living intentionally

 At my brother's college graduation this weekend.

It's me. You know, your horrible blogger friend? Hope you missed me because I'm about to make up for all the reading you've been lacking and then some.

First, let me give you a little update. We are all moved in, but still unpacking with huge mounds of laundry on our kitchen floor, the only downside to using t-shirts and clothing to pack breakable boxes (or every box if you're us). I am longing for the day when every surface is clean, every item in its place, and I have nothing to do but sit out on our new porch swing and read a book. When that day happens, you will know by my loud sobs of joy.

But I really do love our new home. SO much storage space is nice, it's nice and green right now with lots of natural light. Maybe it's the rainy weather Oklahoma's been blessed with, but I sleep really well in this house. I can really see us living in this house for the rest of our lives.

One thing that's back in action is my refrigerator. Last night, I went to the store and stocked it up with all of our favorite things. I had a very disappointing predicament because I went to my number one choice for a replacement grocery store (Have I mentioned how much I miss my Lynn Lane Reasors?) and just as I was grabbing the last five things on my list, I saw the familiar face of Bathroom Man, the man who offices across the floor from us but still (loudly) uses the bathroom right outside of our offices, often using his cell phone as he takes care of his business. But this is a story for another time!


I have had a lot on my mind, bloggies.  That's why I am blogging from Monique at midnight, because I know this is more productive for me right now than sleep.

This post is about discipline, only I hate to use the word discipline because then I feel like I'm in trouble. So we will use the word training. And I have a lot of training in my near future.

Training a puppy. Sampson comes home a week from today. I'm excited and in love, but pretty much everyone I share the happy news with has a puppy horror story to share. Chewed power cords. Ruined meals. Bitten children. Sleepless nights.

"It's like having a baby," everyone tells me. Only, do women have a special bond with puppies like they do with their babies?

Training for a race. I signed up for The Route 66 Half Marathon in November and their quarter marathon in August. Let's just say I've been bitten by the bug. After reading so many inspirational stories, I've decided to stop flirting with my running shoes and start dating them. Not exclusively dating, but let's just say we'll be seeing a lot of each other.

My dad and I have been running several times a week -- just about 3-4 miles a pop, but it's nowhere easy. I don't think he will be joining me for, you know, 4 times that amount six months from now. But I'm glad I have a tangible date to shoot for, and I think I will do a lot of other experiments with my body in the meantime.

I've learned both from trial and error and the healthy blogs I've been reading (see my new tab blog love to check them out) that what you put in your body largely affects how it behaves. For example, I've learned that if I drink any type of Coke, my muscles will be much sorer after I work out. And if I eat anything substantially heavy the day I run, my stomach feels like a brick, which makes it much harder to breathe.

This blog will definitely keep you updated on my journey. I'm holding you accountable to keep me accountable, you know! We'll start with more than one post a week and see what happens from there.

Training for the GRE. At the graduations this weekend, I got MAJOR graduation envy. I love school, school supplies, reading, studying, and everything associated with school. I am a regular Hermione Granger, you know, except a little less of a know-it-all, but just a little. Anyway, while we were in Arkansas, I bought a GRE book at Borders. There's a Communications/PR program at a little school in the Tulsa area that has caught my interest, but my first step is to tackle the GRE and we will see that happens from there.

I am almost four years out of college, so if I don't study for and take it now, especially before kids come into my life, then I doubt I ever will. Part of me wonders if I just want to see if I still have it, you know? But I am willing to invest in this intellectual part of my life. The test lasts for several years, I've heard, so if a door opens in the distant future, I want to be equipped to go through with it!

You may be asking yourself, why the heck is LB even going through with all of these things at once? I will tell you how it makes sense to me. For one, when I want to be, I am the supreme color coder and chart-maker and task master. Unfortunately, this talent doesn't manifest itself into my domestic life, but it can.

And as for why, I am entering into a stage in my life where I'm becoming restless. With my personality, I can be content in pretty much any situation, including the current circumstances that make up my life. But I am tired of playing it safe. I am tired of spending my energy on the wrong things and not taking chances.

So welcome to my six-month experiment of living intentionally!