Yoga

      Happy Friday! I am so incredibly happy that it's the weekend because I've never had a longer week in my life. On Tuesday of this week I started a second job, which proved to be far more challenging than I initially believed. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, my schedule is work at Summer at Pembroke Hill from 7:30-12:45, grab lunch, then at 1:15 I go to the house of the family I work for to get their (extremely nice) car to pick up their kids from their Downtown office day care, and we go to the pool or something until their parents come home at 5:30. I'm not going to lie, I've never been so exhausted in my entire life. Waking up at 6 and not coming home until 6 gets really old really fast. I need the money, but it's hard to maintain my sanity when I hardly have a second to myself (especially since I had to do something almost every evening this week).
      Yesterday, my mom and I decided to do a yoga class together. We'd never done yoga before, but I've always found it very interesting. The class started at 6, so I had to go straight there once I finished nannying. I'd never been to the yoga studio before, so I put the address in the GPS on my phone. However, the GPS took me to the completely wrong place (surprise, surprise) and it was already 6:00 and I still had to change my clothes and I was so tired and hungry and I almost decided to just give up and go home. I finally figured out the directions, I walked in at 6:08, and went right to the bathroom to change my clothes when I just started to cry. I know I can't really convey this via the internet since anyone who reads this probably doesn't know me, but I truly almost never cry. I just don't. So I even surprised myself as I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom in this yoga studio I'd never been to before, crying my eyes out. I think I had been going, going, going, for so long without ever really doing anything for myself that I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired, frustrated, and stressed out. And these three months are supposed to be the last stress-free period for quite a while (maybe even until I retire)! I managed to wipe away my tears and walk into the room with dignity. There was only one other person there besides my mom and me, and the instructor was definitely your stereotypical mellow "one with yourself" yoga instructor.
      My bad mood had me very skeptical about yoga in general at the beginning of the class, but the more I focused on my breathing, movements, and "feeling" rather than "thinking," I actually felt a difference in my mental and emotional state. Toward the end of the class, we were just lying on our backs on our mats while breathing deeply, and the instructor read a passage to us from a book about meditation and love. I don't think I've ever felt so truly relaxed in my entire life. The class was exactly what I needed in order to take care of myself, and I'll definitely be going back next week. I'm so glad I didn't just go home when I was lost.


Carpe Diem,
Brooke

Roxie :)

      Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great Father's Day weekend! My life has been absolutely insane for the past few days. On Saturday night we got the cutest little 6-week-old Boxer puppy! She's a flashing reverse brindle, which is very rare in Boxers. We named her Roxie as the female version of Rocky, as in Rocky Balboa (also a "boxer"). We have two other dogs, Jack, a Jack Russell terrier who's 12, and Maggie, a three-year-old Boxer, who is named after Hilary Swank's character in Million Dollar Baby, which is why we stuck with the famous boxer theme in naming Roxie. Since they're both purebred Boxers, they get to be members of the American Kennel Club, so they get "special names." Maggie was named Sugar Lips Hot Legs Maggie May, which are all names of Rod Stewart songs, and Roxie's is Roxanne Be My Girl after songs by The Police.

      She's pretty adorable :)

Carpe Diem,

Brooke

In a Rut

      Happy Wednesday! Oh my God I can't believe it's only Wednesday. Each week this summer has felt so incredibly long. Waking up before 9 a.m. (and most certainly at 6 a.m.) should be illegal. I honestly have even started to enjoy my job (four summers into it...) but I just hate waking up at 6. When I get off work at 12:45, I go home to eat lunch and chill out for awhile. However, for the past few weeks nearly every spare moment has been dedicated to all things involving rush, which I will be going through at KU in the fall. I've been asking people to write rec letters for me, writing resumes and cover letters, and planning my outfits (tbh I loved that part). I'm so excited but also pretty nervous! I can't wait to be a member of a sorority.
      Lately, I feel like I've been lacking inspiration or something. I can't really identify it, but something's definitely felt off. To help feel more inspired, I've been reading more, I'm finally going to start running again this evening, and I'm going to take Maggie on more walks (so yes, lots of exercise). I think reading and enjoying nature while exercising are healthy and cost-effective ways to distract you from reality (rather than eating or binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix) and get back on track.

Carpe Diem,
Brooke