November Wrap Up and Final 2022 Tending List

Hi friends! This is kind of a special post because it may be my last tending list sharing for a while. I’ve been doing this kind of post once a month for years now and I’m not sure it’s serving me as well anymore. To be honest, I had a moment where I wondered if I wanted to quit personal blogging all together next year and only focus on once a month posts for Phoenix Moms, but instead I realized I need to shakes some things up and try something a little different first before jumping ship. More on that in an upcoming post, but in the meantime, here’s a recap of November and a peak at my final tending list of 2022… Continue reading

Advertisement

The Shame of the Backslide…

Today I am writing about something that may seem only tangentially related to my themes for the year, but it actually ties into several of them. I want to talk a little bit about battling with feelings of shame when you backslide in one area or another, especially living in a culture that is obsessed with productivity and progress. It can feel so discouraging to experience a regression of any sort, and no one really wants to talk about that stuff, which is why I feel like it is really important to talk about my own struggles with the backslides I have had this year. Continue reading

2022 NYC Marathon Recap and Reflections

Training and fundraising for and completing the NYC Marathon became one of my biggest goals and focuses for this year. It is the biggest challenge I’ve taken on in a very long time and I wanted to make sure I had a record of the experience while my thoughts were still fresh. It has been hard for me to write a race recap because I feel like there is SO MUCH to say about race weekend and at the same time like it was all such a blur and hard to express. But writing tends to help my thoughts so I’m just going to write a ton (and believe it or not this is an abridge version compared to what I journaled…) and no one is obligated to read any of it, so if you want to read on grab your favorite cozy drink and settle in for the long ramblings of my race weekend experiences… Continue reading

October Wrap Up and November Goals

Hello November! AKA the start line of the sprint to the end of the year. Doesn’t it seem like time goes extra fast the final 2 months of the year?! I am both SO ready for it and absolutely not feeling prepared at all. Unsurprisingly, it was hard to think past the first week of this month, and you’ll see that reflected in this post, so with that disclaimer here we go… Continue reading

O Brave New World! (On travel, imagination, and our unique stories…)

“O Brave New World! That has such people in it” – that Tempest line is one of my favorites and I think about it any time I travel some place new that shakes me out of my comfort zone- whether that be a brand new country, a different city or state, just a new local trail I haven’t explored before. Continue reading

Fabulous Fall: Intentional, Simple Rituals for a Cozy Season

Now that it doesn’t feel like I live on the face of the sun, I am really looking into some intentional fall feeling rituals to embrace cozy season. Hello Hygge! I am trying to lean into the start of these intentional, simple rituals right now especially because my nerves are revving up since I am in the “taper” phase of training. So here are five of my favorites that I am loving focusing on to bring me back to intentional living… Continue reading

My Favorite Instruments for Intentional Productivity

THIS POST CONTAINS SOME AFFILIATE LINKS, SO IF YOU BUY A PRODUCT THROUGH THAT LINK, I GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID OR RECEIVED ANY COMPENSATION TO WRITE THIS POST AND THE VIEWS IN IT ARE 100% MINE.

I’ve been thinking a lot about instruments– I was going to write a little about the instruments I’ve used during my training but, honestly, I’m a little over writing about running at the moment. Then I realized I have several favorite instruments for intentional productivity that I’d just love to share about and that have helped me during training but aren’t directly related to running. So I’m sharing them here. Keep in mind: they’re only instruments though- they need you to play them or they are not worth much. I could have the greatest tool for productivity in the world, but if I let it sit in the box waiting for the perfect time to use it or waiting for me to become perfect at using it.. that tool (aka instrument) would not be worth much. So here are the instruments I use on a daily or weekly basis to be sure I’m not just spinning my wheels but actually moving toward my big picture goals. Continue reading

Three Questions I ask Myself Daily

OK, so this post is full of some real talk… I have been on the struggle bus for a while. I KNOW this is a seasonal challenge- August and early September are truly just the time of year when Phoenicians are constantly wondering if they should pack it all up and move… and this year has been extra hard with all the humid heat instead of our typical dry heat. Plus, while I have been outside training, I am doing all of it trying to avoid the sunlight as much as possible- running super early, taking the shadiest paths possible, etc. And my mental health is just SO much better when I can actually go out and ENJOY the sunshine. So while I am in a season of struggle, one of my go-to practices is to “do in the dark what you know how to do in the light” and that means things like continuing to move my body, practicing gratitude, hydrating, praying, and asking myself the following 3 questions when I start to get really overhwelmed and critical of myself…which can pop up a lot during this training cycle, especially as my miles for the week keep getting more intense… Continue reading

What I love about ME

It is SO HARD to take a compliment and even harder to compliment myself. I had made a note in my drafts folder for this blog YEARS ago of a challenge that was popular at the time to name 5 things you like about yourself, something that was a challenge because it seemed extra hard or uncomfortable for women especially. Well, after almost this exact same prompt coming up in a recent MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting, I’ve finally dusted off this old post idea… and upgraded it from like to love. I challenge you to share with me some things YOU really love about yourself too… Continue reading