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!

Mother Nature is my Main B

It's actually thundering and lightening outside right now, you guys. I heard one, little, sorry boom of thunder at work a week or two ago, and saw lightening once through the blinds during nap time but this is my first full on storm of the year. This is so exciting. Cleanse my mind, body and soul, Mother Nature, cleanse me. Gosh, it feels good. Just to look out my living room window and see pouring rain. What makes it better is the fact that it's still light out, a nice glow, if you ask me. Let's be real, the sun is shining! As summer is right around the corner, the days are getting longer and it's light until after 8PM. This is the best, the realization that our days are getting longer, warmer. There is nothing like light, and sunshine and a good downpour all at once. This is something I will miss dearly when we move back to the Midwest, the sunshowers. The weathermen actually talk about them. They exist. You got it, it's when the sun is shining bright but it's raining. It's the absolute best. 

It makes me think of a time I had a terrible day at work and then drove home and on my way, was blessed with the most amazing sunshower and then the clouds parted and the rain went away and the sun fully came out just in time to go down. It was beautiful. 

Of course, I Instagramed, think  I didn't? 

The caption was, "Proof that there are greater things than today's frustration." 

Oh man, does Mother Nature feel me. She knows my moods. She knows that this evening's rainfall is all too appropriate after the day I had, the week I had, I should say. The weather is my emotion's, twin, I'm telling you. Between my challenging class of one and a half year olds and my last couple weeks spent at Goddard, my eyes have been leaking lately, lets just say. I've felt frustration and a sense of happy and both are making me more emotional than a pregnant woman. I'm the biggest baby you'll ever meet, I swear to you.

 

What I need is a good downpour to cleanse my mind. And a vacation. I can cross one off the list tonight and the other come, early Sunday morning. Conveniently, today was my last day of work for 9 days and Joel and I are anxiously awaiting a road trip. We dreamed up this plan a couple months ago. Dreamed up, is that right? How do you say that? It's like hanged. Anyways, we developed this master plan and I am so excited we are following through. We are heading towards Utah and doing some camping in Moab. We knew we would never make this trip, after we move back to Wisconsin. Being six hours from Moab is far more manageable than like what, 18 hours? I've always wanted to visit those beautiful arches, stand underneath them. You can bet there will be some pictures taken. After Moab, it's back into Colorado to Telluride, down to Mesa Verde, the Four Corners, back up into Durango and Salida to visit one of my Mom's best friends from high school. We had an amazing last camping trip during the Fall last year, not too far from where we live and thinking about it makes me even more excited to do this road trip. We will be seeing a handful of great places we have not yet seen since we've lived in Colorado. What a wonderful way to start our last month in this beautiful state.

I suppose I can share a couple pictures from my Birthday weekend, last weekend. One of my best friends was in town. She had never been to Colorado, was truly running out of time, us being so close to our move and what better weekend than the one in between our Birthdays. There was nothing like having her here, basking in the sunshine in my backyard and drinking my morning coffee with her. Sharing some drinks, Birthday cards and gifts, laughs, cake, and just being in her presence, gosh, it was lovely.

 

Bridesmaid Material | pc: Joel Kachel

She bought me Drew Barrymore's book for my Birthday. I love cute and/or hilarious coffee table books like it. It's a book of pictures she's taken over the years, hearts in random objects, places. Hearts. Perfect. We all know how much I love love. 

Always wearing those leggings. 

And then look at what I found on my beer glass later that night. 

That's not just my very talented boyfriend playing music in the background, it's a heart puddle of beer placed so perfectly on my glass. Is this real life? 

 

When deciding what I wanted written on our Birthday cake, I took all three of us into account. With Tier having just turned twenty six, me twenty seven, and Joel twenty eight, we needed something fitting for all of us. This is what I went with: 

 

Sparkler candles that didn't really sparkler at all, but we didn't fret. 

 

We visited a couple friends in Denver that had just taken in five foster kittens. Five kittens. At once. Have you ever played with five kittens at the same time? It's happiness, at least, in my world.

 

 

I got no group pictures because the little buggers were speedy things and I was just thoroughly enjoying the moment. Picture this guy, plus four more. Skipping around. Biting each other's ears, wrestling. Greatness. How our friend will give them up, is beyond me. Good luck, Lia.

 

Joel's Mom was also in town for work and was able to stick around for a Joel Kachel show and our Birthday festivities. 

 

Mother In Law Material

Well, that's just not the best cell phone picture ever taken.

 

It was a short, sweet visit from a couple ladies I adore and I loved every minute of it, even though I wish they could have stuck around longer, have seen more, gone exploring. 

 

It's okay, there will be exploring done this week, lots of it. 

Road trip To-Do list, here I come! 

 

Moab road trip: 2 days 

Lana Del Rey at Red Rocks: 11 days 

(Another) best friend comes to town: 12 days 

Move back to the Midwest: 30 days