the week:
YOU GUYS. MY PINK CHAIRS WERE DELIVERED. The ones that I just ordered on Monday from Wayfair. On top of all my birthday surprises from the boyfriend (and my furbabies), this was seriously the BEST WEEK.
But if we’re being super serious, despite some of the shitty and sad stuff, this has really been a good year. And I’m happy that you are here to celebrate all these memories of my 30s with me.
weekend:
Hey, I’m volunteering at the 80/35 Invitational this weekend β a tournament hosted by Team United in Des Moines. You should come out and watch some roller derby!
Birthday week is coming to a close, but here’s the run-down of my week of surprises, aka: seven things, seven days:
1. My boyfriend special-ordered a gluten-free carrot cake from Sweet Rewards (and even got some candles, so that I could make a wish).
2. An emerald necklace (from the cats, ahem)
3. A gift card to LifeSpa (boy, do I need a massage!)
4. WINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP to Plonk (ALL THE CABS!)
5. This hilarious t-shirt from Raygun
6. This hilarious t-shirt from Raygun (from the cats)
7. And this hilarious t-shirt from Raygun (he’s so silly that he individually gave me one each day, for the last 3 days. I love punny localized t-shirts!)
Bonus: My mom sent me flowers that arrived on my birthday.
It’s Sunday morning and the Blogger Tribe is collectively sharing their Sunday Lately posts. Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). The prompts for May 08 (Week 71) :: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.
Planning:: BIRTHDAY WEEK! And then, I guess, planning the 52 weeks remaining in my 30s. But today, planning a drive up to Pella to check out all of these tulips! I know that we missed the Tulip Time festival, but maybe we can catch that celebration next year.
Loving:: I am way over-in-love with a pair of blush pink accent chairs that I found online, which have been delayed since MARCH. When I logged on this morning to see if they were, in fact, shipping this week (finally) as their customer service agent told me in April, imagine my anger when I see that they were delayed once again β and back-ordered to June. This particular site was even charging us for shipping, which was around $160. SO MAD.
Imagine my delight, however, when I get an email that the EXACT same chairs were in stock on Wayfair and shipping around May 19 with FREE SHIPPING (the actual product was a few bucks cheaper, too, which is saving us almost $180 overall). Man, I LOVE these chairs, and while I understand that I’m in no rush to get them… well, I kind of am because I can’t find any other blush chair and I want to finish my living room dot tumblr dot com.
Reading:: “On the Verge” by Cara Bradley (my bedside book) and “Troublemaker” by Leah Remini (my treadmill book)
Wishing:: The boyfriend surprised me yesterday with a HUGE gluten-free carrot cake from Sweet Rewards in Waukee (above picture), which he also put candles on, so that I could make my birthday wish. It’s SO GOOD.
Feeling:: Really loved. And content β not the least bit mad or sad or old about adding on another year.
Last weekend, the boyfriend and I planned a shopping adventure, to fill in some missing decor around the house and buy things that we know we definitely needed (like, new guest towels). Here are the places that were included in the fun:
Shopping haul!
at home – we had one of these stores in Pittsburgh, but it felt like it was always either Christmas decorations or crap that dropped off a truck. Our store here is AMAZING. Like HomeGoods amazing. We found an outdoor rug for the deck and a bunch of little vases for various spaces in the house. And placemats that match the kitchen for 50% off! It definitely takes some time to look through everything but it was worth it.
World Market – we shop here pretty often because of the amazing deals on wine (no shame; we’re used to paying so much more for alcohol in Pennsylvania), and I’ve missed this store since living near one in Ohio. PS: They do FREE wine tastings on Saturday afternoons, so I need to reorganize my shopping habits. I intended to purchase a pink chair for my office, but they didn’t it have in stock. I did find two little adorable boxed fake succulents and a bottle of Reisling that’s shaped like a cat though! π
Spoiler alert: I found an actual office chair β not just a tufted dining chair β that I liked even better later in the day.
Bed, Bath & Beyond – we received a 20% off ENTIRE ORDER coupon in a welcome letter from our local store manager (hooray, moving discounts!), so we filled the cart with a bunch of stuff we needed. I threw some shade at the price of bathroom garbage cans ($40??? Seriously?!); however, I found my matching flatware set from Oneida, which I’ve been trying to match online (not knowing the name) unsuccessfully since two Thanksgivings ago. BIG SHOPPING WIN!
Homemakers – we found this place totally by accident, and decided that after a much-needed lunch of Mexican food, we’d circle back around to check it out. Right upon entry, we were greeted by a giant Adirondack chair that I just HAD to climb in for a photo.
This was definitely my favorite stop of the day!
Since this place was more for furniture than decor (though they do have much of both!), we were looking at some shelves/entertainment center options opposite our TV. I think we finally came to an agreement of how to decorate that wall in the basement and purchased two tall shelves to anchor the TV β and I need to measure the remaining distance to see if a credenza that we liked there will also fit. This is also where I found my aforementioned sweet upholstered (!!!) office chair.
Best of all though, we had a SUPER friendly salesperson and he loves Cleveland more than Pittsburgh, so we gave him all our money (kidding, kinda). Seriously though, he gave us a few ideas of day trips that were totally in line with our interests and I LOVE THIS PLACE SO DANG MUCH. He even told us about the warehouse history β it used to be a Parker Brothers factory!
Normally we would have also stopped at Pier1, but I’ve already been there twice in the last few weeks. π
PS: my blush accent chairs for the living room are STILL back-ordered from Home Decorators. GRRRRR.
Oh man, the statement in the title of this post from my yoga instructor hit me right where I needed it at practice this week.
the week:
This week, I discovered that May Day is a thing. Did you celebrate May Day when you were a kid? My coworkers were telling me all about the “random and anonymous acts of kindness” associated with this holiday when they were kids in Iowa, and it sounds very nice! (We got free candy at work because of it.)
weekend:
Since my birthday is on a Monday (boo!), we’ll be out getting the b-day shenanigans on over the weekend. Boyfriend tells me that I have a WEEKS WORTH of surprises that start on Saturday. In all honesty, I really don’t like surprises, but in this case: GIVE IT TO ME.
Wow, what great Iowan folks to schedule three wonderful events around my birthday celebrations! π
seven things, seven days:
1. We got a Roomba, and the reception of it on behalf of the cats is mixed (I don’t think there are any youtube videos in our future). Though *I* am thoroughly impressed by this thing.
2. My bottom front teeth were SUPER sensitive last week, and I never listen to my body cues when I know it’s getting sick (spoiler alert: I’m getting sick). But I’m completely serious about the teeth sensitivity thing; happens every single time.
3. I seriously worked for 40 minutes straightening a drawstring in a pair of my casual pants BECAUSE IT’S THE ABSOLUTE WORST. And when I got *almost* to the end, I realized that it’s sewn in twisted, and I can’t fix it! Gah.
4. A follow-up Trunk Club shipment came, and I have a new stylist (already), and it was worse than the first one.
5. I spent a few hours reading my old, dead blog. I feel like I used to be a much better writer (and a helluva lot funnier), and I wish I could harness some of that again.
6. Putting work in its place β don’t fall for the anecdotal fallacies! Also, it’s OK to not have a “calling” or to be passionate about work and it’s OK to choose the paycheck, k? WE ALL WORK FOR MONEY. {a great piece via The Manual}
7. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so PLEASE make sure to read up on warning signs and symptoms, and schedule your annual screening! This is very near-and-dear to me, considering that I had skin cancer in my 30s (and my future odds at being cancer-free are not good) and one of my closest friends just passed away in March at age 40 from melanoma.
the week:
After a week of bad shoe rubbing and heel AND toe blisters from work shoes (FLATS, no less), I am COMMITTED to only buying and wearing shoes that feel good. In two different orders, I purchased seven β yes, SEVEN (two different orders, aka: post-work breakdowns) β pairs of “comfort brand shoes” from Zappos (who have an amazing return policy, so I wasn’t nervous). I know that this sounds wholly gratuitous, but it’s solely out of desperation. I have hit my breaking point in wearing uncomfortable shoes β and I freaking drive to work now!
I have expressed my love of Cobb Hill shoes, but I wanted to branch out and try some others. Yes, a couple pairs of this order were Cobb Hill (I hate change!), but I also bought a pair each of Clarks, Born and Earth. I can tell you that the Clarks already went back because they rubbed the inside arch of my right foot. Sad, because they were super cute and had two-color leather uppers, which are SO hard to find!
More later on this madness.
weekend:
We’re going to Boone, Iowa for a KCBS competition and a “BBQ Cruise & Brew” β doesn’t that sound very Midwest?
seven things, seven days:
1. I pulled the trigger on Trunk Club {referral link!}, since I need new denim and seriously don’t feel like shopping for work clothes right now. I’m excited to get my first box! Maybe this is it for shopping then this season. Aside from my birthday Fix.
2. Jeopardy is on at 3:30 in the afternoon in Des Moines β so monsters (in the form of TV schedulers) are real, you guys!
3. Is it legal to murder your washer and dryer because of the dumb 30-second song they play at the end of a cycle? Asking for a friend.
4. What’s that saying about listening to lazy workers to learn about efficiency? Here’s the Lazy Way to kill bad habits.
5. NEED THIS: Wage gap alarm clock. They’re not actually being produced, but some amazing ladies like my needs-to-be-bestie Shonda (*wink*) got a prototype.
6. Dang, this makes me miss spinning so much! (I have the classes available at Life Time, but haven’t fit them into my schedule yet… soon!)
7. Sorry to end on such a sad note, but I’m sincerely bummed about Prince’s death. Here’s my favorite song β ugh, these lyrics are perfection:
the week:
WHEW. We made it, guys! Who’s ready for some wine? *raises hand*
I think I’ve finally found my new work-personal time groove this week, which means that I can start fitting in other things like socializing and working out with regularity. AHEM.
weekend:
I still need to wash my car… SERIOUSLY. And if the license bureau is open, I need to do that, too. We have a date night dinner scheduled with a few other couples (connections through boyfriend’s work), but my To Do List is seriously stressing me out. I have a lot of items labeled “return.”
seven things, seven days:
1. Special delivery from Bake Me Happy GF in Columbus. My lunch breaks just got more nom-tastic.
2. Even though I went on a little bit of a shopping binge after moving, I still have a nice extra padding in my accounts. I don’t know about you, but that always makes me feel so relieved to be on top of things financially.
3. HOLY HOT YOGA. I joined Life Time Fitness, and there’s a hot vinyasa flow class on Wednesday nights. The instructor is amazing, and my arms and shoulders are crapped TFO.
4. Have you tried out the new Goals app in the Google Calendar? I was really excited about it, until I realized that it was scheduling all my workouts when I was scheduled to be at work (and my work schedule is inputted as “busy” on my calendar). Hopefully, that will get fixed and/or it will learn my habits.
5. Instagram is ruining your vacation. Mmm-hmm. {via Backchannel)
6. It hurts because it’s true: Being tired isn’t a badge of honor β and it kinda makes you act like a dick {via Signal v. Noise}
7. 14 hikes for anyone in Iowa β I can’t wait to get out there and start exploring!
the week:
SUPER stressful week, but I got some great news: I got a new job! So, I’ll be wrapping up my contract work with my Pittsburgh company. I have Iowa plates for my car. We also finally finished the transfer of our house in the Burgh, so we’re back to owning just one house (ha!) and I guess that officially completes our Pittsburgh chapter. Now, I just need to update my driver’s license.
Last weekend, we finally visited the sculpture park in downtown Des Moines.
weekend:
I’ve let a lot of things lapse since moving: sleep, my diet, exercise…
So, this weekend, I will REST (and probably hang some shit up on my walls). And NO GLUTEN. I cheated last weekend (BRUNCH!) for only the 2nd time in a little over 2 years, and have slept more hours in a week than I did for the entire last year [end hyperbole, BUT STILL β like, 9pm complete crash times every night]. My body completely and totally rejected my lapse in judgment on my diet. And gave me my first awful canker sore in 2 years, too. I’m sure it’s no coincidence. If I get an eczema outbreak, I’m going to be so mad at myself.
Ok, Ok, so we’re going to do ONE event this weekend: There’s a roller derby bout in West Des Moines that we’re going to check out!
seven things, seven days:
1. I keep putting too much trust in myself, not using GPS when I’m driving around. And welp… I’m LOST. Seriously. From the same parking lot three times this week.
2. One of my cats started recently begging for food at his feeding time and OMG the ADORBS mews on him.
3. I took one of those wine subscription quizzes that results in suggestions to purchase β and answered differently each time to get unique picks. Wellll, NOPE. Same.exact.selections. That’s some bullshit.
4. Do you ever buy furniture online? I’ve purchased our sectional online at a discount outlet, our sofa on Amazon (yes, really!), a large corner chair on Wayfair, and two side chairs from Home Decorators online (only those last two items I’m still waiting to be delivered). We were looking for budget pieces because of the cats, but I’ve been incredibly impressed with the quality!
5. ahhhhhhhhhh! I just realized that my birthday is a month away. :-/
6. I got my treadmill delivered this morning! Now, NO EXCUSES to get a couple short runs in per week.
7. 10 reasons why you should run the IMT Des Moines Marathon! (I’m signed up for the half!)
If you can call Cleveland the Midwest, then I am from the Midwest. I always thought “The Cleve” felt different than the actual Midwest (where I’m living now) β like some amalgam of the casualness of the mid-States with the constant grumpiness of the East Coast. Pittsburgh wasn’t quite the East Coast and definitely not the Midwest. Cleveland should, for real, be its own region β like Pittsburgh: as they call it, simply, The Rust Belt. But I digress…
So, I’m in what one would actually call the Midwest, and I can honestly feel my mood shift to a different place. Everyone is so freaking nice β which has a LOT to do with it. So, I want to be overly nice, too. And more patient. More relaxed. Seriously, it’s the very form of peace I’ve been searching for, for quite a while. Something that the noise of the city and anxiety of its respective lifestyle overwhelmed and drowned out constantly.
I live in the suburbs now, which is also where I am from. Not this actual metro area, of course, but the suburban home in a suburban neighborhood. Granted, I came from a lower middle class upbringing in the suburbs, but a suburb is a suburb is a suburb. We lived in downtown Cleveland for a year+ before relocating to Pittsburgh, where we lived downtown as well for a year+ before purchasing a house on the north side β one mile from the Golden Triangle. We had a few major and immediate lifestyle changes in moving from an urban neighborhood to a suburb, mainly in adding a second car (and its associated costs) to our household budget and not walking everywhere (though my development is quite walker-friendly!). In fact, I’m so suburban now that we have our first Costco membership. And that suburbia privilege was promptly taken away when we threw out the receipt before exiting with our shopping cart full of things. Luckily, EVERYONE IS SO NICE that we were able to wait for a reprint of our order to leave and not be left inside Costco for eternity.
Patient people are everywhere here. Patient people are nice and friendlier than friendly β and willing to help you with anything. I’ve had people who we’ve met once reach out to connect again and make sure that we have a social circle (and quality drinking time). My neighborhood is also surrounded by farmlands, so this is a very different suburbia than what I was raised in. It must add to the charming character of Iowa. And yes, perhaps I could have found something resembling the cozy, quiet lifestyle in suburbia of Pittsburgh (sans farmland). Here is different. Trust. If you’re from the Midwest, then you just KNOW.
Is it my frame of mind? Is it the actual place? Not sure yet. But my head and heart says that I’m much happier than I’ve been in some time.
It’s Sunday morning and the Blogger Tribe is sharing their Sunday Lately posts. The prompts for March 27 (Week 65) are: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling.Read my past Sunday Lately posts and join the Tribe!
Completing: We are finally seeing the end of boxes and packing paper! Most of the interior of the house has been unboxed, if you can believe it. Around our Easter eating plans, we’ll be focusing on the unpacking what’s left in the garage. And then, all those dang boxes will need to be broken down.
Visiting: GUYS. Remember that gluten-free bakery that I was talking about that’s just a few miles from my house? Well, we visited Sweet Rewards Bakery in Waukee this weekend and I got my maple-glazed doughnuts. We also bought a loaf of French bread and a piece of angel food cake. SO GOOD.
Repeating: “I’m new to the area…” β this phrase has been used ad nauseam.
Writing: To-do lists after to-do lists. One for house needs. Another for little things that need repaired or cleaned in the new place. Still another for personal priorities, like registering the cats, and getting a new ID and car plates, and finding a place to get a massage (woof!). Now that my forwarded mail is starting to come to the new house, I realized how lax I was in changing the address on all of my accounts. WHOOPS.
Scheduling: This week, I’ve got the piano tuner scheduled to come back β he says the piano needs more work and he needs to find a replacement string β and our house cleaners will be visiting for a meet-and-greet. I have quite a bit of actual work to catch up on, too. And then I have an appointment with a recruiting firm. Another full schedule!
Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy).
Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into what’s happening β and I’m sharing along as part of my “group therapy.” All are welcome, so if you’re a blogger looking for his or her online community, click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group, and every week we share our combined thoughts on a rotating theme of prompts.
This week’s prompts are: Updating, Remembering, Needing, Wearing, Being.
Updating: I need to get on updating to a new bank account ASAP, else I’ll be without a way to deposit my contracting checks. I think this upcoming week is the time that I need to make a lot of other updates: drivers license, car plates, vet and doctor appointments… Taking advantage of non-traditional work hours right now is imperative before I let procrastination rule my life again.
Remembering: I’m making an effort to remember my surroundings as I’m driving to/from my neighborhood. Thankfully, my phone’s Maps recognizes my house location (my car’s GPS does not). But I’m trying to pay attention and remember which direction takes me where. Admittedly, it’s been a little difficult, since immediately after pulling out of our housing development, we’re surrounded by acres of farmland!
Needing: A good night of sleep. I know there’s an adjustment period upon moving to a new house β getting used to all the different sounds and temperature adaptations and other outside-of-the-bedroom unknowns. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night, after only a few hours of sleep. I’m also adjusting to a new bed, too, so yeah… I need some more sleep and less anxiety (and probably a less-empty house!).
Wearing: Until our moving truck arrives (which they’ve already said would happen on Monday morning!) and I have more of a social schedule, I’m hanging out in my pajamas and leggings a lot. I’m not mad. π
Being: Calm. At least, enjoying the calm before the storm. I am incredibly lucky to already have a friend here, who will be joining me for the movers madness on Monday. I’m done being bored, and once all of our stuff gets here, I will have *plenty* to do.
It’s Sunday morning and the Blogger Tribe is collectively sharing their Sunday Lately posts. Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by 
