Life Update & Favorites

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Today I’m sharing a compilation of thoughts that wouldn’t really compose an entire post on their own. We’ve had a ton going on lately, and sometimes I struggle to keep up. Planning has helped immensely, as has simply writing things down in a journal or blog to let these thoughts out. I’m trying to release the worry and remind myself everything will be OK. I just know it.

Here’s what’s on my mind:

It’s been raining in Chicago for a million years. The storms wake Victoria up and she thinks the thunder is a monster. Also, this is messing with the lighting I need for blog photos, which frustrates me because I like to bring my A game and I feel like it’s preventing that. #bloggerproblems

I am considering doing another round of decluttering. In 2015 I did a 30-day decluttering challenge because I was preparing for a move and Victoria’s arrival. Adopting a child has meant bringing in tons of stuff into our home (via gifts, hand-me-downs and our own shopping for her) and I have reached the point where I need to declutter again. Would you be interested in reading about the process?

We are checking out a preschool tomorrow. The whole idea of finding a school, day care/preschool for Victoria overwhelms me. The system here in Chicago seems so complicated and often involves a wait list.

Paletas are my favorite, specifically the lemon flavor. They are my favorite thing to eat in the summer, ever. Last weekend Victoria and I walked to the park specifically to look for a vendor who sells them.

I bought a Super Suit to protect our GoPro Hero 5 and I love it. The GoPro is supposed to be waterproof, but we don’t want to take any chances. If you’ve been here before you might know that we lost our GoPro in Costa Rica and it was found a year and a half later by someone who was snorkeling. The SD card still worked! To prevent losing another GoPro we bought a Floating Handle Grip and the Super Suit. We also have a floating case. Yes, these accessories are a little pricey, but so is losing a GoPro!

We recently had a leak in our condo in Phoenix that damaged the entire kitchen flooring. My mom has been living in it without flooring for a month. It’s been a challenge finding a contractor to fix it from afar, plus my mom’s English is limited. We finally hired someone, but we decided to replace the flooring we had with tile to match the rest of the downstairs. Unfortunately, that tile is sold out in Arizona — we checked every Lowe’s in Phoenix — and it apparently isn’t an option to have it shipped from another store (we asked!), so we are doing something insane and having it shipped via freight, which involves talk of pallets, lift gates and docking facilities. Also money. Oh, joy! (We have insurance but we still had to pay the deductible plus this shipping cost.)

We have tomatoes and strawberries growing! If you follow me on Instagram you may see that I constantly post garden updates. I am excited to finally be able to grow tomatoes, even if I only really like them in salsa.

I fully believe in manifesting and I feel like I’m being rewarded for my gratitude and trust. This hasn’t always been the case. Earlier this year I kept questioning why certain things kept happening to us, specifically after Taylor died and we had some unexpected expenses and setbacks. Lately I’ve been trying to change my mindset to believing we are going to accomplish what we want as long as we make moves and trust, and it’s paying off with new opportunities. I just kept thinking “It will happen.” and things immediately started to come my way. This in turn makes me more motivated to take action. Do you practice manifesting?

I have some fun brand collaborations coming up next week. I pursued them because they made sense for what’s going on in my life and hope you enjoy them. Thanks for understanding that collaborating with brands is one way I make my travel dreams come true. Also know that I try to accept sponsored posts that I think would be helpful in some way, whether by letting you enter a promotion or giveaway, learn about a great product, try something new, etc.

My plans for the weekend: Take care of business (tile shipping, sponsored posts), plan upcoming road trips, eat some delicious food, and film a yoga video!

Quote for your week: “What you think you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine you create.” -Buddha

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Please share with me what you’ve been up to or thinking in the comments below!