Round Here Lately- Family, Farmhouse Updates, Boston and Bonus Episodes

by girlseeksjoy · March 18, 2023

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It’s honestly been the most amazing week. It was my 40th birthday, I had family in town to help me celebrate, and Nick and I got away for an amazing two nights in Boston.

Let just tell you, the weather is HORRIBLE while we were in Boston. We got pelted with ice rain the whole time we were there. But we didn’t want the weather to keep us from living it up in the city. So we literally walked over 7 miles around the city, ice rain coming at us sideways or not.

To be honest, that particular day was so flipping memorable to me. The contrast of the icy cold air, next to the warmth of the chosen restaurant or shop that we ducked into… it felt delicious.

The food was delicious, the company was my favorite, and just having the time for the two of us to catch up, finish a conversation, and enjoy each other’s company was the best gift I could have received this year.

We honestly forgot to take any photos because we were just immersed in being present with each other and our time together.

Here are a few other things going on with us right now…

Award for most practical hiking attire

All I wanted to do on my actual birthday was wake up early and go hiking with my little family before my parents and brother got to our house around noon. But I was conflicted… I also wanted to wear the electric orange red Boden skirt my parents got me for my birthday…

So, I chose practicality :-p

Both Ayla and I hiked the short hike to Diana’s Bath fall near our home in skirts and tights (I wouldn’t normally choose black tights to wear under this dress, but I’m not completely unreasonable :-p).

Skirts, tights and boots, we plodded along with big smiles in the bright sunshine. It was such a beautiful day.

Flooring in!

My parents came to stay with us for a week. This all on its own makes my heart so happy because it could easily be justified that they see us so much more regularly now that we’re on the east coast, that they don’t need to come for a whole week to visit anymore. But they did… and we all loved it so much.

Part of the reason they came was to help us put in some new flooring in the “cold room” that is actually 100 degrees since putting in our wood stove. We chose a beautiful woodgrain vinyl planking, and I love it so much. We brought it all the way through our kitchen too which now makes me want to get right to painting the cupboards and changing out the countertops. But, I’m working on being okay with the discomfort of living smack dap in the middle of the process.

I’m so grateful to my dad, uncle and my sweet husband for all the hard work they put in, and my mama for keeping the kiddos happy while we were in Boston and my dad worked away at the floor.

Here is the before and now… before it was a construction zone and boot pile… now I can see the beautiful room it will be so super soon!

…not the best photos… but you get the idea. It’s way better.

PS: I was going to paint the wood paneled wall something much darker, but when I put on the grey primer, I fell in love. I love how the grey pulls each little groove of the panels out. So, light blueish grey it will be!

Wallpaper Update

My mama and I started the project of tackling the new wallpaper in the dining room together. Something I learned about myself is that I’m not totally horrible at putting on wallpaper…who knew?!

Back to Crossfit

After taking a solid 7+ year hiatus from Crossfitting regularly, I started up in earnest at our local Crossfit gym. I was sooooo nervous before the first class, and the second… and honestly, I feel like I’m in this really uncomfortable place where my body remembers well how to do the movements, but I need to keep myself in check and ramp up slowly so I don’t break myself.

I am just so excited to be back to this sport. I have always felt most at home in my body while Crossfitting, meaning, for me, that I don’t actually think about my body at all. That, for me, is a gift.

If you didn’t know me way back when, I started Crossfitting in 2009 and got so into it that I started a blog about my Crossfitting journey. Looking back at that blog makes me laugh and grimace a bit…but it was me, at the age of 26, sharing my heart and my honest experience.

I will always be so grateful for Crossfit. NOTHING has transformed my body the way Crossfit has. And nothing, besides natural at-home childbirth, has taught me the depths of my own strength.

These photos are from back in my Crossfitting days… at my peak fitness. I hope to get back there someday… but I’m totally okay with that not being the case as well. My mindset is so different this time around… I’m there to move my body, get stronger so I can participate in my life without my own fitness being a roadblock to me living life fully. And most importantly, that doing one extra rep or doing a workout a minute faster is never worth hurting myself… I have people depending on me to be able to do my life.

But I wouldnt’ hate being that strong again :-p

Bonus Episode

Oh man, Sammy and I have a super fun bonus episode coming out this week! Sunday March 19th is National Laughter Day, so we have a fun 12 minute episode with a compilation of all our favorite “busting a gut” moments. Casey did such an amazing job putting it all together, it just may be my new go-to when I’m having a bad day (before, it was goats screaming).

Ps, I found these old gems of Sammy and I from 2012 (laughing is just the best…)