Lately I have a lot to be excited about. I got to take a whole week off of work and spend it with my amazing family, including my dad - sandcastle master, my brothers and cousins, and even the family dog.
In addition to that, I get to visit Georgia for a weekend to hang with the best sister ever and work on an art project for Dad's birthday and do some exploring. September is also blessed with a trip to Utah with my brothers, which, after making a list of things I want to see, has turned out to be a first in a likely large number of trips to the area. This research has driven me (mercifully) out of my house and into coffee shops, lead me to a few really cool travel blogs, and given me a wealth of cool photography advice for shooting in the area. I've been climbing a few times a week again and am moving on to the next grade of difficulty, which really boosts my self esteem. I'm really diggin' the books I've gotten from the library. I am meeting with my boss this week to (finally) dicuss the possibility of a raise, and I feel pretty good about it. I have also been trying to get out and Spend Time With People, something I get into the habit of avoiding and then lamenting my lack of companionship in my life. For the past four months I've been single for the first time in quite a while and I am happy that my lonliness hasn't given way to me searching for/jumping into something just because I'm lonely; this keeping me from being tied down and able to feel less hesitant about the possibility of totally uprooting myself geographically. And even today I accomplished the following: I woke up early, cleaned my room while listening to Inés of My Soul by Isabelle Allende, had a decent breakfast, went for a rigorous bike ride for 45 minutes and followed that up by breaking out my yoga mat and doing some core, thigh, and glutes exercises and actually remembering to stretch when I was finished. I went to Nina's (by far my favorite coffee shop in the cities, though I do love Caffeto) for some iced chai and went on a photo walk with this fabulous woman, a new close friend of mine, and finished out the night by climbing with Dana and Jess D. in St. Paul and writing this entry. I feel really good about this day and can't wait for tomorrow wherein I go to the Minnesota State Fair and take loads of photos and stuff my face for the day. The one thing that I am nervous for, is keeping my positive attitude through the remainder of the week while I cram in 53 scheduled hours of work into five days. Gotta keep positive! Stay the course! Remember this feeling!
