Family

Life Lately

Hi! So, life lately. It has included joy, sadness, fun, excitement, and lots of animals.

Unfortunately, the sadness comes from my uncle passing away from cancer last week. I miss him, and my heart absolutely aches for my aunt and cousins. It has been an incredibly rough couple of weeks. We are all just bummed. It’s a hard situation, as my cousins are around the same ages as my siblings and I, and one is pregnant with a baby due next month. Needless to say, lots of tears and prayers have been occurring lately.

Jimmy and I headed to New York for the memorial on Tuesday morning, and drove home on Wednesday.

Road Trip

Lots of coffee and energy drinks were consumed along the way.

It was nice to be able to be with my family, even though the circumstances were saddening.

Since Jimmy and I spent 16 hours in the car over the course of two days, I brought along our laptop and worked on my book while he drove.

Driving

I managed to get in a few thousand words, which was great!

I’ve been spending lots of time with some cute cats and dogs lately, which makes me one happy gal. I was thinking the other day about pet sitting, and I realized that I literally spend more time with animals than people, haha.

Pet sitting

Jimmy and I hosted a picnic for the moms in our life for Mother’s Day. We scrambled around like crazy that morning to get our house in order, clean up the yard, and make food.

We always joke that we like having people over because it forces us to finish little projects and get our house clean–all in record time. There are always little things like trimming bushes, weed wacking, and random cleaning tasks that are usually ignored until we host parties. Is this true for anyone else?!

Billy and RacquelHanging basketMay

Hannah and I tried acro yoga when I visited my family recently, which was quite fun. It’s definitely a lot harder than it looks. Hannah’s boyfriend was with us when we were trying to get into different poses, and we were like “Josh! Lift my feet! Now Hannah’s legs!” haha. Poor guy 😉

Acro yoga

Lastly, I’ll leave you with this snapshot I took from the police log of our local paper. I thought it was worth sharing 😉

Police Log

What has been going on in your life lately?

Choosing Joy

This week has been kicking my butt. I’ve been extra busy. We’re all busy. You get the point. It’s just been one of “those” weeks. The kind where I feel like I don’t have a moment to breathe, I’m multitasking to the point of exhaustion, and nothing actually has my full attention.

I’m learning to roll with the punches, though. Life is full of ups and downs, and that’s okay. It’s normal. I’m also slowly learning how much is too much in terms of work and extra things I commit to.

I could have said no to some of the things I did this week, but I didn’t. And that’s okay. I’m learning this whole work-life balance thing as I go. I am also learning how supportive my husband is. To be able to hug him for a good 10 minutes while tears stream down my face and not feel one bit judged is such a nice release.

26181996696_6474978cac_z

In the midst of a tough day or week, I try to remember that I can choose joy. It is completely up to me to focus on how hard something is, or to look around me and decide to be happy because of everything else in my life. My focus determines so much of my attitude.

25042688176_d01636c457_z

I can choose to dread juggling the busyness of pet sitting numerous dogs in a day on top of my regular job, or I can choose to be present with my clients and soak up all the puppy love I can get. I firmly believe that spending time with animals is good for the soul.

I can choose to stay stuck inside my head with negative thoughts, or I can choose to listen to a Christian podcast or radio station and hear God’s word.

26151656551_110f993f05_z

I can choose to stay inside and catch up on laundry, or I can choose to get out in the sunshine with my camera in hand.

I can choose to panic when I feel sad or anxious, or I can choose to remember that all emotions are given from God and that it’s a good thing to feel all of my feelings.

I can choose to keep pushing myself to get things done around the house, or I can choose to snuggle with Lola and take a nap.

26225934286_1c1100394e_z

I can choose to spend my days off by myself, or I can choose to visit my family and relish our time together.

I am learning to choose joy and thankfulness in every moment.

What brings you joy when you’re feeling overwhelmed?