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Life Lately

Life is moving at a steady pace. Not too crazy and definitely not slow. Summer is almost here, and for our family of five not much changes other than we have to make sure to not burn ourselves with our seat belts (thanks Texas). Here's a quick update on what's going on in my life!


WORK:
Work is very busy and will only be getting busier as the fall approaches. For the beverage industry the fall is crazy as we present our next year plans to distributors and retailers. In June I'll be heading to Dallas for a big meeting, but other than that I don't have any travel plans for the next couple of months.

KIDS:
Walt and Whitney are 2 1/2 and talking up a storm. They fight with each other all the time, but when they are sweet to each other my heart melts. Turner will be 6 in October and officially registered for Kindergarten. When I did the math on how much we would be saving I freaked out a little! After we pay for after school care through the YMCA, we'll still be saving $700 A MONTH! Unfortunately our twins are moving from an in-home daycare to Turner's old school so their tuition will go up quite a bit, so really it will be a wash. DANG IT!

We don't have any extravagant vacation plans, but I'm extremely excited for our annual neighbor trip to Mo-Ranch in August and my family's Frio river trip in July. I really do love the Texas Hill Country and the beautiful terrain and rivers it has to offer! Next weekend Alex and I are headed 10 minutes north to spend the weekend in Georgetown to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary.


MARRIAGE:
Alex and I have gone on two date nights and it's been wonderful! I'm so thankful to find a babysitter my kids like, and she even likes my kids ; ). We've been able to afford the dates because I've partnered with local restaurants and traded social coverage for the meal. A win win in my book! I recently listened to Rachel Hollis' podcast interview with her husband, "5 Tips To Help Keep Your Marriage Spark Alive", and I loved it! Honestly I would love to do marriage counseling because I think it would be helpful, and I'd also like to do grief counseling. I think counseling could benefit everyone, even though I've never done it ; ). What's holding me back, time and money. Have you ever had counseling? I would love to hear your experience.

BLOGGING:
I haven't had a ton of collaborations through third party agencies, which is good and bad. Good because my weekends aren't spent forcing my kids to pose with me, and forcing Alex to shoot it ; ) Bad because that's extra money I'm losing out on. Fall and Christmas time feels like the busiest time, so we'll see if it picks back up. For now I'm enjoying the break. I still love blogging, and enjoy this space so much but I'm not going to lie and say I don't feel consumed by the numbers game, especially on Instagram. It's hard not to feel less than when you're friends are growing like crazy and you are losing followers. The truth is, blogging is becoming a saturated market, and it's not what it used to be. Do you read blogs anymore or would you rather scroll through Instagram or Facebook?

I've been slowly planning the next ATX Blogger Mixer, but once the venue is secured (very soon) the ball will start rolling very fast.


SHOPPING:
I've been doing a lot of try on sessions for my readers, but haven't been buying a ton. Surprisingly trying on the clothes and walking away makes me feel very empowered and I've been making much better purchase decisions.

BUDGET:
Alex and I finally sat down and went over our budget. We didn't get heated, which was good, but our spirits were definitely low once we saw how tight we are going to have to be even after Turner starts school. The goal at this time is to not go any deeper in to debt. We were gifted some money from family which we are putting towards debt, and the remaining debt we won't be able to pay down until one of us gets a raise. We have one car payment right now which is my van, but we are a bit worried about Alex's car breaking down because it's on its last leg.

GRIEF:
It wouldn't be a complete life update if I didn't touch on grief because it's something I carry with me everyday. It's been a little over a year 1/2 since I lost my Dad. Some days are harder than others, and I think of him most often when I'm driving or when I'm around my children. I also think about him a lot when I'm on vacation. I think about what he would love and what he would hate about the trip, haha. I discovered the "Terrible, Thanks for Asking" Podcast and have really enjoyed hearing others stories about grief.

Thank you all for following along, and for some reason I can't respond to comments on my blog so if you leave one and I don't respond it's not you, it's me ; ).

1 comment:

Shelly @ The Queen in Between said...

You look amazing in these pictures Jesse! You guys have really been doing a great job of date nights.....we have been slacking and I need to get back on it. Have a super weekend.