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Life Lately


WORK: 
I've been in my new role for 3 months now and I'm really enjoying it! Starting at a new company and especially a large one like Dell there is lots of learning to do. I've been able to apply my experience, but I'm also in lots of meetings to understand how the organization works. It's similar to my last role in that I'm on conference calls most of the day, but I'm used to it and try to block my lunch to take a break. My kids barge through the door around 3:20pm every day so I'm very strategic on when I schedule calls around that time. Sometimes it's inevitable like the other day when I had a big presentation to stakeholders so I asked Alex to make sure to not let them run in to my "office" aka Turner's room screaming.

Good news is we're building an office and it's almost finished! When we bought our home almost 3 years ago we never imagined working from home. Once Covid hit Alex has been working from the dining room table and I've been in Turner's room. My role is fully remote, but Alex will have to go in a few times a week starting this spring likely. We originally were going to turn our attic in to an office, but it was going to cost much more than we expected so we decided to close in part of our 3 car garage. I love how the space is coming along and looks like a natural extension of our home. Take a look at the progress here!

SHOPPING:
I definitely shopped online this Black Friday as I've been itching for some warm clothes for our trip to Breckenridge this Christmas. I've also outgrown most of my clothes so I needed to size up and donate the rest. My weight gain has been gradual over the past 2 years, and I'm semi OK with where I'm at but it does suck to not being able to fit in my favorite clothes I spent a lot of money on 😩. RIP Theory suits and vintage Levi jeans. Shop my recent purchases here!

CHRISTMAS LISTS:
I've enjoyed shopping for my kids' this Christmas, and a bit for me too in the process 😉. Here's a few things I've purchased for them:

Turner - Nintendo Switch Lite, Engraved Bracelet, Mountain Biking Helmet

Whitney - Vanity, Mermaid Tail, Makeup

Walt - Nintendo Switch Lite, Nerf Gun, Soccer Ball

I've also bought them cold weather gear for our ski trip (gloves, ski bibs, boots, ski socks, beanies, base layers...so many things). 


BLOGGING:
I took a break from writing over the past 3 months as I focused on my new job. In the past I would do a photoshoot every 3-4 months and use those photos in my blog posts, but I haven't shot in so long. I'm hoping to pick it back up next year. I do have a goal in 2022 for this blog and that is to transition it to Wordpress and do a site redesign. I've had the same logo and blogspot template for over 10 years, and I'm ready for a change. 

In 2021, I took on less partnerships but made the same amount of money as I did in 2020. I'm not actively pitching brands unless it involves travel. 

KIDS: 
Turner - He's progressing in his ready skills every day, but it is still a struggle. My goal is to communicate with his teachers consistently and be there to support him with every step.  He played fall baseball, and is taking a break now before he plays again in the spring. He was doing tumbling once a week for the past 6 months, and he was really great at it! He went from not knowing how to do a cartwheel to doing round off backhand springs and standing back tucks. I'm not one to force my kids to do anything so I pulled him out. He's FINALLY shown interest in soccer, which I've been waiting for the day! Hoping to get him signed up in the fall next year. 

Walt - This one whines every morning about having to go to school, and I got my first call from his teacher due to his behavior. He does not enjoy sharing attention, but is great when he has 1x1 time. He's slowly losing his little lisp, and was asked by his teacher to be tested for GT. He played basketball this fall and loved every minute of it. I'm looking forward to seeing him learn how to snowboard. 

Whitney - We've hit a milestone with this girl. She will finally put on a pair of jeans and not freak out! She also wore her first pair of athletic tights and requested a sports bra 😆. She is all about makeup, and loves putting on mascara almost every morning. When she walks through the door at 3:15pm demanding snacks and the TV she looks like an angsty teenager with her mascara smudged around her eyes. When it comes to extracurricular activities, I just signed her up for an 8 week cheerleading program because she's been asking non-stop to participate. 

TRAVEL:
I live for planning vacations. I've already booked one trip for the summer and thinking about what to plan for fall/winter 2022....that's the most fun part of it all! We are traveling to Breckenridge during the week of Christmas with my extended family, and it will be the twins' first time to fly. My immediate family will be staying in a small condo downtown, and my sister and her family have rented a large cabin just a few miles out. We plan on spending time there hanging out and celebrating Christmas. We did enroll the kids in snowboarding school for 3 days while Alex and I ski. The best part is that 13 years ago Alex proposed to me in Breckenridge on our senior ski trip in college, and we're staying at the exact same condo as we did back then!

Spring Break - Our close friends moved to London for a year for work, so we decided to go visit them over Spring break. Turner, Alex and I will be the only ones going and the twins will stay at my in-laws and will go to camp during the day. I'm hoping that Covid doesn't stop our international trip but we'll see. We made sure to buy travel insurance!


It will be 5 years this December since my father passed. I wish he was here to see his grandchildren grow up. My kids don't act like they fear death because they always talk about getting to see Pawpaw in heaven and can't wait for that day.  No words really left to say other than I miss you Dad ❤️. 

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