Monday, August 24, 2015

Suburbs Bound: I think I like it here...

You guys, I can't believe I'm going to type this, but I think I like it in the suburbs.

I wrote about the things I was already enjoying during our first week in the suburbs a few weeks ago, and I'm continually impressed by new things.

Grampa is enjoying the new yard!
Privacy.   Something I hadn't thought about when moving out of a twin (and previous row homes and apartments over the last 15+ years) into a single family home: it's really, REALLY nice to not share a wall or floor or ceiling with another family.  I don't need to know when the neighbors are up in the morning, or home from work, or having a bad day... I can let my kid tantrum it out without worrying the neighbors will call the family services (it's happened to friends...note the plurality on that one).  I can give my social security number to my husband verbally, and not worry that my neighbor is at the wall attempting to steal my identity.  I can sing in the shower without shielding my face from annoyed neighbors because I finally learned all the words to the chorus of "Shake it off."

I'm really impressed by the amount of nature that comes through our yard.  Part of the reason is our newly discovered pear tree.  No partridge yet, but there are bunnies, lots of birds, squirrels, and I even got to peep a frog in one of the bird baths with Mikey last night.

And did I mention the quiet? The lack of ambient city noise is pretty amazing.  I didn't realize how stressful it is to have noise like that all the time.  No wonder city folk have a reputation as being more gruff and quick to pounce.

Something I don't like:  I feel a bit more uneasy with unleashing the full scope of Kim onto our new neighborhood than I ever have before, but it's mostly because of the sense of permanence this move has brought.  We're in this house in the suburbs for the long haul--20 years or more most likely--and so are our neighbors.  I hate tempering myself, but I also know that most people just seriously can't handle all that is Kim without an easy intro period.  Here's to hoping it's not a long intro...


Monday, August 17, 2015

Goals Update: July in Review

Man, am I bad at updating things!  I thought June was a whirl-wind month, but throw in a bed-ridden case of strep throat and July definitely had June beat.  And hence the obligatory blog self-loathing begins...

So how'd I do in July with my goals?  Pretty good actually!

1. Sew one garment a month: Nothing.  That sewing room I was supposed to get is now Little Man's room (no monsters in that one), and a lack of a usable space to cut, sew, and/or plan things gets in the way of doing things. I may or may not have continued to impulse purchase patterns...
2. Post an article a month: Only one in the beginning of the month, but all things considered I'm proud of that.
3. Run at least 2 5K races: Still signed up for one in October.  Still haven't run a single step.  
4. Exercise 3 times a week: Still making sure I get those 10K steps in every day.  Doing okay with it, but not as good as before.  Frankly, it's been too hot to move.
5. Have one date with my husband a month: Mini weekend away for a friend's wedding, and lots of take out paired with Shameless and True Detective in our living room.  It counts...seriously guys.  It counts!
6. Become better at expressing my curiosity: Still to my knowledge, I haven't pissed anyone off.  In fact, I was able to address some potentially high-emotion issues with no issues last month.  SCORE!
7. Read 10 books: Reading "All the President's Men".  It's not a quick read by any means.  I need to find some "beach books" like Jennifer Weinder or something if I want to reach this goal.  Reading non-fiction is a bit more laborious and time intensive... Still 4 down, 6 to go and 5 months to do it in.