FEELING: To be completely honest, I'm a bit overwhelmed. The in-laws arrive tomorrow and in true military fashion, Flyboy was thrown on a last-minute trip and left this past Sunday morning. If all goes according to plan, he's supposed to return late Friday evening after his family arrives. My fingers are crossed, but the Negative Nancy in me can't help but worry his flight will get delayed, as it has happened a handful of times in the past. We've been looking forward to this time off with family for awhile, and I just hope and pray it all works out. I know his folks are equally excited to see him and it would be nice to spend as much quality time together as possible. Of course, I would be lying if I didn't mention the fact that whenever we have guests I go into crazy Ashley mode and I want every detail of our house to be perfect and spotless. I've been scrubbing mold and mildew from the rock walls around the house, and my lint roller is permanently attached to my hip because dog hair is aplenty around Lil' Puna. I put too much pressure on myself, and I imagine I could take these overwhelmed feelings down a notch if I could just learn to relax. Our guests could care less about these minute details. This level of intensity can be such a blessing and a curse!
READING: I can't say I've had much of a chance to read anything (even blogs!) this week, but I look forward to diving into David Sedaris' latest book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, while we're on vacation this next week. I'm a ginormous fan of his essays. No one does snarky like Sedaris; his stories leave me grinning and laughing aloud.
LISTENING TO: I was on my way to work earlier this week, and I was running off of four hours of sleep and a Caramel Macchiato. Sadly, the sweet taste of caramel and shots of espresso weren't enough to keep me from yawning. I sat at a stoplight and Icona Pop's "I Love It (I Don't Care)" played on the radio. I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to survive the workday when all I wanted to do was go back to bed. I didn't even have enough energy to change the radio station, and I'm so glad I didn't. I was in an absolute daze until I spotted a Korean woman in her mid-50s bedecked in a hot pink track suit, matching sun hat, and Skechers Shape-Ups. She stood at the crosswalk, marched in place with her arms swaying, and an occasional fist pump in the air. It was hard not to stare and the lyrics matched her marching as though it had been choreographed. I sat in traffic laughing hysterically at what I had witnessed. It's a little nugget of humor that has got me through the week with a double-barrel grin. I especially busted a gut when I caught her marking time to these lyrics, "You're form the 70s, but I'm a 90s chick. I love it!"
THANKFUL FOR: During weeks like this when my to-do list is lengthy and I find myself fretting over minutiae, I couldn't be more grateful for my attention-seeking fur kids (cough, Beesly, cough). You see, she likes to thread the needle — an act in which she barrels forcefully in between my legs while I'm standing. She parks her body in between my gams and will just stand there until I give her some love. Inevitably, I bend over and wrap my arms around her body. It's like a giant puppy hug — it's one of the best feelings in the world! She'll sneak up on me when I least expect her; it's like she knows that I'm the one that needs the love and companionship. I could be standing at the sink or folding laundry and the next thing I know, I've got 85 lbs. of Berner parked beneath me. I'm not someone that's overly affectionate, and I think these dogs force me to stop what I'm doing and focus on what really matters.
THINKING ABOUT: Remember the season one finale of New Girl when Cece asks Schmidt if he's "White Fanging" her? It seems as though Lil' Puna is "White Fanging" us. Goodbyes are tough, and I think the house is trying to make it easier for us to say sayonara in October. Let me explain. Over the past few weeks, we found a ginormous rat the size of a cat (I'm not kidding), ants infiltrated the pantry with fury and went to town on my jar of cookie butter, and cockroaches managed to annihilate three loaves of bread — we're talking double bagged, my friends! Oh, and pest control made its quarterly visit a week prior. To make matters worse, the Tongan workers returned when our neighbor hired them to rebuild part of his rock wall. Oh, the horror! Tools were strewn everywhere, and there was no shortage of rocks or cement. Getting up and down the driveway is a giant pain in the rear whenever they're around because they tend to dilly dally and make a mess. I was reminded why I came up with the hashtag, #punaproblems.
EATING: Sweet readers, I did something this past week that is very very bad, and I've got to share it with you. I decided to eat my feelings and turned to the chocolate aisle for solace. I scoured the shelves and discovered the sinful and decadent world of Lindt's HELLO Cookies & Cream Bar. As promised, it left my tummy feeling yummy.
WATCHING: Big Brother premiered last night, and let's just say I'm jazzed. This is another one of those guilty pleasures that I look forward to each and every summer. I can't wait to see how the new twists play out.
LOVING: Dear friends of ours recently announced they were expecting (yippee!), and the mama-to-be shared her thoughts on this life-changing chapter of their lives in a touching blog post. I can't really express how giddy I feel for them. They're going to be such amazing parents; they're one of those couples you're proud to call your friends. Kim's post was so honest and sweet. It makes me look forward to the day when we get to be part of the club.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: As if I hadn't made it clear already, I'm ridiculously excited to unplug next week (the exception being Instagram, duh!), spend some time in the sun, and indulge in oodles of food and libations. I'm going to carpe the heck outta my Hawaii diem. After all, our days in HI are numbered. It's time to make them count!
What about you? How are you feeling today? What are you up to?
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