May 2019 was pretty great in almost every way. Work was the outlier but fortunately I had plenty of non-work fun to take my mind off of career things that will almost certainly not matter in a couple years. (And thank goodness for that.)
Family activities and hobbies have been filling up my time in fun and rewarding ways. I’ve been quilting a ton, but also trying to read more and even go to bed a bit earlier. I’ve been getting to sleep closer to 11:30 for the last several weeks, which is a small but definite improvement from 12 — or even 12:30.
I took advantage of the last bits of spring weather and a lull in my workload to take some nice mid-afternoon walks around the pond area at JSC. I also had a break from freelance design projects, which I welcomed.
May goals update:
+ Prep for Disney. We leave on Saturday and I’m feeling a little anxious about it even though I am very much looking forward to the vacation. I think it’s 100% related to the fact when I try to look up even the slightest Disney tip online, I am inundated with hundreds and thousands of advice articles and blogs that each purport to tell me the very best way to do my trip. It is giving me (virtual) hives.
I do think we’ve got everything we need at this point though — from clothes to toiletries to the all-important magic bands. And Jose rightfully reminded me that even if we don’t have every single little thing we can either 1) do without or 2) just buy it there, even if it costs twice as much.
+ Clean out the kids’ clothes. My mom essentially did this for me when she was visiting earlier this month. Thanks Mom!!
+ Goodwill trip. My mom did this for me too. (I wonder if Mom would be willing to visit every month to help me with my goals. No?)
+ Get back to Orange Theory. I went back for the first time in a while on Sunday morning and it felt good. They’ve gotten new treadmills in the couple months since I’d been — fancy!
Other May wins:
+ Celebrated Jose’s birthday. We went out to PF Chang’s and had a surprisingly lovely family meal! The girls are pretty good at restaurants to begin with, but that evening they were particularly cooperative and pleasant. It was really nice.
+ Celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We got a babysitter and went out for dinner at Hugo’s. It was a lovely dining and date experience from start to finish and a great way to celebrate. (Also, Hugo’s is totally going to be our go-to place for special occasions from now on.)
+ Enjoyed time with my mom. She came to visit for just over a week and as always, I loved having her here. I’ve had some big frustrations lately, particularly at work, and having Mom here to talk to just makes life seem so much easier. I also loved being able to go on a few long walks with her.
+ 1st grade Mother’s Day concert. Emma had been SO excited about this, and it didn’t disappoint. The kids were all adorable and watching Emma proudly sing her heart out while sneaking smiling glances at me was the best.
+ Spent 2 kid-free nights in New Orleans. While my mom was visiting, Jose and I skipped town for 48 hours. We flew, which felt luxurious since we could have just done the 6-hour drive, but was so worth it. We ate a ton of good food, took a great cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking, saw an amazing jazz performance at Preservation Hall, and enjoyed sleeping in.
+ Saw the Van Gogh exhibit at MFAH. I planned a long afternoon/evening date as a surprise for Jose’s birthday, and we had a really great time. Note to self: schedule babysitters WAY more often.
+ My 100 Day project is swimming along and after 50+ days of working on several different projects, I finally have a couple finishes to show for it.
+ Got haircuts for both girls and myself. Um, y’all, none of us had had haircuts since last June. That’s right, almost a year ago. Somehow this one little task was always the one little task that I put off until later.
+ Started using the Five Minute Journal app. I have considered starting some sort of gratitude journal for a while, but recent events finally pushed me over the edge in that regard. I started using this app a few weeks ago and it has been a simple and easy way to help me keep things in perspective.
+ Went to our first Astros game of the season on Mother’s Day. The Astros won big that day and on our way out after the game, we found our commemorative brick!
+ Pool season is officially underway! The pool has been open for two weekends now, and we are HERE. FOR. IT. I spent two hours there with the girls the first weekend, and all four of us spent another hour and a half over there last Sunday, only leaving because it was time for dinner.
There was SO much good stuff happening in May. I just have to remember to see it.
Sounds like a great time! Also, you look younger in your most recent photos.
Aw thanks Pam!