28 August 2018

chasing tranquility

Now that it's not so deathly hot in the evenings, I have started to sit outside for a while every day, purposely leaving my phone in the house. Which is why I have no photographic evidence of the two ridiculously adorable hummingbirds that have been flitting around the back yard the past few days.

Foxy grandpa and I were hanging out on the porch Sunday morning when they flew down right in front of our faces to say hi, then zipped over to feast on the bottle brush trees in the back corner of the yard. I immediately jumped up and made some sugar water for the feeder. I don't know how long they've been around, but I'm so glad I didn't miss hummingbird season this year.

I haven't been to yoga because my membership expired and I don't want to renew it until I'm done traveling so much.
In the meantime, I've found it's kind of meditative to sit in nature- even if it's not a porch in the Sierra Nevada mountains or the wooded path behind the hotel in North Carolina.

After traveling for 2 weeks, it feels SO GOOD to be back home. Even though coming home still doesn't feel like "coming home" because I'm not completely used to this house yet.

Still, I'm happy with my small patch of humid back yard paradise. Sometimes I sit there and zone out because I'm tired, but eventually my eyes will catch a spider building a web, or a flower petal floating down the stream, or a fish swimming, or the clouds moving in the sky. Or Pumpkin jumping the fence.

Poor Pumpkin was attention-deprived to the max when I was traveling, and hasn't left my side. Fortunately for both of us, I don't have a lot of customer visits scheduled this week and have been using the last couple of days to catch up in the office. She sat in my lap as I sat in there all day Monday and still didn't complete everything on my list. I'm hoping to wrap things up tomorrow so I'm free to go visit some customers Thursday or Friday.

P.S. Foxy grandpa has caught on very quickly that flowers make my heart sing and rarely comes over empty-handed. Damn, that man is good.

We are taking advantage of the long weekend to go see Luke in Vegas. I'm SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT! (Sorry Pumpkin)

22 August 2018

Lake Tahoe

Hey, so I took a week's vacation to Lake Tahoe.


Foxy Grandpa had the trip planned because his parents couldn't use their time share, and it was super easy to add me onto his Southwest companion pass. When he invited me, I was alllll too happy to accept.

Vacation with a handsome man? Yes please.


I got a super sweet deal on rental cars thanks to my job's discount, so it benefited everyone and I felt like I contributed to the trip.

A bunch of folks went (his friends), and they were all super nice. They liked to DO things,  which immediately induced skepticism about the trip's relaxfulness, but it turns out they also liked to chill* so it was a really good balance of doing things and relaxing.

Thanks to the people who liked to do things, it was my first time parasailing, (A+, would do again), the gondola ride to the top of the mountain was initially terrifying (but after some wine was awesome), and the boat ride was great until it got too rocky for me to handle.





Beautiful sunsets, gorgeous beaches, peaceful mornings drinking coffee on a balcony watching blue jays and chipmunks, nights spent enjoying camaraderie in 50 degree weather and yoga pants... it was fantastic.


The pine cones were gigantic! (banana for scale... it was a big banana too.)


And, to be honest, the most important part is... A week straight of foxy grandpa and I still want to hang out with him. 

It should be noted that he surprised me with tickets to the Legally Blonde musical in Reno after I saw a billboard driving around and expressed interest in it.

A man. willingly bought tickets. To.
the Legally. Blonde. MUSICAL.

MUSICAL.
Legally Blonde.
Musical.
LEGALLY BLONDE. MUSICAL.

As a complete surprise, just because I mentioned offhand that I'd like to see it.

The LEGALLY BLONDE freaking MUSICAL!!

~insert swoon here~

It was amazing! It was at an adorable outdoor amphitheater with the best cast. I laughed out loud several times and clapped with glee throughout like a giddy child. 10/10 would see again.

Solid move on foxy grandpa's part.



*smoke legal weed

09 August 2018

all good things yo

Mom and I have been on this big, "go with the universe" kick lately. Just rolling with whatever happens and trusting our guts. It's working out well, actually.

I've never been more content because I know nothing is in my control and I know everything happens the way it's supposed to. I've been appreciating things in the moment more, because I know things can change in an instant.

I've been doing a WHOLE LOT of reflection lately. Naturally, a lot of it has happened during long drives around East Texas. Oh, there have been some beautiful drives, and since the radio stations in-between towns are usually gospel or classic country, I have had lots of time to think.
(Not that I don't love me some Wynonna Judd.)

Mostly thinking about how my mindset has changed so much in the last few months. (not to mention my marital status, address, immediate surroundings, and focus.)

I feel so blessed in so many ways. I feel like after so much turmoil, a lot of things are settling in the way they're supposed to.

Work has been crazy busy this summer and it was such a good thing. My utilization numbers are great and performance reviews are just around the corner. I feel like I'm getting comfortable with this role.

Slowly feeling at home in this new house. Some mornings I wake up and smile because of the way the sun shines into my bedroom through the french doors and I can hear the pond bubbling.
I've spent a bunch of money on the roof and the security system (with cameras soon) and there's a few other expensive items still on the list, but I see it as a worthy investment. I feel good in this house, like I'll be happy here for a while.

I had some gals over for a game night last weekend even though there's crap everywhere. I figured I love hosting parties and if I wait until things are perfect, it could take years! Plus anyone I know well enough to invite into my home won't judge me based on the piles of un-organized stuff. I'm glad I decided to have people over. It was a lot of fun.

Pumpkin can apparently still climb fences. I thought she was too old but I watched her do it the other night so now I'm slightly worried that she will hop the fence and get run over on the busy street. But I guess I can't worry about that. Hopefully she's smart enough to avoid the street full of cars. I think the giant frog living in the corner behind the pond is enough to keep her focused inside the fence for now.

Foxy grandpa has continued to be a hugely positive thing for me.
Overall I am finding that he is a very genuine, kind person. Kinda restores my faith in a lot of areas where I've become massively jaded.

I like that he's super handy and has helped me with a few projects around the house.

Recently he facilitated an outing with Frank, Chelsea, Ash, and Collin and we all had an absolute blast. It's so important to me that any dude I'm with on a more-than-casual level get along with my family.

We're planning to go float the river next month and HE brought up how I should invite Suzy because it's near Austin. And HE suggested that I invite Ashley and Collin. (Not that I wasn't going to anyway, but his enthusiastic suggestions were a refreshingly big deal.)

He also invited me to go on vacation to Lake Tahoe and Vegas and YEAH I'm super down for those things. He added me onto his Southwest companion pass and I get a bunch of hotel and rental car perks through my job so between the two of us, this travel situation works out well. Looking forward to more random trips with a dude that I don't mind sharing a hotel room with.

The best part of the Vegas trip is I know he's excited to go gamble, but he keeps bringing up the fact that I'll get to see Luke because he knows that's important to me. I love that.

I'm choosing to believe that the universe sent him my way at this period in my life for a reason. He's a fun, happy addition to my life.

So all in all, things are good right now and I am definitely okay with that.