Quitter quitter quitter.

Sometimes, it's okay to feel like a quitter. Right now, I do.

 

Remember that fast-approaching triathlon I've been posting about and training for over the last 6ish weeks? It came and went this weekend. I worked another nearly 60 hour week and was reduced to tears in my all-glass-fishbowl office Friday morning. I spent Friday night with a great friend who is moving this week, and I woke up Saturday morning still fighting back tears.

 

So I did what any girl does. I called my mom, and I cried. And she told me I'd be foolish to do anything but lay on my couch all weekend and relax. She was a little bit right. I laid on my couch all day Saturday watching episodes of Breaking Bad (still obsessed!) and committing to doing my triathlon on Sunday, but in Atlanta rather than in Charlotte. Mentally, it was exactly what I needed.

 

And then I woke up Sunday morning feeling a little bit better, a little more like myself. I laid in bed all morning waiting for my gym to open, and as soon as it did, I was there. I swam 250 yards (which is 25 extra, mind you), rode 8 miles on the indoor bike, and ran/walked almost 2 miles around the track. It took me an hour and ten minutes to do it, and I figured if I had really done the race, I'd add another 15 minutes to my bike time since I was inside versus actually on the road. And to be honest, I felt really, really great while I did it. So all my worries about being undertrained? Gone. And I think I actually have an even better plan for going forward. And then I came back to my house and continued to sit on the couch watching Breaking Bad.

So yeah, I'm still really embarassed that I 'quit' and didn't spend 4 hours in the car on Saturday, an hour and a half doing the triathlon, and then driving four hours back on Sunday. I am not a quitter, I rarely give up, and I usually end up burning myself out in the process. In fact, I'd imagine that's how I got here in the first place. In case you're worried, I held up my end of the Ramblin' Rose Ambassador program by blogging about the race, plus I have another one scheduled for September. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let life get in the way of that one.

Life, lately (as in, early July)

Life needs to cool it. I worked a smooth 60 hours last week, plus had a holiday thrown in. Busiest week of work since I started in 2010, and we were 1 team member short for most of the week, AND I was on my own Friday. Exciting, fun, but stressful and exhausting. I am hoping for a little less excitement this week but considering I'm flying to Boston Monday and returning Tuesday, I think the excitement levels will still soar. I guess this makes up for the (few and far between) weeks that I say "things are so quiet, I'm getting so much done!"

Good news though, we're officially halfway through 2013 and I'm officially halfway to my goal to read 50 books this year. I'm going to try to step it up a notch in July, because I think school may get in the way of reading during the second half of the year. Just a hunch...

Speaking of school, Orientation/classes start August 5! Can't believe it. I am going to try to squeeze some sort of trip in between now and then, but I'm not sure I can swing it. I am not a very good solo traveller, and I was having a hard time finding anywhere to go that was both in my budget and would be fun for me by myself. I was looking at Caribbean all-inclusive resorts and then found Anamaya Resort. Fingers crossed it works out! If not, I guess I'll just have to wait until Colombia later this fall and spend as much time as I can at the lake in the meantime!

Also, I started and then stopped kind of, sort of dating someone. He was great at first pass, pretty good at second pass, and then the wheels kind of fell off. I was willing to give it a go, but he had some pretty serious personal stuff to work out and apparently I'm not cut out for that. All's well that end's well, and now I know that while musicians can be H-O-T, they may not be my 'type.' And good teeth are still up there as top 3 qualities in a man.

Looking at my calendar over the next few weeks, maybe I don't need a vacation. Maybe instead what I need is a stay-cation and to catch up with friends that I've been missing. I've got several things scheduled over the next few weeks that I think will leave me feeling rejuvenated and fulfilled. People I haven't seen in months (or years!), or haven't spent real time with, or who I've only seen in passing and said, "hey!" before running to whatever is next.

 

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Current Dream Vacation

Several months ago, a friend from work went on a week long yoga & surf retreat. She came home happy, rejuvenated, excited about life, and just... renewed. I didn't ask a lot of questions at the time, other than how it was, and got a pretty generic "AMAZING!" answer. Shame on me for not probing more at the time.

As I was researching trips, I remembered my friend's experience and asked her about it. Upon a few And then I decided that I have to go. The reviews on TripAdvisor are nothing but glowing. Yoga junkie I am not, but couldn't we all spend a week practicing yoga, surfing, and enjoying the company of strangers? Plus, there's a 6-passenger plane ride involved, zip-lining, cooking classes, massages, and so much more.

Anamaya Resort in Montezuma, please have me! And Delta, please lower the cost of your flights. Anyone want to join me? Right now I'm tentatively planning to go July 20-27, because nothing says relaxation like booking a trip less than 2 weeks in advance.

The rest of 2013

 

When I find images for blog posts, I usually search a "__ + tumblr" because I guess that's where all the good pictures are. As I was exploring for a different post, I came across this image, and thought it would be fun to talk about all the things we want. Plus, we're halfway through the year, so why not reflect on some of the resolutions we made in January? What do you want for the rest of 2013?

 

I want to throw a surprise party. I want to fall in love. I want to save money. I want to continue to make my parents proud. I want to take another incredible, inspiring trip. I want to stop picking at my fingernails. I want to be with all my best friends in one place, and take a picture. I want to donate blood. I want to thank the people who mean the most to me. I want to hire someone to work with me. I want to get all A's, and I want all the kids at school to like me!

 

What do you want? What are you dreaming of? What would make 2013 the best year ever?

 

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