Fitness in 2015

Training for Tuesday snuck up on me pretty quickly this month. That's what happens when I've been playing Santa, battling that holiday anxiety and trying really hard to prepare for our tropical vacation coming up in six short months. 

Since it's the end of the year, this post is fit to be dedicated to my fitness past from 2015. While I can look back and laugh that 2014 was the year of sweaty selfies, 2015 was the year of "look where I'm working out" and more recently "partner workouts gone undocumented". While some of my fitness goals went unconquered, there's a lot that I've learned about myself in the past twelve months.

January - June: ClassPass

It seems like all I could talk about in the first half of 2015 was this fairytale concept of ClassPass. Where with one monthly membership I gained access to over 120 studios in Portland that offered the best in group fitness. I was able to try so many new fitness classes that I had never dreamed of experiencing. A pumped up sweat party with drumsticks? A fear-testing fly with aerial yoga? The soothing meditation through visualization or those delicious restorative yoga sessions? All new to me and all very much missed and adored. I had even broke up with my gym for ClassPass.

Here's what I was able to try:

:: TRX

:: Pound!

:: Bootcamp

:: Yoga (aerial, vinyasa, hot, restorative, yin)

:: Meditation Therapy

:: Spin

:: Crossfit

:: Mobility training

:: Barre (ballet and cardio)

:: the Megaformer

July - August: Moving to Memphis

In the first month of the move, I was unemployed and seeking to fill the void that was created after ClassPass was no longer an option. I took to the Internet to see how I could avoid going cold turkey and to my delight I found a new barre studio that was offering free grand opening classes. I was then brave enough to meet new people early in the morning on a high school track all because I met my fitness hero in a Starbucks and I laughed at her joke. These are some of my warmest first memories of Memphis and made me realize that I could re-establish my previously known fitness culture if I just looked hard enough. Still on the "to try" list is Bendy Brewski ... or Yoga followed by a pint of beer.

August - December: Settling into Memphis

Once I became employed in August, the freedom of what I'd experienced in the first month was no longer possible and it was time for me to establish a schedule. No stranger to 'switching it up', I turned my attention to the gym. The one with the dudes at the weight racks and the one with the tanning beds and the one with the lightly used cardio equipment. It didn't feel like "my gym" where I was free to take up as much space I needed and use my 12-minute athlete interval app. It was the kind where my guy felt the most comfortable tucked away on an elliptical machine and in an effort to make gym dates 'ours', that's the world I fell into as well.

It wasn't long before I made some me-time to throw weights around, to sprint the stairs in our three-story apartment building and went back to some basics in my favorite workouts pre-studio life. Alyssa sent me some of her favorite YouTube flows and it finally convinced me to bring my mat in from the car to get some TLC.

When the new gym at work finally opened up in November, it gave me much more freedom for circuit training and the option to sweat in the middle of a work day. Now that we instituted a couple's workout tax when we have an unscheduled off day, sweating at work has been a great outlet to make time where previously I was looking for it. This added benefit of a gym at work is $0 and if all I have to do is bring my own towel and toiletries for the shower afterward, I have a feeling this gym will be the headliner of my 2016 fitness recap.

Also planned to be in the 2016 fitness recap will be how we used three key daily check-ins to each lose 10% of our body weight over a span of 6 months. It won't be rocket science and obviously nothing earth-shattering, but will show the importance of tweaking your lifestyle and making good choices that already have both of us 30% toward our goals.

Cheers to 2016 and a happy healthy new year!

I hope you're linking up with Alyssa and Tracy for the final Training for Tuesday of 2015!

Confessing Before Christmas

Santa knows if I've been Naughty or Nice this year, but confessing over the blog seems appropriate before Christmas morning. In case he can't find a way to get into the apartment, I want you to send me a lump of coal this year instead.

In reality, I've been a really good girl in 2015. I might have made some really adult decisions in the process by quitting my job, moving to follow my heart and becoming re-employed by the same company a few months later, but overall 'good' in a sense that my conscience can be proud of. I don't have my 2016 resolutions clearly defined, but I know that communicating with friends and family more often will keep my soul filled while we wait out the warmer Spring and Summer months ahead. 

I've been getting into the holiday spirit a little more this year now that we've got a real tree, parties to attend and traditions to create together. I've even been pulling a few tricks out of my back pocket that haven't seen the light of day in years... or ever. Like these paint sample gift tags. They've been patiently hiding on my pinterest boards for years and I finally got the urge to shamelessly grab samples from the Lowe's paint center just like I would grab the taquitos at Costco and cut them into these uniformly elegant ombre trees.

My latest instagram photos have been majorly filtered but also majorly well-lit. Has anyone noticed that I've posted much more lately, and the photos look a little more instagram professional? It's because after 5 and a half months of living in a yellow-lighting apartment and a yellow-lighting work environment I've found my natural lighting sanctuary. It's not pretty and requires props like bath towels, hand towels and blankets, but it creates a photo that shows just enough of my filtered life to make it to the Internet.

I already know a few of my Christmas gifts thanks to Amazon's 5 emails per item ordered and a few text messages included in there too. One was even spoiled because he didn't thnk the Amazon box was his since it was ordered from Ebay, but turns out I unboxed my own gift and had to place it under the tree like I never noticed. Next year, or at least next gift-giving holiday, we're going to have to figure out a solution for household Amazon-sharing protocol, including putting nicknames on the packages so we really know which package belongs to which giver.

That's all I can write today, looking forward to seeing what you're confessing! 

Linking up with Kathy, Nadine, Sarah, Laura, Lauren, Alanna and .... ???

Favorites

We officially have one more week to stress, shop and buy presents be present before Christmas morning sneaks up on us once again. This will be my first Christmas away from the family.... ever ... and it's a little weird to believe that this year I'll be the one on the FaceTime screen while they huddle around the tree and play with the golden sisters.

It really got real when we received a huge package from Portland with mom's best wrapping job for us to have some merry cheer beneath the tree in our two bedroom apartment. There were even a few treats included in the box that we binged after 11pm last night, which I'll explain in the coming weeks why that was a good choice.

Since it's Friday, I'll let you off easy with some light reading and link-up fun with a few of my Friday Favorites:

Have you seen Amazon's new "Dash Button"? It's a little ridiculous but also fairly amazing. They're $4.99 and it's a button that you can press from anywhere and it orders whatever the button is set up to re-order. Think pet supplies, laundry detergent, gum. Look, there's even have a button that orders Kraft macaroni and cheese. 

Stressed like the rest of us? Then Why Don't You... learn a few ways to quell that feeling. Or, why don't you watch this breathtaking video of Oregon? Because I did and now I miss it so dearly.

This homemade lunch, thanks to the guy's passion for grilling and Costco's supply of frozen broccoli:

Also, Sriracha.

Have a great weekend!

Confessions About Nothing

While this is without a doubt the busiest season of the year for everyone, it's also now a record-setting month of blogs posted since I've relocated to Tennessee. What do I have to thank for my more frequent appearances here? That lovely 25-minute time-harnesser called the Pomodoro Technique that Alyssa shared with us on the very first day of December. It's helped me with work, workouts, blogging, reading, Christmas-ing and cleaning. Has it helped you with any of your daily must-do's?

While you're pondering what can be improved in your life by segmenting it into chewable 25-minute increments, take four minutes to be amused by this week's confessions about nothing.

:: "Confessions about nothing"? Well, we've been filling up our DVR with the TBS reruns of Seinfeld and have been binge-watching this "show about nothing" for a month. There's still over 140 episodes remaining on our watchlist. Meanwhile, we're left unable to record anything else but with a reward at the end. Now I can finally play the Seinfeld trivia game that's collecting dust in our coat closet.

:: Southern confession. I don't exactly understand these wildly adorned Christmas trees and can't say that I'll ever decorate a tree like they do down here. If you're unfamiliar, they look like this and not like the trees I've grown up with my whole life. Some even have woodland creatures peeking out from the... branches... ribbons...? I don't know.

source

:: Monday I pinned this to my Wedding board and freaked. There's no ring nor wedding bells in sight, but as a girl who pins things for future events including weddings and children I've made it a secret board to avoid any social media fueled speculations about either aforementioned life-event.  

:: Instagram unfollowers, I see you. Does anyone else have an app that tracks your unfollowers? It was a long-time mystery to me when the followers category would fluctuate, but now I see that it's those Portland fitness studios who don't see my face anymore and those obvious spammers that were never a real account anyway. But, it does make me a little sad when I see that my own extended family dropped my name off their list after scrolling by a cute puppy photo. sigh.

Have any confessions for us this week?

Link up all over blog-land:  Kathy, Nadine, Sarah, Laura, Lauren, Alanna and .... ???

Do Nothing, Do Everything Weekend

This was the one final weekend of "nothing" before things get busy and full of hustle and bustle for the holidays. While we originally had grand plans of a road trip to New Orleans or Nashville, we were proud to make the days into a wonderful combination of do-nothing and do-everything. 

Last weekend we bought our 8' tree and decorated it throughout the week. Waking up to the white glow and the fresh pine scent Saturday morning was a comforting reminder of the holidays, pajamas and full mugs of coffee.

With a pile of laundry to take care of and a house full of boxes, we made some major progress with cleaning, organization and simplification. All of this playing around with freshly washed wardrobes inspired us to each go through our belongings and select twenty pieces to donate to Goodwill. Piles later, we identified 65 things we could absolutely part with. We dedicated the next round of sorting to be focused toward what we won't wear before we move in March to a much more hip part of town. 

Between both activities, we cleared close to 150 items, leaving space in drawers and newly-available hangers. Nothing like a clothing purge to make you realize that you don't want anything tangible for Christmas. Staying within the theme of clearing out, we pulled close to fifteen pounds of frozen meats out of the freezer and the grill-master went to work in our unseasonable 70-degree weather. 

FaceTime with my parents on Sunday and getting many of our holiday cards in the mail warmed our hearts while the grilled cheese cookoff in our kitchen warmed our bodies. We were supposed to attend the Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival, but with rain in the forecast we opted to go buy our own award-winning ingredients to challenge each other in surprisingly not our cheesiest competition ever. Mine was a spicy & crunchy nacho grilled cheese while his was a bacon-swiss-mushroom delicious yummy thing. Spicy crunchy nacho won for flavor and Brian's won for structure & presentation. Cheers to cheese!

Finally, we made it to the gym Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a great sweat and burn each time. We're getting ahead of the New Year's Resolution crowd at the gym and getting into our own healthy routine with 179 days until our summer tropical vacation to the D.R. and hopefully something sooner than that with the whole family. 

How was your weekend?

The Adventures of: Parents in the South

Way back in September when there were still days in the high 80's, I got the amazing news that my parents had been scheming a trip to Memphis for their first time for my 28th birthday. Originally it was a twisted plot conceived between my mom and my guy in a Words with Friends chat session, but before booking the flights it was cleared through me to make sure I was down for a ten night visit. C'mon down y'all. The more, the merrier!

Quickly November arrived. So did the air mattress, the cold weather, and my parents. Our mission while they were in town? Convince them that it's a really awesome, fun, safe and comfortable place. We knew we couldn't keep their eyes from seeing everything about the town since we'd have to still go to work during their visit, but when we did have a say in the agenda we opted for live music, Southern comfort food and occasionally a cozy night in.

The first four days flew by as Brian and I had to quietly sneak around in the mornings, go to work in one car and wait for one another to be done with the workday before returning home for a few big hugs. Those evenings held exciting moments like parents meeting parents and my grillmaster offering up our favorite steak and sweet potatoes meal. During the day while we were working the parents took some test drives in the Prius to see the noteworthy neighborhoods and found quiet spots to picnic overlooking the Mississippi.

Friday night was where the fun really began. Amazingly, the Portland Trail Blazers were in town to play the Grizzlies.  It was a home game we couldn't pass up. Since "go to a Blazer game in 2015" was a Christmas gift I gave my dad last year, we made sure to get seats close to the court so we could really battle back and forth about who was better. They wore red, we wore blue. We had playful banter the entire night and even bet that the loser would buy the post-defeat beers. Grizzlies won in the final play of the game keeping us all on our feet, and we washed the night down with some music and soul food on Beale Street. 

Now here's a ridiculous fact: I didn't get to see my parents in the daylight until Saturday. By that time they'd been in Tennessee for five nights and had already done more exploring than I've done in five months. Saturday was packed with adventure. Brian's sister's soccer game, parents socialize with parents meal, downtown to a pop-up bar in an old fire station, cornhole, Bass Pro Shop in the Pyramid, delicious pizza and finished off the night by crossing into Arkansas to show them one of our favorite silly adventures. Dog racing. 

When we were at the fire station bar, the family gave me the Birthday surprise I'd been anxious about during their entire visit. They finally let me in on their big-time schemed plan and how we were going to make it happen. The first surprise was a simple note that said "New Orleans!". Awesome, but hey it's Saturday afternoon and I have to go to work Monday. That's when I got wind of the second and third surprises. Brian got Monday and Tuesday off for the both of us and I wouldn't have to spend another minute of my time at work while my parents were with us in the South. 

Sunday we woke up with our sense of adventure and made the six-hour drive down to New Orleans where hand-grenades and hurricaines - both drinks - waited for our arrival. We had two rooms at a lovely hotel in the French Quarter with a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. My dad was the first of us to get beads on the street from ladies above who needed to see some flashing on a Sunday night, and the rest of us just held up our hands and didn't need to show any skin for our collection. 

The time we spent in New Orleans went by quicker than you can imagine. We played, we danced, we drank, we ate, we celebrated and we made plans for how quickly we could make it back. Between the three hours it takes to get to Nashville, the three hours it takes to get to the lake house and the six hours it takes to get to N'awlins, I'm not sure which one is our hands-down favorite. 

The final night was to celebrate mom's birthday since we are two days apart, but the fun was cut short by the heaviest rainstorm I've seen in this city. We still had a great time showing them our future neighborhood once we move in the Spring, and still made it home to all cuddle up and watch the latest zombie drama on The Walking Dead. I drove them to the airport the next morning and had a tough time letting them walk through security on their way back home, but understood their excitement because they had two golden sisters to go rescue.

Hopefully our next hugs will be sooner than the family vacation we're planning for the Spring!

It's okay if many of you didn't make it to this part of the post or that this was possibly was the only part you did read. Just know it was a wonderful ten nights in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana with the parents that I love and miss so much along with the guy I'm hoping to adventure through the ups and downs of life with. 

Five Months in Memphis

Tomorrow will be the five-month milestone since I moved from Portland, Oregon to Memphis, Tennessee. This summer I made the committed decision to follow a path I'd been anxious to walk for a long time during our long distance relationship. You've read about how I'm settling into this new home, how I'm making it mine and how we are still soaking in the excitement of adventure and newness.

In the past two months, we've hosted my parents for their first visit, we've shopped real estate for our upcoming move in the Spring and we've spent some important holidays and birthdays together. We're continuing to build our foundation of togetherness and teamwork that we've always dreamed of while still having the playful attitude to bet on ridiculous things and dance in the kitchen during meal prep. We've got everything. We've got us.

Here are my five favorites for the five months I'm proud to have under my belt.

+ Obviously the Pomodoro Technique that Alyssa and I will discuss over a FaceTune date tomorrow.
+ This beautiful bluegrass cover of Iris I found thanks to a lead by Melissa.

+ My new winter/love inspired desktop background.
+ This Etsy shop and sharing the Christmas gift I couldn't wait to let my guy unwrap.
+ Our plans to go tree shopping this weekend and our 5-day gym + water + willpower streak.

Happy weekend! Are you linking up with Amanda today? 

Hello, Pomodoro Mood

I've put myself in this confessions-only blogger rut a few times in my writing past, but it's always what seems to spark some inspiration and give you a real look into what's going on in my world these days. 

What really sparked this post today was the consistent magic offered by Alyssa in her productivity post titled "How to Actually Get Sh*t Done". The first point about the Pomodoro Technique made me a master of my time after just one use. The "distraction pad" is the cure my wandering attention tendencies while her remarks about being in the mood help to prioritize. 

I've Pomodoro'd four times since reading that productivity post and I've found a new thing to get addicted to. Fun to say, easy to do once distractions are removed and highly transferable to any activity. Think work, cleaning, sweating, intimacy, morning routine. It's all yours. 

This was blogged while pomodoro-ing and listening to a 25-minute playlist I created with multiple versions of "Hello". Mainly because I can't decide if I really like the song, the words, the vibe or if the lyrics could easily be replaced with a ballad about me apologizing to my thighs for the decisions I made in November with food and exercise.  At least I can say that I tried. 

Let the confessions begin. 

:: Cyber Monday was really just selfish Monday where I bought one real Christmas gift, two pairs of booties, a Living Social deal I can use at some point over the next four years, and a ton of Old Navy goodness because sitewide was 50% off with a few other redemption codes I'd been saving up for my next big buy. 

:: Cyber Monday was also a little light on the gift side because the guy found the perfect way to treat each other that we're going to have to be patient about. The paradise all-inclusive sun-soaked adults-only resort vacation is booked and paid for, but it's not until mid-June of 2016! I'm so eager that I already tried to request vacation days at work, but it's systematically too far in advance. We've been chatting about a trip in the Spring with the family, too.

:: The big surprise of the week was when we retrieved actual mail from our overflowing mailbox and found two perfectly timely birthday cards with sweet greetings and wishes for my 28th year on this planet. Both greetings were from women I met over the Internet, a fact I enjoy sharing with anyone who doesn't need to know. A text to each and some social media real estate served as my apologies, but I'll continue to make up for it with some adorable holiday cards of my own that will be mailed this week.

:: This weekend my guy finally got a taste of what it's like for a girl to walk into Target during the holidays. We got in, got exactly what we needed and then I informed him that I needed to look around a little more. We avoided the clothes and shoes, but there was a point where I had to send his hovering-self away to do his own thing while I browsed the holiday decor and picked up soup ingredients. Do your men understand what it's like to walk into Target with a basket to fill?

And this. 

Adele. When you're ghosted, you're ghosted. Or I suppose if you were the ghost then you stick with it, girl. 

Hello?

Linking all over the internet: Kathy, Nadine, Sarah, Laura, Lauren, Alanna and .... ???

And Now I'm 28.

Then all at once it's late November. It's cold, it's dark and boots are in full rotation.

We've been apart since October, so can we catch up on some housekeeping before jumping right into confessions and likely my only post of November?

This month I turned 28 years young. My parents joined us for nine nights to see what this new life is all about. We had a great time sharing the sights, the food and the music all while keeping them away from the eye-sores. We've celebrated three birthdays and had way too much sugar. I've been a lackluster participant in the #PluckytoNothin instagram challenge and I'm about to experience my first Thanksgiving in the South away from home. Not only will I miss the traditions of home - like morning drinking and pajamas all day - but I'm scheduled to bring a dish that's going to serve as more of a first impression to the unknown family members than my handshake or hello ever will. 

The part you've waited for, the confessions:

+ The boyfriend made this photo his Facebook profile yesterday and I got dramatic. Not dramatic-happy, but dramatic-blah. I pulled up Excel and did the math on how many days we've known each other and geez, thanks for the FIRST acknowledgement of my face in your life after 841 days. He politely reminded me that he's not active on social media, and this post was his monumental drop-the-balloons-from-the-ceiling-because-you're-a-winner 10th post between Facebook and Instagram combined in those same 841 days. We counted. So, I'm silly and he's forgiven my 3 minute challenge of his public display of love for me. He flew all the way to Portland to meet The Snooks for this one.

+ I loved a custom Christmas gift so much that I let my guy open it... 35 days early.
+ There's been no great sweat in 13 days for a few reasons, yet mostly excuses.
+ However, there's also been no break in a personal relationship-goals streak of 72 days.
+ I'm tossing around the idea of running a race in 2016 just to meet this lady.
+ Recently I posted a photo to instagram that's a few years old and passed it off as a "Happy Friday".
+ After searching many stores, we bought 6lbs of Sun Dried Tomatoes from Nuts.com. Worth it.

That's all and still not enough. Expect something more robust about the visit from my parents because we know that deserves a mention here on the internet. There's so many places where we can confess in blog-land so I'm being generous and linking up everywhere I can. If I find a new one while I'm poking around the internet today, I'll add it here or you can let me know in the comments.  

Wish me luck this Thanksgiving and each holiday after that!

As promised, linking up with Kathy, Nadine, Sarah, Laura, Lauren, Alanna and .... you tell me!

How We're Staying In Shape this Fall

I'm feeling a little intimidated to write an uninspired Training for Tuesday considering the link-up is hosted by two unbelievable believers. Alyssa has her sights on her first marathon in just five sleeps while Tracy just beyond-owned her own "Super Secret Radical Goal" time of 6 hours in her Half Iron Distance Triathlon. While I could sit this one out today, I know that no matter what topics I cover here will be met with good cheers and support from these two.

The weather is turning here in Tennessee. Last week we saw what was likely our last day in the 80's with an immediate swing to my Northwest memories of rainy mornings and dark evenings. This seasonal shift brings a deep desire to trade my evening gym dates for some cozy blankets and the latest on HBO Go.

No matter what way you look at it, fitness gets a little more difficult in the colder months whether it's the rain, the food or the football. Here's just four ways we've agreed to stay in tune with our fitness goals this Fall.

+ Muscle Meetings

The office welcomes a brand new gym this week, just in time to combat the Halloween candy we've all been sneaking for the past month. There's no showers available for the grand opening so this new location will be an evening treat. I'm thinking of the time I spend in the work gym as a meeting with my muscles. The man-friend is excited to spend a little less time on the cardio machines and more time hoopin' with the guys. The biggest win about this after work meeting is that I won't feel so bad to get home and straight into some cozy men's clothing to start the night off right.

+ Tea-rrific!

Drinking every last drop of cold filtered water may be everything I want in the summer, but once I'm wearing layers and blankets just to keep warm at work - I'm sometimes known to wear gloves - I can't stand to replenish my water bottle with the cold stuff. To stay hydrated, I'm tapping into the complimentary tea bags at work and will be steeping strong. I'm encouraging the guy to do the same.

+ Southern Comfort

I'm talking Southern comfort, not Southern discomfort. I'm bound to be trying new foods this year as I spend the holiday season in the South for the first time. The past few years I've been blessed with consistent paleo-friendly holidays and mom's light cooking, but this year I'll be taking 'courtesy tastes' of everything I've been missing out on and doing my best to not insult anyone when I don't return for more of everything. No matter how good, buttery or this-is-my-last-meal-ever-y those new tastes are against my lips, I'm practicing plate portions this holiday season.

+ Tropical Thoughts

Instead of feeling like we can just wear looser clothes to hide the winter layers in the new year we've been talking about the possibility of somewhere warm, bright and with tropical rum drinks a'plenty. Having these palm trees in our dreams will stop us from going back for seconds - or thirds - this gluttonous holiday season.

What about you? What are you doing this winter to keep your body, mind and spirit in the right place so that you're not just jumping on the wagon for January 1st?

Confessions

I couldn't tell you the last time I sat at home - sweats, glasses, coffee - and started writing. Especially in the morning on a work day. This luxury has been brought by second-day hair, by a lunch that was already prepped, by an outfit that was already chosen and by a little Wednesday tradition that's resurfaced in blog world thanks to this sweet almost newlywed.

I confess:

I'm trying to make boots and scarves happen in Tenessee even though highs are still hitting the 80's occasionally. Including today. 

I have to un-sexy my traditional Oktoberfest outfit for a 10 year-old's costume Birthday party we're attending this weekend. Help?

Speaking of un-sexy, I have to hand over a urine sample to a stranger this afternoon as a next step toward full-time employment.

As guests of a beautiful wedding, we made a few innocent prop bets on some of the bride and groom's behaviors. From "will she cry walking down the aisle" to "will cake be smeared in faces", there were no boundaries.

I have 3 photos from the weekend in Portland, none of which involve my golden sisters, Trader Joe's or the wedding.

There are so many cool things to do in my new city that I want to check out for myself, but won't sacrifice my favorite after-work ritual or the wonderful gym dates we've come to enjoy.

Thanks for the visit, see you soon!

Three in Tennessee

The past three months of life in Tennessee have been good to me. 

From the start of the epic road trip across eight states, I've had a hundred new, exciting, frightening and humbling experiences. A terrifying leap was taken into the unknown that included quitting my steady job, leaving my family behind and donating many of my belongings to Goodwill. A risk, which may have appeared to others as a train off its tracks, that I was willing to take to follow my heart. A risk that had no certainty in a successful outcome, and quite honestly still doesn't. 

Without this terrifying yet perfect-for-me life moment, I wouldn't know what was possible.

With a long distance love, everything you do and every time you see each other after weeks can seem like the most magical experience possible. The texts as you're still descending in an aircraft, the holy-sh*t-i-can-feel-your-presence goosebumps, the first sighting, the first touch, the first passionate kiss, the insatiable desire for one another.

My fear was that this could possibly disappear if I were to plant my roots in Tennessee.

Who wouldn't be afraid of losing a touch of this magic while establishing a routine? Waking up together, working together, eating lunch together, walking to coffee together, grocery shopping together, sweating together, falling asleep together. Just to do it all over again the next day? Snore?

To my surprise and far-exceeding my expectations, it's not a snore at all. It's amazing! The past three months have given me every bit of validation that this choice was the right one to make. While everything may not be picture perfect, I've seen the importance of teamwork, communication, respect, honesty, laughter, silliness and adventure.

Adventure comes in many forms for us. A new restaurant, a new TV show, a different haircut.

Just Friday at lunch we were discussing our evening plans of gym, grocery needs and planned exit from the office. While this is my ideal Friday agenda, I went out on a limb and suggested a quick road trip to Nashville for the night.

For the night and right after work without already packing? To spend all that money on just a place to rest our heads and order late night post-bar calzones? He initially hesitated at the thought, but within a minute there was a huge grin on his face and the glimmer of Nashville's lights in his eyes. 

A spontaneous weekend trip to spend some frivolous cash is why we have an adventure budget (also funded by things like our ice cream tax, losers of Uno games and under the table sports betting).

We drove, we sang, we danced, we snuggled, we ate, we laughed, we drank, we planned, we goofed. We shared a triumphant ending to the night slow-dancing to a country cover of "I Want it That Way". We even squeezed in a trip to Trader Joe's that I wasn't expecting until our Oregon vacation coming up in 8 sleeps.

I'm a big fan of this new life and look forward to what the next three months have in store, no matter how they look.

Wins, Woes and Whoa!'s

There was a much different Training for Tuesday coming your way for September, but when Alyssa reminded readers of this link-up and used the phrase "wins and woes" I had to steal it for myself.

"Wins and woes" because I want to talk about some of the yays and nays of how my fitness journey has evolved since fitness-for-two became the new norm. No, not fitness-for-two as in big-family-planning news. Fitness-for-two as in integrating my lifestyle with that of my fitness-shy boyfriend. 

It's a delicate balance between finding the lifestyle I need while being encouraging of the lifestyle he wants for himself. A delicate balance between chicken + lettuce for dinner or succumbing to the cravings of sausage rotel velveeta dip at 10pm on a Tuesday.  Life's real, that happens.

Wins

I'm wearing my FitBit again and actually keeping up with some stats, logging water and hitting step-goals. It's also a win for my brother who taunts my steps once a week while I cheer his steps back. Maybe it's his way of saying hello in the way that only brothers know how.

Brian wants to hang out on the elliptical at the gym? Fine, I'll elliptical too. I love being close to him. But he can keep his coasting at Level 5 / 6.2 average pace to himself. Me, no. I'm cranking my tunes, firing up to Levels 12 - 20 and pacing at > 7.5. As I learned from Firebrand in Portland, "you don't need more time, you need more intensity". His idea of thirty minutes doesn't match mine, but I'm respectful of the workout he wants to get because he's usually the one who suggests our gym date.

I'll be in Portland for a Pound Class! I can't wait to see my favorite trainer ever and tell him I'm only in town for a few days and visiting him was a huge must on my list, even more than craft beer. Does that make me a fake Oregonian? Meanwhile Brian and family will be drinking that beer for me.

Woes

I tried to come up with a sweaty morning routine, but it was replaced with a more intimate one. Actually this one is a win. I tried to come up with a walk after dinner routine, but it was replaced by weeknight football. Actually this one is a win(tertime) win. I tried to come up with a while-he-works-at-home routine, but he stopped working at home as frequently. Actually this one is a win. I tried to come up with a workout while we watch football routine, but one night after a "brutal" 20 body-weight squats to pay for a touchdown he was sore for 4 days straight. This is just funny.

The things that haven't gone exactly as planned didn't fail, they just looked a little different to my partner than what my vision was. That's okay.

If fitness is important to me, I will make it a priority that doesn't compromise our relationship.
If fitness is important to him, he will make it a priority that doesn't compromise our relationship.
If fitness is important to us, we will make it a priority within our relationship. We do.

Bonus: Whoa!'s

Whoa! There's a Yoga Class at a Brewery in Memphis for $15 that includes a fun all-levels class and a pint. Do I invite lady friends I've made here, or do I go solo and meet new friends?

Whoa! Putting a tax on eating ice cream out of the carton actually works! In our home, one serving of ice cream in a 4oz dixie cup is free, After that, any consumption out of the carton or if the carton makes in to the carpeted area, it's $5 from the offender into the adventure fund. The only way we can go for a second 4oz serving is if both of us shake hands as a team and agree. The tax / handshake hasn't happened yet.

Whoa! I moved desk locations this week and I get to add more stairs into my life! This comes alongside my twenty-five minutes on the stairmaster at the gym and my new favorite 1,000 stair loop at home consisting of 32 round trips up 32 stairs in our 3-story apartment complex.

Do you have any Wins, Woes or Whoa!'s?!

Linking up with Alyssa and Tracy, two ladies kicking butt in goals and life. 

Just Because It's Friday

Happy Friday! This free blogging moment is brought to you while I duck and dodge the chores around this apartment. I'm a fan of doing the work Thursday or Friday so that the entire weekend can be chore-free, but today's mood just isn't feeling it. If I'm going to do anything around the apartment, it'd be pulling my fall scarves out of boxes and lining up my collection of Frye boots for the perfect day to trade out my summer sandals.

But it's the south, so I'm not sure yet when that feeling will hit me.

This week in things:

I was jealous that Portland has access to Amazon's Prime Now, a service where you can order from Amazon and get your delivery within two hours for free. This means groceries, toys, exercise equipment, tailgate gear, whatever! Instead of jealousy taking over, I decided to send a little care package to my parents and my sisters complete with ice cream, chips, toys and smiles. Delivery is free, but if you are nice you can tip the driver for service with a smile. 

I spent too much time exploring Snapchat's filters this week. Way too much time and I'm now embarrassed to admit that I'm missing the rainbow vomit filter. Did this obsession happen to anyone else? 

Oh, you like fitness? All-time couple record of three gym visits during the work-week. Add that to the weekend football viewing workout plans and you may have a trend. A sweaty trend.

It was true! All signs pointed to a Trader Joe's coming to Memphis in 2016 and finally Wednesday this sparkly magical news made my day and halted many of my threats to my significant other that I'm moving back to Portland for family, Trader Joe's and Classpass. I may not have the great fall and holiday goodies this year, but this time next year I'll be one of the first in line to welcome my fun-loving friends to Memphis and support the 2016 legalization of wine sales in grocery stores. Cheers!

And finally, we have been keeping amazing track of our budget  since I arrived in Memphis (thanks to this unbelievable post and my geeky analytical brain) and we're already making adult decisions like canceling Brian's Netflix account, skipping Starbucks and packing lunch from home rather than buying daily at work.

"Things" are looking good these days!

Wonderful Exciting Things

This interruption to an unintentional blogging break is brought to you by a few wonderful exciting things.

First, I never realized how difficult it would be to blog while living with my best friend. 

My old prime-time blogging was either during my lunch hour or after we'd already said goodnight on FaceTime. In this new happy world, blogging windows of opportunity don't exist. Lunch breaks are now spent together and away from the glow of our computer screens, which is a brand new foreign concept we can thank each other for introducing. Nights are now spent wrapped in each others arms with no leisurely computer time to even distract my attention. 

These are moments that I will never regret, moments I will never curse for making me a less interactive blogger, moments I will never want to trade in. Plus that means there's more free time to complete a 1,000 piece puzzle on a do-nothing weekend after racing up 1,000 steps and eating over 1,000 calories each solely from sausage rotel velveeta dip. 

Sometimes this "blogging isn't important to me" attitude must be interrupted when there's big exciting news to share and wonderful things to look forward to in the future. 

Wonderful Exciting Thing #1

We booked round trip plane tickets for a visit to Portland in 22 sleeps to stay for 5 sleeps. I get to see a dear friend get married and take on a perfect-for-her last name. I get to hug my family, spoil my golden sisters, shop at Trader Joe's, drink Oregon beer and other-than-Starbucks coffee, attend a Pound! class, be work-free and experience the best time of the year in the Northwest. 

Wonderful Exciting Thing #2

Shortly after making our flight reservations from Wonderful Exciting thing #1, I was surprised with the bonus news that we would be hosting our first Memphis visitors in November. Mom and dad are making their first trip to Memphis to celebrate my 28th birthday and to see the place we call home. It was short lived as a secret plot between family and boyfriend as they decided a 10-day drop-in wouldn't be the best thing to spring on a girl who is quickly approaching her 30's. Smack.

It's a birthday week for mom as well, so I'll have to start thinking of ways to show her the best of Tennessee. 

So, what do I show the parents and what else should I mark onto my Portland agenda?

Mine Again in Memphis

When I left Portland I knew there were some things I was leaving behind for good.

Family, ClassPass and Trader Joe's were at the top of my list. No sales tax, gas station attendants and standing workstations were next. I'd already bid my farewells to straight hair among the humidity and goodbye to rain boots because of all the rumors I heard about scorching summers in the south.

While I don't see my family - or ClassPass and gas attendants - moving to Memphis anytime soon, here's some things that returned to my life in the past 10 days. It's really true; if you love something let it go. If it comes back it was meant to be.

+ A big beautiful if-this-is-a-prank-im-going-postal thing happened last week in the form of a news article suggesting all systems are GO on adding a Trader Joe's to the place I've been planting my Oregonian roots. This article's validity may even influence the area of town I'll invest in for the beginnings of a very-very-far-away future family. I have the customer service phone number - and will share it with you too - so that I can call and express my excitement for this location's consideration.

+ I am the world's worst sit at a desk all day kind of girl. I find myself so thankful for the many daily meetings I have that are standing room only and the fact that I'm so insignificant and don't need a seat at the table. For three weeks now I've been pushing through sore hips, tight shoulders, and an achy back while I ask co-workers how they possibly sit all day. I describe to them this magical world of Portland hippies at Nike World Headquarters who appreciate workplace ergonomics and offer alternate workstations and alignment consultations to any employee that wants it. I found exactly what I was looking for in the most unconventional and anti-social location. The cafeteria. No, I'm not forever hungry if you have to go find me there, I'm just taking care of my muscles.

+ By default I just made some new best buddies last week who love to drink, eat, trash talk my boyfriend and watch football. Considering that I'm singlehandedly the best trash talker and hater of my guy in a public setting, I fit right in. I participated in my very first Fantasy Football draft and didn't adopt any crazy-girly strategy like what player looks best in football pants, but came out with a B+ grading from Yahoo's point of view. That's one level up from the boy's grading of just a "B".

+ I've never seen so much rain in the summer. I thought I wouldn't need any rain boots in my new world, but I've had to wear jackets and sweaters just to keep warm and dry this month. Southern summers, what? No, I didn't bring Portland with me. I don't know that I've ever seen rain in August in Portland. In fact, the entire Northwest is up in flames this month from the wildfires and unusual temperatures.

+ I thought that the words 'nature' and 'outdoors' were gone from my vocabulary, but this past weekend we headed West to a gorgeous lake house in Arkansas and soaked up some water, trees, and sun rays. I learned to ride and operate a jet ski, boarded a pontoon boat in person, laid in this hammock and snuggled on this guy all weekend. We are heading back as soon as possible if you didn't already gather that I loved this weekend and everything about it.

Family? ClassPass? Who's next to join me here in Tennessee?

Beer in a Bag

Since I don't know if confessions are still a thing, it's been a while since I've had the balls to show up on a Wednesday. I don't want to confess like it's a thing and be the lone and stinky cheese, and I don't want to post a non-confession and be duped by an unprecedented record-setting day of confessions in the blog world. That's why I'm coming to you on a Thursday, and not to confess but to say hello and share more about my new home and life since I've become employed. 

I'm also coming to you on a Thursday because the boy has had a few unfortunate evenings this week buried in his work laptop and I'm sitting close-by for a second set of eyes to look over his work now that I can have an informed opinion on what he's trying to accomplish. 

Speaking of this man, we celebrated our two-years-since-I-met-your-face-iversary last week with beer in a paper bag and a shot for each of us, the same thing we both ordered the night we met in Toronto two years ago. We've both lost a little on our tolerance, but we haven't lost any ground on the way we make each other laugh. I'm all for an easier two years than the last, but won't take any years without this silly, smart and (another s-word) handsome man by my side. 

That night we also celebrated my one month in Memphis and my third day of work in a new role at my former employer. 

Being a temporary employee at a place you used to work full-time is strange. People know your name, you know the ropes and don't need much help to on-board, you can accomplish things immediately and feel confident with mostly anything that hits your desk. It's also strange - yet heartwarming - to get messages from your former co-workers asking "You're back??". 

I immediately have to stop their minds from thinking that my move was a flop and that I've already come running home to sulk and be comfortable. I tell them where I'm at, what I'm doing, that I actually make more money now and that I actually have to be restricted to hours and a time-card and all those crazy things I haven't done for years in the corporate world. Then comes all of the envy and wow-yes and congrats, but I have to remind them that Insurance through COBRA is yucky and I have sales tax now. Plus, I'm not contributing to some of my favorite things like the stock market or my 401k. 

But, at the end of the day I now have a paycheck and can justify my purchases from our Tennessee Tax-Free weekend. Wedges on wedges since I have to wear closed-toe shoes at my new job, and Brian was gifted two new pairs of jeans because he was embarrassing me himself by walking around with holes in the crotch of his favorite pair. 

Oh and that meal prep? We ROCK the kitchen Sunday nights but somehow it just turns into a platter of leftovers every weeknight. We can't form together a proper meal even when I'm writing down on paper what exactly we will be having each night. We pace the kitchen intending to put together a plate, but instead we find ourselves with seven open tupperware containers and sometimes bacon in bed instead. 

I swear we're putting all of this together, just give us time to act like adults. It's hard sometimes. 

Employed

I've been drafting a post all about how it's been a little discouraging to apply for any and every job yet only get a real interview to a company that does the equivalent of the Vitamix and Shamwow presentations at Costco. Yes, I interviewed for that and laughed my way through the entire 45 minutes considering that I stressed over my outfit that had to be business professional. If you google "business professional female for interview" that's not exactly what you want to be wearing in Memphis in July, right?

After that I was digging as low as the 'gig' section on Craigslist just to find an extra dollar to spend on produce at Sprouts, but turned away each time I saw something that wasn't meant to be there. I even opened an Etsy shop thinking I could and should be selling my braided bead bracelets. This may eventually become a thing, ladies. 

While I hoped to share a little more time in Funemployment la-la land with Alyssa, I'm here to share that I accepted a job Friday last week and have my first day back at the corporate world today. It's not as scary nor as crazy as you think. I'm jumping into a very familiar world with the company I worked for in Portland, just on the other side of the business from where I used to be. Some things will come quick, others will be brand new ah-ha moments I could have used in the past six years of employment. Gone are the days my guy could count on a hot meal cooked and ready as he walked through the door, goodbye counting the hours for him to get home (since now all I have to do from 8-5 is look across the room to see him!) but hello to some incredible couples teamwork in our meal prep game for the week.

Last night we spent a quick 75 minutes in the kitchen as the greatest meal-prepping team I've ever seen get to work. 

: 8 Smoothie Bags (banana, strawberries, pineapple, spinach - just add milk & protein powder!)
: Italian Seasoned Chicken
: Sausage
: Taco Night Meat
: Bacon
: Sweet Potato Fries
: Zucchini noodles
: Carrot coins
: Freekeh
: Chopped Peppers
: Chopped Onion
: Peach Slices
: Chopped lettuce

What will all of this Tupperware goodness ultimately turn into?

It turns into easier evenings, more time together, healthy food, extra time for the gym, less stress, more love. Thumbs up from me and mine.

Cheers to new beginnings and incredible teamwork!

Making a Home in Memphis

It was three weeks ago that I set out on this great adventure to Memphis, Tennessee. 

I had an idea what my life would look like here, but you didn't! You just knew that I was leaving my only home, leaving my only job, leaving my favorite grocery store and leaving my favorite workouts. 

I can give you a better glimpse into my new life in Memphis if you can have the patience to read. This post isn't all that I have to say, there's much more that you'll get about my infinite search for a career, how I sweat without ClassPass, what I've been cooking and friends I've made.

Living Together

I'm the stay-at-home girlfriend I always dreamed I could be. I get up in the morning and make my guy a healthy breakfast smoothie. When he rolls out of bed in the morning to put feet on the floor, I quickly take up the entire bed I'd been hogging all night anyway and fall back asleep. Thankfully he uses my hair dryer for a quick fifteen seconds in the morning, for his hair and to wake me up I assume. It gently wakes me and instantly I ask, "Smoothie?". "Yes, but you'll have to hurry because I'm late" he replies. Every morning. I race to the kitchen and blend the same tasty banana, strawberry, pineapple, spinach amazingness and steal a quick "smoothie tax" before handing over the red solo cup I assume he bought without smoothies in mind. 

The day is then spent however I want it. At the pool, exploring, job searching and napping have been some of my favorites, but I always make certain that the apartment is clean and dinner is hot and ready by the time Brian walks in the door. This is the part I'm sure he loves about coming home to me, especially since coming home used to mean immediately jumping on FaceTime and spending all night doing life on a phone or an iPad. 

Making a Home

The POD arrived Saturday morning and the contents of that container have occupied my life ever since! If you're planning a big cross-country move or just don't want to do the U-Haul thing, I'd recommend getting yourself a POD. You'll also need some super-parents like mine that made certain that everything in the container was safe, secure and easy to access on the other side. 

We impressed ourselves by getting everything into the apartment by ourselves with just one assist from a friend who lives nearby. We saved the unloading for 9pm and later to stay out of the Southern heat and to add an extra layer of difficulty with the dark sky and the mosquitos out for my blood. 

We were 100% out by Sunday night and the remaining task was to open up all of the cleverly packed boxes that held the possessions that made the moving cut. This unboxing has been my responsibility for the past three days and has included heavy furniture moving, volunteering which of his belongings could maybe go elsewhere and of course putting my lady-magic to work to make this apartment into a home. 

Having Fun

Three weeks isn't enough time to get acquainted with a city, but it's enough time to show each other how much fun we can have living together. Now that we've finished binge watching all five seasons of Game of Thrones together, we're going to have a lot more time for shenanigans. So far we've got into board games, late night swimming in the apartment pool, growler station "research", a massive run-around-screaming water fight inside the apartment, swinging at the park, Costco trips (my favorite date if you were wondering). 

Just last night he walked in the door from a long day to some island music and a pineapple filled with a delicious rum smoothie concoction. If only the weather wanted to cooperate rather than preparing for another lightning storm like we've had many days while I've been here. Fun plans coming up include seeing my cousin play at the Blues City Cafe, going to see the Memphis Redbirds play and root, root, root for the home team, check out the mega-playground I found in the middle of Shelby Farms Park, hang out with his super-awesome little sister for a week and continue making this apartment a home. Together. 

Thanks for reading if you made it this far, I'm loving this wonderful and exciting adventure!

2,438 Miles

It feels taboo and inconsiderate to publish anything other than confessions on a Wednesday, but I know you'll understand when you realize that this post is about the 2,438 mile road trip to my new home with the love of my life. 

Eight days ago I woke up with an overwhelming sense of happiness. That morning I realized that it was zero sleeps until my long distance boyfriend was coming to Portland with a one-way ticket and was prepared to drive us away to my new home. It was also the last day eve at my dream company and it was a terrifying leap of faith into the distance.  Literally.

Packing up the essentials for my first three weeks and many goodbyes with my family meant that I left work on my final day without looking back, not even to see that swoosh I long ago wanted tattooed on my body. Not even to leave from my favorite waterfall exit. Not even to drink the Kool-aid once more. My sights were set on spending my last hours in Portland with the ones I love who love me back unconditionally. 

The planned route was simple enough. Portland to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City to Denver. Denver all the way through Kansas and Missouri to St. Louis. St. Louis to Memphis. Home. This journey on the map was 2,400 miles not accounting for the actual addresses of the hotels and houses we stopped at along the way. 

I've known it all along, but I want to tell you that life with this man is fun. The hours, the miles, the money and the achy muscles were all worth the incredible memories we'll have of this start of our lives together. We kept the trip exciting with wagers on slug bugs we'd see, cuss words out of our mouths and money we'd spend. We gave kisses for yellow cars and pets for long stretches of road. We laughed hysterically over my inexperience with pumping gas, driving long distance, depositing money at a bank and just life in general that I haven't been exposed to. 

We sighed repeatedly over the wow-this-is-really-happening euphoria we both felt the entire trip. 

These sillies along with an amazing stay with Marisa and Noah in Denver, a few thousand bugs splattered on my car, two tumbleweeds bouncing along the interstate, a booming fireworks display, a Cardinals win, some real Southern dining and zero speeding tickets made this adventure an incredible start of our lives together.

Since I've been here, I've been a busy bear. I became a member at the local gym, have taken advantage of free barre classes at a brand new studio, found a Trader Joe's impostor called Sprouts Farmer's Market that I'm going to love, replaced my iPhone after a broken screen along the way, broke a window with a dart (I'm not allowed to throw from the kitchen anymore), washed my dirty car and started making the apartment a beautiful space where we can create more wonderful memories. 

Maybe the greatest thing since I've been here was the long FaceTime with my parents on our first night. Not only was it great to see them and hear their voices, but it was heartwarming to finally be on the same side of the FaceTime screen. 

I've only begun exploring but I think I'm going to fall in love with my new home. 

The Adventure Begins

It's time.

Yesterday was my final day at work and as of today I'm an unemployed American leaving her family, home, city and life for a new one with new adventures in Memphis, Tennessee.

I've never moved more than 20 miles in my life and don't know what it really means to drive 2,400 miles over four days to a whole new world.

I really don't know what it means to not be able to see my parents whenever I want to, or my sisters, or my city. I really don't know what it means to have summer temperature lows of eighty degrees. I really don't know what it means to have to pump my own gas. I really don't know what it means to not have a job as an adult. I really don't know what it means to have sales tax, much less move to the state with the highest sales tax in the nation!?! I really don't know what it means to not have an endless variety of craft beers whenever I want, or have to somehow acquire a taste for Starbucks coffee rather than the local beans I've grown up with.

I really don't know, but I know I'm doing it with a guy who loves me unconditionally and have all of the faith in the world that this is going to be the greatest leap into the unknown that I've ever taken.

Thank you all for your love and support as I take on this epic adventure in my late twenties to follow my heart.

It's been impossible for my family to let their baby girl go, but they've done everything in their power to prepare me for this journey. They've given all their help packing, boxing, cleaning, donating, selling, decision-making and in a few sentimental cases storing my belongings. They are my biggest cheerleaders and I look forward to settling in and inviting them to consider a move to Memphis themselves!

It will break my heart today to drive away.

The hugs goodbye, the tears that will follow and the frantic waves that continue far past when my family is out of sight. Crossing the border out of Oregon will make it real, and the three cities we stop to rest will be reminders of how really real it is.

I'm sure you'll be able to catch us on Instagram!

God bless and see y'all soon!

Training for Tuesday - Goodbye ClassPass

There's a lot that I'm leaving behind as I leave Portland and look out upon my new life in Memphis, Tennessee.

One of those things is the latest best thing that's ever happened to me. 

ClassPass.

You've seen me talk about it before and now you're going to obnoxiously witness me whining and whimpering about how much I miss the barre classes, the yoga classes, the TRX classes, the new to me classes and the Pound classes. Oh, the Pound classes!

Don't forget all of those amazing fitness instructors and studio owners who make me want to change my career in the near future. 

Now that this door closes, I've got great plans to take what I've learned from these classes, instructors and experiences to my new fitness life. I've experienced workouts that are fun, sweaty, functional, peaceful, calming, meditative, collaborative, adventurous and mine!

I'm going to get into my new fitness routine day one of my new residency. It's going to be easy to break a sweat with the 80-degree lows and 85% humidity - compared to Portland's 35% humidity - but I'm talking about gaining muscle and finding my new lifestyle.

My first order of business is to get a cheap and dirty gym membership where I can try out all of those impressive booty circuits I see on Instagram. While I'm not on the road yet, I've already scouted a new barre studio that opened this week and is offering free classes through mid-July. I've been subscribing to all of my favorite YouTube Yogi's and refreshing my knowledge on how to Om at Home thanks to Alyssa.  There was even a 1-minute solid headstand in there.

While I acclimate to the heat and the "new", I'll be bugging ClassPass like crazy on social media and begging them to come to Memphis. That's the same way I've been hounding Trader Joe's for a few months and will be the biggest supporter of the Bring Trader Joe's to Memphis Facebook group.

Oh! Don't forget how much water I'll need to drink to stand up against the humidity!

Any tips you southern ladies can share about fitness in the South?

Training for Tuesday as always with Alyssa and Tracy!

Where Y'all Going, Jessi?

Hi, blog!

Hey, hi! You remember me, right? 

It's been 20 days since we last got in touch and I wanted to share what's been going on. 

The last time I took a 20 day break the post was titled "Where'd You Go, Jessi?". This time I poetically and intentionally took a 20 day break so I could make that parallel connection, but did my disappearing act again without telling you. At least you can count on me to be consistent.

This 20 day break was unbelievably more life-shaking than the last where all I did was traveled to multiple states and read books and kept my nails painted. It's been hard to keep all of this to myself  on the blog, but it's been very easy to have this break from blogging while I've kept myself busy elsewhere.

Busy with what? Let's start with a big one.

+ I gave notice at my job on Monday, June 1st. I work at my dream company and I'm resigning 12 days prior to my six-year anniversary. Technically I gave four and a half weeks notice after a few administrative changes and have been in high demand for the past three weeks.

+ The resignation from my dream company is because I'm finally ready to listen to my heart and follow this crazy feeling I've previously attempted to describe as love. I'm finally ready to go somewhere I know will be uncomfortable. I'm finally at the place where I want to make this long-distance relationship into a short-distance one. I'm moving East of the Mississippi River to Memphis, Tennessee. If you're new to geography that's very far away from this Upper Left USA I've lived in my entire life.

+ That's right, I'm back together - please don't throw things at me for not telling you - with a man I care very much about and love very much. If you're really in the know you saw me throw a casual #NationalBestFriendsDay and #MCM on Instagram three weeks ago, but you really had to be paying attention to remember that you hadn't seen his face on social media since 2014. The sweet guy you read about here and here? Well, he's the same one you consoled me over here and a few other places on this domain before. He's my heart-eyed emoji and always will be. I can't wait to start this adventure.

+ In my moving prep I've tossed out more than three truckloads of clothing, furniture and why-did-I-need-to-buy-this items that were in my three bedroom home. I found way too much cash in a few envelopes that were from Christmases where things like Nintendo Wii were on my must-have list. I'm finally tossing some of the nail polish that's not Essie and glitter I used to wear all over my face in middle school. I've never realized how much "stuff" I had before understanding that I needed to significantly down-size to fit into my new life.

In the non-boy / non-leaving my job / non-moving across the country news, here's a few more things you missed.

+ Miss Black Betty (my brand new baby Prius) got in a 4-car accident. A < 5 mph vehicle damage only and nobody's hurt accident. Not my fault and not my money to get it repaired, plus I learned a few lessons on what you're supposed to do when you find yourself on the side of the road with a few other victims of the same collision.

+ I made it up on stage at my drum class TWO more times and hope to jump up there once more with mom in the crowd. Then maybe be a part-time fitness instructor in Memphis and bring Pound! to my new town. #poundtown

+ I went for a four-mile hill run in ninety-degree weather because it was just too nice to not do it. It made me miss the clear head and full heart I used to get when that used to be my daily routine rain or shine.

+ Weekend trip to the Oregon Coast for Father's Day as a family and watched a fireworks show on the sand. We struck it lucky to find a weekend we could all be together.

I know that Helene just announced that she's moving to Tennessee, but she's going to Nashville which is a three hour road trip away from Memphis and apparently much much much cooler because they've got a hoppin' enough city for Trader Joe's and ClassPass. Two Portland things I love and will miss dearly on my new adventure. Thanks for the care packages in advance, mom.

Other Portland things I'll miss dearly are my amazing parents who have done everything possible to show me support through this emotional life-altering decision. My brother who just returned back to our same time zone after four years away in Europe. My golden sisters who are crazy and silly and more grown up than ever. My friends and mentors and coworkers, the good ones who know who they are. My city that's been there for me through good and bad and great and worst.

Much more work to be done in the upcoming weeks but I'm happy you're now in the know.