Day 115 – Welcome to allergy hell

Yes, I skipped a day of blogging.

No, I’m not sorry.

And I’m going to place full blame on the fact that I haven’t gotten near enough sleep this week because these damn allergies are out of control. Even the usual Claritin-D fix is barely taking the edge off.

Want to get a glimpse of the problem, here ya go:

Beautiful right? Yeah, pretty as a picture, but those damn trees are trying to kill me. My throat is tickling, my nose is running, my eyes are puffy, and I just had a sneezing fit that, for a second, felt as if I’d blown my left eardrum out.

I’m this close to shopping on Amazon for a full Hazmat suit to get me through the next few weeks.

And with that, I’m tapping out. You suck, allergies. I hate you. Good night.

Day 62 – March?

I’m having a really hard time believing it’s already March. Maybe it’s the lingering sub-zero temperatures. Maybe it’s the snow that just won’t stop. Maybe it’s the fact that life has just been so hectic that it feels like we’ve been in a full-on sprint since Christmas.

And anyone who knows me knows exactly how I feel about sprinting.

But here we are. It’s officially spring and the high today was 9.

9 degrees.

We didn’t even reach double digits.

And with a few really busy weeks stacked one on top of another recently, I honestly didn’t feel bad at all about spending a lazy weekend indoors building Lincoln Log houses with the kiddos, watching episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, playing video games (Stevie and I are revisiting the old Kingdom Hearts games and the kids have even started playing too). I even read a book this weekend–Theft By Finding by David Sedaris.

And you know what? It felt really good. Maybe I didn’t cross a whole lot of things off that endless to-do list we have around here but hey, I exterminated a damn mouse this week. I feel like that earned me a brief respite from adulting.

And as quickly as life is moving these days, sometimes a little downtime is good for the soul.

Good news and bad news

Well, the good news is for two years in a row now, I’ve barely been bothered by seasonal allergies at all. Last year, I thought maybe it was just something to do with the fact that I was pregnant (you know, all those crazy hormones and weirdness that happens to your body when you’re growing a human). I skated through allergy season with nary a sniffle or sneeze.

Right up until this week, I thought maybe having Henry flipped some sort of switch on my allergies. I mean, I never had any allergies until I went to college. Then lo and behold, in the spring of 1999, as all the beautiful trees began to bloom and flower in NY, I woke up one morning tasting pollen and feeling like my head was going to explode. So, I thought it just might be possible for my allergies to stop just as suddenly as they’d started.

Then came the sniffling and the sneezing and the congestion and the scratchy throat, and I thought, “Damn, there goes my theory.”

But I was wrong.

So, the good news is–I no longer seem to suffer seasonal allergies.

And the bad news is–I caught some nasty springtime cold.

And even better–I gave it to Henry.

Ugh!

Yeah, it hasn’t been the best week ever. But so far, the two of us have kept it contained. Two out of four ain’t bad. And while we’re both a little crabby and tired and going a little stir crazy from being cooped up in the house for the better part of the week, we’re already feeling a whole lot better.

In spite of the sickness, the week wasn’t all bad. We got to enjoy some beautiful weather at Cadence’s soccer practice…

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And Henry kept up his insatiable appetite. Good thing I stripped the kid down before giving him the pasta…

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And Electra even cracked us both up today showing us she’s learning how to mind her manners and stay in her kennel when it’s time for Henry to eat…

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I even managed to get quite a bit of writing done this week, so that was an extra bonus…

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And now that we’re officially feeling better, it’s time got get back at it, just in time for the weekend. Bring it on.

A little piece of perfection

We’ve still got a long way to go to find our new normal. That’s just how it goes when life throws so many things at you at once. And let me tell you, it’s been like some really twisted version of 52 Card Pick-Up around here since Christmas. Every time we think we’re gaining control and getting our deck stacked neatly, it gets wrested away from us and scattered all over again. But we’re holding on and hanging in there and we are actually starting to feel like we’re standing on solid ground again.

And after what we’ve been through these past few months, I’d say that’s one hell of an accomplishment.

I have to admit, though, it’s taking a little effort for us to relax, for me in particular (which seems really strange, because I’ve always been the one who is able to roll with the punches and just let things roll off). Maybe it’s because I’ve been running in high gear for so long. Or maybe it’s because my brain and my body just need a little time to finish processing all the stress. Either way, I’ve had to force myself to slow down this week. Several times I’ve had to stop myself and very deliberately shift into a lower gear, one where I could turn off all the worry and the frustration and the fear that keep making me feel way too anxious when all I really need to focus on right now is my husband and my hound and my two beautiful babies, because if there is any lesson I have learned from all of this, it’s that there is nothing in this whole world more important to me than the people I love.

Nothing.

So today, after Cadence got back from her movie playdate and we had a few hours to kill before we had to run and pick up my car from the shop, we made the executive decision to spent those hours soaking up some sun and enjoying the beautiful weather. March is spoiling us here in the heartland. And when you’re handed a little piece of perfection on a day like today, you better make it a priority to enjoy it.

And we did.

And it was awesome.

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Happiness is…

Why hello there friends, family, faceless people who somehow stumbled across my blog on the internet and liked it enough to keep coming back for more. I’ve missed you.

I apologize for another sudden disappearance. Life just goes that way sometimes, doesn’t it? These past couple weeks have been a whirlwind of roadtrips, job interviews, family gatherings, house guests, new schedules, orientations, and a whole lot of feeling like I need to hurry, hurry, hurry and catch up.

I started a new job last Monday. It’s my first full-time, salaried, office gig since Cadence was born. I’ve been so blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with her and freelance this past 3+ years, but when she started preschool and started itching for more stimulus, so did I.

So, I cast a wide net of resumes and waited to see if I would get a good bite. I got a couple. But the best by far was a small local company that offered me a position where I would be able to write and shoot photos full-time, producing newsletters, articles, and various other pieces of copy for companies across the United States.

No, folks, I’m not dreaming. Believe me, I gave myself a few good pinches to make sure.

So, for the past week-and-a-half, I’ve been assimilating back into the workplace–learning the ropes at my new job, learning about my new co-workers, and learning how to juggle a full-time, outside of the house gig with my always supportive husband, a busy 3-year-old, and a dog with separation anxiety.

We’ve had a few ups and downs.

But overall, life is pretty good around here. And now that I feel like I’ve finally got my feet back under me, I’m going to make an honest attempt to catch up with Project Life 365 and get back to blogging regularly.

Wish me luck. We’ll see how it goes.

And for today, I’d like to share an image I captured of Cadence over the weekend. In light of the recent tragedy in Boston, and all the other suffering that happens in this world on a daily basis, this picture really got me thinking…

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To a child, happiness is as simple as a new butterfly net and a little sunshine on a Saturday afternoon. I’m a firm believer that if we, as adults, could recapture a bit of our own childlike innocence and learn to appreciate the small blessings and simple pleasures, that this big world of ours would be a much different place.

So, do what you can to keep your own light shining, and make a point to spread it around a little, because happiness is contagious, and we could all use a little more.

Project Life 365 – Day 88 – My Peeps

My favorite peeps in the whole wide world, out enjoying a walk now that the weather is finally cooperating. Now that is what a call a good day!

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