Over the weekend, we did a little back-to-school shoe shopping and spent time with friends. It’s crazy to think that August is almost half-way over and September will be here before we know it! As we near the end of our current collaboration, Shayla and I are answering a few more general questions.
Today’s question is: What Is Your Favorite Topic?
This is a hard one to pin down, since, as a lifestyle blogger, I write about anything and everything. Going purely by my categories over there on the right, it looks like Fashion and Beauty are my favorite topics these days. I’m not a fashionista by any means, but I do enjoy clothing and beauty products. I think those loves have definitely increased since having two boys, and I find myself attracted to more feminine styles lately.
Since I’m at home with my boys during the day (and writing by night!), I have complete freedom with my wardrobe, and I enjoy dressing up on those rare occasions when I do leave the house. I’m still very practical, though, and when I’m home, you’ll find me in shorts or jeans (depending on the weather) and a tee. But my hair and makeup are always done, so it’s easy to change quickly if I need to run an errand or make an appointment.
I also really love writing about blogging and writing (big surprise!), and of course, my family. I’d say those three categories fill most of my blog’s content and give me endless amounts of inspiration.
I can’t wait to read about Shayla’s favorite topic, and please feel free to share yours, too!
(Ryan got some great shots of downtown Austin while I was at the conference last weekend.)
We spent this week catching up after the busy weekend, and we’re gearing up for another fun weekend with friends. I’m working on a few exciting projects (more on those soon!), and tonight is brew night, too. Here are some things that caught my attention this week.
Little Prince George’s swaddle blanket caused quite the sensation.
Are you watching “Orange is the New Black” this way?
A new link between autism and anorexia. (Simon Baron-Cohen is the cousin of actor Sacha Baron Cohen, by the way.)
Meat-eating plants in San Antonio. (As kids, my sisters and I would sometimes get plants like these at the grocery store and feed them lunch meat!)
And on that note, have a wonderful weekend!
(The view from the lobby of Austin’s Hyatt Regency. It reminded me of honeycomb. And chevrons.)
I’m a planner by nature, and a daydreamer, too. Those traits don’t always go together very well, and I sometimes end up disappointed when things don’t go quite as I imagined in my head. To be honest, it happens a lot. You’d think by now I’d learn to let go, but I just haven’t yet.
Take this past weekend, for instance.
I made arrangements for the boys to spend it in San Antonio while I attended Texas Style Council and spent time with Ryan. We dropped the boys off, drove back to Austin, turned in my items for the clothing swap, and went home to relax before heading back downtown Friday night. I was excited to start the weekend, and looking forward to scoring new items at the swap while visiting with friends. I felt slightly sick with allergies, but I loaded up on medicine and tried to shrug it off.
At the swap, I stepped inside the small boutique to find it literally filled past capacity with hundreds of women shoved in like sardines. I tried making my way toward the middle of the store before I felt overwhelmed, so I turned and walked out.
Outside, I caught my breath and called Ryan, asking him to come back. In that moment of weakness, I steeled myself, asked a girl sitting on a bench how she was able to find anyone or anything, and she said, “You gotta get in there and shove people aside.” That’s not really in my nature, but I took her words to heart, took a deep breath, and went back into the store. By then, the crowd had thinned a bit, and I talked to a few people, found some items for myself, and calmed down. I found Ryan outside, and we hung around a while, visiting with Bethany and enjoying the scenery. Ryan stayed with me instead of heading to a local pub as planned, but the night turned out okay in the end.
Saturday, I still felt sick, but I attended several morning sessions and came home to prepare for the prom party that evening. In the afternoon, I called my mom to check on the boys, and she said everyone was exhausted from lack of sleep, so they were bringing James and Rhys home on Sunday, a day earlier than planned. I was really disappointed, since I’d counted on that extra day of rest and sleep to recover from the weekend. Ryan and I talked about it, and decided to put our last night alone to good use, so we skipped the prom altogether, but enjoyed a long dinner at a lovely restaurant and strolled around a local shopping center. It wasn’t how I imagined things, but it was a wonderful evening.
Sunday, I felt better after more sleep, and I attended the keynote speech and then came home. We ate Torchy’s tacos for lunch (my favorite!), and I edited my first official piece of client writing. The boys returned exhausted, and we spent the afternoon with them. It was a quiet and relaxing way to spend our Sunday evening.
As I’m raising my boys and taking on new responsibilities, I’m learning to prioritize and to let things go, too. I want to be a mom and a writer, and I’m learning how to do both together. I’m getting there slowly, and it’s definitely a learning process, as last weekend taught me. I’m so excited to start this new path, and I’m excited to watch my boys grow, too. I’m figuring it all out one day at a time, I guess, which is all I can really do.
