couple of months:
-I went on a VERY last second and unexpected girls trip with a few dear friends two weeks ago. We stayed in a bougie hotel, ate tons of yummy food, rode bikes, and shopped in all the cute boutiques we couldn't afford. It was just one night away, but it was lovely and just what my heart needed.
-The Boy and I are planning our belated honeymoon/early anniversary trip, and I'm so excitedddd!
-Next month, we'll be going to Minnesota, and I get to meet Mel (obviously this hasn't happened yet but it is a big treasure to look forward to)!
-I've been on a reading binge, and I just pulled ahead of Michael in our 2021 reading challenge. Just finished Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, and I couldn't put it down!
Also, can I give a shameless plug for my friend's Instagram page? She thrifts mostly high-end clothes to resell, and she's only like 300 followers away from reaching 10K and getting that swipe up! If you like great clothing at good prices, or you just want to support a woman's small business, would you give her a follow? She's @bb.collections_!
I’ve been lurking all summer because life has been weird. But I’m back and better than ever!! I start my first college classes next week! I’m a senior, so it’s just a few at our local university. But we love getting some college paid for by the government! I have a long lazy weekend to spend with my bonus family before school starts. Life is good.
My treasures this week:
📖 I made a trip to Barnes and Noble! I got a new planner and Be The Bridge by Tasha Morrison
📚 I also got The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I read it in 24 hours and I’m still thinking about it. If you haven’t read her stuff, I am obsessed with her as a writer. I sobbed and I cackled in the same chapter. It’s got some salty language scattered throughout. It’s set in 1964 South Carolina, so there’s a lot of racism that can be hard to read. But! It’s all about the power of women, specifically Black women. There’s a little interracial love story. It’s a magical book. 15/10, would recommend to a friend. (Also, trigger warning for suicide.)
🥜 Honey roasted cashews. I’m dealing with a lot of health issues. So, dairy is not my friend at the moment. Probably gluten too, but I can only fight so many battles at a time. Eating caramel corn is amazing, obviously, but the dairy kills me. Weirdly, I found some gas station nuts that taste like caramel corn! I’m not sure why honey roasted cashews taste like caramel corn. Maybe it’s wishful thinking. But, they bring me joy!
🏫 School starts Monday. I love school.
💪🏻 I have the best physical therapist. After a month of twice a week sessions, we’re down to once a week! It’s exciting, but I’ll miss that extra time!
This has been a WEEK.
My back has been aching ever since our move and turns out I have a “narrowing disc space”, so I’m on prednisone and a muscle relaxer. I’ve been trying to take it easy and this was the first week of school, so I thought that would be easy, though sitting in long drop-off and pickup lines is PAINFUL.
Wednesday (2nd day), our power was out. Then I got a call from the nurse that my daughter couldn’t walk. Out of nowhere, she suddenly got dizzy and was having to hang onto things to keep from falling. We waited at urgent care for hours and then were sent to the ER. My husband swapped because my back was hurting so bad and they waited all night. Her MRI was normal, so we are supposed to have her rest through the weekend and we have a referral for a pediatric neurologist at UVA. She is walking much more normally, but it is still so scary to not have a cause or really a cure.
I was already really overwhelmed by the move and pain and the world and this is just…oof.
I would really just like one week of complete mundanity!
These tweets are great! Gah! What a week. "Well. Everything is terrible." Was my husband and my standard reply to "How are you?" In addition to all that Erin mentioned, we live in Northern California and are watching wildfires devour places we grew up. Again. This is the 3rd year in a row. And on Wednesday we were informed that we were part of the T-mobile data breach so we spent that night and all of yesterday putting freezes on credit, setting bank and credit card alerts, and changing eleventy-billion passwords. Dumpster fire, indeed.
But we donated to Preemptive Love on Tuesday, and bought teacher supplies Wednesday morning and Erin's right, it is exhilarating to be a helper! I freakin' love school supplies. I don't need any in my house, so I love to find someone to buy them for. Helen from Green Bay, thank you for cheering up a dismal week!
One of the best parts of my week was on Tuesday. My husband and and I were having a little, uh, "business time" 😉 and he made a joke that made me laugh so hard I snorted 17 times. Like howling, weeping, my abs hurt from laughing. It was my favorite kind of joke, delivered perfectly. Just thinking about it now makes me laugh. What a gift to laugh like that. It's been a long time.
I didn't plant much of a garden this year, but have this bonkers sunflower patch with several kinds of giant sunflowers. I bundled up a couple bouquets to deliver to some friends having birthdays. One, a single gal, an extrovert, weathering Pandemic and Pandemic 2.0 with her dog, alone in a small apartment, was particularly moved and thanked us repeatedly. She sent a text the next day, "It made me feel so loved." Makes me want to grow more flowers and give them away. You never know how someone is doing, really.
Looking forward to reading all your news and notes.
How is it Friday already???
I feel that first Tweet deeply in my soul.
Had a rough night with the babe, and am contemplating a second cup of coffee. Bright spot - my three big boys are currently distracting baby Finn until his breakfast time, so I need to make this quick.
Treasures this week:
1. The Pour Over - I've mentioned them before, but they are the only news I can read without getting rage filled or incredibly overwhelmed with sadness. Bipartisan reporting with a Christian worldview: https://www.thepourover.org/?grsf=f5vhry
2. AirBNB and VRBO: we have no trips scheduled, but that doesn't mean I can't dream. Currently scoping out rentals in San Diego for fun.
3. Shadow by Kara Swanson. This is the sequel to my favorite fiction of last year (called Dust) and it was so good. The duo of books is a reimagining of Peter Pan.
4. Homeschool Planning: we don't start for another week, but I am enjoying getting all the library books put on hold and picking them up and pinning all the school things on Pinterest. Next week will be my big printing and organizing week. LET IT BEGIN!
5. Sleep. I don't get enough right now, but when I get an hour nap or a 3 hour stretch at night, man, it is MAGICAL.
Alright, little man is hungry. I'm out. May you have the best weekend available to you (thank-you, Pantsuit Politics).
Friends.
My husband's grandfather passed away unexpectedly last week, so we made an emergency trip (along with my brother- and sister-in-law and their 6 month old baby) up to TN for the funeral. When we came back (at 9pm on Wednesday), we discovered that our fridge was not refrigerating. So we contacted our landlord, only for her to say that actually the previous tenants had bought the fridge and left it, so it's our fridge and our responsibility. Zach tried to fix it, and it seemed like it was working, but it's not, so we're waiting on a repair person. And then, this morning our shower/tub/toilets all backed up, so everything smells and we can't use the bathrooms (obviously my period also started today, because of course). The last straw for me was the wasp in the bathroom, which Zach and I dealt with by closing the door and crossing our fingers that it won't get out.
Thank you for letting me complain, I'm going to hide under a blanket now.
Hello to my favorite internet gang!
I was absent last week. I was drowning in unnamed feelings. When I get that way I get less chatty and tend to turn inwards.
Turns out I have feelings the uncertainty about school, about having an almost college graduate, a senior and the last Spatz to start preschool. As you kids get older you start to become aware that there is less and less you can control. And worse less you can do to keep them safe. It’s joyous that they are growing. A privilege that I’m aware not everyone has but it’s also so gut wrenching.
Eric and I took time to pray over each of our kids back packs, write Gods word inside them and sent them out into the world.
So fun has happened here too despite my feelings. Hank and Waylon are very invested in praying. The either use their prayers to list the things they want us to buy, they thank God they are handsome or use the prayer time to voice their complaints. It makes me giggle time. Autumn took herself to the doctor yesterday. She had to fill out her own paperwork. I got a delightful text from her that read “what’s my ethnicity?” After laughing for probably longer than I should have! I respond with “you have blonde hair, green eyes and sometimes turn pink from the sun. You are white!” 🤣 Denver is actually enjoying school which is a first for him and Chandler is loving being the only Spatz left at her charter school.
I’d just like to take a moment to toot my own horn📢 for a hot second. Last Friday my dryer broke. I called the repair guy who said he could come the following Wednesday. That’s not okay. While I am down to free-lip not everyone in this house is. I thought I’m relatively handy. I’ve replace plumbing parts, installed a toilet and fixed some electrical things. How hard could a dryer fix be?! Y’all I took the dryer apart, pulled the motor out, found the broken part, fixed it put it all back together. GIRD YOUR LOINS!!! I FIXED THAT MFing dryer all by myself!!! It works!!!! I am so proud of myself!!! I may have sent the sassiest Marco Polo ever to my people!!
Y’all go out into the world today full of Gods never ending peace and share just a bit of it with others.
🤎Erin