Life Lately Through My iPhone
Do you ever have something on your to-do list that you procrastinate... for months? Like, you keep telling yourself you should just suck it up and DO IT, but then the couch/Hulu/an entire bottle of wine just calls to you? That has been me with updating this blog. For six months. SIX MONTHS! Yikes. Every ounce of spare time I get I promise myself I will update this blog, and yet each time I even have spare time I end up plopping myself down on the couch and continue a trashy tv series (currently watching: Keeping Up With the Kardashians). I know, I know. It's mindless tv but I love every second of it. Sometimes that's just what you need to shut your brain off. And if you know me, you know it's hard for me to shut my brain off!
So... A LOT has happened over the past 6 months:
Coach Mags
In January, I started coaching the CrossFit Women class at EAD. It's been super fun and has also made me a better athlete. There's just something about teaching others that ingrains some things into your own head in a different way.
After a couple of months, I picked up 2 additional classes. Putting that personal trainer certification to good use! I loved working as a trainer... while the schedule of a trainer isn't for me, I'm really thankful for the opportunity to continue coaching others outside of my full-time job.
French Quarter Fest
We went to New Orleans in April to celebrate Aunt Mimi's 50th birthday and man, was that a blast! I won't say too much, as "what happens in NOLA stays in NOLA," but we listened to some fantastic music (the free "French Quarter Music Festival" was going on while we were there, score!), drank some potent concoctions, and consumed some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life. I could go back for a week and just focus on visiting new restaurants!
New Opportunities
While we were in NOLA, I received a very exciting phone call - a job offer! (I may or may not have insisted we drink an entire bottle of champagne to celebrate. because champagne.) I started the new gig on April 27 as a full-time social media coordinator, and it really is a dream come true. I have wanted to do social media full-time since I launched my company's social campaign 2 jobs ago (back in 2012, I think!). It truly fascinates me and I could do it all day long (which I guess now I do!). When I received my first paycheck at the new company I'm pretty sure I said, "Wow, I get paid for this?!"
Bye Bye Paneling
The ONE room in our home we didn't totally love when we purchased it was our family room. It's half underground, so it tends to be on the darker side to begin with, and the rough wood paneling didn't help. We took our tax return and put it into this renovation - and I could NOT be happier with the results! It's so much brighter, and seems more roomy. Come over and have a drink at our new bar!
New Car Smell
So we bought a new car! Woo hoo! Unfortunately though, this was {somewhat} unplanned... Steve took his 2003 Acura to the shop with the intention of getting the brakes done. When they put the car up, they refused to do the brakes and basically said the car was unsafe to drive because the entire front half of the car's frame was all rust. Wah wah! Thankfully, we'd been looking to purchase a new(er) vehicle before this winter, so we'd already been looking and knew what we wanted. I guess I'm a really good salesperson, because I convinced Steve to take my old car and that I should drive the new one. Yay! (or, he's just a really sweet and caring and thoughtful guy... probably that.)
We ended up with a 2012 Nissan Murano. It was a leased vehicle so it's in really awesome condition. Love!
Rocky Mountain High
Our nephew, Isaac, turned 2 this year! We're so happy we were able to make the trip out to Denver to visit and go to his birthday party. Thank you to Kristy & Gabriel for hosting us (and letting me drive your car so I could go to the gym!). You guys host one heck of a kids' themed birthday party! Also awesome to catch up with JD and Michelle P. our first night there. (*note: lots of people ask why I don't post photos of Isaac - while he is a super adorable child and I took lots of photos, I am respecting the parents' wishes by not posting photos on social media.)
So there you have it: started coaching, visited NOLA, renovated our family room, got a new job, bought a new car, went to Denver... phew! It's been a crazy couple of months to say the least. Things have been pretty great overall, although that's not to say there haven't been any bumps in the road: the renovation took a LOT longer than we thought, the car thing wasn't totally expected, I got rear ended the week after I bought the car (ugh!), lots of flight delays, and our sump pump broke the day we returned from Colorado (what a nightmare).
BUT: my opinion is that life is all about your attitude... so let's deal with the bumps and then get OVER them. They're gone, they're in the rear view mirror. Let's keep looking ahead at the good things to come... because there will be lots of them :)