Things I'm Loving Friday

Happy Friday!!! The list lover in me had to share the following, random assortment of things that I'm in love with lately.

Craft Base Layer

This thing is AWESOME. Designed to layer under your jersey, it's job is to keep you dry and cool during hot rides. I was pretty skeptical at first, but then I wore it on a 90+ degree ride and was more than pleasantly surprised. I wasn't all gross and sweaty when I finished my ride and I didn't overheat either. I've even been wearing it in mild conditions where my rides start off a little cool, but warm up quickly and it's been awesome!!! (If you're in the Atlanta area, come check them out at Peachtree Bikes!)

Creeping Phlox

The little bed of purple flowers was actually planted last Spring. I watched it survive the worst Winter we've had in awhile and when the weather got warmer, these flowers started popping up. I actually had forgotten what it was since I usually plant annuals and forget about them after September. I noticed it in some of my neighbor's yards and was reminded that it's creeping phlox. This stuff is awesome, pretty and low maintenance! It may see an appearance in our new landscaping job in the coming weeks, too!

Neutrogena ULTRA Calming Face Wash

My poor face has been suffering from this really cold Winter and drying out like crazy. Combine that with a little bit of Rosacea and "porcelain" skin and you've got a recipe for disaster. Well, maybe not disaster, but really dry and sometimes painful skin. I've started seeing a new dermatologist for help with it all and she gave me a little sample of this stuff. It's fantastic and really helped!

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Goodbye.

“I don’t know if I should congratulate you or console you.” - Craig “How about both?” - Me This was a conversation in our kitchen earlier this week. After a year and a half of weekly therapy, I had my last session with my therapist Tuesday. Not because I was over it or because it wasn’t working or because he retired. Nope. Because we got to a place where we could both say I’ve got the tools I need to move on. I have to say that there is no timeline for therapy and every situation is unique. I moved on from intensive therapy with my therapist because that it was worked for ME. I am certainly no expert and I have a feeling this isn’t the end of my therapy forever, but I do know that my experience with the right person allowed me to heal in ways I literally never thought possible. And it gave me the experience of a healthy “goodbye”. I was never prepared for that, so when we set an end date (not-so-coincidentally my Nanna’s birthday), it was hard to process. No one talks about

It's a Funny Feeling

Let's be honest, I've been riding my bike more this year than the last 3 years COMBINED. While that's sad for the last couple of summers, it's great for this one. And this girl. Thanks to some riding buddies who are calm and patient, I've been able to get out and ride more in the city whereas before even the thought of riding in Buckhead scared the living daylights out of me. I've encouraged myself when I really, REALLY don't want to ride and would prefer to go home after a long day and drink a glass of wine. I've pushed myself to go a little further than I felt I could. I faced some fears. Riding over I-285 during rush hour traffic giggling because I was having a way better time than those commuters! I was out this evening by myself on a local rail-to-trail and it was glorious. The trail was quiet with very few people on it, the weather was great and I just felt good! I trucked along at my best pace yet and kept thinking to myself how

Patsy.

A friend sent this video to me and when I watched it, I was struck more by the feelings it brought up around the content than the story itself. Christen Reighter's story is an interesting and frustrating insight into what it means to NOT want a child. I invite you to watch this. Her experience is not unique and needs to be talked about. Even if you have kids. Or want them. What struck me most was what she says during her TedTalk: "I have believed having children was an extension of womanhood, not the definition." Truth is, I've been struggling with this lately. Not the fact that I'm longing for children. I'd be fibbing if I said there is a very tiny part of me that wonders what this will feel like when I get to the end of life. HOWEVER. That feeling isn't strong enough for me to want to find out. I don't feel like having children should be thought of as a "keeping the fingers crossed" kind of situation. If you aren't sure you'l

A Lovely Life

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