Small Joys: volume 23

I'm one shift away from Spring Break and am so READY for a little break from work and school.  I have a couple of books tucked away to read and am hoping for warm weather, sunshine, and lots of time to decompress.  Grab your cup of coffee this morning and let's read about what's going on this week.

No. 1: Fresh Thyme coffee.  Oh my, this is a dangerous new habit that I've formed.  It's the first joy of the week mainly because I'm sipping it as I write this and have found that it gives me life (or energy, at least) in the midst of long reading assignments and papers for school.  One of our friends introduced us to the Salted Caramel roast and we've not been the same since.  It comes in whole bean, too, which we really like since we grind our own coffee at home.  If you're near a Fresh Thyme grocery store, don't walk past that coffee aisle! Grab a bag :)

No. 2: Becoming an Aunt/Uncle!  Scott and I found out at Christmas that my sister-in-law and her husband are pregnant!  We just found out this week that it's a sweet baby boy.  They are coming to visit us in April before she gets too pregnant to fly, and I can't wait to see her cute little baby bump.  We are so excited to welcome this new life into our family and only wish that we were living closer so that we could be there for all of the little moments that make having a little one so special.

Ashley & Chris announcing their baby boy!

No. 3: Apple Bourbon Candles. Alright, so I realize that Apple Bourbon is more of a fall scent, and you know how much I love fall and would celebrate year-round if possible, but this is just a scent that I find universal for all seasons. Firstly, Goose Creek makes 26 pound versions of this candle, which I accidentally ordered.  I was secretly hoping (after realizing my mistake) that it would still arrive and that Scott would let me keep it, but he cancelled the order.  What a mean guy! Now we have three smaller versions of the candle, which can be found here: Goose Creek.  I found a 3 for $30 deal on this particular one a few weeks ago and scooped them up.  This scent fills your home and makes you want to grab a blanket and a good book to read for the afternoon.

No. 4: Book Club. After living up here for over 2 years and waiting around to join a book club (only to find that none of my friends were in one)-- I started one! I was part of a really special book club back home in NC with some of my best friends, and I was missing that connection over books and friendship up here.  We had our first book club meeting this past week and it went really well! I was ill prepared and was still blow-drying my hair when guests arrived, but I think it was a nice way to connect with friends.  I decided to merge several friend groups and was nervous about how this would go, but it seemed to work out ok.  I'm happy that other people are committed and excited about all of this.  

No. 5: Half Marathon Training.  After a couple of years off from training for half marathons, Scott and I picked it up again a few weeks ago.  Have I mentioned that I hate going to the gym? I loathe it, yet I pay $40 a month for the "option" to go.  I haven't been since the first month I signed up for it.  Mostly because I love being outdoors for exercise when I can.  It takes care of my physical and mental well-being when I can be outside for exercise.  In a gym, I feel the pressure of comparison and a need to do better.  Maybe that's a good thing, in some ways, but for me, it's stressful.  Probably the wisest thing for me to do would be to end my gym membership, but I still want that "option."  Oh, what problems I have!  In any case, running outside has been really fun and really good for my mental health.  We're training for a half marathon in May with some of our friends who are actually going to run a full marathon when we (hopefully) go to Alaska this summer! (Alaska trip pending my school schedule, but I'm super hoping we can go with our friends!)

No. 6: Breakfast casserole.  This is a new thing that's changing my life. Our friends Mary and Corey had us over for breakfast one morning and had a "Christmas morning" breakfast casserole prepared that Mary's family always makes for the holidays.  We devoured it, and I promptly marched home to make my own.  We make it in a big 13x9 dish and it's out go-to for morning breakfasts now when we're heading to school or work.  Looking to simplify morning breakfasts in a delicious, healthy way? I modeled mine after this recipe with minor modifications.  I won't lie, I just throw things into a dish when I cook and go by taste/smell/consistency, so I'm not a great one to talk to when you're wanting a detailed recipe.  But it's been delicious so far, and I'm a fan!

No. 7: Sushi dates.  I had forgotten how much I loved sushi.  I recently got a craving and made Scott stop at the grocery store so I could pick up some of Marsh's freshly made sushi.  I'm not weird about grocery store sushi, especially if I see it being made right in front of me.  We've been on a sushi kick ever since and have visited our favorite sushi restaurant, Asaka, twice in the past couple of weeks.  Day dates can be so fun!

No. 8: Running the downtown canal.  With half marathon training, I'm looking for different places to run other than just my neighborhood.  We're lucky in the fact that we live a few blocks from the Monon bike trail that runs through town, so I hop on there to do my runs on most days.  But sometimes I like going downtown and running the canal, for a little change in scenery.  I love the views of downtown from the canal.

No. 9: Vacation nails.  One of my friends from work, ShaRita, had a really fun color of nail polish on recently.  I commented on it, and she told me she was "channeling her inner vacation."  I immediately loved this idea and got my nails done in a color called Toucan Play This Game by OPI.  Check out how fun this inner vacation nail polish is:

Hello, vacation!

No. 10: Facebook/Instagram hiatus.  My life has been so much richer and fuller since I gave up Facebook/Instagram for Lent.  I have still been getting on Facebook for work purposes (we post trades/overtime, etc. in a forum on there), but the amount of time spent on there for work purposes is nothing compared to how much time I was spending on there previously.  I deleted the Facebook/Instagram apps from my phone which has made it way easier.  I think I was spending hours just scrolling through posts on my phone.  Now, I have a lot more down time, and I'm honestly thinking about keeping this up once Lent is over.  Every time I'm on Facebook, I'm comparing my life to those posting new/exciting things about their lives on there.  

Comparison is the thief of joy.

That quote rings true in my life when I am constantly on social media, peering into the lives of other people.  When I'm not, I'm way more content with where I am and what I'm doing.

Hope you all have a great rest of your week and weekend ahead!

Lots of love,

C.