now what?

The past month has flown by!! I took September as a month to really breath and de-stress.  I had the opportunity to hang with friends and their kids, visit siblings, spend time with my parents, volunteer, celebrate friends Birthdays, see cool art, go to great dinners, raise money for an upcoming walk for CJD, help host a bachelorette party, go to a Bears game, go to Peru… Although I was nonstop (per usual), I have started to realize that I haven’t been as present as I have been in the past month in years, if ever in my life.  I have always had some sort of work/school thought lingering in my head that has taken away from me truly being able to enjoy every moment.  I have had so much more appreciation for the things around me and have taken some time to stop and sit in the park, hang out in the steam room at the gym, and really focus on what’s important to me in life. It’s been extremely empowering to be in control of what I do every day.  I’m so much more appreciative now than ever about all the amazing things and people i have in my life, and I’m more excited than ever to create new experiences that make me happy.

Here are some of the highlights (or moments I got pictures of at least):

 

Happy Birthday Croke and Addy!

      

Art Prize and hanging with my sister in Grand Rapids, and cool alley art show with Maciasz

Bootcamp for CJD and Oktoberfest volunteering

Hanging with the Mitchells and early morning with sweet baby Grace!

Hanging with the Spinazzes

     

A day at the park and Toots/Early Bday lunch with the Sepiches

  

Dinner at Ruxbin with Mel, Wine week with Maciasz, and Bears game with Krystl

     

Wilbrandt Bachelorette weekend in South Haven

Sibs weekend in Amherst

And of course some time for pampering

Sooo… today is the first day of October- I’m ready to start planning out how to make the most of my time off. I’ve got lots of ideas, now I need to figure out how to make them happen.

Here are some of the things I’m working on:

• Making some $ during my time off
  • I have a weird desire to get back into teaching a bit, so I am setting up some time to shadow a few of my teacher friends to see if subbing would be something fun to do during my time off.  This will give me the flexibility to work when I want, and get back to being around kids, which I love.
  • I’m also considering taking on a few shifts a week at a bar- I’ve always wanted to bartend, and I think it would be a great way to meet new people.
• Volunteering/Traveling
  • I’m currently researching volunteering in a different country. I’ve always wanted to visit Asia, and have heard great things about Thailand. I applied, and got accepted into a volunteer program, so am working on planning a 3-4 week trip to volunteer and travel the country.  Any recommendations of what to do during my time there would be greatly appreciated!
  • Investigating counseling centers/ event planning volunteer opportunities to continue to build my resume and explore ideas of things I might enjoy
  • Take some trips in the states before my trip to Thailand- I’d love travel buddies!
• Get Healthy
  • I have started making more meals at home vs. eating out every night, and have really started to enjoy it
  • Planning a healthy dinner club with my friends
  • Blocking out time at least 4 times a week to go to the gym/exercise
• Put Myself Out There
  • Attend more events in the city
  • Go more places by myself- be more open to conversations with new people
  • Go out on more dates

I will continue to update as some of these things come to fruition- advice/thoughts are always appreciated.

Month one’s biggest take-aways- BE PRESENT AND TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR EVERY DAY. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE AND LIVE IT- DON’T LET IT LIVE YOU

xo