Finally Friday.

 

Nothing like a four-month hiatus. Let’s call it summer break and then some. Mmmmk?

All I have to say for this week is that thank goodness it’s Friday. There was a spider in my car (which is NOT ok on so many levels), I spilled nail polish all over my comforter and duvet, Eleanor has been fighting a stomach bug and simultaneously fighting sleep… which means we’re ALL fighting sleep.

With that said, this weekend should be pretty low-key (which I’m very thankful for). The only real thing on the agenda is a birthday dinner which will be delicious. I’m hoping we’ll get out for some walks in this wonderful fall weather and just get caught up on life (re: dishes and basement organization, #adulting). I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Here are my finds from around the interwebs:

Can I just tell you that it’s not often that I find myself totally enamored with something. In this case, that something is Real Talk Radio. I’ve enjoyed every. single. episode I’ve listened to and can’t recommend it highly enough. Its long form format digs deep and keeps things real  (hence the name). Download it. You won’t be sorry.

I’m not sure I would have categorized myself as a “highly sensitive person”… but after reading this list of things a highly sensitive person needs it must be true. I really resonated with #4, 6 and 10!

Have you heard of the 16 Personalities personality test? It is hands-down the most accurate personality test I’ve ever taken. When I was reading the description I had to really consider if someone had taken up post inside my mind. Take it and let me know if it’s as accurate for you as it was for me.

Being a Mom is hard and wonderful and the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in how motherhood is affecting me that I forget that it’s hard for them too.

Chrome is my browser of choice… Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari are {mostly} dead to me. With that said, it would be hard to make me love it more, but these Chrome life hacks may have done the trick.

A couple of months ago I had an EPIC craving for something asian. We were at the height of Eleanor’s food allergies which meant I couldn’t eat anything delicious. I stumbled across this pad thai recipe and we’ve been making it a couple of times per month since. It’s easy, delicious and just so happens to be gluten, dairy and soy free!

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Introducing…

I suppose the three month mark is an appropriate time to introduce our newest addition. I’m not terribly on top of my timing here, but before I launch further into her birth story and more of my favorites, I thought it best to showcase the newest member of our family.

She’s even better than anything we could have ever dreamed up and we feel so blessed to call her ours.

For the first time in a long time.

Yesterday on New Year’s Eve, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of relief that the year was over. I wasn’t craving a fresh start or thankful to be putting a year of hardship behind me. Don’t get me wrong, the past few years have had their share of highs, but they’ve also had some pretty significant lows. And at the end of each year I’m grateful for the good times but ever so eager to be escaping the hard moments.

As the clock turned over to 12:00 AM (a time I didn’t think I’d be seeing with a 6 week old, but alas I was wrong), I found myself hoping that 2016 would be as good as 2015 and wondering if it was even possible for it to be better? And in that moment, it felt good.

It felt good to be thankful and most importantly, it felt good to be happy. Because, that’s what I am. Happy.

2015 was full of greatness — here’s a quick rundown:

• I found out I was pregnant after trying for almost 2 years.
• I was in 3 weddings for some of my very best and oldest friends.
• We traveled – Austin, Aspen, San Diego, Ventura!
• Did I mention that I was pregnant and loved every minute – even the uncomfortable ones.
• We continued renovating our house — which is a never ending work in progress.
• We spent time with family. Both our immediate families that live close as well as our extended family that came through Denver to visit. Family is truly such a gift!
• We welcomed our sweet Eleanor Anne on November 16!

There’s so much more to say and catch up on, but that’s a start.

With that, all I have to say is: hello  2016, you’ve got some big boots to fill, but I’m looking forward to making it happen.