Staying Fit: End of Summer check-in

I forgot to post progress photos for July...because I was having so much god damn fun that who cares, right?
Anywho....here is a quick little update for ya.
I managed to take the grainiest photos imaginable...you're welcome.

Abs baby! There you are my sweet tiny wittle baby abs! It took all summer to get there, and we shall blame the booze, but I finally got my fat % down enough to make them pop a bit!

Meh....it's all the same. That photo is just terrible but I do have the slightest obliques taking form. Booty is lifted, love handles are disappearing. The blue bikini is the same in the May and August photo, if it helps. 

My lighting choices clearly need work.

The August back photo doesn't do it justice. This is one of the strongest places on my body, next to my legs, and that damn grainy photo sucks. Anyways, my butt is higher, more rounded. Those love handles smoothed out nicely, all in all, I'm happy with the progress thus far.

 And of course a blurry flex break for ya.
So there you have it. I managed to get through the entire summer, drinking at the rate of a whale, and not ending up looking like one. #science
I think the biggest key with keeping me on track was to just do it. Get up four days a week and just workout, even if I am sore or tired.
Make my meals every Sunday (or early Monday morning) to make sure I don't get bored and start grazing on garbage.
I stop eating when I'm full.
I hardly eat sweets.
And I drank beer. Lots of it.

And I don't regret anything.

I did finally weigh myself for the first time in five years.
134.4
I should make a note that I weighed that much ten years ago when Mark and I first met, but, my physique was a lot doughier then. Back during my .....don't eat anything, and then when I feel like I'm going to faint, eat a cube of cheese phase/cardio queen combo...days.

This is your PSA that you will not bulk up by lifting weights. I lift them and I lift heavy.
I can squat a PR of 340 lbs x 8 reps and not blink an eye.
I lift and push and squat and with the heaviest weights I can manage on my own, and I do it to failure.
I pick a couple muscles groups and focus solely on those for the duration of the workout.
I do HIIT sprints for 10-12 minutes four days a week, at the beginning of each of my workouts.
I allow for full recovery on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

No excuses. Just get in there and get it over with. And find some good tunes. That keeps me motivated more than anything!

How did you stack up with your fitness over the summer! Slack off or knock it out of the park!
Happy Friday fools!

He called the $hit...poop

Dudes.
Have I ever told you how glamorous my life is?
I have a perfect home with a perfect life and a perfect job and the perfect clothes, hair, and makeup, and perfect husband and a big ole' yard for my fabulously well-behaved dogs to run and frolic at their leisure.
My three pets are just the spitting image of perfection. They all get along so well and I don't ever have to keep an eye on them at all!! They are so clean and nice and respectful of our home that most of the time I forget we even have them.
The house always smells divine and there are never any spills because we are all so very careful.
And I never have to lift a finger to clean anything up.
Isn't life just so wonderful and CLEAN? Nothing EVER goes wrong...is that just so perfect?!

No dudes....it's not.
If you believed ANY of that crap I just wrote it's because you probably have never been to my house.
Kids, don't always believe everything written on the internet.

Now, don't get me wrong. My house is far from a pig-sty. But you know why, my dear?
It's because I go on these lovely cleaning tantrums after my pets have managed to funk up the place so terribly that I am beyond embarrassed of having even the pizza guy deliver something to our front door.
I am SURE the smell would knock them over.

I am about to get all kinds of disgusting so if you are eating lunch or have a weak stomach, I beg you, back away now.
You have been warned.

So, you want to get a bulldog?
You see them on TV or the internets and you think, "my gosh, a bulldog would be just so much fun! They are so funny looking and adorable and wrinkly and I just want to smash their wittle face wiff all my kisses!"

And then you get one.

And yes, they are still quirky and goofy and lovable and loyal and fun!! so much fun!!
But dudes, owning a bulldog is no walk in the park.
Oh, and they don't really walk, so that park nonsense is a joke. It'll never happen. 
Bulldogs are fat for a reason. 

Anyways, my younger bulldog named Burn is an English. And my absolute "favorite" part about owning him, outside of his incessant drooling, chewing, scratching at parts of the couch, barking at people playing croquet, and plowing over small children....is his constant anal problems.

Oh yes, my friends....Burn has a bit of a leaky ass.
Let me back up. Those of you that own a dog may notice from time to time that your dog drags his ass on the ground.

Why is he doing that, you ask?

It's because he is trying to express his anal glands on his own.
Sometimes it works.
And sometimes you have a bulldog.

And you can do one of two things:
1) Pay someone $30 a pop to stick their finger up your dogs ass and squeeze those little peas clean...or
2) Ask the vet to show you how to do it and do it yourself

Guess what I chose?
Since I was having to do this roughly 1-2x a month, my dog's ass was becoming a financial burden. Mostly on my drinking habits. So I bit the bullet and started this fun little DIY project. Vets are more than happy to push this back on you, by the way. So keep that little tidbit in your back pocket.

Every month, for three years, Burn and I had a secret in the meeting in the bathroom.
I would apologize, he would think he was getting treats, I would finger his butthole and clean out the junk, he would yelp, I would wince, and it would all be over in a few minutes.
And then there were treats, but for real this time.
And then, magically, it got better. I thought maybe he had grown out of it.
Until that stink came back.
That leaky, foul, skunk smell came back in full force and I swear to Jebus it was as if it was smeared ALL OVER MY DAMN HOUSE.
Because, you know, dogs don't care WHERE they drag their ass, as long as it pleases them.

So Mark and I got to work. I grabbed the lube (yes....THAT lube) and plastic gloves and went to work on the anal probing of my dog's ass.
Delightful.

And the dog jerked and yelped while I tried to do what I had to do.  Poor guy didn't even drop the soap!! What a monster I am!
And then it was over.

But what about my house?! My plan was to tackle the deep-cleaning this weekend. I could probably hold out that long, right? I mean, the cat had only pissed on the carpet once this month and there was only a thin layer of pet hair blanketing the walk-way.

I came home from the gym this morning and there was one major shit show that broke this camel's back.
Mark looks at me with wide eyes and blurts out....you are so lucky you didn't come into the kitchen this morning....
Diarrhea.....EVERYWHERE.

(And this time it wasn't from Burn....Crash (my other bulldog) ate something bad, I think.)

And it's as if the woft of shit FINALLY hit my nose at that moment and I gagged.
Jesus Betsy Christ!

That's it!! This whole place is a dump!

So I got to work.
(mostly because Mark thought cleaning up SHIT with water and paper towels was the correct way...silly, silly man)

Of course our carpets aren't any normal, low pile carpet, by the way.
Ohhhhhh no.
These carpets are fit for an 80 year old lady with old lady feet that are in need of old lady cushioning and therefore the carpet pile is approximately 6 feet deep.
Try cleaning cat piss and dog shit out of that mess.
It ain't easy.

So I used my trusty 3-layer system and HAND. SCRUBBED. the entire first floor, for 45 minutes.
Yes it made me late for work. But I will not live in filth and that was my absolute limit with the constant smell of garbage.
I then called Mark to proposition him with either a head massage or a BJ if he could vacuum everything....(with the wand too! Get the corners!) after he got home.

I don't really know where I was going with this story, other than our dogs are a terrible pain in my ass and it takes a lot of work to keep them clean and happy.
So don't buy one unless you can deal with some serious crap....pun intended.
But I do love their faces to death....so I suppose I will keep them around for a bit longer.

That was your disgusting PSA for the week.
The end.

If a tree falls in the forest....

and knocks out the power, and it's on your property, is it your fault?
We shall see.
I woke up to a loud POP! noise around 2:30am today followed by the immediate silence of the power going out.
Lovely.
I quickly called ComEd to report the outage and went back to sleep.
A few minutes later, the power came back on so I thought it was over.
Nope.
It must have gone back out after I fell asleep because 5am rolled around and I could hear a chainsaw outside of my window.
What in the actual fuck is going on?

I look outside, and down the hill, towards the street, is a crew of men hacking away at one of our full grown oak trees.
So that's why the power went out.
I already figured if we lost power then I wouldn't make it to the gym.
Then I remember, crap, the driveway gate is closed...and so is the garage.
Both electric (doo doo doo de doo de doo doo doo....you know you're singing it)

Always the handy man to the rescue, Mark is already unbolting the gate doors and my car is sitting in the driveway.
I'm also thankful I took a late shower last night because we all know that if you are on a well, you don't exactly have water when the power goes out.

Mark comes flying in, eyes wide...I jumped in the pool this morning to rinse off!
He hurries past me to a pot of boiling water....this is to shave.

Granted, I haven't even figured out how I'm going to brush my teeth yet....do we have enough water for the essentials? Can I pee?!

So now I'm at work, hiding the grease with this top knot.

Sexy librarian....at your....service :)

Anyways, if you didn't read about my mental breakdown with turning 32 on Friday, go catch up.

The rest of the weekend was fun and normal.
We spent far too much money on dinner and a concert, but YOLO, right?

Saturday evening we saw Filter and Candlebox in concert at a local dive bar.
Filter rocked the house. I forgot how much I love their angsty music! Also, they had a FABULOUS female bassist wearing comic book print leggings. I die.

And in true grandma form, I thought that the sound system for Candlebox was too loud (as did Mark) so we hightailed it out of there a bit early.

The rest of the weekend was spent recovering from another hangover, grocery shopping, cleaning out my car and catching up for the week.
The wind was whipping but we still managed to sneak in some pool time!

All in all, 32 is off to a pretty great start!
This year will be all about prep.
Prep to become parents, hopefully.
That is the big goal of the year.
Of course, that goal comes with a bunch of tinier steps to take to get to the big picture, but we'll get there.
Stay tuned, my friends!

32

It has taken me a while to come to terms with the emotions I have been dealing with for a week or so. At first, I chalked it up to a little PMS followed by.....more PMS? Unusual, yes, but I figured, hey women's hormones be crazy, let's just go with it.
But then that pit kind of never went away.
And since I am fully aware of what depression looks like as it runs rampant in parts of my family, I started to get a little worried.
Like, I was there, in the moment, with nothing truly bad on the horizon, but I couldn't smile or laugh or make a real facial expression. It was just a bunch of blank stares as I sat and tried to figure out what was going on in my brain.
I was sad. I would cry uncontrollably at a moment's notice.
I didn't even really need anything to set me off.

I would go to work and play the role of Captain Awesome, putting on the usual show, then rush home to....sit.

And then I thought, well maybe it's because summer seems to be on its way out? And I'm sad there aren't many pool days left and all that jazz.
But really, due to our pool heater, we still have AT LEAST a month left, regardless of the weather.
And this next month brings a ton of fun things: concerts, parties, birthdays, MY BIRTHDAY...hello!

I should be happy! I should be shouting it from the rooftops!
I MADE ANOTHER REVOLUTION AROUND THE SUN!

And Friday morning rolled around. The day I turned 32.
And I sat and had my coffee on the front porch and watched the dogs sniff things and chase phantom animals and waited for a lovely court date that had been scheduled on. my. birthday.
Awesome.
And even though I was reprimanded by a judge for doing something that was an honest mistake, and getting my sentence reduced to a minor traffic violation, and paying the government my hard earned money from a well paying job that very few other people in that court room had, even THAT didn't bring me down.

And yet, I was sad.
I got out of court and teared up.
Life's not FAIR! Boo hoo to me, damnit!

Mark came home early from work to spend time with me. I asked him to get me a card for my birthday. Not for the mushy, rhymie garbage that the card actually says, but for the words that he writes to me to sum up the last year. How awesome we are together. How lucky we are to be living this life.

And when he got home and immediately started mowing the lawn, I lost it.
Instead of owning up to the REAL reason I was sad, I lost my ever-loving shit on him in a frantic, spitting, yelling escapade.

All I wanted was a card! A card, Mark! And you couldn't even do that for me! Instead, it's always YOUR AGENDA and YOUR concerts AND YOUR BOATS and YOUR LIFE and I NEVER GET WHAT I NEED.

And then the waterworks started....all of them.

I thought my life would be different at 32. I thought we would be headed in a different direction! 32 is the perfect age for kids, says all the statistics, yet, here we are, with a handful of terrifying, uphill battle cards, and no kids. I have no brood. My nurseries are empty. We have no family. No us. No nothing. Just a pile of medical appointments in the future that doesn't even guarantee anything.

And Mark stopped, and looked at me, and hugged me so tightly I thought I might pass out. But I let him. I let him hold me for such a long time that I didn't care if I passed out. Because he was with me. He could help carry me in this time of weakness.

I understand. I know. This is not what either of us expected. And I'm sorry that you are feeling like this. I really am. And I swear I didn't forget your card. I swear. I wanted to get the house and pool looking nice for you, then we could have the afternoon to do all things birthday.
I promise, I didn't forget.

My head dropped. I started apologizing. For acting like such a fool and getting caught up in my thoughts. I felt tired and mentally exhausted from the last week.
I opted to take a nap while he went about his agenda.
It was everything I needed.

I woke up and washed my face, renewed with hope and energy.
The thing is, I know there is a reason why we are still kid-less. There are so many logical reasons that I am shocked I am still putting up this fight with not having them. For medical and personal reasons, it just hasn't been our time yet. And I know that and yet these episodes still happen.

And I'm not sad in the slightest that I am turning a year older. I have never been one to hide my age or turn down a celebration. I love my life and I love everything that we have worked for.
I am grateful for everything I have been through, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I am so happy to have two ridiculous goofball dogs around that keep me on my toes and (literally) shower me with sloppy kisses whenever I want them.

I am so happy to have a home large enough to expand our family when it's our time, and a capable and loving husband to have my back and work as a team as we go along in life.

The rest of the afternoon was an agenda fit for me.
We sipped champagne poolside.

I took a bath and plucked my eyebrows.
We may have fooled around a little.
We had an epic dinner in a quiet corner of a fabulous restaurant.
We laughed and talked and celebrated another day together.
We drove home among the stars, top down, wind flying through our hair, stomachs and hearts full.

This is 32.

And I wouldn't change it for a thing.

Hump Day Photo Dump

Happy Hump Day!
In true chaotic form, I am continuing my "fly by the seat of my pants" attitude by winging this post.

I went grocery shopping Monday morning to make up for my complete lack of preparedness and in doing so, forgot two major items for meal prep: eggs and rice.
Fast forward to Monday afternoon and Mark and I were back in the grocery store (yes, I went twice in one day) to buy dinner items and the rogue pieces I forgot.

Then we get to this morning. My day off from the gym.
Man did I need it. My triceps, abs, and hamstrings are just screaming at me.
It was a slow start to say the least.
Anyways, since I only had enough eggs to make for three days worth of breakfast, I thought, "Self, let's make those last two days this morning and be done with it!"
So I did.
And then walked out of my house and left them cooling on my counter.
Oops.

But I did get my toes painted finally so I don't look like trash.
So there's that.

And, since it's only been two weeks since I've been home from vacation, here are some photos from the last few weeks.

me and someone's baby...always

me and my mama...night out in Nashville

Fun fact: both of the little gold chain straps of that cute blue tank snapped at some point in the night.
Luckily not at the same time. That is why it's ALWAYS a good idea to keep a tiny pair of pliers in your purse.
But you have to remember to bring the correct purse, which I didn't.
So we improvised and used safety pins.
#classy

thrilled...per usual

my sexy husband

You can't watch a boat parade without the proper head gear

blurry boat parade

So there you have it.
Next week is my birthday.
I'll be sure to check back with plans for that shit show, plus what the rest of our summer weekends have in store!
Make a good one and thanks for reading!

Weekend whirlwind

Happy Monday loves.
The sun is shining. The weather is set to be in the 80's and we get another day of summer.
Even though I'm stuck in the office for 90% of it, I plan to sneak out a few times for a quick lap around the building.

So let's talk about the weekend.
They are just crazy, right?
But like....in the best way.

Summer weekends are FAR different from fall and winter weekends.
Our days are filled to the brim with activities and events that keep us outdoors as much as possible.

This weekend, we were lucky to enough to accomplish a lot and still have tons of fun in the process.
First, we finally sold our pontoon.

We said goodbye to our old Gravy Boat knowing it would go to another boat-life family.
Mark built it from the ground up. It was a labor of love and I couldn't be more proud. But it's time.
This is what it looked like when we first bought it. And also, my fat baby Burn when he was 9 weeks old!

We are using the money made from it to go towards a family-friendly car, so I was happy to let it pass.
We had some great times putting along the river, but the future will be filled with babies and more boats, I promise.

Second? I was able to sell off my extra Kid Rock tickets.
Man, let me tell you. When we bought this first pair of tickets, I made the mistake of revisiting the concert venue only to realize there were BETTER seats (aisle!) listed right after I paid for our own.
So I entered the world of trying to sell tickets online. Stub Hub was first, but their ticket fees were so high I had to jack up the price nearly DOUBLE just to break even!
I ended up listing my tickets on Craigslist and within five days they were paid for and out of my hands.
And I didn't get killed in the process! :) Win win all around.

Third, even though the ENTIRE weekend was cloudy, we cranked up the pool heater and kept the party atmosphere going. Friends showing up for a good time was on repeat, (and friends that bring DINNER are my favorite!) and Sunday I dealt with quite a hangover to prove my point.
Although, to be honest, I think it was because I took two Zyrtec pills vs. the standard one. Those things knock me out so I always take them at bedtime. I woke up in the middle of the night WIDE AWAKE so could only assume I forgot to take it. Oops.
I was a zombie until noon.
No Bueno.
I am sure the guy that came to pay for his Kid Rock tickets wouldn't have wanted to mess with me anyways, as I sat on my porch in tattered shorts and a mug of coffee, smiling at him with frazzled hair and bags under my eyes. Sexy.

But dudes, I keep forgetting how unorganized summer weekends are!
The LAST thing I want to do on a beautiful weekend is grocery shop or meal prep.
If I do make it to a grocery store on the weekends, it's usually for booze and snacks. My brain just can't function with prep and boring dinners and all that jazz. I am literally only thinking about rushing home to skim the pool and water the flowers.

I have realized my meal prep is falling to Monday mornings, which is fine, but nuts.
It's not realistic but I refuse to eat fast food or whatever is convenient.
That gets expensive and is how you get fat. We have been stopping by grocery stores here and there throughout the week days instead of one bulk trip on the weekends. Again, not my favorite, but I will do anything to salvage these last few summer weekends.

The three key "pamper" items I like to knock out each weekend are plucking my eyebrows, shaving my knees (don't ask, I'm usually rushed on weekdays and the thought of nicking my knee with the razor makes me squeamish) and buffing/changing my toe nail polish.
As simple as those three things are, half of the time I forget to paint my toenails before Monday rolls around. And we all know that doing it right before bed leaves sheets imprints in your polish.

I am like a hot mess summer express, flying by the seat of my pants.
I am starting to crave a little more structure just to make sure I don't forget things all the time!!

Is this how your weekends go?! Or is it just a Party of One over here?
Thanks for reading!!

Use Your Words

Growing up, my mama was always fiercely adamant to tell me I had to be independent.
To make my own money, my own decisions, and not rely on a man to live.
That mantra, compounded with my dad telling me to not throw away my degree by having kids, set me up to be a working woman.

I think I said ok mom and ok dad a million times just to get them off my back.
But these days?
I get it.

I still married a man that I love with every inch of my heart.
And I will still have kids regardless of working.

But what I really learned, from all those days of listening to my parents preach, is that, even in 2015, it is still an uphill battle for equality in the workforce.

You must develop a certain wit and personality that not only meshes with the men in the office, but keeps you feminine.
Finding that balance of authoritative and confident yet uniquely tailored and chic, is what I strive for.
I don't know everything, but fine tuning the skills that I do have is what makes me a force to be reckoned with.

I have been at my new place of work for approximately four months now.
Knowing I would be the only full-time woman, I could only assume I would have an uphill battle.
A battle for equality, a battle for understanding and respect, and most importantly, a battle knowing that I was an outsider coming into a tight-knit group, in a higher position than most.

Say what you want, but it is still glaringly obvious that some men in this world simply do not listen to or respect women.  I would have loved to say that isn't the case at my new place, but I have witnessed it first hand.

Now, I can see why there could be an issue with communication. The role that I walked into was created for me. Prior to my arrival, they had a front-desk receptionist with the title of Office Manager.
These women before me were secretarial in nature, never truly embracing what a real Office Manager does.
It does not make them wrong, but it didn't help my case in the slightest.

So here I am, without much of an introduction, elbowing my way to the top as the company Office Manager, and most people here still think I am a receptionist with a pushy attitude.
And there has been backlash because of it.

So what do I do?
Instead of taking the low road, and lashing out to individuals who simply do not understand my role and my authority, I have decided to be at the forefront of our monthly staff meetings.

To give MYSELF the proper introduction I deserve.
To inform the masses of what exactly it is that I do, why I am here, why I was hired, and why my presence is not only needed, but will be met with respect and gratitude.

Will I be ruffling some feathers? Sure. You can't please everyone. But for the greater good of the company, it's time to reign it in on the machismo attitudes and get some rules and policies and procedures in place that everyone can adapt and abide to.

It's that simple.

So I have been spending my days writing and re-writing my speech.
Fine tuning my Power Point.
Dissecting each sentence to ensure I don't sound whiny, or too feminine, or too angry.

My message is simple.
I am here to help make this company great. There will be change. It is for the better.
Get on board or go home.

It will be presented with a bit of finesse and wit and facts. Mostly facts.
Without emotion and without pleading for likability.

No one hires an Office Manager to make friends. I have a mutual respect and understanding for those that came before me, but the policies and procedures I am putting in place are meant to shift the focus away from the Principals so they, in turn, can run a successful company.
It is not their responsibility to track every employees' move.
It's mine.
It is not their responsibility to deal with HR issues.
It's mine.
And the list goes on.

So you ladies reading this....remember, say what you mean. Use your words. Say them with grace but don't stutter or get too touchy-feely. You would not expect that from a man, why would they expect it from us?
There is plenty of other times to be girly and feminine.
But demanding what you need in your life is not one of them.

Just make sure you know your facts. Do your research. Look at the other side and big picture.
Know when to step away or stay silent. That's the tact part.

Not go on wit' yo' bad self.
Girl. Power.

In my element

"She doesn't warm up quickly to strangers. She'll probably be shy and scream at you if she even looks at you," said my cousin as she presented her daughter to me.

I kneeled down to her level and smirked as she mostly covered her eyes with her hands, like you would watching a scary movie.

So I copied her. Mostly covering my eyes and attempting a half-drunk game of peek-a-boo.
Between that and a round of tickle monster...her smile grew and a few moments later we were splashing around in the pool.
And by splashing, I mean watching her dump forty plastic toys into the pool. I would grab one at a time and ask her where it should go, and she plopped it back into the bucket. Over and over and over.

"That was fast!" squealed my cousin.
I was beaming. The first person to get her little daughter to smile and play within minutes.
She is barely 2 and in the 30% for height and weight.
A tiny little spitfire with her mama's squinty smile and sassy attitude.

We played "throw all the surrounding items into the pool" followed by "teeter around the edge and nearly give me a heart attack" for a while as her mama got a break from the craziness for a bit.

I was in love.

Although a vacation typically involves extended periods of sitting in or around a body of water, for me, I felt antsy. Like something was missing.
Sure, Mark and the dogs were missing. They are always around me by my own pool and keep me relatively entertained.
I could not relax.
I was counting down the days to get back home. Back to my own chaos.
Because once back home, I am a few days closer to my own brood.

I just smile a bit each day knowing that we are getting a teensy bit closer to holding a wee lil' babe, yet, at the same time, basking in the glories of these child-free days.
The days where we can pack up an head out for a day trip on a whim.
The days where I can drink til drunk if I feel like it...nap it off...and do it all over again.

The dogs, regardless of their bad boy antics for the first 3ish years, have seem to settled into a better routine and I don't have to constantly worry about when the next bloodshed will happen.

Burn turned four last week. Which I remembered about a week late.

Mark and I rounded out five years of marriage and ten "together" years.

Every day has been good to us. Even the bad days. So we didn't feel the need for a lavish affair.
Instead, a few neighbors came over and we drank by the pool at sunset and called it a night.

It's August and our weekends will be jam packed with pool days, and birthdays, and concerts, and friends.

And, in all honesty, for a split second, while sweating in the Tennessee sun, I thought, "man...chili and football and sweaters and cooler weather sound really good right now."
I swear though..it was only for the tiniest second.
I don't know what got into me. :)

I will remember a quote from the driver that took me home from the airport, "you just have to look past the details sometimes."  We were stuck in traffic and watched driver's whip in and out of lanes, essentially getting no further than when they started.  We laughed at how ridiculous it looked. It made me think about how hyper-focused I can get about events in my life. Especially bad times. Sometimes it seems like it will never get better.
But life is funny like that.
Whatever was troubling me then, is just a memory now.
You just have to look past the details sometimes.
If the last four years have taught me anything, it's that we have control over nothing, really.
What is meant to happen will happen, in its own time.

For us, it's nice to have a general guideline of to-do's and wants and needs.
But keep is loose. Plans can change as fast as summer weather storms.
Especially in this next year.
Hopefully our last child-less year.

What are you plans (or lack thereof) to make summer feel like it will never end?