A life of less will lead to more. If you live below your means, create less stress, less on your to-do list, own less possessions to take care of, and under-react to problems…
your life will be fuller, more expansive and more beautiful than you can possibly imagine.
I know what I want to do when I grow up ….
Live the island life 🏝️
Buy a boat
And take people on snorkeling 🤿 underwater photo excursions – whenever I feel like making some extra money
I would rather have 30 minutes of something wonderful, than a lifetime of nothing special. – Shelby from Steel Magnolias
A awe, adventure, art, abundance, alive, amusement
B bravery, beauty, balance, breath, bliss,
butterflies in your stomach, babies
C curiosity, compass for what matters, centered, calm, community, chills, consciousness, create, clarity, ceremony, connections, celebrate
D dance, dreams
E ecosystem, emotions, energy, explore, environmental, echo, enthusiasm, expansive, enticing, enlightenment, empowered
F feelings, fun, fulfillment, fascination, flow, flowers, forest
G genes, growth, grounded, game night, goosebumps, generosity, gratitude
H human, heart, heal, hope, homemade, handmade, harmony
I immune system, intelligence, imagine, invent, insight, intention, interactions, inspirational, impermanence
J joy
K kindness, knowledge
L love (energy, wifi, loves on), light
M micro biome, music, meaning, mind, mystical, magic, majestic, memories, mountains
Meditation – sit and feel which muscles relax and which ones still hug the bones
N neurophysiology, novelty, nourished
O outside, open, ocean
P peace, poetry, pottery, passion, present, pioneer, pride
Q quiet
R reading, reverence sharing stories, river, rhythm
S soul, social engagement, strength, science, service to others, spirituality, snowflake, sand dunes, sunshine, significant, strengthened
T transcendence (if the souls is not in the body where is the soul), tears, tools, transformative
U utility, understanding,
V Vegas nerve, vibrations, voice, vision, voyage, vast
W wonder, weather, wisdom, woodwork
X expand your view
Y yoga or meditation practice
Z
Live not just the length of my life, but live the width of it!
A privilege, expensive, full of possibilities and choices and potential. Long days, exhaustion, people who are stressed out and confused. It’s fun to run into people with different destinations/majors, but you really kinda stick to your own group- you cross paths in the quad or terminal, but you’re headed in different directions. It’s not a competition, you see others and wish them well on their journey.
✔️ Cafe La Cave takeout 💰
✔️ Beer feud with Michael 🍻
✔️ Live Music at Teddy’s with Angela, Stacey and Lisa 🎶
✔️ Brunch with Angela and Robin 🥂
✔️ Purdue Illinois game with Sean, Christina and Ryan 🏀
✔️ New Library Book 📚
✔️ Chase & Doug 🐶
✔️ Bingo with Robin (won a T-shirt)
✔️ Artist Date with Tammie 🎨
✔️ Delaney’s visitation
✔️ Aunt Jean and Uncle Bruce 🇺🇸
✔️ IQVIA 26 CBTs 💻
✔️ Writing Class & 12×12 🍀
✔️ CAPA tests x3 for work 💻
✔️ Mattress Fundraiser 😴
✔️ Jane Goodall 🌳
✔️ Bike Ride 🍻
✔️ 25th work Anniversary & Singo
✔️ Spring Break ☀️ 🛥️ 🌊
Vacation day – Groundhog Festival 🐀
Galentine’s Party 💐
Dallas – got to see Michelle, Jenn, Cassie & Sculpture Garden & Cowboys 🎁 🏈
Hair Appt & Manicure 💅
Street Scenes 🎭
Yoga, Coffee Outside ☀️
Watch the superbowl outside (55) 🔥 🏈
Bronco Oil Change 🚘
Chocolate (Heart felt) Yoga (Salt Cave) 🧘♀️ (I cried the whole time but I learned I just need quiet more than I need yoga)
Finished 16 performance reviews and a reorganization with 3 supervisors restructuring ✔️ 🖥️ 💻
Paint Gem art night with Robin
Algonquin to buy a camera 📷
Story Exploratory ✍️
Dolphin Disco video Game with Kristi at Park Street & Brunch at Teddy’s 🥂
Singo 🎶
Cat Eyes manicure 💅 🐈⬛ for metrics +🍀
Ripon Wisconsin for Conference 🏃♂️
Also just wanted to give myself a shout out that I’ve completed all of the meditations so far this year and it’s making me feel so good – new year new you in January and feel lighter in February. I have more progress to make on making movement a daily habit and eating more nutritiously, but I also want just a moment to celebrate all the hard work I have put in, in all areas of my life, and acknowledge all that I have done well. Yay Me!
I registered for 12×12 today (last day!)
And 90 minutes before the month ended, I passed my Florida boating license test!
My vacation day started as every “day off” always does, with a few hours of work …. But the the next 24 hours were amazing 🙂
I had an appointment for a lovely manicure with “cat eyes” and started driving to Ripon.
On the drive, I ended up stopping at a wildlife viewing area and there was hunting rules (yikes!)…..& Stopped at a rest area and there was a line for the men’s room (full of people in camo and Hunter orange) but the women’s room was empty.
Saw a sign for a local coffee shop 20 miles out and I stopped. I ordered the house specialty “just the ticket” latte that was a delicious blend of lavender, vanilla and caramel. I purchased some witty stickers and magnets for friends.
Tried to visit the little white schoolhouse but it was covered in snow and closed. (I’m clearly a democrat anyway, but was willing to learn more.)
Checked in at the hotel. Ahhhhhhhh.
Shopped downtown.
Cheered loudly for Michael’s race.
The whole reason for the trip. 💕
Fish fry and old fashioned for dinner.
Snow plows, Coach buses, snow mobiles…
The white noise of the jets and the white snow falling softly outside the window was the perfect escape for my brain that never shuts off. I forced myself to put down my phone, my screens, my podcasts, my to-do list, and I just sat in the present moment looking at the bubbles, feeling the warm water and watching the snow float like a feather to the ground, covering the brown dead-looking trees in the magical snow-covered February landscape.
Visited my second cute coffee house! Mugs. Ordered the banana PB honey latte on special.
Visited beautiful Menomonee Falls on the drive home.
Enjoyed the Rueben sandwich at an Irish pub across the street from the falls.
And arrived safely at home by 3pm in time to Uber my husband and his friends to the craft beer festival and have a photo adventure with Finn.
So grateful for the chance to relax, enjoy a daily dose of novelty, catch up on my podcasts, have some downtime in a hot tub and enough money (and privilege) for a safe solo adventure.
I’ve always wanted to go to Woodstock on Groundhog Day. For a variety of reasons it’s never worked out (sick kids, blizzards, audits at work). But this year, the stars aligned, my vacation day was approved, and I was able to attend my work obligations remotely after I had a super fun experience at the square.
What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one yesterday…
Groundhog Day Movie 🍿
I drank to world peace like Rita, stopped at Ned’s corner, avoided the first step (it’s a doozy!), looked up at the bell tower Phil jumped out of…. And of course started the morning with polka music and hearing Woodstock Willie prognosticate 6 more weeks of winter.
It was perfect weather, a snowy backdrop but safe driving. The town is bristling with helpful QR codes and a self guided tour of all the movie sites.
I’m adding Woodstock to my list of wonderful adventures of heading out west. (The list includes the Thomas the Train in Union, the McHenry drive-in, Volo car museum, sunflower mazes and Richardson’s corn maze, tulip festival, pumpkins and adventure farm.)
I’m so grateful my vacation days are for fun now instead of for 10 years I took the day off to go pick up trophies for MBSA!
What a celebration! The downtown is so charming, the people so friendly and the bookstores, artists and shops were worth the drive!
5 stars! I highly recommend celebrating Groundhog Day in Woodstock Illinois!
PS in 2025 I went back and had so much fun again 🙂 and this time he predicted and early spring ☀️
Up! That’s my word of the year. I started the new year by watching the Disney movie of the same name and therefore, I commit to having adventures all year!
And January was a great start!
I had one vacation day (that crossed off 5 doctors appointments and ordered new glasses).
I saw Michael run 4 times! And even turned one into a night out with great friends.
I took a selfie with a deer 🦌 in the snow ⛄️
I had several fun writing dates and a story exploratory writing workshop. Writing is such lovely self-care.
Someone special made me breakfast. 💕
I had some adventures at local pubs, live music and gambling luck.
I enjoyed a fun adventurous book club outing.
I made my health a priority (and my son’s for the dentist, ortho, endo, PT and IBJI) and went to my post op appointment. I got kicked out of the forest preserve by the police for being there “after sunset” at 5:05pm. I used my spa gift card from Christmas for an amazing pedicure. 💅
I won a fight with HR for my employee. Supported 2 weeks of audits & announced a reorganization with 1 promotion and 3 new supervisors. Drove to work almost every day and worked wayyyyy too much.
And had a lovely wellness day full of great conversations, painting, meditation and magical hot tub time in the midst of a gorgeous snowstorm.
In February I hope to work less and workout more.
I am so disappointed I myself.
I wasted a whole day.
I didn’t eat anything except fried pickles and fried mac and cheese bites and still managed to spend $100 (on Ryan’s food and drinks too) at Teddy’s yesterday. Even after he kept telling me to “keep my decibel level down.”
I got there at noon.
Made the horrible decision to skip the community write at 2pm.
Spent $50 in the gambling machine.
Had Finn come and drive my car home (which is still in the driveway and not the garage).
Ended up puking multiple times at home after Braden had to drive us.
All things I said I wouldn’t do come new years.
I am tired but can’t sleep.
I’m thirsty but nauseous.
I have a pounding headache.
I should have spent yesterday making my 2022 photo album. Or cleaning the house. Or taking down Christmas decorations. Or hiking a forest preserve. Or on a photography adventure. Or reading my books. Or spending time with Finn.
Instead of the same old stories ….. and hanging out by myself when Angela and Robin went out to smoke.
How is this fun? Why do I repeatedly do this?
The Lefty Writer 