Friyay in 2016

It’s 8:52p on a Friday night. Aurion fell asleep at 7:37p and Joaquin fell asleep just after 8p. Aaron’s out a concert with some friends and I’m enjoying a glass of wine and some ....quiet....

Life was super hectic from June all the way through last Sunday night. It was NONSTOP, in so many ways. And this past week, two cool things happened.

1. We got a new Sleep Number bed, and my sleep has improved, which means I’m a more patient, more functional human being
2. Work slowed down, and life came back into focus, and I was able to breathe it in and pause. A much-needed pause.

But before that, this is what happened:

June:

• Kid birthday parties every.single.weekend
• Back-to-back work trips to Sacramento (with Aaron) over the course of two weeks, wherein I had to fly my mom in from Minnesota for two whole weeks to watch the kiddos.
• Within the first trip, I had F*Cking pink eye, which was horrifying, but I survived it.
• My sister and her husband came in for a visit from Australia
• A one-day trip to SF to present the results of the aforementioned trip, sans pink eye, thank gawd.

July:
- Weekend getaway trip to Laguna Niguel for the 4th of July weekend; awesome but also exhausting (sucks to sleep in the same room as two littles, as it turns out)
- More kid birthday parties
- Back-to-back trips to Washington DC and Boston

August:
- Back-to-back trips to Denver and Boston
- Joaquin’s extravagant 4th birthday party sandwiched in-between Denver & Boston
- O’Hana Festival in Laguna Niguel where we saw Eddie Vedder perform solo (bucket list item, amazing)
- Flight to Minneapolis with a 4-year old + 11-month old

September
- Labor day weekend wedding in Wisconsin wherein Joaquin had his first job as ring-bearer; first wedding with two kids under 5
- Two major work presentations (one via phone, one in-person) whilst “on vacation”
- Another flight with a 4-year old + 11-month old
- I was literally at the airport four straight weeks in a row
- Ray LaMontagne concert at the Greek

And upcoming:

• Aaron’s 40th birthday shenanigans (week of 9/26; his bday is the 28th)
• Potential trip to Thailand for Aaron (which means a HELL of a lot of work for me) mid-October
• Bon Iver concert at the Hollywood Bowl (10/23)

Life is mostly: good. But it’s been incredibly stressful as well. I love my two little spark plugs, but they can be SO EXHAUSTING, and coupled with so much work travel, I was feeling very over-extended and felt like I wasn’t doing anything well; I was just doing doing doing and not feeling present in any of it.

But! I’ve joined a weekly group that starts this Tuesday called “Mindful Moms” and it’s geared towards helping us imperfect moms give ourselves permission and be more present and less judgmental in the moment. There’s some meditation involved and it feels like a support group for over-extended moms. I’m excited about it.

I also sent an offer letter to a potential new employee today, and if he accepts, I think life is going to get a lot more interesting, in a lot of ways.

I wish this entry was more coherent, but I think it’s more for posterity than anything else, so if you are still reading, bless you, and good night.

Last updated September 16, 2016