Trying Not to Wish Time Away

Lately, I have really been making an effort to truly enjoy things as they're happening. I'm not nearly as obsessed with documenting events anymore, and I surely don't feel the need to live tweet every event talking about "how much fun I'm having" like so many others in my generation. A really good example of these efforts in action was during the recital this year. I remember consciously thinking a few times, "You so look forward to this every single year & it's happening right now.. You're in it as we speak!" It's a nice way to remind yourself to just kind of be present and enjoy things.

But as we inch further into the summer & closer to what I refer to as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - aka September through December - it has become increasingly harder for me to stop wishing time away. All I can think about is how fantastic and happy that time of year makes me. Even just getting a gust of a cool breeze early in the morning is enough to invoke the nostalgia.

I think part of this has to do with the fact that we didn't truly get to enjoy September & October last year. We were enjoying life in a different way (moving into our new home) & everything else kind of slipped onto the back burner. We didn't do nearly all of the fun fall things that we usually do & while I tried my best to be festive, other things took precedence. The house was our main priority, not celebrating the season.

But fortunately, now I have this view to enjoy for every Fall to come :)

So while I'm trying really hard to enjoy what's left of the summer and have a little bit of fun with it (which we certainly will), it's tough not to look forward to all of the great things that I know will come along with this fall. I'm thinking of making a little bucket list to ensure we get to pack everything in there, but I've gotta brainstorm on that a little more before I make it public.

I'm also looking forward to actually decorating for Halloween this year & not just haphazardly throwing some cornstalks on my front porch in the most uneven manner possible (notice how my supply gradually ran out from right to left)... Le sigh.

It also means little Italian Greyhounds will be able to wear their cozy sweaters again, which is obviously one of the highlights I look forward to most :)

A Change of Pace for the 4th

Growing up, I always looked forward to the 4th of July so much. My family threw a gigantic (and when I say gigantic, I mean GIGANTIC) party & we'd have hundreds of people at the house. I would frequent the local festival with my friends and just soak up all of the summertime goodness. Looking back, most of the great summer memories I have involve the 4th of July in some way. I especially admired my dad during that time of year. He just had a way of making everything fun & festive, even if it was raining.

But obviously, times have changed. My parents are totally over throwing those big parties (and rightfully so) and most of us prefer to just spend the holiday relaxing. Jim & I were supposed to go camping, but we had a change of plans and ended up just spending the long weekend at home. And let me tell you, it was such a relaxing and much needed change of pace for this traditionally "go go go" holiday. Jim & I have realized recently how much we dislike spending holidays in a frantic rush of trying to see everyone and do everything. I get that sometimes that's necessary (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc...) - but the 4th of July just doesn't fall under that category. Instead of killing/exhausting ourselves, we prefer to just relax and actually enjoy things. I understand that some people might not like us for that, or classify us as antisocial, but I'm willing to accept that. It's what we like to do & I truly had a fantastic 4th of July weekend even if it wasn't as exciting as picnic hopping and drinking all day.

For starters, we spent a lot of time in the beach room which I just love so much. It was great weather all weekend & Luna was loving soaking up the sun. Our friend Lexi came in from Kentucky & our friend Matt was in from Hawaii, so we got to spend some extra time with them since we didn't go camping. 

I also finally replaced the lame bookshelf in our bedroom with this awesome cabinet that I found at Garden Ridge. I had gotten the bookshelf as a total filler when we first moved in, and it was just bugging me as the rest of the room started to come together. It was the worst dust collector & it was just a cheap piece of furniture ($13 from Target.... lol). This was a great find that perfectly coordinates with my teal accents & white bedding. I love it.

And when I have free time - glorious free time - I like to get my creative on. While the boys were watching some more of the World Cup on Saturday, I recreated a painting that I saw online ages ago & fell in love with. Don't know if/where I'll hang this up at the house, but I'm sure it will find a place eventually. I really love how it turned out.

We were a  bit bummed by the horrible view of the fireworks we had on Friday, but it wasn't the end of the world. We ended up having a good time anyways with Eric & Jenn who came along with us. Although, I think playing Heads Up with Jim & Eric was the real highlight of the night. 

I also started taking some classes this week at a local fitness place called Motion on Main which is owned by my mom & dad's neighbor. I'm absolutely loving it & I'm finally started to feel like I'm back in my workout routine. Now, if I can get back into the shape I was in 2 years ago at this time - I'll be thrilled :) I'm getting there!

In other news, my herbs are sprouting!

Whew, that was a big update post. But it was quite nice not picking up a laptop all weekend :)