To Midwest Summers and Marriage Equality.

I read an article awhile ago, something along the lines of "Things You Must Refrain From Doing Once You Pass the Age of Twenty Six." I think it was shortly before my twenty sixth Birthday, or soon after, so I was intrigued. One of the things, was 'posting albums to Facebook.' Another thing was 'shopping at Forever 21.' Well, considering photos make me happy and I love taking them, have always taken too many, and the fact that I'm a teacher and don't make bank, I'll continue to do both those things forever, at least for a little while. Perhaps, just to rebel, I'll continue to do other things on the list too. No one likes to be told what to do.

So, after posting an album of pictures to Facebook just now, I can tell you about how wonderful it's been, living back in the Midwest and diving head first into Summer. We've been constantly surrounded by our best friends, family and familiar people. One of the first Friday nights back home, Joel didn't have a show scheduled, which is an extreme rarity, so we decided to have a small gathering around our fire. After laughing way too hard over hilarious face coasters, (look here to have a giggle) feeding our salt water fish and being huge nerds over our predator tank, beer drinking, brat eating and of course, the best company, everyone left and Joel and I laid on our hammock, talking about how phenomenal it feels to be back, listened to the trees and then fell asleep until we woke up shortly before 4AM and moved inside.

This weekend, the one that's happening as I type, has been probably my favorite so far. Friday morning, I woke up feeling irritable and wanted chocolate for breakfast. I got to work and the toddlers were all cries and mostly whines and well, they were on my level. I was with them! On my lunch break, I watched the "Breaking News" snap story on marriage equality and cried a little bit. Then I laughed to myself and thought, "You know you're getting your period when the marriage equality snap story makes you cry." I felt so extremely happy and thankful to live in a place where being able to marry the person you love, is finally legal, in all 50 states.  And then I thought to myself, "Is this really happening now? Why hasn't this already happened? How was this an issue for so long?" I love that I'm able to remember this day in history and am able to live it, be apart of it.

Friday night, I made my way to Minneapolis to spend the night with one of my very best friends. I hadn't yet seen her place, since she moved while I was still living in Colorado. Her place is perfect and in a perfect location. She treated me to, like 7 or 8 courses of delicious, to die for food that they serve where she works, restaurant Alma. We sat at the bar and started with champagne, progressed to each course, each paired with a different glass of wine and then had 2 or 3 desserts? Gosh, it felt like my freaking Birthday. After each bite, my world was rocked and I couldn't stop laughing at the fact that I must not get out much. I felt so happy. The first glass of wine we drank was straight from Malaga, Spain, the place Joel and I stayed together back in 2012. This fun fact really got me going.

Not even half.

Even after a belly so full of delicious food and a serious wine buzz, I couldn't say no to cappuccinos that looked straight out of a movie. Of course, I took pictures of everything. 

After spending a little more than 4 hours, content at the bar, chatting with the fun people she works with, we decided it was smarter to go back to her place, drink a ton of water to balance out the great amount of wine we drank and watch a funny movie like we used to do when we were younger.

We slept in until noon and then I was treated to mimosas and brunch. 

 We have been so busy, constantly going, going, going, that I haven't had much time to think about Colorado. The one thing that I do think about daily is that I would much rather bask in the Colorado heat, where there's no humidity, like there is here in the Midwest. I get snapchats of my best friend in Colorado and her little boy and for that, I am thankful. I don't even have to ask for them. Every day I drink out of the coffee mug that my co-teacher bought me before I left and I know, more often than not, I would go straight for that mug, even if all my other mugs were unpacked and stored in the cupboard with it. 

My first couple weeks back to work at KinderCare have been great. I love the Summers there. The smell of sunscreen just constantly wafts through the halls. I'm enjoying getting to know all the kids and new co-workers I spend my days with and am loving bonding again with all the old ones I've missed. I can't get over how big all the kids are, considering how little they were when I left them 3 years ago. I've gotten so many hugs from parents that tell me that seeing my face around the school again is something they love and look forward to. "You were one of the hardest to watch go and I'm so happy you're back. You are one of the best teachers." Spending my days with little siblings to some of the kids I had before I moved, make me feel like I never left. Some of them, I wasn't even aware that there was baby number two or three. "It just wouldn't be the same if you didn't take care of all three of our boys." 

 The constant "Welcome backs" make me feel even more at home than I already do. 

I feel so freaking thankful life brought us back to this point. 

Cheers!

In a perfect world, Easter candy would be healthy.

I had a normal Saturday planned yesterday. Wake up, drink my coffee, catch up in the blog world, shower at some point, run some errands, stop at Barnes and Noble and make my way to Whole Foods. Well, I Skyped with my Mom at about 10AM and then 7PM rolled around and I still hadn't put a bra on or taken my sweat pants off. I got as far as catching up in the blog world and blogging myself. I figured at that point that I should probably do something with myself.

I decided to work out. 

I realized, I hadn't done laundry and that my only pair of yoga pants that were clean, were purple. Now, I don't know about you, but I can't work out in purple yoga pants and a shirt that's a different color than white or black. I just can't look foolish. Even if I'm working out in the comfort of my own home. I honestly don't think there's anything that gives me more motivation to work out, than new work out clothes. I haven't always been this way. In fact, years ago, I owned this soccer T-shirt of mine from high school, that said 'Gestalt' on the back. "An organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of it's parts." First thing in our season, my soccer team had decided that that would be our motivating word for the year. Anyways, I wore the shirt to practice and worked out in it so often, you know exactly what happened. The armpits became holy and I ended up bringing scissors into the picture and making it a cutoff. I don't know why, but I loved working out in that shirt. Probably because it showed off my arms and my torso, somewhat, but each time I did, even years later, Joel would laugh and tell me I looked like a lesbian. Well, I know a handful of great lesbians, so I just wore the shirt more often. Joel could laugh all he wanted. 

I'm a Taurus. I'm stubborn. I figure, in this life, if I own something that gets the job done, why spend money on something new? This rings true with my tennis shoes. The Nikes I own, I've had since probably 2005 and when I bought them, they were great workout motivation. I can't say the same for today. "You can link up your ipod while you run and track how many miles you've gone, calories you've burned," said, the salesman. Well, at the time, I didn't own an ipod, I was seriously the only one. But I still bought them and felt great motivation in just wanting to wear them, not necessarily work out in them, and I did eventually buy and ipod too.

Over this last Christmas, my Mom brought a book for me to read. I've always been thin but that doesn't necessarily mean I've been healthy. Thank you, Dad, for the high metabolism, because if my body looked the way it eats, yikes! The book she brought me, is called, "Keto-Adapted" by Maria Emmerich. Have you heard of it? If you have any interest in becoming healthy, I say, "healthy" instead of "healthier" because it's an 'all or nothing' commitment. Honestly, I would have to seriously dedicate myself and try with everything in me to eat entirely the way she does. I love dairy, cheese in general, and carbs! I am a carb girl! And cupcakes, I love me some cupcakes. Maria believes in absolutely no gluten or dairy, no sugar and a diet that is low-carb, low-protein and high fat based. Yes, high fat, the good fat though. The book is super interesting. It pretty much tells you that everything we've been taught about the foods we eat, is inaccurate and that's why people have so many internal health issues. Even things like autism and asthma, joint pain, sleep deprivation, head aches, you name it, it's all effected by the food we put into out body and it makes total sense. A prime example of this is the fact that I give my cats only all natural dry food and yesterday, I let them lick the extra tuna out of a bowl of mine. Well, Olive is now throwing up next to me and I was lucky enough to step in a pile with my bare foot after hopping out of bed this morning. This is how the day greeted me, you guys.

Everyday, I think to myself that I could be healthier. Eat better, work out, go on bike rides, walks, but it's so hard for me, probably because I don't look out of shape to myself. And after a day of work, chasing two year olds, I want to just sit when I get home, sometimes in complete silence. And, well, because I convince myself that chasing two year olds, running around outside with them, well, that's physical activity, right? Gosh, I don't have a clue how you Moms have any sort of work out routine, finishing a work day, working out and being a Mother. Power to you! Hopefully, some day, I can relate. 

As for today, I'm going to be present. Joel is in Alaska on tour and scheduled it not having a clue that Easter was this weekend and not at the end of April. Interesting that Easter is based on a lunar calender. Now, that I think of it, the first year we moved out here, Easter was on his Birthday, March 31st. So, today, I'll be alongside the people who have become my family here in Colorado, the people I am most thankful for here, the people that are most similar to my own family in terms of acceptance and loving in a non-judgmental way. You better bet that I'll be pushing them together for, probably the last family picture I'll be able to take of them. I'm taking in all these final moments of our life here in Colorado. 

Now, Happy Easter from 2010. 

Go be present today.