fun – creating a queen

My 39th year

Hello hello! We are at the END of September. Can you believe that?! I certainly can’t. I keep saying it over and over, but I can’t really believe how fast it feels this year is flying by. Before I know it we will be celebrating Christmas and then the arrival of 2020. C-R-A-Z-Y.

I’m sitting here doing a little bit of prep work for the coming week; it’s going to be pretty busy one for me. On top of the normal month end / quarter end / reporting that comes with an old month and a new month, I’ll be busy prepping for an even busier week following this one. So as I’m sitting here sketching out some plans to make it all happen, I’ve somewhat drifted to the personal side of things. This week I will celebrate my 39th trip around the sun. C-R-A-Z-Y.

Birthdays aren’t really a big thing to me anymore. It’s really just another day. (It’s a day I can have a cupcake with literally no shame.). They do, however, make you take stock of where you’ve been and where you’re headed. For the first time in many years and months, I really like the direction I’m going. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t remotely how I thought my life was going to be. It isn’t what you plan when you’re fresh out of high school or college. But I believe there is a purpose for all of it. The best is definitely yet to come.

So I’m making some goals for the month of October, month #1 of year 39. Some of them are ambitious and will challenge me. Some of them are “minimums” just to get me in the habit of doing some new things. All of them will make me a better Sarah for whatever my future holds.

I challenge you to set a few goals for this coming month. Strive and stretch and grow and reach. What else can we accomplish by the end of this year?

TODAY I LOVE: kettle corn from the fall festival
SONG OF THE DAY: “A Safe Place to Land” by Sara Bareilles

you enjoy YOU.

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday! I thought I’d check in and say “yo!” First off, thanks to all of you lovelies for being so real with me after my post last week. Because of your words I decided not to delete it.

I saw this quote the other day and decided to share it because it really stuck with me. (See above.) Isn’t it the truth?! And it applies to a whole lot of things…we can be perfectly content and happy with our lot…until we see our neighbor next door. BAM! What we have, or what we were overjoyed to be having, suddenly isn’t good enough.

This week I had some happies and I had some sads. And both are perfectly ok. I had some victories at work and I spent some quality time with my family yesterday celebrating Father’s Day. I’m also battling allergies that are going to be the death of me and my former wedding anniversary snuck up and bit me in the butt. Week #3 of counting my macros and I haven’t lost any weight, but I haven’t gained.

Up and down. High and low. Win and loss. It’s life, folks. I’m happy to report that this week I (for the most part) kept my emotions riding right down the middle between the two extremes.

If I can offer any kind of word for this week, it’s remember the quote above. You enjoy your YOU. YOUR LIFE. Everyone else is doing their own thing and probably comparing themselves to someone else too. Maybe even you. Skip all that and just take the joy. (I’m taping this up in my office this week, as a reminder for me too.)

TODAY I LOVE: my polaroid camera…I got a few photos of me and my brother yesterday that make me laugh SO HARD.
SONG OF THE DAY: “Sound and Color” by Alabama Shakes

movie night facials

It has been a long hot minute since I wrote last (literally hot – summer in Missouri is gross.) So much has happened! George and I moved to the cool (not literally – it is still hot) side of town!

It has really been the best thing for us. My old apartment itself was really great. It was not, however, in a great part of town. I never wanted to walk outside and everything was a drive away. Now I’m renting a house with my best friend in an old established part of town. This little gem of a neighborhood is right smack in the middle of all the good parts of my area. All the houses are older and have their own character and the trees are numerous and enormous.

It has been three weeks in the new place and I’d have to say we are developing a pretty good rhythm between me, George, and Ash. I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m LOVING it. We go to the gym every morning (same as usual) but now when we get back home we either run or walk the neighborhood. We go walking every evening. We have a Sunday night tradition of a movie and facials. Although we haven’t meant to do it intentionally, at least one night a week we cook dinner together. We seem to mesh well in knowing when each other needs some space and our equal love/need of tidiness works VERY well. And George, well, he’s adapting. 🙂

Last night we had a girl’s night of happy hour foodies at a local artisan place and watching Christopher Robin on the big screen. Even though I know for certain I ugly cried every single time Pooh was on the screen, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The movie was so cute and really struck me with how much we do change when we grow up. We miss the little things.

As Pooh says, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” I totally agree.

TODAY I LOVE: celery and peanut butter. Ok, I really just love peanut butter a whole lot.

random friday silly things

We don’t need a heavy topic post today. How about some things that have made me giggle over the last few days?

There are two pieces of clothing I’m wearing today that are cinched together with safety pins. Losing weight has pros and cons. So yes, my jacket is necessary to hide the pins. (Before I found the safety pin my skirt was cinched tighter with a large binder clip. lol)
This photo (borrowed from TinyAtlasQuarterly on instagram.) The photo bomb makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME:
The Netflix show Grace and Frankie. Ok, so some of it is pretty silly, but boy does it make me giggle.
This meme, which then makes me sing and dance to Milkshake. (Borrowed from Hallow and Plank on instagram):
This has been shared a million times, but it still makes me laugh. Yes, I still watch it every time. Everyday Makeup Tutorial.

TODAY I LOVE: that my headache is finally started to recede!

finding happy

Since the divorce and all the stuff after, feelings and emotions all seem more…real. I don’t mean to say that when I was married I didn’t fully feel things; that’s not it. I think because I don’t necessarily have someone with me all the time to share in a feeling or emotion, I get the full force of it. Sometimes I wallow in it (most of the time.) I’ve had my fair share of pity parties and dance parties. The highs are high and the lows…well, they are really, really low. Why is it always easier to share the highs and celebrations with other people but when you’re down you seclude yourself away, thinking you can handle it on your own?

At any rate, this year one of my goals or wishes for myself was to put a concerted effort into finding something, even if it’s something small, to be happy for every day. It might be the tiniest things or it could be HUGE. Today will be day 85 of my happy streak.

This exercise has shown me so much. Some days I get to the end of the day and I think to myself, “I’ve had nothing to be happy about today. It’s been a total crap day.” When that happens I’ll force myself to a happier time, something that makes me all warm inside. Or I’ll start thinking much smaller; like being thankful or happy for the warm drink in my hand or the smile my best friend gave me that morning. It’s shown me I have so much TO be happy about. Not all days are great, sure, but I’ve got a huge well to draw from. It has put a halt to the extended pity parties and makes the highs last longer.

I’ll definitely be keeping up the happy streak. Maybe you should start one too!

Be happy, my friends.

TODAY I LOVE: gummy vitamins

back that sass up

Those of you that know me in real life know I have the weird fascination with Beyonce. Whenever I wake up feeling super sassy; that’s Beyonce-mode. I get out the heels, slap on the red lipstick, fluff up the hair, and LET IT GO.

Today is one of those days and I’m not really sure why. As I was driving home from the gym this morning I started thinking about all the meetings I had today, about personal situations, and my general feeling of awesomeness after a great lifting session. And it was like all of the sudden – BOOM. I had instant Sarah Sass. There are very few things that can stop me when I’m in this mood.

I’ve been assertive. I’ve been walking with extra bounce and confidence in my step. And, of course, singing at the top of my lungs in my car. (And maybe in my office too but at a slightly less volume.)

I might have to dance when I get home. Who knows. Be Beyonce today. It’s pretty fun. Nothing scares people like a confident woman. 🙂

TODAY I LOVE: people who look you in the eye when speaking to you