A Quick Life Update

What have you been up to for the past ... I don't know ... 3 months or so? 

Today is the first day in almost 14 weeks that I've made the time and space to blog, and for no real earth-shattering reason: Small and large life obligations simply took precedence, and it seemed important to prioritize elsewhere for the time being. But I'm so happy to be back in this space and writing in my spare time again. 

If you're curious, here's what I've been doing instead of blogging (in no particular priority order). 

1. Working 

In February, I went to Modernism Week in Palm Springs with the Atomic Ranch team. It's our biggest event of the year, and I love being there. If you're not familiar with Mod Week, it's basically a giant lovefest for Midcentury Modern architecture and design, and the best and brightest people in that enthusiast world show up. Palm Springs is not just a town full of interesting, accepting and generally welcoming and warm people and places, it's also one of the most quintessential and historic epicenters for the Mid Mod design style. We work really hard to put on some valuable seminars, home tours and generally provide valuable programming for the audience there. It's hard work, and this year, it took most of my work-related focus in January.

2. Celebrating!

Isaac turned four on March 13! Can you even believe it? He celebrated with his friends at school by bringing cupcakes and snacks to class. At home, we had a party for him at a local playground and invited a few friends. That same weekend, we hosted a couple of dear friends from Australia whom we met during our travels in Patagonia four years ago. Believe it or not, they're still traveling, and they always call us when they're passing through. We also had an awesome Easter with friends this year. It's really the first year that Isaac truly "gets" the whole Easter Bunny thing, and boy was he excited. 

3. Battling the "Bronch"

For most of February and the first half of March, I coughed. I have a little-known thing called cough-variant asthma that has gotten worse over the years, and the story is usually the same: Isaac comes home with a mild, sniffly something-or-other and he gets better in a few days. Then I come down with what he had or something similar, and it takes me longer to get over it completely. I'm exploring alternative ways of being / staying healthy, including diet and different forms of exercise. This is a journey, and I've just begun. I'll keep you posted on how things go.

4. Being a Parent

Moms and dads who blog, I give it all up to you. I know firsthand how difficult it is to find the mental energy to blog weekly (sometimes daily) at certain stages in life. I think this is probably a safe space to admit that parenting, although deeply joyful, has challenging seasons as well. As they grow, find their voices, discover their opinions, likes, dislikes and general quirks, our children test us. It takes mental stamina, which I'm happy to spend, but for me, it usually means less gas in the creative tank for blogging (albeit, temporarily). I've also been enjoying Isaac's creative growth more as he gets older. As you can see below, he's building, cooking and generally "making" up a storm these days. 

5. Trying Some New Health and Beauty Stuff

I've been getting more serious about skincare and wellness lately. I've tried some new treatments including this one, and have changed my yoga regimen from a fusion-style heated practice to a more traditional non-heated Ashtanga. Because I've really noticed the asthma thing happening more often, I'm looking into ways I can use food and exercise to heal my body from the inside out. I've also started back up on this multivitamin. Needless to say, this is an ongoing journey and one I'm excited to share with you in more detail in future posts. 

What have you been up to? What are you looking most forward to in the next few months? Share, share, share!