Writing Update: Finding Balance

Autumn is coming fast this year. The mornings are cool and crisp and I have started pulling on layers and sparking up wood in the fireplace. This time of year usually makes me want to nest, to stay inside and cuddle and clean. This fall is different.

The dropping of leaves, encourages us to hunker down, to slow our pace. This September lives are speeding up and taking off. Most of the friends that I see on a regular basis, are experiencing their own versions of change. I am not alone in figuring out my days.

Three of my favorite friends have new babies and another friend is about to move and then go on tour for a few months and Nick is beyond busy right now with a schedule as follows:
Monday- soccer
Tuesday- class
Wednesday- soccer
Thursday- class
Sprinkle in a full time job and homework.

I spend my days: drinking coffee, having one-sided conversations with Duke and Toby, and writing. I enjoy my time and could not ask for a better opportunity. I am also grateful for the cool mornings and football Sundays but I am feeling a little restless.

My extroversion is fighting against my natural desire to be home and create.

On hot August mornings, I started my day with iced coffee and yard work. The heat and the newness of my career was enough to allow me to settle into my desk without feeling like the sun was wasted. 

As the days get cooler, I realize that soon I will not want to step outside and I don't have to. I am beyond excited to not have to trudge outside when it is negative degrees but I know that to be happy- I need to find a balance. A balance between being alone and time with friends. I have not yet figured it out.

I knew it would be one of my biggest challenges. I  am an extremely social person and relationships are more important to me than anything. Even in writing, it is the intricacies of human connection that interest me most.



The other side to this is finding what I want to do, without influence. I have a tendency to pursue activities because a friend is interested. Not often enough, will I venture out if it means going by myself. I need to get better at that! I am trying. I went to yoga at 8:30 yesterday morning. Which by my standards, is very early. Tonight I am going to a book reading. If I say it here, I am much more likely to follow through.

Any suggestions you have for finding balance, are much appreciated. 

PS: While I have been writing this, Toby has been chasing a fly through my office.

PPS: I cannot shop right now due to budget restrictions and Anthropologie has more amazing stuff than ever before! If I could only have one, it'd be this.

A Few Notes From Abroad: Pictures to Come

Yes, we went to Paris and London and now we are home. Since I did not post on facebook or on the blog when we left, some people did not know the trip already happened. It kind of makes me feel like Nick and I snuck off to Europe and I am very much okay with that.

I have been wanting to post ever since we got back. I have been waiting to share pictures. The thing is, I do not really know how to get images off of Nick's camera or his phone. I need his help and we have been sick and he has started back at school. As a result, I have not been able to commandeer his brain. Soon, I promise.

I will say- it was wonderful! We had so much fun! Paris and London are such amazing cities. They are not very similar, except that they are massive and full of history.

London felt like being in the home of a distant relative. Maybe a great aunt who you do not know well, but when you hear her speak, she sounds familiar. Her walls, covered in the images of your family, solidify stories that you have heard your whole life. She can point to events, people, histories that are so famous, so long ago, they seem like a fairytale. 

 And Paris, Oh Paris! If London is a distant family member, Paris is an unrequited love. I never stood a chance. It happened at first sight and every day that passed, every baguette that was purchased, had me falling deeper. The city demands your attention. The Eiffel Tower did not disappoint but It does not stand alone in elegance. One afternoon, Nick suggested that we picnic in the garden by our hotel. I hesitantly agreed and we walked a few blocks to find the most beautiful park I have ever seen. That is Paris, brimming with surprise and hidden beauty.

Jardin Des Plantes

When I am able to share our photos, I will write again. I will tell you where we went and the silly things we did. Until then, Heather: this post is for you.