GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS 03.19.19

Gratitudes

I get Evelyn a few days a week, or should I say I share her with my parents. Every once in a while, I get a friend who has kids to ask for a playdate, which is so fun! I met up with Chrissi, a dear friend since high school. No, forreal we go back far enough to have gone to prom together with our then boyfriends! So many things have changed since then, but what I love the most about Chrissi is her open heart, her old soul, her ability to make anyone feel comfortable and her laugh. She has the best – most contagious – heartwarming laugh. We sat in her play room while we watched Evelyn – my God Child – and Millie – her daughter play. Surreal, really.

Last weekend was my second to last round of Yax Yoga Concepts/Stafford House of Yoga YTT. The 12 hour days are always long, but the weekends seem to fly by and the months we’ve been at it too. It doesn’t feel like we started wayyyy back in September. April will be here soon and that’s when I’ll graduate. Once of my goals for this year was to teach a class, and tomorrow I’ll be cueing a pose or two. The beginning steps to becoming a teacher in a classroom setting. I’m already feeling the fear. I agreed to do this class on Saturday and by Monday morning I was making excuses why I should push it back and reschedule. I could study more, prepare more, take the time to feel more confident. But here’s the thing, my body knows this class. It flows through it seamlessly on most days, I just need to trust that I’ll be able to formulate the words to guide others. So, with the push of my sister Katlyn and Elena I’m going to this class and I’m going to cue. If you’ve got the extra energy, I’d really appreciate those vibrations tomorrow morning, say 9:30am.

I’ve been doing a lot of friend visits lately. This job adds a lot of separation from those that work normal 9-5s and have the weekends for friends and family. I try to squeeze mine in during the weekdays. Anna came up from North Carolina, we also were friends in high school but didn’t really connect until after college. In all honestly we shouldn’t be friends, she grew up pretty conservative + in a church and I’m pretty liberal + spiritual with few ties to organized religion. On all accounts our opinions differ, but we have a mutual respect and love for one another. We met at Wegmans and hit up their fish bar for dinner. (If you haven’t done this yet, do it! It was so great, convenient and affordable!) I love her honestly, the way she cares about her family and friends and her ability to listen. I don’t get to see her much these days, but I am so grateful when we do connect!

Update on Match.com: I went on my first official Match Date and it went well! He’s cute, polite and he was actually who he said he was online! I met up with him twice last week. Anyone have tips on profile write ups? Even with two degrees in writing, I think this is a very specific genre that focuses on wit + humor. My sense of humor is super dry and sarcastic, so I come across *sometimes* as an asshole.

I’m also super thankful for this upcoming trip at the end of the week. I’ll be flying to Austin, Texas to shoot my first wedding of the year. I really struggle with wanderlust and feeling trapped when I don’t travel enough. I haven’t been out of Virginia in a few months now, so this wedding is coming at the right time! I’ll also be flying up to Las Vegas, for a quick trip to visit my friend Cindy and check out the Grand Canyon for the first time! (Hello bucket list item!)

I’m undecided on nail polish this week, only because I’m thinking about getting a gel mani + a pedicure before I head out on Thursday. If you’re interested at all peep the stories, I’ll share with you any color deets!

Breakthroughs

Y’all I don’ t know if you’ve ever had to physically put a child’s car seat in your car, but I don’t recommend it. Or better yet, it would be a true test of someone’s patience. If you’re dating, it would be absolutely hysterical and a great test to watch your potential lifemate try and wrangle this contraption into the tiny space it’s suppose to go and safely. Key point here being patience.

Let me just say up front, I wouldn’t have passed the test. Not even close, not like Cs = degrees. I’m talking about “please take the course again, or maybe try something else.”

Friday morning I was meeting Chrissi, and I thought I had access to the extra vehicle at the house with the carseat. I got ready, got Evelyn ready and walked out the door. Except the carseat was sitting on top the outside freezer, cool. <ha> I’m a problem solver at heart so I thought, how hard could this possibly be? I’ve heard people complain about it but, obviously kids have to be transported from place to place, so people do this regularly.

First obstacle was to make room in my backseat, I’ve collected a lot of things back there this season: coats, hats, scarves, snacks, yoga mats, etc. I move all of the things and start looking on the outside of the carseat for the instructions. There are labels everywhere, instructions for tiltings and adjustments but nothing for how to actually secure the seat. I looked at the buckles and figured out these needed to be hooked between the seats. I thought: “Alright, not so bad.”

Nope. That right there was my mistake. I reached in the seat, grabbed the bar and tried to attach. Except, the bar was way too big for the clips. I keep looking for alternatives and couldn’t find any. I decide it’s the best choice to phone a friend. I call my Mom, she says “Oh you just clip it, it’s super easy.” But clip it where? I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about. I hang up and call Katlyn, she says “She hasn’t put that carseat in her car yet, to google.” Moving along with a slight annoyance building, I call Kellyn. She finally explains there are hooks on the edges of the seat. I dig and I find them. Awesome, perfect. I got this.

Nah. Nope. I can’t get both clips on the hooks without loosening the belt, which I then, can’t tighten because I don’t have the arm strength. So here I am, crunched down on my back seat, back to the ceiling, standing on my seat try to pull this strap. I pull and check the tightness. Not secure enough. I try again and pull. Still not tight enough. I regroup and decide I’m just going to make the strap tight and with enough force I’m going to make the clip hit the hook and I’m good.

Nah. Nope, again. I hurt my thumb, my pointer fingers were tired from pushing down. I had been at this task for 45 minutes. I couldn’t see the clips and then this anger and frustration rose out of me like a demon fleeing my body from an exorcism. I jumped out of the car and on the driveway, with Evelyn as my witness I yelled. Actually, it was probably more shrill like a scream. I had lost all control of my anger and patience. It was right out of a movie. I could feel it leaving my body and scraping my throat on the way out.

I thought about canceling my playdate, or actually driving to a fire station with Evelyn not safely secured to get them to do it. I didn’t because I was nervous we would get into an accident and/or I would get a ticket. I needed a few minutes to cool down. Not just emotionally, but I was actually sweating. I’m talking cute little cardigan off, hair in a ponytail and beads of sweat on my back and forehead.

I regrouped made an adjustment on the length of the belt and was able to attach it. I was beat though, emotionally exhausted and physically sweating from a child’s car seat.

I don’t have Evelyn in my car a lot, but let me tell you. I’m not removing that carseat anytime soon. It’s there to stay, because I don’t think I could do it again.


p.s. I was told by both Chrissi + Anna the secret is placing your weight on the seat by sitting on it or putting your knee on it. I’ll be good for next time, but the way I feel now, that seat will remain in it’s spot until this car is sold in like 10 years. It’s an added feature at this point.

As always, thanks for reading. xo.