101: #3 Get a Manicure

So here it is, my attempt at tackling my 101 list with updates and stories! First up, #3 Get a Manicure.

I completed this on May 18th 2013, and I even got a Pedicure as a fun addition.
Photo Proof:

So May 18th was the day that I there my parents a Surprise 25th Wedding Anniversary Party (while living under their roof, thankyouverymuch). As a gift to herself, my mom decided to get a new engagement ring, and as I knew that the party was going to happen and that almost no one in my family had seen the ring, she needed to get her nails done, without really knowing the ulterior motive. So I convinced her that she and I should do mani-pedis, which she agreed to do since she was "going out with friends" that night.

We went to a local nail salon, without making a reservation. So we got to do a lot of hanging out together while I panically text family members and Sean about my running oh so very late. I even ran into a friend of mine from when I was younger, who I'm Facebook friends with, so I had to warn her not to mention anything about my big plans for the evening, because the perk of my parents not having Facebook is my ability to post whatever I wanted about my plans for them. So eventually my mom and I were able to get ourselves done and dried, then off we went back home. Where I stuffed my face really quickly before forcing my brother to clean a bit around the house before we took off to do pre-party prep (say that 3x's fast).

The mani-pedis were a great success, as was the party. As you can tell, I definitely surprised them.

(Photo Courtesy of my awesome cousin Theresa)

And don't worry, someday I'll tell you the whole story about this party because that is #96 on my list! So I'm curious, have you ever been able to pull off a surprise party? Or had one ruined early on in the process? Or have you ever had a surprise party thrown in your honor?

~E

Day Dreaming

Happy Hump Day!
(Edit: I'm writing this post at 2am EST which makes it Wednesday, but Blogger keeps saying it's Tuesday, so take that for what you will.)

I hope that you are enjoying this week as much as I am. The weather here has been getting warmer each day in VA, so I'm loving that (especially because I have to walk between my apartment and the bus stop, so good weather is always a plus in my book). I wanted to talk today about Day Dreaming, I've realized over the past week or so that I haven't been doing a whole lot of that lately, and that it's partially because of my stress level, but also contributing to my stress level because I'm not Day Dreaming.

Let me rewind a bit, in Spring 2012 I was training for my first 5k, running around 3 miles multiple times a week, enjoying the Spring and early Summer that Massachusetts offers. I had learned a while back that I run better without music, because due to my history as a dancer, I run to the beat and it screws up my precious breathing (activity asthma for the win!). But I was starting to get bored running my normal route. And sure, I could have picked a new route, but with no sidewalks where I lived, I'm still amazed to this day that I was never injured running around town. Anywho, at the time the guy I had been dating and I had talked about moving out of state, with his daughter. So I tried to start thinking about what that would look like, what I wanted it to look like. And I remember so vividly how I could see my life. Granted, the perfectionist in me also made me seem like Wonder Woman, "She's a student! No, she's a stepmom! No, she's the main breadwinner! No, she's a fashionista with a flair for arts and crafts! I think we can all see the picture here. As we know, things didn't go according to plan. 2 days after my birthday I ran my first 5k, then 2 weeks after that Diane was diagnosed with cancer, then 2 months after that I left my boyfriend because I knew that I was destined for more, and I didn't want to waste any more time with something that was clearly not going to work into my big-picture plans.

The following Spring, I was training for multiple races, dating someone new, and getting ready for graduate school. Again, during my almost daily runs I'd dream about what city I'd end up with, or whether I'd be doing it on my own or with a partner in crime. I was doing crazy things like going to work, stopping by Diane's hospital room when she was in residence at the hospital I worked for, then meeting Sean, going to his apartment, running 4 miles solo on Revere Beach, then having date night with him before returning home to my parent's place to sleep. I was doing unbelievable things. But then a few months later, when I lost Diane in June, I stopped running. I remember running once around my neighborhood as a half-assed attempt at beginning my training, then completing the Finish at the 50 10k with a few of Sean's closest friends. And that was really it. Life sped up, we moved, and the rest is history.

I've gone for a few walks in and around my neighborhood, and even 1 run. But honestly, it's been hard to get back into with the demands of work and school. Which sounds like such a copout, but that balance is a bitch. I also know a factor is the cold, in the past few years that I've been a runner I always stop in around December 1st and then pick it back up when the weather gets nicer. And that's what I'm planning on doing. The nicer the days get the more I can feel the pull to throw together some crappy clothes and head out the door. Because I miss how athletic I used to be, I miss getting time to myself to just dream without feeling like I'm never going to make it through the rest of the week, because that is what it's felt like these past few months. I'm in awe of my own ability to survive and thrive, but I also know that I'm ready to start dreaming again. To start letting go of all of my insane responsibilities for an hour and be alone. I am a person who needs alone time sometimes, and that is always such a hard thing for me to remember. Take tonight for example, Sean passed out really early tonight and while he was snoozing I was actually able to get a lot of stupid little things accomplished around the apartment that I feel like I can never do when we are both awake here. I'm way too excited about that. I always forget how I crave me time.

I'm trying to figure out ways to have alone time and allowing myself the chance to Day Dream without letting the worry (that I swear is a genetic disorder in my family) take over every corner of my life. Any advice would help! What do you like to Day Dream about?

~E

Spring Break

Happy Saturday!!!

I'm laying on my couch, freshly coffee'd, with our slider wide open, allowing the beautiful natural light and warm breeze into my apartment. It's just before 11:30am and I already feel like I've conquered the world. Apparently, that's what will happen when you go to bed at 9:30pm on a Friday night. Ha! The excitement around here never ends.

I'm feeling so inspired, mostly because I don't have to go to school this week, and I plan on using my time as wisely as possible so that I can be on track, if not ahead of the game come the weeks following. I am on a serious mission to kick ass at school and I seem to be setting myself up for some serious success in that way. These past few days I've been really focused on doing what I need to do for myself, taking care of what my wants and needs are both emotionally, but also physically. I know control is definitely not the right word to use, but I feel like I'm finally living the way that I want to live, (even though I'm functioning on a much tighter budget than I'd ever imagine having to function on).

So I wanted to share my goals for the week, not as a way to hold myself accountable, but so I can come back and be inspired by my own ambition, or so that I can help inspire others to live and do exactly what they want. That's really what I'm searching for in this life, a way to inspire others. That's what I've always truly wanted, and I think it explains my previous choices in men… But that's an entirely different discussion.

Goals for the week:

• Blog 5 times (yeah, this post right now is totally counting as number 1 haha!)
• Write 3 "101" blog posts that have been hanging over my head for over a year now!
• Read 3 books for school
• Start reading and writing for research papers
• Register then go to the Library of Congress for a class project
• Then write the paper for the LOC.
• Clean my apartment! (And then finally share pictures of a clean place as part of my "101" list)
• R~E~L~A~X! 

It's going to be a full week here, but I'm incredibly optimistic about how it's all going to turn out. So stick around and enjoy the ride!!

~E

Coffee Date!

Happy Friday Friends! Lets have some coffee!

Above is the picture of my beautiful Caramel Macchiato, the wonderful people in the Starbucks store downstairs in my building at work know my name and my order, though as you can tell, they are busy people, and my name is long ha! But I'm so excited about getting to enjoy a nice low-key day at work while partaking in this delicious coffee.

So if we were having coffee, I'd be announcing how excited I am that I'm officially on Spring Break as of the completion of my class last night! So excited! I'm not going anywhere, and I didn't even take work off, but the prospect of working 8-4 for the next week and not being a giant stress ball is just exhilarating! (Oh what an adult life I lead haha!) I'm also proud to announce that I've done all 3 of the presentation/class discussions that I have to do for the semester, and I got my first grade back A for this chicky!!! And that was definitely the presentation I was the most nervous about. I was all smiles last night when I got that grade back, for the entire 2+ hours I was in class, and the professor sat across from me, so I'm sure she appreciated the look on my face.

I've also be doing a lot of thinking and working on what I want to be working towards in my life. I'm aiming to complete my Master's Degree in December, so that would be so SWEET and I've secured my (temporary) job until at least August 29th. So I don't have to worry about rent or anything, which is tremendous! On the work/school front things are fantastic, though the long days/ day-to-day drama/crap I could definitely do without, but not the pay! Ifyouknowwhatimean. So I've been doing more, "what do you want your life to look like" and "what are you dreaming about and not doing" kind of thinking. A lot of that has been centered around my living out loud. I've become so quiet, well not quiet, but far more reserved since I moved to the DC area. I remember this happening when I went to college and when I started my first Big-Girl-Job back in Boston. I become more introverted, in so far as I'm afraid that people won't like me for who I actually am if I open my mouth and let me truth out. And I'm getting really tired of feeling that way. Kathleen's post about living small, was really what sparked this whole train of thought for me, it's a great read (as she is a great lady/ blogger/ new Momma). So this train has been sparking more thoughts about what I want for this blog, my relationships, and what I want for my body. I've had a bit of weight gain, which we've talked about before. But it's not even about that, it's about wanting and needing (desperately) to take better care of myself. It's about wanting and needing to better cultivate and nurture friendships. And it's about being open and honest with the world about who I am, and not constantly feeling shame for it. Because that's were I've been lately, just hanging in a lot of shame. Oh Brene Brown, how glad I am that I've read your books and watched your Ted talks on shame long before hitting this part of my life. So that's where I am, letting myself grow out of the shame, letting myself be vulnerable and uncomfortable, but embracing it instead of jamming it into my overstuffed closet.

Today's coffee date is pretty heavy stuff. But I'm really excited that I'm starting to make headway out of my pity-party days and into more exciting growth and development.

Okay, so now it's your turn. What's on your mind? Lay it on me.